Paladin's Hell

by Manda Mellett

  But before I can take my chance everything goes to shit. She’s under our protection, but we fail to protect her from one of our own.

  Satan’s Devils #1: Turning Wheels

  Other Works by Manda Mellett

  All books can be read as a standalone.

  ***

  #1

  Turning Wheels

  Wraith & Sophie

  #2

  Drummer’s Beat

  Drummer & Sam

  #3

  Slick Running

  Slick & Ella

  #4

  Targeting Dart

  Dart & Alex

  #5

  Heart Broken

  Heart & Marc

  #6

  Peg’s Stand

  Peg & Darcy

  #7

  Rock Bottom

  Rock & Becca

  #8

  Joker’s Fool

  Joker & Lady

  #9

  Mouse Trapped

  Mouse & Mariana

  Coming in 2019:

  Sharpening Blade (#10 – Blade & Tasha)

  ***

  #1

  Paladin’s Hell

  Paladin & Jayden

  Coming in 2019:

  Demon’s Angel (#2 – Demon)

  ***

  BLOOD BROTHERS

  A series about sexy dominant sheikhs and their bodyguards

  #1

  Stolen Lives

  Nijad & Cara

  #2

  Close Protection

  Jon & Mia

  #3

  Second Chances

  Kadar & Zoe

  #4

  Identity Crisis

  Sean & Vanessa

  #5

  Dark Horses

  Jasim & Janna

  #6

  Hard Choices

  Aiza

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  Glossary

  Motorcycle Club – An official motorcycle club in the U.S. is one which is sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The AMA has a set of rules its members must abide by. It is said that ninety-nine percent of motorcyclists in America belong to the AMA

  Outlaw Motorcycle Club (MC) – The remaining one percent of motorcycling clubs are historically considered outlaws as they do not wish to be constrained by the rules of the AMA and have their own bylaws. There is no one formula followed by such clubs, but some not only reject the rulings of the AMA, but also that of society, forming tightly knit groups who fiercely protect their chosen ways of life. Outlaw MCs have a reputation for having a criminal element and supporting themselves by less than legal activities, dealing in drugs, gun running or prostitution. The one-percenter clubs are usually run under a strict hierarchy.

  Brother – Typically members of the MC refer to themselves as brothers and regard the closely knit MC as their family.

  Cage – The name bikers give to cars as they prefer riding their bikes.

  Chapter – Some MCs have only one club based in one location. Other MCs have a number of clubs who follow the same bylaws and wear the same patch. Each club is known as a chapter and will normally carry the name of the area where they are based on their patch.

  Church – Traditionally the name of the meeting where club business is discussed, either with all members present or with just those holding officer status.

  Colours – When a member is wearing (or flying) his colours he will be wearing his cut proudly displaying his patch showing which club he is affiliated with.

  Cut – The name given to the jacket or vest which has patches denoting the club that member belongs to.

  Enforcer – The member who enforces the rules of the club.

  Hang-around – This can apply to men wishing to join the club and who hang-around hoping to be become prospects. It is also used to women who are attracted by bikers and who are happy to make themselves available for sex at biker parties.

  Mother Chapter – The founding chapter when a club has more than one chapter.

  Patch – The patch or patches on a cut will show the club that member belongs to and other information such as the particular chapter and any role that may be held in the club. There can be a number of other patches with various meanings, including a one-percenter patch. Prospects will not be allowed to wear the club patch until they have been patched-in, instead they will have patches which denote their probationary status.

  Patched-in/Patching-in – The term used when a prospect completes his probationary status and becomes a full club member.

  President (Prez) – The officer in charge of that particular club or chapter.

  Prospect – Anyone wishing to join a club must serve time as a probationer. During this period they have to prove their loyalty to the club. A probationary period can last a year or more. At the end of this period, if they’ve proved themselves a prospect will be patched-in.

  Old Lady – The term given to a woman who enters into a permanent relationship with a biker.

  RICO – The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act primarily deals with organised crime. Under this Act the officers of a club could be held responsible for activities they order members to do and a conviction carries a potential jail service of twenty years as well as a large fine and the seizure of assets.

  Road Captain – The road captain is responsible for the safety of the club on a run. He will organise routes and normally ride at the end of the column.

  Ronin – A biker who travels alone, sometimes wearing a patch denoting he’s Ronin. Not affiliated to any club, but often bearing a token which will help ensure safe passage through territories of different clubs.

  Secretary – MCs are run like businesses and this officer will perform the secretarial duties such as recording decisions at meetings.

  Sergeant-at-Arms – The sergeant-at-arms is responsible for the safety of the club as a whole and for keeping order.

