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  CAGE’S RUIN

  Simone Elise

  Copyright © 2019 Cage’s Ruin by Simone Elise

  Edited by Jessica Walenka

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Cage’s Ruin

  1. Autumn

  2. Autumn

  3. Jacob

  4. Autumn

  5. Cage

  6. Autumn

  7. Autumn

  8. Autumn

  9. Autumn

  10. Ash

  11. Cage

  12. Cage

  13. Autumn

  14. Autumn

  15. Cage

  Cage’s Ruin

  Book Three in The Vulture’s MC

  My love for you, shall never die, shall never weaken, shall never end.

  By Simone Elise

  1

  Autumn

  I looked in the mirror and I saw my face. I looked the same. When I spoke. I sounded like myself. But I was someone else. I wasn’t the girl that laughed, cried or felt an emotion.

  The sound of a bike back firing in the lot, pulled me back in time.

  He loved me unconditionally. I knew that. When he kissed me, it felt like he kissed my soul. When he hugged me— safety would flood my body. When he laughed, I could never stop my lips from twitching up, smiling. He was my life— my future and now…. Now I prayed to God that I was forgiven for the sins I have committed.

  Come tomorrow. The same grief would hit my body. The same anger at myself for going there that night would surface. I should have gone to fucking prison. I should have…

  I heard my bedroom door open.

  Every little thing would take me back in time. A bike back firing. The glance of a gun. The feeling of heartache never left and the look in Hawk’s eyes. I blinked, as tears ran down my cheeks.

  “Autumn?”

  I held onto the basin sink tighter. God help me because I felt myself going… numb. It wasn’t depression. It wasn’t anything like that.

  “Autumn darling?”

  I looked up in the mirror seeing Cage standing behind me. I was quick to wipe the tears away. I couldn’t make him feel guilty for my decision. I was the one that pointed the gun at her. I was the one that ended my mother’s life. Me. No one else.

  I killed my mother.

  The feeling that normally surfaced when I thought of that fact, surfaced. I didn’t know how I was ever going to live with my actions and a large part of me, didn’t want to live with them. While that should scare me, it didn’t. Because I wasn’t really living as it was.

  CAGE

  When things go south, they really go south. The club was barely functioning without Hawk. I had the club earning again but small decisions, hell even big decisions needed to be made and it was a President’s call.

  Come tomorrow morning. We were going to have a vote about what to do with the rebirthing business. Now that it was functioning and earning us money, we needed to decide on whether to expand the business or, distance ourselves from it as the debts were paid.

  My eyes ran over Autumn. She was here but I knew that she was really back in that motel room, standing over her dead mother, shaking with tears— regretting it. I wished she had shot me. I wished she had killed me. Then at least, she would be living. I couldn’t not blame myself for what happened.

  If I hadn’t shown up, she wouldn’t have been forced to end her mother’s life.

  The police were under the impression that Emily had escaped, running from the law and the club. When really, she was off a beaten highway, in a shallow grave that I had to dug.

  Autumn would never know where her mother laid at rest. As for Hawk. Fuck. The man was, is, barely keeping himself in line. I didn’t know how I could help. Hawk couldn’t string a sentence together, just grunted.

  The betrayal of his wife going into witness protection and then nearly costing him not just his freedom but his life— well that shit was life changing and it had changed his life and his outlet.

  He wasn’t concerned about Autumn’s lack of life.

  Jacob didn’t even seem to care. That man had turned to ice, blaming himself for everything.

  The family was shattered.

  And me?

  I had men looking at me wanting answers and then on top of that I had my girlfriend struggling to look at me and I knew she had played out the other option that she had but didn’t take and that was killing me.

  I was keeping a close eye on Autumn. I had to because I was worried, she would end her own life. She slept beside me, but she wasn’t there. Just like she wasn’t really at the bar now. She was drinking alone. But her eyes— told me, she was trapped in a circle I couldn’t save her from.

  She must hate me.

  She had to hate me! She was torturing herself because she picked me. If I could go back in time, I would have let her leave. Hawk’s death would have been acceptable but Autumn living but not— I can’t fucking live with that.

  I watched her walk around the bar and leave. Sitting here for a few minutes and finally I got up, following her.

  I didn’t know when the right time was going to be. But I had to talk to her. I had to tell her that it was my fault and she needed to forgive herself.

  The bedroom door was cracked open when I arrived. I pushed it fully open, walking in. My eyes land on her, sitting on the bed. Her eyes on the carpet.

  If I could take her hurt away I would. But ending a life, tested who you were really. And this just fucking proved that Autumn had a good soul because she was beating herself up over killing someone that was not just a liar but also had plans on destroying the club and costing Hawk his life.

  “Autumn?”

  She looked up and for the first time in I don’t know how long—perhaps over a month. She didn’t have tears in her eyes. In fact, she actually looked me back in the eyes.

