Nicolas reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He took out a piece of paper. Lucky for me, because I thought it was going to be a gun. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together that made up Oakville was really turning into a big mess.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Who I need taken out.”
“Why can’t you do it?”
“I don’t want to,” Nicolas said. “This is yours to do. Show that we can work together.”
“Why the fuck would I work with you?” I asked.
Nicolas leaned in. “I know where every bone is buried. I can tie you to enough murders to make Devil Call disappear. Or maybe I can finance some weaponry for the Mountain Killers. Or… maybe…” Nicolas reached back into his pocket. He took out another piece of paper. “This might interest you.”
“Why’s that?”
“You can read it. You can make your decision. I normally don’t give much time, but I’ll give you a favor. I mean, you took one hell of a beating from Tommy. Damn shame what his girl did, you know? She was a beautiful woman. Horrible they found her in the pool. She got drunk, slipped, hit her head…”
“I thought Tommy said…”
Nicholas put a finger to his lips. “We write the stories, Layne. Remember that. We write it all. Now get the fuck out of my car.”
I climbed from the car, holding two pieces of paper. The first one had a name and address on it. It meant absolutely nothing to me. What was I supposed to do? Go on a hunt for this name?
The second piece of paper… that was far different.
I stared at it.
Seconds passed.
Minutes passed.
A breeze stirred and died.
A warm silence cocooned me as I blinked fast and read it all again.
The car still hadn’t driven away. The back window rolled down and Nicholas was there.
“I don’t believe it,” I said.
“Don’t. But we have your blood. So we can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, Layne. And we mean business.”
“Fuck you.”
Nicolas grinned. “Oh, and before I go… tell Shelby I said hello.”
“How the fuck…”
“Ask her how her father is doing. Damn shame how he turned out. Wearing the badge and not being able to do anything with it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You didn’t know,” Nicolas said. “Well then, allow me to fuck up your day even more. Shelby is the Chief’s daughter. And she’s right inside your clubhouse.”
With that, the car drove away.
My hands tightened around the papers in my hand.
I don’t know what pissed me off more.
That Nicolas was fucking with my head… blood? Family? It has to be impossible. Or the fact that Shelby was a liar. Another woman beautiful. Another woman fucking me over.
It was time to start killing.
Remember - it was my decision.
6.
(Layne)
My ride had been lifted back up and placed on the side of the road. Like nothing had happened to me. The motorcycle started with ease and I was back on the road. The wind against my face, charging toward the horizon, my mind heavy with thought. This definitely was not what I had expected coming to Oakville. Some of it all felt like a big set up. Like I was put here to be fucked with.
That’s okay though, I could take on anything in front of me.
As I got closer to the clubhouse, I saw Hawke and Brett on their motorcycles. When they spotted me, they waved their hands.
I didn’t wave back.
I had a one-track mind.
To get to the fucking clubhouse and put Shelby against the wall. And it wasn’t going to be to fuck her. It was going to be…
I throttled the ride, making its cries louder, making the engine roar, picking up speed. Before I knew it, I was on a death course toward the compound. When I saw it rise up from the horizon, I gritted my teeth. Like it or not, this was now my home. This was my place to takeover and completely control. Even if it meant wiping out the entire crew and starting over. I could easily talk to Talon and have a meeting with other charters and Presidents to patch over some members.
I sped up to the compound gate and saw Mack standing there. His face was drawn, his jumpsuit half unzipped. He looked at me and opened the gate. It was robotic. I realized Jack was missing, and felt the punch to the gut when I started to put two and two together.
That had me picking up speed and racing right up to the fucking door of the clubhouse. I killed the engine and jumped off. Brett and Hawke were right behind me.
“Layne!” Brett yelled. “Jesus fuck, man.”
I turned. “Where the fuck is Jack?”
“Jack?” Hawke asked.
“The gate!” I growled. “Where’s Jack?”
“Shit,” Brett said. “He was killed. Black car rolled up…”
Fucking Nicolas and his crew.
I made fists. I charged to one of the tables and flipped it over.
“Where’s everyone?” I asked.
“Out looking for you,” Hawke said. “Finn had a map and was trying to figure something out.”
“Call him,” I said. “Right now. I want everyone here.”
“What happened to you?” Brett asked.
“I’ll ask the questions,” I snapped. “Where’s Shelby?”
“Shelby… I, uh… I don’t know.”
“She have a phone number?”
“Yeah,” Brett said. “I have it. If you want it.”
“Now,” I said. “Fuck.”
Brett called out the number and I punched it in my phone. I dialed and waited. Hawke was pacing, on his phone, calling the rest of the guys to get their asses back to the clubhouse.
“Hello?” a cracked voice answered.
“Shelby? It’s Layne.”
“Layne! Help! They’re following me.”
“Who’s following you?”
“Mountain Killers…”
“Shit!” I yelled.
I ran and grabbed Brett by his leather. I pointed to his motorcycle and nodded. He hurried to get his helmet back on.
“Tell me where you are,” I said into the phone.
“I’m near the bar. Pep’s. On that road. Coming toward the clubhouse. I don’t want them to attack.”
