Reunion Series-

 

 

Chapter One

After the battle at Lost Sons MC

Boone, Gunner and the others dragged the wounded men to the front gate of the Lost Sons MC. They would await the ambulance and the Sheriff.

 Afterwards, Boone looked over at Gunner and Skeeter. “I think I’ve seen that scarred man before and I think it was on a wanted poster,” he spoke quietly.

Gunner gasped. “What? Are you sure?” He paused, then said, “That isn’t going to go over very well.”

Boone nodded. “Only he’s not wanted under the name of Travis Conrad.”

Skeeter grabbed his phone and began flipping through the various wanted posters he had access to. Then he paused and stared at one in particular. He looked up at them. “Was the name Cole Cimarron?” He flipped his phone so they could see the picture. There in living color was the face of the scarred man, his photo clearly visible.

Boone stared at it and replied, “That’s the guy. That poster is only a few weeks old?”

“The poster may only be weeks old,” Skeeter said. “But the original assault took place three years ago. Seems he got into a bar brawl and really hurt the other guy. Either way it went, the law is looking for this guy and as an officer of the law, I have to take him in, like it or not.” He shook his head. “And Tate Young isn’t going to like it.”

Gunner looked troubled. “It isn’t Tate not liking it that I’m worried about. You might be looking more at Renegade and Augusta, maybe even Mira.”

Skeeter shook his head. “I can’t take that into consideration. I have to do my job. So far, he’s only a person of interest, so this is me just taking him in for questioning. What happens after that is up to the Bureau.”

“They still aren’t going to like it.” Gunner sighed.

Skeeter looked around as he spoke, “I have to do my job, he’ll go in and speak to someone on the charges he walked away from. Everyone should be held accountable for the choices they make. This guy chose to walk away and now law enforcement is looking for him. I can’t overlook this situation.”

Gunner shook his head. “No one is asking you to, all we’re saying is to move carefully. After everything that’s just gone down, nobody is going to be happy about the long lost lover being arrested.”

 “We don’t even know what this is all about yet,” Skeeter replied. “I’m just taking him in for questioning. That’s all.”   

Boone nodded. “Yeah, but first, you have to get him to cooperate, don’t you?”

Skeeter shrugged. “You just have to know how to ask.”

Gunner shook his head. “I don’t like this one bit.”

The three men entered the clubhouse.

Tate and Silas were sitting at one of the tables in the main room.

 Skeeter walked over to them and brought up the wanted poster on his phone. “I know this isn’t going to be welcome, especially tonight but it was brought to my attention that this was out there and I just can’t let it go.”

Tate looked at him then peered down at the wanted poster on the cell screen. He studied it for a long time. Silently, he handed the phone to his father.

Silas gazed down at it then he looked up at Skeeter. “We invited you here to help. We appreciate it too. But are you looking to arrest this guy? If you are, that’s a slap in the face to everyone here.”

“Dad,” Tate exclaimed.

Boone raised his hand up. “I sort of agree with ya Mr. Young, but I suppose this needs to be cleared up.”

Tate nodded. “I agree on all counts. But let’s do this. Come on.” He motioned to them as he stood from the table.

Silas got up as well. He walked with his son as they made their way to the bedroom where everyone was gathered. 

Skeeter, Boone and Gunner followed them.

When they stopped at the doorway, they looked inside.

 Mira and Travis were sitting on the bed quietly talking. 

Augusta and Renegade were standing near the bed, talking as well. 

Renegade saw them all first. His head rose and he stared at the men beside the doorway. Then he looked over at Tate and Silas who had already stepped into the room. “What is all this, Tate?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“I hope it is all just a huge mistake.” Tate shook his head at him then looked over at Travis and just came out with it, “There's a wanted poster out on you. Did you know that?”

Travis looked puzzled and replied, “No, I didn’t. What’s it all about?”

Skeeter shook his head and walked further into the room. He raised his phone and showed the poster to Travis. “Seems you got into a bar fight a few years ago and nearly beat a man to death then got yourself arrested. You got away before you could be cuffed and you disappeared. Anything there, ring a bell?”

Travis took the phone and studied the poster carefully. He handed it back and stated flatly, “That’s not me.”

Skeeter paused to look at the poster again. Then he stared at Travis. “Sure as hell looks like you.” He growled.

“Except that guy has green eyes and mine are blue,” Travis said. “And take a look at the scars, man. They aren’t the same as the ones I got in prison. And I don’t think those scars are real.” 

Mira snatched the phone from Skeeter and studied the poster. She gasped as she raised her other hand to cover her mouth. “How did this happen?”

Skeeter looked confused as he stared at her now. “How did what happen, ma’am?”

Mira looked up and whispered, “This isn’t Travis, it’s Matthew.”

“Mom, are you sure?” Augusta asked. 

“I’d know those eyes anywhere, honey,” Mira whispered. “All the hate in them is pure Matthew. If you look close, you can see the hint of insanity in them as well. Only now it’s more prominent.”

“But he didn’t know Travis was still alive,” Augusta argued. “That’s what he told us as he held a knife to my throat.”

Mira shook her head. “The man was born a liar. I think he’s always known Travis was alive. He might not have wanted to face the fact but he knew, deep in his heart he knew. He just tried to outrun it. I don’t think he knew where Travis was and I think he used his brother’s name whenever he wanted to escape the authority he turned his back on a long time ago.” Then she paused to think about it and nodded. “Yeah, he knew. Before he beat the hell out of me a few days ago, he said something I didn’t understand then but now it all makes sense somehow.”

Travis stared at her and asked, “What did he say?”

She turned to look at him then raised her hand to cup his cheek before she admitted, “He’s been looking for me ever since I left Houston after you went to prison. He said he did everything to stop you from walking out of that place but when you did, he tried like hell to find you. You still had something to pay for. He even found you once and set you up again. But this time it wasn’t just a small debt you had to pay but this would at least be a start on the debt you owed him.”

