Dead Souls MC: Prospects Series Books 1-5 Read online

  I didn’t like the fate of my life being in limbo like that.

  Or Sutton’s.

  “Word has it you’re up and about,” a man said.

  “Figured we’d come see for ourselves,” another one said.

  I finally got my damn shirt slid over my head before my eyes fell onto the two men at the doorway. One of them was massive. Rock solid. Like the fucking Hulk on a smaller scale. And the other one was a little trimmer. Darker features. Not as tall, but definitely just as boisterous.

  “I’m up and about, so that’s something. Nurse Piper did a wonderful job. I need to find a way to repay her,” I said.

  “That can go through me,” the massive one said.

  “That’s Rock. Piper’s husband and baby daddy,” the leaner one said.

  I nodded slowly. “Ah. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Rocky Baby Daddy.”

  The leaner one chuckled. “I like that one. That one is staying.”

  “You’re an ass, you know that?” Rock murmured.

  “I’m Brewer. When you meet the women, Makenna’s mine,” he said.

  “Married with kids?” I asked.

  “Engaged to a single mother who’s little girl I just adopted a few months back,” he said, smiling.

  “Congratulations,” I said.

  “You got yourself a pretty one out here. She your wife?” Rock asked.

  I shook my head. “She’s…”

  My pause must’ve told them everything they needed to know. Because all they did was nod and chuckle to themselves.

  “I remember that stage. You’ll get past it. She’ll make you,” Brewer said.

  “Piper practically forced it. And it was the best thing to ever happen to me,” Rock said.

  “Sounds a bit like Sutton, actually,” I said.

  “I heard someone wants bacon?” another man asked.

  I saw a rough, grungy man poke his head over Brewer’s shoulder. He had a scar down his face. Looked pretty fresh, from what I could tell. He held up a spatula as the smell of bacon wafted into the room, and my stomach growled.

  “I made up two pounds, and it’s already going quickly. Come on, Cripple. I make it extra crispy around here,” the man said.

  “That’s Knox. His wife, Monroe, has taught him out to cook. Thinks he’s a professional chef now,” Brewer said, grinning.

  “His bacon’s damn good, though,” Rock said.

  “We owe that to Monroe, too,” Piper said.

  She popped out of nowhere and crunched down onto a piece of bacon, making me even hungrier.

  “Come get it while it’s fresh, you guys,” she said, giggling.

  And without another word spoken about it, I lumbered toward the door so the men could show me to the food.

  10

  Sutton

  “How’d you sleep in that chair last night?”

  I looked over at the dark-featured woman and paused.

  “Sorry, I’m Monroe. The one cooking the bacon over there is my husband,” she said, grinning.

  I peeked over her shoulder and saw a very brute man standing at the stove. He had his shoulders squared off and his arm moved in a quick fashion as the bacon sizzled in the pan.

  “It’s nice to meet you. And, I slept as well as I could in a chair in the corner of a building I’m not familiar with,” I said, snickering.

  “Sounds about right. The good news is, your boy toy’s gonna be okay. Unless he’s a baby when it comes to pain. Then, neither of you are gonna be okay until he’s healed.”

  I whipped my head around and saw a thicker woman coming out of the hallway. And I recognized her. That was the woman who saved Cage last night. I think her name was…

  “Piper. The massive slab of meat in any corner of this house that doesn’t talk much is mine,” she said, smiling.

  I giggled. “Thank you for saving his life last night. I’ve got no idea how he’s going to repay you for that.”

  “He’s going to. I like her, she’s sassy. I’m Makenna, by the way. The one usually attached to Rock’s side is my husband. The leaner one of the group,” she said.

  “She likes them limber,” Piper said, winking.

  “Well, if we are all introducing ourselves, then I’m Everly. Grave is around here somewhere. Though, he also might be at the grocery store picking up the kids something,” she said.

  “Wait, the kids?” I asked.

