Soul of a Rebel: Rebel Aces MC Part 2 Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Note

  Acknowledgements

  About The Author

  SOUL OF A REBEL

  Rebel Aces MC

  Part Two

  K.D. Latronico

  Copyright © by K.D. Latronico, 2020

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected]

  FIRST EDITION

  This book is a work of fiction. Some of the places named in the book are actual places located in Port Townsend and the state of Washington. The names, characters, brands, and situations are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and owners of various products and locations referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  DISCLAIMER: This book is for mature audiences age 18+ due to violent situations, language, and sexual content.

  Editing: Jennifer Severino @ Twitching Pen Editing

  Cover design: Sarah Paige @ OPIUM HOUSE Creatives

  Proofreading: Jodi Hunley Bird/Joy Kriebel-Sadowski

  Formatting: Lilly Atlas

  Dedicated to Jennifer, Winter, Nikki, and Lilly.

  Without you guys, this book wouldn’t have happened.

  Thank you with all my heart.

  PROLOGUE

  JOKER

  Beep.

  Everything about the room was wrong.

  It was white. Too fucking white. She hated white unless it was accompanied by the color black. That was her favorite.

  This fucking room was way too bright. If she were awake, she would probably hiss out loud and cover her eyes until the lights were turned out and the blinds were shut.

  Beep.

  It was too fucking quiet. A room she was in was never quiet. She hated silence because it forced her to think, and that led to dwelling on shit she didn’t want to relive. I understood it because I was the same way. It was too fucking quiet, and it made me want to rip my skin off.

  Beep.

  Fucking fuck, I wished I could shoot that goddamn machine.

  My eyes shut, and I attempted to drown out the incessant droning of the instruments and apparatuses that surrounded the hospital bed. I lowered my head and pressed my forehead against her hand, desperately clutched in mine. I didn’t think I had dropped it since I came in.

  I wouldn’t leave the room. Wouldn’t leave her side. My brothers would have to physically pick me up and carry me out, but they wouldn’t do that. I would fight them tooth and nail, probably throw a few punches.

  I couldn’t be responsible for my actions.

  Lana. My Lana. Beautiful, sassy, full of fire, full of life. She was just…lying there. Immobile. Pale. Cold. This was fucking wrong. My rage grew by the second, and there was nothing I could do about it—which only made me feel that much more like a tiger in a cage, being taunted, ready to burst out and tear someone limb from limb.

  Killing Hernandez hadn’t made me feel better. At all. Maybe because he was only an associate and didn’t directly have anything to do with the attempted murder on Lana and Leah. He was the reason I wasn’t there to protect her, that she was in harm’s way in the first place. Watching the life drain from him was only a fleeting satisfaction that disappeared almost instantly.

  Taking his life hadn’t brought her out of the coma.

  It couldn’t reverse what lasting damage they may have done.

  Didn’t help us find the pieces of shit who were directly responsible for hurting her and her sister.

  But it had been the only thing I could do. The only thing I could control and take care of with my bare hands.

  If I could have brought him back to life just to kill him again, I would have.

  Lifting my head, I blinked; they were heavy, red, and bleary from the lack of sleep I had over the last few days. I shifted closer to the bed and tightened my grip on Lana’s hand, holding it close to my lips.

  “Hey, Harley.” My raw, scratchy voice was filled with far more emotion than I normally would have been comfortable with, but I couldn’t be bothered with that. “It’s me. Hope you didn’t think I was gonna leave you alone. You know you can’t get rid of me that easy.” I let out a harsh laugh, resting my cheek against her knuckles. “I’m not leaving until you wake up, Lan. I promise you that.”

  Silence filled the room for a few moments while I just stared at her—quietly willing her to open her eyes, to breathe on her own—but that was a stupid fucking thing to do.

  “Baby, I know I always tell you to let go…” I swallowed hard. “For once, I don’t want you to listen to me. Hold on, Lana. Fight for me like I know you can. For all of us. Leah and Silver need you…” Clearing my throat, I dropped my head, trying to stop the tears from forming. “I fucking need you, baby. Please fight. Please come back. I’m begging you, because I can’t live without you. I fuckin’ refuse.”

  CHAPTER ONE

  JOKER

  PRESENT DAY

  “Brother, you okay? Joke. Joker.”

  Jolting slightly, I looked up from the phone in my hand that I had been blindly staring at. “What? Yeah, I’m good.”

