Desolate Souls (Forgotten Souls MC, #1) (31 page)

S
tepping out of the store with my bag in hand, I look over my shoulder at the store clerk blushing. I don’t know what came over me, but I have no regrets. I never have any when it involves Jax, at least not anymore. I have found my forever and I am never letting him go.

“That was... unexpected,” Jax says, grinning over at me.

“Guess you’ll never complain about going shopping with me again,” I shrug, trying hard to conceal the smile that threatens to surface.

“I think I might want to start going more often,” he smirks. “I can’t wait to see what you can do in the frozen foods section at the supermarket,” he chuckles, causing me to elbow him in the ribs.

“Smartass,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him. The bad thing is that now I can’t get the image of him taking me in the middle of the grocery store out of my mind.

“So where to next?” he asks as he drapes his arm across my shoulders.

“That’s up to you,” I say, walking alongside him. “I got what I came for.”

“Is that all you think about?” he winks, a smile forming on his lips.

“Shut up,” I tell him, rolling my eyes in frustration.

“Make me,” he says, stopping abruptly.

Dropping my bag on the tiled floor, I stand on my tip toes and press my lips to his. “There. Now feed me,” I add, bending over to retrieve my bag.

“My pleasure,” he says, gripping me around the waist and guiding me towards the food court.

As he steps up to the pizza counter to order, I feel eyes trained on me. This isn’t the first time I’ve felt like someone was watching me, but before now I hadn’t give it much thought. With a sinking feeling in my gut, I allow my gaze to fall on the floods of people that surround me but see nothing. Not a single person stands out or even appears to be looking in my direction.

Shaking my head, I inwardly laugh at myself for being so paranoid. I am nobody and here I am acting as though I have my own personal stalker.

“You OK, babe?” Jax asks, walking towards me.

“Yeah,” I nod, feeling ridiculous. “Just thinking.”

“Well stop before you set off the smoke alarms,” he snickers, obviously finding much amusement in making me the brunt of his joke.

“Ha ha,” I say, crossing my arms defensively.

“You know I’m just giving you a hard time. Come on, let’s eat.” Holding the tray in one hand, he grasps mine with his free one, leading me towards a vacant table.

As we enjoy our pizza, I still can’t shake the feeling someone is watching me. And then it dawns on me – maybe it’s not me they are watching.

Two Weeks Later

S
taring out the window, I watch as Jax walks hand in hand with Alana towards the SUV in the tiny parking lot, pausing when they reach the passenger side door. I seethe as I watch him pin her against the vehicle, claiming her mouth with his own.

“Why do you keep doing this to yourself?” Trix asks from beside me. “We’ve been following them for almost a week and it’s always the same thing. You could at least show a little consideration for me.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I grumble, my gaze still affixed on Jax and Alana. How could she move on like this? Pretend that what we had was meaningless?

“I’m just saying that watching the two of them like this isn’t solving either of our problems. They’re still together and judging by the look of things, that isn’t changing anytime soon.”

My blood begins to boil as he places his hand on her belly, guarding the tiny life growing inside. I didn’t want to believe it was true, but there is no denying it now. She is carrying
his
child, not mine and it isn’t fair. This was supposed to be my life, not his. “Are you giving up?”

“Of course not, but I don’t see how spying on the two of them is accomplishing anything.”

“Trust me,” I say, turning my attention towards Trix. “Do you think I want to watch the two of them like this? Because I don’t. I despise it, but also know if we screw this up, there’s no going back and I’m not about to lose Alana because you can’t be patient.” I had planned to make a move long before now, but things don’t always go according to plan. Soon, this will all be over.

“I still don’t know what you see in her. She has you and Jax both fooled,” Trix snarls, saying the same thing she has a million times before. “She isn’t that fuckin’ special.”

She doesn’t get it and never will. I shouldn’t be surprised. Women like Trix think no one can compare to them. If she were honest with herself, she’d see that Alana is everything she is not. It’s not that Trix is unattractive. She’s a beautiful woman, but her personality and cockiness takes away from her outer beauty.

I turn in the direction of Jax and Alana, watching as he helps her into the vehicle before climbing into the driver’s seat and taking off, completely oblivious to our presence.

Enjoy her while you can Jax, because soon she will be walking out of your life and back into mine and there won’t be a damn thing you can do about it.

