by London Casey
Gaige leaned against the corner of the table and crossed his arms.
“We need to fucking take care of this now,” Gaige said.
“Take care of what?” Nate asked.
“This Eight Under problem. I can’t let this go right now. Not after they tried to shoot us. They gunned down one of their own like he was nothing. That’s dangerous territory for a crew.”
“They’re assholes, man,” Nate said. “That shouldn’t surprise you.”
“This Vinny guy needs to go. He’s the one who pulled that trigger…”
“Fuck,” Nate said. He took out a smoke and lit it. “You’re so worried about this because of Emily.”
“Fuck yeah I am,” Gaige said. “She’s afraid and it’s not fair.”
“We have a plan. Miller is waiting for a call…”
“I’m going there,” Gaige said. “I’ll go alone if I have to.”
“Go where?”
“Eight Under compound. Settle this shit. They have to know what he did. And if Eight Under was in agreement of it, then we have a war on our hands. If it wasn’t agreed upon, then we are doing them a favor by taking him out.”
“Christ, man,” Nate said. “You want just the two of us riding up on that shit?”
“We’ll take Blaine,” Gaige said. “He’s fucked up enough to trust this.”
“What about me?”
“You’re the closest thing I’ve got to a real brother, Nate. You know how my mind works.”
“Right now, bro,” Nate said with a smile, “you’re acting like a man in love.”
“Fuck you.”
Gaige pushed from the table and went to the door. He touched the handle and stopped. He let the silence in the room settle for a little bit before speaking again.
“I can’t let her go,” Gaige said. “Call it what you want, man, but I can’t let her go. I can’t relax knowing she’s worried. I want her to understand all of this. What we do. Why we do it. I want her to see it… and to see if she can survive it.”
Gaige opened the door and Nate whistled. Gaige turned. Nate took a deep drag of his smoke. He exhaled with a smokey sigh.
“I’ll be outside waiting,” Nate said. “I’m taking your lead, brother.”
Gaige nodded and left the room. He walked down the hallway and stopped at Blaine’s door. He found it unlocked and opened it to a typical Blaine scene. The reliever who tried to distract Gaige was handcuffed to the bed and propped up doggie style with Blaine behind her. He was wearing nothing but his leather cut. Gaige could see Blaine’s ass cheeks flexing as he pumped hard and fast into the girl cuffed to his bed. The entire bed shook as the woman groaned and cried out.
When Gaige saw what was on the woman’s back, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Blaine had a magazine balanced perfectly on the small of the woman’s back. He flipped a page in the magazine and grunted.
Gage cleared his throat and Blaine looked at him. Blaine smiled but didn’t stop fucking the woman. Blaine pointed to the magazine and smiled.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Gaige asked.
The woman looked back at Gaige. She smiled with pleasure filled eyes.
“I’m reading the articles, bro,” Blaine said. “Don’t worry I’m almost done here.”
Gaige folded his arms. “Fuck, man, we’ve got to go. You, me, and Nate are riding.”
“Nice,” Blaine said. He thrust hard and the woman’s head hit the headboard. He slapped her ass. “Face forward and take it.”
“Can you hurry up here?” Gaige asked.
“I’ll come right now,” Blaine said. “You want to see that?”
Gaige shook his head. “I’ll be outside waiting.”
Before Gaige could turn, Blaine smacked the magazine off the woman’s back and then gripped her waist. His teeth were gritted and he grunted as he started to move faster. Gaige shut the door and then heard a wild cry come from Blaine. He was finishing…
It made Gaige cringe.
He walked through the clubhouse and minded his own business until he got to Emily. Griffin sat next to her now and it was exactly what Gaige had been hoping to find. He positioned himself between Emily and Griffin.
“I’m riding with Nate and Blaine,” Gaige said. “Business.”
“Trouble,” Griffin said.
“Maybe so.”
Emily touched Gaige’s arm. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” Gaige said. “I’m fixing problems. That’s all.”