“Keep going. I’m on my way.”
I ended the call and ran to Hawke. Brett’s motorcycle was alive and ready to go. I yelled at Hawke, “Get everyone here! I’ll be back in a minute!”
“Don’t go alone!” Hawke yelled. “Even with Brett… you need more protection. You’re the President, Layne. We can’t lose you.”
I was humbled for half a second.
I nodded. “Thanks. But I’m not going to sit behind a gavel, Hawke. My ass is on the line every time I breathe. That’s how I’m going to fix this.”
I ran to my ride and got on.
As I started to ride, I considered what I was about to do. Put my life on the line for Shelby? For the Chief’s daughter? It was completely fucked up. I should have just let her fucking burn. If the Mountain Killers wanted her…
Shit.
My mind didn’t want to think about what they would do to her. Better yet, the things they’d do to her to try and fuck with Devil Call.
I had to save Shelby. And then I could deal with her on my terms. My way.
Mack held the gates open for us as we tore out. I cut to the left and sped up. I purposely moved into the wrong lane and stayed there. I directed Brett to stay in his lane. So it was just the two of us. To save Shelby, who was a fucking liar to the MC. And to take on the Mountain Killers again.
I gritted my teeth and rode faster, harder.
It was a dangerous speed.
We moved up over a ridge and then around a bend.
That’s when I saw Shelby and the Mountain Killers, her little car, and four motorcycles.
There were two behind her and one on each side of her
. Christ, they could have shot her. They could have boxed her in and forced her stop. But they didn’t. They were just trying to fuck with us.
I was in no mood to be fucked with.
I had been shot, attacked, and kidnapped already, and I was done being nice.
I reached for my gun and wasted no time in taking the first shot this time.
Was I really aiming for a kill? No. I just wanted these fuckers gone.
Three shots and they started to move. The two on the side of Shelby dropped back and got in line behind the others. They all drew their weapons. I sped up even more, just feet away from Shelby’s car. I waved my gun at her, hoping she would take the hint and pull to the side of the road.
She did, thankfully, cutting the wheel to the right. She hit dirt and rock, sending up a cloud of dust.
Now it was just four on two, a fair enough fight.
I moved to the right and got close to Brett. I made a fist with my right hand pumped it at Brett. Slow down! Fucking stop, bro!
Brett and I slowed.
All around was the rumbling yell of motorcycles. If they wanted a fucking shootout in the middle of the road, I’d do it. I reminded myself of the police car the Mountain Killers had in their shithole of a compound, a reminder that they were completely ruthless.
As Brett and I came to a stop and the Mountain Killers rode by, I reached out and grabbed him. I hit the kickstand on my ride and then jumped off it. I pulled Brett to the ground, shielding ourselves with our motorcycles. Better to let bullets hit the rides than fucking kill us,.
There were a few ping sounds as bullets hit our rides. The Mountain Killers kept riding though, speeding up, knowing their safest haven was to be at their compound. Out here in the middle of the street, close to town, it was risky. If the police showed up, we were still bound by some sense of the law. Nobody wanted to deal with the fucking badges right now. There was too much else to handle.
Once the motorcycles were nothing but a distant roar, I jumped up. First thing I did was check my motorcycle. She was in good shape, no damage. And she started right back up. Small victories were great.
I then pointed to Brett’s ride. “Get back on. Clubhouse, now.”
I took two steps and saw Shelby staring at me from her window. Slowly, the window went down. Her pretty face was white as a ghost. She was goddamn terrified. I had no idea what she expected was going to happen fucking around with motorcycle clubs like this. As I stared at her, I thought about the papers in my pocket. One with a name and an address. The other with some personal bullshit that couldn’t have been true. More than that, I thought about what Nicolas had said.
Shelby… you’re fucking beautiful… but you’re a fucking snitch…
I thought about what I had ordered for Bain when I found out what he had done to the MC. Why would it be any different for Shelby? If she was in the clubhouse and she was lying… looking… taking notes…
“Jesus Christ,” I whispered.
I didn’t want to picture Shelby being strung up by chains and killed. Maybe there was a different way to do it. An easier way. Just one shot.
Shelby gave a weak wave.
I didn’t approach her car.
I noticed she seemed to be favoring the right side of her face.
“Clubhouse!” I bellowed and then turned to my motorcycle.
Once on and riding, my mind still wouldn’t ease up. I wondered if I had been set up by Talon being sent up here. He had to have known some of the bullshit. I still hadn’t been briefed about the truth on what happened to the former President, Rex. And now I was in the hot seat. Taking shots from the Mountain Killers. Getting attacked by the goddamn mafia. Feeling the PD always lurking on me.
Shelby behind me, in her car. What the fuck was she thinking? What was she doing? Was she on the phone? Texting and calling her father? The goddamn sheriff in town. Holy shit, man. She’s got to go…
I turned into the compound, Mack holding the gates open. It had been a bad, bloody day for the MC. For everyone involved in the situation.
All the guys were waiting for me as I rode forward. To my surprise, they all started to clap and cheer. I even saw Finn give a little head nod. I was alive and safe. I was their President. They needed me.
