Vengeful Soul by Emma Creed

It’s been a tense couple of hours and I spend it curled up on the sofa, stroking Duke for comfort. Neither of the men Brax left me with really speak to me, or each other for that fact. Brax’s brother is younger, taller, and a little broader than he is. They don’t look much alike but have the same thick bottom lip, and hard expression when they focus. And right now, Nyx’s focus is all on me.

“Who are you to my brother?” he asks me eventually, his voice just as stern and commanding as Brax’s.

“I’m no one to your brother,” I answer honestly, and I’m surprised by how much that hurts me to say out loud.

Jesus, Grace, you have a fiancé, Julian… remember.

“I don’t buy that, he brought you here.” His eyes roam around the room where we’re sitting. “None of us knew about this place and we’re his brothers.”

“I’m just a job. Your brother took me because your Prez told him to,” I explain, unsure if I should be divulging this information or not. But fuck it, Brax was the one who called these guys in to help, not me.

Nyx throws a confused glance at the other guy. He’s attractive too, just in a really odd way. He has ghost pale skin, sharp features, and his jet-black hair is swept back off his face. But what haunts me most about him, are his eyes and how they pinch me with such dark suspicion.

“Okay then, so who are you to Prez?” Brax’s brother asks me yet another question I can’t answer.

“That’s what Brax is trying to find out.” I move past him into the kitchen. “Anyone want coffee?”

“Brax is putting a lot on the line for you,” Nyx ignores my offer, standing up and following me. “Prez ain’t gonna be happy when he finds out what him and Jessie are doing. That’s even if those stupid fuckers make it back here alive. You expect me to believe that he’s done all that just to dig up a few secrets. Brax doesn’t do shit for people.”

“I don’t know the answers. I don’t know why he’s helping me and I don’t know why four men tried to kill me a few nights ago. I never asked to be in this mess either,” I snap, pissed at him for trying to make me feel bad for what’s happening. I storm into the bathroom, locking the door before I let myself cry.

How am I in this mess, and why am I now really worried about the danger Nyx says Brax has put himself in?

I wait alone in the bathroom so I can avoid the stares from the two men, and it’s not long until I hear the sound of bikes again. Flinging open the door, I rush out onto the porch and my heart beats a little steadier when I see that all four bikes have returned.

Brax turns off his engine and makes his way toward me, and I have to cross my hands behind my back because I don’t trust myself not to throw myself at him in relief to have him back unharmed.

“What happened?” I ask, eager for an explanation. But everyone’s attention has turned back toward the dirt track, to the sound of more bikes approaching.

Brax turns his back to me, reaching behind him and curling his arm around my hip, shielding me with his body. It feels protective and makes me blush like I'm in high school again.

Two more riders pull up in the already crowded yard.

“Now shit’s gonna hit the fan,” Nyx says under his breath.

“Least Brax didn’t knock up his daughter,” the one with the clever mouth pipes up, earning himself a stern look from both Nyx and Brax at the same time.

An older, scary-looking man gets off his bike, and I recognize his face from the mug shot in my mom's briefcase as he stares at Brax and marches toward us.

The guy who steps up beside him is handsome. Beautiful actually. He looks like he belongs on a runway wearing a pair of briefs, but leather and danger look good on him too. He reaches up his hand and tucks his long wavy hair behind his ear, and when he pulls off his shades and flashes his eyes over me, I swear I feel my knees buckle.

“Prez,” Brax addresses the old man first, and it chills my blood when reality hits. This is actually him, the man who ordered for me to be taken.

My hand automatically coils around Brax’s seeking out comfort, and I’m shocked when he separates his fingers and accepts them, holding me in his grip.

“Well, you did a good job of keeping this low profile,” Prez says flatly, looking at the six other men in the yard.

“Jessie, you stay, the rest of you get back to the club,” he orders, and the group quickly disperses, getting on their bikes and leaving as fast and loud as they arrived.

Jessie gives Brax a look that warns him to stay calm, but I can sense all the tension that’s in his body and isn’t subsiding.

“Kids,” Brax snarls the word through his teeth at the man.

“You’re gonna need to let me explain,” Prez says, not standing down, which judging by the way Brax’s fist is crushing mine, doesn’t seem like the best of ideas.

“I got your message, and although this complicates things massively, I understand why you did what you did with the Bastards. But hell, Jessie, a truce? Those cunts killed Hayley.” I see the anguish in the old man’s eyes as he flips his attention to the blonde-haired guy who rode out with Brax.

“Yeah, under Clunk’s ruling.”

“And this has nothing to do with Maddy?” Prez asks, tipping his head to the side accusingly. It makes me wonder who Maddy and Hayley are in this situation.

“It has fucking everything to do with Maddy,” Jessie says unapologetically “I saw an opportunity and I fuckin’ took it, at the same time I might have done some good for this club. We don’t keep secrets and we don’t need enemies, not with all the shit we’re dealing with right now.”

“Like I said, I understand. I wasn’t around, you made a call. A clever but fucking risky call I might add. But that doesn’t mean I have to be fucking happy about it.”

