Bob pulled at the cuffs and they tightened around my wrists. I could have gotten away from him, but I didn’t. I stumbled back, turned around, and walked to his SUV.
“You fucking think you can run this town?” he growled at me.
“Keep talking,” I said. “You’ll never see Shelby again.”
Bob slammed me against the side of the SUV. My shoulder exploded in pain.
It felt good to have power though.
Oakville… would soon be mine.
6.
(Shelby)
I pushed through the crowd of bikers. They yelled, called me names, then realized who I was and split up. Not that Layne had claimed me as his old lady or anything, but they guys opened up and let me to the front of the group.
I had moved back when I saw Daddy. He and Layne faced off. Layne could have destroyed him, but he didn’t. He knocked Daddy down, then helped him back up. Then Daddy arrested him. Layne was gone and I wanted to know why.
At the front of the group, Ransom turned and opened his arms to hug me. I lifted my knee and hit him in the balls. He dropped to his knees.
Brett spun and put his hands out. “Shelby, don’t. You don’t want to see.”
“Fuck you,” I said. “I’ll kick you in the balls.”
Ax lumbered toward me, a hand out. “Listen to him.”
“Don’t get in my way.”
There was no way I could ever consider overpowering Ax. He was a giant.
“Whatever,” he said. “Get out of her way, Brett.”
I busted through the front of the group and saw Finn standing over the body. I had seen guys shot, stabbed, and murdered before. So this was no surprise to me.
Finn turned and moved at me. His hands hit my shoulders and he knocked me back.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he spit at me.
I tried to kick at Finn, but he blocked me.
I shook a hand free and clawed at him.
Finn let me go and I looked at the body on the ground. Before, I was far enough away that it didn’t make sense. But then, two feet away, the body was missing a head.
Missing a head.
I turned and felt my stomach tighten. When I threw up, it was on someone’s boots. That triggered two or three other guys to groan. The group pushed back.
A hand touched me. “Goddammit, Shelby.”
It was Finn.
“I warned you,” he said. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Layne,” I groaned. “Why? What’s happening?”
“Christ, Shelby,” Finn said. “Get inside the fucking clubhouse. We have a mess to clean up here.”
I looked at Finn. “There’s no head…”
“Inside!” Finn yelled. “Ax, take her inside. Block the fucking door. Break her fucking legs.”
“I need get to Layne!” I said. “Please. Let me talk to Daddy. Find out what’s happening with Layne.”
Ax moved at me. I took a swing at him. I hit his chest and pain seared through my hand. I was losing my cool. I was ready to just attack until I was killed. That’s where my mind was at.
“Calm the fuck down,” Ax said. “Let me help you.”
“Take me to the station then,” I said. “Or I’ll run. I’ll fucking run.”
“Christ,” Finn said with a little roll of his tongue. That bad boy Irish accent would come out every now and again.
Last time I heard that accent, he was inside me…
I started to shake even more.
“Get a prospect,” Finn said. “Take Layne’s ride down. Let me organize this cleanup and then I’ll make some calls. Shit.”
“Shelby,” Brett said. “Let me help you, too.”
I put my hands out. I didn’t want anyone to fucking touch me.
“Shelby,” Finn said from behind me. “Just go. Go inside and wait. Or go for a goddamn ride if you want. Go to the station. Talk to your father.”
Ax led the way. I had to climb on the back of the motorcycle with Brett. I had to put my hands around his body and hold tight. I refused to look at the body on the ground again. It was disgusting. This was beyond anything I thought could happen.
Had Layne done it? Cut off another man’s head?
My world felt small and cold. I wanted Layne to be safe. I wanted to get my notebook and get on the road. I had to find my mother. That was the original goal with the MC, right? Layne had taken all that off course. The fights, wars, the bloodshed, it all kept me here, waiting.
When we arrived at the station, I jumped off the motorcycle and ran to the front door. The guys didn’t have the same clout as I did. I could just barge in and demand to see my father. And that’s exactly what I did.
Two people behind the desk stopped me and I slapped at them.
My father then appeared and yelled for the officers to take their hands off me.
He then ran after me. He pushed his two officers out of the way and had me by the shoulders.
“You’re okay,” he said.
“I’m not okay. Where’s Layne? What did you do?”
Daddy gritted his teeth. “That’s what you think about?”
He pulled me and then had a hand to my back, guiding me through the police station. He took me to his office and slammed the door shut.
“Sit,” he ordered.
I took a seat. He went to a corner stand and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then he opened a drawer and took out a bottle of booze to top it off.
Real nice, Sheriff.
Daddy sat across from me. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Where’s Layne?”
“Goddammit.”
“What?”
“You were there the entire time,” he said. “You saw it.”
“So what?”
“That’s what you want? Right into the line of fire, Shelby. That’s where you’re headed.”
“Just like outside your trailer? What was that?”
“I told you to run,” he said. “I warned you. There’s no business for you finding your mother. Or staying here.”
He swallowed hard. He was nervous and it pained him to say that to me.
