by London Casey
They were using a different boat each time. It brought less attention to the destination and the cause. It was a smart move, too smart for the dumb fucks in Coast Road MC, which meant there definitely was more powerful hands in this deal.
Jace continued to walk slowly, crouching the best he could so he wouldn’t be spotted. Then again, being dressed in a black leather cut, walking along the rocks and sand dunes wasn’t much camouflage. If this was a decent enough operation, a sniper should be readying to blow his head off.
But that wasn't happening yet.
Jace crept forward a few hundred more feet. He got closer to the shore where there was a wall of black and slimey looking rocks. The waves crashed with their soothing sound. Crouching again, Jace had a little more protection behind the rocks. A warm breeze shot off the water and under any other circumstances, it would have been a nice feeling.
As Jace waited, he reached for his gun. There was a chance his shot wouldn’t be able to hit anyone or anything from this distance, but he had to be ready just in case. If need be, he’d stand and run toward the assholes and just start shooting. That would give Gaige, Blaine, and Shay a heads up and then Back Down Devil could end this battle before it became a goddamn war.
Jace slowly started to stand. He spotted two men standing at the back of the fishing boat. Then he saw Mutty. Next to him was another meathead of muscle. Jace smiled when he saw the guy's crutches. He was lucky that Jace had shot him in the knee and not in his fucking head.
Next time, motherfucker…
The two guys in the boat wore regular clothes. They looked like tourists with their sunglasses with string attached to them around their necks.
One of the guys turned and opened a compartment and pulled out a white box. After popping off the lid, he took out a fish and wiggled it.
Mutty shook his head and yelled something.
The other guy then reached into the white box and pulled out a bag. The fucking drugs. The lid was put back on the box and then handed to Mutty. He put one box on one large shoulder and then a second one was presented to him. He took both and walked away.
Jace took a step, ready to unleash hell.
But then one of the guys lifted a machine gun. He rested it on his hip and started to look around. Jace dropped back a little and wasn’t seen. The guy then gave a command and his partner started to unload more boxes. Different sizes with different logos on them.
This was bigger than a drug deal. It was a massive delivery.
These guys were getting ballsy now that they had been getting away with it for some time. If people thought having Back Down Devil MC in town was bad, they had no idea what was coming if the drugs made it into Frelen.
The man with the gun jumped off the boat and onto the shore. He put the gun down and then offered a hand to Mutty. Mutty took it and nodded. Jace was too far to make out what they were saying. Behind Mutty there was a small group of Coast Road guys moving the boxes and loading them in a white seafood van.
Jace had seen enough for now. Everyone looked satisfied with their deal. Jace lifted his gun. He pointed it at Mutty. If the shot hit its target, Mutty’s brains would be splattered all over the beach. Jace then moved the gun to the man who had been holding the machine gun. If he shot this asshole, he wasn’t sure what it implied.
His hand tight around the gun, Jace needed to make a decision. Go big or go home, right? It was how Jace had lived his life since the day his family was taken from him. His rage and need for revenge probably came from the grief he never had a chance to work through.
Jace had his finger on the trigger. If the bullet would reach, he wanted it to kill Mutty. He closed one eye and readied himself for the mess he was about to create.
When Jace’s cell started to ring, he dropped down. He waited for everyone to look at him, but luckily, the running motor of the boat along with the waves crashing drowned out the ringing of his phone.
Jace looked at the screen and saw it was Jordyn calling.
He gritted his teeth and took the call. Just in case.
“Babe, I’m in the middle…”
“Jace, she’s gone,” Jordyn whispered. “Gram. She’s gone.”
“What?”
“Gram… she’s…”
“Oh no,” Jace whispered. “I’m so sorry, babe.”
Jordyn’s grandmother had passed away. And Jace was crouched down, a gun in his hand, deciding which enemy he wanted to kill. On the phone was the woman he loved and she needed him right now.
“Where are you?” Jordyn asked.
