Sinner’s Redemption by Rebecca Joyce

Chapter Nineteen

Montana

Rounding the curve ahead, we passed by the large sprawling estates, slowing when the gates surrounding the Lansing estate appeared.

“Nothing’s changed,” Kansas muttered, staring at the home he knew well. He was right. After twenty years, the once vibrant and beautiful home looked more like a mausoleum than a home.

“After the accident, Mr. and Mrs. Lansing did everything they could to bring their daughter back. They spent millions on specialists, even traveling with her around the world for any new-fangled treatment hoping it would wake her up. In the end, nothing worked. Their marriage became strained. Eventually, Mrs. Lansing divorced her husband and left. As far as I know, she’d never returned. As for Mr. Lansing, he died five years ago from a massive heart attack. August is now her only living caretaker.”

“He never married?”

“No. He works at the hospital, does his job and comes home to take care of his sister.”

“Jesus,” Kansas whispered, as the gates opened. I drove through the gates as a security camera followed my movements.

Pulling up to the large mansion, I parked the SUV and turned off the ignition. Getting out, I looked up and saw a curtain move on the second floor.

“August isn’t the jovial man you knew from before, Kansas. He’s bitter and angry all the time. Don’t expect a warm welcome.”

Walking up to the front door, I knocked on the front door and waited. Moments later, the door opened. “August.”

“You’re early,” he growled.

“That a problem?” I questioned.

August turned to look at Kansas. “So, you finally told him the truth, then?”

“Yes.”

“Well, come on then.” he said, stepping to the side, allowing us entry.

Once inside, he closed the door and started walking towards the den. Following him, we kept quiet, saying nothing.

Like all the times before, August stopped at the door to the den and asked. “Do you have the payment?”

“No.”

“Then why the fuck are you here? The stipulations of your freedom are clear.”

“Things have changed. Now open the fucking door,” I challenged, taking a step closer to the man who used to be my best friend. There wasn’t a childhood memory I had that didn’t include August. Then one accident changed everything.

“You’re not seeing my sister without that payment, asshole.” August argued.

“And I’m still the President of the Soulless Sinners. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that brand on your back means you fucking listen to me. Now open the fucking door before I remove that brand with my bare hands.”

“I don’t take orders from a killer.”

Before I could respond, a hand flew past my hand, landing against August’s jaw, knocking him to the floor. Damn. Kansas knocked him the fuck out. Turning, I grinned as my baby brother shook his hand, grimacing. “Fuck, the bastard has an iron jaw.”

“Pussy,” I grinned, stepping over the unconscious prick before walking into the den.

Like all the times before, Amy lay in the middle of the den, motionless, as a ventilator breathing for her. Machines monitored her breathing, heart rate, brain waves, everything.

“Well, there goes your theory, dick cheese,” Kansas muttered, walking over to his former girlfriend. “Unless she is the world’s best con artists, it’s not Amy.”

“Get the fuck away from my sister!” August roared, stumbling into the den. Ignoring my brother, I turned to August and asked. “How often do you check on her during the day?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Now answer the fucking question.”

August looked from Kansas to me before asking, “What is going on?”

I growled, “Not going to ask you again, Bane. Answer the fucking question?”

“I have the entire room monitored. While at work, I can log onto my phone and see her. During the day, her nurse is with her. I take over at night. What is going on?”

Reaching into my leather jacket, I pulled out the envelope that I received earlier this morning. Handing it to him, I waited as he read the contents.

August laughed. “This is a joke, right? You can’t honestly believe that my sister is the one causing you problems. She’s a fucking vegetable, Montana!”

“Then explain that letter?”

August threw the envelope and the contents at my feet. “I don’t have to explain shit to you. You are the reason my sister is in the state she’s in. She lost her whole fucking life because you saved your brothers first. You didn’t even think about saving her. You left her in the water to drown.”

“How many times do I have to tell you?” I growled, then roared. “I thought she was dead!”

August charged me, knocking me to the floor. Pissed, I didn’t think twice about sucker punching him in the kidneys. Kicking him off me, I rolled to my side just as August hauled off and punched me in the face. Pissed, I drew my gun and pointed it at the motherfucker.

“You fucking hit me?!” I sneered as he stopped, backing up until his back hit the wall. “I’m the goddamned President to the Soulless Sinners. A club that you belong to. A club that my dad branded you into. If you fucking hate me so damn much, man the fuck up and tell me you want out.”

“You killed my sister.”

“She isn’t dead August. She is laying right there.”

“You should have saved her first!”

“There was no pulse! I had a choice. Either let my brothers drown or save a girl I thought was already dead!”

“But she wasn’t dead, was she?”

“How the fuck was I supposed to know that? I’m not a fucking doctor!”

“She was my sister,” August cried. “She was all I had.”