I leaned forward. “You know where she is, don’t you?”
“No.”
“You’re lying to me. You’ve always been lying to me.”
“Don’t let that shit get into your head, girl.”
“Girl? I’m not a girl anymore.”
Daddy lifted an open hand. “I’ll smack your teeth you if you talk back to me.”
“Layne will kill you.”
“That’s what you think? That’s what you want? You were supposed to work in at the bar to find your mother. That’s what you wanted so badly. And now you’re getting involved. I can see it. The way he looks when he talks about you. You trying to defend him now. That’s what you want, huh? The old lady life? How’d that work out for your mother?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I wore my cut for years,” Daddy growled. “And your mother suffered. Then she left. I got out to take care of things. She took off.”
I licked my lips and sat back. “Just tell me where she is then. And let Layne go. He didn’t do anything with that guy.”
“You know that for sure?”
“I know… enough…”
Daddy slapped his desk and stood up. “You don’t know shit. You think you can handle it, Shelby? You can’t. It’s nothing but secrets. The entire life is based on secrets. There’s shit he hasn’t told you that will crush you. Trust me.”
“Let me see him. Why did you bring him here?”
“He hit me. I had no choice.”
“You always have a choice,” I whispered.
“Goddammit. Look at what I’m dealing with. A headless body on the ground. The fucking VP of a rival crew. Devil Call standing there, the body in their lot. What am I supposed to do?”
“I watched the Mountain Killers throw the body on the ground!” I said. “I swear on it. Layne didn’t do it.”
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Daddy put a hand up. “I don’t want to hear a thing. My only daughter is in this now. Eyes on you.”
“Daddy, who is Nicolas?”
He froze. His faced turned white. “Shelby, please listen to me. You need to get out of Oakville.”
“I’m not leaving anywhere. Not until I know everything. I want the truth.”
“You won’t get it from Layne,” Daddy said. “Or the MC. It’s too deep now. Everything is too deep.”
“The mafia,” I said. “That’s what this is. You had a deal with them when I was younger, didn’t you? Did you do something while you were in the club?”
“Let me go check on Layne,” Daddy said. “See how he’s handling himself.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Daddy moved to the door.
I jumped up and tried to go after him.
I couldn’t get to him though. He had the door open and he looked back at me. His face was long, worn out, a tired old man.
“Everyone, Shelby… everyone takes a beating sometimes.”
7.
(Layne)
One motherfucker held one arm, another motherfucker held the other. The third motherfucker landed punch after fucking punch. Three goddam Mountain Killer guys in the local PD, sleeping off a night of drinking. And I was their feast. Tossed into the cell, the door locked with a hollow sound, and the officer just walked away, whistling, knowing I was going to get my ass kicked.
So I took it like a man.
The guy punching man was sweating, winded, definitely hungover. He swayed as much as I did.
“You like that, bitch?” one of the guys said in my ear.
“Why don’t you take a swing?” I asked. “Let’s see who can hit harder.”
“Yeah,” the other guy said. “Let’s take turns. Let’s fuck him up good. Before Viper comes to get us. Or they let us out. Then we can swing by their clubhouse and get that piece of ass Layne’s been fucking.”
“I like her,” the other guy said in my ear. His breath smelled like shit. “Between you and Finn though, she’s broken open wide. So I’d go for her ass. That’ll always stay tight.”
My blood was boiling.
Finn? Shelby? Not a fucking chance…
The guy punching me took a break. He leaned against the cell and held up his bloody hands. He flexed his fingers and then smiled.
“It’s good. It feels good.”
“I bet,” I said. “The first fight you’ve come close to winning. Fucking pussy.”
The guy lunged at me. I hurried and spit at him, a glob of blood hitting his face. He stopped and rubbed his face. My blood was spread on his cheek like war paint. He wound up and punched me again.
That one fucking hurt.
I lost my balance, but the other guys kept me standing.
“Change with me,” he ordered. “Someone else beat this fuck down.”
The guy on my left loosened his grip. There was my chance.
I shook my arm loose and made a fist and swung it left, hitting the guy in the mouth. He fell back and hit the wall. I threw another left at the guy in front of me, hitting him in the nose. Perfect shot because it made his eyes explode with water and his nose explode with blood.
I pushed to the right and wrestled my other arm away.
Now I was free, but it was still three on one.
I assessed my opponents. The guy doing all the punching was almost ready to pass out. Fuck him. The guy to my left had smacked his head hard off the wall and looked dazed.
I moved to my right again.
I hit the guy with my shoulder and drove him into the wall. He hammered down on my back with fists but my face was protected. I punched hard at his gut, knowing he was losing breath and I was smashing his ribs. He turned and fell to the bench in the cell, wrapping his arms around my neck. I hurried to slither away and came down with a right fist, opening his face. I felt someone behind me and I threw an elbow, hitting the guy who had been punching me. He groaned and fell back. I turned and set my sights on him. I put my hand over his face and drove him back until his head crunched against the cell bars. I then pulled and slammed him, over and over. All the while he swung at me, hitting me.
