Page 3

Soul

I was being watched. My skin crawled as I felt eyes on me. For the last few days after returning home, I had experienced this sensation, and it was driving me nuts. Perhaps it was time to update Warden, because I certainly couldn’t see anyone.

I’d ask Romeo or Bogeyman to come and visit, but it would be a sure bet the day they came, nobody would watch. As I sat on the porch in the swing, I nodded at the old couple across the road as they gardened. They’d been off at first, but we’d become casual acquaintances. I liked that they didn’t lie, well, not often. They told little white lies to tease each other. Such as her cooking was bad when it wasn’t, or he was useless around the house.

The fact they said I love you and meant it warmed my cold heart. That couple must have been together over fifty years, yet they still loved hard.

Discontented, I drew in a breath and puffed my cheeks out. The sensation continued, and I felt eyes stabbing straight at me. Spine crawling, I leapt up and peered around but saw nobody.

The old couple frowned as I stomped inside. Shit, was I getting paranoid?

Two days later

There it was again. Fuck, I needed to call Romeo because I’d no idea if this person meant me harm or not. My ability didn’t stretch to that, unfortunately. While being able to tell if someone was lying was useful, it would have helped if I had Romeo’s ability.

Alert, I scratched my chest and heard a rustle in the bushes. An empty house stood to my right, but the home on my left was occupied. That was a rental. A woman and two kids had moved in three months ago. Luckily for me, she kept herself to herself, and the children were pretty damn quiet. I couldn’t complain. Now, someone watched me through her shrubs, and the feeling was familiar.

As I stood up, there was a scuffle, and footsteps raced away.

A frown crossed my face as I wondered what the hell was going on. Was my neighbour spying on me? Slowly and trying not to make a sound, I walked down the side of the house, the fence concealing me, and listened.

Children’s voices rose in argument from the end of her yard, so I moved closer, wondering the fuck was happening.

“Ham, I’m telling you he is like us,”

a girl insisted.

“He’s not!”

a boy retorted.

“He is!”

“Maci, you’re wrong!”

“Hamilton, shut up!”

A twig cracked under my foot, and the children hushed. Long moments ticked past before the girl, Maci, spoke again.

“Do you think he saw?”

“How could he? There’s a fence and bushes. Don’t be scared. But we can’t talk to him like you want. If you’re mistaken, then Mom will be angry. Mom’s tired of running,”

Hamilton explained.

“Ham, I don’t want to upset Mom,”

Maci replied.

“Then let’s stay quiet, okay?”

“Can we still watch? If he is like us, we’ll speak to him?”

Maci demanded.

“Sure. But we gotta be careful. Nobody knows we’re freaks here. I don’t want the fights to start again,”

Hamilton said and sounded sad.

I nearly interrupted, but I heard further footsteps.

“Maci, Hamilton, where are you?”

their mom shouted.

“Here, Mom,”

both kids called out, and they moved towards her.

Silence fell as I pondered their words. What did ‘like them’ mean? Naturally, my mind went to my abilities, but I doubted the kids meant them. This was a puzzle, and one I wasn’t sure I wanted.

◆◆◆

Strangely, I loved sitting out in the yard at night. The stars shone clearly in the sky, and the air always seemed so fresh. I lay on a lounger with a beer and a blanket covering me. It was peaceful, just me and the stars twinkling above. That might’ve made me a sad sack, but who gave a fuck?

People should appreciate nature more! Instead of ruining the world, maybe they should pay more attention to the beauty that surrounded us.

A light flicked on in the house next door, and as I lay there with the dark swallowing me up, I watched as the mom pulled the curtains closed. The bedroom belonged to Maci, and Hamilton’s room was next to it.

Once again, my mind wandered to their earlier words. Their fight had been about me, and it seemed they were running from something.

That’s what they’d said. Their mom was tired of running. What were they hiding from? An abusive husband? Bad debts? Overbearing family? Could be anything, and honestly, it wasn’t my business.

A door opened, startling me, and light flooded onto the back porch next door.

From where I lay, I couldn’t see who had stepped outside, but I heard a woman sigh and made a guess it was the mom.

“God, give me strength,”

she murmured. “And a big fucking glass of wine, please.”

My lips twitched in amusement. A noise pierced the air, and she cursed. She answered the phone with a curt hello.