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––––––––

S
tanding in the shadows outside Alana’s bedroom window, I watch as she enters the room. Walking over to the bed, she sits down and slowly removes her shoes, tossing them into a corner. The look on Alana’s face is one of complete exhaustion.

She rises to her feet, stalking across the room. With her back to me, she slips off her jeans, tossing them into the nearby hamper. I hold my breath as she removes her teal colored tank top, balling it with her fists before flinging it across the room. When she turns to the side, only then do I get a clear view of the baby bump she is sporting.

That should be my baby she’s carrying.
Taking in a deep breath I watch as she reaches around and unclasps her bra, releasing her breasts from their confines. She is even more beautiful than I remember. Staring at her like this makes me rock hard in an instant, but when she lowers her panties, I almost lose it.

Taking in a deep breath, I fight the urge to barge into the house and take her right now. I’ve waited long enough to claim what is rightfully mine and my patience is running thin.

When she disappears into the bathroom, I’m finally able to make my move. I know I have only minutes before Jax will show up and if I am going to make this work, I have to do it now. Making my way towards the back door, I find it unlocked, making my job all the easier.

With stealth, I make my way to the kitchen. Alana’s scent still mingling in the air, causing me to pause and breathe in deeply.  This is what I miss – her smell, the way her smile always made everything better, her lips crashing against mine and the feel of her warm body pressed tightly against me as I take her again and again. I will not allow her to become a distant memory.

I rush towards the kitchen and pull out the carton of orange juice, setting it on the counter. Quickly I remove the vial of crushed Mifepristone from my pocket, courtesy of Trix, and as I am about to pour the contents into the container, I find myself unable to go through with it.  No matter how much I resent that she is carrying Jax’s baby, I can’t do this to her.

Shoving the vial back into my pocket, I quickly place the juice back in the refrigerator. As I retreat out the back door, I pause for a moment, taking one last look around before rushing into the darkness, barely making it in time before Jax pulls into the driveway. Crouching down, I watch as he climbs off his bike, thinking how easy it would be to take him out right here, right now, but that’s not how this is going down. I want to see the pain on his face when he loses Alana forever, a day that is coming very soon.

Peering through the bedroom window, I watch as Alana reenters the room, a garnet colored towel wrapped tightly around her. Her hair is wet from her recent shower and I can almost smell the scent of her shampoo in the night air. My fists instinctively clench at my side when I see Jax enter the room, stalking towards her as if she belongs to him. Bile rises in my throat when he takes her in his arms, his lips claiming hers.

I know I should walk away, forego torturing myself any further, but I can’t. Instead I stand there, gritting my teeth, as he slowly releases her towel, letting it drift to the carpet.

She is mine!
I silently roar, reaching for my revolver instinctively before I think twice about it. I want him to feel the pain I am experiencing, know what it is like to watch the woman you love be with someone else.

Taking one last look through the window, my heart crumbles into a million pieces as I watch him enter her, claiming her like I once did. As I turn to walk away from the scene unfolding before me, I am filled with a hatred I have never before experienced, and it is all aimed at one man. Jackson Cade.

“A
re you gonna stand here all night staring at her?” Deuce chuckles from behind me. My eyes are locked on Alana as she stands beside Alexis,

“Maybe,” I admit as I glance over my shoulder at him. It’s surreal having Alana back in my life. I always dreamed that this is how life would be, but this isn’t a fantasy. This is real.

“I’m glad things finally worked out,” Deuce says, coming to stand beside me. “Not too many people are that lucky.”

This has nothing to do with luck. Fate intervened and brought Alana back to me and I’m never letting her go. “I’m not going on the next run.”

“Figured as much,” he says, grinning at me. “Already gotcha covered.”

“If it weren’t for you...” I pause, trying to come up with the right words. “You had a hand in all this, even from the beginning. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, brother,” he says, shaking his head. “Wish I could take credit, but this was all you and Alana.”

“You know what I’m talking about.” There’s no need to say the words.

“Yeah well, that’s what family does,” he says, lifting his head. “A wise man once told me that blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family. I think we’ve proven that theory a time or two.”

“Yeah, we have.” I think back to the time when we first met and the years that followed filled with loyalty, honor, friendship and trust. The true meaning of family and brotherhood.

“Looks like Alana’s drawing some attention,” he says, nodding towards the woman of my dreams.