Utah (Knights Corruption MC Series - Laredo Book 4), page 1
Copyright © 2024 S. Nelson
Editor- Hot Tree Editing
Cover Design – CT Cover Creations
Cover Model – Kevin Creekman
Proofreader – Judy’s Proofreading
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Utah/ S. Nelson – 1st edition
For everyone who took this crazy ride with me, loving these Knights Corruptions characters as much as I do. Enjoy the conclusion!
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Epilogue
Afterword
Original KCMC series
Stay Informed
Also Available
About the Author
Note to Reader
Acknowledgments
Books by S. Nelson
1
Wasted energy escaped as I struggled to keep my head upright. My ears pricked to the murmurs of a language I didn’t understand, punctuated foreign words keeping me on edge.
Two of Javier Carrillo’s henchmen stood ten feet in front of me and Crash. The glow of the moon served as our only light source, allowing me to catch glimpses of them when I wasn’t fixated on the ground.
They’d ambushed us outside of Cloud Nine, swiftly drawing their weapons before we even had a chance to defend ourselves. Knox had asked me to check on an issue with the security cameras. Unfortunately for Crash, he’d been walking out of the clubhouse when I agreed to go, so I dragged him with me. And now we were both going to die.
As we kneeled at the edge of the shallow graves these bastards made us dig, a strange sense of amusement washed over me. It wasn’t because I was moments away from my own demise, but because my impending end aligned with the chaos that had consumed my entire existence. The club and Ria were the two exceptions to the madness.
Correction, there were three exceptions…. I couldn’t forget about my unborn kid, who deserved a place on that short list.
The moment Ria told me she was pregnant, I vowed to be the best father I could. I’d never encountered a worthy father figure in any of the foster homes I bounced between growing up, but I’d watched Renner with Colton for years. Their relationship gave me hope I could have something similar with my own kid one day.
I’d never believed in regrets, chalking the emotion up to nothing more than a person’s way of whining about shit they could’ve done differently, but staring down the barrel of a loaded gun incited a single remorse: I should’ve told Ria I loved her the last time I saw her. I supposed it was pointless to delve into the what-ifs of life, seeing as how my life would be over shortly.
I never thought I’d live to see the age of thirty, so to surpass that by four years amazed me. I believed I lived on borrowed time, and apparently, today was the day I’d end up paying that debt.
While images of my club brothers popped into my head—the only family I’d ever really known—thoughts of Ria overshadowed everything else. I’d never met anyone like her.
On one hand, the woman infuriated me to no end with her sass and no-holds-barred attitude. On the other hand, whenever she allowed me to witness her vulnerability, my heart ached with love and protectiveness. And when her big brown eyes would well with tears about the uncertainty of our relationship or about her overwhelming doubt as a mother, all I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and tell her everything would work out for the best, even if I didn’t believe it wholeheartedly.
The last thing I ever imagined was becoming a father. I barely imagined being in a relationship, let alone procreating. Although “relationship” was a stretch. Ria and I had snuck around for so long, fearing Knox would find out, which he did, that we never ended up defining what we meant to each other. I loved her, and I believed she felt the same for me, but we never told each other. And with death now licking at my heels, it was too late.
“Javier wanted to take out your entire club at once,” the bald one with the tattoo above his eyebrow said, sneering at us, “but I convinced him to take you out piece by piece. Looks like you two are first.” He turned to the other man and said something in Spanish, ignoring us as if he hadn’t just sealed our fate.
“I don’t wanna die,” Crash groaned beside me, soft whimpers cascading over each word. I wanted to reassure him we’d get out of this alive, but I wasn’t going to give him false hope. We faced a terrifying reality, one that we couldn’t change or escape. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but he had to come to grips with what was about to happen. We both did.
“Me either,” I responded. “But we can’t change it, so make your peace.”
My hope our brothers would find us disappeared when Javier’s men tossed our phones out the window as they transported us here. Everyone’s cells had trackers, but we were at least an hour from where the devices were discarded.
Both of us were in bad shape. After they’d made us dig our own graves, they bound our arms behind our backs and made us kneel in front of the disturbed earth. The bald fucker hit Crash so hard in the side, he cracked the poor guy’s ribs. Then he stabbed him in the thigh, dragging his blade down his leg as he screamed in agony. All I could do was watch, cursing him and calling him a coward. I demanded he untie me, challenging him to fight like a real man. All my words earned me was a hit to my temple with the butt of his gun, splitting my flesh in two. Blood trickled down my face and into my eye, blinding me on my left side. But still I continued to run my mouth, calling them every name I could think of. The shorter, heavyset one took great pleasure when he plunged his knife into my stomach, pushing in as deep as he could manage. If my hands had been free, I’d have wiped the evil grin off his face. But all I could do was take whatever torment he bestowed on me.
