Devil's Girl: Dust Bowl Devils MC
Page 12
His hands clenched into fists. "We. Bill demanded that you come along. Brand wants to speak with you, out there on neutral territory. "
"Good! Maybe I’ll lure that bastard to us, too. Anything that'll bring that snake to you guys so someone can put a bullet in him. I'll send him the fucking invitation myself." I realized I was digging my fingers into his shoulders and relaxed my grip. "This trade. You won't actually go with him, will you?"
"We're making this up as we go, babe. We'll wait and see. For now, we ride."
He revved his engine, but I pounded on his shoulder. "My truck. More cover. More discreet."
He laughed. "I'm a biker, honey. I'd sooner show up to a gunfight with rocks."
"Then I'll follow you. I want my truck, Theo." I need to be able to run for it if you can't. I won’t be left stranded. I won’t let them take me again.
He must have thought it, too, or something similar. "Okay. I don't like it. But okay."
Theo checked my beat-up old pickup truck for explosives before letting me anywhere near it.
And then we drove. I was secretly thrilled that he was bringing me along instead of making me stay home no matter what Bill said. If I was living one minute at a time, then I had a whole lot of minutes of a road trip to live in first.
As I pulled out onto the highway behind him, I thought I might have made a mistake. Being alone scared me. But with the sun on my skin, the wind blowing through my windows, the open road and my view of Theo’s back - my brain quieted.
The gun tucked into the back of my jeans added an extra sense of security, too.
I rummaged through the glove compartment where I stored most of my favorite cassettes. The truck was old, and they sounded pretty awful after years and years of use. But they belonged to my father before me. Dealing with flipping the tape, holding down the fast-forward button, using a pencil to turn and fix loose ribbons - it was all part of the ritual.
“Blowing into it isn’t going to help, you’re just getting the dust further in there.” He wore his denim jacket and his sunglasses. The truck still had that new car smell. We were moving again - we were always moving. Suitcases and bags piled beneath a tarp bounced in the bed in the back. “The ribbon is loose. Look at it, it’s just sagging out. Got a pencil?”
I handed him one from my schoolbag. Steering with his knees, he jammed it in one of the cassettes holes and turned it. The bulge disappeared. “Driving like that’s dangerous.”
He returned the tape to me and put his hands back on the wheel. “Driving without music is dangerous, too.”
I played the same tape - Iggy Pop sang through the speakers. My head was clear; I was one with the road. The only future I had to think about right then was the miles right in front of me. Cross one. Cross another. Repeat. Maybe it’s time to move on. Drift around the country again. Start over again.
Theo stopped us just before sunset. He waved at me to get my attention and turned off the highway. I followed him into the parking lot of the tiniest diner I’d ever seen. Built exclusively for truck drivers, stepping inside was like stepping back in time. A waitress in a striped dress directed us into a booth, complete with tall menus and a tabletop jukebox. The old kind that flipped through pages of tracks like a book and operated on quarters. I hit the arrows to turn the pages while Theo ordered us coffee.
I could sense his smile before I even looked up. “There you are,” he said.
“I’m in the road zone,” I said. I ran a hand through my hair. “Got a quarter?”
We ate burgers and drank coffee in contented silence. I think he was afraid to break whatever spell had come over me. It wasn’t a spell at all - it was a reprieve from one. A cleansing of a curse, at least temporarily.
“’Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.’”
I smirked. “Quit quoting Kerouac, Dad.” I was in a precocious know-it-all phase. We were only taking a short weekend trip. As I grew a little older, he made an effort to keep me in the same school for as long as either of us could stand it.
“I’m glad you’re reading my books.”
“I ran out of my own.” I put my bare feet up on the dashboard.”Where are we going, anyway?”
He shrugged. “Going to see what we can see.”
I wondered what made him that way, what made him want to wander. He didn’t seem to be running to or from anything in particular. Maybe he wasn’t such a complex soul as I used to imagine; maybe he was just plain restless in general.
I missed him all the time.
