by London Casey
Something was happening already.
They all went around another bend, leading to what looked like a long stretch of road and flatland. If she took away the bikers and the deadly situation they were heading into, the scenery was actually quite beautiful.
The band of motorcycles continued their journey and the moment Ava saw figures appear she squeezed Shay tighter. This was why the collection of Back Down Devil and the Lost Men took up both lanes of the road. They were ready to block whatever was coming.
And what was coming was another collection of bikers. The tension and anger that she sensed immediately told her that this wouldn’t be as civil as the meeting between the Lost Men and Back Down Devil.
Gaige put a hand out and the ride come to a calming end. Something told Ava this would be the only sense of calm during whatever was about to occur.
The approaching bikers came to a stop and all the men began to step off their rides. Gaige turned and pointed to the Lost Men.
“You gentlemen sit tight,” Gaige said. “But if all hell breaks loose… kill without question.”
The words made Ava shiver. She stepped off Shay’s motorcycle as he did. He turned and looked at her.
“We’re just having a little meeting here,” he said. “You shouldn’t be here, love, but you made the decision. Do you understand that?”
“I guess I have to,” Ava said.
“Yeah,” Shay said. “Stay here and stay out of trouble. Don’t stray far in case shit hits the fan.”
“Shit hits the fan?” Ava asked. “Is that going to happen here?”
“Probably.”
Shay walked away. Ava no had no choice but to watch the scene grow more and more tense. She couldn’t find her thoughts to make sense of anything.
“Look at this,” Gaige said. “The Eight Under boys taking a ride.”
Eight Under…
“Where’s your training wheels, boys?” Shay asked and laughed.
“Funny,” the front man of Eight Under said. “Very funny. Yet it amazes me that you would be here. Right now. Taking up the entire road.”
“Protecting ourselves,” Nate said.
“Witnessed an interesting meeting, and then saw another car blow up. Oh, then I got arrested for blowing up the car.”
Shay was arrested?
“That’s rough,” the Eight Under guy said. “Did you blow it up?”
“Motherfucker,” Shay growled.
He reached out and grabbed the guy from Eight Under by the shirt. He pulled him nose to nose. Everyone then started to stir, pulling out their weapons. The man put his arms out to keep them all back.
“It’s all good,” the man said. “He’s not going to do anything. He’s got orders to not to. Ain’t that right?”
“I’ll kill and not think twice about it. So will my friends behind me.”
“I see that. Calling in backup. The only thing I don’t see is their patches. Just cuts. Are they all prospects?”
“Oh, shit,” Gaige said.
Before Ava could turn around, she heard movement. When she looked back she saw every member of the Lost Men had climbed off their rides and were approaching Eight Under. There was no stopping whatever was going to happen now.
“They’re Lost Men,” Shay said. “Ever hear of them? They play by their own rules. Their own MC’s couldn’t contain them. You ready for that?”
Shay pushed the man away. He opened his arms again to keep Eight Under under control. Something about it bothered Ava. Why was Eight Under being so laid back when all these men were about to attack them?
“No,” Ava whispered.
Something bad was going to happen.
“What the fuck are you smiling for?” someone from the Lost Men growled.
“Nothing,” the guy from Eight Under said. “Just a beautiful day for a ride. Or a drive.”
“A drive…,” Shay said.
The men in Eight Under all turned as a car started to come around a bend. The tension doubled instantly and only got worse when the driver’s door opened. The car was going very slow, just coasting along.
“What the hell is this?” Gaige asked. “Trying to making a point?”
“We saw what you did,” Shay said.
“That’s good,” the guy from Eight Under said. “That’s good.”
The driver jumped out of the car, but the car was still moving.
“How many miles until Frelen?” the guy from Eight Under asked. “I wonder if the car can make it.”
“What are you…,” Gaige tried to say.
Shay grabbed Gaige by the leather and pulled at him. “Motherfuckers.”
“Yeah,” the Eight Under guy said. “It’s pretty simple, isn’t it? How far can that car go? You figure at least it’ll meet up with some cars. Maybe a person or two. Hell, maybe one of the good citizens of Frelen will see the car and try to stop it. Then…”
“No,” Shay said.