My life slowly drained from me and stained the dirt I kneeled on. Every breath pained me, and even though I was minutes, possibly seconds away from being snatched from this world, this wasn’t the worst situation I’d been in. Okay, maybe the worst one, but not by much.
After both my parents died in a car accident when I was five, I bounced between foster homes until I was placed in a group home when I was fourteen. I’d experienced the worst a human could. Starvation. Living in filth. Unspeakable things done to me when I was eight by an older boy in the same house. Cigarettes extinguished over my entire body when I was ten by the sadistic owner of the sixth house I lived in. And on and on. Too many instances to recount. I ran away from the group home the day after I turned fifteen and lived on the streets for several years, stealing just to stay alive.
The startling sound of a phone pierced the otherwise silent air. The bald guy answered, and the conversation lasted ten seconds. As soon as the call ended, I turned to the left, knowing this was the pivotal moment.
“You’re a good man, Crash. It was my honor to know you.”
I was a man of few words. I didn’t express my feelings often, and when I did, anger was the emotion that often erupted. So, when I uttered those twelve words, Crash realized our lives were about to abruptly end.
His chin quivered, but he tried to hold it together as best he could. His attempt at bravery was admirable. Poor guy barely got twenty-eight years on this earth.
“I don’t wanna die. Not like this.”
“Chin up, brother” was all I could manage to respond.
He nodded and kept his eyes on me. I had no idea which one of us was going to die first. Fuck, we could go together. From my periphery, I could see movement and when I reluctantly tore my eyes away from my redheaded brother, I saw the shorter of the cartel guys raise his arm and point his gun at Crash. Time seemed to slow, and I barely registered the action before the gunshot echoed through the air. A warm spray of blood splattered onto me as Crash’s head snapped back before falling to his side. Seconds later, the guy who’d killed him kicked his lifeless body into the shallow grave as if he were nothing more than an animal who’d been put down.
“You’re next,” the bald one said, stepping closer and raising his gun level with my forehead.
One breath.
Two.
My heart raced with whatever blood remained in my body.
As I blocked him from sight and embraced the darkness, a piercing boom rang out the moment I accepted my fate.
2
“Are you feeling all right?”
Lost to thoughts of Utah and where he disappeared to consumed me, so much so, I hadn’t heard Will’s initial question. It wasn’t until he waved his hand in front of my face that I snapped out of my trancelike state.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
He brushed his hair off his face, the dark brown strands falling back into place seconds later. “I asked if you’re feeling okay. You’ve been rubbing your stomach nonstop. Is something wrong?”
Rubbing my belly had become second nature these days, a calming habit.
“I’m fine. Just thinking,” I responded.
“About?”
“Nothing in particular.” I flashed him a grateful smile for his concern, praying he didn’t persist.
Will was sweet and had helped me on several occasions by taking shifts for me when I hadn’t felt well. But I didn’t want to get into everything that plagued me, especially when my thoughts confused me more than made sense these days.
There were times I’d catch him watching me when he thought I hadn’t noticed, making me think perhaps he liked me, but he never flirted or said anything inappropriate.
Utah, however, often told me he believed Will was interested in me. The topic of my coworker rubbed him the wrong way, but instead of assuaging his concerns, I simply told him he was crazy. A response he didn’t care for, which was always evident in the scowl on his face.
“Have you heard from Utah yet?” Lena asked, reaching around me to grab a mug. I’d told her all about how he’d begged me to let him come to the ultrasound appointment but then never showed up.
“Not yet. I called my brother last night to see if he could get in touch with him, but so far nothing.”
Lena and I had become fast friends after I started working at Rocky’s. To judge her by her appearance was a mistake. With her perfectly coiffed, bobbed brunette hairstyle, she had the look of someone who should wear pearls and be vacationing on a yacht somewhere. But her spitfire personality pushed against that notion. She never held her tongue when it came to the patrons, which was often a source of amusement.
“Maybe he’s ghosting you.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” I responded. “Besides, he can’t really ghost me. We’re having a baby together. And he’s in the same club as Knox. It’s not like he can just disappear.”
“Looks like he did.”
“Can you not put thoughts like that in my head?”