Travis shook his head. “But I never owed him anything. I never understood why he believed that. Owe him for fucking what? That was the thing with him. For every step forward I took, he tried to follow but while I did things the right way, he got darker and darker. He thought money earned illegally was just fine. His ego got bigger and bigger along with his empire but it was all built on sand, wasn’t it? Oh yeah, he went underground and built a house of cards, he threw money around like water but he had to cross a line in the sand. Now his whole empire is crumbling into nothing and he died by the violence he lived by.”

“He wasn’t known to be sane or honest,” Mira agreed.

Travis took her hand and looked up at the group of men standing there. “His lies are coming home to roost and there’s no one left to jack him up again. His whole life was nothing but stealing from Peter to pay Paul and now it's over. Well, over for him anyway. His people will have to deal with the pickings and either take over to try and run things or they’ll just take the money he lived for and run into the shadows.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find the money isn’t real or even his to spend. Matthew always had a dream of being wealthy without doing the real work. He got rich but he had to watch his back continuously to keep his ill gotten gains. He never worried about his lies coming back to bite him in the ass either.”

Skeeter just shook his head. “We need you to come in and clear this up. It's too bad that he isn’t around to admit his guilt but you are all we got and he used another name anyway.”

“That name wouldn’t be Cole Cimarron, would it?” Travis asked.

Skeeter nodded. “As a matter of fact it is. Do you know that name?”

Travis looked spooked as he nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do know that name.” 

“How?” Gunner asked.

“After I recovered from the attack from Louis, he ended up dead in prison and I ended up being airvaced to a civilian hospital. While I was there, the governor put me in WITSEC. Cole Cimarron was the name they gave me and I lived under it for years. When I came out of hiding I was still using it until about a year ago when I began watching Matthew’s empire.”

Mira looked angry. “He found that out and tried to use it against you. He was setting you up again to take a fall that wasn’t yours!”

Travis nodded. “That little fucker.” He looked over at Skeeter. “And now I have no way to prove it. He's beyond your kind of justice and again I’m left behind to take the blame that isn’t mine to take.”

Skeeter crossed his arms over his chest and just stared at him for a long moment. “I know none of this is fair, but we need to get this settled one way or another. Set the record straight and just maybe we can clear your name, once and for all. Since he’s dead we don’t have anything to fight him on. This is not going to be easy to prove. There’s eye color but contacts can change that. The scars? Also can be changed. But we can try to get to the truth.”

Travis nodded then reached for his weapon. “I am just giving it to you.” He handed it to Skeeter without his fingers being anywhere near the trigger.

Skeeter took the weapon and reached for his handcuffs. 

Travis shook his head and said, “You won’t need those, I’m not going anywhere unless it's with you. I’m tired of being labeled as a criminal. So I happen to need to get this finished once and for all.”

Augusta glared at Skeeter. “They waited years and years to be together. Even thinking the other one was dead. Now, you come and ruin it.”

Skeeter paused and stared at her.

Travis looked over at her. “Baby girl, it isn't his doing.”

Renegade placed his arm around August to comfort her.

Skeeter slowly shook his head then motioned for Travis to leave the room. 

Travis turned to Mira and gathered her into his arms. “Please wait for me. I’ll come back for you and Augusta.”

Mira nodded as tears ran down her face. “I’ll be here, waiting for you.”

 Everyone watched as Travis left the room and Skeeter walked out after him.

Tate looked at Gunner and asked, “Is he going to be okay?”

Gunner and Boone both nodded. 

“Skeeter will make sure of that,” Gunner replied. “He isn’t going to just turn him over and walk away. He’s going to work with the system and get the answers we need. Skeeter isn’t one to leave things alone.”

“I hope so,” Augusta was crying now. “My father has been through hell and now this? Our family should be celebrating not watching him being taken back to jail.” She turned and wept into Renegade’s chest.

Chapter Two

Darrin made his way to the main room. He found it empty so he wandered down the hall. When he saw everyone in the room Mira had been given, he went in and looked at Tate and cleared his throat. 

Tate looked over at him.

  Darrin nodded at him and said, “I don’t know what this means, but I went to the back area to collect Matthew’s body and it wasn’t there. Unless the other men moved it? I distinctly remember it had been covered up with a blanket just an hour ago. He was the only one that died as far as we know. But his body seems to be missing.” 

The room went silent. 

Finally, Silas asked, “It isn’t there?”

Darrin looked at them all and said, “I had my men looking and they didn’t find it. Or at least they haven’t yet.”

“Damn,” Tate swore under his breath as he turned his head to look at Gunner and Boone, Patriot and Gypsy. “Come with me boys. Let’s go find him.”

Silas shook his head. “Like you’re gonna track a dead guy?” He rolled his eyes.

The men all filed out the door and headed into the woods, more men had joined them. After a few minutes, they arrived at the clearing where Travis, Tate and Renegade had confronted Matthew.

 Gunner knelt down on his heels and looked at the scene. He could see disturbances along the ground that told a story of a scuffle taking place. He could even see a few drops of blood staining the ground but then he paused. Looking over his shoulder, he asked Tate, “Where is all the blood?”

Tate looked up at him and asked, “What?”

Gunner motioned at the scene that was supposed to be where a shooting took place. “Where is all the blood? If you guys killed him, then where is the blood?”

Silas nodded. “He’s right, there should be some where he dropped and if he got away, where's the trail of blood?”

Everyone broke apart to look for the blood trail. They found a small splatter of blood here and there. But they didn’t find any real blood trail or any sign of someone injured and fleeing the scene of a shooting.  

Darrin went ahead of everyone, deeper into the trees, then something caught his eye and when he walked over he found a vest, apparently a bullet proof vest that carried three bullet holes. They were all center massed in a pattern that suggested they were all aimed at the heart of the man who wore the Kevlar. He looked up and called out to them, “There’s something here you all need to see here.”

In just a minute or two, everyone joined him.

“Seems that sonofabitch escaped justice yet again,” Darrin stated as he looked pissed.

 When Gunner knelt, he saw the vest and swore under his breath. He could see the pattern of the bullets. The three different bullet holes. His expression looked grim as he dug into his pocket for his phone and texted Skeeter. He needed him here immediately. 

