by London Casey
“It’s the only way I could get to you all,” Strokner said. “I see you’ve brought some friends into town. You could have an army and you still won’t be able to find your enemy.”
Shay’s mind went back to the night he saw his brother talking to Eight Under. He had had a chance to take a shot and didn’t.
Fuck.
“Give me the name,” Miller said. “Then take that goddamn bomb off yourself and I’ll have some of my guys make sure you get where you’re going. Safely. As always.”
Strokner laughed. “I don’t need your protection. I don’t need anything. I can stare into the eyes of the man that killed my daughter. I have Gaige to thank for that.”
“You look like hell,” Gaige said. “Go sleep.”
Strokner laughed again. Then he looked at Shay. “And what’s your story? You were the one he wanted first. If you had been in that car… none of this would be happening…”
Shay stepped forward. Nate put a hand out. “Don’t, Shay.”
“Give me the goddamn name,” Miller said.
Strokner looked at Miller and spoke the name Shay didn’t expect to hear from anyone else’s mouth.
“Caius,” Strokner said. “That’s who you’ve got to deal with.”
Strokner turned and walked away. Nate went with Strokner to escort him out of the clubhouse.
Shay could see Miller’s mind spinning. He waited for the barrage of questions to come, but they didn’t. There wasn’t enough time. The second Strokner left, Jace, Landon, and the six members of the Lost Men came back. Landon had a bloody face along with two of the Lost Men.
“Christ,” Miller said. “What the hell happened there?”
A second later, Griffin came into the room and shut the door. He looked at Shay and pointed to the gun in his hand. “What are you doing with that?”
“I was going to make Strokner shut up,” Shay said.
“Hey,” Gaige said. “We still need him. He gave us a name. Caius. That’s the guy who is trying to hurt us.”
“Well, there’s another problem,” Griffin said. “Your rides with the Lost Men are getting old. They picked a fight for fun with two guys and it turned ugly and bloody. They’re getting angry and it’s going to get worse.”
“Then we use them,” Miller said. “I wanted them here to build a presence. We have that.”
“You need to keep it,” Griffin said.
“What do they want?” Gaige asked.
“What we all want. Pussy, booze, fighting.”
“Then make the call for a fight,” Miller said. “Say we have some new guys in town that are looking to get bloody. I’m sure we can satisfy their needs for the moment, right? We have a name, Griffin. We can’t hold back. We can’t slow down.”
Griffin sighed. “Goddamn. When does this arrangement with the Lost Men end?”
“I want a meeting with Eight Under,” Miller said. “I want to face them and tell them the truth of their little arrangement. They won’t listen, I know that. But it’s a small offering to explain how serious this is. Our war with the Eight Under can continue, but it doesn’t need any outside influence.”
“Until then?” Griffin asked.
“Until then, we keep our guests happy. A fight will do that. Hell, maybe that’s what we all need.”
“I’ll make some calls,” Griffin said. “Be ready to go when it’s time.”
“We’ll be fine,” Miller said.
Griffin left the meeting room and left the door wide open. Shay looked out to the busy clubhouse. Jace held a once white towel on his face to stop the blood. The rest of the guys were scattered along the bar.
Ava was on the other side of the room sitting with Emily, Avery, and Kaity. She looked like she fit right in, and that bothered Shay. He hadn’t had time to process her story yet and he didn’t want her getting settled before he had the chance to decide what he wanted from her.
She’s married.
The last thing the club needed was another guy coming after them. It couldn’t happen anymore. Not with the mess waiting outside.
“You okay, brother?” Gaige asked as he elbowed Shay.
“Don’t know,” Shay said. “This is all weighing hard on me. I want it done.”
“It will be. What about her?” Gaige nodded to Ava. “What’s her story?”
“Not what it seems,” Shay said. “We just have to protect her from those guys. They will hurt her if we don’t.”
“I can imagine,” Gaige said. “Keep her safe here then. You know they won’t take her. They won’t give a fuck. We’ll run them out of here once we’re done.”