“Hi, Bryony,”

a woman’s loud voice said.

“Hello, Mom. How’s things?”

my neighbour asked, whom I now knew as Bryony. The name suited her.

“Dear girl, we agreed you’d call me Krista. People don’t believe I’m old enough for a daughter your age. They think we’re sisters!”

Krista tittered.

“Plastic surgery does wonders nowadays,”

Bryony muttered, and I choked on a laugh.

“What was that, sweetheart?”

“Nothing, Krista. So, everything is good?”

“Oh, wonderfully amazing, honey girl. I’m getting married in Hawaii, and Chandler and I want you to fly out for it Sunday,”

Krista exclaimed.

“Mom… Krista, I can’t! And who the heck is Chandler? And again, Mom? This is your seventh!”

Bryony boomed.

“Don’t be a Debbie Downer, darling!”

Krista chided. “I told you all about Chandler when we spoke last.”

“Oh, when I was updating you that Maci had suffered a flare-up, and I didn’t have time to listen to whatever bullshit you were spouting? Seriously, Mom? I’m not attending another wedding where you’ll be divorced a year later. And Maci gets a lot of pain, so I won’t expose her to flying just for a guy she’ll meet once,”

Bryony snapped.

“Don’t take that tone with me, Bryony!”

Krista retorted. “Get a man and have a good fucking! You’re so sour it’s no wonder the kids' dad—”

“Before you utter what comes next, think very carefully, Mom. Because Madden was a first-class asshole, and no matter how you wrap things up, he’s a danger to me and the children,”

Bryony snapped. “And Madden’s continued to be one ever since.”

“Well—”

“No. End of discussion. Madden’s a useless waste of space. Maci’s disabilities are his fault. The only positive things that came from Madden were the kids and my divorce settlement!”

Who needed TV when I had this next door? I wondered as I listened unashamedly. Whenever I’d see Bryony, she’d kept her head down and avoided eye contact. Bryony barely muttered a hello, so she had not registered with me. Fired up like she was, my interested in this spitfire grew.

“Anyway, screw Madden,”

Krista said.

“You did. That caused my divorce,”

Bryony snapped.

Oh shit, her mom didn’t?

“Bryony, we agreed not to discuss that. It was an error, and at least it proved what type of man he was!”

Krista replied blithely.

Holy crap, Krista had. She’d totally fucked her daughter’s husband.

“Once is a mistake, Mom. A three-month affair isn’t. But whatever. I’m done fighting. You’ll never admit you’re in the wrong, no matter what. The answer is good luck, but no, we can’t attend.”

“I suppose that’s for the best. Maci would be upset not being a bridesmaid. The wheelchair would have ruined the pictures, so Maci couldn’t possibly be one,”

Krista twittered, all excited.

“And we’re done.”

I assumed Bryony hit the end button because silence fell.

“God, I asked for strength, not a load of bullshit. Maybe tomorrow can be a better day? Oh, and while I don’t like my mother, please let this husband make her happy,”

Bryony said. The door opened, and light blinded me, and then it shut, and the curtains closed.

Well, now. That had been an interesting development. And then it hit me. Not once had I experienced pain from Bryony. She’d told the complete truth for the entire conversation. How fuckin’ rare!

Bryony

Krista had impeccable timing. Tonight had been difficult. Clearly, Maci and Ham had fallen out about something, but they wouldn’t tell me what.

Maci, at seven and Ham, now eight, fought like cat and dog. But try to single one of them out, and they presented a united front.

I’d done Maci’s exercises with her. Maci suffered from Guillain-Barré syndrome. Tonight, she was tired, and it rarely ended well. I knew Hamilton was helping her, as he always did, and I was grateful to him. After nearly losing Maci three years ago, Ham kept a constant eye on his sister. My kids were closer than most siblings.

Thankfully, I worked from home and didn’t have to leave the children. I was an editor to two authors and my dad had left me a trust fund, which I rarely touched. My divorce settlement had been agreed by both sides, and considering who Madden was, it had been very generous. Few women walked away with an eight-figure divorce settlement.

Even so, as wealthy as I was, we lived on my wages and a monthly allowance from the divorce proceedings.