Skeeter texted back that he had to get Travis from the station first then he would return. 

Gunner took a photo of the vest and sent it to him.

Skeeter texted a moment later, “We’ll be there.”

Gunner nodded and glanced at Darrin. “Glad you never touched it. We need to keep the chain of evidence.”

Twenty minutes later …

Skeeter and Travis joined them in the woods. 

Skeeter saw the vest laying on the ground and he swore under his breath, “What the hell?”

Travis froze for a moment then he growled. “That little cocksucker. He had this all planned. And like fools, we played his game again.”

Gunner looked at Skeeter and said, “No one has touched it.” He glanced at Darrin.

He shook his head and raised his hands and said, “Never touched it.”

Skeeter growled as his hand roamed over the back of his head. He glanced at Tate then looked at Gunner. “I’m going to have to call this in, you know that right?”

Gunner met Tate’s gaze as he nodded. “Sure, I know, but when we all give our statements it will be on the record then.” He glanced at Travis. “This is going to explode all over the place. But the thing is, if you tell the truth and can back it with official evidence, Matthew isn’t going to have a place to hide. He can’t use his normal officials to hide behind either. They will freeze all his accounts until everything can be sorted out.”

Travis nodded. “I got nothing to hide, I never did. Matthew always had more to hide than I did. When Mira gave over the evidence that cleared me and Louis died after attacking me inside the pen, all the evidence tracked right back to my brother. The men he paid off tried to bury it all but even they knew they couldn’t destroy real evidence. You may have to really look for it but you can still find it.”

Gunner nodded then looked at Skeeter. “Make the call.”

Skeeter reached for his phone. 

An hour later, a crew of US Marshalls drove up to the compound. They got out of their SUVs to do their job and question the entire MC.

By dawn the next morning, they had everything on record and all the evidence was put into a van. 

Skeeter’s friend Marcus suggested, “Maybe you should stay close to Travis. Just to keep an eye on him. I mean his story is real and we’ve confirmed part of it, but this Matthew guy is beginning to become unhinged. He’ll come after his brother. Perhaps even the old girlfriend and the daughter they had together. He’s one of those psychos so blind with crazy that he’s going to strike out and he’s going to  make it hurt. He's also on the losing end this time and from what we’ve heard tonight, that’s not a place he’ll be happy with. He’s used to coming out on top or sliding away clean. The good thing though? We’re aware of him now and we can work to shrink his world.” Marcus paused to look around at the people standing there. “We’re gonna take his empire down brick by fucking brick. We’ll find his secrets and blow them up one by one.”

Travis  spoke up and told him, “One thing you might want to look at is the money.”

Marcus tilted his head at him. “The money?”

Travis nodded. “Matthew never gave anything away when he could help it. He made a deal with Joshua Moon. Handed him 14 million dollars in cash in exchange for half the value of a gold mine on Indian land. The gold mine couldn’t be his and I think he knew it but he made the deal anyway. If I were you, I would check the money and see if it was even real or not.”

Tate crossed his arms over his chest and gave Marcus a nod. “The money is sitting in a Houston bank, in a safety deposit box with Joshua Moon’s name on it. He thought he could park the money there, so in a few years he could collect it and live like a king. He told us that the same day we confronted him and his brothers before they all went to prison. Only his brothers had no idea Joshua had this secret and they were pissed. But they will all be old and grey before they ever get out. ”

Marcus just shook his head. “We can always get a warrant and check things out. If the money isn’t real, then we got another charge for Matthew.”

Tate nodded then handed over the paperwork to prove their claim. “That’s the contract Joshua signed, but he never used his own name. Michael Moon was his father’s name and Crysta is his mother’s name. Michael threw Crysta out of his home twenty years ago after beating her so badly she lost her eyesight. Joshua never knew if she was dead or alive when he put her name on that contract. She’s here if you need to talk to her.”

Marcus shook his head. “We know where she is if we need to talk to her and we might but for right now, we’ll just leave with what we have.” He looked at Skeeter and asked, “Are you staying here or going home?”

“We’ll be going home again after we get things done here,” Skeeter told him. “I’ll make sure Travis is with us.”  He shrugged and added, “Personally, I don’t think he has anything to hide and I think he’ll cooperate with every step. He wants to end this as much as we do. There is a wanted poster out on his alias from a couple of weeks ago but he claims it isn’t him and I think he’s right. He says the man in the poster has green eyes and his are blue and his scars don’t match the man on the poster. I believe him. Mira says the man on the poster is Matthew and I think she could be right about that.”

Marcus nodded. “We can check on that as well. This Matthew has balls and really chases the win. I'll give him that much, but he won’t be free for long.”

“You have to be very careful,” Skeeter warned him. “If and when you find him, he’s got the mindset that nothing can touch him. He thinks he’s bought and paid for the very system we work for. That makes him dangerous and stupid.”

“You got that right,” Marcus agreed. “He might have bribed or blackmailed a junior member but most lawmen worth his own salt wouldn’t allow any bribe. Don’t worry, we’ll find him and then we’ll drag him out of the hole he’s climbed into, kicking and screaming.”

 “I’m hoping you can do just that.” Travis nodded at him. “Matthew has been hiding behind a wall of fake friends and officials for years, building his empire of greed and violence and breaking the law for even longer. He’s been blackmailing good people and draining them since he was 20 years old. Always taking and taking while never thinking of the destruction behind his wake. It's long past time to stop him.” He paused, then added, “He had a knife to my daughter’s throat earlier and he didn’t even hesitate to put it there, he used her as a shield to try and get away. He beat her mother days before. If Darrin hadn’t gotten her out of that compound of his, she would have been left behind. I almost lost both of them before I even knew it.” He looked over at Skeeter. “If you want me, then they come too. I will not now or ever leave them behind again.”

Gunner nodded at him. “We won’t leave them behind either. They are more than welcome to come with us when we go home. It will be easier to protect our home compound than it is here. We already have a highly protected base due to a few of us being ex-lawmen. We know our own turf and each of my men knows and has weapons they can use to protect our families. I’m not saying your men don’t know how to shoot, Tate, because I know you guys will protect those behind your walls just as we will, but my men are trained bounty hunters. We know the law enough to know what to do.”

