Jake’s Angel (King’s Of Fury MC #2)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

JAKE

Avery seems both amused and shocked. Given the whispered “Holy shit.” she let slip past her lips as she’s glancing around the chaotic scene before her. You’ll get used to it, Angel.

If there’s ever been a woman to hold any kind of power in this club, it’s Liz. Every club girl, past and present, knows not to disrespect her. As Caleb’s wife and ol’ lady, she has the complete respect and protection of the club. The men who’ve been around a long time regard her as a mother figure. She says what she means. She doesn’t bullshit when she knows you need the truth, and she will happily smack you around if you still don’t get what she’s trying to tell you.

“Captain,” she lovingly calls to Caleb, wrapping her arms around his neck. His wrap around her narrow waist and we all watch in awe as he looks down at her with his smile turned up a notch just for her. He is a bear of a man, but with Liz, he’s a gentle giant.

“You trying to stir up trouble, woman? I called you here to put out the fire, not start new ones.” Her face lights with mischief. After a failed attempt at looking displeased with her, he grins devilishly and shakes his head.

“Trying hell!” Hawk chimes in. “Did you not see the daggers coming out of—ow! What?” Jayde tips her head in thanks at me for throwing the back of my hand into his gut to shut him up. I may not know what the look was all about, but I know when she’s upset. As her big brother, it’s my job to remedy the situation. Gut punching Hawk for pointing out Blake’s stupidity is the least I can do.

“Now, if you don’t want me riding the club whores so hard, then maybe you should tell the men they shouldn’t, either. If you catch my meaning.” She cocks an eyebrow. Her suggestion made clear. Caleb’s hearty laugh was heard throughout the room, drawing several eyes to him. The men have all come to the main room to check on the women. Probably making sure they didn’t leave the premises.

Hawk goes to reply to Liz, more likely to complain or try to reason with her, but she’s on him before he can get a word out.

“Nathaniel Hawk, if you so much as utter one word about riding a whore or her riding you, they will never find your body but they might find your cock.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Hawk says, begrudgingly.

“I’ve got a jar, Gram, if you need it.” Sadie is quick to lend a helping hand.

“Jesus Sadie! What is it with you and putting men’s genitalia in a damn jar lately?” Gripping himself and pinching his lips shut, Hawk takes two generous steps back.

“Woman, you are full of yourself today.”

“It happens when I’m happy. Our little Bug has returned home, and I don’t want her first time back to involve hearing whore stories.” He nods, giving her a kiss on her forehead. “I’m going to take these three beautiful young ladies back to our place, where they can get a good meal and some rest. You men behave. I’m talking to you two. Come on girls, let’s go where the air doesn’t smell like wet pussy and cock cream, shall we?”

They all follow Liz out to the parking lot, but not before Avery glances back at me. She seems like she has something to say, but when Drea latches herself back onto my side, she decides against it. The look of disappointment that befalls her face says it all.

As soon as they’re out of sight, I shove Drea off me. “Don’t ever pull that shit again.” I growl.

“What do you mean, sugar? I ain’t done nothing to you yet, but if you give me a few minutes behind a closed door, I could do anything you like.” She croons, running her finger along my cut. It’s neither as sweet nor seductive as when Avery does it.

“Don’t fucking touch me again. I don’t want you. You got me?”

She throws her hands up and whistles. “Wow. Who knew all it took was some perky tits and inexperienced pussy to get you all riled up, hey, Jake?”

“Drea.” Caleb growls a warning, catching her attention, but his tone isn’t enough to stop her.

“I’m just saying, if you want me to teach her a trick or two so she at least has some idea of how to please the men around here, I’d be happy to let her watch. I mean, you did say you wanted her to audition, didn’t you?”

Fucking bitch.

She spins on her heels to walk away, only to be stopped by the loud bellowing sound of a not so amused Gabe.

“Drea, if you go anywhere near my daughter or speak disrespectfully about her again, I will toss you out on your ass.” He’s nose-to-nose with her, the fury in his eyes unmistakable.

