DIRTY DESIRES: A Devil Kings MC Story

by Nicole James

  “We’re okay, Hayley. Just get us home.”

  She looks over at me. “I couldn’t hear everything he said. Did you get the information you wanted?”

  “Oh, yeah. You won’t believe what shit they’ve got planned. In fact, you should probably take me to the clubhouse.”

  “Now?”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Tess—

  Hayley pulls up at the chain link gate. A prospect stands guard on the other side, smoking a cigarette. Beyond I can see a couple dozen bikes gleaming in the moonlight.

  “Wait here, Hayley.” I climb from the car, pull the dark sweat jacket off, and toss it on the seat, revealing the white wife-beater tank underneath tucked into my low-slung belted black jeans. I slip my phone in my back pocket and shake my hair around my face to fluff it a bit, mostly to cover the bruise and swelling on the side of my cheek, then I lean in the window. “Not sure how long this will take.”

  She looks past me to the warehouse the MC uses for its clubhouse. “You sure about this, Tess?”

  “Yep.”

  I straighten and sashay toward the gate. My strut catches the prospect’s eyes and he flings his cigarette. “You from the strip club?”

  I huff out a laugh. “Sure am, Sugar.”

  He grins and opens the gate for me. “Party’s inside, darlin’. Cadillac Club sure has some fine women.”

  I strut past him and through the parked Harleys, turning the heads of several guys mulling around outside, longnecks in their hands. The smell of the joint they’re passing around carries to me.

  “Hey, come here, cutie pie,” one of them says.

  I give him a wink, fling open the door, and walk brazenly inside like I own the place. I’ve steeled myself for this moment, talking myself through it in my head and psyching myself up for it. The door is elevated a couple of steps, so I’m up above the crowd with a perfect view. I stand there like fucking Cinderella come to the ball as I let them all take a good look. Even with music blasting, I turn heads, and a hush falls over the loud conversations.

  I throw out one hip, striking a pose, my chin held high as if to announce to every brother in the room that the motherfucking Club Princess has come home.

  I scan them all, searching for Gypsy. A dozen bikers stare back at me, along with a bunch of hang-arounds and sweet butts, the pass-around club whores. A couple of girls dance around two poles in a corner of the big room… probably dancers from the strip club the prospect mentioned.

  Finally, my gaze lands on the back pool table. One of the brothers nudges the guy taking a shot and points up at me. The man straightens from his shot. Gypsy. He tries to hide his shock, but I see it. I have to give him credit; he recovers quickly, his jaw hardening. He’s got a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and he throws the cue on the felt a little too violently, sending the remaining balls clacking together.

  Then he stubs out the cigarette in the ashtray of a nearby high top table.

  A murmur travels through the crowd as they watch him approach me, his head tilts up as he stares at me up on my high perch, and he folds his arms. “What are you doing here, Tess?”

  “Figure I’ve got a right to be here, seeing as I’m Growler’s daughter.”

  I hear a gasp from some of the women.

  “You don’t have any fucking rights in here. Best you turn your sweet ass around and get gone. Now,” Gypsy says.

  “Not until I tell you what I came to say.”

  “Fine. Say it and go.”

  “Did you tell them?”

  “Yup.”

  I take in the whole place, the men at the bar especially. Something about their posture tells me they’re club officers. I speak loud enough for them to hear.

  “It’s true my father pressured me to give him information about the club’s Sturgis run. But I found out what he’s planning and it’s bad. I came here to warn you.” I focus on Gypsy. “Maybe it won’t ever make up for what I did, but I had to find a way to try to make amends.”

  There’s a sharp whistle from one of the men at the end of the bar. He jerks his head at Gypsy. A moment later, Gypsy’s got me by the upper arm. He pulls me through the crowd and down a hall, following in the wake of a half dozen other men into a meeting room. He slams the door behind us, and I jump.

  Several of the men take their seats around the table.

