Mistakes trojans mc book.., p.12
Mistakes (Trojans MC Book 11), page 12
“What has the club ever done to you?” Luna asked.
Mac stopped. “Done for me? You think that piece-of-shit club has done anything for me?” He tutted. “I had a plan, and you, you fucking slut, have ruined it. If Matthew wants you to live, he’s going to come alone. Then when I get rid of you, I’ll have the club eating out of the palm of my hand.”
“Why do you hate them?” Luna asked. “They … they’re this town. They keep it freaking safe.”
“Safe? This is coming from a girl who nearly got knocked up by that piece of shit. You think he’s any different now than he was back then?”
“How did you know about that?” Luna asked.
“Mary. She was always chatting about everything going on in her life. Mary, the woman who was supposed to be freaking mine.” He slammed his hand against his chest.
This was not the Mac she remembered. This was a man filled with anger and spite. A man who wanted to hurt the club so badly.
“She’s married to— She’s Pike’s,” Luna said.
“Yeah, she is his now that he has decided to keep her for himself, but he told me. He told me that I could have her, and what does he do? He comes back and takes her.”
Luna didn’t understand any of this. She’d been a kid then, and she hadn’t made it a habit to follow Trojan MC politics.
“Why the drugs? Why are you framing the Trojans?” She had to keep him talking, but she froze as he pulled out a gun.
“Why the drugs? Because they are so fucking easy to use.” He threw back his head and laughed. “Now, I suggest you stay very still.”
Luna held her hands up. “You don’t want to kill me.”
“You’re right. I don’t, but you’re a liability. It’s a shame. I kind of had a soft spot for you. The fat girl no one wanted. Not even the Prez’s little spoiled brat.”
She smiled. “Do you think that is going to, what? Upset me? You think I haven’t heard those kinds of insults before and a whole host of others?”
Mac gritted his teeth.
“Trust me. I’ve heard them. I have lived through them, and it’s going to take a lot more than you shouting that shit at me to make me cry.” Luna stared at Mac. Her heart raced, and she felt sick to her stomach.
Her cell phone was destroyed, and as far as she knew, only Matthew was on the way to the diner.
The freaking town was silent. Unbelievable. Not a soul around. This was just her luck.
“All of this is about revenge? You want to get back at the club? At Pike because he took a girl from you?”
“Mary is not just some girl.”
“Some woman, then. Do you seriously believe you’re going to get away with this?”
“I believe the Trojans need to die. I am sick of their fucking bikes. Their men, their women. All of it. I want them gone from this town. I want them gone from everything.”
There was no mistaking Mac’s thoughts. He was well and truly disgusted by them.
“You can’t tell me that you haven’t thought about it.”
Luna stared at him, amazed. “Thought about what?”
“Taking them out. Matthew used you and dumped you. He treated you like trash. Something to use. You’re nothing to him. Do you think he’s ever going to change?”
Luna licked her lips. “Why don’t you just shoot me and get it over with?”
“I need Matthew alive to get what I want.”
She heard the unmistakable sound of a bike, and panic filled her. “This isn’t going to stop. The Trojans MC are here to stay.”
Matthew was closing in, and she couldn’t let him die. His bike came to a stop, and Mac smiled.
“It looks like he has turned into a good boy that can follow orders,” Mac said.
She turned her attention to the window, and there was Matthew. He climbed off his bike, and Mac pulled out a second gun. She had no idea if he was able to use both guns at the same time.
This wasn’t going how she hoped.
All I wanted was to get my freaking cell phone.
Matthew entered the diner and held his hands up. “Mac, you don’t want to do this.”
“No offense, son, but I’m not going to be taking advice from a snot-nosed little shit.”
“Let Luna go.”
“Call your dad,” Mac said.
“Don’t do it, Matthew. He’s insane. He wants to destroy the club.”
“Shut your fucking mouth.”
Mac fired his gun, and Luna flinched away from it, but he didn’t fire at anyone. It was merely a warning shot.
“The next one is going in your girlfriend’s forehead,” Mac said. “Now, make the call.”
She tried to think of what she could say to distract Mac. To do anything that would put his focus away from Matthew.
“Don’t do it, Matthew. Don’t let him win. This is all about Mary. He wants to destroy you all. Please. Don’t do it.”
“If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll kill him,” Mac said. “I will kill Matthew, and I’ll make you watch as I do. I’ll make it hurt.”
Tears filled her eyes, and Matthew stared at her as he put his cell phone on speaker. Duke answered on the fifth or sixth ring.
Luna couldn’t believe what was happening. This wasn’t going to be how it ended.
“What’s up, son?” Duke asked.
“Dad, er, I’m at the diner. There is—”
“Hello, Duke,” Mac said.
“Mac, what’s going on? Did my son forget to bring money or something?”
“If you want to ever see your son again, you are going to do exactly as I say. You’re going to turn yourself in. You’re going to hand yourself in for distributing drugs, and you’re going to take Pike and the whole club with you.”
“Mac, is this some kind of joke?”
“You’re going to do it, or I’m going to kill your son and his girl.”
“Luna’s there?”
