Devils: Cutthroat 99 MC

by Evelyn Glass

  Dix nodded. “I want you take care of Daisy for me. If I can’t do it, you’re the only one I trust.” The room rumbled in agreement. “I want you with us, Thad, but I need you here.” The room rumbled again.

  Thad sat, staring first at Dix, then Cale, Chuck, Lex, and all the other members. He debated ignoring the vote and following the Cutthroats to Seal Port anyway, but then sighed. “Fine. But you assholes had better come back. I don’t want to have to put up with all the shit from thirty-five old ladies. One’s bad enough.”

  Cale chuckled. “That’s the plan. Daisy! Anything you can tell us about this Pye-hole?”

  She shook her head. “I only know him by reputation. He’s ruthless but not stupid. If he’s coming down, things must be bad. So far as I know, the entire time I was married to Leo, he never once came down to Eugene, preferring to make the chapter Presidents ride to Portland.” She paused as she thought. “I know Leo’s afraid of him. Maybe everyone is. When he barks, people jump.”

  Cale pursed his lips as he slowly scrubbed his face and chin. “This may actually be a good thing. If he’s getting involved, it may because we’re a much bigger pain in his ass than he expected. Maybe if we continue to be a royal pain in the ass, they’ll give up and go away.” He noticed her roll her eyes and look away. “Don’t burst my bubble, Daisy,” he continued with a smile.

  ***

  “You better come back,” Daisy said, kissing Dix softly on the lips. Her mouth hurt like a bitch, but he wasn’t leaving before she kissed him.

  “I will. Don’t worry.” He wanted to kiss her, really kiss her, but he knew she was hurting, so he rested his forehead against hers. “You heard the plan. I’ll call when we get there and I’ll call when we’re done. If you don’t hear from me by nine o’clock, or if Thad calls, you and James get to Dunes as fast as you can and do what Thad says. He’s a good man. Between you and James, they’ll do everything they can to keep you safe.”

  She nodded slowly, sick with dread, a cold lump resting in her stomach since the meeting three hours ago. “I will. But come back, okay?”

  He tipped her face up so she had to look at him. Even with her face bruised and swollen, she was still beautiful. “I will. I have to go.” It was an hour’s ride to Seal Port, and the Cutthroats were meeting at Dunes at six so they could convoy there for protection and arrive early. They didn’t want any surprises.

  She wrapped her arms around him. “Hold me.” His arms went around her and held her lightly. Even the slight pressure he applied made her ribs complain, but she didn’t care. She needed this.

  He pulled out of her embrace then kissed her once more on the lips with a mere brush. “I have to go,” he said then looked at James. “Keep her safe.”

  James gave him a firm nod. “Like she’s my daughter.” He then pulled Dix into an embrace. “I don’t care what you have to do, you come back. I can’t lose you, too,” he whispered before slapping him on the back.

  They watched as Dix rumbled out of the yard, saying nothing, lost in their own thought, each hoping the other wouldn’t notice the wetness in their eyes.

  ***

  “Here they come,” Cale said as he detected the thunder of approaching Harleys. They were in the southeast corner of the WalMart parking lot as agreed.

  “Oh shit…” Chuck muttered as at least a hundred bikes began to stream into the lot, stopping in front of them.

  Once all the Firechrome arrived the men began to dismount. Leo was there, but he looked miserable.

  Dix grinned. “Leo. So glad to see you again.”

  “You Cale Johnson?” a man asked stepping forward.

  “I’m Cale Johnson. You Alex Pye?”

  “That’s right,” Alex said, ignoring Cale’s extended hand. “I’ll make this short and to the point. You’re becoming a problem. I don’t like problems. So here’s the deal. You’re going to stop being a problem or things are going to get messy. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Douglas is our home,” Cale said, his voice hard. “We’re not going to let you push us out of the way.”

  “I don’t think you understand the situation, here, Cale. I’m not giving you a choice. I’m not going to ‘push you out of the way.’ All I’m giving you is a chance to leave with your families still alive.”

  “So Leo wasn’t able to get it done for you, huh?” Dix sneered, unable to resist the chance to needle Leo.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Alex asked.

  “Dixon Montague.”

  “You’re the one fucking Leo’s old lady?”

  “That’s right.”

  Alex nodded. “Leo has completely fucked this up, and I’ll deal with him. But, now, you’re dealing with me. I don’t fuck up.”

  “You already did. You let Leo try to do your dirty work for you.”

  Alex smiled, refusing to be baited. “That wasn’t my fuck up.”

  “We’re not going to let you have the town without a fight,” Cale said.

  “Fine. Then we’ll just kill you here and save us the trip.”

  “Give us a minute,” Cale said, nodding his head and stepping away. “Anyone have any ideas?” he asked as the rest of the Cutthroats huddled in. “I’m afraid this is a fight we can’t win.”