He turned and started to run.
Ava watched and had no idea what to do.
Gaige pointed to the Lost Men and said, “Get back on your motorcycles. Now. We’re riding. Right now.”
“See you boys later,” the guy from Eight Under said.
Gaige pulled a gun and pointed it at the guy. “Mark my words. You all will pay soon. What you think you’re doing…”
“Shay!” Nate yelled. “Don’t touch it!”
Ava watched as Shay chased after the car. She ran to Nate and grabbed his arm. “What’s happening?”
Nate looked down at Ava. “There’s a bomb in that car.”
“A bomb?”
Nate nodded.
“Why is he running toward it?” Ava asked, her voice crackling.
“Because he’s crazy,” Nate said.
Ava saw Shay catch up to the car and jump in the open door. He hit the gas pedal and drove it off the road.
Eight Under all got back on their motorcycles as fast as they could and took off. Their thundering yells echoed as Shay was still behind the wheel of the car.
“What the hell is doing?” Erik asked. “He’s going to get killed.”
“He’s trying to get it out of harm’s way,” Nate said.
“He’s fucking crazy,” Gaige said.
Ava was shaking.
She saw the brake lights light up and then Shay rushed from the car. Ava wondered if it was just a trick to rattle Back Down Devil. But a second later, the car exploded.
The giant fireball shot up into the sky. The ground shook. Shay…
Ava started to run. The guys all screamed for her. When someone grabbed her, and she went into a fight mode she didn’t know she had. She threw her head back and jumped up, smashing the top of her head off the jaw of the man holding her. He yelled and opened his grip. Ava ran as fast as her legs could move, needing to get to Shay. Behind her she heard the screams of Gaige and Nate, warning her that there could be more bombs.
Ava didn’t care.
She had to see Shay.
Dead or alive.
She ran from road to ground, kicking up dirt and dust. When she spotted Shay, her legs grew wobbly and she went sailing to the ground. But not once did her eyes leave Shay. She crawled to him and right as she reached for him, he popped up.
“Holy hell,” he said.
Ava reached for one of his hands. “Shay… Shay…”
“Ava, what the hell are you doing?” he yelled. “You’ll get yourself killed.”
“Why did you do that?” she asked. “You could have gotten killed.”
“Better than a car blowing up in the middle of the road and killing innocent people!”
Ava shook her head. She was shaking so bad.
Gaige and Nate appeared and quickly lifted Shay to his feet.
“Goddamn, brother,” Gaige said.
“You okay?” Nate asked.
“Fine,” Shay said.
“Those guys are nasty,” Gaige said.
Shay got to his feet. He reached down and lifted Ava.
“No, they’re not nasty. Their partner is nasty. And it’s giving Eight Under confidence.”
Nate slammed a hand to Shay’s back and dust danced in the air. “Let’s get the hell out of here. Eight Under will go back to their hole for now. Let’s welcome Miller back when he’s done taking care of Jakey.”
“Yeah,” Gaige said. “Enough explosions for one day.”
Gaige and Nate hustled back to the rest of the group. Ava started to follow them, but Shay spun her around to face him.
“This is my life,” Shay said. “Enemies. Bombs. Everything. This is why I don’t have time to deal with secrets. Change your hair. Change your name. But your eyes tell the truth, Ava.”
“I didn’t change my name,” Ava said. “I already told you that.”
“Yeah, you did. We’re going back to the clubhouse. You better think long and hard about what you want. I’ll protect you until this all blows over. But then…”
“What are you hiding?” Ava asked. Her fear had subsided and now she was angry.
“Don’t worry about me,” Shay said.
“Too late.”
Ava shook Shay away and walked back to Shay’s motorcycle. She waited for him as he walked slowly toward his club and her. His eyes were dark and angry. She needed to find out what he was hiding, because the guilt was causing him to unnecessarily risk his life, and she couldn’t let that happen. She needed Shay’s protection. Ava was going to have to get aggressive.
eleven.