“Out,” Jace said. “What do you need me to do right now, babe?”
“Come get me. At my place. I don’t want to be anywhere but in your arms, Jace.”
Jace shut his eyes and said, “I’m on my way.”
He tucked his cell away and stood. He thought about unloading his clip anyway, but he couldn’t afford to be chased when he needed to get to Jordyn.
“Another day, fuckers,” Jace growled.
He turned and ran as fast as he could back to his ride where they guys were waiting.
“What happened?” Shay asked.
“They’re dealing,” Jace said. “From a fishing boat. They're using containers of fish and a seafood van to hide what they're doing."
“I hate those fuckers,” Blaine said. “Let’s light them up.”
“I thought about it,” Jace said. “Jordyn called. Her grandmother just died. I have to go get her, guys.”
“Go,” Gaige said. “Christ, man, go. We’ll figure this out here. They are not going to move this out of Frelen.”
“Thanks, brother,” Jace said.
Gaige caught Jace off guard by hugging him. “Get her, man. Bring her to the clubhouse. She’s one of us now.”
Jace nodded.
Yeah, Jordyn is one of us… now I have to keep her alive.
twenty.
Being heartbroken was just second nature for Jordyn. Dealing with the death of her parents never ended. There was no end to that kind of loss or grieving. All she did was adapt to a life without them. It wasn’t even acceptance. Much like what Jace did with Back Down Devil.
When Gram had been diagnosed a few years ago, it was devastating news to Jordyn. But Gram smiled and fought through everything. She defied doctors and treatments, entering remission twice. The last year had been the hardest. When her cancer came back for the third time, it was clear that her body wasn't going to win again. Even then, knowing death was coming any day, Gram still put on a brave face and swung like she could beat the cancer.
And all of it was done for Jordyn.
So Jordyn could finish college, get a job, and fall in love. It seemed so dumb now. With everything Jordyn had seen lately, none of that mattered. Gram had tried to tell her so many times that none of it mattered. But Jordyn insisted on finding it. Having it. To replace the family she lost.
Jordyn had been grieving for Gram ever since the cancer came back the last time, so the only reason Jordyn was sitting on the edge of her bed, crying, was because of her reaction to Gram’s death. When the nurse called to give the news, Jordyn just stood there in her kitchen, holding a cup of coffee. She simply accepted it. She heard the words. She knew what they meant. And she accepted them. It didn’t shock her. It didn’t hurt her. Even after hanging up the phone, Jordyn didn’t cry. All the arrangements had been taken care of ahead of time. There was nothing to do. Gram was gone. Jordyn was alone.
That’s when it all hit her.
She was completely without family now. And she wasn’t even crying.
Only then did Jordyn get angry and start to cry. She had expected to breakdown and fall to her knees when she heard the news. But she hadn’t. It made her feel ashamed. As though she didn’t really care for Gram. But she loved Gram with all her heart and soul. It was just the passing of time that chipped away at the tears and grief, and Jordyn felt so empty.
She sucked in a breath and stood from her bed. She walked to her window and waited for Ja
ce. For the outlaw who had taken her heart and given her life meaning. When Jordyn heard the call of Jace’s ride, she shut her eyes. A sense of relief came over her. She opened her eyes and watched Jace climb off his chrome ride. She did the same thing again as she ran to the door to greet him. This time, when she opened the door, Jace stepped back surprised.
“Babe,” he whispered. “I’m so…”
“No,” Jordyn said.
She dove at Jace. She needed his arms around her. And that’s just what Jace did. His arms locked behind her.
“Take me right now,” she said. “Love me.”
“Jordyn…”
“I didn’t ask. I told you.”
Jace stepped into the apartment and kicked the door shut. He carried Jordyn to her bedroom as his hands slid down to her ass. He held her at the edge of the bed, and stared into her eyes.
“I love you,” Jace said. “I can’t explain it. I just want you to know I mean it.”
“I know you do. Now love me, Jace. Please.”