“I hope these fights work.”
“Not our problem, Shay. It works or it doesn’t. Trust what Miller is doing, too. Let him meet with Eight Under and get a feel for things. Then we make our attack. You know how he operates.”
“I trust him with my life,” Shay said. “You, too, Gaige. The whole MC.”
“Good.”
Shay let a few seconds go by. “Hey, want to do me a favor?”
“Yeah, name it,” Gaige said.
“I need you to arrange a meeting with Chief Jerry.”
“Really? Why?”
Shay rubbed his chin and gritted his teeth. “I need your trust on this. It’s for Ava.”
“Chief Jerry isn’t a fan of meetings that don’t include me or Miller,” Gaige said. “Can I come?”
“I’d rather not, bro. I’m sorry. She’s in a mess that could end up hurting the club. Remember what happened with Emily?”
Gaige curled a lip. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“I don’t want that to happen again.”
“I’ll take care of it then,” Gaige said.
“Thanks man. I appreciate it.” Gaige patted Shay’s back and then turned as he made a phone call. Shay walked over to Ava. When he got to the table he nodded to Emily and Avery. Looking at Kaity pained him. He took Ava by the hand and silently stole her away from her little group.
Halfway down the hall, Shay stopped and pulled Ava against the wall. “We’re going to take a ride in a few minutes. Just you and me.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Ava asked.
“Very.” Shay put his head to Ava’s. “There was a man wearing a bomb in here just a few minutes ago and you didn’t even know it.”
Ava’s eyes widened. “What…”
“This is my life,” Shay whispered. He put a finger under her chin and lifted. He kissed her perfect lips once. “Death is chasing us, love. That’s why we ride. We have to outrun it.”
Gaige came walking by Shay and grabbed his shoulder. He got close and whispered, “Go out the main road and he’ll pull you over…”
Shay nodded and then took Ava by the hand again. “Time to go, love.”
fourteen.
Ava had no idea what to expect. Shay had made it very clear that it was far too dangerous to leave the clubhouse alone. Yet, she was on the back of Shay’s motorcycle, riding out of the compound without anyone else. Shay was clearly not thinking straight and that scared her more than anything.
I shouldn’t have told him the truth..
For all Ava knew, Shay could have been taking her somewhere to get rid of her. Or maybe even kill her. Ava tightened her grip around his waist and shook the thoughts away. Shay told her to judge by the eyes, and his eyes promised her protection. He wouldn’t hurt her. He wouldn’t kill her.
Death was a reality that Back Down Devil faced everyday, and it didn’t seem to phase them. If she were to die, there would be no more worrying or fearing or suffering. But if she were gone, then there would be no more adventure. No more of Shay touching her. Kissing her. Holding her. Loving her body. His passion made her feel lucky to be alive.
The motorcycle thundered through town. When they crossed the Frelen border, Ava grew nervous again. They were all alone on a road that had nothing around. As much as Ava wanted to say something, she couldn’t. Shay couldn’t hear her. All she could do was hang on
.
As they picked up even more speed, Ava saw a car parked sideways, facing the road. They flew right by it, and almost instantaneously the car shot out and started to follow them.
This is it… this is where I am going to die…
Ava looked back and saw a blue light on the dashboard of the car. It was a police car of some type. Shay should have slowed down, but he was an outlaw biker. So he did the opposite. He sped up even more. The car chased after the motorcycle. Without any other cars on the road, it allowed the car behind them to do whatever it wanted. No matter how Shay rode, the car stayed right on them.
Around a wide bend, the car sped up and Ava swore she felt the motorcycle slow a little. The car came alongside them and Ava squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the car to crash into the motorcycle.
But it didn’t.
Instead, Shay cut to the right and slowed down until he came to a complete stop. The car slowed and stopped behind the motorcycle, the light still flashing.
“Shay,” Ava said. “What’s happening?”
“Get off the motorcycle,” Shay said.
