by London Casey
It killed Shay to back up, but he had to do as told. He licked his lip and tasted fresh blood. He was sick of tasting his own blood. If he didn’t find Caius soon, he was going to snap and start making anyone who got in his way regret it.
“What I have with Caius is business. You have your goons behind you, Miller, and I have my associates everywhere. Watching you. Every day. And when you least expect it… boom.”
Jimmie laughed a deep laugh.
Shay gripped the handlebars of his motorcycle so he wouldn’t reach for his gun.
There was silence for a few seconds and then Miller spoke.
“Boom,” Miller said. “What happens when it’s you, Jimmie?”
Jimmie opened his mouth and nothing came out. Instead, Shay heard the soft sound of a zing and the head of the man standing next to Jimmie exploded. Blood and brain matter sprayed Jimmie. He hurried to wipe his face just as everyone realized what had just happened.
“Fucking hell!” Miller bellowed.
Everyone drew their weapons, but nobody knew what to do. Shay looked to his right and off in the distance he saw a small cloud of dust. Caius had been there, waiting to make that kill on the Eight Under.
Shay didn’t know who took the first shot, but one of the Lost Men bounced off his motorcycle, and just like that, Back Down Devil opened fire on Eight Under. Bullets zinged by as men screamed, desperate to get the scene under control.
“I fucking told you!” Miller yelled as he crouched next to his motorcycle.
“You did that,” Jimmie said. “You set us up. You’ll burn for this, Miller. Your club will be mine.”
The bullets continued to fly.
Shay looked when he could and took shots just to say he did. He struck one of Eight Under’s men in the leg. The guy fell to one knee and someone was right there to grab him and pull him away.
Jimmie had retreated behind his men as they climbed on their bikes. They knew they were no match for Back Down Devil, at least not without Caius. It was admirable to see how their club protected their president, but if Shay and his crew wanted Jimmie dead, they would have killed him already.
Eight Under took off, and Back Down Devil and the Lost Men stood in the kicked up dust until it settled. When it finally did, they looked around at the damage that had been done. Three men lay motionless on the ground. One Eight Under member and two Lost Men.
“Fuck,” Miller said. He kicked the ground and then lifted his gun and shot in the direction Eight Under had been going. “Fuck!”
He emptied his clip and then threw his gun to the ground.
“I’m sorry, Trev,” he said.
“We’re here to do what’s needed,” Trev said.
“And what is needed?” Blaine asked, sounding surprisingly sane.
All at once, everyone turned and stared at Shay. They were expecting answers.
“He’s going to keep setting us up,” Shay said. “That’s what he does. He’s never been man enough to fight face to face, because he would lose. But as long as he has the surprise element, he is going to keep winning this war.”
“And those assholes are going to run right back to him. They’re going to fall for everything he has to say and offer.” Miller growled and climbed on his bike.
Trev pointed to the bodies on the ground. “Go bury them. No markers.”
The rest of Back Down Devil got on their bikes too, except Shay. He still didn’t feel right riding Jon’s bike, and he needed to talk to Miller. The Lost Men would hang back with Trev.
Shay approached Miller’s motorcycle and grabbed Miller’s shoulder.
“We have to engage him,” Shay said. “Play his game.”
Miller’s lip curled. “I’m done with attacks. And I’m done with you holding shit back from the club.”
“I only…”
“I know, Shay. I know.” Miller’s phone vibrated. He put it to his ear and yelled, “Hello…”
Miller hung his head, and when he looked up at Shay his eyes were wide and he swallowed hard.
“What’s wrong?” Shay asked.
“That was one of the prospects,” Miller said. “We got another delivery.”
“Fuck. Another finger?”
“No. This time… it’s Jonesy himself.”
twenty.
They took off as fast as they could.
Jonesy was at the clubhouse. Alive or dead, Shay didn’t know.
Shay’s stomach was sick. They had hired him to track down the person responsible for Erik’s explosion, and he got kidnapped and tortured for it. By Caius.
Back Down Devil arrived at the compound. Miller led the way and once they were all parked, Miller shouted to two prospects to watch the gates because the Lost Men were coming back once they buried their dead.
