Chapter 26
Two Weeks Later
“ T his shit’s startin’ to get tough.” Ruckus squeezes my ass as we step under the arch and head toward the clubhouse. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to keep my hands off you while we’re here?” He speaks tightly into my ear.
“We’re only here for a few hou— Hey.” I smile enthusiastically when Alicia steps out the door and almost catches us. She looks like she’s had no sleep since her brother died. She’s lost weight and I’m really starting to worry about her.
“He’s here.” She rests her head on my shoulders and bursts into tears. Ruckus looks sad as he leaves us together and heads straight inside.
“Come on, let's sit you down.” I lead Alicia over to one of the chairs on the other side of the pool pit.
“Saul’s home now, where he’d want to be.” I try to offer her some comfort at the same time, trying not to think about where Willow’s body might be.
“This isn’t what he’d want at all,” She shakes her head. “He was putting his family together, he’d found someone he loved, and now his little boy will never know his dad. Just like my kid will never know theirs.” Her tears keep coming and I have no idea how to make her feel better. “I’ve tried getting hold of Lettie to let her know about the funeral.”
“Do you think that's a good idea?” I try not to sound negative. I get that Alicia is grieving, but Lettie coming here would bring a lot of risk.
“Of course, it’s a good idea, she is the mother of his child. She was his old lady. She should be here to say goodbye.” Alicia stares at me as if I’m crazy.
“I guess you're right.” There's no point me arguing with her while she feels like this, and it doesn’t sound as if Lettie is going to come anyway. So, I do the only thing I can do and hold her in my arms.
The ground below us starts to shake and when I look up and see the gate opening, the parking lot slowly fills with bikes. Ruckus said that some brothers from the other charters will be riding here to pay their respects. But I never expected this many.
“Are you ready to face this? If you're not, we can go hide in my room.” I look up to the motel room that I haven't slept in for weeks. It’s much easier for me and Ruckus to be together at his place, especially now that Corey knows to knock on the door.
“I’m not hiding from anything.” Alicia puts on a brave smile and stands up. “In fact, if you see me crying any more tears today I want you to slap me.”
“I’m not slapping a pregnant woman,” I laugh. “And you have every right to cry. Cry as much as you need to.”
“No, tonight’s his last night here, it should be what he’d want it to be. Let’s go have a fucking party for him.” She snuffles and wipes her tears away.
I stare across the room at Ruckus, watching as he talks to a few guys who came here from Colorado. I’m curious about how Chop met his end, a sick part of me wants the details, but I decide to leave the past in the past. My future is looking far too bright to darken it with that cloud. Alicia seems to be doing a great job of putting on a brave face, but every now and then her eyes move to the center of the room where her brother's casket lies on the pool table. The Souls’ flag is draped over it and there’s a bottle of his favorite scotch open for anyone who wants to share a final drink with him.
“Little Freya Adams.” I hear a whisper in my ear and when I quickly spin around and see Cam, I squeal with excitement and throw my arms around his neck.
“President of Arizona.” I dust off his prez badge proudly after he places me back on my feet. Cam started off as a prospect here, and although he was a few years older than me, we always got along so well. He spent most of his prospecting days giving me rides to school and sitting outside parties I was at, but he never complained.
“I heard you ran away to join the circus?” He sniggers as he orders us a beer.
“Would you expect anything less?” It’s good to see him again, even better to see him looking happy. He was so unhappy here toward the end. Moving to Arizona was good for him, I always figured he’d worked out what my dad was doing and got himself clear of it all.
“Not at all, you were always spirited.” He laughs, clinking the necks of our beers together, I glance back across the room to Ruckus and see that he’s watching us.
“I wish we were seeing each other again under better circumstances.” Cam looks toward the casket, and the sadness I see behind his eyes proves that Saul’s death has hit everyone hard.
“I hope, wherever he is, he can see that all these people have come together for him.” I smile sadly. “Ain’t nothing like bad news to bring people close.”
“That and the opportunity to make those Reaper bastards pay. I’ll bet your brother’s been countin’ down the days. Just one more to tick off.” Cam laughs.
“One more?” I stare up at him, curiously.
“Unless I got the wrong fuckin’ memo.” He chuckles again.
“Excuse me a moment.” I pull away from him, storming across the room and interrupting Ruckus from the conversation he’s having with the Colorado president.
