Shattered Dreams (Shadow Souls MC Book 2) (2 page)

Chapter Four

Chad stared at Sierra sitting on the pavement, looking up at him, her big brown eyes
filled with fear and betrayal. He immediately wondered what Sierra knew, who had told her, and what had happened at the motel while he was out.

“Why do you think I’m keeping some big secret from you after a brick was thrown through the window?”

She wordlessly held out a piece of crumpled paper. It read,
You think you’ve run away. We know what you’ve done. We are coming for you.

“I already told you they believe some lies about me and my involvement with Scott’s death. What more do you want to hear?”

She stared at him, still silent. Chad wondered whether she knew he had been lying or whether she was just feeling doubtful and didn’t actually know. Either way, he knew that convincing her of his innocence was going to be hard.

He opened his mouth and then closed it again, unable to speak. He couldn’t lie to her anymore. He just couldn’t. She trusted him. She had put all her faith in him—left her job, left her home, left everything to be with him. He was only keeping this lie because he wanted to stay with her. He just wanted her and didn’t care at all about her needs and feelings. He looked away from her, unable to meet her eyes and simply said, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” she said in a cold, hard voice.

He sat down next to her and tried to take her hand, but she snatched it away. “I have been lying to you.”

The look she gave him was so full of hurt he wasn’t sure if he could keep going.

“There was more to Scott’s accident than I told you. But what Shadow Souls said wasn’t entirely true either,” he said.

He paused waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t. She simply stared at her phone, which she kept flipping around in her hands.

He continued, “I don’t even remember the accident. I was so drunk I can’t remember anything. I was told that I hit Scott; but, I was never involved with James. The Shadow Souls, on the word of your father, are saying that I was hired to kill Scott. That’s not true. It was an accident. I swear.”

She stood up and went inside, slamming the door shut behind her. He stared after her, unsure of what to do. He wanted her to scream and yell and hate him—make him feel the wrath. He wanted her to hate him; but, she just went into the motel room.

The police were still present, and the cop came out of the room and approached him. He felt like this stranger was an intrusion into the world of tumult and pain he had entered, and he wanted the cop to go away as quickly as he had come in.

“Well, there isn’t much we can do here. I don’t think the motel is going to charge you for the window, but they might. You’ll have to work that out with them.” He paused and looked at Chad over his sunglasses. “Your girl in there is pretty mad, if I were you I would see what that is all about.”

“Thanks,” Chad responded.

“I gave all my information to her, so if anything else come up she knows how to get ahold of me.”

“We appreciate it.”

“Well, I’ll be getting out of your hair. You two have a nice day.”

The cop got into his car and drove off. Chad watched with a sense of relieved anguish. Now, he could address the issue at hand. He turned to the motel door, preparing himself for the onslaught. However, it opened before he could put his hand to the knob. Sierra stood there, holding her suitcase.

“If you will excuse me,” she stated, coldly and civilly.

Confused, he stepped aside.

“Thank you,” she said in the same tone. With a calm and steady tread, she walked to the car, unlocked it, and got in.

A horrible realization broke across Chad, and he rushed to the car. “No, Sierra. Wait, don’t go. Sierra! Please.”

She pursed her lips and started the car, ignoring him. She plugged her phone in and punched directions into the GPS.

“Sierra, please,” he shouted. “You can’t be doing this. You can’t. Can we just talk? Please, give me a chance. Just a little one. I know I’ve wronged you, but please. I can do this. Please.”

She ignored him, fit her phone in her dashboard mount, and put the car in gear.

He banged on the window, as she pulled away. “Sierra no, don’t leave, please. Don’t do this to me.”

However, Sierra backed out and pulled away, not even looking back.

Chapter Five

Sierra did look back in the review mirror, hiding behind her sunglasses
and trying not to cry. Leaving Chad behind was a hurt greater than she thought she could bear. Once again, someone else disappointed and abandoned her, and someone else proved humanity could not be trusted.

She couldn’t go home. She sold her condo, and another dancer replaced her at her job. It wasn’t like she knew anyone in Vegas or had any real connections to that place anyhow. She knew that there was nothing for her there.

Maybe it was a snap decision, but she decided to go back to California. Since every single opportunity in her life eventually led to disappointment, failure, and heartbreak, it didn’t matter where she went. Consequently, she figured that she might as well be somewhere with a lot of money and creature comforts. She could handle whatever else happened since there was nothing left in her anymore. There was no capacity for her to feel hurt anymore. She simply felt nothing at all.

She drove back to California in silence. The radio was off, her iPod was off, and the only sound was the ridiculously cheerful voice emitted from the GPS. By the evening, she had pulled up to her father’s gate. She pushed the button on the intercom and heard the security guard ask, “You the girl?”

“I’m Sierra Hall.”

Silence followed for a very long moment, and finally the security guard said, “One moment.”

Then, her father’s voice came over the intercom. “Sierra? Open the gate. Now. Right this second.”

The big black gate swung open, and Sierra drove through, right up to the house. She parked the car and froze, unsure if this was really what she wanted to do. She knew that this choice would lead her back to the pit of vipers and that her father would run her life again. She dug deep into her soul and found nothing. Absolutely nothing.

At that moment, Sierra knew that this was the only option she actually had. 

She opened the door and stepped out. She had dressed in simple black pumps and a white sheath dress, very business-y. It was exactly what her father would want from her. She was the image of a mob-wife-to-be.

Her father appeared at the top of the grand staircase to the ostentatious house. “Sierra, my dearest, you are back. I have missed you terribly.”