He killed the engine and they both climbed off. Shay pulled Ava by the wrist. She planted her feet and pulled back at him.
“What the hell is this?” she asked.
“Don’t fucking question me,” Shay said.
The car door opened and a man in a police uniform got out.
“Are you giving me away?” Ava asked. “Shay… what did I do…”
Shay looked at Ava and gritted his teeth. “I’m helping you, Ava.”
“First off, I need some identification,” the man said.
“Chief Jerry,” Shay said. “Pleasure. As always.”
“Yeah, a real pleasure. Like I have time for this. What do you want, Shay?”
“This is Ava… and Ava, this is Frelen Police Chief, Jerry. He is a good friend to the MC.”
“We’re not friends,” Chief Jerry said. He looked at Ava and nodded to her. “Ma’am. What puts you on the back of this guy’s motorcycle?”
“Life,” Ava said.
“Which is we’re here,” Shay said.
“First off, give me your ID,” Chief Jerry said. “so this looks a little more legit. Okay?”
Shay did as told. Ava had nothing to give. The chief walked to his car and then came back with a small tablet.
“I don’t understand this,” Ava whispered.
“I’m taking care of you, love,” Shay said. “Remember that.”
“Okay,” Chief Jerry said. “Does this have anything to do with another car explosion? Because those seem to be popping up all over. At least there is some good with that though.”
“There is?” Shay asked.
“Sure. It looks mob or gang related. So all the detectives are buried in notes and files trying to figure it out. I should be there helping them, but here I am doing favors for your club.”
“Look,” Shay said, “this could help us a lot. Okay? It could keep more heat from coming into town.”
“More heat?” the chief asked and laughed. He looked at Ava. “What’s your story? How does a beautiful woman like you end up here, on this fine line between right and wrong?”
“Same line as you, Chief,” Shay said.
Chief Jerry gently ran his fingertips along his gun. The gesture was to make sure both Ava and Shay knew who had the power.
“Ava is married,” Shay said.
Ava looked at Shay. Her face burned red. “Shay…”
“It’s a long story that means nothing to you. But I need to know everything about her husband. Where he is. What he’s doing.”
“Because you think he’s going to come to town to find his wife,” Chief Jerry said. “And his wife is going to be in bed with a biker. How fucking romantic.”
“It’s not like that,” Shay said. “I need to know so I can be ready for him. Just in case. It’s not fair to Ava. She can’t be in this mess and then have to look over her shoulder for two reasons.”
Chief Jerry raised and eyebrow. He looked at Ava. Then he looked at Shay. “No offense to the pretty lady here, but what the hell do I care?”
“You care because of what could be coming,” Shay said. “You think the MC is a rough crowd? Even the guys we brought to town are saints compared to the company her husband will bring to Frelen when he finds out where she is. All I’m asking is for you to run a name. Can you do that?”
“For you? No.” Chief Jerry looked at Ava. “Is your husband dangerous?”
“If he wasn’t, do you think I would have chosen this life of running and hiding out with a MC?”
“The fact that you ran into this guy’s arms here, tells me all I need to know,” Chief Jerry said.
Ava watched the chief shake his head. Then he clicked his pen. “I’m only doing this because of what your club did for my son. My wife. My family. The last thing I need is some crazed man charging into town again because their wife wanted to shack up with a biker.” The chief looked at Ava again. “Give me all the information you’ve got.”
Ava rattled off Todd’s name and spoke the address she used to call home as ice ran through her veins. All she could picture was the bedroom. All the things she and Todd did. Things that were meant to be private between a husband and wife, not sold for movie rights and public humiliation.
Ava felt like she was going to throw up. She wished Todd was dead. But at the very least, she would take divorce and a promise to never speak to her again. Chief Jerry took all the information and then gave Shay back his ID. He clicked his pen shut and tucked it into his pocket.
“I’ll do what I can,” he said as he closed his notebook. “I’ll make sure I get in contact with you, Shay.”
“Do you have my number?”