“Jesus Christ,” Griffin said. “Don’t…”
“What I need is for you two to stay together,” Gaige said. He looked at Emily and nodded. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Emily whispered.
Gaige looked at Griffin. “Can you do this for me?”
“I’ve got it, brother,” Griffin said. He punched Gaige in the arm. “Come back in one piece, okay?”
“I’ll be back,” Gaige said. He put a fist out to Griffin. “Thank you.”
Griffin touched his fist to Gaige’s. “No problem. I’ll keep her safe. You know that.”
“I know,” Gaige said. “I know.” Gaige turned to Emily. “Kiss me.”
Emily came close and Gaige put his hand to the back of her head. They kissed deep. The taste of Emily’s tongue made Gaige instantly hard. It made his heart race, too, which was something not many women could do. When the kiss ended he stared into Emily’s eyes and felt a burning throughout his body that he never knew could be real.
Fuck… he was falling for this woman…
“Stay with Griffin,” Gaige whispered. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“You’re going into trouble,” Emily said.
“Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not.”
“Gaige…”
“Beautiful,” Gaige said. “This is my job. Have a drink. Relax with Griffin.”
Gaige kissed Emily’s forehead and licked his lips as he walked away. He set his sights on the door and didn’t look back. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to look back, it was because if he looked back and saw Emily he was sure he would completely fall in love with her.
Outside, Gaige got on his motorcycle and started it. Nate was next to him and nodded. Gaige pointed to door and a few seconds later the door opened and Blaine came rushing out. He was still zipping up his pants and hooking his belt buckle. He smelled his fingers and then gave a thumbs up.
Gaige shook his head.
What a sick fuck…
The three left with Gaige leading the thunderous fury of motorcycles. Their eyes were set on killing.
twenty-one.
Emily kept her eyes moving along the bar. Next to her Griffin had a folder full of papers. He opened the folder and began to scan the files. The clubhouse was getting loud and rowdy. Shay was throwing back shots like they were water. Landon and Erik were in a heated game of darts, playing for the company of a woman who sat on a couch with her legs crossed, looking at the two big bikers with starry eyes. Jace nursed a beer in the corner of the bar, causally looking at Emily, making her feel uncomfortable.
“I can’t work here like this,” Griffin finally said. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”
Griffin stood and Emily had to follow. She met eyes with Jace and then hurried to catch up with Griffin. They went down the hall and Griffin stopped at a large set of doors.
“I would go in there,” he said, “but I can’t with you. The meeting room isn’t for relievers and old ladies.”
Old ladies?
Emily wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Is that was she was? An old lady to Gaige? What the hell did that mean?
He stopped at another door and opened it. It was another small bedroom. “I only have one chair and a desk,” Griffin said. “I need to work so help yourself to the bed to relax.”
Emily didn’t want to sit on a biker’s bed, unless it was Gaige’s. Griffin stared at her and sensed her worry. He walked to a nightstand and with the swing of his foot, he knocked over a lamp, empty beer bottles, and a fr
ame. He then handed Emily the folder in his hand and he lifted the nightstand and walked it to the desk. He put it down and pointed to the empty chair.
“There, you can sit,” Griffin said.
“Thanks.”
“Now let me have that folder.”
Emily sat and put the folder down. Griffin sat on the nightstand and opened the folder.
“This is all the paperwork to keep us legit,” Griffin said. “It’s all our legit paperwork and club dues. We have dues to keep the clubhouse in order and to make it seem like we’re just some bad dudes looking to drink and fuck.”
Emily smiled.
“But you know it’s more than that,” Griffin said.
“I know,” Emily whispered.
“And it’s not about fighting and shooting each other. That’s the kind of shit we try to keep from happening. If it wasn’t for the MC, there would be more of that shit all around here. It’s too lucrative to just enjoy drugs and pussy, right?”
“I guess so.”
Griffin nodded. “It is. But we are grounded. If that’s what you call all this shit around us. The shooting at the fights… that was a step over the line. Big time. That’s going to get dealt with. Your friend should have never suffered that kind of death.”
