Broken Angels MC Book 3
Yazar
Riki Leigh Bishop
Okur
159K
BölĂŒm
31
Trigger thought his life was finally coming together as he graduated high school, but everything changes when his girlfriend Megan disappears and is later found dead. Years later, as a member of the Broken Angels Motorcycle Club, Trigger's world is upended again when Megan reappears, revealing secrets that threaten his newfound family. With danger lurking and old wounds reopening, Trigger must navigate a web of lies, love, and loyalty to protect those he cares about.
Chapter 1
TWELVE YEARS AGO
Iâm finally graduating after seven years of elementary school, two years of middle school, and four years of high school. Iâm counting kindergarten in those seven years of elementary school. Iâve always despised school, but I knew I needed an education if I wanted to take over my dadâs position when I returned from the Marines.
My dad and his Army buddies founded the Broken Angels MC after their last tour overseas. Iâve always wanted to follow in my fatherâs footsteps, but the Army didnât appeal to me like the Marines did. However, there was one person who made my high school days bearable.
Megan Sting. My girlfriend for four years and the love of my life. I grew up watching my parents together, and all the men of the club with their olâ ladies. I knew I wanted that kind of unconditional love with someone. And Megan was that someone for me.
I remember telling my dad about her. He asked me if my soul called out to her. I told him I wasnât sure. But as I got to know her better, I found myself falling deeper in love with her. We fought like cats and dogs most days, but that didnât matter to me.
We were each otherâs firsts. She pushed me to study and supported my decision to join the military. I knew after the first few months that she was the one for me. I thought she would become my olâ lady when I finished my military service and prospecting for the club. I couldnât have been more wrong, but I didnât know it then.
âHey, man. You ready to get this over with?â Westyn, one of my best friends, asks. Heâs next in line to take the President spot in the club. Heâs standing with my two other best friends, Axyl and Patrick. Axyl is next in line to be the Vice President, and Patrick is one of the enforcers, like me. Weâre all the same age, so weâre all graduating together.
âHell yeah. Iâm ready to be done with that place.â Iâm also planning to propose to Megan before taking her to the courthouse. I want her to be my wife before I leave for basic training.
âI hear you, man. Iâm ready to be done with that place too. Lanaâs been complaining and pouting because Iâm leaving her here alone,â Axyl says, rolling his eyes.
Axyl met Lana when he and Westyn came to pick up Aliana, Westynâs younger sister, after she skipped school a couple of years ago. Everyone could see how Aliana felt about Axyl, and how she changed when Axyl started dating Lana. âSheâs upset about facing high school alone while sheâs pregnant.â
Lana is two months pregnant. It was a surprise when she announced it. She burst into the clubhouse with a huge smile on her face and shouted that she was pregnant to everyone there.
âMaybe you shouldnât have gotten involved with one of Alianaâs friends,â Westyn snaps. Heâs not happy with how his sister is acting right now. Sheâs in love with a man who is in love with someone else. I remember her face when Lana announced her pregnancy. It was heartbreaking.
âYouâve been on my case, angry about something since Lana announced she was pregnant. Whatâs your problem, man?â Axyl snaps back at him.
âYou broke my sisterâs heart! Thatâs why Iâm angry!â Westyn retorts. Before Axyl can respond, our dads walk into the room.
âThatâs enough! Whatâs done is done. Itâs time for you four to get to the school.â My dad looks at me with pride in his eyes. We hold each otherâs gaze for a few more minutes before he gives me a slight nod and leaves the room. Iâve always wanted to make him proud, and Iâve done everything I could to do so.
âLetâs go before they come back and light a fire under our asses. Or worse, before they send our moms up here,â Patrick says.
Westyn and Axyl share a heated look before I slap the back of their heads and we head downstairs.
âWhatâs your problem, Aliana? Youâre supposed to be my friend,â Lanaâs whiny voice echoes. âYou need to get over the fact that Iâm with him and having his baby.â
âJust leave me alone, Lana. Weâre not friends. We never were. You got what you wanted. Just leave me alone and donât talk to me.â
Ali pushes past her and Lana, being the drama queen she is, falls to the floor with a cry of pain.
âWhat the hell, Aliana? Was that necessary?â Axyl asks, being the fool that he is. âSheâs pregnant.â
âI barely touched her.â Her voice is soft, but firm.
âThat doesnât matter. You hit her hard enough to make her fall. What would have happened if you hurt the baby?â he snarls.
âAx, what if sheâs hurt my baby?â Lanaâs voice breaks, tears welling up in her eyes. âI canât lose this baby. My baby.â She buries her face in Axylâs chest, sobbing. Axyl shoots a harsh look at Ali.
I glance at Ali, noticing her struggle to hold back her own tears. Sheâs not the same girl we knew two years ago.
Sheâs quieter now, doesnât speak her mind as much. She doesnât hang around us like she used to.
âAre you fucking kidding me right now?â Westynâs voice booms through the room.