Jace gently placed Jordyn on the bed. His hands quickly lifted her shirt up over her breasts. He cupped them as he brought his mouth down to her chest. Kiss after warm, soft kiss, he moved down to her belly. At her bellybutton, his tongue flickered, offering just the smallest of teases. Jace opened her pants. Everything he did was so gentle. A far cry from the strong man in leather. The hands that murdered people were now loving hands. Passionate. And they would be the hands that protected Jordyn forever.
He slid her pants down, letting them fall to the floor. He touched her legs, tracing all the way up to her panties. Jordyn lifted herself, allowing Jace to take her panties off. He did so slowly, peeling them away from her warm center. This time when his hands came up her legs, the followed the curves of her waist and then cut in. Jordyn rocked her hips until Jace touched her. The feeling was electric. She let out a whimper as two of his fingers grazed her clit.
Jace’s hands moved up to her sides, forcing Jordyn to arch her back. His fingers twisted the clasp of her bra and she sat up. Jace took her shirt off first, her bra second. She fell back to the bed, completely nude for Jace's eyes.
He leaned back and looked at her.
“Fuck, you are beautiful,” he said.
“Show me how beautiful,” Jordyn said.
Jordyn got to watch Jace strip himself. She groaned as he dropped his leather cut to the floor. Then he peeled the black t-shirt off his rock hard body. Her eyes tried to trace all the lines of muscles that flexed. He reached into his jeans pocket and took out a condom. He smiled and unbuckled his pants. With one swift move, he dropped his pants and boxers.
He stepped from his clothes and then sheathed himself with the condom. His body came down on hers, his thickness resting against her, ready.
But first, Jace stroked her hair and kissed her. “I can’t wait to come inside you this time.”
It was hot. It was almost too hot to handle. Jordyn’s toes were already curled.
Jace kissed her again and thrust forward. He opened her and entered, chasing away the pain and confusion. It was all replaced with pulses of pleasure racing all over her body.
Jace made love to Jordyn as she could have only dreamed a real man could ever do. His body was so close to hers. One hand cradled her neck while the other gently slid down to her hip where he held her steady for each of his soft, thorough thrusts into her. She ran her fingernails up and down Jace’s back, but when the pleasure became too much, her nails dug into his muscles and within a few minutes her fingers were hooked, her nails digging into his back. She scratched and pulled, wanting more. She never wanted it to end.
But then Jace thrust harder and hissed. He kissed her neck and made a line of sweet kisses to her ear.
“I’m going to come, babe,” he growled.
That set Jordyn’s body off even more. She rocked harder at Jace, waiting for it. His thrusts started to speed up as he lost control. He thrust one more time and then held in place, groaning, as he started to come. Jordyn bit her lip and forced her body to move back and forth on Jace’s cock, savoring his release.
When they finished. Jace lifted Jordyn and moved her further back onto the bed. They laid next to each other, his fingers stroking her shoulder.
“Did I mess up your day?” she whispered.
“No,” Jace said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here.”
“Am I going to be okay?”
“As long as you stick with me, babe. And the club. We’re there for you. Trust in that.”
Jordyn nodded. “I have something else to tell you.”
“What?”
“He wants to meet with me today. In two hours.”
“No,” Jace said. His grip tightened on Jordyn’s shoulder.
“Jace, I have to.” She looked into his blue eyes. “I have to. Maybe I can get him to spill more secrets when I tell him I lost my grandmother. He will take pity on me."
“Christ, Jordyn, you just found out…”
“Exactly,” Jordyn said. “I can’t sit around and do nothing. Let me do this, Jace. Let me meet with him. It’s going to be important. I feel it.”
Jace’s lip curled. “I fucking hate this. I fucking hate that you’re in this. But if it’s what you want to do, then do it. Just know that it’s going to end.”
“You’re going to kill him…”
“Yeah,” Jace said. He traced Jordyn’s face. “Sometimes, there’s no choice.”