“I know that Gunner,” Tate replied. “While we appreciate your willingness to come to build our numbers, it makes sense that you guys are stronger on your own turf too. No worries on that account and if you need us for backup, we’ll be there.”

“I don’t think we’ll have a need,” Gunner said. “And while I’m not sure how many men Matthew had working for him, I think we got most of them already.”

Travis nodded. “I think we did too. Matthew always surrounded himself with people who would stain their hands with the blood of others, so he wouldn’t have to. This time, he watched as we dared to shoot back, something he never expected us to do. Now he knows he’s down to whoever he can get to stand in front of him. Hell…” He snorted. “He knows he’s really not safe since he took three hits from three different people, one of them being me, his own brother. That had to be something he never thought would happen. But it just showed him that he is not invincible.” He paused to look back at the clubhouse. “Now I just have to talk Mira and Augusta into coming with me.”

Silas slapped him on the back and said, “I don’t think that’s going to be as hard as you think. You got twenty plus years to make up for.”

 

Chapter Three

 

Travis made his way back to Mira and Augusta. He took Mira’s hand in his and said, “Honey, the Marshals want me to go with Skeeter to their clubhouse in Jasper. They found out that Matthew escaped. They found a discarded bullet proof vest somewhere on the property here. We hit him with three bullets but he must have been wearing that vest. He went down and we thought he was dead but that bastard was planning ahead. After we left, he took off the vest and escaped. He just walked away.”

Mira gasped and raised her trembling hand to cover her mouth. “No. I thought we were safe. Finally safe from him. So where does that leave us?” she whispered.

Travis shook his head and told her, “We sure as hell can’t just sit here and wait for him to attack. We have to move forward. I’ve been watching his compound for a while. Most of his men are gone now but he’s still alive and we have one final battle to win. I hate the fact that he’s already hurt you and Augusta.” Shaking his head he admitted, “You were right about him finally crossing that line into insanity. He’s been on the hard edge for too long and he knows he’s losing everything he’d ever stolen. All that power that he killed for. It faded away during this battle. He’s always hidden behind everyone else up until now. But he’s running out of places to hide and if we give up now, he’ll just find another rock to hide under. Then he’ll still come after us later. I for one won't let him do that again. We have to find a way to end this now.”

“What are you going to do?” Mira asked. “He could be anywhere by now.”

Travis shook his head. “No, I have a feeling he’s still here, he’s still around this area. He can’t leave us alone because if he does that means he loses.And he can’t stand to lose. That means I’ve got to lead him away. Get him out to somewhere he can’t defend himself. But I can’t let either of you get hurt. Not again and I’ll be damned if I’ll lose you again. That about killed me the first time. I had to leave you behind even if it was only for a short time. I knew they couldn’t keep me in prison for long. The truth would eventually come out. I didn’t know you were already working to free me. Matthew couldn’t have that happen so he paid someone inside to kill me. When that didn’t happen, Matthew built his compound and surrounded himself with men he thought would put themselves on the front line.” He stared at Mira and said a little softer, “Back then when I was shackled and led away, I couldn’t protect you. I was innocent and Matthew knew it. He knew and didn’t say a word, but you did. You took the evidence to the right person and the authorities had no choice but to let me go. They couldn’t get to him, he kept putting up barriers and hiding behind the very laws he kept breaking or bending to the point they should have snapped. The real cops had to fight to clean up the cops on the take. That took longer than they figured but they finally got it done. Matthew knows now that he’s got nothing left and that’s going to make him unpredictable. But this was more or less his last stand. He believed he could come here and win but Tate and his men were able to shoot back. He’s got to come after me now. Maybe he thinks he can kill me and still get away to hide for a while. Then start over again someplace where nobody knows him. Hell, I don't know.”

Tears rolled down her face as she held onto his hand and listened.

“But this time I’m not leaving you or Augusta behind,” Travis went on. “Not ever again. I know I don’t have the right to ask this but I want the two of you to come with me. I want the chance we never had, all those years ago. I want the life we had planned. I know we’ve both changed over the years. When I finally got out of the hospital I wasn’t the same man I’d been when I first went to prison. I was harder, more determined and I tried to find you, God knows I tried but I knew you had to run. I also knew the reason why you ran and I didn’t blame you.  I searched long and hard for you, but I couldn’t find you. I couldn’t let you know that I was free.” He looked over at Augusta and said softly, “I didn’t know about the daughter you gave me. I never got to watch her grow up, to have all her firsts. I missed out on so much of your lives.”

“Oh Travis,” Mira said softly. “I was waiting for you the whole time. But I couldn’t stay where Matthew was. I couldn’t let him find me alone and vulnerable ever again. I knew I had to protect our child. I couldn’t allow him to find us and use Augusta against you or even me. I never knew you were this close or I would have reached out sooner.”

He slowly shook his head. “I wasn’t that close. I think I lost myself. For a long time I forgot who I was. I wasn’t the same man I had been. I lost a lot of years to foolishness. Then one day about five years ago, something happened and it took almost losing my life to finally wake me up.”

Mira reached out and touched his arm. “What happened?” she asked softly.

Travis sat there for a long time and didn’t say a word then he began telling his story, it wasn’t pretty and it didn’t put him in a good light but he figured she had the right to know, “I was at an all time low when this punk came up to me and tried to rob me. I was half drunk at the time and he thought I’d be an easy mark, I guess. I mean he was  maybe seventeen and I was forty. I should have just walked away but he called me a fool and I lost it. I just lost it. He looked at my scars and told me that maybe I should have just given in and let myself go, then he called me a dumb motherfucker and tried to pull a knife on me. I just saw red. He came at me and I used moves on him that I never even thought about. I disarmed him in two moves and then I began hitting him. Over and over I hit him. Somewhere in mind I was picturing Matthew’s face when I looked at this punk. He never had a chance and I almost killed him with my bare hands. I let him drop to the ground. In that moment, I took a deep breath and let the rage just fade away then I turned and walked away. The kid was still alive, I know that because I didn’t walk too far and was just sitting there when he came around again. But the look of fear on his face when he saw me, before he ran away was something I could never forget. It slammed into me and brought me to a stop. I’d almost killed a kid because he dared to call me out. I was living in Minnesota then. After that, I got into my truck and drove away. I didn’t stop until I got back here. I stayed closed up in a motel room for a solid week. I quit drinking and started making plans. I was going to watch Matthew and stop him one way or another. I made a vow that I would stop him and take down the empire he’d spent all those years building up. Then I was going to find you again and make up for what Matthew tried to take away from us.”

