by London Casey
“My land is my business,” Jim said.
“Please,” I said to Jim now. “You don’t understand what’s happening.” Then it hit me. The one morning I saw Jim messing with folders. The same folders I had organized all our personal stuff in. I purposely gave him all of his stuff, hoping that one day he’d organize it and take control of his life. “You…”
“It’s my land,” he said. “It’s my money. I’ll do what I want. Is that a crime?”
Duke shook his head. “It kind of is, man. You don’t know what you just did. Fuck.”
Duke left the kitchen and left me standing in shock.
I just stared at Jim. “You sold land?”
“So?”
“That was for us. From Mom and Dad.”
“Look, Belle, you think I want to live here for the rest of my life? Attached to this house? Living like this?”
“I think I should go,” Maggie said.
“No,” I said. “Stay, Maggie. Take a good look at him. A good look at my brother.”
“It’s my fucking land,” Jim growled.
“You didn’t even talk to me. You’re so selfish.”
Jim lowered his head and his eyes were like that of a demon.
Duke popped back into the kitchen. “I’ve got to go. Right now.”
I jumped after Duke and grabbed for his arm. “What is it? What’s going to happen?”
I chased Duke to the front door before he finally stopped me. He pulled me to the porch and pinned me against the house.
“I can’t believe this,” he said. “I have to go and try to fix this. I need everything about this deal. Everything. Whether that’s legal or not.”
“I’m… what…”
“Sweetie, you want the truth?” Duke was so abrasive and in my face. “Your brother all but dug his grave with this decision. Got that?”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. I need to go talk to my guys and figure out how to proceed here.”
Duke started to move and I sank my nails into his arms. “Duke. I’m sorry. I had no idea. I never have an idea what Jim is doing.”
“I know, sweetie. I’ll protect you. I’ll defend you. Him too.”
Duke leaned in and planted a kiss to my lips.
He then left me lingering.
I watched the outlaw ride away and had no idea what to do next.
Trouble was everywhere… the worst, however, in my heart.
chapter seventeen.
(duke)
Of all the things going on, the one thought that plagued was why had I kissed Belle? There was no need to kiss her. Shit, all I needed to know was whether she was involved with the land deal with the Hell Five or not.
I made my way back into Daurian only to receive a phone call that something was going down.
Ivan was at the clubhouse. With a prospect taken as a hostage.
It was the last thing I needed to hear and deal with.
I gunned my ride back to the clubhouse and sure enough, Ivan and Peter were standing in the lot with Trev and Jasper. Another huge looking man had one of our prospects by the throat, a gun pointed at him.
When I finally got off my ride, Ivan had taken out his big handgun.
Trent pushed his way between Trev and Jasper, doing his job to protect the Prez and VP.
I was right there with him.
“What is this?” I asked.
“You,” Ivan said, looking right at me. “We shoot you. We tell you to get blood money. What do you do? You bar fight and fuck country girl.”
“What?” I asked.
“What the fuck is he talking about?” Jasper asked.
“You know what I talk about,” Ivan said. Spit was in the corner of his mouth.
“Ivan, look at me,” Trev said. “We’re going to get your money. We already offered to give you the money out of our share. Take it. What the fuck do I care? We’re dealing with our business our way. We took on the Hell Five bar to prove a point. We have them rattled.”
“Who the fuck is this country girl?” Trent asked.
That’s when it hit me.
Belle.
Ivan and his cronies were following me?
I stepped forward and Peter was right there, hand out, hitting my chest.
“Touch me again and I’ll break your arm,” I said to Peter.
“Get the money,” Ivan said. “My money. No more fucking around.”
“What’s changed your mind here?” Trev asked. “You didn’t seem to mind before. You seemed to trust us.”
“No trust,” Ivan said. “It’s dead.”
“Too convenient,” Peter said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“You lose money,” Peter said. “You tell us you were attacked. Fair enough. We kill our own man for you. Then you, right there you” - Peter poked a finger to my chest - “you are in bed with someone getting land with the money stolen.”
“We fucking know the truth!” Ivan bellowed.
“Jesus Christ,” I said. “That’s not…”
“Enough,” Peter said.
He made a quick fist and threw a punch at me. Right to my lip, splitting it open. I stepped back but wasn’t going to take that shit. I lunged at Peter and clocked him in the jaw.
Then I had the entire MC on top of me, trying to keep me away.
The melee only ended when Ivan’s gun boomed.
I ended up on my ass, just sitting there with Peter standing feet away.
He pointed at me. “We will find all truth.”
“Why don’t you let us talk this out?” Jasper asked.
“No more,” Ivan said. “When we come back, it’s all over.”
They turned to walk away and that’s when I caught sight of the prospect. Ivan shot him. That was the gunshot. Right through the chest.
“Fuck!” I screamed.
I started to lean forward but then felt hands grab the back of my leather cut. Next thing I knew I was hoisted up into the air by both Trev and Jasper. Trent then grabbed me and threw me into a motorcycle and I knocked the damn thing over. I lunged forward at Trent, ready for a goddamn fight, when Kye jumped into the picture.