âWes, just stop. Itâs fine. If he wants to defend drama queen Barbie, then let him.â
Ali storms out, disappearing into the waiting car. Thereâs a glimpse of the old Ali we all knew and loved.
âSon, I love you, but youâre a fucking idiot. She didnât do anything wrong,â Calvin, Axylâs dad, says.
âShe pushed her. I saw it with my own eyes,â Axyl retorts, helping a still-crying Lana off the floor. âAre you okay, baby?â
âIâm fine. I think she hates me. I just wish I knew why,â Lana replies. But she knows exactly why Ali isnât friends with her anymore.
The only one who doesnât know is Axyl. He looks at her the same way, but heâs blinded by different factors.
âYou saw what you wanted to see. Aliana barely touched her. But you wonât listen to me. Get in the car. Youâre going to be late,â Calvin says, disappointment etched on his face.
Lana has her claws deep in Axyl, and heâs the only one who canât see how toxic she really is.
We all pile into our cars and head to the school. I canât wait to see my girl.
She couldnât come to the clubhouse today and ride with us because her family wanted to celebrate with her. So, this will be the first time Iâve seen her since yesterday.
Does it make me sound like a wimp if I say I miss my girl even though I saw her less than twenty-four hours ago? Probably.
But do I care? Not at all. Sheâs my everything.
When we arrive at the school, we park and head inside while our parents find seats in the gym. I scan the crowd for Megan, but sheâs nowhere to be seen.
I join the rest of my class, hoping to spot her inside. Iâm standing in line next to my walking partner when the âPomp and Circumstanceâ begins.
As we file into the gym, I continue to search for her. Even though sheâll be behind me, I should still be able to spot her. I crane my neck, but sheâs not there.
I keep looking for her during the valedictorianâs speech. I look for her as our names are called. But when the principal calls her name, she doesnât appear. Sheâs not here.
I donât know where she is. She was so excited about graduation. We talked last night before bed. She said sheâd meet me here, but she hasnât shown up.
I quickly pull out my phone and text her. By the time the ceremony ends, she still hasnât replied. As I walk over to my parents, I try to call her, but it goes straight to voicemail.
Iâm starting to worry. She never turns her phone off. She always wants to be available when I call.
She once told me that the best part of her day is when she gets to see me or talk to me. And damn it, I feel the same way.
âHey, son! Iâm proud of you,â my dad says, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
Iâve always wanted to make him proud, and I knew one way to do that was to work hard in school and graduate with honors. It wasnât easy, but I did it.
âThanks, Dad. I couldnât have done this without you pushing me to reach my goals,â I tell him.
Megan may have made my days bearable, but it was my family that helped me achieve the goals I set for myself.
I could have been partying with the guys, or fooling around with the club girls, but instead, I was in my room studying.
âIt was all you, son. Whereâs Megan?â my dad asks.
âI donât know. She said sheâd meet me here. Her parents wanted to take her out for breakfast to celebrate.
âI texted her and tried to call, but her phone went straight to voicemail,â I tell him. Iâm sure he can see the worry on my face.
âWhy donât you go check on her before you head to the clubhouse for dinner with the family,â my mom suggests. I give her a kiss on the cheek and head over to the guys.
After everyone congratulates us on our graduation, I tell them whatâs going on, and we head over to Meganâs house. The feeling of dread grows stronger the closer we get to her house.
I have a feeling that whatever we find is going to change my life, and not for the better.
It takes about twenty minutes to get to her house from the school. When we arrive, it looks empty. There are no lights on, not even the porch light, which they always leave on.
I walk up to the door with my brothers behind me and knock. Thereâs no answer. I knock for about ten minutes before trying the doorknob.
Itâs locked, which doesnât surprise me. Maybe they went somewhere and it took longer than they planned. That happens, right?
I turn to face my brothers, who are standing behind me. I knew they wouldnât stay in the truck; theyâd be right here with me in case things went sideways.
Iâm not going to panic right now, no matter how much I want to.
âLetâs swing back to the clubhouse. Hack can check if somethingâs up or if theyâre just out doing family stuff,â Westyn suggests, always the level-headed one.
We all agree and start heading back to the truck. I take one last glance at Meganâs house before climbing back in, and we set off for the clubhouse.
The ride back is quiet, giving me too much time to thinkâŠand overthink. What if somethingâs happened to them? What if she just left and no one wants to tell me?
Her parents never hid their dislike for me. But being around a bunch of bikers who love to talk shit, I learned to grow a thick skin early on, so their words never bothered me.
Her parents were the overprotective type. They didnât want her going anywhere, and if she did, she had to be home by dinner.
To say she was often late would be an understatement. She never wanted to go home, and I knew that if I took her home before she was ready, sheâd just leave.
âWeâre here. Letâs go find Hack.â Hack is Blakeâs dad. Heâs our clubâs tech guy. If anyone can find out whatâs going on, itâs him.