  I notice now, that beside her is a joint. Perhaps that was why she was relaxed. How long had she been smoking for?

  I had kept an eye on her most of the night— didn’t see her smoking a joint.

  “Cage can you close the door?”

  She actually spoke to me, not at me- I was shocked. Then snapped back into the moment, closing the door and walking to her.

  “I don’t blame you,” She blew out and looked into my eyes. “I don’t blame you for what happened. It was all on me.” And that last sentence broke her. She started crying and I went to go to her but she put a hand up. “But I want you to know,” She took an unsteady breath out. “I’d do it again.”

  It wasn’t the words off her lips that scared me, it was the certainty in her voice. And I realized now, that Autumn’s love for me had no bounds. Walking towards her, I dropped to my knees taking her shaking hand. I kissed her forehead and then pulled back.

  “Darling, we’ll get through this.” And I had never meant anything as much as I meant that statement.

  I would die for her- my love for her would never weaken- and I’d never let her go.

  2

  Autumn

  “Come on Acorn you can’t keep doing this to yourself.” Hawk began to lecture me about my drug use. “I..” And he paused when he saw the marks on my arms. His eyes darken. “Who the hell is supplying to you!”

  I pulled my sleeve down.

  “That is zero of your business.”

  “Does he know!”

  “He has a name.” I snapped back. “And no he doesn’t.”

  “How the hell can you two be a couple and he not see you abusing the veins in your arm!�
� Hawk paused. “Actually don’t answer that question. The less I know about your sex life the better,” He downed his beer, turning to me. “Start fucking spitting facts on why you are using!”

  I scoffed. I was not having this argument Did no one get it! I killed someone! Not just anyone but my mother. I killed my mother! Not some driver running a red light, who died due to Cage’s rage in prison. But ME. I killed her.

  “Cage!” Hawk bellowed. “Cage!”

  “Don’t bring him into this!” I hissed at Hawk. God the one damn day I didn’t have makeup on the dots and he notices. God if Cage knew, he would lose his shit.

  Cage came walking out of the garage. Hawk had cornered me after I got out of the car from visiting the gym which was now for sale.

  “Cops!” Someone roared from the gate.

  Cage and Hawk shared a look, before Cage gripped my arm and started dragging me from the lot.

  “What the hell!” I yelled at him, but he kept dragging me. Then it sunk in. The police knew. My eyes widened, as Cage headed us around the back of the clubhouse. The police knew.

  I swallowed sharply as Cage brought me to a stop near the back gate. It was almost like he knew this would happen.

  “Cage stop,” I said. He was panicking I could see it on his face. “Cage, look at me,” I said, gripping his shoulder, and I saw the pain and grief but mainly panic in his eyes. “It’s okay.”

  “Like hell it is! They aren’t taking you. You hear me,” He cupped my face. “We’ll head for the border.”

  “Cage, I’m not running...”

  “Yes you are.”

  “Cage,” My eyes locked with his and he would have to see the certainty in my eyes. I was not letting him ruin his life for me. Living on the run. I didn’t want that. “Sometimes you’ve just got to face it.”

  He frowned.

  “The consequences.” I explained.

  I saw the panic rise in his eyes. “I can’t fucking live without you Autumn. I can’t fucking face a day without you.”

  “You’ll be okay.” My heart was breaking as I watched the man of strength crumble in front of me because I was going to be…I swallowed. Fuck was this really happening?

  Just as I thought that the police rounded the corner, shouting for us to put our hands up and step away from the bike.

  There was no point praying and asking why this was happening. There was no point wishing for something different. There was no point in wondering the what ifs. I was a girl with flaws and now, as the police handcuffed me- my halo from the girl I used to be had slipped from my head to around my neck and was choking me because of what I had done.

  I knew as I was dragged from the lot that my freedom was gone. You’d think after a month of punishing myself for the crime that I would be thankful to be charged. But that guilt from killing my mother was still there but when they forced me into the back of the cop car. I watched the police hold Cage back. Saw him as he started swinging punches.

  Hawk was causing just as much of a scene.

  So as the cop car pulled away from the lot. I left behind the girl I had been and the life I had once had.

  3

  Jacob

  Autumn had always been brave. Getting her the best lawyer was the first priority. But as I sat in the pew, we didn’t know how this was going to go down. She was looking at trafficking steroids.

  The lawyer had prepared us for the worst case. Four years. He said with her lack of convictions. He could get it lowered to a year.

  My eyes were on the back of her head. She’d be terrified. She had to be. Cage and Hawk were banned from the court. After their reaction to her arrest. They couldn’t be here. But I was front pew. Watching and waiting.

  Finally the jury came back in, stating the one word we didn’t want to hear. Guilty. My stomach rumbled with nerves as I hear the Judge sentence Autumn to Three Years with parole in one.

