Page 7

Soul

I was nervous. Only my brothers had known my story up till now. Telling Bryony was a huge step, but somehow, I knew she would handle it with care. Her daughter had the same ability. Bryony wouldn’t be cruel or dismissive of it. In fact, I believed she’d listen carefully indeed.

Priest came, and surprisingly, Blue accompanied him.

“Don’t have a power, but ain’t letting you two do this alone,”

Blue stated.

Damn, that was good of him. We walked over to Bryony’s and knocked.

She opened the door a few moments later and looked surprised to see three of us. Wariness crossed her expression.

“Sorry to jump on board, ma’am, without an invite. I don’t have abilities; I thought you might want someone else who doesn’t. Balance it out a bit,”

Blue explained, and Bryony cocked her head.

Finally, she nodded. “Come in, we’ll go into the front room as the kids sleep at the back. Would anyone like a drink?”

she asked.

“I brought you a bottle of wine,”

I announced, holding my gift out.

Bryony’s face softened. “That’s kind of you, Soul. Thank you. Can I offer you a beer?”

Priest sheepishly held up a six-pack, and Bryony laughed.

“Take a seat. You wanted to tell me your story,”

Bryony said.

“Yeah. My mom passed when I was two.”

I settled in to tell her. “I don’t remember her. I had a sibling, Lila, who was nine years older than me. Lila was my sister, my mom, and a hero. I worshipped her, especially as she was exactly like me. She sensed lies, too, but she had Mom to help her. Lila was eleven when Mom died, so she’d learnt a lot.”

“Damn, Soul, Lila was a child looking after another,”

Bryony murmured.

“Yeah. She was my world, still is. Anyway, Mom passed, and Dad became an alcoholic. A functioning drunk but a mean one. He hated us kids because our abilities scared him. Dad wasn’t bothered with us, but he had loved Mom, and we were all that was left of her. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if Mom hadn’t died. Would Dad have started drinking or not? Who the fuck knows?”

“But it’s a question that bugs you.”

“Yeah. I think he was great at one point because Lila said she adored him before Mom passed. Dad got nasty. He treated us like lepers but did his duty. Dad was involved in some bad shit. Scamming people and Ponzi schemes, nobody knew until a party Dad held. He had all his investors and friends over and was bragging, as usual. There was a boy, Miles, he was a bully to me, and Lila warned Dad that if Miles hurt me, she wouldn’t be a good girl.

“Miles shoved me off the slide and broke my arm, and Lila opened her mouth. By the time she’d finished, all hell had broken loose, and she took me next door to get me to hospital. Dad refused to take us back and put us into foster care. Honestly, he didn’t have much choice because he was arrested soon after.

“Dad, in the end, was sent to prison for twenty years. Lila and I were held in various homes, which never lasted more than a few weeks. Lila wouldn’t have any bullshit and called people out on their lies. And some thought they could use us when they discovered we had abilities. They would use me to control Lila or vice versa as I got older.

“Lila’s beautiful. As she hit her teens, men looked at her, and more than one member of foster families tried forcing themselves on her. She fought them off and became pretty handy with a knife. But there was one family, they were the worst. First, the father attempted, then the blood-related sons. The mother turned a blind eye and said Lila was asking for it.

“It was only when Lila stabbed the oldest son that anything was done. Lila was arrested, as everyone believed the mother’s story until other victims came out of the woodwork. The charges were dropped, and Lila hit eighteen.

“Lila applied for custody of me and got it, and at nineteen, she joined the Royal Harlots and found us both a family,”

I explained and paused. I took a swallow of my beer as I tried not to let the memories wash over me.

“There’s more,”

Bryony said astutely.

“Yeah. But you don’t need to hear about the guy who made me sit in interviews with his employees to sense if they were lying. Or the man who used Lila to check his drug dealers weren’t skimming. He was okay, actually; he bought us food and gave Lila money, but he still forced her. Then there was the woman who beat us black and blue for having the devil inside us.

“Kids called us freaks and spat or hit us during school. Lila quickly got a reputation as a brawler. If someone doesn’t give a shit if they get hurt while beating on you, you soon learn to avoid them. Even when we lived in a shitty apartment, and Lila served at a bar, nobody messed with her. The Harlots were the turning point. They taught us how to handle living with abilities, and they’re all around the same age.