“How about you tell us what the fuck this is all about, and why a CIA agent who's taking down a bunch of nonces has your mug shot in her briefcase?” Brax is getting impatient, I can feel the heat coming off him.

“I knew about Clunk, I didn’t know that his club were on to him too,” Prez admits.

“Kinda swerving the question there, Jimmer.” Brax’s fists tense tighter, almost crushing the bones in my hand.

“I told Lector we’d get them the evidence they need for a takedown,” Jessie interrupts, looking down at the ground awkwardly.

“And how do you suppose we do that, smart ass?” Prez shakes his head.

“We figured you had some involvement, seeing as it was you that asked me to take the girl,” Brax speaks up and the old man’s eyes narrow.

“You think I had something to do with those sick shits?” Prez steps up so close to Brax that his nose presses into his cheek. But Brax doesn't flinch, looking fearless as he focuses ahead of him.

“I was helping bring them down,” Prez growls. “I had a deal going with Helen.”

I gasp when I hear my mom's name, and shock mixed with a whole lot of relief sinks in.

“She’d been trying to bring the ring down for years and the first lead she got was on Clunk, so knowing about our rivalry, she reached out to me.” Prez steps around Brax and pins his eyes on me.

“I promised Helen, that if anything happened to her, the girl would have club protection until all the people on her list were put away.” More relief trickles into the pit of my stomach, and even Brax’s tension loosens up a little. “You were meant to take her to the safe place and sit tight until I could get the list and take it to the guy she trusted.”

“And do you have this list?” Brax asks, still sounding tense.

“I don’t have Jack shit, Brax. And now we got a truce with the Bastards that we can’t uphold, and my whole fucking club have been dragged into this shit too.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about this, Prez? You're not supposed to keep shit like this from us. And what the hell are you getting out of helping the CIA?” Jessie asks.

“I was getting Clunk, and revenge for what happened to my daughter, without any blowback on the club,” he growls.

“My mom trusted you?” I finally find a voice, even if it is just a weak whisper.

“Yeah, your mom trusted me. I don’t think she wanted to, but she had to have something in place. She knew the men she was bringing down were dangerous, and you know now from experience that some of them were working on the inside. I hate to break it to ya, darlin’, but that accident your ma and pa were involved in weren’t no accident.”

My hand slams over my mouth and my stomach threatens to empty itself on the spot. “Are you saying someone killed my parents?” My lips wobble and the sting of tears attack my eyes.

“I think this agency your mom has been working on for all these years is way bigger than she anticipated. They got people on the inside, either clients or people who are paid well to protect. I guess Helen got too close to finding out who those people were.” If the man didn’t look so scary, I might think he sounds sympathetic toward me.

“Let’s get you inside.” Brax pulls me toward the cabin and then guides me to sit on the couch.

“So what do we do now?” He looks up at Prez, his eyes still fierce with anger.

“We find that list, we give the Bastards their evidence, and we keep the girl safe until they’re all locked up. The pair of ya might as well come back to the club now that the cat’s out the bag.”

Prez looks at me. I don’t know if I like the idea of that. I feel safe up here in Brax's secret cabin.

“I’ll call a church meeting first thing in the morning, explain the situation to the others.” Prez scratches at his stubble, looking exhausted.

“I just got to figure out where to find this list. Helen was a clever woman, but she’s left me with nothin’ to go on.”

“I can help you with that.” Standing up, I make my way toward the table. “Here,” I pass him the folder and watch as he flicks through the paperwork my mom must have put together before she died.

“This man was working with my mom.” I stop him when he gets to the other agent's profile, his badge is photocopied on the page. “They were partners. This is the guy she trusted. I’ll bet he knows something.”

While Jessie and Brax had been out, I took some time to study the file.

“You’re ya mama’s girl alright,” Prez tells me, almost smiling. “Let’s get back to the club. Jessie, you take this to Mads and get her to work. I want an address for that guy ASAP.”

“Can’t we stay here?” I ask, the thought of leaving the cabin makes me anxious.

“Jess and Brax here have ruffled enough Bastard feathers today, we need you safe in the one place where they won’t dare to come,” Prez explains.

“He’s right,” Brax adds. “At the club, you’ll have a whole heap of protection. We all got our reasons for wanting Clunk out of power.” He moves his focus to Jessie before looking back at me. “This is our chance to take him down, and at the same time do what your mama worked so hard on.”

“Okay, I’ll come with you,” I agree, and Prez throws his head back and laughs at me.

“You’re saying that like you had a choice, sweetheart.”

“I do have a choice,” I bite back, then notice how Brax subtly shakes me a warning.

“Listen to me, darlin’,” Prez speaks at me with a sharp tongue. “I may have promised your mama I’d look out for you, but you will respect me the way everyone else does. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” I cross my arms over my chest defiantly, pissed that I’m all out of options. “But I am helping you find these people. And just for the record, there are other ways you could have protected me. You didn’t have to forcefully take me from my home,” I point out while we’re on the subject.

“To be fair, that is kinda the only way we know.” Jessie shrugs.

