by London Casey
Welcome to world of BACK DOWN DEVIL MOTORCYCLE CLUB
~
A romance novel by London Casey
London Casey is the pen name for bestselling romance author Karolyn James
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CRASH & BURN
A Back Down Devil MC Novel
Stealing a motorcycle, crashing it, witnessing a bomb explosion, and being held at gunpoint while begging for her life is a far cry from the life that Avery Smith is trying to escape in the first place, but as she winds up in the strong, sexy arms of another biker, she can't help but wonder why she would want to leave that life ever again.
Landon Cryen knows it's a mistake to bring Avery into the clubhouse. There's too much going on right now. In the midst of a raging war with a rival crew, they have to satisfy a business deal and find the ones responsible for almost killing a fellow member in a bombing. But sensing Avery's pain - and feeling her body - has Landon questioning everything he believes in. The pressure puts him over the edge and soon he and the Back Down Devil MC are blackmailed into handling the murder of a man who can potentially take down the MC.
Avery knows she should run away, but she can't escape Landon - or Back Down Devil MC. She knows more than she should, so she decides to step up and prove her feelings for Landon and her respect for the club.
Once Avery steps into a dangerous world without the protection of the MC, she has to find the strength that had once been taken from her... the question is, will her strength be enough to make it back to Landon's arms safely?
one.
The day was slowly dying with a soft breeze and warm air. Behind a thin trail of exhaust and gas fumes rested the town of Frelen, California, close to the coast and protected by the crew of Back Down Devil Motorcycle Club.
The focus had shifted from protection and to survival. A few of the guys had a sense of faith; one wore a rosary around his neck, a couple others displayed crosses on their arms or chests, but most of Back Down Devil MC’s faith existed in the two wheels on the road, the knives and guns they carried, and the fire in their eyes for the truest freedom that only some men could handle.
On their way to the hospital, Landon rode alongside Shay, who was supposed to be the victim here. Someone had put a bomb in Shay’s new car, but it hadn’t gone off in time. When the bomb ignited, Erik had been right there. It was a damn miracle that Erik hadn’t been blown to pieces. It was even more of a miracle that Erik was still alive now.
In front of them rode Gaige and Miller and in the back was Blaine. They all took turns visiting Erik in the hospital. He was in a delicate state. The mental effect of being attacked and not being able to seek out the necessary revenge on the asshole who tried to kill someone in Back Down Devil MC was almost worse than the physical pain. There hadn’t even been a meeting yet to discuss thoughts and options on who could have done the bombing and how to properly approach it.
If it were up to Landon, he’d love to convince Gaige to just finish off the Eight Under crew. They were definitely suspects after Gaige flew into a revenge filled fury that ended with Gaige killing two guys in Eight Under, one of which he kidnapped and tortured by cutting his eyeballs out.
It was a sick life, but that’s how true justice was served. Right or wrong, fair or not, it didn’t fucking matter. What mattered was that Back Down Devil rode the streets when they wanted and they did what was needed.
Pulling into the hospital, the roars of the engines announced the MC’s arrival. Frebrough Medical was the closest hospital and with the history between the doctors, administrators, and the MC, it gave the crew the ability to receive medical care in a way nobody else in town did.
Miller skipped the normal parking lot and went around to the back of the hospital. He parked right against the building, the rest of the motorcycles pulling into line. They all turned their engines off.
“Fuck, I hate this shit,” Blaine said as he took his helmet off.
“What shit?” Gaige asked.
“Hospitals. People are up there dying, man. Fuck, someone could have died just now.”
“People are dying everywhere,” Miller said. His deep voice was a strong voice of reason. “Everywhere, brother.”
“This is for Erik,” Landon said. “I don’t give a fuck about anyone else in this place. As long as the doctors keep him patched up and get him out of here soon.”
“He’s got a long road,” Griffin said.
“A long road to revenge,” Landon said. “One we haven’t talked about yet.”
