Chapter 22
Casey
“When did Taz say they’d be here?” Lee asked impatiently, staring out one of the front windows of the cabin. He’d been sitting there for the last half hour now, waiting.
“Should be any time now,” Vail answered.
He was lounging in a chair in the kitchenette area, and then glanced at his phone, double-checking the time.
In the background, Shaw was pacing back and forth, obviously nervous about these two strangers who were coming by to ‘have a word with us’.
So Taz said. We were told we had nothing to worry about, that Riley’s uncle was a good guy and his friend was trustworthy.
I trusted Taz, so I wouldn’t question him.
As they were both away at the University, Riley and Shelby were the ones who came by to check on us, though Shelby came a lot more than she needed to. She was super sweet, bringing us groceries and coming by for brief visits.
However, the last time they were here, I distinctly heard Riley mutter under her breath to her friend, “My God, you have to give them some space!” Shelby still continued to come by.
I had no qualms with it. Living with three boys, as much as I loved them, I missed Nylah, and Shelby was like a pale, blonde version of her.
It was torture not being allowed to message my friend, but we didn’t want any possible trace to link us here.
I knew she’d be panicking, but I had to wait until it was safe.
As well, I was worried as hell about her.
She had been sick the last we talked, and my suspicions that she’d been downplaying being followed were still there.
If it was the same guy each time, alone, what if it was Jeremy?
The thought of Jeremy stalking my friend made me a nervous wreck, but Vail had no intention of returning to Ashland while Elias was running things there.
Without the Beasts or the Spades to challenge him, the place was quickly becoming a hellhole.
Knowing that Elias had some sick fantasy about hurting me for whatever my brother did to one-up him, had me going along with that plan.
No way in hell was I going anywhere near that guy if I could help it.
Living with the boys those past two weeks had been a dream despite the move and the isolation from our old life.
We moved in, and Logan gave us a black card to use.
I asked Riley where a good second-hand store was, and she eagerly took me to one of her old haunts so I could grab some things for us all, seeing as we had left everything behind.
Other than that, we only used the card for food, in spite of Logan laughing at our worries of sending him a hefty bill.
In Ashen Springs, we could walk around freely, for shopping or sightseeing, or even visit the ocean, which I loved.
Micha said we had the Order of Ravens and Wolves protection ( whatever the heck that was ), so we didn’t have to fear anything as long as we stayed within the city.
Any activities we did were basically walking along the beach on the days it wasn’t rainy and windy, or just wandering through the town, exploring.
Five days ago, however, Vail surprised me with an expense when I came home to find he’d ordered that sex swing he’d mentioned, and I’d basically spent three days being fucked silly in it.
I knew Logan had checked the purchase history on the card because a day later, Vail got a text that just said, “Nice!” with a winky emoji.
“There they are,” Lee said suddenly. I hurried to his side, watching as a car appeared from the road winding up the side of the cliff and stopping before the cabin.
It was pouring rain right now, so the figures that climbed out were slightly distorted, but I could see three , not two, running to the front door.
“Three,” Lee called to the others. Vail nodded, remaining where he was in his seat, while Shaw moved in behind him, backing him up.
Here, it was too hot for him to hide beneath his hoodie, but I knew that his short pockets had holes so his hands could reach through and grab the blades of his knives if need be.
“Let’s just relax,” Vail said softly, sensing Shaw’s anxiety levels spiking. “Taz sent them. We know they’re good.”
Lee opened the door just as the three men came up the steps and ran inside.
“Holy fucking shit balls!” One with golden blond hair bent over, shaking it out. “I swear I’ll never get used to the weather here. I miss snow.”
“You’d rather snow than a little rain?” The tallest of the three shook out his messy brown hair before slipping a beanie on over the top, and looking around at us. He was probably in his mid-thirties, with a ton of tattoos and a five o’clock shadow on his chin. He looked like a badass biker.
“You see, here’s the problem with the rain here,” The blond said and straightened.
The moment he did, my mouth dropped and I stared in shock, feeling like I was looking at a ghost. “Yeah, in Canada, we get some snow. It’s kinda cold and shit, but down here when it gets a little windy, it blows cars and shit down the street. ”
This guy was the spitting image of Maverick, except his eyes were an insane glacier colour of blue.
Beneath the collar of his t-shirt, I saw the start of a spider web tattoo, and both arms were covered.
Besides the obvious similarities between him and our friend, I felt like I’d seen him before, yet couldn’t place exactly where.
He noticed me staring and flashed a mischievous smile before raising his left hand, wiggling his fingers as he showed off the gold band on the fourth one.
“N-no, sorry! I didn’t mean…” I peered around to Lee, who moved closer to me and I could see that he noticed the similarities as well. “I’m sorry, you look like a friend of ours…”
“I’m guessing Maverick?” The older guy asked us, his voice carrying a similar rasp to Shaw’s, except his was deeper.
“Yeah… Maverick.”
At that, I saw the blond’s face fall, his lips pressed tight together, and he looked sharply at his companion as though worried about his reaction.
“Yeah,” the older guy grunted, “I noticed it, too.” He looked around at the four of us, but his dark eyes settled on Vail, who hadn't moved from his spot at the kitchen table. “I take it you're in charge here?”
“I am. And all I know about you is that you’re Riley’s uncle and president of the Lost Souls MC in Florida?” Vail said, his voice as smooth and calm as always.
“That’s me. Chase Mathers.” He grunted and pulled a chair out opposite Vail, flipping it around so he could sit on it while resting his arms over the back. I noticed how he moved a little stiffly, and remembered what Riley had told us about his recent fight with that asshole brother of his.
“Mathers?” Lee moved closer, and I stayed with him.
When I peeked over to the blond, I realized he was watching me a little more closely now.