“And despite having four CIA agents try to kill ya, you’re still fucking breathing, so I say if it ain't broke don’t fix it,” Prez looms over me as he speaks.

“Are you gonna let me help?” I swallow down my fear and keep my brave face in place.

“As it happens. I have a lot of shit to deal with at the moment, so yeah I’ll let you help.” Prez smiles me a fake smile.

“Brax, you’re still the one responsible for her.”

“Got it,” Brax responds, looking far from happy about it.

“Get your shit together. I want you both at the club by morning, church is at nine.” He’s about to step out the front door but must think of something else to add, because he suddenly turns back around.

“A truce with the fuckin’ Bastards.” His head shakes disappointedly at Jessie before he leaves with a hard slam of the door behind him.

“Well, that went well.” Jessie lets out a long breath before shooting us a sarcastic smile. Brax looks way too serious to make jokes, he’s pissed at me, I can tell that from the way he’s refusing to look at me.

“I’ma get goin’. See ya both tomorrow.” Jessie lets himself out, and I walk into the kitchen to distract myself by making something to eat.

“I’ll be in the shed if you need me,” Brax says, slamming the door after him and leaving me alone.

I don’t disturb him, not even to tell him his food is ready, instead, I keep his plate in the oven and eat alone. I wait up for him till eleven and when there’s still no sign of him, I decide to take myself to bed.

Curiosity gets the better of me when I reach the top step and see the door that leads into the room he was going to sleep in slightly open. It seems so far away from me, and with Brax in such a bad mood I wonder if he’ll make me sleep alone tonight. I don’t want to have to ask him to sleep with me again. The door creaks as I open it wider, and when I turn on the light. What I see surrounding me is not what I expected.

The room is small, the walls covered in newspaper clippings and mug shots, all that contain the same cruel eyes and stern face. Most of the photographs are damaged in some way, either ripped or covered with tiny holes.

“What are you doing in here?” Brax’s voice startles me and I quickly spin around, my cheeks burning from the embarrassment of being caught snooping.

“I was looking for your room.” I bite down on my lip nervously, my hands twisting behind my back.

Shit, he looks mad.

“Get out.” I can see he’s using all of his efforts to keep his voice calm. Every part of him tense, I can even see the veins in his neck poking up like tunnels.

“Who’s this man?” I ask, despite getting the sense I shouldn’t push him.

“Get the fuck out,” his tone raises as he loses a little more control.

“Brax?” I reach out to touch him, it's a stupid idea because I feel crushed when he shoves me away.

“Go to your room,” he snarls, and I’ve taken about as much as I can bear from him. One minute he’s wanting to take care of me, the next he’s treating me like I’m a burden. I try holding back my tears, but they’re inevitable, so I rush from the room before he gets the privilege of seeing them.

Once I’m in my room with the door slammed behind me, I lie on the bed and let everything out. I do a really shit job of hiding my loud sobs.

“Gracie,” Brax knocks at the door and I ignore him. “Gracie,” his voice sounds even angrier when he bangs a second time. I don’t know why he hasn’t just barged in, the thing’s not locked and Brax isn’t exactly hot on his manners.

“Come in.” I sit up, quickly drying my eyes with the back of my hand. His face is much softer, almost remorseful when he steps inside and makes his way closer to the bed.

“You shouldn’t have been in there,” he whispers,

“I’m sorry.” I don’t know why, but suddenly I feel guilty for snooping. He stands in front of me for a while, and I wonder if he senses that I need him. If he knows that something about having him close makes me feel safe. Even when he’s raging mad at me.

“It’s been a long day, get some sleep.” Brax turns to walk away and desperation causes me to act quickly.

“Stay.” The words blurt from my mouth without my permission, and I’m even more shocked when he turns back around and nods his head. I watch him kick off his boots and take off his socks before stepping out of his jeans. Then I scooch over when he pulls back the cover and slides in beside me.

“Do you think you’re ever gonna kiss me again, Brax?” My mouth runs away with itself again, but I don’t regret it. This isn’t a game to provoke him, I really need to know the answer because since he kissed me, it’s been impossible not to imagine him doing it again.

“Goodnight, Gracie,” he avoids the question. Shutting off the lamp and turning his back to me.

“It’s just that, sometimes you look at me like you want to, and I know how weird it is since you kidnapped me and all but…”

“Shut up,” he snaps.

“I just wanted you to know that if you did… you know, want to, that it would be okay. It’s totally okay if you don’t though. I’m just being…” My embarrassing ramble is cut short, and I’m shocked silent when Brax swiftly turns and his mouth and body press hard into mine. His lips firm and demanding as his hand slides up my cheek and holds me in place. There’s no escaping him now, and I wouldn’t want to. Not when Brax’s tongue is forcing its way between my lips and making me forget all the trouble I’m in.

“You ever stop, Gracie?” his lips are still pressing hard into mine, and he doesn’t give me chance to answer his question, before delving his tongue back inside my mouth again. He takes and takes, leaving me breathless, and despite all this being so wrong, I silently pray that he won’t find the sense to stop.