Shaking her head, she explained what happened, “He never found me or he knew and didn’t care until a few days ago. He reached out and grabbed me on my way home. He told me he’d known where I was for some time but he didn’t  care because he had no reason to. But I think he knew you were around and what you were going to do. He saw Augusta then and he said if I didn’t want him to go after her, I had to behave myself. Then he beat me and threw me into that damn room. When he left, he locked the door. I stayed there alone and in the dark. I thought he was going to just let me starve to death, then that man Darrin came in and he got me out of that place.”

Travis nodded. “I’d seen them drag you into Matthew’s compound but I hadn’t seen your face. I didn’t know it was you. I only saw you after Darrin and his men got you out. I knew Matthew couldn’t just let you go, so I followed them here. I watched over you and I was here when Augusta called you mom and I began to hope. Hope against hope that this girl was mine. Then Matthew admitted it all while he was holding a knife to her throat. I thought he was going to kill her right there in front of me. I was never so scared of my own brother in my life. Then she faked a faint and Matthew was exposed. I didn’t hesitate. I shot him but I wasn’t the only one. Tate and Renegade shot him as well. We pumped three bullets into his chest and I thought Matthew was dead for sure.”

“But now, we all know he’s not,” Mira whispered.

Travis shook his head. “No, he’s not. He’s out there somewhere thinking he has to strike back. And he will. He’ll come after us, all of us because he can’t just let this go. He’ll come after all three of us now and no one around us will be safe until someone stops him for good.” 

Mira turned her head to look at Augusta and Renegade. Then she turned back to Travis. “So what exactly do you need us to do then?” she asked.

“Well, I need to go with Skeeter back to Jasper,” he told her as he looked into her eyes. “They said they could protect me there. I told them I wouldn’t go without you and our daughter. They said you and Augusta could come too. I know you might not even want to come but I have to ask. I never stopped loving you Mira and I know I don’t have any reason to think you’ll want to take up where we left off but I’m hoping you will give me another chance. Do you think we can try again? You and me? And I want to get to know my daughter. I want to find out just what the two of you went through all this time. I want to find out where you lived and how you got by all these years. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you like we never got to do all those years ago. I know we have to do our best to stop Matthew but I don’t want us to have any more time apart. We lost so much because of him. So I guess what I’m asking is, will you give me a chance to finally take my place in your life?”

Mira stared at him with tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and said, “I never thought I’d see you again. I really believed you were dead. They hid you and all I could do was mourn you for a long time. Losing the love of my life hurt, but raising Augusta was my saving grace. She represented us. She showed me why I needed to go on with life. But yes, I’ll give you a second chance. I can’t speak for Augusta, she’s her own woman but I’d like to see if what we had once, we can have again.”

With shimmering eyes, he gave her a smile as he raised her hand in his and gently kissed her knuckles.

A long moment of silence went by as they simply stared at each other, realizing that this could actually happen. Being together again. They both looked over at their daughter.

 With tears in her eyes, Augusta nodded. “I’d like to finally know you too, Dad. Mom hadn’t said much about you but yeah, I’ll go with you.”

“I hope you don’t mind but I’ve fallen for your daughter,” Renegade spoke up. “I think I was supposed to find her for a long time now. She arrived here and I just knew her when I saw her. I knew it was true. So I think I’ll just tag along. You know, to protect her and her mom.”

Travis smiled at him. “More protection for them and as I can see…Happiness for my daughter. It sounds good to me.” 

 

Chapter Four

Augusta had gone pink as she smiled at Renegade then looked over at her mother and asked, “What about Crysta? We can’t just leave her here on her own.”

Travis paused and stared at them both. “Who is Crysta?”

Renegade shrugged and explained it, “Crysta is  Kalinda’s grandmother. Her own son actually put her name on a document that said if he couldn’t pay back the fourteen million loan Matthew gave him then she would be responsible for the debt. Her husband threw her out of their home twenty years ago and none of them knew if she had died from the beating he gave her or if she was still alive. Mira and Augusta took her in and helped her. When Matthew found out the loan couldn’t and probably wouldn’t ever be repaid, that's when he took Mira. He was hoping that Augusta wanted her back and he could sell her back for 14 million dollars he lost. Which is insane really. Who would have 14 million? The deal with Joshua sold half the proceeds of a gold mine but the mine is on Indian land and Matthew isn’t Indian as you well know, so he couldn’t claim it. Joshua lied to him. Then he parked the money in a safety deposit box and he’s the only one that can get it. He fucked Matthew out of 14 million dollars.”

Travis shook his head. “I told Skeeter he should check that money to make sure it's real. Matthew could sniff out a scam like nobody else. He’s been known to rip off good people while conning them. The Marshals could probably get a warrant to get into the deposit box. Matthew isn’t a man you can scam that easily.”

Renegade stared at him then shook his head. “You think he double crossed Joshua? Well damn, that would be fitting wouldn’t it? Joshua conning the con man, then he gets funny money that he locks up in a security deposit box? He got scammed by a pro. Both men got the shaft in the end, didn’t they? And I remember that he said he was gonna live like a king on a sunny beach somewhere!” He smirked. “And Matthew will have a counterfeiting charge to add to his list of crimes. Just think about it…if it’s just Monopoly money then Joshua is never going to collect his 200 to pass Go. ”

“I supposed they weren’t playing that game,” Augusta joked. 

“No, they were playing a game called Life.” Renegade laughed now.

They all joined him in laughter.

Travis shook his head and asked, “So I assume you both are attached to this Crysta?”