“I’m here, Mr. Bana,” Luna said.
“Matthew,” Duke said.
“Yeah, Prez.”
“I can’t risk the club.”
“I know.”
Luna couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
No. No. Fucking hell no.
“I love you,” Duke said.
Mac laughed. “Do you think I’m kidding?”
“One man against my club. You want to play this game, then we’ll play.”
Matthew stared at Mac, and then he turned off his cell phone.
“Sorry, kid,” Mac said.
“No!” Luna charged forward as the gunshot rang out. She shoved Matthew hard and then felt the pain in her side.
Matthew’s arms wrapped around her, and he dropped her down to the ground. An eerie silence followed and then complete noise as the Trojans MC completely swarmed the diner.
Luna didn’t get to see what happened.
“What the fuck did you do?” Matthew asked.
“I— You can’t die. I can’t allow you to die,” she said.
“Luna?”
“I love you, Matthew. I love you so much. Even if I hate you, I can’t, I don’t want to live without you.”
The pain was getting worse. Matthew lifted and put his hand against her stomach. “No, Luna, don’t!”
His voice faded, and she felt so very tired.
She loved Matthew, but she was so sleepy.
****
Several hours later, Matthew sat at Luna’s bedside. The bullet had gone through and through. Mac had been a bad shot, and the bullet never hit him.
They had no choice but to bring Luna to the hospital, but the bullet hadn’t hit any vital organs.
The moment Matthew had gotten the call, he’d already been with his dad and Pike. Mary had finally told him about what Luna had said to Mary. Mac closing the diner, the sudden disappearances, and the OD victims. It had been a stretch, but Duke had put it together.
Mac was the guy smuggling drugs into Vale Valley.
Duke had told him the club wouldn’t be far behind, but Mac would ask him to pick his son or the club.
Matthew stared at his girl. She had taken a bullet for him. It would never have hit him, but he’d seen what she did. She was a fucking hero.
“How is she?” Duke asked.
He looked toward his dad. “She’s fine, as you already know.”
His father would have gotten an update long before him. The one thing he knew about his dad, Duke Bana was always one step ahead of the game.
“She shouldn’t have been there,” Matthew said. “This is all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault.” Duke closed the door. “I asked Luna to help.”
This got Matthew’s attention. “What?”
“She has contacts at the college, and she was in the right age group. I know she’s a strong woman. I couldn’t ask Maya. Not after everything she has been through. I wouldn’t risk it.”
“So, you got my girl?” Matthew stood as he wanted to beat the living crap out of his father. “How? What if— She could have fucking died.”
“Do you know what it means to be a fully fledged Trojans MC?” Duke asked.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve grown up with it.”
“No, what you have grown up with is being a kid in this world. Not a member but an offspring. That is all. To be a fully patched-in member is one thing, but to have an old lady, one you're so determined to have, you’ve got to know that you can trust her. That she is by your side through thick and fucking thin. I had to know if my son had found the right girl for him or if he had his head in his ass because of past mistakes. Look at the old ladies, Matthew. Look at Holly, Mary, Zoe, Leanne, Maria, Beth, Eliza, Kasey, Lindsey, and Anna. Look at them all and see that they are strong women. Independent women. They will fight for their man.” Duke looked to Luna. “I had to know after everything you two have gone through that she would have your back.”
“You had no right.”
“As Prez, I have every freaking right. And as your father, I can tell you, son, she is a fine young woman. She will not see you come to any pain or injury. She has your back and she has the club’s.” Duke moved closer and put his hand on his shoulder. “If this had been any other situation, you will always be my first pick. I will move heaven and earth for my family. You are my son, and don’t ever think I would put your life on the line above my own.”
Matthew was surprised. Duke pulled him in for an embrace. “What I won’t be is present when you finally take her as your old lady,” Duke said. “There are limits to what I can do.” He slapped him on the back.
Matthew sat down and looked toward Luna.
His dad left and he smiled. “You can talk now.”
Luna’s eyes opened. “I think your dad likes me.”
“Yeah, I think he does as well. How are you feeling?”
“A little achy,” she said. “Do I want to know what happened?”
“What do you remember?”
She blew out a breath. “Mac going a little crazy. Then a lot of silence, a lot of noise, a lot of pain.”
“Mac was going to shoot me. He was a bad shot and you got in the way.”
Luna smiled. “Wow, I took a bullet for you?”
“You took a bullet for me because you are insane and crazy.” He got up and leaned over her, putting a hand beside her head. “And I am so fucking in love with you, it is unreal.”
“I love you so much. Seeing that gun pointed at you, knowing you could die, it couldn’t happen. I don’t want you to die. I never want you to die. You can’t leave me.” She put her hands on his arms, and he stared into her pretty eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere, Luna. It’s just you and me.” He dropped a kiss on her head.
“Good, but, er, I don’t suppose you could spring me from this place, could you?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. “I hate hospitals.”
“No can do. You’ve got to stay here for observation.”
She pouted, and he hated to see his girl so upset.
He climbed onto the bed and snuggled in close, being careful not to hurt her.
