Chapter Six
King
I waited until everyone was in church before I made my way in. Seeing Grace in the kitchen with Maureen reminded me of what an ass I was last night. As I walked to my chair at the head of the table, I took a quick scan to make sure everyone who needed to be here was here.
When Cash claimed Kytten, I’d told him her being in church wouldn’t be a regular thing.
Except it had been, and now Indie and Rhea were here too.
Aspen was only here because this involved her.
I couldn’t deny that Kytten had useful information, and Indie had skills.
But I’d be damned if this became the norm.
Poseidon stood behind Zeus, a bruise on his cheek. Served the fucker right. He didn’t look at me, but Zeus’ glare didn’t go unnoticed.
Glaring back at him, I asked, “Where is Eros?”
“Gone.”
“Gone where?”
Zeus shrugged. “I didn’t ask.”
I focused on Nav; the two of them were close. If his president wasn’t watching out for him, I knew Nav would. He shook his head slightly, and I blew out a frustrated breath. “No one should be out alone,” I said, glaring at Banshee.
“Eros can take care of himself,” Zeus said.
“Something you want to say to me, asshole? Why don’t I take you out on the fucking plains and see if you can find a place to hide with no fucking trees?”
“Banshee, please,” Aspen whispered.
“Enough!” I growled. Fucking children. “When I left the hospital, I stopped to check on Maureen. She’s taking Hash’s death hard, and she’s due to have that baby anytime now. She’s here this morning to cook. I tried to tell her no, and so did Dec, but you all know Maureen. She’s stubborn as hell.”
I waited for the men to settle down. They all knew Maureen did what she wanted, and there was no stopping her. It was why she got along so well with her stepdaughter, Beck.
“I also talked to Dec. Grace wasn’t scheduled to work at the bar when it was attacked. Mary Ann said her mother had taken a fall and asked Grace to cover her shift. Dec went over to talk to Mary Ann and found her body.”
I knew as soon as I’d gotten the call that it had been about Grace. Being Steele’s daughter put her at risk. Despite Steele being in bed with Skinner.
“Banshee, tell us what the hell happened.”
“When we got to the bar, a truck pulled out from behind the building. I thought maybe whoever was in it had something to do with the shooting, so I followed.”
“Without backup,” Cash pointed out.
“There wasn’t time. He was heading north, so I followed. When we got out on I-80, I sped up and got next to him. The fucker winked at me, then ran me off the road.”
“Did you recognize him?” Jingles asked.
“Is he working with the Death Dogs?” Colt asked.
“Yes, I recognized him, but I don’t think he’s working with the Death Dogs.”
“Who the fuck was it?” Kronos snapped.
He turned to Aspen. “Baby girl, you need to tell King—”
“I told him about the money, Banshee. I told him everything.”
“You need to tell him what happened that first night at the cabin.”
Aspen’s face paled. She shook her head—no. “I promised I wouldn’t.”
“If it’s who I think it was, King needs to know.”
“Someone was at the cabin?” I shouted. “And you didn’t fucking tell me?”
Aspen shrank back at my angry tone, and Diesel whined at her feet. She took a deep breath and shared another goddamn secret.
“The first night at the cabin, I’d planned to run. I waited until Banshee was asleep, and I closed Diesel in my room.” Her hands twisted together in her lap. “When I went outside, someone was there. He told me I had to stay; that you would protect me.”
“Who?” I snarled.
“Chasm,” Aspen answered.
If I hadn’t been sitting in a chair, I would have fallen on the goddamn floor. “That’s not possible. Chasm is dead.”
“He’s not, King. Chasm was the man in the truck.”
“I watched that warehouse blow up. He was inside the fucking building.” I slammed my hand on the table, and Diesel ran over to me. He put his paws on the arm of my chair and barked.
I turned my head, and the dog was eye to eye with me. I stared him down and commanded, “Down,” keeping my voice low and deep. Diesel quickly licked my fucking face before he put his paws back on the floor. But instead of going back to Aspen, he sat at my feet.
“If Chasm is alive, where the fuck has he been?” I asked, causing Diesel to bark again. I glared at the dog. “Enough. Go!”
Diesel whined, and I cocked an eyebrow at him. He tucked his tail between his legs and slinked back over to sit by Aspen.
“I don’t know. But he is definitely alive.”
The room was silent as I mulled over Banshee’s words. How could he have survived that blast? And where the fuck had he been?
“What happened next?” Cash asked, moving the meeting along.
“I tipped my bike up, and that’s when the Death Dogs showed up.”
“And you don’t think Chasm set that up?” Gunner asked, and I glared at him. Chasm was fucking loyal. He’d never align with fucking Skinner.
“I don’t,” Banshee answered.
“What happened next?” Zeus asked.
“I sent the text to Mimic and dropped my phone. I knew they wouldn’t let me keep it, knowing Nav could track it. And I planned on leaving at least one body,” Banshee said.
“You left two,” Jack said with a grin.
“And got shot in the process,” Aspen whined.
“When did they beat the shit out of you?” Blade asked.
Banshee blew out a breath. “That came after.” He didn’t elaborate right away, and when I looked at him, he said, “I know what happened to my sister.”
“How?” I asked. Banshee had joined the club looking for help in finding his sister. She’d run away from home at sixteen and disappeared.
“The girl they took. Kyllian.”
“Firestride’s old lady?” Nav said, poking his head up over his computer.
Banshee nodded. He never took his eyes off me when he said, “She’s my niece. And she’s Steele’s daughter.”
“What are you saying, Banshee?” I asked, sitting forward.
“My sister didn’t run away. My fucking father sold her to Steele. Firestride’s old lady is Kyllian Ward.”
“Kaylah,” Kronos said. “I remember her.”