“Yes, we do love her very much. Crysta is Kalinda’s grandmother and she’s an old lady now,” Augusta explained. “She’s also blind from that last beating her husband gave her. Mom and I found her and we helped her recover. We kept her with us the whole time because she needed us. We can’t just leave her behind now.”

Tate appeared in the doorway along with Silas.

  Silas was shaking his head. “Don’t you worry about Crysta, sweet girl. She’s more than welcome to join our family and we can take good care of her.” He looked at her again and this time he lowered his voice. “Besides, Kalinda wants to get to know her grandma and right now she needs some healing too. She didn’t know her family for so long and Crysta can tell her stories and maybe fill in some of her history too. We all need to know our roots.”

Augusta stared at him for a long moment then nodded. “Ok Mr. Young, I get that. But if she needs us for anything, all you have to do is call me. I don’t know where we all go from here but I think I need to go with my parents, maybe get to know my roots too.”

Renegade looked at Tate and said, “I need to see this through as well which means I will stay with Augusta and protect her. You know as well as I do that Matthew isn’t going to stop until either he’s dead or they are all dead. I’m not about to let that happen but I can’t do it from here. I have to be wherever they are.”

Tate nodded. “We figured as much, but when this is over you and Augusta are always welcome to come back here and make this your home. I hope you know that?”

Renegade nodded. “Thank you, it's been a long time since I had any place to call home. I kinda like that idea.”

Tate looked over at Travis. “That goes for you two as well. We’d be honored to have you join us.”

Travis nodded. “Thank you, it would be good to settle down where I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time. I’ll leave it up to Mira though when the time comes. I haven't really given any thought about where to settle down once the Matthew problem is settled.”

Silas looked over at the group and bluntly asked, “What do you think his next move is going to be? You figure he’ll come after you again?”

Travis sighed heavily. “Knowing my brother the way I do, I don’t think he’s just going to sit back and do nothing. That’s not the kind of man he is. No, he’s going to try and get back what he lost.”

“And what is that?” Tate asked.

“Control,” Mira told them. “Matthew has to have control, he lives to be in control.”

Travis nodded. “Not only that but he thinks he’s invincible, that nothing he does will ever come back against him. He thinks he can throw money at anyone and they will just take it and  allow him to break the laws of the land. And so far, it's worked. He’s got that compound down Houston way that he thinks can’t be breached. But I’ve been watching him for a while now. I know what’s going on behind his borders. And it isn’t good.”

“What do you mean?” Silas asked. “Just what is your brother up to down there?”

“You name it and he’s doing it.” Darrin’s voice came from the doorway. 

The group turned their heads to the doorway.

Darrin and Skeeter joined them.

Darrin nodded at Travis. “We’ve been watching him too.” He looked over at Tate and Silas. “Conrad is running drugs through his compound. He’s running humans through there too. Every month he has a boat filled with women and kids heading out over International waters and they load them onto another boat and then those people are sold on the black market. He’s making money hand over fist on the backs of women he forces into prostitution. He has men running illegal poker games. He also has a line of dirty fighters in back alley fights. Two fighters go into a ring but only one of them comes out. He’s got a big mouth but people look the other way. Anyone who comes forward is mysteriously paid off or disappears before charges can be brought.”

“He really does think he’s made of teflon, eh?” Silas finally quipped, shaking his head in disgust.

Skeeter looked over at Travis and asked, “Do you have a plan in mind? Some way of stopping him?”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, I know what will stop him.” He sighed hard. “But it's risky as fuck. He isn’t going to go down easy and someone might get hurt.”

“What did you have in mind?” Tate asked.

Travis shrugged. “Like I said before, Matthew needs to feel like he’s the one in control. That’s part of his higher than God complex. He lost a bit of that when we confronted him. I don’t think he counted on me to be standing there. He relished in the fact that I didn’t know about Augusta but I don’t think he ever figured I’d be holding a gun on him either.” 

“Or the fact that I would pretend to faint.” Augusta nodded.

Travis agreed, “Yeah, but when he was left exposed and three of us shot him, that’s when he knew we were prepared to go the distance. I’ll bet he was stunned when he woke up to find himself left for dead and all alone. No one was there waiting for him to wake up. None of his men came to get him either. That must have made him feel small. He might have escaped us but I have a feeling he didn't go far. I think he’s still in the area watching and waiting for the right time to attack.”

“And just how will he do that?” Silas growled.

Travis looked at him and suggested. “As loud and disruptive as he possibly can.”

Tate thought for a moment and then asked, “What does that mean?”

“He’s gonna start shooting as soon as he sees me or Mira.” Travis shook his head. “He needs the both of us to die before we can tell his secrets and I don’t think he’s gonna care who gets caught in the crossfire.”

“The hell you say.” Silas growled. “That ain’t gonna happen.”

“It will happen unless we stop it,” Renegade assured them.

Darrin nodded. “My group has been watching him for a long time now and yeah, Matthew Conrad likes to do the craziest things. He blew up a grocery store once just because they wouldn’t sell their business to him. Then he burned a church to the ground because he believed they had snubbed him. The truth was they were afraid of him and hoped he would choose another place to pretend he was pious. And now you all robbed him of his army. He has no one to back him up and he might be in the mind to shut the two people up who could tank him.” 

Tate reached for his phone and sent a text to every member of his family. Then to his men.

Skeeter did the same with his own MC brothers.

A few minutes later, Gunner and Boone came to the doorway.

Gunner stared at Skeeter. “What the hell was the text about?”

“We have reason to believe that Matthew Conrad might still be in the area. And he might be close enough to shoot Travis or Mira and maybe even Augusta when we try to leave here.”

“Is he really that stupid?” Boone asked.

Travis nodded. “Yeah, he’s really that stupid but now he figures he’s got to make a point. He’s got to show us that he might have slipped but he’s strong enough to grab back the control. He also has to worry about how much I can tell you about what he’s been doing behind those walls he’s put up in Houston. He can’t have either of us talking to the Marshals because he knows they can’t be bought. He’s got secrets and deals in the works and he has to protect his partners if he doesn’t want to lose everything he’s built in the last twenty years.”

