Read Online Resurrection (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 3) by Michelle Betham - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Michelle Betham
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hair and unkempt goatee beard, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, Ben was ready. For whatever this turned out to be.
Hector said nothing; he just stood aside to allow Ben through, closing the door behind them.
‘You came.’ When he did finally speak, his voice was, as usual, devoid of emotion, his eyes empty.
Ben stared at his father, looking him slowly up and down from his old, battered boots to his well-worn cut, his hair pulled back into a long ponytail. ‘Not because you summoned me. I’d like to get that straight.’
Hector chuckled quietly, blowing smoke into the air. The living room smelt of stale cigarettes and alcohol with just a hint of dog. It almost made Ben gag. Was this really the way his father lived now? ‘I have a cleaner,’ Hector said, not missing Ben’s reaction to the state of the house. ‘She comes twice a week. Tomorrow’s one of her days. Not sure how I’d manage without her.’
Ben looked around him, taking in the old couch he remembered, although there were two new chairs now at either end of the living room. The TV was new, too, a way-too-large-for-the-size-of-the-room flat-screen on the wall opposite the couch. It was playing a football game, the sound muted. And the carpet had been ripped up since Ben had last been here, leaving exposed wooden floorboards that had yet to be treated.
‘There are things we need to talk about, Benjamin.’
Ben’s head shot back around to face his father, their eyes locking.
‘We need to deal with this – “situation” that’s been hanging over our heads for too long now.’
Ben’s eyes narrowed. He felt numb, but that’s how he needed to feel. He had a job to do, and no matter how much it pained him to do this, it made sense, in a warped kind of way. Keep your enemies closer, isn’t that what they said?
‘You know that coming back here – you know that was a mistake, don’t you?’
‘It wasn’t the only mistake.’ Ben kept his eyes locked firmly on his father’s, silently battering down the wave of nausea that had suddenly overcome him.
Hector raised an eyebrow, waiting for Ben to enlighten him.
‘Joining the Lone Riders… that was a mistake.’
Hector laughed, a deep, quiet chuckle that, somehow, only served to fuel Ben’s anger at this man who’d fucked up his life in every way possible. ‘What is this, Benjamin? You come running to me because you’ve suddenly seen the error of your ways?’
‘I fell in love…’
‘Ah, the beautiful Mia Rose. Yes. I can see why you may have been swayed into making such rash decisions as the ones you’ve made recently.’
Ben’s eyes narrowed further, that anger building, and it was taking energy he knew he needed to preserve to keep it down. ‘You leave Mia out of this, you hear me?’
‘Oh, come on, Benjamin. I wouldn’t do anything as crass as using a woman to get back at you.’
‘All this shit between us… it needs to end. Now.’ Ben’s voice was low, his words measured.
‘And I’m not going to disagree with you. This does indeed need to end. But how we do that… well. That needs to be discussed.’
‘I made a mistake. I should never have become one of them. The second I pulled on that cut I knew I didn’t belong… I knew I was betraying you. Betraying the Dark Angels.’
‘You’d already betrayed us, son.’
‘You can honestly stand there and still believe that’s true? Huh? Or have you lived with the lie for so long now that you actually do believe the shit you spin?’
‘You need to show some respect, Benjamin. Or this conversation is going to take a very different turn.’
Ben held his hands up, a slow smirk spreading across his face. ‘Hey. Take your best shot. Come on. You think I’m afraid to die?’ Even as he said the words, he knew he needed to pull back from this. For now, he had to pull back from this. The time would come for him to deal with his father. He just had to be patient.
Hector let out another chuckle, his
Hector said nothing; he just stood aside to allow Ben through, closing the door behind them.
‘You came.’ When he did finally speak, his voice was, as usual, devoid of emotion, his eyes empty.
Ben stared at his father, looking him slowly up and down from his old, battered boots to his well-worn cut, his hair pulled back into a long ponytail. ‘Not because you summoned me. I’d like to get that straight.’
Hector chuckled quietly, blowing smoke into the air. The living room smelt of stale cigarettes and alcohol with just a hint of dog. It almost made Ben gag. Was this really the way his father lived now? ‘I have a cleaner,’ Hector said, not missing Ben’s reaction to the state of the house. ‘She comes twice a week. Tomorrow’s one of her days. Not sure how I’d manage without her.’
Ben looked around him, taking in the old couch he remembered, although there were two new chairs now at either end of the living room. The TV was new, too, a way-too-large-for-the-size-of-the-room flat-screen on the wall opposite the couch. It was playing a football game, the sound muted. And the carpet had been ripped up since Ben had last been here, leaving exposed wooden floorboards that had yet to be treated.
‘There are things we need to talk about, Benjamin.’
Ben’s head shot back around to face his father, their eyes locking.
‘We need to deal with this – “situation” that’s been hanging over our heads for too long now.’
Ben’s eyes narrowed. He felt numb, but that’s how he needed to feel. He had a job to do, and no matter how much it pained him to do this, it made sense, in a warped kind of way. Keep your enemies closer, isn’t that what they said?
‘You know that coming back here – you know that was a mistake, don’t you?’
‘It wasn’t the only mistake.’ Ben kept his eyes locked firmly on his father’s, silently battering down the wave of nausea that had suddenly overcome him.
Hector raised an eyebrow, waiting for Ben to enlighten him.
‘Joining the Lone Riders… that was a mistake.’
Hector laughed, a deep, quiet chuckle that, somehow, only served to fuel Ben’s anger at this man who’d fucked up his life in every way possible. ‘What is this, Benjamin? You come running to me because you’ve suddenly seen the error of your ways?’
‘I fell in love…’
‘Ah, the beautiful Mia Rose. Yes. I can see why you may have been swayed into making such rash decisions as the ones you’ve made recently.’
Ben’s eyes narrowed further, that anger building, and it was taking energy he knew he needed to preserve to keep it down. ‘You leave Mia out of this, you hear me?’
‘Oh, come on, Benjamin. I wouldn’t do anything as crass as using a woman to get back at you.’
‘All this shit between us… it needs to end. Now.’ Ben’s voice was low, his words measured.
‘And I’m not going to disagree with you. This does indeed need to end. But how we do that… well. That needs to be discussed.’
‘I made a mistake. I should never have become one of them. The second I pulled on that cut I knew I didn’t belong… I knew I was betraying you. Betraying the Dark Angels.’
‘You’d already betrayed us, son.’
‘You can honestly stand there and still believe that’s true? Huh? Or have you lived with the lie for so long now that you actually do believe the shit you spin?’
‘You need to show some respect, Benjamin. Or this conversation is going to take a very different turn.’
Ben held his hands up, a slow smirk spreading across his face. ‘Hey. Take your best shot. Come on. You think I’m afraid to die?’ Even as he said the words, he knew he needed to pull back from this. For now, he had to pull back from this. The time would come for him to deal with his father. He just had to be patient.
Hector let out another chuckle, his
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