I saw Banshee stiffen. His sister was a trigger for him. He’d killed his father brutally when he found her diary and learned that he’d been raping Banshee’s little sister.
“Kinsley and Kyllian. Titan loved those girls, and Kaylah ran off with them. He was devastated.”
Banshee lifted Aspen off his lap. “She didn’t fucking run off.
The son of a bitch sold her and those girls,” he snarled as he stood up.
Diesel stood with him. Mimic moved at the same time.
Kronos might have been his grandfather, but Mimic had already proven once that his loyalty lay with the Silver Shadows.
“Who did he sell them to, Banshee?” Colt asked.
“Satan’s Angels. Where my sister was raped and beaten until her body gave out. According to Kyllian, after she was born, Kaylah couldn’t have any more kids. Steele felt she was worthless to him if she couldn’t give him a son. So he got rid of her.”
“And Kinsley? Where is she?”
“Kyllian believes she’s dead too. That girl is the only thing I have left of my sister, and now the Brotherhood has her.”
“How did she end up with the Brotherhood?” Rhea asked.
“After Knuckles died, the Satan’s Angels sold her to the Death Dogs.” Banshee looked at Kronos. “Sound familiar?”
“You son of a bitch,” he growled as he stood.
“Lucas, no.” Rhea placed her hands on Kronos’ chest and pushed him back into his chair.
“She married an enforcer named Pinch. Who, surprise fucking surprise, beat the shit out of her regularly.” Banshee glared at Kronos, and the tension in the room rose higher. “He owed the Brotherhood a debt, and when he didn’t pay, they took Kyllian as collateral.”
“Is she okay?” Kytten asked. “Does she need a way out?”
“No, Kytten,” I said. “She left with Firestride willingly.”
“Maybe because it would have been worse if she hadn’t. I can make contact—”
“NO!” Cash, Mimic, and Bane all yelled at the same time.
“Baby, if you want to call Magyk or Arsyn to make contact, fine. But you and my babies aren’t going anywhere near that fucking clubhouse.”
“You don’t know there are two,” she hissed.
“And you don’t know there aren’t. One or two, it doesn’t fucking matter; you aren’t going.”
“Asshole,” she pouted.
“Damn right,” Cash said proudly.
“I need to talk to her. I need to make sure she’s there because she wants to be. Not because she has to be,” Banshee said.
“I’ll call Cerberus and ask him,” Nav offered. “If she isn’t there willingly, we’ll find a way to get her out, brother.”
“I’ll contact Morpheus, Banshee.”
“No, Rosebud, not yet.”
“Lucas, he can’t hold women against their will. I won’t let him be like my uncle.”
“Too fucking late,” Nav muttered.
“What?” Rhea asked, glaring at Nav.
“I said it’s too fucking late. He’s already like Kalden. If you’d said something when my mother was killed, Zephyr would be dead already. He wouldn’t have been able to drag Morpheus back when he left.”
“He left?” she asked.
“Yes, he left. Right after you did. He went searching for you. He met someone, and he actually fell in love. They had a son. But Kalden dragged him back to the club. Then his woman and his son disappeared, and he became Morpheus.” Nav’s voice got sharper and louder with every word as he explained to Rhea how the brother she loved became the man people feared.
“That was not her fault,” Zeus argued.
“Bullshit. She should have said something,” he shouted, slamming his hand on the table. “That was my mother!”
“Zachary, I’m so sorry you lost your mother. But I also lost my friend. She was already gone. There was nothing I could do to stop that from happening.”
“Maybe you could have stopped it from happening to someone else. Me, Ravage, Eros, Indigo. None of us had a mother growing up because you kept your mouth shut and ran,” he countered, pointing his finger at Rhea for emphasis.
“Nav, enough. Now is not the time for this,” I said.
“When is the time, King? When Banshee’s niece ends up like my mother? Like your mother?”
“I SAID ENOUGH!” I slammed both hands on the table.
Nav’s phone rang, and he picked it up and looked at it. He dropped his head back and snarled at the ceiling before putting it to his ear.
“What?” he snapped. Nav was silent for a few minutes as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.
“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye out for him.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as the caller continued.
“Fuck you, old man.” Nav hung up the phone, and I waited for him to tell me who it was.
There was a barely perceptible shake of his head, meaning he would tell me later when we didn’t have visitors.
I turned back to Banshee. “What do you want to do, Banshee?”
“I want to make sure my niece is safe. And I want Steele’s head on a fucking platter.”
“I think it’s time to do what Reaper suggested and call the damn vote,” Cash said.
I picked up my phone. Before I dialed, I said, “Not a fucking word from anyone.” Setting the phone on the table, I hit the speaker button.
“What do you want, King? I don’t have time for your bullshit.”
“You need to get your ass up here.”
“What the fuck for?”
“Because I have your fucking daughter, and someone tried to kill her. I expect you in two fucking days.” I ended the call before Steele could respond. This was the last chance he had to make things right.
“Think he’ll show?” Gunner asked.
“I do. He doesn’t know which of his three daughters we have, but my guess is, he won’t want any of them talking,” I said.
“Three?” Kronos asked. “Kaylah only had two.”
“He has another daughter who is older than both Kinsley and Kyllian. One he fathered before he married Kaylah,” Banshee explained.
Cash’s phone rang, and he answered immediately. He looked at me. “I’ll be right out to get him,” he said before he hung up. He leaned over and whispered, “Ravage is here.”
“Fuck,” I cursed. I was drowning in shit, and now my little brother was at my gate. The brother I’d just learned about, and the brother I was pretty fucking sure didn’t know about me. The brother who was the nephew of the woman sitting at my table.
A moment later, Cash returned with Ravage right behind him.
Rhea gasped as Kronos jumped to his feet. “WHAT THE FUCK?!”