Skeeter nodded. “I guess we’ll find out when we try to leave here.”

“We can have shooters on the roof and in the trees around the compound,” Tate told them. 

“We already have some men out in the woods watching for him,” Silas added.

“This has been years in coming,” Travis told them all. “He’s out there waiting for me. The two of us may be face to face but only one of us will walk away.”

Mira caught her breath as she swiveled her legs over to get out of the bed. “No, I can't lose you again. Not again.”

Travis turned toward her and held her gently. “I have to see this through. I think you know that. I’m tired of playing his games. It’s time to end this once and for all.”

Mira studied him then she sighed hard. “I know, I just hate that it has come down to this.”

“Babe, even if he did quit and go away, I would still have to track him down. You, Augusta and I would never be safe until he’s gone.” Travis helped her back into bed and tucked the sheet around her.

She slowly nodded her head as she knew this was true.

Darrin turned to Silas and Tate. “If it’s ok with you, I can get my guys out in the woods. Like we were before. They know how to stay out of sight. They can see more things than anyone else, that’s how you survive on the street.”

Tate and Silas both nodded at him. 

He turned and left the room. 

A few minutes later, the silence around the compound was shattered by a single gun shot. 

Everyone ran to the front to find a body sprawled out in front of the door. He laid face down with a pool of red spreading around him. 

Tate knelt and turned the body over. 

It was Darrin…Matthew had shot him.

Travis came outside and gathered Darren in his arms then he stood him up. 

Darrin opened pain filled eyes to look up at him. “That fucker shot me. He actually shot me.”

“He shot you, thinking you were me,” Travis told him.

Darrin shook his head. “No, he knew who I was. He's been looking for me all my life.”

Travis helped him inside as he asked, “Why? Why would he be looking for you? I don’t understand.”

Darrin groaned and replied, “I’m his biggest mistake. Matthew Conrad is the man who fathered me. My mother ran away from him.” Then he slipped into unconsciousness. 

Travis felt shocked, but right now, Darrin needed a doctor.

Tate tucked himself under Darrin’s other arm then motioned down the hall to the infirmary.

 

Chapter Five

Travis laid Darrin down on the bed in the infirmary. 

Darrin’s men all came in behind him. 

Gunner, Boone and Tate came in as well.

The Savaged Soul’s doctor, Patriot, had come into the room with them. He moved closer to take care of Darrin. Patriot tore his shirt open and assessed the damage then he turned Darrin on his side, looking for an exit wound. When he didn’t find one, he laid him back down carefully and looked over at Tate. “Do you have surgical tools here?”

Tate nodded then motioned at the cabinets against the wall. “We have a medic but he’s not here at the moment. He keeps our supplies lined up. You can use whatever you need.”

Patriot stepped over to the cabinets to look for what he needed. A few minutes later, he came back with a tray and set it down. Next, he used antiseptic wipes to clean the drying blood from Darrin’s wound.

Just then, Kalinda and Jack rushed in. 

Kalinda stopped to look at Darrin’s men. 

Will, Jax, Carter, Benson and Coop all gave her a nod and they looked worried as all hell.

Turning from them, Kalinda halted with a gasp when she saw Darrin on the bed.

He looked pale as a ghost and his eyes were closed.

 She moved forward to stand beside the bed. Staring at Darrin for a moment, she then asked Patriot, “Is he going to be alright?” Her question seemed to be barely more than a whisper.

Patriot didn’t look up as he replied, “I don’t know yet, that depends on me getting the bullet out of his shoulder. He has also lost a lot of blood.” He went over to the sink and washed his hands with the sterile soap there. Drying his hands, he came back over and put surgical gloves on. 

Kalinda looked worried as she sat down in the chair beside the bed. “I’m here if you need any help.” She reached out and grabbed Darrin’s hand. Tears rolled down along her cheeks as she broke the silence with her softly whispered words, “I met him when I got to the orphanage. Well, the morning after I got there. He was maybe 2 years older than me but he’d been there longer. He told me later that his mom just left him there a couple of years earlier. He said he couldn’t even remember her face anymore. Then told me about the rules. No talking unless they talk first, the meals were always eaten in the dining hall. You do what you’re told to do when you’re told to do it. Any breaking of those rules and you would be locked in your room and you would lose meal privileges.” She reached up and brushed his hair out of his face. “And if you did what you were told they wouldn’t hurt you as much. But he always broke the rules. Not out of spite or just because he could. It was because he became a protector for the younger kids there. The nuns knew it and sometimes they would make the rules up just to punish us. But mostly, they would punish him.” Shaking her head she added, “They enjoyed making us cry but Darrin never cried. He never gave them the satisfaction of seeing him cry.”

Patriot listened but didn’t say anything. He picked up a scalpel and paused to say, “You might not want to watch this, it's going to be bloody.”

Kalinda looked up at him and said, “Do what you have to do. I’ve seen bloody before.”

Patriot shrugged and opened the hole where the bullet went in. Fresh blood welled in the opening. He then proceeded to search for the bullet. When he found it, he grabbed another tool to take it out. Next, the bullet clanged in the dish and Patriot grabbed what he needed to close the wound. Then he wiped it over with antiseptic. 

Everyone just sat there watching. A few of the men kept turning their gaze to Kalinda as she just sat there holding Darrin’s hand.

Finally, Gunner cleared his throat and asked the burning question, “What exactly is your relationship with him, honey?”

Kalinda looked up and asked, “What do you mean? My relationship?”

“Like are you in love with him?” Gunner shrugged.

Kalinda looked stunned at the notion, then she scoffed. “In love with him? No, it was never like that. But I do love him like a brother I never had. I’m married to Jack and I’m in love with Jack.” She paused to look over at Jack. “He holds my heart in his hands and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She turned her head and studied Darrin. “Years ago, Darrin protected me like a brother when I was too young to protect myself. Our bond was born of necessity and survival. And yes, he is family to me and he will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Travis stepped closer and clasped his hands together in front of him. “Well then, you might have an answer to my question. Before he passed out, Darrin said Matthew Conrad was his father. Do you know if that’s true?”

