“About you?” Layne asked. “Christ. It’s all about you, Shelby.”
I shut my mouth. “I was let down by everyone. And the secrets get worse.”
“Join the fucking club,” Layne said. “I’ve been living it my entire life. I’m not curled in bed crying about it.”
“I’m curled up in bed because you fucked me!” I yelled. “I’m not afraid.”
“You should be. If someone takes you… what can I do? Mountain Killers get you, they’ll fuck you until you’re dead. Nicolas grabs you, he’ll put the screws to the MC. I’d rather put a bullet in my head than deal with that.”
In a way, that was actually romantic.
I moved from the bed, taking the blanket with me. I kept it tight to my chest and I swallowed a big lump in my throat.
“I went to see if he knew anything about the shooting at the bar,” I said. “I can’t stop thinking about it. Okay? The bullets flying around. The bullets hitting people, hitting Pep. Whoever did it… if they wanted us dead, Layne, we’d be dead. But we weren’t killed. Why? I want to know why.”
My bottom lip shook.
Layne stood defiant, looking down at me as I inched closer to him.
“Asking why is going to drive you insane,” Layne said. “Let me do what I have to do to fix it all.”
“You said the shooter wore a Devil Call cut. How am I supposed to feel protected here?”
“Yeah, I can accept that. But you saw what your old man gave you, right? Nothing but bullshit paranoia. Because his ass is on the line. He’s got Oakville to answer to. He’s got the mafia to answer to. And he’s got me to answer to. And I bring the war. I bring Devil Call MC. Nobody wants that fight.”
I was turned on again. I loved when Layne talked tough. Because he could back it up.
“I didn’t mean to cause a problem,” I said. “I wanted to help. I wanted to know the truth. Goddammit, I just want the truth.”
“The truth? That’s what you want?” Layne put a finger under my chin and lifted my head back. “The truth is that the second I walked into this fucking clubhouse I saw you. And I instantly wanted to protect you. The truth is that there’s bad shit waiting out there for us both, sweetheart. For the MC. The truth is that you need to trust in me and let me do my job. The truth… is I’m giving you all of the truth.”
And there it was. Some sense of honesty, even if some was missing. Christ, it hurt my heart to hear that. Layne slid his finger along my chin to my jaw. He was then holding my jaw with his thumb and pointer. He inched down at me, kissing me. My hand opened, dropping the sheet. His other hand touched my breast, cupping under it, his thumb rolling over my nipple, sending warm fire through my body.
Fuck.
We kissed and kissed.
Finally, Layne pulled away. He shook his head. “You’ll understand everything someday, sweetheart. Not today. Not tonight. If you ever try to fucking leave here again, I’ll track you down and I’ll kill you myself.”
Layne kissed my forehead and backed away from me.
I stood there, naked, desperate for him.
“I have business,” Layne said. “You stay here tonight. Don’t leave the fucking bed.”
Layne walked out of the room.
My body ached and shivered.
I’ll kill you myself…
It made no fucking sense, but that turned me on. I was in big trouble with Layne.
14.
(Layne)
I threw a shot of whiskey back and let it burn down my throat. I sat in a leather chair in a dim room. Outside the room, music thumped. People out there were tossing money around like it was free, hoping to get the right attention from the right woman.
The black curtain moved and two women came walking through. They grabbed money out of their thongs, walking topless, large breasts bouncing. Their skin was glistening with sweat and shinning with glitter. They looked at me and paused.
“Ladies,” I said.
One woman had darker skin, the other one more pale. Their contrasts made them even more enticing. I had to make fists and cool myself down.
“Am I in your way?” I asked.
“Hardly,” pale skin, blue eyes said. “You looking for someone private? I can arrange that. Free.”
“Both of us,” the other woman said. “You know how it goes.” She leaned forward, her tits inches from my face. She touched the President’s patch on my cut. “Mr. President.”
I grabbed her wrist and waved her away. “Not fucking interested.”