Theo had us driving well into the night. He wanted to cover as much ground as possible as quickly as possible. He wanted to beat Viper there, buy himself some time to talk to Bill, figure out something. He told me to flash the high beams if I needed to stop.
The coffee would keep me going for a long time still, but a short break wouldn’t ruin our lead. I flashed the lights, honked my horn, and pulled over onto the shoulder. I had all the windows open and the Rolling Stones playing when Theo found me climbing into the truck’s bed. “What’s wrong?” he asked. He climbed up after me. The floor was dusty, but at least it was dry. I used my jacket to cushion my head and laid back.
“Nothing,” I said. It was a clear night, and we could see stars for miles. “Just wanted a break. Two songs?”
He stretched out next to me with a grunt. His legs must have been sore, wrapped around his bike for so many hours. “However many songs you need,” he said. Staring straight up at nothing but the expanse of space made me dizzy, so I turned to face him. There were dark circles under his eyes, but otherwise he looked just as handsome as ever.
“I forgot how much I love road trips,” I said. “Like, really forgot.”
“Funny,” he said, “You’re amongst the right people.”
“Yeah, but they always went places without me. I might as well have lived in the clubhouse.”
“Is that what you want to do when this is over? Take a road trip?” You. Not us. Just me. I felt a stabbing pain in my heart.
“I don’t know,” I said, turning back to the sky. “Maybe. What will you do?”
“I don’t know.” He propped himself up on his arms so he was looking down at me. “You said let’s not worry about later. So, let’s not.”
“You brought it up!”
He grinned down at me. “I have a promise to keep.”
It took me a moment to remember what he was talking about, but once I did, I nodded emphatically.
He took it slow, but his kiss was hungry. He drew my lips between his, sucking gently, tracing little circles with the tip of his tongue. I tugged him closer with a soft moan. God, I feel alive again. His tongue plundered my mouth, thrusting inside and tangling with my own. It built an ache in my belly, a heat between my legs. He pulled back and asked, “You okay?”
“Yes,” I said quickly, and pulled him in closer still. One of his legs slid between mine, and I found myself pressing down on it. I gasped at the sharp thrill that ran through me at the contact. Encouraged, he trapped my head between his arms and kissed me with a more urgent need. He lifted his leg higher for more direct contact against my hot and throbbing pussy. Suddenly overcome with need, I rode his thickly muscled thigh, and the heat became an inferno. I moaned around his tongue.
He broke the kiss with a groan. “I want to make you come,” he said, his lips and tongue leaving a wet path down my neck. “Tell me what to do.”
I panted as I kept rubbing myself against his leg. His face hovered above mine, dark with lust but creased with concern. “Maybe just… this feel really good.” I wouldn’t come that way, though; I needed more direct contact. “Maybe just your hand. I want to stay like this.”
He smiled and kissed my nose. Looking down between us, he unbuttoned my jeans and said, “Lift a little.” With my ass off the floor, he pushed them down just a little ways - just enough to expose my panties. He rubbed me through the thin cotton, already damp with my fluids. He groaned when he touched it.
I writhed against him like a wild thing. When he slid one thick finger inside me, then two, I muttered his name against his lips. His fingers plunged faster as he sensed my need. “Theo, oh, God…” The pad of his thumb found my clit and ground against it.
I came apart with a wail. Rocking against his hand, every muscle tensed as I spasmed around his fingers. My cries echoed up into the night sky as my body thrummed with a pleasure given by the man who’d pulled me from hell, who’d saved me and cared for me and demanded nothing in return; my heart swelled, and for just that brief breath of a moment, I knew joy again.
The trip was over too soon. Everything was happening too fast. Back home, just a few days of quiet was enough to drive me crazy. Now, I just wanted to get in my truck and watch time pass me by.
But we had a job to do.
Theo deposited me in a motel room before meeting with Bill. “Stay inside,” he said, “We’ll just be out in the parking lot.”
“Don’t leave me in the dark. I want to know what’s going on. I think I deserve to know.”