  “I’m not going to let these assholes run me out of town. I’d rather die fighting than slink away with my tail between my legs,” Chuck growled.

  “What about our families?” Rich asked. “I have a wife and a new baby girl to worry about.”

  “I’m with Chuck,” Will said. “I’ll send Gwen and the kids to her mother’s, but I’m not leaving. I was born in Douglas and I’m not give it up to these fucks without a fight.”

  “Maybe there’s another way,” Dix said.

  “What?” Cale asked.

  “They want the racing, right? That’s in nine days. Let’s have them put it on the line. One on one, winner takes all.”

  Cale shook his head. “I don’t like it. Too much risk. What if we lose?”

  “Cale, we’ve already lost. Look at us! We brought the entire club, and they showed up with three times the number. We can’t stand against that in a straight up fight.”

  “Dix is right,” Chuck said. “I won’t leave, but I know how it’s going to end. If they go for it, this gives us a chance.”

  “I think this is our only option,” Brock said. “Even if we win, if the Chromes come in and shoot up the town, or whatever they’re going to do, people will never trust us again.”

  Cale thought. “All good points. Do we want to try this? Our best against theirs? With Kevin dead that leaves you, Dix. You and Thad. Nobody else even comes close.”

  “I think we have to,” Chuck said. “Thad’s fast. Kevin was even faster, but Dix is fucking unbelievable. If they go for it, we’ve already won.”

  “You up for that, Dix?” Cale asked.

  Dix smiled. “Bring it on.”

  Cale nodded. “Okay. Let’s go make the pitch.”

  The Cutthroats returned to their bikes. “The answer is no. But we have a proposal for you.”

  “I don’t cut deals.” Alex rumbled.

  “No deals. We’re not going to let you push us out. But we’ll give you a chance to take the racing scene from us without a lot of bloodshed and attention.”

  Alex narrowed his eyes. “How?”

  “Win it from us. A grudge race. Your best against our best. One on one. We win, you get the fuck out of town and never come back. You win, we walk. You get the race, nobody has to get hurt, and the cops don’t have to know. You’ve lost five men already. How many more do you want to lose?”

  Alex smiled. “Now why would I take a deal like that when I can just kill you all and be assured of getting what I want? I don’t gamble, Cale. I win.”

  Cale shrugged. “Then I guess you better get ready to rumble because we’re not going down without a fight.”

  “If that’s the way you want it,” Alex sneered.

  Dix tensed, getting ready to fight. If A
lex made good on his threat, it could all end right here.

  “Cops,” a Firechrome called as a Seal Port police cruiser turned into the lot and drove slowly in their direction.

  Dix relaxed, never so glad to a police officer in his life.

  “What’s going on here?” the officer asked as he glided to a stop and rolled the window of his cruiser down.

  “Nothing,” Alex said with a beaming smile. “We’re just out enjoying the night air and having a friendly visit with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.”

  The officer eyed them a moment. “You need to break it up or take it someplace else.”

  “You got it,” Alex said. “Come on, guys,” he said, turning to his men. “We don’t want any trouble.”

  “You heard the man,” Cale said, turning to their own bikes.

  With a slow exhalation, Dix mounted up and donned his helmet. Nobody in the Firechrome had made a threatening move, but if the cop hadn’t shown up when he had, it might have gotten real ugly, real quick. They would have to stop somewhere and let Thad know they were okay, but he wanted to get away from the Chromes as quickly as possible.

  Under the watchful eyes of Seal Port’s finest, the Firechrome and Cutthroats, pulled out of the parking lot and went their separate ways.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  “I don’t know where we’re going to put everyone,” James said as two more riders arrived.

  “Just be thankful some of the old ladies left town. Otherwise we would have to deal with almost ninety people, not just fifty,” Dix said. “This is Brock and Janene,” he said to Daisy, helping her remember everyone’s names and the names of their old ladies, most of whom she’d never met.

  “Fair enough. But I still don’t know what we’re going to do with everyone.”

  “This is the only logical place to make our stand.”

  “I know.”

  “James,” Brock said as he and Janene dismounted. He shook James’s hand. “Thanks for doing this.”

  James nodded and smiled. Every man in the Cutthroats had thanked him for opening the recycling yard to them, despite the danger. “I don’t want those assholes in town any more than you do. I’m too old to be mixing it up with them, but I can help herd them into a killing zone.”

  “Janene, right?” Daisy said. “You’re bunking with Steph, Marla, Jen and me in Dix’s trailer.”

  “That’s right,” the tall leggy woman said. “You must be Daisy.”

  “That’s me.”

  “I’m sorry about your son and what happened to you. And thank you for give us the heads up.” Janene pulled Daisy into a hug and it was all Daisy could do to not hiss in pain as her ribs creaked.

  “Where am I?” Brock asked as Daisy led Janene away.

