Devil's Girl: Dust Bowl Devils MC

by Britten Thorne

  I shook my head very slowly, pressing the sequence onto the watch again. Maybe it had only been a minute. Maybe it was taking me five just to press through the entire sequence anyway, sluggish as I was.

  But what else was I supposed to remember?

  I must have nodded off again. One moment I was pushing buttons on the watch. The next, the watch was on the floor in front of me and the van was still rolling on down the road. We weren’t on the main highway or the freeway, but we were speeding at a good clip from what I could tell. We passed little garages and shops, and lots and lots of trees. Is he taking a back way out of the state for a reason? Are they coming?

  I didn't comprehend what I was seeing at first. I glanced at the driver as I prepared to bend and pick up the watch. Out the front windshield, I saw fire approaching from the woods.

  "What the fuck?" He slammed on the brakes as the fireball blazed out from between the trees and came to a crashing halt right in front of the van. Not a fireball - a torched motorcycle. The flaming bike blocked the entire lane. The abrupt stop woke the other two girls from their dazes. They repeated his curses as they squinted at the flames.

  The driver put the van in reverse and twisted around in his seat. He'd have to go around the obstruction. But I know what this is. Move. Move! I felt like I was moving in slow motion as I balled my hand into a fist. Summoning all the will I could, imagining Theo just off in the woods, on his way into danger, I exploded into action. I punched the driver directly on the nose. With a sickening crack, blood spurted from his nostrils and across my knuckles. He recoiled with a shout.

  The two girls, borderline corpses just a moment before, became a tornado of screams and flying fists and gouging nails. They practically leapt over me in their frenzy to attack the guy. He shifted into park and fumbled with the door handle but their fury was inhuman - they were squeezing into the front seats and on top of him faster than I would have guessed they were physically able.

  The roars of multiple engines speeding by surrounded the van. I jumped at a knock on the window on one side and then the other. I looked out the back in time to see bikers - Devils - climbing from their bikes and approaching the second van from one side, just as its driver jumped from the seat and ran out towards the woods in the opposite direction.

  The explosives.

  Too fast.

  I have to warn them!

  Hands shaking, I unlocked the side door and slid it open.

  A Devil stood there with a big, heavy device - jaws of life? - preparing to pry his way in.

  Theo.

  He blanched. My mouth flapped uselessly. Get it together. "Bomb," I finally spit out, pointing at the second vehicle. I stood halfway out the door and screamed back at them, "Bomb!" They had the vehicle surrounded and were pulling more girls out.

  "Move! Run!" Theo roared. They sped up their work, tossing the underweight women over their shoulders or lifting them in their arms and bolting for the woods.

  Theo leapt on me, pinning me the floor of the van and shielding me with his body.

  It all happened like it was underwater. Theo's chin stubble was abrasive against my forehead. His chest felt so solid above me, it could have stopped a truck. Orange light flickered through the van, followed by a wave of intense heat and sound like thunder that made my ears explode with pain. Glass shattered; the very ground rocked beneath us. But I'm safe. I reached up and wrapped my arms around the back of his neck, breathing his name like a prayer, "Theo, Theo." I couldn't believe he was there.

  He lifted me from the van as soon as the noise subsided. Someone was screaming. Black smoke roiled from the destroyed van, and somewhere behind it, I could hear gunshots. More Eagles? I didn't care, it was all so far away. I kissed his neck, tasting his hot skin, his sweat.

  He shuddered as he squeezed me tight against him. He didn't say anything - what was there to say? - but he held me in a fierce embrace as he took long, deep breaths, struggling to stay in control.

  Finally he loosed his grip. He gave my eyes an examining look and hissed, "Shit. Can you stand?"

  "Yeah." He carefully placed me on my feet and held me around my waist until he was sure I wasn't going to fall. Then he opened the driver's side door. The driver, bleeding from deep gouges in his face, was still trying to fend off the girls. They bled from multiple cuts as well - all the glass in the van had been blown out. One of them had taken his gun but didn't seem interested in using it as anything more than a bludgeon.