I guess we’re spilling the beans to the rest of the club about Avery today, too.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Gabe’s announcement has everyone in the room stopping to pay attention. “That goes for the rest of you as well. Avery is club royalty. My fucking flesh and blood.” He pounds his fist on his chest. “You will treat her with the respect she deserves, or you’ll find your ass on the curb. This is your only warning.” He glares specifically at Drea. “You all got me?”

Resounding shouts of “Yes sir” and “Got you, Pres” are heard throughout the clubhouse.

“Officers, we have unfinished shit to attend to. Grab your poison and let’s get this over with.” His glare meets mine and just like that, the moment of laughter and shit stirring jokes is gone.

We file into church, and I choose to remain standing, leaning with my back against the wall at the far end of the room. Putting some space between my temper and Pres’s. We’re both running hot and but there’s more to talk about still.

“All right. Let’s get this shit over with. You may ask me anything you want just this once about this club, Maggie’s accident, or my daughter. However, once this meeting is adjourned, we will never discuss these things in detail again. The past will stay buried with my wife where it belongs.” Gabe makes eye contact with each man in the room, one by one. Each giving a subtle tip of the chin or a head nod to his orders.

“Now, Jake, I know you’re having the hardest time with this, so why don’t you start?”

Clearing my throat, looking him dead in the eyes, I deflect to him. “Why don’t you start from the beginning, and then we’ll ask our questions from there since apparently you and the old-timers are privy to some information the rest of us aren’t.”

“Seems to be a pattern.” Ethan grumbles. Gabe shoots him a warning glare, daring him to say something else.

When Ethan’s woman disappeared and his sister died, he was in agony. Drinking, getting into fights, a complete mess. The club stepped in to help him. Got him back into fighting and building his own business. He was on track for a better life with the brotherhood behind him. Only to find out later, the club had been keeping secrets from him about Skyler. She was labeled club business , and we were left in the dark, even after we all patched in. Hawk searched for years, and he couldn’t find her. Ghost made sure no one outside the original members knew where his niece was until the day she came home needing our protection.

I’m starting to understand why Ethan felt betrayed by the Kings.

It’s hard not to see it any other way.

Ethan’s hands come up in a placating manner. I don’t blame him for still having the burning feeling about being lied to.

Gabe scrubs his beard then, looking at Caleb, he tips his head in a silent command to tell what he knows. “Shit. You sure about this?”

“No, but they need to know.” It’s Caleb who tips his head, this time leaning back against his chair, folding his arms and stroking his long gray beard. “You all know my brother Jonah was gunned down in what appeared to be a robbery at the firearms store just a few days before Maggie’s accident.” There’s a collective nod. “We weren’t sure at first, but after Maggie’s accident it became clear both their deaths were intentional.”

Everyone sits a little taller, patiently waiting for him to continue. Jameson’s jaw clenches at the mention of his father’s murder. I have to wonder if Jameson knew any of this beforehand.

My chest gets tighter with every inquiry into who knew what about who and when. We’re supposed to be a family. A brotherhood. Loyal to the bone, yet I don’t feel the same level of fidelity among my brothers.

“When I was President, the Devil’s Order MC had been slowly making their way into Oak Ridge territory. Their primary source of business was drug running. We weren’t sure who they were running for, but we knew we didn’t want any part of it for ourselves or our town. Although it didn’t stop some of our guys from getting hooked on the shit anyway.”

“Fuck.” Declan hisses as he rubs the back of his neck, contemplating this added bit of information. Everyone knows how Hawk’s dad got hooked on drugs. He used to beat the hell out of Hawk and his mom. Eventually, Nate left both his family and the Kings to join the Devil’s Order. He was the first traitor among us.

Hawk doesn’t talk about it, but we all know the struggles he went through growing up.

“A few days before Jonah’s murder, Vicious, their president at the time, called for a meeting to discuss a partnership with the Kings. They were branching out in their business ventures, adding gun running to their portfolio. They wanted to use Fury Firearms as their storage facility. In turn, we would take twenty percent of their profit. As you can imagine, both Nate and Thomas wanted in on the deal.”