Back at the clubhouse, Shay had a shot, and then a beer, and then he looked around. Nate, Gaige, Landon, Erik, and Blaine were settling back in. Gaige made a call to Miller. The protection run had gone off without a hitch. Jakey was safely delivered and they were gassed up and on their way back. Gaige filled him in on what had happened with Eight Under. When the call ended, he gave a warning to everyone that there would be a meeting when Miller got back.
In the clubhouse, the mood wasn’t celebratory. The Lost Men either wandered around or sat around, looking pissed off. Shay knew what they wanted. They wanted a fight. But going after Eight Under with force would do nothing. There would always be a plan in place to make sure nothing happened. Caius was smart like that. There was plan after plan. The big question was what was the goal of it all? If it was just Shay’s death, then he’d give himself up to Caius and accept death in order to protect Back Down Devil from anymore harm.
Shay turned his head and spotted Ava near the door to the clubhouse. Hell, if it meant protecting Ava, he’d do the same.
She looked over at him and he gestured for her to come to him.
“What has you in such deep thought?”
“I saw more than I was supposed to today,” Ava said. “Right?”
“Well, I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. I mean, considering you were Stein’s old lady. You probably saw all that shit before, right? You’ve been in bloody arms and stared into broken eyes, haven’t you?”
“Fuck you,” Ava said, storming away.
Sighing, Shay wondered what to do next. The club needed a better plan than what they had. They needed to get the Lost Men some action. They needed to get Eight Under back under control. And Shay needed to kill Caius.
“Brother,” a voice said.
Blaine was waving him to an empty pool table where he sat with a beer between his legs and a smoke in his hand.
“Blaine,” Shay said.
“Pissing off the pussy, huh?”
“Just speaking my mind.”
“I hear that. Hey, you know you shouldn’t have brought her along, right?”
“She took off,” Shay said. “How can I trust her here alone again?”
Blaine nodded. “What’s her story? What are you thinking?”
“I have no idea,” Shay said. “But I can’t let her leave right now. He’ll kill her.”
“He? Who is he?”
Shay swallowed. “Nile. And whoever it is that wants me dead. Seems they see and know all. And now that Eight Under saw Ava with us, there’s no way she can ever leave. Not until this war is over.”
“What if the war never ends?” Blaine asked with a grin.
“Then I guess Ava never leaves.”
“Not a bad thing. That’s fine pussy in your room right now. You’re letting your mind eat up your needs, bro. You know we don’t live like that! So, fuck it. Who cares if Eight Under and this guy with the scar hook up. We’re Back Down Devil. We’re stronger. Smarter. We’ll fucking kill the guy. We’ll take out Eight Under. All will be well.”
Blaine was an asshole. And he always stunk of booze, smoke, and pussy. But there were times when his clarity was almost poetic.
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, Blaine.”
Blaine grabbed his beer and jumped from the pool table. Then he grabbed his dick and balls and smiled.
“I don’t think about that stuff,” Blaine said. “I just go with what’s in front of me. Now, I just watched a beautiful woman run away from you, Shay. You can either chase her down and fuck her… or I will.”
Shay shook his head and didn’t say a word. He couldn’t believe he was going to listen to Blaine and worse yet, agree with Blaine.
Shay turned and headed to his room. When he opened the door, Ava was standing in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She glanced at him. He shut the door and locked it.
He took his leather cut off and let it fall to the floor. He grabbed his shirt and tore it off his body. He then opened his belt and his pants, making it perfectly clear to Ava what he wanted right now.
Ava turned and moved from the bathroom. Shay crashed into her and pressed her up against the wall. They stared at each other, breathing heavily. Ava’s lips quivered, tempting Shay even more. He put a hand to her face and Ava reached up and touched Shay’s face with both hands.
She licked her lips like she was going to say something. But Shay didn’t want to hear it. His mouth covered hers and she moaned. Ava’s tongue flicked at Shay’s mouth and he accepted it. Then he dominated the kiss, savoring Ava’s delicious lips.
When she needed to come up for air, she curled her fingers, her nails digging at Shay’s cheeks. He stopped kissing her and she bit her bottom lip.