  “And I’m Brynn. Diesel, the one you guys were looking for, is my husband,” she said.

  I slowly turned around at the sound of her voice. I gazed into her darkened stare, and I wondered what she was thinking. Obviously, not anything good. And while I wanted to tell her that Cage and I were harmless, she had a stoic, quizzical stare that was much like her husband’s.

  “It’s um, really nice to meet you guys,” I said.

  “Don’t let Brynn psych you out. She’s worried, but only because her husband’s worried. They’re connected at the hip like that,” Makenna said, smiling.

  “And at any rate, I think Grave did go to the grocery store. Just asked him where he was and he said, ‘getting gas,’” Everly said.

  “Which means he had to drive all over hell and high water to get that boy of yours the juice he likes,” Monroe said, laughing.

  “Hey, that little boy is going to eat me out of house and home. You know that kid ate two bananas yesterday? Two! Along with a cup of milk, a cup of juice, and some Cheerios. The boy is a little over a year old, guys. We’re going to go bankrupt just trying to feed him,” Everly said.

  The girls fell apart in soft giggles, but my heart seized in my chest. These women were all married to the guys in the crew? And they had children?

  What the hell had I stepped into?

  “But really, you don’t have to thank me. Ever since Rock and I reconnected, I’ve become the resident doctor of the club. Essentially. I’m used to sewing things up on the run with less than ideal circumstances. I mean, that scar on Knox’s face a few months back was a doozy to do in a moving van,” Piper said.

  “A moving what now?” I asked.

  “Though, it’s been a while since the club was in any sort of danger. You know, danger like this,” Monroe said.

  “Yep. Haven’t heard gunshots pop off like that in a while,” Makenna said.

  Everything they were saying made me feel sick to my stomach.

  “So, speaking of little boys, guess what Rock and I are planning on doing?” Piper asked.

  “No, you’re not,” Brynn said, her jaw dropping open.

  “He gave the go-ahead!?” Makenna exclaimed.

  Piper nodded her head quickly. “Not to have one naturally, no. That’s not a thing I ever want to go through. Especially after seeing what happened to Brynn.”

  “What happened to Brynn?” I asked.

  Everyone fell dead silent, and the honorary Queen of the Women of the Club finally spoke up again.

  “It was a rough pregnancy. Bed-ridden for most of it. I had some pre-term labor issues that resulted in a quick c-section and a long NICU stay for Diesel and I’s child,” she said.

  “I’m… I’m so sorry,” I said.

  “It happens, but it’s pretty much scared us into not having any more kids. The doctor said my issues would only continue to compound, and the last thing we need is Momma bleeding out on the table,” Brynn said.

  “You got that right,” Everly said, murmuring.

  “I really am sorry. That sounds petrifying. Is your kid okay now?” I asked.

  “Yep. Our child is healthy and good. I still struggle with a few things, but they’re minor, at best,” Brynn said.

  I wanted to ask what she struggled with, but the woman was already so closed off to me I didn’t want to risk her actively kicking me out on a whim.

  Could she do that as the wife of the president?

  I don’t know how any of this shit works.

  “Well,” Piper said, turning her attention back to me, “Rock and I have decided to try and adopt. We�
��re finally getting things rolling in that department, and they’re looking good. We’ve passed our first two interviews, and I’ve actually convinced Rock to wear a suit for these meetings.”

  “Wait a second. Rock, Rock?” Monroe asked.

  “Oh, yes. I told him worn jeans and his leather jacket wouldn't cut it for stuff like this,” Piper said.

  “Could you even find a store that sold suits for men his size?” Makenna asked.

  Piper giggled. “We had to have it specially-made. But it looks fantastic on him. And on our bedroom floor.”