  The one at the head of it is the man who whistled. I see the patch over his chest, and it reads president. He pins me with a look. “So, you’re Tess.”

  I nod.

  He leans forward, and his leather chair creaks. “Well, you’ve got our fucking attention little princess, tell us what the fuck you know.”

  I lick my lips nervously. “They plan to hit you when you leave for Sturgis.”

  “Who does?” Gypsy asks.

  “Reload said—”

  “Reload’s involved in this shit?” a man with a VP patch asks, rocking forward.

  I nod. “He said the Death Demons would split up, half moving to take the clubhouse when it’s left almost deserted, and half hitting the MC on the road at the first night’s stop.” I proceed to tell them everything Reload told me about where, when, and how it would happen.

  One of the men whistles and turns to his president. “Death Demons? Those little shit wannabees. Fuck, Rusty, why would they be involved?”

  Rusty rubs his beard. “They’ve wanted to be patched over for years. Growler would never do it.”

  “So why would he want them now?”

  “Who fucking knows. Maybe Reload came up with this bullshit plan.”

  “We should have put him to ground,” one of the men starts to say, but Rusty makes a slashing sign across his throat, cutting him off and nodding to me. Guess I’m not supposed to hear anymore of their business.

  “You got anything else for us?” he asks me.

  I shake my head. “That’s everything.”

  Rusty jerks his head toward the door, and Gypsy hauls me out without so much as a thank you or fuck off.

  He leads me out of the club. “You need a ride home?”

  “Hayley’s waiting for me at the gate.”

  He nods and brings me all the way to the gate. “Take care.”

  I stare in shock. “That’s it? Take care?”

  He turns to the prospect. “Make sure she doesn’t get back in.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  My mouth drops open, but he keeps walking toward the clubhouse.

  Hayley toots her horn, and I walk to the car and climb inside. The door is barely slammed shut when she asks, “Well? Did you tell him about the baby?”

  I shake my head and feel the tears sting my eyes. “Just take me home. Please, no more questions.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Gypsy—

  I roll down the street toward the clubhouse, the afternoon heat already sweltering. Last night my brothers and I talked for hours, formulating a plan to deal with the Death Demons. Today leadership of one of our support clubs, the Murder Mob MC is coming in to talk. We’ve got a plan to use them as decoys.

  I’m almost to the turn-in for the clubhouse when I spot the same car that Tess drove off in last night. I recognize the Coexist bumper sticker.

  I only see one person in the car as I roll past. I nod at the prospect at the gate and ride through. Security’s been tight ever since Rusty’s old lady was threatened and his garage burned. That’s been dealt with, but still Rusty hasn’t relaxed his precautions, and maybe that was a smart move. There are still some factions of the old club out there ready to do us harm.

  Thought we’d handled that when we killed Rat and ran his co-conspirators out, but apparently not.

  I park and climb off my bike, noticing the sedan now pulled to the gate. A girl climbs out of the driver’s seat, slams the door, and marches to the fence, her hands balled into fists.

  “Hey, you! Gypsy!” she yells at me. “Come here.”

  I stand and stare at her, lighting a cigarette.

  She
grabs the ten-foot high chain link fence and rattles it. “Got something to tell you, you fucking jerk.”

  The prospect looks to me for guidance on how to handle this. Irate girlfriends and tossed aside pussy have been known to show up at the gate looking for a fight. I blow out an exasperated sigh and amble over. “I’ve got this, Prospect.” My eyes sweep over her. “You Tess’s friend?”

  “Damn straight, and you’re gonna listen to what I have to say.” She barely takes a breath before she starts in on me. “Where the hell do you get off treating her like yesterday’s garbage? Do you know what she risked to get that information for you?”

  It’s the first time I’ve even thought about how she got it. I frown, pulling the cigarette from my mouth. “What’d she do?”

