by London Casey
“I know exactly what it is,” he said. “You hate being alone. You know you need someone like me. Yet you let a loser like this guy fuck you when it’s convenient for him. So you feel wanted. Let me guess, he’s some suit and tie. Makes you feel so fucking special. But you’re not that person. You don’t want that. You want the outlaw. You want the wildest ride of your fucking life.”
Jessa swallowed the big lump in her throat. “And what if I said…”
“This guy is fucked.”
“No. Blaine. You have so much going on.”
“No. You are my family. That means all those guys out there are family, too. This guy is getting his turn. He wants some action… so we’re going to give him some.”
Before Jessa could say anything, Blaine kissed her. He kissed her hard and fast. The way lover’s kissed.
His hand touched her stomach.
This was nothing but stupid and reckless danger.
But Jessa kind of liked it.
twenty-one.
Blaine was on fire. The tension in his body was like nothing he could remember feeling. A pulsing anger for some guy he didn’t know or didn’t give a damn about. Yet he wanted to kill the guy. Because the guy had touched Jessa. Because the guy assumed Jessa was for the taking. Just some bitch to bend over and take a dick, right?
Fuck. No.
That’s not who Jessa was. Or what she was meant for. Hell no.
Blaine rushed through the clubhouse and grabbed Trev. “You got a few?”
“What’s up?” Trev asked.
“I have a personal situation. I need back up.”
“What for?”
“Just roll with it.”
The rest of the clubhouse was split between partying and planning. Trev just stood there, beer in hand. He put the beer down and nodded. “Where are we going?”
“To visit a guy named Mike.”
“Are we going to kill him?” Trev asked.
“Maybe.”
“Good. I’m in the mood to kill.”
Blaine slapped Trev’s face. “That’s why I love you, brother.”
“Don’t try kissing me or anything,” Trev said. “I know where your mouth has been.”
“I’ve tasted some of the sweetest pussy ever though.”
“But you’ve also had some…”
“Save that though,” Blaine said. He caught Jessa approaching. He put a hand out and grabbed her. “Come here, sweetheart. You, me, Trev, and a couple prospects are going to visit Mike.”
“Blaine…”
“Look at the clubhouse,” Blaine said. “Everyone is chilling out. There’s nothing we can do here. I can’t fucking take this feeling.”
“You’re doing this for her?” Trev asked.
“Why?” Jessa asked. “Is that wrong?”
“No,” Trev said. “I’ve never seen Blaine care about a woman that was fully dressed before.”
Jessa looked at Blaine, raising an eyebrow. “Romantic.”
“Only for you,” Blaine said. “Now let’s go.”
They made it to the door where Miller stood outside, staring across the lot.
Blaine pushed Jessa along and whispered, “Go to my ride.” He then stopped next to Miller. “You out here alone, thinking. That’s never good.”
“I’m thinking about Griffin,” Miller said.
Blaine realized they were standing at the exact spot where Chief Jerry had shot Griffin in the throat.
“Damn,” Blaine whispered.
“If I acted faster… with Jerry…”
“No,” Blaine said. “Don’t do that to yourself. That only makes his death seem foolish. He gave his life for this club. For you, Miller. For all of us.”
Miller looked at Blaine. “I don’t want to fuck this up, Blaine. This gun move for the club. Pushing back at Eight Under. We can’t afford it. We’re still healing.”
“Hey, can I spot you some good news?”
“Try me.”
“I don’t need your woman’s tits anymore.”
Miller shook his head. “I’m going to…”
“No, no, no,” Blaine said. “I’m going to get my own soon.”
“What?”
Blaine nodded toward Jessa. “Mine.”
“Jesus,” Miller said. “You knocked her up?”
“You’re the only one who knows, Miller. This is crazy, even for me.”
“Well, you figure you fuck enough women, it’ll happen.”
“Not when it’s throats, tits, and ass, brother.”
“Christ, Blaine. You’re going to make one hell of a father.”