“What’s happening tomorrow?” I ask, in a stern voice that dares him to lie to me.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Jessie taps Ruckus’s shoulder and heads over to join the twin guys he came here with and I cross my arms while I wait for him to give me an answer.
“You know what’s happenin’ tomorrow. We’re havin’ a funeral,” he tells me, picking up his glass.
“Don’t fucking lie to me Brody!” I feel my anger turning into hurt.
“Will you stop yellin’ at me like you got the right to?” His eyes flit around us like I need reminding that we’re in a room full of people.
“Then start being honest, what happens tomorrow?” I make it clear that I will not be dropping this.
“We got an address for the Reapers' new compound in San Diego, we’re ridin’ out,” he admits sheepishly
“You’re what? ” I try to hide my reaction but fail. “I thought that would be the kind of thing you’d tell your old l— best friend's sister,” I correct myself.
“Yeah, well, no one else’s best friend’s sister knows, so you ain’t on your own,” he whisper-yells back at me.
“I can’t believe you weren’t gonna tell me.” My eyes start filling with tears and I really have to make them stop.
“Freya, it was a club decision not to tell any of the girls. Tomorrow is Saul’s funeral, we have members from nearly every fuckin’ charter here. The Reapers are gonna be outnumbered and they’re gonna be outsmarted too. I need you to swear you won’t speak of this to any of them.”
“When were you gonna tell me?” I ask, wondering if this guy has any idea how much it would destroy me if any harm came to him.
“Just before we left…” He shakes his head impatiently. “How do you even know about this?” He looks past me toward Cam, who's now talking with Vike and Alicia. “Did he?—”
“It doesn't matter who it was that told me, it doesn’t change the fact you lied to me.”
“Freya, I didn’t lie. I just kept something from you. Something that we all voted on, and that's not something uncommon between us. You keep loads of shit from me,” he points at me accusingly, and I breathe myself calm to stop this from escalating into a full blown argument with a room full of witnesses.
“And when you ride out , what do you plan on doing? How far are you taking this?” I ask, turning the subject away from my secrets and trying to figure out how much danger he and my brother are running into. I’m starting to fear that this is the start of the war my brother’s been gunning for.
“Why don’t you go back over there and ask your boyfriend?” Ruck finishes what's left in his glass before he slams it on the table and heads out to the balcony.
I wanna go after him, tell him he’s being pathetic, but I’m already getting a strange look from Eden so, instead, I smile and decide to get very fucking drunk.
“So when are you heading back to cowboy country?” I ask Finn, feeling a little rocky on the barstool I’m sitting on. I’m proud of myself for salvaging my pride and not going running after my man. Thankfully, I’ve lost track of time and I have that empty feeling in my head that comes from drinking cheap Russian vodka.
“After Saul’s funeral,” he tells me, holding his hand against my arm to stop me toppling sideways.
“After the funeral or after the massacre ?” I lean forward to whisper and have to balance my palm on his knee when I almost fall face-first into his chest.
“Freya, what are you talkin’ about?” Finn suddenly looks serious.
“I know, Finn. Please don’t be another fucker here who lies to me.” I hear my words come out slurred.
“Freya, you keep that to yourself. Ya hear? Grunt, get her a water.” He looks over the bar to Josh who’s serving.
“Don’t call him that, he’s better than anyone of you fuckers. Josh has never lied to me. He didn’t run away and leave me here to deal. He never pretended to be dead, making people mourn him and be riddled with guilt.”
“Hey… Hey, Freya, it’s fine,” Josh assures me, placing a glass of water on the bar beside me. It’s so strange seeing him wear a Dirty Souls prospect cut, but I’m glad Raze has seen the potential in him. It just sucks that he has to endure a probation, those things can be brutal.
“Freya, drink the water, you're drunk.” Finn lifts it to my mouth.
“I can do it!” I snatch the glass from his hand and down it in one, slamming it on the bar and smiling at him.
“Happy, now?” I wipe the back of my hand over my mouth and look around for Ruckus. There’s no sign of him, and there hasn’t been since he stormed out of here. He’s been gone ages, at least long enough for me to have gotten myself wasted.
“It’s a start.” Finn seems to have loosened up again, and when he looks to Josh and nods, he takes the glass and refills it.