I was inches from hitting him.
He shook his head at me.
“It’s time,” he whispered. “Tell them everything you know.”
“Tell us what?” Jasper asked.
“Fuck this,” Trev said. “I don’t play these games.”
Trev - the Prez - ripped out a gun and put it right under my chin.
chapter eighteen.
(belle)
“That was scary,” Maggie said.
“Scary?” I asked. “What my brother did is scary.”
I turned and saw Jim approaching the door. He had a folder in his hand. He stepped out onto the porch and tossed the folder to the table. He pointed to it.
“It’s all there,” he said. “I’m going to sell all the acres out back. Down payment was delivered. It’s all up to whatever legal shit that needs to be done. I don’t really care.”
“You don’t care,” I said. “That’s the problem, Jim. Do you realize what you’ve done…”
“What have I done?” Jim growled.
“Jim,” Maggie said. “Just come sit down and talk to us.”
I couldn’t believe when Jim listened. He grabbed a chair and plopped himself down.
I leaned against the railing. “All I know is that you sold land to some really bad guys.”
“And like Duke isn’t a bad guy himself? Running with that club?”
“So, what, this is revenge?”
“Fuck no, sis,” Jim said. “I have no idea what’s going on. Someone approached me about selling the land. Made an offer and I took it. And what bad guys? This is for some environmental corporation buying it. Not street thugs.”
I opened my mouth but had nothing. It didn’t make sense. Duke couldn’t have been wrong. Right?
I grabbed the folder and opened it. There was a survey of the house, the
original piece of land, and then all the adjacent pieces.
I held the paper up. “Which one did you sell?”
“Sis, the land on the sides is all yours,” Jim said. “I can’t sell that.”
“So this back piece?”
“Yes.”
“And it touches our land?”
“That’s the one.”
“I’m confused,” I said.
“Look, I don’t know what anyone wants from me. I’m doing what’s best for me. I’m sorry if you don’t want new neighbors. I can’t be here for the rest of my life, Belle. You can’t either. Cash in and get away. Get away from it all. You want Duke crashing here every night with you?”
“You going to stop trying to hurt yourself?” I shot back.
“What I do with my life…”
“But it’s my fucking life too!” I screamed.
I slammed the paper into the folder and shut the folder. I then grabbed it and threw it at Jim. Papers started to scatter and Jim couldn’t move fast enough to collect them all.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jim yelled.
I saw myself hitting him a second before my hand slapped his face. It hit with a loud smack and it was years of relief being let go. I grabbed my hand and started to tear up. After all Jim had gone through…
“No,” I said. “You don’t get what you’ve done. Not just with this land. But everything. I gave up my life for you, Jim. I didn’t have to do that. I only called Duke because I was desperate.”
“And lonely,” he said, cocky.
“Of course she’s lonely,” Maggie said. “You’re an asshole, Jim. A fucking asshole.”
Just like that, I had Maggie on my side. Only for a second because then she charged into the house.
“I have nothing else to say here,” I said. “Think what you want about Duke and right and wrong. I don’t care. But if you let criminals buy land and you’re bringing a war from town up here…”
“Duke’s a criminal too,” Jim said. “You know that. I’m no better myself.”
“Whatever,” I said.
I followed Maggie’s path.
I made a few steps into the house and stopped at one of the pictures of me and Jim. We were so young. Not even ten. Sitting in a wagon together, Jim with his lanky arm around me. His big smile, innocent eyes. I had curly hair. And then Dad pulling us along, his arm looking almost as big as Duke’s.
My life was this house, all the land.
And now it was going to be a war zone.
**
The day rolled on. I spent far too much time looking out the window to the backyard of the house. We used to play without recourse there. We crossed lines because there were no neighbors. And then Dad eventually bought everything. But now Jim was selling a portion of the land? That alone hurt but to think he did it behind my back and was now potentially pulling himself into something dark…
“I don’t know what to say,” Maggie said.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to be here right now. I’m sorry you saw all that.”
“No. I’m here, Belle. Do you really think it’s that bad?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I thought the motorcycle stuff was just guys looking for trouble. I mean, you know, drinking and fighting. It goes deep?”
“I guess it does,” I said. “Duke said he saw something and got information out of someone.”
“That’s scary.”
I sat at the kitchen table and looked at Maggie. “When he came here that first time I called, he had been shot. Right when I called him, he had been shot. I changed the bandages for him.”
“That’s crazy,” Maggie said. “Really crazy.”
“I know.”
“Yet you love him.”
“What? No. I never said that.”
Maggie reached for my hand. “Belle, you’ve been in love with Duke since you were too young to know what it felt like to be in love.”
“So is it true you tried to sleep with him?”
Maggie’s cheeks reddened. “Yeah. He kicked me out for you.”
“Interesting.”
There was a knock at the doorway.
It was Jim standing there.
“What?” I asked.
He took a step forward and then hobbled a little because of his leg. He stood tall and looked really pissed off.