  Tank studied me for a moment from his spot next to me at the table. “I know you don’t want to be here right now, man. It’ll be quick, and you can get right back to the hospital.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I know. I know. We got shit to take care of here. You fuckers need me.” I forced a smile and set my phone down on the wood in front of me. “Got Mary and Crow there looking after her and Leah. Told them to update me if anything changed.”

  Tank nodded. If he thought I was obsessing or going overboard he didn’t indicate it. He got it. All the brothers did. If this had h
appened to any of their family members or loved ones, they would have been just as bad off as I was. Hell, if this had happened to Kim, Tank would have lost his fucking mind.

  He didn’t try to push the issue, and we were left in silence until Ward finally walked in to join the rest of us officers. He was looking just as haggard as I felt. Likely, he hadn’t slept either—not with Leah recovering from a concussion and still in the hospital. And that was on top of her twin sister being in a coma. I knew my best friend well and was certain he was shouldering all of this on his own, and it was weighing him down completely.

  “All right, let’s get this started so we can get out of here as quick as we can.” He heaved his body into the chair at the head of the table. He didn’t bother with the gavel, just leaned forward and shoved his face in his hands briefly before running them over the top of his head. “I need full reports on what we’ve been able to find on Alex Ortiz and his sister. Background checks, any hits on their cards, real names if these are aliases, whatever you’ve got. Guys?” Ward looked down the table to Jekyll and Hyde.

  Jekyll spoke up first. “Mercedes Maldonado, the name she was hired at Darlings under, doesn’t exist. She likely gave over forged documents when she went for the job. Mercedes Ortiz didn’t get a hit, either. After going through the check for Alex Ortiz again, we’re thinking that she’s likely his sister, Amanda Ortiz. Both girls are the same age, and he only has one sibling. At least, one full sibling. His background check, as far as we can tell, is legit. Problem is, it only goes back to when he was thirteen.”

  I stiffened slightly, my head shooting in Jekyll’s direction. “How did we not catch that before?”

  “We wouldn’t have because we don’t look past any juvenile records and diploma or GED. Alex Ortiz graduated from Carson High School in Carson City, Nevada. We wouldn’t have looked further unless he had a record, which he didn’t. But since I knew where to dig, I found a legal name change, for him, his sister, and his mother.”

  Before any of us had a chance to react, Hyde took over. “Vanessa Ortiz, his mom, only exists after 2008, just a year after the Martinez murders. She was Vanessa Morrison before but was never married. She had two kids, Luis Acevedo, Jr., and Rosa Acevedo, which means…well, you know what that means. They’re Paco’s illegitimate grandchildren through his son, Luis, that was killed by Crow. From what I can see, they were pretty hidden before, kind of like a secret family, but after he was killed, they went dark. Moved to Nevada, changed their names, and kept themselves under the radar since.”

  “As of the last twenty-four hours,” Jekyll picked up again, “there have been no hits on any financials under any of those names. We’ve checked their aliases, legal names, and their names from before the change. They’re probably using cash, burner phones, and are staying off anything that’ll give them an electronic footprint.”

  Hyde nodded. “And we’ve run their pictures through facial recognition and are just waiting for any hits on street, store, and hotel cams. It’s only been a day. They may not even be moving. They could very well be hiding out somewhere close, waiting to move.”

  This new information did nothing to ease the tension in the room—definitely not in either Ward or myself.

  Our president scrubbed a hand over his face. “What about the van?”.

  “Found near the docks, completely torched,” Bear answered. “It was stolen from a rental company in Sequim. They reported it earlier today, and the plates match. I’ve already got the guys checking into the company to see if they have any link to Los Chingados, Ortiz, Hernandez, or Mercedes. They could have just waited to report it to make it look like it was stolen.”

  “So far, it doesn’t seem like they’re connected,” Jekyll tossed in.

  Ward nodded. “Good thinking. Okay, so they could have been picked up or stolen another car. Keep an ear on the police scanner and PTPD records to see if there have been any cars reported jacked in town or any get reported.”

  “On it,” both enforcers muttered together.

  Kang cleared his throat from my other side, sitting up in his chair, his fist lightly bouncing against the edge of the table. “Pres, I’ve got some info that might be interesting.”

  All eyes turned to him.

  “Go on.” Ward raised an eyebrow.

  “I was talking to Quinn just before. Word got back to the girls about who was involved with the drugging and kidnapping. When I showed her a picture of Mercedes, Quinn recognized her, felt she was familiar. When I pushed her to think about it, she realized that she was the girl that had told her about the Aces. Said she met her at a women’s shelter just outside of Seattle. Said she was friendly, struck up a conversation, got her to tell her a little about her situation and said that she told her about the Aces, assuring her that we’d take her in and protect her.”