  “She met with that psycho nut job, Reload, in the dark of night in a fucking cemetery. She had to feed him a line of bullshit to get him to give up that plan. She was brave as hell, standing up to him alone. If it wasn’t for her smarts and quick thinking, hell I couldn’t have saved her—”

  “Saved her?” That’s got my attention. I’ve tried like hell to put Tess from my mind, not that any of it’s worked.

  “He tried to assault her. She fought him off, kneed him in the balls but not before he bruised up her arm and she took a fist to the face.”

  My blood surges through my veins, and I feel the heat climb my face. Right then and there I swear I’ll deal with Reload if it’s the last thing I do. “She was a damn fool to meet with a guy like him.”

  “She did it for you, moron. She’s in love with you. Yes, she screwed up, royally. But she knew immediately she’d made a mistake. You have to understand that she felt backed in a corner. She’s maxed out her credit cards, and she’s got to come up with the money to pay for her mother’s treatment. Growler dangled that prize in front of her, and she was desperate enough to take him up on it. She didn’t think what little information she gave him could have much use. She didn’t know their wicked plan.”

  “She could have come to me for help with the bill.”

  “She has her pride. She learned a long time ago not to count on anyone but herself.”

  “Look, I’m glad she told us the information, but that doesn’t excuse the betrayal.”

  “You’re a fool.”

  “Am I?” I huff out a laugh and fling the cigarette away. “Why’s that?”

  “She’s not going to tell you, because she doesn’t want it to be the reason you give her another chance, but I have no problem telling you, because you have a right to know.”

  “Right to know what?”

  “She’s pregnant, and before you dare insult her, yes, it’s yours.” She shuts up after that, giving me a minute to digest those words.

  I feel my stomach drop. A baby? Shit, could it be true? “Is that why you showed up here today?”

  “Yes, it’s why I sat out on the street for hours in this heat, hoping you’d show up. She won’t tell you herself; she’s too proud to beg for your help or your love.”

  “She was just going to keep it a secret? Another damn thing she lies to me about?”

  The girl shakes her head. “I told her you’d say that. You don’t deserve her.” She walks away, flipping me off over her shoulder. I stand and watch her peel out, throwing gravel up.

  The prospect looks over my shoulder, and I turn.

  Jammer is standing there, his arms folded, and I wonder how long he’s been there. “You hear all of that?”

  “That Growler’s daughter is knocked up? Yeah. Is it yours?”

  “It’s mine.”

  “You sure?”

  “You want a punch in the mouth?”

  “Just sayin’.” He lights a joint, takes a deep hit and passes it to me. “Look, I’m gonna say something, and if you ever tell anyone I said it, I’ll deny it.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’re an idiot if you don’t think she deserves a second chance. Took guts for her to come here like she did last night. Took more guts to get that information out of Reload. She did that to try to right a wrong, and she never asked you for a damn thing, including stepping up to your responsibility. She’s too proud to beg. I like that about the girl. Chick like that only comes along once in a lifetime.” He nods toward the clubhouse. “You ain’t gonna find one like her in there.”

  “I fucked up.”

  “Maybe you need to tell that to the brave girl you pushed out the gate yesterday.” He leaves the joint with me and wanders to the clubhouse, yelling over his shoulder, “Meeting starts in ten minutes. Don’t be late again or you’ll piss Rusty off.” I take another hit and stare sightlessly into space, seeing Tess’s smiling face staring up at me as I lay on top of her.

  I wonder what she’ll do about the baby, and I ask myself what I want her to do about it. I hadn’t planned this, hadn’t gone lookin’ for it, but here it is, fallen in my lap like a bolt from the heavens. I glance at the horizon, and the sun sinking low in the sky. Is anyone ever ready for life changing events like this? Am I?

  I drop what’s left of the joint, grind it out under my boot, and head inside, knowing I’ll be sitting out on my back deck tonight trying to get my head together and figure this shit out. I need to see Tess; that much is clear. But right now my brothers and I have a trap to set.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Tess—

  “So, what are we doing here?” Hayley asks, her hands jammed in her hip pockets, her eyes taking in the empty gravel lot with the big wooden shed on the edge of town.