“Then why are you here?”
“For me,” another voice.
From my left came Jessa. Wearing a long black robe, her hair pulled back. She strutted to the other girls and snapped her fingers. The two then walked away, collecting their cash.
Jessa faced me. “Hey you.”
“Easy,” I said. “I’m here to talk to your guy. Make sure you’re not in trouble.”
“No cash?”
“I had a long talk with Ransom. I can promise he’ll never do that again.”
“That doesn’t put the money in my pocket.”
“You don’t have pockets, babe.”
Jessa opened the robe and dropped it. She was wearing white laced panties and a bra. She hooked her thumb into the panties and pulled them open.
“You’re right, I don’t. But I still need the money.”
I rose up from the chair. “Where’s your guy?”
“I’m right here.”
I turned and saw a guy in a suit, no tie. He took off black sunglasses and tossed them aside. He had gold rings on all his fingers. Chubby cheeks, a scar above his left eye, an aura of a complete asshole.
“We finally meet,” I said.
“Yeah, right. Where’s the four grand?”
I rubbed my chin. “There’s a couple ways I could have done this. First, I could have just sent my guys down to rough the place up. Fuck all your girls. Drink all your whiskey. Or I could come down here and face you man to man. Offer my condolences for what one of my guys did. We’re good for our word. And you have to take care of Jessa. No matter what.”
The guy scoffed at me. “That cunt? She’s a dime a dozen.”
I threw my hand out and grabbed the guy by the throat. His eyes instantly went wide. I turned and tossed him into a table like he weighed nothing. A mirror crashed to the ground and shattered.
Four women came rushing to check on things. Two topless, one wearing a robe, the other in some kind of leather get up that looked like it took her an hour to get into.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Kill him!” the guy yelled from the ground.
Two bodyguards appeared from nowhere. I drew my gun and put my hand out. “Easy, motherfuckers. Don’t make this thing bloody.”
“You’re fired, Jessa!”
“Fuck you, Dave!” Jessa yelled.
I walked to the guy, Dave, and put my foot to his throat. “Listen to me. These two big guys behind me are smart. They aren’t touching me. They know better.” I looked back. “Ain’t that right?”
One of the guys took a step forward.
I pointed my gun at his foot and shot.
The women screamed but not as much as the big guy did.
“Fuck,” Dave said. “Fuck, fuck, fuck…”
“That’s right,” I said. I dropped my knee to his chest. He coughed. “You’re going to pay Jessa like normal. You’re going to keep her shifts, you’re going to keep her busy. If any of my guys come snooping around, you’re going to contact me. Understand?”
Dave nodded. “Okay. Yes. Sure.”
“Good.” I stood up. I put my gun away. “Now, as for the four large… I’ll make sure you get it. I’m in the middle of a war right now. Trust me, Dave, you want me to win it. If I win, it’s good for Oakville and good for business. Now let me help you up.”
I offered Dave my hand and pulled him to his feet. I then tossed him into his other bodyguard. The big guy caught Dave and Dave wrapped his
legs around him.
“Nice look,” I said. The girls started to laugh. I looked at Jessa and nodded. “There. We’re square now. I’ll take care of everything else.”
“Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I did. I don’t want you hurt. Not by that guy.”
“You want to hurt me?” she asked, running a finger down my t-shirt.
When she got to my belt buckle, I slapped her hand away. “Go dance. Make money. Stop opening your fucking legs for cash.”
“I’m going to take advice from a biker?”
“Never said you had to take it, babe.”
“Go fuck yourself, Layne.”
Jessa turned and strutted away. I stood there, like a damn fool, and watched her leave until she opened the curtain and was swallowed up by the heavy bass thumping music and people cheering, ready to slide money anywhere she would let them.
Outside the club, Jet and two prospects were waiting for me.
We rode back to the clubhouse.
Right at the stroke of midnight, I stood at the head of a full table.