  My jaw dropped open as all the women started poking her for details. I felt sorely out of place. And while most of the women were welcoming, I couldn't get their families out of my head. They had kids. They were planning for more kids. Innocent children we had put in the crossfire while coming to seek out Diesel. I would have never dreamt in a million years some motorcycle crew would have been set up this way. With wives and kids and familial events and conglomerate breakfasts and—

  “Are all the kids here?” I asked.

  The women stopped talking and slowly turned their eyes toward me.

  “Why do you ask?” Brynn asked.

  “Stop trying to interrogate her. She’s fine,” Piper said.

  “You’ll let me be the judge of that,” Brynn hissed.

  “I’m sorry, I just—I just didn’t expect—”

  And when I paused, the girls nodded their heads. As if they finally understood what was going on.

  “You didn’t envision this kind of a thing when your boy toy said he was looking for a crew, huh?” Makenna asked.

  “He’s not my boy toy,” I said.

  “Fiancé?” Monroe asked.

  “Hardly,” I said, snickering.

  “Friend? Because I find that one hard to believe with that chair you slept in all last night. I’ve slept in that chair before. It’s murder on the back,” Everly said.

  I winced at the word “murder” before I saw Brynn nudge the woman. The two of them shared a glance before Everly turned her face toward me. And I knew she was about to apologize. I saw it in her eyes.

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I just kind of want to forget about it, for now,” I said.

  “Trust me, we get it,” Everly said.

  “To answer your question, yes. Our kids are here. They’re in the backroom, playing. And very ready for breakfast,” Brynn said.

  “I hear you complaining over there and I’m going as fast as I can. Where’s Grave, anyway?” Knox asked from the stove.

  “Here! I’m here. I got all the shit you need, too,” Grave said.

  A large man came bursting in through the door and it sounded like a damn gunshot. I hit the floor and covered my head, shivering and shaking as my breathing became shallow. The girls murmured around me, their voices very far away. And when someone’s hand came down onto my back, I flinched.

  It was like I was back there. I smelled the gun smoke. The bullets whizzing around me. I looked down at the floor and saw Cage’s blood sitting on the hardwood floor.

  “That’s it. Focus on the hardwood,” Brynn said.

  Her voice kept going in and out as I locked my eyes onto the hardwood. Wooden floor. I was inside. Not outside, in the dust.

  “Breathe. You need to breathe for me, hun,” Piper said.

  Her voice was a little closer, and I slowly rose my eyes. Tears dripped down them as Makenna’s face came into view. And with every tear she brushed away, I slowly pulled away from my mind.

  A mind that was playing tricks on me.

  “Grave, get me some ice water,” Brynn called out.

  “What does she need?” Everly asked.

  “Sutton?”

  I slowly turned my head. “Cage?”

  “Sutton, what’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Hey, hey, give her some space. She’s having a moment,” Diesel said.

  The room was fuzzy. Things were moving too quickly and too slowly at the same time. Someone moved my hair away from my neck before cold water splashed down onto my skin. It made me jump. It made me squeak. But the more it happened, the more focused the room became. The more focused I became. Cage scrambled to try and get to me while people held him back. Knox cursed behind me as he quickly finished up making breakfast. The girls muttered soft things, like, “I promise, we get it” and “you’re safe” and “nothing’s happening, they aren’t here.” Reassuring things that only made me sicker.

  Because not only did they get it, but there was a chance their kids would get it, too. Because Cage and I were targets. Sitting ducks for my father’s guns-for-hire.

  And we were trapped in a building with fucking children.

  “Sorry. I’m—I’m sorry,” I said, panting.

  “Uh-uh. No moving just yet. Wait until your breathing has settled,” Monroe said.

  “We need to sit her up so she can expand her diaphragm,” Piper said.

  “Let’s give them some space,” a man said.

  “Sutton, breathe for me, baby. Please. I’m begging you. Breathe,” Cage said.

  “Just to let you know, men who are friends don’t call you ‘baby,’” Makenna whispered playfully.

  “Not the time, Miss Flirt,” Piper said.