“But I can stay here all night long and snuggle with you, if you’d like,” he said.
“I would like that.”
He kissed the top of her head and thanked whoever had kept her safe for him. This girl was his whole world, and he didn’t want to be anywhere else or with anyone else but her.
Chapter Thirteen
The hospital had called her parents.
Their first in-person meeting wasn’t supposed to be in the hospital, but Luna woke up to them stepping into the room. Matthew hadn’t left her side and was curled up against her.
“Mom? Dad?” she asked, coming out of sleep.
“What is this man doing in bed with you?” her father asked.
Matthew came awake and quickly stood beside her on the bed. She would have laughed, but her parents were not amused.
“Luna, you have to explain yourself. We got the call from the hospital to say that you had been shot and were stable. What’s going on?” her mother asked.
“Is it this young man? Is he into some bad stuff? I will call the sheriff!!”
Her father pulled out his cell phone, and Luna saw her parents were panicking. “Mom, Dad, stop. Okay? Just stop. This is, yes, I was shot last night, but it was not Matthew’s fault. It was Mac Reynold’s fault,” Luna said.
Her mother gasped. “Oh, no, was it a love triangle? Did Mac want you, honey? Was he angry that you picked this young boy?”
She wanted the bed to just swallow her whole.
“No, Mom, it had nothing to do with that. Nothing at all. Mac was trying to frame the Trojans MC, and he was going to kill Matthew. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I went back to get my cell phone, and it all just became a big old pile of mess.” She didn’t want to say too much in case there was a whole other story being worked by the Trojans MC.
Her parents didn’t look impressed.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels. It is a pleasure to meet you,” Matthew said.
They were not going to shake his hands.
“Mom! Dad! Stop being so rude.”
They were polite and asked Matthew to leave.
“No,” Luna said. She grabbed Matthew’s hand. “He’s not going anywhere.”
“How about I go and get some coffee and let you talk to your parents?” Matthew asked.
“You don’t have to leave.”
“I’ll be back. I promise.” He kissed the top of her head and left the room.
“You will not see that boy again. I knew we should have forced her to come with us on the cruise. This is a big mistake.”
Her parents started to talk over her as if she didn’t exist. There was no way she was going to let them do this.
“Enough!” Luna said, raising her voice. It hurt to yell, but she wasn’t going to allow them to rule over her life. “I’m not a child anymore. I’m a full-grown woman who can make her own decisions. I love Matthew. I have been in love with Matthew for a long time. You want to act like you’re protecting me, but you’re not. You’re not helping me at all. If anything, you’re ruining this for me. Just stop.”
Her parents looked at one another. “Luna, we know that you have always had a crush on this boy, and to be honest, we were happy for you, but we all know how dangerous the Trojans MC are. We don’t want you running around with wild boys,” her mother said.
“Then I’ll move out,” Luna said. “The Trojans MC is a good place. It has good people in it, and it has Matthew. I want him, and I have tried to pretend that I don’t. I had the whole college experience and I tried to date other guys, but none of them make me feel anything like Matthew does. I love him. I want to be with him, and if you can’t support me with him, then I am sorry about that, but you’re not going to stop it.” Luna licked her lips. “You went against your parents’ wishes.” She looked at her mother. “Grandma and Grandpa didn’t want you marrying a man who was older.”
“Honey.”
“You struggle with your relationship with them. I don’t see them. Do you want to never see my kids? To have that history repeated?” she asked.
Her mother’s lip quivered.
She had never wanted to bring up her mother’s decisions. Her parents were in love and totally devoted to each other, but she wasn’t going to sit back and allow them to rule her life when they wouldn’t listen to anyone else when they wanted each other.
Her mother moved closer and nodded. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. We will accept Matthew and his family with open arms.”
Her dad moved closer. “I don’t care so long as he makes you happy.”
Luna knew her dad regretted the lost relationship her mother had with her parents. There was nothing they could do to change their minds. They wouldn’t be swayed, and neither would Luna.
Matthew arrived, carrying a tray of coffee.
She smiled at him as her father approached and then shook his hand before pulling him in close and slapping him on the back.
It was a start.
****
Matthew groaned as he climbed through Luna’s bedroom window.
Her parents didn’t want him staying the night, but Luna had told him to come to her bedroom anyway. It was odd, but he had a vague memory of this room and of climbing into her window.
“Have I done this before?” Matthew asked.
Luna chuckled. “Once, years ago. You were drunk and you came to tell me how sorry you were.” She sat down on the edge of her bed. “We had sex.”
“How do I not remember this?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. In the morning, you were already gone. You never said anything to me, and so I didn’t bring it up.”
Matthew glanced around her room, taking in all that was Luna. She had a bright bedroom, light colors, and a pink bedspread. As he looked around, he had a vague memory. One that wasn’t particularly clear, but almost like that of a dream.
“I remember. Sort of?”
She giggled.
“You’re not pissed.”
“Nah, I’m not pissed. I actually, er, I forgive you.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “After seeing Mac, you know, it’s kind of hard to be mad at you. I … I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you. I love you, Matthew. Our history and all.”