“I’m sorry for what I said,” he said. “You’re right, Maggie. I am a fucking asshole. That’s why this whole set up thing with us can’t happen. Nobody needs this in their life. And if whatever is happening with Duke and his club is going to hurt you, sis, I’ll take care of it. I’ll figure this out myself.”
“Jim, let Duke help and just tell the damn truth.”
“It’s not worth whatever is waiting,” Maggie said.
“You both say that,” Jim said. “You weren’t there. Sitting next to him as he was driving. We joked about me driving that day. If I had been… I’d be long gone, sis. And Bill would be with his wife and kids.”
I shook my head. “Don’t do this…”
“No,” Jim said. He pointed to Maggie. “You want to see it through my eyes for a second? You think I’m some kind of hero? That’s what I think about all the time. When the first explosion went off, I grabbed for him. He shouldered me away. I turned and threw the other two guys out. I turned to get Bill and the second explosion happened. If I was faster, stronger, if I just grabbed the keys from Bill…”
I saw Maggie cover her mouth.
Jim still stood there, almost stoic. I had never seen him do that before. Just stand there and blurt out parts of his story. Hell, it took a year for him just to talk to me about what happened over there.
“Duke dragged me out,” he said. “Left Bill. Bill was already gone, but I always wonder what would have happened if I got him out. Shit happens. But not that day. My best friend saved me so I could live in pain and guilt. That’s all I have to say about Duke. It’s my land out there, too, sis. I’ll do whatever I want. I’m not living in the memory of our parents. I’m not living in the thought of what could have been. It’s time to move on. Completely.”
Jim exited the room and left both myself and Maggie sitting there, speechless.
“I think I need to go talk to him,” Maggie whispered.
“Go.”
When I was alone, I tried to collect my thoughts. I had a few minutes to myself before my phone beeped with a text message from Duke.
Coming up tonight. Make sure Jim doesn’t leave the house. If you have a gun, load it and keep it close. See you later.
nineteen.
(duke)
I wiped blood off the corner of my mouth and Jasper pushed me back to a stool at the bar. A prospect quickly poured me a shot and I threw it back. I then stood up and nodded to Trev, ready for another punch to the mouth.
“Do it again,” I said.
“No,” Trev said. “Table. Everyone.”
I couldn’t blame them for all wanting to beat the shit out of me. I deserved it. If the roles were reversed… shit, they had been with Trent not all that long ago. He defended the hell out of Harlee when she was sent to kill me.
Sadly, I now knew how Trent felt.
I would do anything to protect Belle. And as far as Jim went… fuck. We grew up tighter than brothers. We trained together. We served together. We went to war together.
I got myself a beer and was the last person to enter the conference room. Max shut the door, locked it, and took his seat. I hung back, leaving my chair empty. Maybe it was a symbol to the club. Maybe it was just a symbol to myself. Without the MC I’d run outlaw. Trev had run outlaw many times in his life and look where it got him. Not that I wanted to sit at the head of a charter as President.
“Fire away,” I said.
“Right now the Russians think we’re working with the Hell Five,” Jasper said. “They think we purposely lost their money only to buy up some land. There’s more to this story, but they want to blame you, Duke.”
“A member would have caused a bigger war,” I said. “And you’ve talked to Carlo. I’m not involved in shit.”
“But you know more than the rest of us,” Kye said.
“That I do.”
“Holding back on info?” Trev said. “That’s vote worthy to strip you of your goddamn leather cut.”
“Then fucking vote!” I yelled. “The truth? I’m trying to find out myself. A guy I served in Iraq with is the one who sold that land. I was up there trying to help him personally. His sister called me. He had a couple rough nights. That’s why I was up there.”
“Pussy,” Cash said. “Always goddamn pussy.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “It’s more.”
“Jesus Christ, Duke,” Jasper said. “If he sold that land, what are we supposed to do?”
“My plan was to go back up there and talk to him. I was up there already and found out it was him that sold the land and not his sister. That was my first priority.”
“Pussy,” Cash said.
“If you say the word pussy again I’m going to make it so you never enjoy pussy again.”
“Cash, shut up,” Trev said. “Duke, keep talking. My patience is counting to zero.”
“Jim lost a leg over there. He was blown up. I saved him. It was a bad situation for a long time for him. Trying to recover. His sister has been helping for years. I kept my distance because I had nothing to say to Jim. I couldn’t save him from himself. That’s the fucking truth. I was on my way back here when I stopped to take a piss. I heard voices and that’s when I saw what looked like a deal going down. I trapped one of the prospects, figuring he’d talk fastest and wouldn’t be all that missed right away. That’s the fucking truth.”
I looked around the table to my brothers. Like I had to get their approval.
“Keep going,” Trent said.
“That’s it,” I said. “I found out about the land and here I am now. Belle owns a few sections. Jim owns a few sections. The one that the Hell Five bought was owned by Jim.”
“Then we stop the deal,” Austin said.
“Can we do that, Cade?” Trev asked.
“We can do anything we want. But if things are in motion… being transferred… it’s going to be tricky.”
“Then we better move,” Xavier said.