  And as my back sat into a soft pair of breasts, I slowly drew in my first deep breath. It was ragged. It was broken. It hurt like hell. But it was there.

  “There we go. That’s it. Give me another one, pretty girl,” Piper said.

  I drew in a deep breath through my mouth again, trying to stabilize it and not make it hiccup.

  “That’s it. Gain control. You're fine. You’re safe with us,” Brynn said.

  “It was like—I—it—”

  “Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh, the only thing you need to focus on right now is your breaths. Your heart rate. The sounds and smells around you. Ground yourself in right now. That’ll help a lot,” Everly said.

  Someone brushed my hair away from my face as a tear slipped down my cheek.

  “Cage is going to be okay?” I asked, whispering.

  Monroe was in front of me, and she nodded.

  “Yes, he’s going to be just fine. I promise,” she said.

  “There was so much blood,” I whimpered.

  “We know, but Piper took care of that. All of it,” Monroe said.

  “Promise?” I asked.

  I felt like a damn child. A lost, scared little girl. I didn’t like feeling this way. I didn’t like feeling so weak. But this was a world I was unfamiliar with, and the second those men got back to my father, I knew one thing was for certain.

  Me being his daughter would mean nothing to him once he made the decision to take me out.

  “We all promise,” Monroe said.

  “Sutton?” Cage asked.

  I slowly lobbed my head over, taking in his worried stare. Diesel let him go and he came thundering toward us, dropping to his knees as the girls made room for him. He cupped my cheek. His forehead fell against mine. And as his breath pulsed against my lips, I drew in the smell of his familiar form. The sound of his voice. The feel of his warmth.

  And every single part of him finally grounded me back into reality.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  “Nonsense. All of it. Now, come on. I know breakfast is your favorite meal of the day, and Knox has it ready,” Cage said.

  Then, on the count of three, everyone helped me up onto my unsteady feet.

  11

  Cage

  Breakfast was amazing. Or rather, it felt amazing. The food was good, everyone was in high spirits and talking despite what happened last night, and Sutton was tucked up against my side. I’d never seen her like this before. Scared. Vulnerable. At a loss for her own opinion. But the deeper she sank into me; I knew what was happening.

  She was falling asleep.

  “Come on. Rest time for you,” I murmured.

  “Mmm, I’m fine. How’re you feeling?” she asked, yawning.

  “I’m
fine. I got some pain medication in me. Now, let’s get you laid down.”

  “Okay,” she said, sighing.

  I helped her up from the table and walked her over to the couch. I didn’t even get her tucked in well enough before her breathing evened out. Those soft snores filled the space around us, and I couldn't help but grin down at her. I used my pinky to smooth a strand of hair away from her face, watching as she nuzzled closer into the pillow.

  I was worried about her.

  That small incident from last night, and she was already having panic attacks. While the other women and men sat at the table, making jokes and giving us the side-eye, Sutton struggled to cope. Had her father really closed her off that badly to what he did for a living? Sutton never struck me as the kind of woman to not know what was going on around her. She always gave me the impression she knew what he did.

  I guess knowing and witnessing were different, though.

  What the hell else are you gonna do to ruin her?

  The voice in my head made me sick. I pulled my hand again quickly and stood up, swallowing down the grunt of pain. I moved away from her and over to the window, gazing out its glass panes. I saw the blood-soaked dirt I’d fallen onto last night. The dust that kicked up, already covering up the evidence of yesterday’s events. As Sutton’s soft snores filled the living room, I sighed.

  What the hell were we going to do now?

  “Grave’s getting out there after breakfast to clean it up,” Diesel said.

  I slowly turned my head in his direction as he approached me. He stood at my side, gazing out the window before he made his way in front of me. He leaned against the other side of the window frame and I swore I could hear the groaning of the wood as it cried out for mercy.

  Fucking hell, these men were some big boys.

  “How is it possible that you’re my brother?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I mean, when a man likes how a woman looks—”