  Don’t remember much after that point. My rage hit the roof. I lost my shit. Being dragged from the courtroom. Screaming at Autumn I’d make this right. But her eyes locked with mine, she had accepted it

  The calmness in her eyes scared me because I knew that when I looked back into those eyes again— she wouldn’t be my little sister.

  Being pushed out of the courtroom. I headed for my bike. What the fuck was I going to do? This was all my fault. I was the one that introduced her back to mom. The detectives had threatened her with those chargers wanting Hawk to get the injection.

  She said in one of our visits that she knew what she was doing— that she was going to be okay.

  As I mounted my bike. I knew that Autumn wanted to stick to the code of no visitors while she was inside. I had to respect that.

  But I knew I couldn’t walk through those club doors again.

  So, I pulled away from the curb, not heading for the clubhouse- but for the highway.

  4

  Autumn

  One Year Later

  Freedom. You don’t really know what it is until it is gone. You don’t fully understand just what it you take for granted. Till it is taken from you. I was sent to a maximum security prison.

  I was terrified when I walked through those prison gates. Only to meet Lydia. Cage had organized her and her gang. She was in for an eleven-year sentence. And was only on her second-year in. She basically ran the prison, well at least the in mates. She ran the cigarettes, liquor and all drugs through the prison.

  How she was connected to Cage I didn’t know, but her exact words were ‘ya man is making sure you don’t end up hurt in here.’ It took only a few weeks before Lydia taught me the basics and I could handle myself.

  Been in two riots and a few bitch fights since coming through those gates. Each time there was no backlash on my sentence. Lydia opened up to me, told me how she ended up here. Basically she was a meth cook. Her operation was shut down because of it and so did all her earnings.

  She went in, the operation went down. Her brother being the main one effected. They ran the operation together, but she was the cook—she knew the chemistry.

  I think after doing time, you decide if you are going to go straight and clean your life up or—go dirty and this time test how long you can stay out for.

  Cage hadn’t visited once. Neither had Jacob or Hawk. Because I said I couldn’t take it. I knew the code they lived by, no visitors in prison. I wanted to be just as tough and follow that through. I couldn’t take seeing them each week, being reminded of the life I had, the freedom I had—and lost.

  So I cut them off. The odd letter here and there but that was it. They knew I couldn’t take being reminded of the life I had. Because I knew I was never going to be that girl again.

  Hawk’s biggest problem was he was worried about me relapsing, my depression coming back to get me. He was wrong. That didn’t happen. I took my medication as prescribed and to be fair I think everyone was on an antidepressant in here.

  Cage consumed my thoughts. Memories of him would flood my mind in the small hours of the morning. I struggled to sleep in here for the first six months now I was used to the noise, the coldness coming off the walls. I had adapted to prison.

  Only to now walk free.

  I slipped on the last piece of clothing I had been given back. Being out of prison clothes felt odd. I was used to having no shape. As I slipped on the black long sleeve top—it clung to my body, and I wasn’t used to it.

  “Good to go Autumn?” The guard, Jeff said.

  And I nodded my head, as he had just watched me get undressed and dressed. I was used to no privacy.

  “Geez weird to see you without one of those big chemistry books,” He added as he buzzed us out of the room. “Thought you’d be wanting to take them with you?”

  I didn’t need the books anymore—I had surpassed them. Lydia had taught me everything she knew. The books helped but now I had the knowledge.

  I paused just as he was about to buzz me through the last gate.

  “Hope not to see you again here Autumn
.” Jeff added as the last gate opened, and I walked out it.

  I was free.

  I saw the jet black bike sitting there, and my eyes locked with his. He didn’t get off, and I didn’t expect him too. I took the helmet he had extended out to me, and I mounted the bike sitting behind Cage.

  Wrapping my arms around him. I knew he and the rest of the club wouldn’t accept who I’ve become. Some people are born to do good, others are born to sin. In my case, I knew my time in prison had made me see that I wasn’t a straight cut citizen. I was perhaps what my mom was worried about me becoming. I was one of the wicked ones.

  And I wouldn’t change that fact.

  5

  Cage

  Life moves on, things change, but some things stay the same. The club was dying and surviving—a lot of bikers would say that about their club. No matter what, we always seem to get by. However, my concern changed as of three pm yesterday when Autumn walked free from a maximum security prison.

  The club was celebrating her out. All members knew she had done that time because of the club really, because we had been earning from her operation and instead of turning on us—she kept her mouth shut. It meant she could be trusted. Her faith in the club didn’t alter when her freedom was at risk.

  My eyes went back to her. We had rode in this afternoon and Lit, Vod and Wild already had the party started—now it was nearly midnight and I still hadn’t had a conversation with her.