The entire crew ran to the clubhouse and burst inside.
Shay looked around on the ground and on the table tops, expecting to see a mutilated, dead body.
Instead, Jonesy was sitting at the bar.
“Holy fucking hell,” Blaine said. “He’s alive.”
“Jonesy,” Miller said.
“You made it, man,” Shay said.
Jonesy looked tired and beaten up. He was obviously scared half to death. He lifted a hand and waved. His hand was puffy and infected where his two fingers were missing.
Landon groaned and turned his head. “Motherfucker.”
“I am going to puke,” Blaine said. “I swear on it.”
One of the guys behind the bar put a shot glass in front of Jonesy. He grabbed it with his good hand and threw it back. The whiskey barely went into his mouth. It spilled all down his cheeks and onto his clothing.
“What the hell is wrong, Jonesy?” Miller asked.
Jonesy opened and closed his mouth, over and over, the liquid splashing and dripping everywhere.
It was like he couldn’t swallow.
Shay went to the bar and sat down. “Christ, man, talk to us. Talk to me. What happened? What…”
Jonesy opened his mouth.
There was teeth… and nothing else. His tongue was missing. It took Shay a few seconds to realize what he saw. His fingers curled on the bar, as he tried not to get sick.
Jonesy knocked at the bar and pointed to the empty shot glass. Another shot was poured and Jonesy grabbed the drink. He threw it back and just like before, most of the shot leaked from his mouth as he tried to swallow it.
“Christ,” Shay said. He looked back and saw the blank look on Miller’s face. “We have to move this into the meeting room, Miller.”
Miller nodded. He shook everything away and started to shout orders. Shay and Jace helped Jonesy stand up.
“Let’s go into the meeting room. So we can…”
Shay almost said talk, but Jonesy wouldn’t be doing any talking. Shay looked at Jace. His face was white. This was what Caius wanted. Fear. Pain. Worry. It’s all that mattered to Caius.
Jonesy reached for a bag on the bar and the sudden move made Shay jump back. For all he knew, it could be a set up.
“Jonesy, did Caius give you that?” Shay asked.
Jonesy nodded.
“Jace, check it,” Shay said.
Jace hurried and grabbed the bag from Jonesy. Jonesy managed to growl as he obviously wanted to protest this. When Jace dug opened the bag, he pulled out only one item of interest. A whiteboard with a magnetic marker stuck to it.
“What the hell is this for?” Jace asked.
Jonesy grabbed the bag from Jace’s hand. He then grabbed the board and opened the marker. He started to write with a shaking fury.
“It’s how he talks now,” Shay whispered. His stomach felt even sicker.
Jonesy held up the board. This is my voice, asshole
Jonesy dropped the board and then socked Jace in the mouth. He stumbled back, holding his jaw.
“Don’t do anything,” Shay ordered Jace. “Meeting room. Now.”
The three entered the meeting room and Miller stood while everyone sat. Jace took
his seat between Erik and Blaine, rubbing his jaw.
“What happened to you?” Blaine asked.
“Jonesy punched me,” Jace said.
“At least he can still hit. Sucks about the no tongue thing.”
“Blaine, shut up,” Miller said.
Shay pointed to his seat for Jonesy. Jonesy sat and put his whiteboard on the table.
“That’s how he talks now,” Shay said. He looked at Miller. The guilt soared through Shay’s body. This was his fault too.
“This is bad,” Gaige said.
“At least he’s alive,” Griffin said. “Jonesy, you’re alive, brother.”
Jonesy hurried to write. He pointed to the board when he was done.
Shay read it out loud, “I’m barely alive. He made sure to keep me on a thread. Don’t get cozy.”
“Jonesy,” Miller said. “Tell me everything you can.”
Jonesy nodded. He wiped the board and started to write again. Shay spoke when Jonesy pointed to the board.
“I was followed by two black cars,” Shay said. “They boxed me in and when I tried to escape, one of the cars blew up. I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in a room, in a chair.”
Jonesy erased the board and wrote again.