His eyes narrowed as if he was studying me.
It freaked me out because it was the exact same way James, Elias, Gavin, Maverick, and all the others had looked at me, like I was the shadow of my lost brother. I wondered if he knew him, too?
“Yep. Maverick was my old man’s brother.”
I stared back to the third figure, who had remained mysteriously silent this whole time.
He’d moved to the side, standing in the corner while leaning against the wall, choosing to stay back while the rest of us gathered close.
He was probably only a couple of years younger than Keenan, and despite his casual dress, like the jean jacket he was sporting, something about him just had me on edge.
It was like I could feel his aura, and it screamed, Danger.
He ran a hand through his damp blond hair, and his grey eyes snapped to me, which had me instantly turning away.
It was as if Jeremy was suddenly in the room with us.
“I’m Keenan Mathers.” The friendlier blond took one of the vacant chairs, lounging back in it while kicking his legs out before himself, groaning when they cracked. “Motherfucking knees are going already… goddamn garage…”
“Keenan Mathers?” Vail pressed, watching as the guy stretched, before relaxing in his seat. He had been moving like his cousin had, like he was recovering from a serious fight.
“Maverick was my dad,” he said, his blue eyes suddenly tense around the edges. He bit the inner corner of his bottom lip and nodded to Chase, like he didn’t want to speak anymore.
“Is that why you’re here?” Vail asked, glancing at the figure in the corner before turning back to Chase. “To find out what happened? I thought Taz told you-”
“He did. He filled us in on his account of things. Was curious to hear what you kids saw, though…”
It was no secret that the Celtic Beasts and the Black Spades were wiped out in Ashland.
What happened there, with the fight at the docks and the attack at the school, made international news.
But what really fucking pissed me off about it, was that the blame was being put on the MCs, all arranged by Elias, of course.
How much control did that prick have? News reports talked about the Beasts and Spades running a human trafficking and drug ring for years, but after an altercation and with what happened at Harley Institute, they split, and at a standoff between the two at the docks, they killed each other.
But we knew the truth.
We knew that they were our saviours who sacrificed themselves to save us from the real monster.
As soon as the girls were put into a safehouse that Maverick had arranged, Taz, Scotty, my boys, and I all rushed down to Florida.
Micha was good on his word, and my boys and I were under his protection while Taz and Scotty filled the Lost Souls in on what actually happened.
I wasn’t sure what else we could say that they didn’t already know?
“I don’t know what else we can tell you,” Vail said slowly.
“Only that, we know it was one of the Faceless who killed Maverick. The Spades and the Beasts saved us. There was no fucking way we would have gotten out if not for…” He trailed off, his voice catching in his throat.
He had been a rock this whole time, and I didn’t recall him shedding a tear over what happened.
But now, looking at his face, I could see the grief and anguish there.
His foot was bouncing on its sole in rapid succession, and his hands were clasped together tight on the table's surface.
Moving around the others, I came up behind him, wrapping my arms tight around his chest as I rested my chin on his shoulder.
One of his hands slid up to grasp my wrist, holding onto me while I kept him steady.
Next to us, I could feel Keenan’s eyes boring into me, but I ignored him, concentrating only on Vail.
Outside, the wind was whistling around our little cabin, and the rain pattered against the windows, breaking the silence.
“Listen, Keenan hasn’t been back to Ashland in a little over three years, excluding a one-day trip on the outskirts of the city with his girl a couple of months back,” Chase said, getting to the point. “And Taz and Scotty weren’t able to move around through Ashland, being Spades and all.”
Shaw had moved a little closer to the table, having remained as silent and as still as that guy in the corner. Now, however, he seemed to feel comfortable enough to take the last empty chair while Lee shifted in behind us all. I always felt safer, reassured when we stood together as a unit.
“We want information on the city. I wanna know about all the areas and how they work, who holds power where… I want to know about the Faceless, the docks, and about that piece of shit who’s behind it all.”
“Elias Cartier,” Vail said, pulling me around to sit in his lap. I did, melting into him while his arms hugged me around my waist.
“Honestly, there’s not a lot. Maverick said his past is unknown, that he literally showed up one day out of the blue for hire.
Whoever pays the highest dollar, he works with.
He doesn’t have an allegiance to anyone.
It’s all about who has the deeper pockets.
Unfortunately, in Ashland, that would fall to Elias.
” Any time Vail mentioned Maverick, I felt him tense.
I got it. He respected the hell out of that man.
He spent more time talking to him than any members of Vendetta.
Maverick had given him money to pay the bills and buy food.
And the biggest gift of all, he’d gotten us out.
But whenever he said ‘Elias’, nearly everyone in the room would cringe, like they were refraining from breaking something just at the mention of the name.
Everyone, that is, except for Shaw, and the man in the corner, who both seemed to be studying each other curiously.
Vail noticed because then, he finally addressed the creep.
“Do I even want to know what the deal is with that guy?”
Keenan shook his head, laughing like what Vail asked reminded him of some hilarious inside joke. “You’re better off not knowing anything.”
But to my surprise, the jean jacket wearing blond spoke, his voice flat, “All I want is for you to tell me everything you know about the one they call Jeremy.”
Vail raised his brows in surprise, and I knew he was just as curious as I was about this guy and his interest in the lone biker. “I’ve only seen Jeremy in action twice.”
“That’s enough for me,” the man murmured.
Vail stared at him for a minute, catching the eerie void in his eyes before nodding. “Okay, I can do that.” He glanced back at Chase, his anxiety gone and replaced with a sort of excited hope when he asked, “So… does this mean you and your guys are going to do something about Ashland?”
Chase leaned forward just the slightest bit, his dark eyes charged, and rumbled, “What do you think?”