I didn’t give a fuck.
The fire had been lit. The fuse had gone.
I let the guy fall and I turned, facing the dazed guy. He put up his fists as his lips moved. He was definitely concussed already. It took two punches to knock him down on the floor, where he stayed, on his hands and knees, rocking and moaning.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” a voice boomed.
I turned and saw the officer who had thrown me into the cell with the Mountain Killers.
“Got anymore?” I asked.
“You sick fuck. How did you…”
“Tell Bob I need to talk to him. Now.”
The officer backed away. I stood there watching the Mountain Killer guys as they weren’t sure what to do. I made fists and gritted my teeth at them. I flexed my arms and shoulders.
“You stand up and I’ll fucking kill you,” I warned.
The guy who had been punching me was on his ass, his hand cupped under his nose as he bled. The dazed guy was done. He needed to go to a hospital. The third guy, however, was standing back up.
“You want to keep going?” I asked.
“Fuck you,” he said. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Good,” I said.
I threw a right, a left, one, two, hitting him. He took the punches and then swung at me. I turned, taking the shots to the ribs. It hurt, but I’d survive.
Then I felt something hit the back of my legs.
The fucking guy who had been hitting me tackled me from behind.
As I went down, the other guy threw a couple punches, hitting me in the face. I crashed to the cold ground, hard, and started to grab at anything I could. I grabbed the guy who tackled me by the throat and squeezed. The other guy started to stomp on me. My ribs, my shoulder, trying to get to my head.
That’s when the cell door opened.
“You fucks! Stop!”
It was Sheriff Bob.
“Layne! Let his throat go!”
The officer who put me in the cell grabbed the guy stomping on me. He pulled him out of the cell and cuffed him.
Bob took out a gun. “I’ll blow your brains out, Layne.”
I looked at the guy who had been hitting me. His face was red. His eyes ready to pop. He was seconds from death.
I let him go.
He gasped for air and then burst into tears.
“Get up,” Bob yelled to him. “Crawl the fuck out of here.”
I climbed to my feet.
“What did you do to him?” Bob asked, pointing to the dazed guy.
“He hit his head off the wall.”
The officer came in and then dragged the guy out.
Now it was just me and Bob.
He shut the cell and motioned for the officer to leave us alone.
“What?” I asked. “You want to fight me now?”
“You’re free to go, Layne.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that,” Bob said. “Shelby is waiting for you.”
“What?”
“She’s here. She came looking for you.”
Anger filled me again. She was supposed to stay at the damn clubhouse.
I’m going to tie her to a fucking bed.
“She’s protected with me,” I said.
“Yeah, sure. I know the life, Layne. I wore the cut. I was part of Devil Call MC.”
“And you gave it up. You went outlaw.”
“I went straight,” Bob said.
I laughed. “Nobody goes straight. That’s what scares me.”
Bob put his hands around the bars. “You need to manage your wars, Layne. If they bleed into my town, it’s over.”
“Your town, huh?”
“You know exactly what I mean. Right here in town. It can’t happen.” Bob looked back at me. “Under
stood?”
“Yeah,” I said.
Bob pulled and opened the door. I walked forward, leaving the cell.
My eyes met with his and knew there was something missing. This guy got out of the MC and gave up his cut. Yet he stayed right in Oakville and became the sheriff. He had no power. He had no jurisdiction. Somehow, though, he was here.
He was a puppet.
That’s when I felt bad for Shelby. Her father was a loser. Her mother had a hit on her from the mafia. I was the strongest thing in her life and I was no better.
When I saw her outside, I should have been happy and relieved. When she ran at me and dove into my arms, I should have felt something deep and warm. When her lips crashed to mine, again and again, her hands touching my face, I should have kissed her back harder, with more emotion than she had ever gotten from another person in her entire life.
None of that happened.
I just stood there.
I barely touched her.
My heart had been ripped open by this fucking woman.
Love was blind… yeah, sure… love made strong men weak.
And I couldn’t afford to be weak.
8.
(Shelby)
Layne turned the water off and wiped his face. The blood was gone. The cuts were closed up. His face wasn’t swollen all that much. He was distant though. I told myself he was just tired. He had been up for over twenty-four hours, dealing with hell running through Oakville. In a strange romantic way I wanted to be a piece of heaven for him in all this.
Yet he didn’t look at me like that. He looked at me like he knew the world’s darkest secret and didn’t want to share it. But why? Because he cared about me? Because he want to protect me? Or because he was planning something that was going to hurt me?
His eyes were different than when he first came barreling through the clubhouse door. Not that I could blame him. Look at all that had happened.
“Look, I’m sorry I left the clubhouse again. But I had to find out what happened.”
“You saw,” he said. “I hit your father with his rifle. He wanted to flex a little muscle.”
“You could have stopped him.”
SAVAGE HEART (Layne & Shelby Book Two) (A Devil Call MC Book) Page 9