“Christ,” Gaige said. “Caius knew we were following him before we knew what we were looking for.”
“Smart man,” Miller said. “Maybe it’s time we call Strokner again. Put him in the fire and see what shakes out.”
“Hold on,” Shay said. He nodded to the board. “The man wanted to know if I was patched in. I gave him nothing so he took two fingers. Told me he was going to send gifts to the MC.”
Jonesy looked up and around the table. Everyone slowly nodded. Shay touched Jonesy’s shoulder. “We got the gifts. We were worried you were dead.”
“Jonesy,” Miller said. “The club and myself cannot thank you enough… or say sorry enough… we didn’t realize who this enemy was…”
Jonesy made a growl noise and hurried to erase and write. He then made a fist and slammed it down on the table.
Shay sighed and read it out loud. “He’s going to take your club down. He told me that because I didn’t want to talk that I didn’t need a tongue anymore. So he took it. He made me drink a lot of whiskey so I would pass out. Then he took my tongue.”
Blaine pushed his chair back and stood up. He walked to Jonesy and put a hand to his shoulder. One by one, they all stood around Jonesy as sign of respect for what he sacrificed to protect the MC.
“Let me make this clear,” Miller said. “We will seek out the necessary revenge. And that won’t just be Erik getting his kill shot. Or Shay getting his. It will also be me cutting out his fucking tongue. For Jonesy.” Miller looked down at Jonesy. “And I promise, I will make some calls and find out what we can do for you, medically. Okay?”
Jonesy wiped the board and wrote. Shay read it. “You want to help? Get me a woman for five minutes. Not one of those whores you have out there. A real woman. Like the one I saw at the bar. Blue eyes. Tight body.”
“He means Ava,” Blaine said.
Shay tensed. “Fuck. Jonesy… she’s with me…”
Jonesy erased and wrote again.
This time, Blaine leaned over and read the whiteboard. “I’m a married man, Shay. But I can’t go home to my wife right now like this. I just want the feeling one more time. Just give me her hand. I want to feel…”
Blaine, Miller, and the rest of the table looked at Shay.
This was absolutely his fault. At least Shay believed that. But the important thing was that Jonesy was alive. He was here. Caius had let him live for some reason. And soon it would be the MC’s turn to get their hands on Caius.
“Listen, if Ava doesn’t do it, I will,” Blaine said. “I’ll jerk him off. Guy’s been through enough.”
Jonesy wrote on the board. Blaine read it. “That grease fuck tries to touch me, put a bullet in my head.”
The entire room burst into laughter. But all eyes were still on Shay. He took his hand from Jonesy and left the meeting room. This was insane, but this was the life. If Shay needed to swallow his pride and do this, then so be it. Jonesy risked his body and life for them. This was the least he could do.
Ava was sitting at the bar, waiting for him. Her beauty filled the clubhouse and filled his heart. Her blue eyes were piercing.
Shay took Ava by the hand and pulled. “Come with me, love. I need you to do something for the club.”
twenty-one.
Ava wasn’t sure what to expect as Shay pulled her down the hall. When he stopped at the corner and tossed her against the wall, she thought she was in trouble for a second. Her hands smacked against the wall and she looked at Shay wide eyed.
“What’s wrong? How was your meeting?”
“We were set up again,” Shay said. “Caius was there, hiding, and he shot an Eight Under member in the head. A battle broke out, and the Lost Men are now down two men.
Ava gasped. “Holy shit, Shay.”
“That’s what our life is all about, Ava. You never know what the road is going to bring. That’s also why I’m here right now. I can’t believe I have to demand this, but you need to help the MC.”
“Okay. What do you need?”
Shay took one of her hands and lifted it. “Need you to take care of someone.”
“Take care…?”
“The guy we hired to track down Caius… before we knew it was Caius. He was kidnapped, and had two fingers cut off.”
“You told me.”
“He also had his tongue cut out.”
Ava gasped again.
“He’s here. He was the guy at the bar. The club owes him and he’s set his eyes on you, Ava.”
“What?” Ava asked. “Set his eyes on me? What are you trying to say, Shay?”