“Look, Freya.” Finn takes both my hands in his. “It hasn’t been kept a secret to hurt anyone. Raze just doesn’t want you girls to worry any longer than you have to. Don’t take it personally. I know this means just as much to you as it does your brother, and if ya had a bike you’d be ridin’ to San Diego with us." We both laugh as he takes the glass from Josh and hands it to me. “Drink up, darlin’, you’ll thank me for it in the mornin’.”
“Freya, can I get a word?” Cam stands beside me, looking all tall and powerful. He’s young to be a president, but it suits him.
“Sure.” I smile up at him as I hop off the barstool and follow him outside.
“I’m sorry if I got you in trouble. Ruck can be a litt?—”
“You ain’t gonna get me in no trouble, I’m a goddamn president.” He laughs, and when the cold air hits me I go unsteady on my feet and he catches me.
“How could I forget?” I’m so proud of him.
“Which room is yours? I’ll get ya to it.” He keeps me upright and moves me toward the motel.
“Second floor,” I tell him, figuring that I really should get some sleep. I need to be strong for Alicia tomorrow, Ruckus should know where to find me once he’s done being mad at me.
“Will you tell Ruckus where I am?” I let Cam help me climb the stairs. “He takes care of me… for Wrath,” I add, not wanting to give our secret away.
“I’ll let him know,” Cam assures me, and I laugh when I think that Ruckus got jealous over something so stupid. It’s kind of cute, but I also suspect that it wasn’t the jealousy that got him so fired up.
He knows I’m not telling him everything, it annoys him and we’re never gonna get past that.
“Here, one step at a time.” Cam helps me all the way to the second floor and when we get to my door, he lingers in the frame of it while I stumble inside.
“What are you staring at?” I ask when I realize he’s just standing there, watching me.
“You’re beautiful,” he tells me, making me fold over and snort with laughter. “What’s so funny ‘bout that?” He laughs with me, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
“Just those words coming from your mouth. Cam, I think you're beautiful,” I slap my hand at his chest.
Cam may be president of an outlaw biker club but he is a beautiful soul, and there should be more presidents like him.
“I meant it, I think you're beautiful. I always have. I just never had the courage to tell you.” He laughs at himself and looks a little bashful.
“Scared of my daddy, I’ll bet.” I point my finger at him to call him out.
“You know…” He’s still laughing as he steps closer, scratching his fingers through his beard. “You got a real nerve laughin’ and flirtin’ with Finn the way you were just then.”
“I wasn’t fli?—”
“Especially since you're the reason his daddy’s dead.” I feel my stomach flip, as his eyes turn cold.
“I don’t know what you're talking about.” I shake my head, and when his hand reaches up and grips around my throat, I gasp as he slams me hard against the wardrobe.
“I know everythin’. Every fuckin’ detail, and I will tell every fucker here unless you give me what I want.”
Suddenly I’m feeling very sober and with his grip around my neck constricting me, I start to panic.
“What do you want, Cam?” My voice shakes as I force the words out.
“I want what I was promised.” He smirks at me. “I want you.” His lips slip over mine and he kisses me. Slow, passionately, and fear forces me to accept it. “We're gonna storm the Reapers' new compound tomorrow, and then you are gonna leave here with me. You’re comin’ back to my charter and you’re gonna be my old lady,” he whispers.
“I can’t…”
“Look at you shakin’ your head like you got a choice. Do you want all the people here to know that Davy’s dead because of you? Do you want your brother and that pretty wife of his to know that you knew what Cliff was doing to her? Sweetheart, I intend to treat ya a lot better than Chop woulda. Look at this as a blessin’.” His hand strokes my face.
“You knew about that?” I can’t believe this is happening.
“C’mon, you knew your father, do you really think he wouldn’t have had a plan B?” He laughs before kissing me again and I feel that dark cloud, hovering over my head, turn pitch black.
“Get some rest, tomorrow’s gonna be a big day for us.” He releases my throat and starts to back away.
“Wrath will never let me leave with you, he just got me back, and Ruckus…” I decide to hold my tongue on that. This bastard knows enough of my secrets.
“Ruckus is done playin’ babysitter to his best friend’s sister, he’s too busy havin’ fun at the lifeguard tower with that nasty little whore, and as for your brother… I’ll leave you to come up with somethin’ convincin’. Tell him a cute story, sweetheart. I’m sure he’ll just want his little sister to be happy. Unless, of course, he found out the truth, then I’ll bet he’d wish you were as dead as his other one.” Cam strolls out the door and I quickly rush after him and lock it shut.