He only nodded.
I watched them through the musty curtains of the seedy motel. The room smelled like stale cigarettes and the air conditioner rattled. Their faces were grim - Gunner, Bill, Theo, Anchor - all four standing in a circle near their parked bikes, figuring out how to take on a monster.
When Theo returned to me, he looked exhausted. "What's the deal?" I asked, letting him inside.
"It's a goddamn mess. Bars checked in - he caught a whole bunch of Eagles hitting the highway together. It's safe to assume they're coming here, but what for?"
"Flock."
"Huh?"
"Not a bunch of Eagles. A flock."
"Glad you find this funny," he muttered, but he drew me into his arms. "Everyone's converging in one place. There's bound to be an explosion and I don't want you anywhere near it."
"Wouldn't matter. I'm not safe anywhere until he's put down."
"Brand wants to meet with you alone."
"What? Why?"
"He and Bill don't have the best history. Issues separate from all this. He wants to judge your story for himself." He sighed. "He just doesn't want to believe he allowed such a maniac inside his club."
I snarled, "I'll give him a fucking earful."
◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙
The Eagles were coming to our motel. “It’s fine,” Bill assured us, “It’s just the president and two of his guys, and they just want to talk.” I tried to look respectable for the upcoming meeting, in clean jeans and a button-down shirt. We needed Brand to take me seriously. “You stay in the room, Ivy. I’ll bring him to you. You do not come out. Understand?”
But when the three arrived on their bikes, they were were followed by two black towncars.
The Devils stepped out of their rooms - Bill, Anchor, and Gunner. Theo followed right behind after commanding me to stay put. I opened the door and leaned out a little ways to listen in anyway.
They spoke with a distance between them. “Where’s the girl?” one of the Eagles asked. If I squinted I could make out his VP patch. The president, Brand, stood to his left. He was the tallest of the three Eagles, but it was his shock of orange hair and his bushy orange beard that made him stand out more than anything.
“She’s here,” Bill said, “Who’s your guests?”
The president stepped forward. “Let’s see her.”
I leaned further out the door and shouted, “I’m close enough to hear you, don’t pretend like you can’t see me!” Theo’s shoulders shook - definitely a chuckle. Well, the guy’s being obtuse on purpose.
“Come on out, then. We just want to talk, that was the deal.” The bad feeling was getting worse.
“Who’s in the cars?” Bill and the rest seemed content to let me talk. That or they were as nervous as I was and were looking for an escape. I don’t think they planned on the Eagles being so… inhospitable. He made a bad call. He trusted this guy too much.
One of the car doors flew open, and a nightmare stepped out. Viper. He bounced with glee as he walked towards the circle of men. Those fucking Eagles led him right to us!
Theo pulled and aimed his gun. Everybody else followed. “I’m sorry, Bill,” the president said, “He’s got my daughter. Hand over Theo and the girl, and the rest of you can walk out of here.” More movement by the cars - men aiming guns over the open doors. I counted three. Seven on four. Seven ruthless, soulless bastards, and four Devils. They’d be crazy to try to fight.
But where can any of us go?
Theo lowered his gun. “Just me. That was the deal we offered, and that’s the only deal that stands.”
A mock pout spread across Viper’s face. “Why bring her all the way out here and not let me have her?”
“Treachery,” Bill growled, his eyes locked on Brand. The bearded man flinched.
Viper patted his jacket pocket. That pocket. He said, “I’ve got a lure. She’ll come to me, anyway. Won’t you, darling?” I knew what he was hiding, and I hungered for it. The need came roaring to life with it so close, just barely out of reach. I gripped the door.
“You were here for me to begin with, Viper,” Theo said, “Me in exchange for you to stop snatching up the Devil’s girls. Ivy included.”
My hands shook. “Come on out,” Viper called, ignoring Theo’s bargaining. “I”ll give you what you need. I’ll take care of you.”
“Get back inside, Ivy!” Theo barked.