“I’m more worried about her father now,” Emily said.
“Well, he can do what he has to do to get over the loss of his daughter. We won’t stand in the way. Hell, I’m sure Gaige would take a beating from him if it helped. We get pain. We get loss. We aren’t heartless people, we just have hardened hearts.”
Emily swallowed fresh tears.
“Now, what else is on that mind of yours?” Griffin asked. “Did Blaine freak you out too much?”
“Actually, no. But Jace…”
Griffin waved a hand. “Don’t mind Jace. He and Gaige always had rough times crossing each other’s paths. He’s been through hell and back, maybe more than the rest of us. I don’t know. We all deal with pain in our own way around here. He’s feeling you out, wondering what the fuck you’re doing here because Gaige… well, he’s never acted this way around a woman before.”
Emily felt her cheeks flush. “That’s a lot to hear.”
“It’s the truth. Let him figure this out, okay? Go for the ride… if you get what I’m saying.”
Griffin set his attention to the paperwork. Emily offered to help and Griffin laughed. He opened the top drawer of his desk and took out a stack of invoices and tossed them to Emily. Matching orders and invoices was nothing but a big pain in the ass but it killed time.
As Emily settled, she heard a commotion outside the room. Voices were yelling. Then Emily’s cellphone started to ring. She reached for the phone and saw it was Max. She dropped the phone and covered her mouth. Griffin looked at her and then down to her phone.
“An old friend?” Griffin asked.
“I can’t… I…”
Miller appeared in the doorway, his eyes on fire. He pointed to Griffin and Emily.
“You two, out here. Now.”
“Got it,” Griffin said. He touched Emily’s arm. “Come on, love. We have to move now.”
Emily barely managed to stand. Just seeing Max’s name on her phone terrified her. She needed Gaige. He could rescue her.
They walked out of the room and followed Miller until he stopped in front of the large doors to the room where the guys all met. He punched the door and growled.
“We can’t fucking do this in there,” he bellowed.
“What’s wrong?” Griffin asked.
Emily saw Landon, Shay, Erik, and Jace walking down the hall. Behind them were two big men with what looked like machine guns. And, behind then was Mr. Strokner. Emily’s heart sank.
Mr. Strokner stepped forward as the small crowd opened up. He took out a cigar and smelled it. His face looked a mess. His eyes were big and bulging. The process of grieving really did some scary stuff to people.
“Look at this,” Mr. Strokner said. “Look who is here. My daughter’s best friend.”
“Leave her out of it, man,” Griffin said.
Mr. Strokner nodded and now a gun was on Griffin. Griffin put his hands up. “Calm down. We can talk about this, right?”
“I told him what I wanted,” Mr. Strokner said. “Yet it hasn’t been done.”
“What are you talking about?” Miller asked.
“The death of my daughter stinks in this place.”
“We had nothing to do with that,” Miller said. “That was a terrible accident. Okay? Coming in here with guns is a really stupid mistake.”
“Why?” Mr. Strokner asked. “Are you going to shoot me? Kill me? Prove just who you are?”
Miller shook his head. “No. We don’t shoot. We don’t kill.”
Emily swallowed hard. This was lies, and the mess was getting bigger as Gaige was out causing his own trouble.
“You don’t kill,” Mr. Strokner said and laughed. “Talk to Gaige then. I told him what I wanted. I want to look into the eyes of the man who killed my daughter.”
“The police are working on it,” Miller said. “They were here already. We’re clear in this.”
“Clear,” Mr. Strokner said. “Sure. Clear.”
Mr. Strokner put his cigar away and took Emily by the hand and smiled.
“It’ll be okay,” Emily said.
“You believe that? With these guys?”
“I do,” Emily said. “They didn’t hurt Rachel.”