  My blood began to boil, and I pounded my fist against the table. “Motherfucker!” My outburst didn’t alarm anyone. My brothers seemed to feel the same way.

  “Fucking hell,” Hawkeye growled, shaking his head.

  “It was on purpose,” Tank surmised. “She sought her out. Probably knew who she was connected to. Led her to our doorstep, knowing full well her crazy fucking family would take us down to get her back.”

  A rage started to blind me. “So not only are these motherfuckers coming after our people, but they’re trying to fuck the club up the ass by getting another group to do the rest of their fucking dirty work.”

  I shoved my chair back. I had to move. I couldn’t just sit there. I started to pace furiously. I ripped the pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of my torn jeans, grabbed one, and shoved it into my mouth.

  “It was definitely a set up, then.” Ward clenched his jaw so tightly, it was a miracle he could speak. “Hit us from all sides.”

  There were a few moments of silence. I lit my cigarette and took a long pull. No one bothered to stop me. The no smoking in the clubhouse rule was the last thing on our minds.

  “This…isn’t going to affect Quinn, is it?” The question was, surprisingly, asked by Kang.

  I shot him a look then turned to Ward, who was looking at him curiously, his brow furrowed.

  “Of course not. We’re not going to just throw her to the wolves.”

  Kang nodded. “‘Kay. She was just…worried.” He left it at that, but it was clear something else was going on.

  More fucking complications, probably. I wouldn’t touch that one with a ten-foot pole.

  Ward sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Quinn will be under our protection until both threats are taken care of, and she is welcome to stay here as long as she wants. She will not be treated any differently, either.” There were murmurs of agreement before he continued. “Keep tabs on her family members and the rest of the Forgotten and let me know if you get any suspicious hits. For right now, our biggest threat is anyone associated with Los Chingados. That is our top priority.”

  More murmured agreements went around before Tank sat forward to speak. “Brother, I know we’re wary about taking in anyone new, in terms of security and prospects, because of what happened. But I think it would be wise to get our numbers up. We’re gonna be spread really thin and can use all the bodies we can get.”

  Ward raised an eyebrow. “What do you suggest we do?”

  “Call out to our brothers. We’ve got a few nomads that may be willing to patch back in, and there’s no harm in asking our sister chapters if anyone is looking to relocate, temporarily or permanently. We’ve got the room and could use the help.”

  I took a drag and nodded. “Yeti was talking about settling in one place for a while, last I heard.” My answer sounded robotic from my corner where I still stood and puffed away. “And Vegas has enough guys that they could lend us for however long.”

  Ward looked at me and slowly nodded. “We’ve got plenty of lodging and available jobs for them to earn an income.”

  “We could definitely use more bodies on construction sites,” Tank chimed in.
br />   “And I’ve got room at the garage,” Hawkeye added.

  Ward agreed, and we all voted in favor of the plan to request help from other chapters and nomads.

  Once that was done, he leaned to the side, his elbow propped on the arm of the chair. His raised hand stroked his beard as he thought. “We don’t have any prospects up for patch yet, but they’re coming close. What about any potential prospects? Once we triple-check their backgrounds.”

  Bear leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “I know this may be a sore subject because he was brought in at the same time as Ortiz and is very new to us, but we might want to give some thought to Bright. From what Camilla said after we went back for damage control at the club, he stepped up immediately to take over and get everything under control. Wasn’t even his position, and he re-manned all exits and entrances, assured guests that saw the commotion, had the dancers guarded and eventually got everyone out, controlled and calmly. We didn’t even have a lot to do; he got it all. So, I’d take him into consideration. He’s got a SEAL background.”

  “And he came highly recommended, from legit sources,” Jekyll interjected before anyone had the chance to say anything. “We’re already running a complete check on him, but he’s pretty much squeaky clean.”

  I had to admit, if my head were all there, I would have been really fucking impressed by my enforcers. When I was an enforcer, I’d trained the twins to eventually take over my job, and they really did kick ass.

  Ward rapped his knuckles on the table. “Okay. Go through everything with a fine-tooth comb. We can table this until we know more, and in the meantime, watch him closely, see how he does. Anyone have a problem with that?” Once everyone indicated that it was fine, Ward continued. “Anyone else we want to look at?”

  “Austin,” both Jekyll and Hyde said at the same time, before looking at each other.

  Hyde continued. “He’s been with the security company for four years now; he’s incredibly reliable and has the highest clearance already of a non-club member.”