“Of course he did. Nate’s only care in the world was himself and his next hit. What better way to secure both than to work with the guys who supplied him with the shit?” Hawk grumbles, shaking his head in disgust.

“Obviously, we declined.” Caleb continues. “Thomas and Nate were furious, but they were overruled. Thomas knew he was next in line to be president, but he needed to prove himself. Work his way up the ranks. He thought making the club money and scoring a partnership with the DOMC would prove he was worthy.”

“Until Jonah’s death, Thomas moving up the ranks was never the plan. But it didn’t stop him from telling the Devils he would soon have my seat. His mouth was writing checks his ass couldn’t cash.”

“You think he would’ve taken you out to get his shot?” Caleb chuckles, giving a subtle tip of his head. “After everything he did to this family, to his own blood, I wouldn’t put anything past him.”

“Three days later, Jonah was gunned down at the shop, left for dead with a clear message from the Devil’s Order. They weren’t taking no for an answer.” He pauses, leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table. “The very next day, Vicious reached out again, calling for another meeting. Since Jonah was gone, and we hadn’t yet held a vote to fill his seat, I took Ghost, Gus, Mack, and Gabe with me.” He nods to Ghost.

“When we arrived, we were informed the man who killed Jonah, named Viper, wasn’t operating under the orders of his President. He had gone rogue. He was the one who brought the gun deal to their club and stood to make a great deal of money from it. Once the first shipment was moved, he was going to receive a large bonus from the supplier. He took Caleb’s brush off personally. Killing Jonah was his way of getting the point across. We were fucking with the wrong people.”

“Viper disappeared in the wind after Jonah’s murder. Both the Devil’s Order and the Kings were scouring for him. We had agreed—since he had in fact gone rogue—once he was caught by either club, justice would be served appropriately. Death for a death.”

“With both clubs actively looking for him, I took a couple days to allow Jonah’s wife the closure she needed. We had his funeral and gathered our men. When other chapters heard what had happened, they came down under the guise of paying their respects—which they did. It wasn’t the only reason they were here, though. War was coming, and we needed every man we could enlist for our cause.” Caleb and Gabe share a knowing look.

Now, Gabe continues pressing forward with the story. “When Dad stepped down, the club voted me in to take his place as President. Jameson took Jonah’s place as VP, and Thomas lost his mind. He was too pissed about being passed up twice to even question why the seat was made available.”

“Just shows how fucked in the head he was.” Jameson adds.

“Thomas spent most of the funeral and the celebration of life party in a drunken rage until he finally took off on his bike. During the party, people were sharing both their condolences and congratulations. Seeing all the other club chapters coming in and hearing their words, Maggie became restless. I don’t know if she sensed the danger ahead, or if she realized the burden that had been passed onto me as President, but she began pushing for us to get away for a few days. She said she wanted to visit Baron’s Edge, to see her parents and introduce her mother to Avery. It was the perfect excuse for me to get her as far away from the shitstorm that was about to go down. Dad and I thought it was a good way to get some space between Thomas and me as well. Give him a chance to accept the changes in the club and show his loyalty to me by protecting my family,” he scoffs.

“I hadn’t told Mags we knew the bastard who killed Jonah, or that we were preparing for war. I kept her as far away from club business as possible. I sent her away with the possibility of never seeing her again. Had I known how right I was, I never would’ve sent her.” He stands up and begins pacing behind his chair, taking several deep breaths.

“We never suspected your brother was out to get her killed, either.” Caleb consoles. “None of us could’ve seen it coming, son.”

“When we got to the scene, I went to Thomas first.” Caleb takes over the story once more. “Gabriel and Mack were trying to get Maggie out of the car.”

Images of them dragging her lifeless body through the passenger door, then Gabe holding her in his lap sobbing, flash through my mind.