  Theo grabbed the man and yanked him out. He dropped to the ground with a yelp. "Crazy fucking bitches!" Theo planted a heavy boot on his chest.

  "In the car with them," he said to me, "Can you drive?" It would take me forever to turn the key but fortunately the engine was still running. I nodded, though my chest ached at the thought of leaving his side already.

  "Just be ready," he said, "If any Eagles come at you, then drive as fast and as far as you can. I'll be right behind you. You still have the watch?" It had to be on the floor somewhere, so I just nodded. Below him, the driver groaned in pain, gripping Theo's ankle. He ignored him. "Good. I'll be right back."

  I grabbed his arm. Gunshots still rang out beyond the smoke - I knew he had to go. We weren't out of danger yet. But my hands acted on their own.

  He guided me into the driver's seat. His face twisted momentarily, considering his options. "Go," I said, "Go. They need you." But he had to pry my fingers loose.

  "We'll be fine," said the girl with the gun, showing him the weapon. He nodded.

  He lifted the driver to his feet and, his own gun unholstered and in hand, led him forward into the smoke and chaos.

  When the girl leveled the gun at me, I thought she was joking. "Get in the back or get out. We're leaving."

  I blinked. "What?!"

  "You heard me. We ain't sticking around for any of this."

  "They just saved you!"

  She shook her head. "I'm through with all these fucks. Move!" Feeling numb, I let myself out of the van. I had to dodge as she immediately jumped behind the wheel and backed away from the motorcycle’s wreckage, then swerved around it and sped away from the scene, tires squealing.

  I staggered towards the side of the road and dropped to the grass. Voices were shouting. Gunshots still rang out and a woman was still screaming. I laid back and watched the black smoke dissolving into the blue sky. I'm still high as fuck. Maybe if I just close my eyes for a minute... The noise began to fade...

  "Ivy!" Someone was calling me from miles away. Maybe if I ignore it, they'll stop. The feminine voice was familiar, but I couldn't conjure a face or place. "Ivy!" Closer now. Just a few thousand feet above me, calling me from the clouds. Wait there, I'll be right up.

  "Ivy, please, open your eyes!" Someone was shaking me. I groaned in protest. "She's alive," the voice said, cracking with relief.

  Dawn.

  I forced my eyes open and blinked up at her. "Thank God," she said. She disappeared from my vision. I sat up and saw her pulling Irish's arm over her shoulder, supporting him as he staggered. He dropped to the ground next to me, smelling of smoke and burned flesh. He had a gun in one hand - the other arm was a black and bloody ruin.

  "Here," she said, sitting between us and gathering us close. She pulled us both in so our heads were resting on her lap. "Stay awake," she said. Her fingers shook as she smoothed my hair. "We're gonna be okay. Just stay awake, both of you."

  "Cold," Irish mumbled. I could feel him shaking next to me - violent shudders that wracked his whole body.

  "Stay with me, Prospect," Dawn said, her voice low with warning. I couldn't see what was happening, my eyes were drooping shut again, but I could hear the increasing panic in her voice, and could feel when the shaking stopped.

  Dawn cried out with despair. I tried to roll and sit up, but she pushed me back down. "Shhh, she said, laying her hand on my forehead. "Shhh."

  Then, above all the chaos, we heard sirens. Gunshots were replaced by the roars of engines, speeding in every dire
ction.

  I tilted my head up as a bike pulled to a stop on the road in front of us.

  "They need the hospital, Bill," Dawn called. The president dismounted and looked down at our prone forms, grimacing at Irish. I struggled to sit up - this time, Dawn let me.

  "I don't," I said. I reached for Bill's hand. "No hospitals. No cops. Please."

  "Are you sure?"

  "I'm not injured." He looked doubtful, but he helped me stand.

  I finally got a better look at Irish. His arm was badly burnt, his leather cut charred and ruined. The side of his head and face was burned, too, though thankfully the awful red and black wasn't near his eye. And he's breathing. Dawn won't leave him.

  "Will you be able to hold on?" Bill asked. More motorcycles raced past. Where the hell was Theo? I nodded emphatically. "Okay."

  We climbed onto his bike, and once he was satisfied that my arms were locked around his middle, we sped away.