Lowering my gun, I sighed, shaking my head. “You had me, August. You had the club and the rest of the brothers. You were my best friend. It was an accident. A shitty fucking accident. I’m sorry for Amy, I really am, but this shit needs to stop. You can’t keep living like this. You need to let her go.”

“Montana?” I heard my brother whisper.

Sitting on my ass, I sighed. “Fuck man. All these years wasted because of some fucked up accident. You are a damn good doctor, August. A stand-up guy. People respect you, look up to you. Admire you. Yet, you’ve squandered your life. How do you think Amy would feel if she woke up and found that you gave up?”

“August?” Kansas muttered again.

“You need to stop this vendetta against me and move on. I’ve more than paid for my actions for that day and I’m done. I won’t be coming back here in August. I’m done.”

“Guys!” Kansas yelled. “She’s awake!”

August and I scrambled to our feet, rushing over to the bed. August pushed Kansas to the side, reaching for his stethoscope as Amy’s eyes fell upon her brother.

“I’m here, sis. I’m here,” he whispered, listening to her heartbeat.

I watched as Amy smiled, then mouthed, I love you before she closed her eyes as the monitors started beeping and going off.

“NO!” August yelled, pumping her chest, trying to get her heart beating again.

I knew it wouldn’t work.

Twenty years after the accident that should have killed her, Amy Lansing was finally at peace.

I found August quietly sitting on the front steps as the police, paramedics and the coroner did what they needed to do. Sitting next to him, I looked out over the sprawling estate as August Lansing silently cried.

“I called the brothers. They are on the way. The club will take care of everything. Mom reached out to the hospital. You are on mandatory bereavement leave for the next six weeks. I’m locking you down at the clubhouse, Bane. While there, you will sit down with Malice and talk. I don’t care what the fuck you talk about, but you will talk. You need help brother, and you are going to get it.”

“I didn’t blacklist,Tessa, Montana.”

Taking a deep breath, I let it out before I replied, “I know.”

“What am I going to do now?”

“You are going to live. It’s what your sister would want.”

“I’ve been so angry all these years. I don’t know how to be any other way.”

“I can handle your anger, Bane. I get it. I’m angry too, but I can’t handle seeing you like this anymore,” I stated, as pipes roared into the drive. Looking up, I watched as the brothers arrived. My father and the Retirement Rejects with them.

“I wasn’t going to tell you, but I found something when I ran the DNA test on York.”

“Excuse me?” I growled, turning to face him.

“You know I run all the blood work for the club. I keep meticulous records. Anyone who joins the club or works for the club sees me before they’re allowed free rein.”

“Get to the point.”

“My point is, you know, I have a database of everyone who has ever come in contact with the club, including Tessa. When you started seeing her exclusively, she had a physical. I took her blood. I was so angry at you at the time that I didn’t put it all together until I ran York’s DNA. He is your son, I am sure of that, but when I put his results into the database, I noticed something. Tessa matched to someone.”

“What? Who?”

“Snoopy.”

“I don’t understand. What are you saying?”

“Tessa is the biological daughter of Snoopy, Montana. There is a 99.8% match. How is that possible? Snoopy was born and raised in upstate New York. As far as I know, he’s never been to West Virginia. I think whatever is going on with you and her stems from her past.”

Looking over at my dad and the Rejects, I stared at my dad’s enforcer. The man I’ve known my whole life. For a man in his sixties, he still looked strong and healthy. Yet, when he saw me looking at him and he smiled, that was when I saw it.

The familiar resemblance.

Tessa had his eyes.

“August, they are ready,” Kansas said, coming up behind us.

Getting to our feet, the club brothers lined the sidewalk as the coroner wheeled out Amy’s body. Standing next to August, I couldn’t take my eyes off Snoopy. One of my dad’s trusted and best friends. I wondered how he met Tessa’s mom. Did he even know about Tessa? From what I knew of the man, he never married. His life was all about the club and protecting my dad.

As the ambulance carrying Amy’s body pulled out of the driveway, I signaled to Malice. “Take August back to the clubhouse. Get him settled in his room. He’s on lockdown until I say otherwise. Then get with Storm and pull the records on Snoopy. I want a thorough search on both Snoopy and Tessa’s mother. Full background checks. Everything, Malice. Dig deep. Find me a connection.”

Malice said nothing as he stepped aside, waiting for August. My former best friend turned to look at me and whispered, “Do better, Montana.”

Saying nothing, I watched as Malice escorted Bane back to the clubhouse. Walking over to my dad, I leaned over and whispered, “I want you and Snoopy in the boardroom in the next hour. We have something to discuss.”

Not waiting for a response, I got back into my vehicle as Kansas rushed over, hopping in beside me. “What’s going on?”

Pulling out of the drive, my mind whirled with so many possibilities I didn’t know what to think. Instead, I looked over at my brother and spoke, “I need a favor.”