The room lingered with whiskey, beer, and smoke.
“Hunter, what did you find out today?” I asked.
Hunter took a cigarette from his mouth. “Uh, the Mountain Killers were a little active. Running arms up north. I’m not sure for who. Probably small gang deal. Just two guys. Not Viper or Stryker though. Couple low rung guys. I could have gotten ten feet within them and they wouldn’t have known.”
“Okay,” I said. “Viper and Stryker are watching Oakville with steady eyes. They’re waiting for us to fuck up. I want Hunter, Blaze, Roc, and prospects on the border at all times. I want a firm presence up there. Hunter, can you handle that, brother?”
“Yeah, sure,” Hunter said.
I put my fists to the table. “Would you die for this club?”
“Of course.”
“Would you die by my orders?”
“Patch says President,” Hunter said. “I get my orders and go.”
“Okay.” I scanned the table. “Does anyone object to my orders?”
Nobody spoke up. Not even Finn.
He skipped the shot glass and went for the bottle. Nursing a bottle of amber whiskey, he sipped it and his eyes looked glossy and drunk.
“I’m going to visit Pep again,” I said. “See if the old son of a bitch is dead yet. I put his gun on his chest. Maybe he’ll get the nerve to kill himself.”
“He used to stand where you are,” Finn said. “A lot of people did. This town gets run over again and again. It’s a bad spot. Maybe it’s time to pack it all in. Go outlaw.”
Outlaw.
That got the attention of the entire table.
Going outlaw meant stripping all patches off your cut and riding away. You were given a one day in advance before you became target by the MC you bailed on. Some guys were offered outlaw as a sign of respect if they fucked up. Other guys took it as a way out.
I grabbed the bottle of whiskey from Finn and threw it against the wall.
“Let me say this once,” I said. “Any of you motherfuckers even think about going outlaw, I’ll hunt you down and slit your throat myself. Nobody in this clubhouse is going outlaw. We’re at fucking war right now. You step out there in that lot, on that battlefield, and you go with honor for the cut on your back.”
“Layne, what do we do about the shooting at the bar?” Brett asked.
“Keep looking. We’ll figure it out. Either the Mountain Killers are trying to send a message. Or the mafia is fucking with us. Maybe it’s the local PD pushing at me being here.”
“You think they’d go that far?” Rylan asked.
“The fucking sheriff used to wear a cut,” I said. “Why doesn’t he now?”
Nobody spoke.
Finally, a hand went up. Blaze.
“What?” I said.
“You’d have to ask Pep,” Blaze said.
“Sure,” I said. “As soon as I fucking pull the tube out of his throat and wake him up.”
“Or Niles,” Blaze said.
“Who the fuck is Niles?” I asked.
“Pep’s VP.”
“You mean… that Niles?”
“There’s only one,” Finn growled. “You go find him.”
“He’s dead,” I said.
“He’s not dead,” Blaze said. “It was set up to look like he was killed. So he could squeeze out. That’s what I heard.”
That was news to me. I tucked that away in my mind for the moment.
I sat down. I flicked at my shot glass. To my right, Ransom hurried to fill the glass.
“It’s time to figure it out,” I said. “No more attacks. I want Oakville secured. Nothing comes in. Nothing goes out. So if there’s an attack again, I know it’s from the inside.”
The guys agreed, figuring I meant from the inside of Oakville. Police, political stuff, whatever. What they didn’t know is that I meant from inside… of the club. Another so called brother turning his back on us.
15.
(Shelby)
There was a knock at the door. I had a long t-shirt on and nothing else. I walked to the door and pinched my knees together. I opened it a sliver and saw a woman standing there.
“What?”
“You need anything?”
“Who are you?”
“Amber.”
“Looking for Layne?”
“No,” she said. “I heard you were in here. Can I come in?”
I opened the door.