  “This place was my grandparents. My granddad used to sell Christmas trees here, pumpkins at Halloween, and in the summer he’d rent out spaces for a farmer’s market.” I shrug. “It was just a side hustle for him; he was a butcher by trade. But this”—I nod to the property—“this was his love. He would dress up like Santa at Christmas, and at Halloween he had this little train of cars he fashioned out of old barrels. He’d pull kids around the property. I used to love coming here.”

  “Oh, yeah. I remember this place.”

  She looks over at me, and I blink the tears out of my eyes.

  “So, now what?”

  “They left the property to me when they died. I always dreamed about starting the business back up, but now…”

  “Now?”

  “I guess I’m going to have to sell it.”

  “Oh, no. Tess, don’t sell it. It’s all you have.”

  “What choice do I have?”

  “We just have to find that key. That’s all there is to it.”

  “I’ve tried, Hayley.”

  “I am not going to let you sell this place. You’ll regret it the rest of your life. What kind of a BFF lets that happen?” She looks around the place. “Maybe we could fix it up, get it going again. I mean, Halloween’s not far away.”

  My eyes glaze again. It’s been my dream, and I hate to let go of it.

  She nods to the big shed. “Got the keys?”

  I move to the door and unlock it. I drag the big doors back, and we walk inside. It’s dark, but some sunlight comes in.

  There are picnic tables stacked up, some stands he used to rent out for the farmers market, and all the painted wooden signs for the holidays.

  “Hey, check it out. The little barrel train is still here.” She runs to it. Each car is painted a different color. She looks back at me. “We could totally do this, Tess. It’s all still here.”

  “It takes money, Hayley. We’d need the power turned back on, and there are business licenses to get…”

  She talks right over me. “Halloween’s coming up in a couple of months. My dad still has that little trailer he used to sell snow cones out of. I bet the equipment still works. We could sell apple cider slushies’ and kettle corn, and we could get one of those outdoor projectors and show old black and white TV shows on the side of the shed. You know, ones like the Munster’s and The Addams Family. We could even get some hay bales for the kids to sit on. You could sell train rides and pumpk
ins and decorations. It would be the bomb! There’s nothing like that around here for kids.”

  I laugh at her exuberance. It all sounds wonderful. “Sweetie, that all takes money.”

  She lifts a brow. “Then we’re just going to have to find that damn key.”

  “But how?”

  She begins pacing, then suddenly stops and jabs her finger at me repeatedly. “I’ve got it. We’ve been looking at this all wrong. You said you thought it was in the house. I bet Growler’s gonna try to get it out before you find it.”

  “So, how does that help us?”

  “We set a trap.”

  “Huh?”

  “You said he’s been calling collect from prison, right?”

  “Yeah. I won’t take the calls.”

  “Next time he does, you tell him you’re going out of town. With your mom in rehab, it’ll be the perfect opportunity for him to send someone to retrieve it. Either that woman, Sylvia, or maybe the lawyer.”

  “Or Reload.” I arch a brow, reminding her of the worst possibility.

  “We hide and wait for them to retrieve it, then we jump out with a gun and take it.”

  “It sounds risky. I thought you didn’t like risky?”

  “You’re rubbing off on me. Besides, I’m betting it’s going to be that Sylvia woman.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s going to want someone who’s biddable, and you said she already tried once. You and I can take her easy.”

  “You think it’ll work?” I ask.

  She throws her arm around me and grins. “Don’t go doubting me now, Lucy.”

  I roll my eyes and chuckle. “You say so, Ethel.”

  She laughs, but then the smile fades. “Have you heard from Gypsy since the other night?”

  I push away. “No, and I told you I don’t want to talk about him anymore. That’s done.”

  “Tess—”

  “I mean it, Hayley.”

  “Okay, okay. Fine.”

  “Take me home, will you? I just want to take a hot shower and lie down.”