  “We,” Dix said with a sigh, “are sleeping in a semi trailer out in the yard. I pulled it out with the loader this morning. I have Thad and Chuck sweeping it out now. We’re going to bunk the men there and save my trailer and the house for the old ladies. It’s going to be crowded, and not very comfortable, but at least it will be dark so you can sleep.”

  “Why not in that building?” Brock asked, nodding to the warehouse and shop.

  “That’s the kitchen and dining room. We have some camp stoves set up in there to cook on, then later I’m going to have the guys help me pull some seats out of some of these wrecks to sit on.”

  “Shit. I supposed it could be worse. We could be sleeping on the ground.”

  Dix chuckled. “Yeah, at least the trailer will keep the rain off. Come on, I’ll show you.”

  ***

  “Okay, everyone listen up!” Cale called later that evening. “First, I want to thank James for his hospitality on such short notice.”

  Dix started clapping and everyone joined in.

  “I know this situation sucks, but we’re just going to have to deal with it until this is resolved, one way or the other.” Marla handed him a hubcap full of slips of paper. “Thad, Dix, and I sat down and worked out a plan. Everyone pick a slip of paper. That will be your shift. We’re going to be running three shifts of watches, one on, two off. Ladies, you’ll be on the same shift as your man. While he is on watch, you’re responsible for food prep, okay? Try to make sure there’s always food and coffee available.” He paused for a moment but couldn’t think of anything else. “I think the old ladies need to draw first so we spread them out over the three shifts. Ladies, if you’ll come draw a number.”

  The twelve women came up and drew numbers. Daisy showed Dix her number as she rejoined him. “That means we’re on three to eleven. You okay with that?”

  Daisy nodded. “Yeah. I’m glad I didn’t pick the graveyard shift.”

  After all the numbers were drawn, the brothers engaged in a little horse trading, but soon enough the assignments were settled and the women shifted their sleeping assignments around to make everything work while the women on the second shift scrambled to start food preparation. Dix offered to help, but after ten minutes, Daisy chased him off because he was slowing things down more than he was helping.

  “Need help?” Marla asked as Daisy stood flipping burgers.

  “No, thank you…” she grimaced trying to recall the woman’s name.

  “Marla.”

  “Sorry. Marla.”

  “It’s okay. You have a lot of new names to remember, but I only have one. And yours is easy. I just remember the song.”

  She grinned. “Yeah. Been that way my whole life. If I’ve heard Daisy once, I’ve heard it a million times.”

  Marla smiled. “I can imagine. How are you holding up?”

  “Okay.”

  “Really? I know how I would feel if my little girl were kidnapped. I would be going crazy.”

  “You have kids?”

  “Yeah. One. Breanna. She’s ten. She’s staying with Thad’s parents until this is all over.”

  “Why didn’t you go, too?”

  “Because I didn’t want to leave Thad. If something were to happen to him and I weren’t here…” Marla shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “Aren’t you worried Breanna could lose both her parents?”

  “Yeah, but what if me being here could have prevented her from losing either?”

  Daisy shrugged. “I guess I can see your point.”

  “What about you? Why’re you here? This isn’t your fight.”

  “It’s my only connection to Riley. I’m afraid if I don’t get him back now, I never will.”

  “Riley, that’s your son?”

  Daisy nodded. “He’s five.”

  Marla grimaced and shook her head. “And the father did that to you?”

  “Yeah. I should have known better,” Daisy said then shrugged.

  “May I?” Marla asked reaching for her face. “I’m a nurse.”

  “I guess.”

  Marla probed gently, watching for reactions. “You may have a tiny scar on your forehead, but it will hardly be noticeable.”

  Daisy smiled softly. “This is no worse than what he’s done before. What really hurts are my ribs.”

  “Your ribs?”

  “Yeah. He kicked the shit out of me, right in the ribs.”

  “Let me see,” Marla said, her tone not making it a request.

  Daisy grimaced as she pulled her shirt up, revealing an ugly bruise at the bottom of her ribcage.

  Marla hissed. “Any trouble breathing? Take a deep breath for me.” Daisy did as requested, her face crinkling at the pain. “Breathe out.” She didn’t hear any gurgling in Daisy’s breath. “This is going to hurt. I’m sorry.” She probed the area as gently as she could, Daisy gasping and hissing in pain.

  “I don’t feel anything broken, but you probably should get some x-rays just in case.”

  “I’ll be okay. Like I said, nothing he hasn’t done before.”

  Marla grimaced. “If you see Leo again, you point him out to Thad. I think he’ll want to have a word with him.”

  Daisy smiled. “He�
�ll have to wait in line behind Dix, I think.”

  “I don’t understand men that get a thrill from beating up a woman. If Thad tried that he’d wake up dead one morning, and he knows it.”

  Daisy giggled then grimaced. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

  Marla nodded. “Pain’s good. It lets you know you’re still alive.”