“Let’s hope I live to see the birth.”
Miller grabbed Blaine’s arm. “That’s why I’m out here, alone, thinking. We’re all going to survive to see your woman push out your baby.”
“All in the delivery room, huh?”
“You got to see Ella’s tits when she was feeding Beck. It’s only fair I see your woman’s pu…”
“Stop,” Blaine said. “Just stop.”
“Doesn’t feel good, does it?”
Blaine smiled. “Her name is Jessa. She’s my family now, Miller. She’s my only family.”
“Not your only,” Miller said. “We’re all a family. A bunch of dysfunctional asshole outlaws.”
Blaine nodded and broke away.
A minute later he led the charge out of the clubhouse, Jessa’s arms around his body, three motorcycles following him.
It was time to make sure the world understood that Jessa was his… and his only.
***
It was some fancy ass corporate apartment building. The kind with new bricks but built to make the place look vintage. As though the building had been standing for two hundred years when it was probably built a decade ago for assholes like this Mike guy. The cars in the lot were all expensive cars. The entire scene just pissed Blaine off even more.
They weren’t that far out of Frelen either. That meant Jessa had lingered around the area. She could have split after the murders and really started over. But she didn’t. She stayed. And now she was pregnant.
When Jessa pointed, Blaine waved a hand and signaled the guys. He ordered the prospects to watch the front and call if anyone was coming or anything happened. Blaine grabbed Jessa’s hand and kept her close.
“This is for you,” he whispered. “Stand up to this prick. You’re the mother of my child, sweetheart. I need you strong.”
“I am strong.”
“Good,” Blaine said.
He then pounded a fist on the door and stepped back.
It opened a second later and a tall, clean cut, pretty boy stood there with a white shirt halfway undone.
“Hey,” he said, staring at Jessa.
Blaine and Trev hung to the side where Mike couldn’t see.
“You can’t text me like that anymore,” Jessa said. “Ever.”
“What?”
“You heard me, Mike. You’re… you use people. You’re never going to use me again.”
Mike laughed. “Is this one of those roleplaying games? You want that? You want to resist so I get rough? That’s fine by me.”
Blaine saw Mike reach for Jessa’s hair.
He snapped.
Blaine took out his gun and jammed it into Mike’s gut.
“Shit,” Trev said.
“Help!” Mike screamed.
“I’m going to fucking…” Blaine couldn’t speak.
Trev lunged forward and pushed everyone into the apartment and hurried to shut the door.
“You talk to her like that?” Blaine asked.
“Who the fuck are you?” Mike asked.
Blaine punched with his left hand, hitting Mike in the nose. Then he swung his gun and cracked Mike against his jaw. Mike stumbled back against the wall. Blaine then went to town, taking Mike to the ground with hit after hit with his gun.
He only stopped when Trev grabbed his arms and pulled him away.
Blaine was still swinging and cursing.
/> Mike was huddled up on the floor, crying.
“Tell him,” Blaine said to Jessa. “Tell him again.”
“You don’t ever contact me again,” she said. “Got it?”
Mike looked at her, blood all over his face. “Yes. Yes…”
“Now give me the cell,” Blaine said as he pulled away from Trev.
“Blaine,” Trev said. “Think about…”
Blaine looked at Trev. “You have my back, brother?”
“Always,” Trev said.
“Good. Then take this pants off.”
“What?”
“I’m putting that cell phone someplace he’ll never forget.” Blaine crouched and grabbed Mike by the hair. “You think you’re rich and tough? It’s your turn to get fucked.”
Blaine didn’t need to say it again.
He and Trev went to work as Jessa stood at the door, her eyes wide, jaw dropped.
Sometimes Blaine believed there was a sickness somewhere in his head. But when he satisfied the sickness and had good reason, what the hell did it matter? Jessa was family. She was carrying Blaine’s baby. Anyone who messed with her - past, present, future - was going to feel pain.
“Christ,” Trev said. “I might throw up.”