Mr. Strokner smiled and touched Emily’s face. “You were always so damn pretty, Emily. I remember the first time Rachel brought you over. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I always hoped you’d grow up into the woman you are…”
“Hey,” Miller said. “Holing up here isn’t going to help anyone. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Mr. Strokner ignored Miller and kept his cold stare on Emily. It really bothered her the way he looked at her.
“Just so pretty,” Mr. Strokner said. “I would look at you all the time, Emily… and…”
Mr. Strokner slid his thumb along Emily’s bottom lip. He groaned and then tried to force her mouth open. Emily started to shake.
“Fuck this,” Jace called out.
He threw an elbow and hit one of the men in the face. The man dropped his gun and Jace lunged forward and grabbed Mr. Strokner by the collar. He threw him backward to his ass. The other man with a gun put it to Griffin’s chest and pushed him against the wall. Emily couldn’t stand the idea of someone else being hurt because of her so she acted with the first thing that came to mind. She made a fist and swung, hitting the man in the face. The man turned and then the gun was at Emily.
“Whore…”
“Stop it!” Mr. Strokner ordered.
The other man got his gun back and hit Jace across the face, causing Jace to spin and crash into the wall. When Jace turned, he walked right into the gun, blood running down his face.
“Do it,” he taunted. “Fucking blow my heart out. You fucking pussy.”
“I said stop!” Mr. Strokner yelled.
Miller offered a hand and helped Mr. Strokner back to his feet.
“Take the gun off Emily,” Mr. Strokner said.
The man listened and lowered his weapon.
“Let’s all stay within reason here,” Mr. Strokner said. “I just want it to be known that I’m digging. I’ll find it all.” He looked at Miller. “That land has all the secrets, doesn’t it?”
“There are no secrets,” Miller said. “You got the wrong group of guys.”
“You’re an asshole,” Mr. Strokner said. “And if Gaige doesn’t fulfill what I want… this club will be gone. Your land will be mine. And all of you can rot in prison for the rest of your lives.”
Mr. Strokner smiled at Emily and then turned. He and his two guys slowly walked away. Jace and Shay drew their weapons but Miller quickly grabbed them by the shoulders to stop anything from happening. Emily understood it. There was an image to keep up right now. They needed to play it
all off and take their hits.
When Jace turned and looked at Emily, she wasn’t sure what to do. The blood on his face reminded Emily that he had helped her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Jace walked away.
“You okay?” Shay asked Griffin.
Griffin wiped his forehead. “Fucking great.”
Emily felt like the center of it all. The problem.
Miller looked at her, his eyes confirming it. “This needs to end.”
“Gaige is doing it now,” Emily said.
“Shit,” Griffin whispered.
“What did you say?” Miller asked.
“Gaige. He and Nate and Blaine… they went to Eight Under…”
“Fuck,” Miller said. he looked at Griffin. “You know about this?”
“I’m just doing my paperwork,” Griffin said.
“Goddamn,” Miller said again. “Shay, ride with me. We need to end this bullshit.”
“I really hope Gaige knows what the fuck he’s doing,” Griffin said. “Because if he doesn’t, he’s going to end up getting himself killed… or someone close to him.”
Griffin walked away, punching the wall and mumbling fuck.
Alone, Emily never felt so out of place in her life. She reached into her pocket and felt Rachel’s necklace. She closed her eyes and tried to picture a way she could have forced Rachel not to go to that fight… but if Rachel hadn’t gone then Gaige would have never entered Emily’s life.
twenty-two.
Gaige pulled up at the gas station and stopped in front of a pump. Nate and Blaine came next and they all shut their motorcycles off. A man came out of the store, lifted his sunglasses, saw the guys from Back Down Devil, and hurried back in. He locked the door and charged through the small store to the back.
“Not very subtle,” Nate said.
“They fucking know,” Gaige said. “This isn’t going to go away.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Call for a ride,” Gaige said. “We’re taking Vinny alive. Like I said.”
“Fuck, Gaige,” Nate said.
“Alive,” Gaige yelled.
He climbed off his motorcycle and heard Blaine make the call.