Blake already has his road name because of his behavior. Heâs a damn snoop and can find anything and everything he wants.
We call him Snoopy because of his knack for finding shit that no one else would think to look for. Heâs even better than his dad at some things, and his skills are always put to good use.
âAny luck finding your girl?â my dad asks when we walk inside.
âNo, I need Hack to check on them and see if anything happened overnight. When we got there, the porch light was off, and no one answered the door when I knocked,â I tell him.
âWe peeked in the windows but didnât see anyone,â Westyn adds. âItâs like they vanished into thin air.â
Thatâs the damn truth. I pull out my phone and try to call her, but it goes straight to voicemail, again.
âDonât worry, son. If thereâs anything to find, Hack will find it. Go enjoy your day with your brothers. The olâ ladies are making a celebratory dinner,â Prez says.
I nod and head toward the doors that lead outside. I know I wonât be able to relax until Megan is back in my arms, but thereâs nothing I can do right now.
Prez is right thoughâif thereâs anything to be found, Hack will find it.
***
Over the past week, Iâve been going back to Meganâs house to see if sheâs home. I go there multiple times a day and thereâs still no sign of them. Theyâve all just disappeared.
I havenât given up though, and neither has any member of the club. Hack hasnât found anything yet, but I know he will. Something is about to happen, I just know it.
I have that gut feeling I had last week when I knew something was wrong. I knew that something was going to change, and soon, too.
âHey, man. Heading out?â I turn to see Westyn sitting at the bar with Aliana. Iâm supposed to leave for basic next week and want to have answers before I do.
âYeah. I need answers, man. I need to know before I leave. I just need to know,â I tell him. He nods and gets up to follow me. âYou donât have to come. Stay here with your sister.
âShe needs you more than I do right now.â One look at Aliana and I can tell that she needs someone more than something right now, and that someone just happens to be her big brother.
âNo. Itâs okay. Iâm just going to go home,â Ali, being the awesome chick that she is, says. Sheâs there for others, but when she needs someone, she doesnât ask for it. She suffers in silence.
Westyn looks between her and me, torn between his best friend and his little sister.
âJust go, Wes. Iâll be fine. Jackson is supposed to come over later when heâs done in the shop. Your brother needs you. Iâll be fine.â
She gives him a forced smile and leaves the building.
âShe thinks sheâs hiding her pain, but sheâs not. I can see right through it,â Westyn says as we head outside. I nod because I see it, too.
She doesnât want anyone to share her problems. She doesnât want to burden us with her issues when we have our own shit to deal with. Her words, not mine.
âYou know how your sister is though. She doesnât want anyone to worry about her. She wants to worry about everyone else and not the other way around,â I say.
When we reach my truck, we climb in. This is my baby. Pops and I fixed it up together. We went to the junkyard looking for a bike when I found a 1975 Chevrolet C10.
She was rusted and abandoned, but I brought her home. Dad and I worked on her for months until she was in perfect condition.
Sheâs red with white stripes running from fender to fender.
I also brought home my bike that day, too. We worked on my 1970 Harley Davidson FLH as we worked on the truck. I painted her to match the truck.
âI know, but I hate this shit, Eliot. Sheâs my baby sister and sheâs hurting. One of my best friends is the one hurting her. How the fuck am I supposed to handle that?
âI know she wants to be with him. She has since she started noticing boys. I donât want her to be with anyone because sheâs my little sister, but fuck if I can stop her.
âI want my old sister back, the smart-mouthed, wild-ass sister. The one that didnât hold back on how she was feeling,â Westyn vents.
âI get it, dude. Sheâs still hung up on Axyl. Itâs been a couple of years. Itâs not something she can just shake off. Itâs going to take time.
âAnd Lanaâs constant digs arenât doing her any favors,â I add.
âSheâs planning to leave after graduation. She told me earlier today, before you came into the main room. Sheâs heading off to college.
âShe says itâs about spreading her wings, but damn if I donât know the real reason.â
Iâm taken aback, but before I can respond, weâre pulling up to Meganâs house.
Westyn and I hop out of the truck and head towards the porch. Everything looks the same. The lights are still off.
The only difference is the note taped to the door. I stride up, yank it off, and unfold it. The words inside tear me to pieces.
Eliot,
Last week, we lost our daughter. She snuck out to see you. I donât know what she saw in you, but she âlovedâ you enough to risk everything.
We warned her about you. We said youâd be the end of her, and we were right. She was hit by a car while walking in the dark. The driver didnât stop.
Sheâs gone because of you. I hope you can live with that. Youâre the reason we had to bury our daughter. She died because she wanted to see you.
Youâll never see her again, just like us. I hope you have a miserable life.
Mr. Sting
I crumple to the ground, my legs giving out. The love of my life. The woman I was going to marry is gone. Snatched away in an instant.
I canât wrap my head around it, but one thing is clear: Megan was my everything, and now sheâs gone.