“While we were on the ground, Thomas told me Viper had been the one who shot at him. He said they took Thomas down first, then went after Maggie. She fought to keep the car on the road, but the son of a bitch wasn’t alone. Between him causing her to swerve and a second vehicle slamming into her car while she struggled to regain control, the car was sent careening into the side of the mountain.” Gabe’s hunched over the back of his chair, his eyes wrenched shut. Pop joins him at his side, patting his shoulder to comfort him.

“Thomas told me where to find the bastard, which I did as soon as the ambulance had everyone loaded and on their way to the hospital.” Caleb shakes his head. “Gabe knew my intentions, and that’s why I handed the reins of the club over to him when I did. I wasn’t planning on coming back alive.” He’s stroking his beard, something I’ve noticed he does when he’s deep in thought or trying to regain control of his temper. Either way, I know he’s working to keep a level head.

“I hunted him down, and although he got a good shot off, hitting me in the shoulder, I did what needed to be done. When I was certain he was dead, I called the cops and told them where to come and get us.”

“Why not run?” Hawk questions. “Why not leave him for dead and come home? You did time for killing the bastard.”

“The court ruled it involuntary manslaughter,” Caleb states. “It was the best I could get, and I was more than willing to pay the price to see the fucker rot in hell.”

“You could’ve left him for dead and stayed a free man.”

“I could’ve, but we knew the DO would come for me first. I was the obvious choice. The man killed my brother, my daughter-in-law, and almost took out my eldest son and my granddaughter. They would’ve suspected me or Gabe, and I was just as proud then as I am now to say I ended that motherfucker’s life.” The men all nod their agreement. Any one of us would’ve done the same thing. Consequences be damned.

“Russ’s lawyer was able to get my charges reduced to involuntary manslaughter with the help of some witnesses.” He chuckles. “I had been shot while grappling to get the gun away from him. That, along with Thomas’ statement from the hospital stating the same man had shot him while he was on his bike, allowed Russ’s lawyer to convince the judge I didn’t intend to kill the man. He convinced the judge and jury that my plan was to capture and subdue him. The judge agreed while I didn’t intend to kill him, he still died at my hands and there was enough evidence to show I had motive and would’ve considered it. Unfortunately, I had to serve a small sentence but it was worth it in the end. Mostly.”

“Dad went to jail, but not because he killed the man responsible for Maggie’s death. Viper was guilty, make no mistake. He killed Jonah and shot Thomas. His death was warranted. But it’s Thomas who is responsible for what happened to Maggie. The only men who knew the details about Maggie leaving town were all in this room, except for Thomas. He must have let Viper, and we assume Nate, know about our plans.”

“Nate and Thomas were close, and both felt the club screwed them out of their take when we declined the partnership offer, and the knife was dug even deeper when Thomas was passed over to become President. Nate was all for getting in on their drug action. His personal supply chain was his motive.”

“A lot easier to stay loaded when you’re in good with the guy who makes it,” Hawk quips.

“Well, Thomas saw nothing but dollar signs with both the guns and the drugs. He was blinded by his own greed,” Caleb adds.

“We still weren’t sure if Thomas was working alone or with the Devil’s Order. If he was trying to get in on their deal or take it over. All we knew was he wasn’t acting like himself. We didn’t know who we could trust other than the men who are still here with us now. So, to figure out where Thomas’s loyalties really stood, we told him that Maggie died on impact, and Avery succumbed to her injuries and passed away overnight. Thomas was released from the hospital the following evening, but when we sent our prospects to pick him up in a cage, he was already gone.”

Ghost grunts from his corner of the room, displeased that Thomas has eluded even him.

“When Thomas first disappeared, we weren’t sure if he was going to the Devils or if he was just hiding from the club. If he was working with them and caused his sister-in-law’s death, he knew the price he would pay for treason to this club. If he was supposed to scare Maggie, but his plans went sideways, causing her death instead, he brought war to the Devils and would pay the price for the blood lost for his mistake. Anyway, you looked at it—Thomas was desperate and in trouble.” Gabe sits back down in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck, turning it side-to-side to loosen the tension.