The woman hurried into the room and then shut the door. She grabbed me by the shoulders and slammed me against the door. Her hand then came across my face. Before I could realize what was happening, another hand came across my face. The third time, I was smarter. I put my hand up, blocked her slap, and then kicked at her. I hit her in the gut and she flew back and landed on Layne’s bed.
“Bitch,” I said.
She sat up and started to get up. I jumped forward and kicked. The t-shirt went up and, yeah, I was exposed from the waist down, but the kick hit her in the mouth. She screamed and rolled back off the bed. She scrambled back to the wall, hand at her mouth, crying.
“Okay,” she said. “Fuck. Okay.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I asked.
She took her hand away. Her mouth was bleeding bad. “Amber.”
“I know that part. What the fuck do you want?”
“I used to work the bar before you fucking came along. Before you fucked Finn. Before he fucking dumped me for you.”
“What?”
“And now you just get passed around, don’t you? Just a piece of pussy between Finn and Layne.”
“I never…” I sighed. “One time. And I never asked anyone for anything, you bitch.”
“Then why did he get rid of me?”
“Because you’re a bitch.”
Amber froze. She stared at me. Blood ran down her chin.
And she burst into tears.
I suddenly felt horrible for saying all I just did. I didn’t know this woman. Yeah, she attacked me, but…
“Shit,” I said.
I hurried to the bathroom and got a towel. I sat next to Amber and handed it to her.
“Here. Clean yourself up.”
“You kick really hard,” Amber said.
“You slap really hard,” I said.
We looked at each other. “I loved him. I loved Finn. But he never let me inside. Not like this.”
“I don’t love Finn,” I said. “I never have. There was one time. And you and he… I’m sorry.”
“It’s the life,” Amber said. “We’re all old ladies to them. They fuck us. They tell us sweet things. Then they leave us.”
I thought about Layne.
He was brutally honest, all the damn time. He wouldn’t just toss me aside for some other woman, would he? And if he did… well, who the hell was I? I was nobody.
“I’m sorry I slapped you,” Amber said.
“
I’m sorry I kicked you then.”
“You needed to defend yourself. It’s okay.”
“You want a drink or something?” I asked.
“Vodka and cranberry would be nice,” Amber said.
“I can make that happen,” I said.
“Because your the slut bartender?”
“Hey, bitch. Take it easy. I’m not a slut. And I’m not a bartender. I’m not even allowed to leave this room right now.”
“I don’t see any handcuffs on you.”
“Trust me,” I said. “They’re there.”
“I know the feeling,” Amber said.
My heart sank.
I climbed to my feet and opened the door to yell for help. A prospect came barreling down the hallway. I told him I wanted two glasses, a bottle of vodka, and a bottle of cranberry.
If I was going to drink, I’d make my own damn drinks.
So that’s what I did. I killed time with a stranger who had tried to fight me. We drank, talked, and sometimes laughed. Layne was dealing with club business, a serious meeting with the rest of the table members.
After way too many drinks, I was facing Amber. The tips of our toes were touching, the bottles between us. Both of us were dead drunk.
She stared right at me. “It’s easier outside.”
“What?”
“Outside all this,” she said. “They convince you it’s not. But it is. I got a waitressing job at a steakhouse. I clear enough to afford a car, an apartment. Enough to survive. You could do it too.”
“Not me,” I said. “I’m in too deep.”
“I thought so too. Finn asked me to hide weapons. He made me get rid of bloody clothes. I’m tied to murder in these parts, Shelby. But I’m free. I’m good.”
My drunk mind spun like a top.
Could I do it? Could I just up and leave it all?
Layne’s words burned in my mind.
I’ll kill you myself.
Yeah, he could kill me. To do that… he’d have to find me first.
16.
(Layne)
I climbed off my ride and looked back at Brett. “Take off, man.”
“No,” he said.
“Look, I’m going to check on Pep and I’ll be back.”
“Nobody should be riding alone.”
SAVAGE HEART (Layne & Shelby Book Two) (A Devil Call MC Book) Page 6