“I’m not who anyone thinks,” Ava said.
Shay nodded. “Tell me then.”
“Fuck me first,” Ava said.
Shay pressed his body tighter to Ava’s. She kissed his neck and slowly moved down to his chest. Shay put his hands to the wall and looked down at Ava. As her thin lips kept moving down, Shay groaned. She grabbed the top of his pants and slowly moved to her knees. He locked his elbows, bracing himself against the wall. Ava pulled his pants and boxers down to his ankles.
His cock popped free and Ava wasted no time. Her small hand squeezed the base of his shaft. She looked up at Shay with her clear blue eyes. He throbbed in her hand and refused to do anything. He wouldn’t command Ava, he would let her do what she felt she was right.
She brought her thin, sweet lips to the tip of his thickness and kissed. Shay wasn’t in the mood for sweet pleasantries, so he thrust at Ava’s mouth. She quickly opened her mouth and surprised Shay by taking him in deep. His hands on the wall quickly curled into fists and he punched the wall.
“Damn, love,” Shay said. “You’re going to make me go already.”
Ava moaned, and the warm vibrations shot through Shay’s cock and legs. She rested her hands on his legs and gently moved back and forth, savoring Shay’s hardness.
Shay hissed and gathered himself. He slowly fucked her mouth, loving the way his cock looked sliding in and out of her lips. When Shay came forward with a gentle push, Ava moved back. Soon the back of her head touched the wall, but Shay kept going. He bent his knees a little and eased himself deeper into Ava’s mouth. He wanted to test her. He wanted to control her.
Ava placed her hand on the root of Shay’s shaft. She spread her fingers, pushing at Shay, but still allowed him deeper. Shay grunted and then slow
ly pulled himself back. He popped free of Ava’s mouth and she whimpered while trying to catch her breath. She looked up at Shay with her mouth open, eyes wide, her body burning with lust.
“Get up here,” Shay commanded.
Ava rose back to her feet and he grabbed her waist.
“Take your fucking pants off,” he ordered.
Ava hurried to do what she was told. Shay slid his hands up to Ava’s sides and watched her wiggle out of her pants and panties. While she kicked them off, Shay opened the top drawer of the dresser next to them and dug around until he found a condom. He tore it open and sheathed himself.
Ava just stared at him in amazement. He was beautiful. And so damn sexy.
When he slapped his hands on Ava’s ass unexpectedly, she screamed.
“I’m going to lift you,” he said. “Wrap your legs around me tight and be ready.”
“Okay,” Ava said.
Her face burned red, her body shook.
Shay lifted Ava and she wrapped her legs around him, hooking her ankles. Shay reached under her and pressed his cock to her tight body. He eased forward, breaking her seal wide open. Ava put her mouth to Shay’s neck to muffle her whimpers.
“Oh my god, Shay, it’s.. oh, fuck…”
Shay guided himself into Ava. She was crazy tight. Tighter than any woman he could remember.
“Damn, love,” Shay said as he thrust, forcing himself deep into Ava. “When was the last time you were fucked?”
Ava lifted her head and looked at him with a look that said it had been a little while. “Even then… it wasn’t… it wasn’t this…”
Shay thrust harder at Ava. He grunted. She put her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. As he thrust again, her face contorted in a mix of pleasure and pain. It drove Shay mad to see that face on Ava. He put his hand back to her ass and held her there. He began to fuck her faster, in and out, and her body thudded against the wall each time.
Ava interlocked her fingers behind his neck. Her hair fell everywhere and when she opened her eyes, the blueness caught Shay off guard and he stopped suddenly for a few seconds. The pleasure was momentarily replaced with a sudden jolt to his heart.
Ava’s lips quivered again just as she whispered in his ear, “I’m… coming…”
And with that said, Ava’s body began to throb. Her tightness squeezed Shay’s cock with an erotic force that threatened to make him explode. He gritted his teeth and held tight, thrusting into Ava deeper and harder so he could feel her spilling all over him. The orgasm was intense, but Shay wasn’t done yet.