“Soon,” Miller said.
Miller motioned with his head and everyone began to walk. Miller, Gaige, Shay, and Griffin walked first. Landon looked around, feeling uneasy. It could have just been the hospital itself bothering him, but ever since the bombing, he had grown insanely paranoid. The entire crew was paranoid, and without a plan to fix it, everyone turned to booze and pussy to let off steam. And, of course, fighting. Drink. Fight. Fuck. Over and over, night after night, day after day.
Blaine put an arm around Landon and smiled. “Listen, bro, I brought something to drink. If you need a nip.”
“I’m good.”
“It’s hard looking at his face though. I mean, what’s that going to look like when it scars?”
“Fuck, Blaine,” Landon said. “He was almost fucking killed, bro. Give him a break.”
“Sorry. Just… fuck. That’s going to be hard to get pussy like that.”
“Not when he tells the story,” Landon said. “He took the bomb for another guy in the MC. They’ll be dropping to their knees like wildfire.”
Blaine stopped walking and put his hands to his hips. “Fuck, man, you’re right.”
Landon laughed as Blaine looked like a brokenhearted kid. “What’s wrong?”
“Make me a promise,” Blaine said. “Next time there’s a bomb, let me jump on it, okay? I could use a few scars to ugly my face up.”
“You’re already fucking ugly, bro.”
“Hey, fuck you,” Blaine said. “Chicks love this face. But a long scar on my cheek…”
Landon turned and went into the hospital.
They took the steps and at the first landing, they opened the door and were in a hallway. Miller led the way to the elevator and they rode up to the fifth floor. Nurses that saw the group of bikers all looked away. A few charged away, obviously afraid of dumb rumors. It pissed Landon off, making him want to punch a few holes in the wall. Really give people something to be afraid of.
Miller knocked on the door and opened it. “Surprise.”
They entered the room as a nurse checked on Erik. He had more bandages on his body than clothing. Miraculously, nothing had been broken. The worst was the fall to the ground after being lifted off his feet. He had a few staples in the back of his head and the doctors were mostly concerned about a concussion. So far, Erik seemed as fine as he could get, considering the look of rage in his eyes. His face looked like hell though. His skin was red and melted. Blaine was certainly right, there would be some intense scars on his face.
“How you feeling, bro?” Blaine asked. He patted Erik’s foot.
“I feel like I was blown the fuck up,” Erik said.
The nurse cleared her throat and her cheeks were red. “I’ll leave you be now. Please let me know if you need anything.”
“Release papers,” Erik said. “I have to get out there.”
“I can’t help with that,” the nurse said.
“
Then fuck off.”
“Christ,” Gaige said. “Calm down…”
Landon turned to the nurse and put a hand to her shoulder. She looked at his large hand, the rings on his fingers, the ink on his knuckles and wrist.
“Look, don’t take that personally,” Landon said. “You’d be pissed off too.”
“I understand,” the nurse said.
She turned and walked out of the room. Landon checked out her ass and nodded.
“If she were ten years younger…”
“I’d take it now,” Blaine said. “I don’t give a fuck about age.”
“We know,” Gaige said.
“I’m serious… if there’s tread on the tires, ride it. Fuck, even if she couldn’t get wet…”
“Jesus Christ, brother,” Shay called out.
Blaine put his hands up in defeat.
“How are you feeling?” Miller asked.
“Like hell,” Erik said. “I dream about it. I feel pain. I look out the window and can’t see the ground… I know I’m above the world right now. The asshole that did this is out there, enjoying himself.”
“You can’t worry about it,” Landon said. “We will take care of it all. Once you’re out.”
“That’s right,” Gaige said. “There’s no business until you take your seat at the table.”
“I fucking hate that,” Erik said. “I want…” Erik looked down and closed his eyes.
“How bad is the pain?” Landon asked.
“Comes and goes.”
“Hey, I bet they have some wicked good pain meds though,” Blaine said.