“Saph, the President, is a fuckin’ amazing woman, but I wouldn’t mess with her. And the Royal Harlots have as bad a reputation for not taking bullshit as the Royal Bastards. The chapter my sister is in is based in New Hampshire, so we see quite a bit of each other, and we talk several times a week. Lila’s my damn hero, and if she needs anything, I’ll drop and go,”

I admitted.

“That’s the kind of relationship I want for Ham and Maci,”

Bryony admitted.

“Yeah, but ours was born out of need. Ham and Maci have different circumstances to Lila and me. For one, they have a loving parent and a stable home, and if their mother stops running, they’ve got a chance we never had. Being surrounded by people who understand their abilities,”

I replied.

Bryony chewed on her bottom lip. “How do I know you won’t use them?”

Blue laughed. “For what? We don’t need a healer; we’ve got Slasher, and you’ve seen him at work. And we don’t need a walking lie detector, we’ve got Soul. And it seems Maci sees auras. Sorry, we already have someone. No offence, we don’t need your kids, especially untrained ones.”

“That stings a little, as I think my children are so special, but I understand your point,”

Bryony admitted.

“I speak to animals. I can understand and communicate and ask them to do things for me. Kids were awful to me growing up. And worse, they hurt animals to make them come to me for help. There was a kid I’d known since birth; he knew about my abilities, having seen me use them. From a very young age, that prick went out of his way to ensure everyone was told I was a freak.

“From the moment we started kindergarten and upwards, Dean needed to be popular and destroyed me in his endeavours. He was a vile, petty bastard, and it showed. Some of what Dean did was disgusting. His dad was sheriff, too, so there was no recourse. Or there wasn’t until my mom married a powerful man, and we got revenge, but my life remained shit, and I was shunned. There’s more to it, but I totally understand what your kids might and have experienced,”

Priest said.

Priest was sugarcoating things. We shot the shit a lot and had exchanged horror stories. I knew Priest had suffered. Even when his stepdad got involved, it still happened. Bryony had no idea how lucky Ham and Maci were.

“What about the rest of your club?”

Bryony questioned.

“What about them?”

Blue asked.

“They have abilities?”

“Only some of us do. Not all. But we can’t discuss them with you because we gotta protect them like they do us. Of course, if you meet them and they tell you, that’s fine. You got your kids to watch over. My brothers are the same,”

I replied.

“Except you’re adults,”

Bryony retorted.

“You believe grown-ups can’t be treated worse than kids?”

I inquired, thinking of Dynamo.

“You went sad. Something horrible happened to one of you,”

Bryony announced after a few moments.

“Something horrendous did to two of our people, and it took a while for us to find and save them. The damage was already done. Now, we try to help them heal. Consider yourself lucky,”

Priest replied.

“That’s awful. I feel bad for them,”

Bryony said.

“Never pity a Royal Bastard. We’re strong, and they have family. Together we’ll get them through this shit,”

I promised, and Bryony nodded.

“I can see that and envy it a little. I need some time to consider what you’ve told me,”

she mused.

“Take all the time you want. But don’t run, Bryony. Because all you’ll teach the kids is how to flee! With their abilities, they also need to learn when to push back. Just pause moving for now, consider what we’ve discussed. Hell, come and meet some of the other brothers and sisters. The Camden Chapter is a rare one where we have male and female members. But don’t mistake the females for being weakest. They’re some of the strongest ones we have,”

Blue said.

“Vogue beats the crap out of me every time we get in the ring.”

Priest chuckled. “That woman is hardcore.”

“You fight a woman?”

Bryony asked, sounding appalled.

“No. We try to fight a woman and end up defending our manhood within ten seconds of getting in the ring with her. Vogue seriously packs a punch and woe betide anyone who underestimates her.”

I laughed.

Vogue had given me several beatdowns in the past. I wouldn’t be messing with her anytime soon.

“I’ve got a lot to consider,”

Bryony said.

“And we’ll let you get on with that. There’s much to consider before you sentence those kids to a life on the run,”

Blue stated.

Bryony didn’t like the truth of Blue’s statement. The look she sent him was sharp, but she couldn’t deny it.

◆◆◆

Two days later, on Saturday early afternoon, I entered the clubhouse and avoided Kiki and Silk, both heading towards me. Tonight was the cookout for Cécile and Etienne’s ‘welcome to the club’. Warden would be awarding them both their road names.