Happily, I had divorced Madden three years ago, just after Maci got ill. I’d been visiting my elderly grandmother, who subsequently died. It had taken me four weeks to resolve everything, and when I returned home, I had a seriously sick daughter.

Terrified, I’d rushed Maci to hospital and had been told she’d had an infection that had developed into Guillain-Barré syndrome. I’d been horrified. Months of treatment followed, which Madden paid for as we were still married, although separated by then.

When Krista admitted to sleeping with him, Madden quickly settled, and I was divorced.

Luckily, my lawyer had been a shark, and she’d ensured I got everything I wanted and then some. She’d made sure that Madden had contributed an extra allowance to cover any bills arising from Maci’s care. Madden had agreed without a complaint. He had his public image to take care of, after all. Not that I was bitter!

The next day

Maci was having a tantrum because she didn’t want to attend school. I didn’t need this today. I’d a book to finish editing, and Maci kicking off was an unwelcome issue.

“What is the problem? Are you being bullied?”

I asked, suddenly worried.

I was now unsure if Maci was being a pain because of her health, stubbornness, or bullying. If they were being tormented, then all hell would break loose. The school had reassured me they had a zero-tolerance policy towards it.

“Mom, I want to stay here,”

Maci snapped, sticking her bottom lip out.

“Why?”

Maci suddenly looked cagey, and I realised she was up to something.

“Car! Now! Do not play me for an idiot, young lady. I don’t care what your reason for not wanting to attend school is, you’re going!”

“Mom, I hate you,”

Maci wailed, and I shrugged.

“Fine, I don’t like you either. So why don’t I call your father, and you can live with him?” I asked.

Maci looked appalled, while Hamilton smirked.

“You can’t do that!”

Maci shrieked.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re my mom!”

“But you said you don’t like me, in fact, you actually claimed to hate me. Why can’t I do that?”

“Ham!”

Maci yelled, looking to him for help.

“You dug your grave, sis. I don’t mind if it’s just me and Mom. That means I get all the good stuff!”

“Mom!”

Maci wailed.

“Car!”

I ordered, and she moved her wheelchair as slow as possible.

Maci eyed me balefully and then I began pushing her, which caused her to shriek some more. I drove a wheelchair-adapted SUV, which Madden had paid for, and meant it had all the bells and whistles.

Hamilton was already inside waiting as I pushed Maci up the ramp and secured her.

“Sulk all you want. But I guess it means no pizza tonight,” I said.

“Pizza?”

Maci looked up, interested.

“Oh no. Not for you. You’ll be on the way to your dad’s because you hate me so much. It’s cool. Ham and I can raise a thick, frothy milkshake to you!”

“That’s not fair!”

Maci yelled, and I grinned.

“Neither is saying you hate me.”

“I love you really, Mom,”

Maci said, all sweetness and light.

“Somehow, I thought you might when pizza’s involved,”

I replied.

Maci scowled, and I laughed as I started the car and pulled out. As I did, my neighbour appeared. I stopped and let his Harley pass me, keeping my head down for more than one reason.

He rode off without a glance in my direction and disappeared down the road.

Yeah, why on earth would he look at a single mum of twenty-six with two children? Frumpy was my average look most days! Shame, though, because he was totally gorgeous.

Soul

Damn, I’d never paid much attention to the family next door, but the kids spying on me had garnered it.

I sat on my bike as Bryony wrangled Maci into the car. Hell, I had not even realised that Maci was in a wheelchair, which shamed me a little. They’d come out the same time as me and hadn’t realised I’d been present. My ears had perked up at the mention of bullying and the alarm in Bryony’s voice.

Had the kids been bullied at a previous school? Was Maci’s wheelchair the reason? I wondered what else there was behind that story. It seemed the father had been involved in Maci’s accident. There was a puzzle next door, and it intrigued me.

Still considering what I’d overheard, I rode into the cemetery the club owned and I managed. The whole hog was here. A funeral director and casket and gravestone showrooms were based in the main building, which resembled a house.

It was unusual to have a funeral director working out of a cemetery, but it worked well for the club. We also had an on-site crematorium. Families came here and checked us out and picked a plot, and my staff oversaw it. It was rare I had to get involved with a family. The other day’s event was a rarity.