“He’s married. He’s not looking for you to fuck him. He just wants your hand for a little bit.”
Shay squeezed Ava’s hand and it started to shake. “You want me to jerk off a stranger?”
“He’s not a stranger to the club,” Shay said. “He took a beating and then some. And he did it without even being patched in. You do this for us, and you’ll have the respect and protection of the entire club. We have to keep Jonesy comfortable so he will keep writing us notes. The more we find out, the better. If we don’t find Caius soon, someone else is going to die. And it’s going to be someone in the club.”
Ava couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She looked up and down the hallway. The men that walked those halls were outlaws. They did what they wanted, yet they were humbled by the table in the meeting room and loyally abided by decisions made with a gavel.
“I just have to touch him?” Ava asked.
“Yeah. Grab him and just…”
“Doesn’t it bother you?”
Shay put his hands to Ava’s waist and held her tight against the wall. “It makes me mad with jealousy. If that’s what you want to hear. I want to fucking kill someone right now thinking about it. But it’s what needs to be done. When we kill Caius and this all calms, then the club and everyone in it can take a fucking breath.”
A few silent seconds later, Ava saw Blaine walking down the hall. He put his thumbs into his pockets and leaned against the wall.
“Everything good?” he asked.
“I think so,” Shay said.
“It’s good,” Ava said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“I’ll be in my fucking room,” Shay said. “Make this quick and don’t push the limits.”
“Come here, sweetie,” Blaine said and put his hand out.
Ava refused to hold Blaine’s hand and she looked back at Shay. He looked devastated. Ava understood the guilt he was feeling, but that didn’t mean he needed to make rash and bad decisions. Then again, this was probably the punishment for hiding something from his club. And it gave Ava a chance to prove her worth to everyone. She didn’t want to just be some woman that ended up in Back Down Devil because she opened her le
gs for one of the members.
She felt like she belonged there. She belonged with Shay. And she wanted to do whatever she could to help him.
Blaine walked Ava to a room and opened the door. Ava stepped inside and saw a man lying on a bed. He had a blanket over the lower half of his body. His pants were on the floor.
“Jonesy, she’s ready for you,” Blaine said. “Don’t push your luck. She’s here to only do what you already requested.”
When Jonesy turned to write something, the blanket moved and Ava saw his ass. She looked at Blaine and he put a hand to her lower back. As it slipped to her waist, he pulled her close.
“Just a hand, sweetie,” Blaine whispered. “Don’t think much of it. We’re men. We have needs. It’s part of life. This is just a favor. You’re a beautiful woman, Ava. I’d consider having my tongue cut out if it meant I’d get a hand job from you.”
Ava tried not to show emotion to the comment, but her cheeks flushed. Blaine’s hand moved down to Ava’s ass and he kissed her cheek.
Jonesy then showed the whiteboard.
Blaine laughed as he read the board. “You’re killing my dick, Blaine. Get the fuck out.”
Ava appreciated the sense of humor
“You got it,” Blaine said.
He turned and left the room.
Ava stood with her hands at her side. She was so nervous and scared. She should have been used to the awkwardness after living with the Lost Men. She had endured their advances. Having their hands touch her. Exposing themselves to her. And even having them rub against her until they climaxed.
Ava exhaled and stepped toward the bed.
Jonesy wrote something on the board.
Take your shirt off. Open your pants. Just that.
Ava nodded. She lifted her shirt over her head and stood in her bra. She then opened her pants, revealing her panties. She noticed movement under the blanket. Jonesy was getting hard. Ava gently placed her hand on top of the blanket, on top of Jonesy’s erection. She pressed hard and moved back and forth. Jonesy groaned and looked at Ava’s body. His hand touched her back and he pulled, wanting her to bend over a little.
Ava put her left hand to the top corner of the bed and bent over. Her breasts, still in her bra, were just inches from Jonesy’s face. She moved her hand to the top of the blanket and slid her fingers under it. When she touched Jonesy’s erection, she closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around him. She tugged, hard. Jonesy grunted. She felt his nose gently touch the top of her breasts.