Kalinda snapped her gaze over to him. “Why do you care if it's true or not? Not one member of his family has ever stepped up for him, they never claimed him after his mother dropped him off at that orphanage. Is it true? Yes, it is. Before he left, when he was 14, he managed to get his file from the office. His birth certificate was there. His mother had put his father’s name on it as Matthew Conrad. When I asked him if he ever met his dad, Darrin told me he never met the man that slept with his mom. When I asked him who Matthew was he just looked at me and said, “I think you know who he is, the same as I do.” She shook her head. “After a few years of being in that hellhole, I wasn’t even shocked anymore. But even I knew who Matthew was and I asked him what he thought about that. That’s when he told me what his life had been like when he was living with his mother. Of how she never let him forget that he was supposed to be her ticket to the good life but all she got was nothing. Mathew never even looked at her when she told him about the baby she was carrying. Darrin told me that your brother just shut the door in her face. I think he was all of five when she drove him to the orphanage. She forced him out of her car and without saying another word, she got behind the wheel and drove away without looking back. Darrin stayed there for nine years before they pushed him out the door. He stayed around the area, knowing they would push me out as soon as they could. So he was waiting when they did that very thing a year later. He waited for me and when I got pushed out, we took off together. He kept me in the city but he also kept me safe. We watched each other’s backs but for some reason he always watched Matthew’s compound. He could probably tell you everything that happened behind those walls but he was careful too. He knew Matthew was looking for him but he also knew it wasn't because he wanted to find his son. Matthew was looking for him to get rid of the evidence that he even existed.” She took a deep breath and exhaled, “Well, he finally got his wish, didn’t he? He shot his own son.”

Her words faded in the stillness of the room. 

Darrin’s men all stood against the far wall as they remained quiet.

Kalinda watched Darrin’s chest rise and fall with every breath he took. She waited for him to wake up again. Adjusting the sheet, she pulled it up over his chest. Finally, she looked over at Jack. “I’m gonna stay with him until he wakes up.”

Jack nodded at her. Then he glanced over at the men lining the wall. 

They looked like they would stay there too until Darrin woke up.   

Two Hours Later…

Finally, Darrin began to stir and when he opened his eyes, he winced at the pain in his shoulder. After another minute or two, he looked over at Kalinda and grunted. “I lived, eh?”

She smiled at him. “Yes, you lived to ride another day.” 

He laughed then he winced. “Fuck, that hurts.”

“Yeah dummy, it is supposed to,” she teased.

Darrin looked beyond her to find his men all standing against the wall. He furrowed his brows and asked Kalinda, “How long have they been there?”

Looking over at his men, she replied, “Maybe…Wow. Um, three hours?”

Darrin groaned then he spoke up, “Coop?”

He came forward.

“Get the men and go sit down in the main room. Have a meal and a drink, will ya?” Darrin told him.

“But boss—”

“I think you all need a break. Get!” Darrin said then he groaned again.

Coop turned and motioned for the men to follow him out. 

Now, Darrin spotted Travis sitting in a chair. “Hey Uncle. I remember telling you before I passed out.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, you did. I never knew about you before today. Matthew has a hell of a lot to answer for.”

Darrin snorted. “Not on my account. I want nothing to do with him at all. He’s never once stepped up for me or my mother. And while living with her wasn’t all that great, I think living with him would have been worse.”

Travis snorted. “You got that right, he has always been a selfish bastard.”

Darrin nodded. “So you're finally going to stop his dirty ass.”

Travis sighed hard. “Yeah, I have to, for my family and for you.” He paused, then asked, “Tell me something, did he really know about you and he never stepped up, not even once?”

Darrin stared at him and his expression looked cold. “Yeah, he knew he had a kid out there somewhere and no, he never stepped up, not even once. He let us go hungry, living in poverty until my mom couldn’t take it anymore. I used to watch her and I don’t think she ever cared about me either. I was supposed to be ‘his’ son, but the only thing I brought into the game was nothing. She used to scream at me that I was supposed to be her ticket out of the dump we lived in but with me she would be there forever. She had pinned her hopes on my father but he didn’t give a damn about either of us. The day she dropped me off at that fucking orphanage, she told me there had to be something better out there and she was going to find it without me. So much for motherly love. To her, I was just a throw away kid. She didn’t want me anymore than he did.”

“But you made your mark in this life on your own,” Kalinda stated with a growl. “You turned their failure into something you could hold your head up to. You stood up on your feet and you became a teacher to a lot of others. Now the ones you helped would follow you into battle fighting against those who would have stomped you into the ground.”

Darrin stared at her and shook his head. “I ain’t no hero, girl.”

“You’re a hero, many in that hell for children, the kids had better days because of you,” Kalinda told him with conviction in her voice. “You took the fall for them continually, so they didn’t have to go hungry or be locked up. No, it was you that got punished. Then just look at your men. Not even taking a damn seat while waiting for you to come around. They follow you because you’re their hero too.”

Darrin slowly shook his head. He still didn’t agree with the hero shit.

Travis stepped closer the bed and said, “Kalinda told us that you have watched Matthew for a long time. So is there something you know about him that will stop him once and for all?”

Darrin stared at Travis then he glanced at Gunner, Boone, Tate and Jack. Finally, he gazed up at Kalinda.

She nodded at him.

Darrin looked back over at Travis and finally replied, “We set up something to bring him to us. He knows you’ve been watching him and he’s been making mistakes he normally wouldn’t. His world is beginning to collapse. He shot me but he has to make sure I’m dead. In fact, he needs to make sure you are dead too. So he can’t leave this situation yet. Until we are dead, he won’t have a clear and true path to gather what he needs to start over somewhere. As it is now, he can’t do a damn thing without looking over his shoulder all the time.”

Gunner snorted. “Well, it doesn’t matter who he shoots or what the fuck he does. His path will never be clear again. We’ll follow him everywhere he goes. We don’t give up until we get our man.”

Boone nodded as he added, “The Savaged Souls never say die. Well, not until our bounty is caught or dead, that is.”