“I can’t wait to see how he gets that out,” Blaine said. “And then who he texts… you think it’s texting someone right now?”
“We have to go,” Jessa said. “This is…”
Blaine looked at Jessa. Her face was stone white.
“What is it?” Blaine asked.
“Luke,” Jessa whispered.
Luke? Who the fuck was Luke?
Blaine turned and realized just who Luke was.
The other guy. The friend. The one who was there with Mike so they could double team Jessa.
And Luke had a gun. His finger on the trigger.
Blaine couldn’t get to Jessa fast enough before the gun went off.
***
Blaine saw Trev get in front of the bullet. Trev’s left shoulder flew back and sent him spinning. Trev fell to one knee and screamed. Blaine took out his gun and wanted to blow the fucking guy away but a little voice in his mind told him to think bigger. The one flaw he always had in the MC.
Think bigger.
Bullets and bodies meant eyes on the MC.
Blaine ran toward Luke but he didn’t shoot.
“Drop the gun!” Blaine ordered.
“I shot someone,” Luke said. “Jesus Christ.”
The gun fell from Luke’s hand.
Blaine hit Luke in the face, taking him down.
“Are you okay, brother?” Blaine yelled to Trev.
“Yeah,” Trev said. “Just a bullet in my shoulder.”
“We really need to go,” Jessa said, sounding like the truest voice of reason.
“Not yet,” Trev said. He got to his feet. Blood seeped through his shoulder, shirt, dripping down his arm.
“What do you want to do here?” Blaine asked.
“Shove the gun up his ass,” Trev said.
“You’re as sick as me, brother.”
“Shut up and do it,” Trev said.
Blaine grabbed Trev. “Thank you. You saved my…” My child. “… my woman. You saved her.”
Trev winced. “I got a bullet in me. Got a solution for that?”
Blaine looked at Jessa and nodded. “Actually I do.”
He slipped away from Trev as Trev started to order Luke to drop his pants.
“Sweetheart,” Blaine said. “Oh, fuck, sweetheart.”
Jessa’s eyes were filled with tears.
“No crying. He’ll never hurt you again. Nobody will. But I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“You have to get that bullet out of Trev. Your office is nearby, right?”
“Blaine…”
“He can’t make the ride back. He can’t go to a hospital either.”
Jessa’s lips quivered. “What did I get myself into?”
Blaine brushed his lips to hers. “Everything you ever wanted, needed, and fantasize about.”
Before Blaine could kiss Jessa, the apartment filled with screams and Trev took care of the man who shot him.
twenty-two.
Jessa snuck in through the backdoor. There was nobody there.
Thankfully.
She knew where the security cameras were - all of them at the front of the building. At the main storage closet where all the drugs were. Where the money was.
“Here,” she said. “The last exam room. Okay?”
Jessa couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Trev had his arm around Blaine’s shoulder. Trev’s face looked a little white. He was losing too much blood. The bullet needed to come out and Jessa needed to stitch him up. That was the only way to save Trev. It wasn’t exactly life threatening but since Trev and Blaine refused to go to a hospital…
“Get on the table,” Jessa said.
“Look at that thing,” Trev said. “It’s half my size.”
“It’s for a fucking dog,” Jessa said. “Not a biker.”
Blaine laughed. “Here. Put your back on it.” Blaine rolled a chair to the end of the table. “Put your feet here.”
It was all happening so fast.
Trev took off his leather cut and his shirt. He was ripped with muscles and tattoos. The tattoos were scattered and random. They were absolutely terrifying. Everything from religious tats to skulls with snakes coming out of the eye sockets.
Jessa stared and froze.
“Hey,” Blaine said. “What’s…”
She looked at Blaine. “I haven’t… a person… not since…”
“Shit,” Blaine said and ran a hand through his hair. “Shit. Then I’ll do it. Guide me.”
“He should be numb,” Jessa said. “But if we knock him out, he can’t ride.”