My office was upstairs and soundproofed, so any lies happening downstairs didn’t filter their way up to me. I was grateful to Warden for the extra mile he went to ensure those who had blowback with our abilities were as comfortable as possible.

I checked the funerals for the week and noted a couple of late payments. Highlighting them, I placed them in my out tray for the secretary to pick up on, and then I headed downstairs. Everyone believed that working in a funeral parlour was a serious, miserable thing. It wasn’t. Nor was ghoulish humour much in evidence. Oh, it existed, but not to the extent someone might believe.

I checked everybody had what they required and looked at any issues that needed fixing before heading back upstairs. Today should be a short one for me.

◆◆◆

No sooner than I’d entered the clubhouse, heels clicked towards me.

I sighed inwardly as Kiki smiled and aimed straight at me. Ignoring her and hoping she’d get the hint of leaving me alone, I walked to the bar. Priest was behind it serving, and he nodded as he placed a cold Coke in front of me. I rarely drank because I didn’t want to lose control of my ability.

Going around telling everyone they were liars and what they were lying about was never a pretty scene. Lila had taught me self-control from an early age.

I nodded at the guy I’d been a prospect with.

“How’s shit?”

“Same old. Although the birds are saying the wind is changing,”

Priest answered.

“What does that mean?”

I inquired.

Priest’s ability was being able to calm and talk to animals. He could command them to do as he wished, and it was a frightening power. Priest was on edge with people but fully relaxed when surrounded by animals. Warden had been discussing opening an animal shelter with Priest in charge.

Ever since Priest and I had joined the same day, there’d been a never-ending parade of animals who visited. Noble had made a joke that it was like Priest was holding an animal church, and that’s how he’d got his name.

“There’s something in the wind.”

“The Bloody Scorpions? Or the Screaming Barons?” I asked.

Naturally, our club wasn’t fighting just one other MC. We had to be awkward. RBMC was at war with the Bloody Scorpions and on the verge of war with the Screaming Barons. Tap, the President of the Bloody Scorpions’ Maine chapter, was our natural enemy. War had been declared a long time ago with them, and it was nationwide. The clubs took potshots at each other when chances arose.

The Screaming Barons was a local problem and one we’d eventually deal with. Warden was wary of going to war with McKay, but it would happen. The man was an animal and needed putting out of his misery.

“Not sure. Just the birds sense unease on the wind, and it’s making them restless. Some have even started migrating early. Others, the hunters, are gathering in expectation of a feast,”

Priest answered.

“Nasty,” I said.

“True, though. The animals watch the two compounds for us and report back. Some of what they say is senseless. Who can understand a squirrel? The fuckers don’t stop talking and are airheads.”

Priest sighed.

Yeah, we’re talking about squirrels being informants.

“You’re keeping Warden up to date?”

“Naturally. Anything relevant comes my way, I inform Prez asap,”

Priest agreed.

“Hi, Soul,”

Kiki purred, stroking my arm.

Disgust rose as I yanked away from her and glowered. “Not now, Kiki.”

“You’re always busy, Soul,”

Kiki stated, reaching out to stroke my thigh.

I shifted away on my stool and nearly fell off.

Priest chuckled.

“I said not now!”

“Soul, you’re so tense. You need to relax,”

Kiki pushed and leaned against me. Her breasts pressed into my arm, and if I looked down, I knew I’d see nipples.

“We were talking. Fuck off, Kiki. Jesus, don’t you understand English?”

I snapped.

“Soul, I’m just trying to help you ease some tension,”

Kiki pouted.

“Kiki, if I wanted to get laid, I’d find a woman who hadn’t been my brother’s dump truck for their cum,”

I replied, and Priest chuckled as Kiki gasped.

“That’s so rude!”

“But the fuckin’ truth. I don’t want to be shoving my dick where all my brothers have. Now fuck off,”

I ordered firmly.

“Don’t ask me to suck your dick!”

Kiki hissed, and I laughed.

“Again. Not gonna be an issue.”

I turned my back on her and rolled my eyes at Priest.

“Dude, you’re a minority. A brother who’s not fucked a whore. They want the bragging rights of banging you,”

Priest said with a rare grin.

“Yeah, goes for you, too,”

I said, and Priest’s smile became a frown. Ah, nothing like ruining someone else’s day!