“I know,” Jordyn whispered.
She closed her eyes and curled up close to Jace’s body. She had thought she would have been in the Back Down Devil clubhouse for a little while before meeting Mr. Strokner, but this worked out even better.
An hour later, Jordyn climbed over Jace, tempted to fuck him, but she resisted and went to shower. Jace followed her and watched her shower from the doorway. After she dressed, he held her hand as he walked her from her apartment to her car.
“This is insane,” he said.
“I know,” Jordyn said. “But so was thinking that I would be happy with a white picket fence. Right?”
“No,” Jace said. “Is that what you really want?”
“Not anymore.”
“Then think about the life you do want.”
“The life I want? It’s with you.”
“Then come back to me, babe. Keep your phone with you. I’ll be near the building."
Jordyn touched Jace’s hard jaw. She didn’t reply. She leaned down and kissed him. The kind of kiss that would linger on Jordyn’s lips for hours.
She turned and got into her car.
The ride was lonely even with Jace behind her. As they got closer to the building, Jace made a turn somewhere and was gone from sight. Jordyn parked her car in the parking garage and went to the office. She wasn’t supposed to be at work today, but if Mr. Strokner called and needed her, she had to be there.
Jordyn walked into the elevator and shut her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. Her body was filled with fear. The hallways were quiet. Nobody else was here right now. The desks and offices were empty. The lights were on, but Jordyn didn’t know where Mr. Strokner was. The logical place to look first was his office. But when Jordyn went there, it was empty. She thought about calling Mr. Strokner, but instead she stepped into his office.
Slowly, she approached the desk and noticed there was an open folder on it. Her mouth ran dry as a sudden sense of boldness came over her. Jordyn wanted this to end as much as Jace did. She had enough of being touched and talked to the way Mr. Strokner did. He wasn’t going to give her anything she needed. And the more she listened to him, the more she realized he was honestly losing his damn mind.
Jordyn reached for the folder and slowly turned it around. The listing was on top. When Jordyn pushed that paper to the side, she gasped. There were pictures of Jace standing at a hole. Pictures of Jace putting a body into that hole. These were the pictures, the evidence that Jace had been talking about. The evidence that would put him away for a long time.
Probably the rest of his life.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Jordyn screamed. She spun around and saw Mr. Strokner standing just a few feet away. He was holding an open bottle of scotch. He drank from it.
“Mr. Strokner…”
“You see what I have? The ability to crush them all. I can put Jace away. I have other pictures in there too. I could take the land and then dig up all their secrets.” Mr. Strokner laughed. “Then it’s all mine. Whoever is left will become employees of mine.”
“I don’t understand. What do you get out of it?”
“Everything,” Mr. Strokner said. “I get revenge. I help the town. I become a hero to everyone. And then, I have you.”
He came toward Jordyn. His body touched hers. She could feel that he was hard already. He drank from the bottle of scotch again and then put it on his desk. His cold, sweaty hands touched Jordyn’s face. He was blinking rapidly.
“I’m going to have you,” he whispered.
His lips touched hers, once, twice, and then he pulled back.
“You were with him,” Mr. Strokner said. “I can taste the filth on your lips.”
“What?”
“Jace. You were with him. You let him fuck you, I bet. You let him kiss you.”
Mr. Strokner backed up.
“Please,” Jordyn said. “Just tell me…”
“You whore,” Mr. Strokner said. “My wife and my daughter were whores. Look at their fates. The fate of a whore.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” Jordyn said. “Just let me leave. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
Mr. Strokner slammed back into Jordyn. She whimpered. His hands held her waist, tight. “You fucking wanted it. You took the position. I told you what I wanted to do and you accepted it. You didn’t mind when I touched your sweet pussy. You didn’t mind rubbing against me, making me come all over myself. You fucking whore.”
“I understand, Mr. Strokner. I've lost my family too. I just lost my grandmother today. Please, I understand."