  Too fast. Everything's moving too fast. I leaned my head against Bill's back and clung to one thought - don't fall.

  My heart ached leaving Irish behind, but I knew that I was worse than useless in the condition I was in. I didn't belong on the back of a motorcycle either, but it was better than being at the hospital. What the hell would they think, finding me at a scene of so much carnage with such a high dose of heroin still burning through my body? I couldn't begin to guess. So I clung to the president and fled, simply grateful to be back amongst friends. But it was far from over.

  Bill took me to the clubhouse. I noticed the changes right away as we pulled up. Cameras and foglights set high on poles around the parking lot. A big, burly bouncer sitting on the bench near the front door. "This is the most secure place right now," Bill said as the motorcycle quieted. Two more were parked in the lot, but neither of them looked like Theo's. I climbed down on exhausted legs and let him lead me inside.

  The bar was closed but the door unlocked. We found Mort, Anchor and Bars inside. Their eyes skimmed past me uncomfortably, though Mort said, "Glad you're home, honey." I just nodded.

  It was all the older men. Where were the rest? "Don't tell me those hot-heads all went chasing after those fucking Eagles," Bill said. He looked between the three of them. "One of you misplace a bike?"

  Bars held up a wrapped hand, the sleeve of his shirt in charred tatters. "May I see it again in hell, the ugly old hog."

  "Gunner and Jester went chasing after them," Mort said, "No clue where Theo went. All I know is he took a prisoner."

  "Will the Prospect be okay?" Bars asked.

  "He's on his way to the hospital." Bill sighed heavily, then turned to me. "If it wasn't for your warning, there'd be nothing left of Irish or Bars here. We probably would have lost more. Would have been gunned down. So, we're in debt to you."

  I spoke slowly, "No debt. I tried to warn them faster, but..." He silenced me with a hand on my shoulder.

  "But nothing. You did good." He aimed me towards the back rooms and spoke low. "I want you to stay here for a few days. You'll be safe, and we've got some talking to do." I must have made some sound, something like a whine. "Just for any information you might have picked up that can help us get this guy." His voice was gruff, but the hand on my shoulder was gentle. "Go rest. Have a shower. Nella's on her way, she'll check up on you."

  He sent me along with a little shove. A shower. God, that would feel amazing. I took the second room and shut the door behind me.

  It was quiet. In all my time in that awful place, I hadn't had a single moment of privacy. Now, I could feel the silence around me like a blanket. There was something frightening about it. Ominous. I was too aware of my own pulse. I'll clean up and sit out front with Nella, I told myself, undressing on my way to the bathroom.

  I turned up the hot water and stood with my forehead against the tiles. I knew it was futile. I'd never feel clean, not as long as that foul substance was still flowing through me, fogging up my brain. The effects were finally beginning to wear off - the spacey drugged feeling was giving way to plain old exhaustion. Aches and soreness replaced the heavy numb feeling in my limbs.

  I nearly fell as the bathroom door crashed open. My brain froze in terror. I flattened myself against the shower wall. Big hands tore back the curtain.

  "Theo." I sagged against the tiles and placed a hand over my heart. "You scared the shit out of me."

  "You scared the shit out of me." He stepped inside the tub, heedless of the water, and pulled me tight against his chest. "I'm sorry. I had trouble securing the prisoner. I shouldn't have left you in that van at all." I leaned into him as the water soaked his shirt. Emotions I couldn't process swirled through my chest, but above them all I felt safe. Nestled against Theo's broad chest, nothing else in the world could touch me.

  "Let me help," he said, grabbing a washcloth from the towel rod and the little hotel-sized bar of soap. I sighed with contentment as he worked up a lather and scrubbed my back. He ran the washcloth up and down gently, then moved on to my arms. He growled at the sight of all the bruises - finger-sized discolorations on my neck and scattered everywhere else.

  It was a very intimate act; my heart fluttered in my chest when he met my eyes.

  "Okay?" he asked. I nodded. He moved to my front, keeping the process nonsexual even as he washed my breasts and moved lower to my thighs. The water soaked his pants and boots, but he was too focused on me to pay them to any attention. He even had me lift my legs so he could scrub my feet.