Caleb lifts his chin toward Ghost, who’s been silently observing this entire conversation. He nods back, showing an obvious silent agreement between the three men, then Caleb begins again.

“Desperate men do desperate things. Thomas blamed me and the club for taking everything away from him. His pay day, the rank of president, his wife and daughter, and he had to let it all go. We all knew if given a chance to retaliate, he would. If he found out Avery was alive, he might’ve tried to finish what he started. Knowing I was going to be doing time for a while, Gabriel had to make some decisions not only for this club but also for the safety and mental stability of our family.”

“I got in touch with Russ and his lawyer and asked them to meet with us. Gabriel asked if there was a legal way for Russ to adopt Avery and become her new guardian. They, with Ghost’s help, erased all of us from her life completely. Ghost made Maggie’s life in Oak Ridge vanish completely, erasing everything from work records to her marriage certificate. All that remained was a falsified rental agreement, the record of Avery’s birth, and Maggie’s death certificate.”

Gabe hasn’t moved while Caleb explains everything done to protect Avery. He sits frozen in place as he listens, but doesn’t add or correct any details. He’s a statue of a man at this moment.

“Then we assigned Mack as Russell’s head of security for both him and West Enterprises, putting Mack in charge of all security matters surrounding their family and businesses. He set up a team of trusted men and they kept vigilant watch over the home and everyone in it. He even handpicked Chuck to be their personal security on site at the mansion.” I cringe at the mention of his name. Pop stiffens, rolling his shoulders. I know he feels guilty.

“We still don’t know for sure what part Chuck played in Avery’s life but, based on the relief Avery expressed over his death, we know she didn’t feel safe with him. Maybe you’ll be able to enlighten us all about that later, yeah?”

I shrug. I don’t know what she’ll tell me, knowing what she knows now. She may cut me off all together.

“As soon as we knew Avery was out of harm’s way, the club went to war with the Devil’s Order. We lost a lot of men. A lot of blood was spilled on both sides. We took out their President and several of their officers, causing their club to retreat and rebuild,” Gabe explains. “But the threat of retaliation has always been there. I couldn’t raise my daughter here, knowing there was a chance of that war coming back to take her from me.”

The room is saturated with a mixture of emotions. Pop is pacing, hands clasped behind his head, focusing on the ceiling. Gabe looks like he’s ready to snap at any moment. His eyes have a burning, faraway look in them. Caleb and Ghost sit keeping close, watchful eyes on the Prez and Jameson both. We all knew about Jonah’s murder, but knowing it was intentional, not a robbery as we had been told, and finding out his cousin had a part to play in it, can’t be sitting well.

If he didn’t already know.

Seeing the shame Hawk wears for the shit his father, Nate, did to hurt not just his own family but this club, brings an empathy and rage I’ve never experienced before. We grew up together, as close as two brothers can be without being blood.

I never knew any information outside of Thomas being a traitor and having some part to play in Maggie’s death. With all the dots connected, I can’t blame Gabe for keeping Avery a secret for so long. A part of me hurts for the little boy inside me who believed he caused her death by not taking care of her. He failed to keep his promise.

The beautiful Angel I held in my arms as we kissed the hell out of each other is actually the little girl I promised to protect as a boy. She’s been living in Baron’s Edge the whole time. My pop not only knew but was keeping her existence hidden. The biggest family secret in the MC’s entire existence.

Now the princess has run away from her castle, is being hunted by the Mafia, and will be under the protection of the Kings. Her real family. Not to mention, she’s Pres’s daughter.

Fuck me! She’s one hot temptation I cannot afford to fuck around with. Jesus, I need a drink.

There’s nothing I can do to change what’s happened, but I vow to keep history from repeating itself. If Cusenza wants to come for Avery, let him come. Enough people have hurt her. Anyone who thinks they’re going to take her from her family again will have to go through me first.

This time, I’m keeping my promise.