“Sorry.” She handed a customer a beer, swiping the money he put on the counter. After she gave him his change, she leaned against the bar and placed her hand on my arm. “I just want you to be realistic. From what you’ve told me, he doesn’t seem like the commitment type.”
“He’s not, but neither am I. He still wouldn’t just not show up to the appointment. At the very least he would’ve texted me to tell me he wasn’t coming.”
“If you say so.”
Debating this with her in front of Will and three male customers was the last thing I wanted to do, so I quickly changed the subject.
“Is that a new tattoo?” I pointed to the red rose surrounded by thorns on her left forearm.
“I just got it last week. It completes my sleeve.”
I didn’t have any ink, and I didn’t want any for myself, but I could appreciate an intricate work of art. Lord knew I loved looking at Utah’s entire body, which was covered in tattoos. One of his favorites was his club’s emblem which was wrapped around his left shoulder.
“I like it.”
“When are you gonna get one?” She flung a bar towel over her shoulder after wiping down the surface in front of us.
Lena’s arms, chest, and right thigh were covered in beautiful artwork, and she was always trying to convince me to get a tattoo. She said virgin skin was the best canvas.
“It’s not for me.”
“I think you’d love it.”
“We’ll agree to disagree.”
The vibration of my phone pulled my focus. But when I checked the screen, there was a text from my mom asking if I was coming to dinner tomorrow night. After I replied with a yes, I shoved the device back into my pocket, disappointed I was still waiting for Knox to get back to me.
I caught Lena looking at me, and I answered her question before she asked it with a simple shake of my head.
The rest of my shift passed in a blur, the ache in my feet intensifying the longer I stood.
“I’m taking off now,” I shouted to Will across the bar, the noise from the patrons borderline deafening. He managed a wave before his attention was stolen by a group of rowdy guys. Lena had left an hour prior, making me promise to give her an update on Utah as soon as I heard anything.
I checked my phone again as I walked to my car, but still there was no text message or voicemail from Utah or Knox. Once seated behind the wheel, I placed a call to my brother, but he never picked up. It was out of character for Knox to ignore me for so long, which only amplified the dread swirling through me. On top of everything else, Utah had told me there were situations going on with the club he couldn’t discuss, but he wanted me to let him know if anyone strange approached me or if I noticed anyone following me. Not that it would do any good because he wasn’t taking my calls or answering my texts.
The moment I walked through the front door to the house I shared with Evie, I released a heavy breath. Rampant thoughts of Utah barreled in yet again but were cut short when my sister’s sudden appearance startled me.
“How was work?” she asked, laughing when she saw me jerk.
“You love scaring me, don’t you?”
“It’s easy. And fun.” A pause in our conversation ensued before she repeated her initial question. “So… how was work?”
“Fine. My feet are killing me, though.”
I kicked off my shoes, tossed my purse on a nearby table, and flopped down on the couch. Evie sat next to me.
“How much longer do you think you’ll be able to work? You know—” She motioned to my belly. “—you’re only going to get bigger.”
“Really?” I asked sarcastically. “Because I never thought of that.” She stuck her tongue out at me, much like she did when we were kids. “I don’t know what’s going to happen because I can’t just stop working. I need the money.”
“What about Utah? Won’t he help?”
“He says he will, but I’m not sure how much I can count on him. He didn’t even show up for the ultrasound yesterday.”
While I was upset he didn’t come to the doctor’s appointment, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he had a valid excuse. Now, if he’d only call me back to tell me, I’d stop worrying whether I could rely on him or not.
“You still haven’t heard from him?” She tucked a strand of her copper hair behind her ear. I had to give it to my sister, she wasn’t afraid of switching things up, her hair shade often changing. For now, the red color suited her well, a perfect complement to her bright green eyes. “He’s never ghosted you before, has he?”
“No. But it’s exactly what Lena thinks he’s doing. I don’t think that’s what it is, though. Something is going on, but I’m not sure what. I asked Knox to get in touch with him, but I haven’t heard back from him either.”
She patted my leg. “Don’t worry. I’m sure there is a logical explanation.” She tucked her leg beneath her and angled her body toward me. “What happened at the ultrasound? Do you know the sex? Please let it be a girl so I can dress her up.” I opened my mouth to speak, but she kept talking. “I’ll take a boy too. I can buy him the cutest outfits.” Evie clapped her hands. “I’m good either way. Which one is it?”
“I’m not ready to find out yet.”
“Is that because you’re still not sure you’re going to keep it?” she asked, her brows pinching together.