But the drug called me like a siren’s song. I craved it. And it made me furious. “Fuck you!” I said, “And you, Bill. Did you know what they had planned?” I stepped out from behind the door. “Did you sell us out? For what?” His shoulders slumped.
“Stay where you are, goddammit!” Theo dropped his gun and put his hands up. Walking towards the cars, he said, “I’m coming with you, Viper. Leave her and I won’t fight. It’s just business. It’s that fucking simple.”
Watching his back retreating, watching him ready to sacrifice himself for me, futile as it was, made up the conflict in my mind. No matter how much I wanted the drug that Viper offered, I wanted Theo more.
But Viper wouldn’t know that.
I approached with my hands up. “She comes to me like the whore she is,” Viper said, a sick sneer on his face. “Who am I to stop her?”
Bill made a grab for my arm as I passed, but I wrenched away.
Then he saw what I had tucked into the back of my jeans and let me go.
“Give it to me now,” I said to Viper. I extended my arm.
“In the car.”
“No. I need it.” I dropped my eyes in supplication. “Please.”
“Can’t resist when you ask so nice.”
He tucked his gun away and reached inside his pocket. When his eyes were down, I pulled mine out and pressed it against his head.
Time slowed. Viper stretched his arms out, showing empty hands. “Let’s not do anything crazy now, sugar.”
Crazy didn’t begin to describe it. I grabbed his hair with my other hand, just as gunshots went off around us. The Eagle’s turned on Viper’s men and fired. Brand shouted, “No! Stop!” but no one listened. What the fuck… Viper took advantage of my distraction. He surged forward and knocked me onto my back. My gun went clattering away across the asphalt.
Theo jumped on his back in an instant. Fists flew; bones cracked. I wanted to scream.
The Eagles were ducking behind their bikes and firing at the cars. The Devils scattered. I couldn’t see who ran where - someone was down. Someone took shelter in my room and fired from behind the door. Someone was amongst the cars in the parking lot. I cast my eyes about for my gun. My heart stuttered when I spotted it just a few yards away. Move! I ran for it. Theo shouted in
pain, but I forced myself to focus on getting my hands around that gun. I was almost on it when a pair of arms surrounded my waist and swung me around off my feet. I flew. The wind blew out of me when I slammed against the ground. No no no, oh God…I shielded my face, expecting Viper’s fist or bullet or worse.
Then Theo was there, hovering over me, shielding me from Viper and the vicious laugh that poured from his mouth as he raised his gun. If only I’d gotten to mine in time, if only I was stronger, faster. He’s going to kill Theo. He’s going to drag me out of here and back to his hell. Theo met my eyes. Fury bubbled in them, but sadness, too. Everything happened too fast.
We both flinched when the shot rang out, but then Theo turned, grimacing, but unharmed. Viper’s face was a twisted mask of shock as he dropped bonelessly to the ground, his forehead pierced by a bullet that left behind a gaping red hole. I looked behind us. Bill.
“You were supposed to stay in the room,” he grunted.
“You planned this.” The gunfight had silenced. Theo started to get up, to move in on him, but I held him back with a hand against his chest.
Someone else called out to him, “Bill! You son of a bitch!” One of the cars was pulling away. The other’s gunmen were on the ground. Brand staggered over, bleeding from somewhere beneath his black cut.
“He needed to die, Brand. Negotiating with him would have gotten us nowhere. We’ll find your daughter.”
Sirens sounded in the distance. “Time to go,” Theo said, pulling me to my feet.
Gunner was down with a bullet in his thigh. “He needs the hospital,” I said as Bill stood over him, thinking. Anchor joined us, looking grim but uninjured. Brand’s own men were on their feet as well.
“That’s thanks to me,” Gunner said, indicating the group as they revved their bikes and prepared to leave. “They can’t aim worth shit.” He wagged a finger at Anchor. “Neither can you.”
“Fuck you,” the older man said with a grin. “So what do you want to do? Hospital?”
“No. It came clean out the other side.” He winced as he tried to stand. “Find me someone who’ll stitch it up quietly.”