  Sweet Butt – A woman who makes her sexual services available to any member at any time. She may well live on the club premises and be fully supported by the club.

  Treasurer – The officer responsible for keeping an eye on the club’s money.

  Vice President (VP) – The vice president will support the president, stepping into his role in his absence. He may be responsible for making sure the club runs smoothly, overseeing prospects etc.

  Acknowledgements

  Paladin and Jayden’s story started way back in Slick Running, the third book in the Satan’s Devils series. Almost immediately, readers started asking for their story.

  At the time, it was too early. Jayden had to be older before Paladin could be freed from his promise to be hands off. I wanted their relationship to develop naturally, so their time had to wait. Although I hadn’t yet decided on how their story would go, I always knew they had to get away from Slick, Ella and Drummer before they could truly be together. In the Tucson club they would always be under the watchful eye of their family.

  I’d wanted to write about an older couple for some time, and knew it was going to revolve around Hellfire, not that I knew the background of his relationship with Moira at the time. The idea began to form that by merging Paladin and Jayden, and Hellfire and Moira’s stories, I could show the difference between a young and new, and old and familiar relationship, each with its own trials and tribulations. There are many, many books about young love, I thought it would be interesting to explore the challenges facing people as they go through middle age.

  I write as I read, not knowing what’s coming around the corner. As I type, the characters take over and lead me in directions I hadn’t thought I’d be taking. Moira and Hellfire’s past and the resulting impact on Demon came as a complete surprise. As did Paladin’s accident, and Jayden’s kidnap. I hope that as I don’t know what’s coming next, I’ve also kept you, the reader, on your toes.

  I trust I’ve done Paladin and Jayden justice, and those
of you who’ve been waiting so long to read about them have not been disappointed.

  Of course, Paladin’s Hell is the first book about the Colorado Chapter, and so welcome to new readers who’ve picked a Satan’s Devils MC book up for the first time. I hope you enjoyed it, and want to learn more about the characters. I’ve certainly got Demon’s book lined up for 2019. The questions are obviously, who is going to be the next VP of the club, and what kind of woman is going to be able to tie Demon down? I can’t wait to write this one.

  My books are written by teamwork, and as always I have to thank the team who are behind me.

  My editor, Maggie Kern. This is the third book we’ve worked on together, and it’s an honour to work with her as we knock the book into shape. Thank you, Maggie, once again.

  My very grateful thanks to all my beta readers who are prepared to read a rough draft and pick up so many useful things. Danena, Colleen, Sheri, Terra, Zoe, Nicole, Alex and my husband Steve, my grateful thanks to you all.

  As this is a new, albeit a spin-off, series, I wanted the cover to have an identity of its own. Once again, the amazing Lia Rees came through for me. As normal, Lia’s also formatted the various versions of this book. What can I say that already hasn’t been said, Lia? Thank you. Not only for your design work, but the tips and hints you give me as you share your knowledge about the publishing world.

  Thank you to Mary Meredith for proofreading the final version. I enjoyed working with you.

  As always, I’ve left the most important people to the end. So now please, every person who’s taken a chance on this book, accept my heartfelt thanks. If you weren’t buying my books, I wouldn’t be able to write them.

  You can help even more. If you liked this book, don’t keep it to yourself. Tell a friend, hey, tell me. Every time a reader contacts me to express how much they enjoy any of my books, especially when they ask for more, it spurs me to continue writing. I appreciate every message you send or comment that you make.

  Know what’s even better? Leave a review. Just one or two words is helpful. Reviews help authors make sales, sales allow authors to pay editors, cover designers etc, and put food on the table.

  To anyone asking the question, the Satan’s Devils have a long way to go yet.

  There’ll be another Devil along very soon.

  Stay In Touch

  Email: manda@mandamellett.com

  Website: www.mandamellett.com

  Connect with me on Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/mandamellett

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  About the Author

  After commuting for too many years to London working in various senior management roles, Manda Mellett left the rat race and now fulfils her dream and writes full time. She draws on her background in psychology, the experience of working in different disciplines and personal life experiences in her books.

  Manda lives in the beautiful countryside of North Essex with her husband and two slightly nutty Irish Setters. Walking her dogs gives her the thinking time to come up with plots for her novels, and she often dictates ideas onto her phone on the move, while looking over her shoulder hoping no one is around to listen to her. Manda’s other main hobby is reading, and she devours as many books as she can.

  Her biggest fan is her gay son (every mother should have one!). Her favourite pastime when he is home is the late night chatting sessions they enjoy, where no topic is taboo, and usually accompanied by a bottle of wine or two.

  Photo by Carmel Jane Photography