“Fuck off,”

I snapped as Lolli drew close. She backed away instantly. At least one whore did as they were told.

“You okay?”

Griffin asked as I passed him.

“Yeah.”

“Liar,”

Griffin teased and, got up, and followed me. “Talk, Soul.”

“My skin is on fire. I feel like someone is scraping a cheese grater all over me and rubbing me raw. It was just a day of fuckin’ lies.”

“At the cemetery?”

Griffin questioned.

“Yeah.”

“But you don’t do funerals,”

Griffin said, confused.

“Nope, but I was around several lying families today, as there were some issues with them being at war. They were fighting over the poor fucker’s belongings, and Trevor needed back up. The lies and fake grief set me on edge.”

“Next time, get Trevor to separate problem funerals,”

Griffin replied.

“He had. Which is why this afternoon’s battle royale was a shock. It came out of the blue. It wasn’t pretty.”

“I can’t even trade with you because I deal with the public, and I can’t think of anyone else you could swap with,”

Griffin said thoughtfully.

“I will be okay, just raw today,”

I admitted.

“Talk to Warden. Maybe Romeo or Slasher—”

“No, brother. They’re both supporting Katie and Dynamo. I’m not asking for them to put themselves under more pressure. I’ll be fine, heading to the cabin soon to chill out.”

“Soul, I know you are thinking you don’t wanna be a burden because you’re new. You ain’t. If you need help, ask. Do not suffer alone. Not like… and shit!”

Griffin exclaimed.

Oracle had got to his feet, his face a pasty white, and his eyes rolled up. Blood streamed from his nose.

“Get the whores out!”

Warden yelled. He leapt over a table and caught Oracle as he began to go down.

“What do you see?”

Undertaker demanded as he took Oracle’s other side.

“It’s a fishing ship. Twelve crew. She is going down even though the seas are calm. A repair has failed, and she’s taking on water quickly. The crew’s trying to hit the lifeboats,”

Oracle answered.

“Name? How soon?”

Warden asked.

“I can’t see. She is a blue boat with red trim. There’s a design on her. It’s not clear,”

Oracle said, and his body slumped as blood poured from his nose.

“Get him upstairs,”

Warden ordered.

I turned to look for Cécile and saw her sitting straight, her eyes as white as Oracles. Etienne was holding onto her shoulder as Cécile sat calmly.

“This is a big loss of life. I can see the ship now. She is blue with red trim, and the design is an infinity loop in white. There is only a little time to be had. The name of the boat is… The Dancing Swan. She is in serious trouble. And it’s going to be happening soon, as in the next few hours,”

Cécile explained.

Her eyes blinked and cleared and became her normal colour.

“Call it into the Coast Guard,”

Warden said.

“The usual method?”

Undertaker asked.

“Yeah.”

I wondered what that was, so got up and followed Undertaker. He sent me a curious look.

“I ain’t sure how this is handled, and if it ever happens on my watch and I’m alone, I want to understand what to do,”

I replied.

“Come with me,”

he said, and we headed into an office. Undertaker tapped on a shelf and showed me a burner. It had a label on saying fishing disasters.

“Use this to phone into the coast guard. We give a code, see here, so they know it is genuine.”

Undertaker pointed to a code on the label. “We’ve always used the same one, so they realise it’s a real call. At first, they ignored us, and people died. But now, if they hear the code, they scramble even though different voices call it in. It protects the club and also saves lives. Watch and listen, Soul,”

Undertaker said.

Undertaker punched in the phone number and waited for it to ring. Someone picked up, and the Undertaker spoke.

“Code: Whiskey, Sierra, Lima, Echo, Sierra, Delta, Tango, Indigo, Alpha, Echo, Charlie. Fishing vessel, The Dancing Swan, a failed repair, ship sinks quickly, twelve hands lost. Imminent.”

And at that, Undertaker hung up and switched the phone off.

“You don’t repeat it?” I asked.

“No, the calls are recorded. They’ll replay it if needed.”

“What did the code mean? Those weren’t random.”

“We save lives every single day. This is an emergency call.”

I worked the letters out in my head and grinned. “Clever.”

“I thought so. Warden didn’t, but it stuck. Don’t get into a conversation with them, do not ever repeat. They’ll be trying to track the number. Just remember, the calls are recorded. Wanna take a trip and watch for The Dancing Swan?”

“Sure, this will be interesting,”

I replied.