“Then give me something local,” Trev said. “Or just hurry up and fucking do it.”
Blaine touched Jessa’s shoulders. “I can’t let him go to a hospital. Trev runs with a different kind of crew, sweetheart. He’s patched in with us, in Frelen. But he used to run with the Lost Men. He’s wanted in a dozen states.”
“Fourteen,” Trev said. “Had a little run in back on the east coast a couple years back. Led a chase from North Carolina to South Carolina. Got away though. Hey, how about this fucking bullet in my arm.”
“Okay,” Jessa said. “I’ll do it. I can’t promise…”
“Jesus,” Trev growled. “You’re not getting paid for this. I’m not judging you.”
Jessa went to work. She gathered up supplies and a local for Trev’s shoulder. In her mind, however, all she saw was herself sitting on the floor with her baby. The baby staring at her, smiling.
Let me tell you the romantic story of how I took a bullet out of your Daddy’s friend’s shoulder. Yeah, some men take the mothers of their baby out to dinner. Buy them flowers. Hold their hands. Not your Daddy. No way. It was far more romantic to see weapons, gunshot wounds, blood, and death…
The second Jessa started to work on Trev, she shook with fear. The bullet wound was clean and the bullet was right there. She refused to look at Trev’s face and she refused to talk about a thing. Her focus was on his shoulder, trying to force her mind to pretend that Trev was an animal.
Well, he was. They were all animals. They were outlaws.
Jessa sucked in a breath and jammed a pair of tweezers into the wound. She held her breath and felt the bullet. Trev hissed and his body flexed. Blood gushed for a few seconds as Jessa slowly took the bullet out.
She held it up for them to see and hurried to put her hand to the wound to stop the bleeding.
“Got it,” she said.
“Goddamn, I love you,” Trev said. “Now stitch me so I can go have a beer.”
Jessa looked at Blaine. He nodded. “You did good, sweetheart.”
Blaine put his hand out and she gave him the bullet. She then stitched Trev up and excused herself to rush to her office. There
she quickly dropped to her knees and threw up.
She then sat on the floor, her back to the desk. She hugged her knees and cried.
She cried for all the innocence that had been lost. The natural progression of it was a battle against time that everyone lost. But the innocence Jessa lost when she walked into the house that night to find Meghan and Janey gone. Then to see Vin standing there. Him lifting the gun.
I should have died.
That night she had found the strength to run. She managed to hide well enough that Vin left.
And now all this.
Back Down Devil MC.
Vin back.
Blaine getting her pregnant.
Yet it all somehow made sense. She didn’t feel bad for Mike and what had happened. Or for Luke. Or for anyone that Blaine took care of.
That was the scariest part. The innocence stripped had given way for rage and revenge.
Jessa touched her stomach.
For you, baby. For you.
The door opened. When Blaine saw her on the floor, he scrambled to her. “What is it?”
“I’m…”
“The baby?”
“No. The baby is fine.” She looked at Blaine. “You really care?”
“Of course I care.”
“Then… when does it end?”
“It doesn’t, sweetheart. You can’t stop the fight. But we have each other, right?”
Jessa nodded. “Blaine… Vin was going to kill me that night, too.”
Blaine hung his head. “Fuck.”
“I’m sorry. I have to talk about this.”
“Okay. Talk to me.”
Blaine inched closer, his powerful outlaw arms making Jessa feel safer by the second.
“You called me in a panic. You screamed at me. You sounded angry. Drunk. You sounded like you were going to kill…”
“That’s true,” Blaine said. “I wanted to kill that night. Everything had gone wrong. Vin knew something was happening. The bust went south. Everyone started shooting at each other. I hid and each time I tried to get out of there, there were more bullets. I was the one being set up. I let my mind slip for a minute. I started to see things from both sides. It fucked with me.”
“I showed up,” Jessa said. “I was so scared for them. I remembered what you said to do. To get them to safety. Fuck their clothes. Fuck their everything. Just make sure Janey had her horse…”