Erik looked up and smiled. “Fucking amazing stuff. Gets me so high, I’m just flying around this hospital.”
“Good for you, bro,” Blaine said and smiled.
“We wanted to just check up on you,” Miller said. “Make sure you know your brothers miss you, man.”
“You’ll get your revenge, Erik,” Gaige said. “Right now we’re battling time. And that fucking sucks.”
“Yeah,” Erik said.
“There’s something Landon came up with,” Griffin said. “A little relaxation present for you.”
“He has the pain meds,” Blaine said. “What else…”
Landon pulled out his cell and opened it. He pressed a button and made the call.
“Hey, love, you there? Okay. We’re here waiting.”
“What the fuck did you assholes do?” Erik asked. “I’m not in any fucking mood right now.”
“I bet you will be,” Landon said.
He reached forward and patted between Erik’s legs. Erik tried to kick and then groaned in pain.
“Fucking dick,” Erik growled.
Landon laughed.
“Hey,” Miller said, “are you done playing with his cock?”
A knock sounded at the door. Landon smiled and backed up. He opened the door and let the tall, curvy woman into the room. She wore a tight white nursing outfit, complete with fishnet stockings, cherry red nails and lips, and big blue eyes that matched her giant rack.
“Holy fuck,” Blaine said. “You’re a nurse?”
“I’m a kind of nurse, sweetheart,” the woman said. “I fix any and all problems.”
“I’m having a problem right now,” Blaine said. “There’s no room in my pants for my big dick. Want to check it out?”
“Cool it,” Gaige said. “This is for Erik, not you, bro.”
“For me?” Erik asked.
“Aw, look at this,” the nurse said. “You look hurt. You look tense. You look… ready…”
The nurse slid her hand under the sheet and made it very clear what she was reaching for. Her hand motion moved up and down fast, instantly putting a smile on Erik’s face.
“Finally,” Landon said. “He fucking smiles.”
“Get out,” Erik said. “Right now. Get the fuck out.”
“Look how thick you are,” the nurse said. “No wonder you’re cranky. You just need a good come.”
“Good fuck,” Blaine whispered. “I can’t leave.”
Landon grabbed Blaine by his leather and pulled. They all made their way from the room, Blaine looking back until the door shut.
“Is that a real nurse?” Blaine asked.
“We hired her,” Landon said. “I hope she’s qualified.”
“With tits like that,” Griffin said, “she’s qualified. Jesus Christ.”
“Well, at least we know Erik will have a good night,” Gaige said. “Let’s bolt out of here and go back to the clubhouse.”
“You just want to fuck your lady,” Blaine said.
“Fucking right I do,” Gaige said. “Emily can’t go without me for long.”
“Sick,” Miller said. “This love bullshit.”
“Can I stay?” Blaine asked. “I mean… this nurse… maybe she can help me.”
Miller put a finger to Blaine’s chest. “Hey. If you fuck that nurse, that’s your dime, not mine.”
“And she ain’t cheap, bro,” Griffin said. “Trust me.”
“It’s good. It’s cool,” Blaine said.
“Guard the fucking door,” Landon said. “Make sure nobody goes in. The only one coming out is that nurse.”
“With a sticky hand,” Shay said. “And a full belly of Erik.”
“Shit,” Nate said. “You guys are ruthless.”
“Let’s move,” Miller said. “Blaine, stay put. Flirt and fuck your way all you want. Only after Erik is taken care of. Got it?”
“Got it, boss,” Blaine said.
He folded his arms and stood at the door.
The crew started walking and Landon elbowed at Shay. “You trust Blaine?”
“No. But with one of our lives? Yeah.”
Landon nodded. That’s how it worked. Trust was rarely given, except when it came to the brotherhood of the MC. There, they shared blood.
two.