◆◆◆

Undertaker and I found a space to sit away from everyone. We had missed the launch of the Coast Guard, but they were out there. We only had a small station here with one boat, which the club sponsored.

Two hours later, we saw the Coast Guard coming back. The Dancing Swan wasn’t behind them.

My gut clenched, and I hoped that we’d got them the warning in time. A smiled crossed my lips as the Coast Guard docked and twelve fishermen climbed off.

“It was a fuckin’ miracle. The Dancing Swan was going down faster than we could believe, and suddenly, the Coast Guard was there. Thought we were dead, couldn’t even release the lifeboat. It had jammed,”

a guy was saying to people crowding around.

“Shocked the fuck out of me. And when the life raft hit the water and sank, I didn’t think we were coming home,”

another man said.

I swapped a smile with Undertaker as we got to our feet and began walking away. As we turned a corner, I saw a member of the Coast Guard standing on the prow of the boat. His eyes watched us thoughtfully.

I didn’t say anything, but I knew he’d been watching us.

Bryony

I headed into town with the kids, intending to hit the local shops, and spotted a commotion down at the harbour. As we meandered that way, stopping at several shops, there were two women stood talking.

“Yup, The Dancing Swan sunk. I can’t believe they all survived. They didn’t even have a chance to get a mayday off. She capsized that quickly,”

the first said.

“I overheard one of the men say they got an anonymous call. How did somebody know that the boat was going to go down? Seems suspicious to me,”

the second replied.

“Haven’t you heard? There’s someone who can foresee disasters and calls the station when ones are about to happen. Could you believe that?”

the first asked.

“No. Quite frankly, I don’t. It’s probably insurance scams,”

the second stated.

Was it possible one of the Royal Bastards had premonitions? I looked towards the docks, where there was still a crowd, and then I heard bikes.

I turned and saw two Harleys ride away. One had Soul on. He didn’t see me watching, but they’d clearly come from the docks.

They saved people? I glanced down at the kids. I needed to know about this. But I did remember that Soul couldn’t deny harming someone on purpose. This was at odds with what I’d just wondered. What was the truth behind the Royal Bastards’ Camden Chapter?

Soul

Undertaker and I got back to the club and reported that they’d survived. The old ladies were bustling around with Roselea and Lissy, preparing sides for the cookout. Priest was helping them as the man loved to cook, while Blue was behind the bar, making sure it was fully stocked.

I needed some time to calm down and headed for my room.

“What the fuck?”

I bellowed as I opened my door and discovered Kiki there, naked. She lay on my bed, one hand on her tit and the other fingering herself.

“Hey baby,”

she drawled in a throaty voice. “I’ve been keeping myself ready.”

“How the hell did you get in here?”

I yelled as I gathered up her clothes.

“The door was open,”

Kiki said as she sucked the finger she had been inserting into her pussy. Vomit rose, and I swallowed hard.

“Fuckin’ lie,” I hissed.

I wasn’t one to ever get rough with a woman, but Kiki had broken into my room. Worse, she’d violated my sanctuary with her sex scent, which was not attractive at all. It smelled like someone had already cum in her several times. I heaved a second time before rushing into the bathroom and throwing up.

“Nasty!”

Kiki squealed from my room. Not as repulsive as her cunt. Who the hell would be dipping in that?

As soon as I finished and rinsed my mouth out, I stormed into the bedroom and grabbed Kiki by her neck. I snatched up her clothes, dragged her out naked, and marched her down the stairs. Kiki was kicking off now and fighting me as I pulled her into the common room, breathing hard.

Everyone looked up as I flung her to the floor.

“That cunt broke into my bunk to lie nude on my shit uninvited. I do not fuck the whores, and if anybody gets a whiff of her filthy cunt, you’d understand why. Anyone dipping their cock in that requires a medical asap. My sanctuary has been violated and stinks of her. Something needs to be done because it doesn’t matter how many times these cunts are told no, they keep pushing,”

I snarled into the silence.

I scratched at my skin, drawing blood.

“Kiki, get the fuck out of here! I’ll deal with you later,”

Warden growled.

“Soul, use my room,”

Romeo said.

I nodded and rushed upstairs. The lies from the whores hung heavily in the air and were burning me badly. As soon as I shut the door in Romeo’s bunk, I headed for the shower and hoped the cold water would calm my skin.