I’m sure my face told a violent story, which was damn fine by me. Blood, wounds, scars, they were just all part of the business. Like I told everyone, I wasn’t going to be the President sitting at a bar or a table. I was meant to be out fighting and defending the honor of the patch.
Brett climbed off his ride and I grabbed him. “You okay, man?”
“Fine,” Brett said. “No bullet holes.”
“Okay. Good job.”
“Sure.”
He joined the guys.
I turned and saw Shelby in her car, shielding her face.
Shame? Something more?
But then I saw Jack at the gates. Closing them up. Fucking alone. His best friend taken today for no good reason at all. I took two steps and paused, thinking about what could have caused this.
Shelby.
I should have just taken my gun out and taken care of her right then. But I held back. I fucking held back and stayed focused on Mack.
As I approached the prospect, he stiffened and put his hands at his sides.
“Mack,” I said.
“Sir.”
“Layne.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.”
“Say my name.”
“Layne,” Jack said.
“I’m sorry about what happened. To Jack.” I waited a few seconds. “You were close, weren’t you?”
“Friends, yeah.”
“More than just friends. Brothers.”
“Sure.”
“Bad childhood?” I asked.
“I don’t really think anyone ever has a good childhood. It’s all meaningless. You live in a bubble of pain or lies… and then you’re shipped out and suffer.”
“That’s bleak, man.”
“I don’t care.”
“Not to bring it back up, but what happened?”
Mack swallowed hard and ran through the story. Black car pulled up, started to turn in, and then came after them. Took out Jack and then sped away.
“I’ll never forget it,” Mack said. “I could have taken the bullet for him. I could have done something else to stop it.”
I put a hand to Mack’s shoulder. “No. There’s nothing you could have done then or now. You live in the past and you’re going to get stuck there.”
“I have nothing else,” Mack said.
“Yes, you do. We have an empty seat at the table. I want you to be there.”
“What?”
“I’m not offering you the seat, Mack. I’m offering you the opportunity to earn the seat.”
“What about the gate?”
“Fuck the gate,” I said. “We have other prospects. Now finish up your shift here. Then come inside, get a beer, and find a woman.”
I turned and walked away.
With that out of the way, there was one thing to do.
I made a straight line for Shelby. She was still sitting in her car. Still looking guilty as sin. As though she knew that I had gotten the truth.
I went right to the car and tore the door open. I grabbed her by the arm and pulled.
“Layne!” she cried out. “What the fu…”
I stood her up and pressed my body to hers. I gritted my teeth. My words were right there, right on the tip of my tongue. Ready to slice her up… the way my tongue would slice between her sweet and tender thighs…
But I froze up.
I had nothing to say.
Why?
The right side of Shelby’s face was fucked up.
Someone had hit her.
7.
(Shelby)
Layne had his body so tight against me, I couldn’t breathe. Under different circumstances, I would have been fucking turned on. But there was a fiery rage in his eyes. Like he wanted to hurt me. Hell, lik
e he wanted to kill me.
“Layne…”
“What happened to your face?” he asked.
That’s what I feared. Him seeing my face and asking questions. I hadn’t told him about Daddy yet and wasn’t sure if there would ever be a good time. It was all just such a mess. I had only come to the clubhouse to take care of myself. To find my mother. To have an escape. It was Daddy who demanded if I was going to do it, to come right to the MC and do it.
Well, because… his past…
“Fucking tell me,” Layne growled.
“Nothing,” I said. “It’s nothing. I fell.”
“Into someone’s hand?”
“Don’t,” I said. “Please. Take care of yourself, Layne. You have to. Just tell me what happened to you today.”
“Do you have a notebook?” he asked me.
“A notebook? Why…”
“Answer the fucking question, sweetheart.”
“Yes. I have a notebook. It’s so I could find…”
That’s when Layne stepped back. His eyes went even wider. That moment - of all the moments in my life - that was the scariest moment ever. I could almost see him taking the gun out and shooting me.
But he didn’t.
“You have a fucking notebook,” Layne said. “One of our prospects is dead. Mountain Killers following you. I know who the fuck you are, sweetheart. They told me.”
“They told you what?”
Layne shook his head. His hand shot out and he grabbed my jaw. I jumped and yelled.
“Layne, please,” I said. “It’s not what you think.”
“I want to know who hit you. Was it Brett? Hawke?”
“No… it…”
My bottom lip quivered. I had never told anyone about Daddy and what he did when he got mad. Normally I was able to hide it for a little bit until it went away. But not this time. Because of those stupid bikers chasing after me. I could have hidden for a day or two and let the dramatic look of my face ease up. It really did look worse than it was.
“Fine,” Layne said. “I’m going to just blow this entire place up. Once and for all. Start it all over.”
Layne pushed away from me and took out his gun.
I watched as he charged toward the MC. The guys were excited to see him. Happy to see their President alive. And here he was, a gun pointed at them.
SAVAGE ROAD (A Devil Call MC Book) (Layne & Shelby Book One) Page 10