  The water was only lukewarm when he finally turned it off. Then he wrapped me in a towel and lifted me off my feet. "What-"

  "Floor's dirty. You can wear one of my shirts until Nella brings you some clothes. And you have to eat something."

  He carried me just next door to his room. I wanted to ask, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? I wanted to scream, I'm not an invalid, I don't need you or anyone! But I kept my mouth shut. He handed me a t-shirt that nearly reached my knees and a pair of socks that could have fit three of my feet in each one. His face was twisted with pain when he thought I wasn't looking. He needed to take care of me.

  And truth was, I needed the help. Left to my own devices, I might have just stayed in that tub all night.

  He changed out of his wet clothes behind his closet door, emerging in sweatpants and a white undershirt. Any other time I would have jumped on him looking like that. My gaze lingered as it was.

  "Go ahead and lie down for a bit," he said, "I'm gonna see what I can find in the kitchen."

  I shook my head. "I'm not hungry."

  "I'm making you something anyway. Even if you don't eat it. We’ve got to get some water into you, too."

  I bit my lip. Don't be a baby. More than anything I didn't want to be left alone. "I'll be fast," he promised. Then he slipped out of the room.

  He's right, I told myself, You need to eat now, before you're too sick to do anything. I knew that was coming.

  "I still can't believe I'm here," I said when he returned. He'd made BLTs and hot coffee and encouraged me to eat. I took a few bites for his sake, then polished off the sandwich when I realized I was starving.

  "You're here." He squeezed my hand to prove it. "Tell me what else I can do. Still hungry? Thirsty?"

  I shook my head. "I'm so tired."

  He grimaced. "Is it safe for you to sleep?"

  "It should be now," I said. "I mean, it is if..."

  "If what?"

  I bit my lip. "If you stay with me." Please, please stay.

  "Of course. As long as you want."

  I crawled onto the bed with him with a grateful sigh. He laid on his back and pulled me close so I was draped across his chest. "Thank you," I whispered. "This feels so goddamn good I could die."

  He rested his chin on my head and stroked my back with a soothing touch. "Sleep," he whispered, "I'll watch you. Sleep." I drifted right off, warm and safe in his arms. It still felt like a dream.

  ◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙

  It was dark. My stomac
h was in a knot. It was warm - no, I was overheating, sweating, in somebody else's bed, and I wasn't in it alone. My whole body jerked upright as if electrically shocked to life, tensing and preparing for whatever hell was in store next.

  The figure next to me in the bed stirred. "Ivy?" It was Theo. It wasn't a dream. I was home. "You okay?"

  I touched the sweat on my forehead. Everything ached when I moved. A familiar feeling - it happened when Viper withheld the drugs. "No."

  He sat up. "What is it?"

  I didn't answer. I didn't want him to know. Who can help? This was a biker club. I’d never sought then out before but drugs should be easy to find.

  Jester. He was high every time I was with him. "Think everyone's back yet? Bill wanted to talk."

  He shrugged and rubbed his eyes. He must have dozed off for a while himself. "I can find out."

  Wait, what the fuck am I thinking? "Yes. No. I don't know." I rubbed my arms.

  "Talk to me." He drew me close and kissed my forehead.

  I blew out a breath. He's going to figure it out fast if he hasn't already. "I need a hit," I whispered.

  He cursed under his breath.

  I forced myself to meet his eyes. "Don't let me."

  "It gets ugly," he said. "No matter what you do, which way you go... You sure you want to go cold turkey?"

  "Yes." I made myself say it though doubts invaded my mind. What would it matter if I gave in? What difference would it make? Could I ever hope to move on from what happened? The drug will get its claws in deeper, but at least I won’t have to feel like this.

  "That look on your face," he said, "Whatever you're thinking, stop it.What would Dawn think? When Bill suggested halting our attempts to contact you, she threatened to sell herself into that club. She was ready to join you there, to work together to get back out.

  And Irish. When we found one of the men that did the kidnapping, Irish shot and killed him. He killed a man out of despair for you."