Sierra bit back her immediate witty retort, knowing that wasn’t her role anymore and that she wasn’t allowed to be that woman. Now, she was the perfect daughter, and soon she would be the perfect wife, complete with a large bust and pet charities—maybe she would adopt an African child. “Hello, Daddy.” She hung back, doing her best to appear like she was the penitent, grateful daughter. “Father, I’m sorry. Terribly sorry.”

He rushed down to her, arms flung wide. “Please dear, don’t be sorry. What in the world do you have to be sorry for? There is nothing to apologize about. Nothing at all.” He took her into his arms, pulling her close. “I understand why you had to go. I do. You needed to grieve. Scott and you were always close, and his death was so hard on you. You just needed to take some time. I’m just glad you feel well enough to come home now.”

She pulled away and smiled, managing to even get tears in her eyes. “Thank you. You are so kind.” She could see his eyes light up with pleasure, his ego sufficiently stroked.

“I’m not any kinder than any father should be. Come. Come inside. I haven’t touched your room since you left. Everything is the same. Do you want something to eat? I can ask Birmingham to get you some food.”

“Birmingham?”

“The new butler.”

“Ah. A sandwich would be great actually. I haven’t eaten all day.”

“Of course. You settle in and get ready. Tomorrow we can have a good conversation about your life over the past three years. Sound good?” 

“Wonderful. We can spend the whole day together and get dinner somewhere, like old times,” she responded. She smiled at him, desperately trying to convey how sincere she was and how she wanted to make good on her name again.

“That will be splendid. I’m so happy you are home,” he said.

One of the servants appeared, took her one suitcase, and followed her up to her room. She couldn’t believe she had actually done this, come back. She had broken every vow, every oath, and every word over the past three years. Everything she had built up was over. She had nothing left to do but move on and let the past go away. She had to leave it all behind.

***

The next couple days went by in a haze. Sierra bought new, expensive dresses, had a manicure, and ate overpriced dinners, just to be seen again with her father. There had to be an appearance of solidarity and family. He wanted to own a family business, and there was no family business without a family. Now, he had a family, and he needed to show it off. If he didn’t, then no one would know what a great inspirational figure he was.

She was re-introduced to dozens of people who asked cloaked questions about what she had been doing for the past three years. She deflected them as graciously as she could with half-truths about the grieving process and the need to find herself again. They nodded sympathetically and quickly moved on. She suspected that the way she supported herself when she was in Vegas was not necessarily a secret anymore. For all she knew, some of these perverts had seen her dance. Although, who was she to say what was perverted and what wasn’t, when she was the one dancing mostly naked in front of hundreds every night.

However, those days were behind her. She knew that she needed to stop thinking about her past. The only thing she needed to do now was move on and focus on her present and future.

Her present looked like it was going to include James Northorp. The second night she was back, her father came into her bedroom. His shirt was half unbuttoned, and his socked feet thudded softly against the hardwood floor, announcing his arrival. She paused the TV and looked up at him. “Yes?”

“Do you remember James Northorp?” her father asked.

“Um. Maybe. Tall guy, dark hair and eyes? Has a brother or something in Congress?”

“A cousin, and yes.”

“What about him?”

“We are having dinner with him tomorrow night.”

She narrowed one eye slightly, knowing exactly where this was going and what was expected of her. This was what she had been waiting for and what she had mentally been preparing for. But hearing the words spoken was a little different than just thinking about it.

“Sounds good. Where are we going?”

“The Mint Leaf.”

“Wow. Fancy.”

“James’s treat.”

“Impressive.”

He nodded. “Well, goodnight.”

He walked out of the room and far too soon Sierra heard some high pitched moaning and screaming echoing through the house. She knew it was fake, so fake.

Sierra put on a pair of headphones to block out the noise while she continued her binge of
Breaking Bad
. Her Netflix queue just kept piling up as she contemplated her life. She would never do anything on her own again, except be shown off at galas and set on a pedestal. Oddly, she was okay with it. She would never have to think about Chad or Vegas or Scott even.

***

The next night she was sitting across from James Northorp, feeling more like a child than ever. Even though she had never actually been on a chaperoned date, she was on one now, except her father and James were doing all the talking. She just smiled shyly across the table at James.

Some small part of her mind resisted this role she had cast herself into—this damsel in distress—but that part was continually pushed downward into a deeper and deeper recess of her mind. There was some dark corner that held everything she was before a few weeks ago; but, the longer she stared across the table at her future, the harder it was to find that dark corner or to bring her past out.

“Sierra has always had an interest in charities. When she was in high school, she had a huge fundraiser for her sixteenth birthday to raise money for an orphanage in Cambodia. She has a heart for the oppressed. Truly, she does,” her father was saying.

“That’s fascinating. I’ve been looking for a chance to put some money to good use. It isn’t doing anyone any good lying off-shore.” He chuckled, and Richard joined in. Sierra just smiled slightly, leaving the humor to the men. “Have you been interested in any charity work recently?”

She took a sip of her wine and shook her head. “Not since I’ve been home. I haven’t really had time for that sort of activity, yet.”

“Well, if you’d be interested, I’d love to meet with you later this week. I’d like to start funding a charity, and I have a couple interesting ideas I would love to float by you.”

“That would be wonderful,” she said. “I’ll call you tomorrow to arrange something.” Sierra winced inwardly, thinking that her statement was a little too forward for her new role.

However, he just smiled. “That would be wonderful. Do you have my number?”

“I believe my father does,” Sierra responded.

James nodded, and Sierra could see his happiness and exuberance over how well the night was going oozing out of his pores. She wanted to laugh at him, tell him that none of this was his doing, and that she made this decision. However, that would ruin her new reputation and role—and that would be dangerous. She already knew she would marry this man, and she would live her little life, and everything would be perfect. Or as perfect as it could be.