“Don’t need it. I’ll just make a routine traffic stop again. Make sure you’re not up to no good.”
“Am I in the clear now, Chief?” Shay asked with a grin.
Ava saw the chief’s nostrils flare. “You’re all set, Shay. Ride safe. Protect this pretty lady here. The last thing your club needs is more death and bloodshed.”
Shay slowly crept his hand to the back of Ava’s shirt and held it. He pulled her close and they stood there. Chief Jerry got into his car, turned off the flashing light, and then cut the wheel and turned hard. A small cloud of dust kicked up and dissipated.
Shay looked at Ava. “What did you think I was going to do?”
Ava froze. Her face reddened. “I… I honestly didn’t know. I’m sorry, Shay.”
“Fuck, love, you have to trust me. I want to know where your husband is and what he is up to.”
“Why?”
“So I can stop anything from happening to you.” Shay touched Ava’s cheek. “I have to protect you from my enemies… and yours.”
“I just thought… because I tried to run out… and if I’m in the way…”
“What? You think I was going to kick you out of town? Punish you? Kill you?”
Ava shrugged her shoulders.
Shay pulled at her lower back until their bodies were touching. “Christ, Ava. Whatever you lived through is done. You’re here now. With me.”
“I wish we weren’t here.”
“Why?”
Ava bit her lip. She was really turned on. But they were out in the middle of nowhere. Shay had just sought help from the chief to help with finding her husband. And there was still an enemy out there lurking. Waiting.
“We don’t need the bedroom,” Shay said with a grin. He pressed his lips to Ava’s mouth, then gently kissed down her neck.
A fresh wetness escaped Ava’s body. Before she could react, Shay had both hands on her ass and lifted her off the ground. She managed to let out a weak cry as Shay walked her to the motorcycle. He put her back on her feet and turned her around.
His hands immediately went everywhere. They were sliding up and down her body over her clothes. She was desperate to be naked. When Shay stopped moving, one hand cupped her breast and the oth
er held between her legs.
“You ready for this?” Shay asked. “Right here in the open. For the world to see.”
“Shay… the road… cars…”
“It’s a risk. You want my cock, love?” He squeezed his hand between her legs harder.
“Yes! Yes!”
“Then you’re going to get it when I want to give it to you. And right now, I’m hard and I’m ready.”
Shay’s hand moved from her breast up to her neck. He turned her head and his mouth was against hers. His tongue was wild and commanding. Ava was quickly lost in a deep, passionate kiss. Shay’s other hand opened her pants, his big, strong hand forcing its way inside her panties. The tips of his fingers touched her pussy and then pulled.
“You’re dripping, love,” Shay said with his lips just touching Ava’s.
“Yes.”
“Bend over. I’m ready.”
Ava pushed at her pants and panties. When they were down, she reached back and squeezed his hard, thickness over his jeans and whimpered.
He moved her hand and unbuttoned his jeans. Ava heard the zipper and then Shay grabbed Ava’s hips. She peeked back just once, just in time to see Shay pulling a condom from his pocket. It was like he had this part all planned out.
Could he possibly be any sexier?
Ava looked forward at the road. She’d never done this in the open before. When Shay touched Ava’s ass, she jumped and groaned.
“Easy, love,” Shay said. “Easy…”
By the time the tip of Shay touched her, she was swollen and achy already, her body flooding with passion and need. Shay eased forward, splitting her open. Ava’s toes were already curled and Shay was barely inside her.
His hands gripped tighter as he thrust forward. He broke her seal once again, the intense wetness rushing from her body. His hands went up to her back and Ava put her hands out for balance and to brace herself. Her right hand clawed at the leather seat of Shay’s motorcycle. Her left hand grabbed one of the handlebars.
Ava held on tight as Shay started to fuck her. She thought for sure the bike was going to fall over. He held her by her right ass cheek with his right hand and kept his other hand flat on the middle of Ava’s back. His hard thrusts caused Ava to lose her breath. But she liked it. She wanted more of it.