Outside, Landon straddled his motorcycle and looked around. That damn feeling came back again. The rest of the guys were talking, and putting on their helmets. He could tell they were already mentally back at the clubhouse, shooting pool, playing darts, taking shots, and finding the right reliever to take care of their worries.
But not Landon.
His keen eye paid off a few seconds later and he let out a quick whistle to Gaige and Nate. They got off their motorcycles and started to walk toward Landon.
“What is it?” Gaige asked.
“Don’t turn fast,” Landon said. “But we’ve got a tail, bro.”
“Where? Who?”
“I’ve had this fucking feeling since we started riding that someone was watching us. Three rows back, the front end of a black SUV is sticking out. Might be on purpose or not, I don’t know. That’s our tail.”
“I’ll take a look at it tomorrow,” Nate called out. He turned and then nodded and walked away.
“Motherfucker,” Gaige said.
“Let’s go over there,” Landon said.
“Calm down,” Gaige said. “Let’s send some of the guys back and then we take care of this.”
Gaige motioned for Miller. When Miller saw the SUV he gritted his teeth together and looked up at the hospital.
“Maybe they’re here to finish the job,” Landon said. “Someone wanted one of us dead.”
“Me,” Shay said. “I’ll fucking bite their fucking hearts out.”
“Okay, listen to me,” Miller said. “We can’t have all of us do something stupid.”
“Then let me, Gaige, and Shay stay,” Landon said. “You, Nate, and Griffin head back.”
“Do it,” Miller said. “And don’t fucking do anything crazy here.”
“Make it a clean split and that’s fine,” Gaige said.
“Okay, boys,” Miller called out. “Enjoy your ride.”
Moving as casual as bikers could be, Miller, Nate, and Griffin started their motorcycles and rode away. While that happened, Landon, Gaige, and Shay all snuck into the parking lot and hid behind a car. They crouched down and wait
ed for something to happen.
“Just wait,” Landon whispered.
A few seconds later a window rolled down in the SUV. Muffled voices could be heard.
“Go to it,” Shay said. “Get these motherfuckers.”
Gaige stood up and before Landon could make a move, a gun came out of the window and started to go off. They were quick shots, aimed, but only hitting parked cars. The SUV then peeled away from the parking lot. It was a message to Back Down Devil.
Landon ran to his motorcycle with Gaige and Shay behind him.
“I’m riding this,” Landon called out. “Nobody is going to fucking shoot at us. Not after everything that’s happened…”
“Christ, use your head,” Shay yelled.
“I am,” Landon said.
He climbed on his motorcycle and started it. Landon led the way through the parking lot, the thundering calls of the motorcycles trailing off with an echo. Inside Landon’s mind it was a mess of thoughts. Everything from the MC to the bomb that went off and almost took Erik’s life… right down to the woman who dumped a motorcycle outside the parking lot when the bomb went off. Landon tried to help her, but she disappeared. The club had a notion that she had something to do with the bombing, but Landon didn’t believe it. What the hell was the point of believing in anything at this point?
The three motorcycles cut out into the main street and sped along.
Shay and Gaige got on each side of Landon and boxed him in. Gaige waved and motioned to head back to the clubhouse. Landon hated to admit any kind of defeat, but he forced himself to give a thumbs up. He wanted a cold beer and a woman to fuck all night.
All of a sudden, within a mile of leaving the hospital, the black SUV made a return. It ran a stop sign and came deadly close to crashing into Gaige. The three of them managed to get out of the way and nobody dropped their motorcycles. The SUV fishtailed and soon gunshots rang out.
“Fucking bullshit,” Landon cried out.
He slammed on his brakes. His motorcycle screeched as it came to a stop. He pulled out his handgun and turned, shooting at the SUV. It swerved and went up on a curb, then cut back into the street and passed by the three motorcycles. Landon started moving again, catching up to Shay and Gaige as they stayed right behind the SUV. When Landon got close enough, he started to shoot again. The back window of the SUV exploded and the vehicle swerved.