by London Casey
“Feisty,” Blaine whispered. He put a hand to the shower and smiled. “I’m telling you, love. You let Landon and I take you on…”
Landon slammed the shower door shut, right on Blaine’s fingers.
“Fuck!” Blaine cried out.
“Oh, sorry,” Landon said. He went back to kissing Avery.
“We’re all waiting for you,” Blaine said. “We have to get to the table, bro. Almost time to get Erik and figure this shit out.”
Landon ignored Blaine and kept kissing Avery. His hands loved her ass. He spread her cheeks and let the tips of his fingers explore everything he could reach.
“I’m going to starting jacking off,” Blaine said. “I can see you two.”
“Then get the fuck out,” Avery cried out.
“You heard her,” Landon said.
“You suck,” Blaine said.
The door shut and Landon looked at Avery. “That’s why I like to keep my doors locked.”
Avery touched Landon’s face. “You probably should get going.”
Landon turned off the water and stepped from the shower. A second later, the water turned back on and the door shut.
“What are you doing?”
“I need to finish,” Avery said. She opened the door a little and smiled. “And finish showering, too.”
Landon growled. Avery was amazing.
Landon dressed, stopped at the bar for a beer, and then went to the table with the rest of the guys. He wasn’t the last one to the table, Griffin was. But Landon took shit from everyone at the table, wanting to know how his sex life was going.
Miller calmed the table when Griffin sat.
“Where are we with Jonesy?” Landon asked.
“Set back,” Miller said. He pointed to Griffin.
“I talked to him,” Griffin said. “One of his guys was caught with a prostitute and he’s in jail for a long time.”
“For a hooker?” Blaine asked.
“He was beating her. She died last night.”
“Fuck,” Shay yelled.
“Why?” Landon asked.
“It was an ex,” Griffin said. “Guy freaked out when he saw her working the corner.”
“Which means what?” Miller asked.
“It means Jonesy is personally taking this on for us,” Griffin said. “He’s not taking our money until he has something to give. He dug up some dirt on a small crew running out of a garage in a residential neighborhood. Ten miles east of us here.”
Is that Death territory?” Blaine asked.
“It ain’t them,” Shay said. “Lots of men want me dead.”
“At least we know it’s not Eight Under,” Jace said.
“Fuck that,” Landon said. “I want to bury those fucks, and soon.”
“It’s been quiet,” Miller said. “I think all messages have been sent. Let’s focus on the present.”
“The present is that Jonesy is gearing up and hitting the streets for us,” Griffin said. “I have direct contact to him, and if shit hits the fan, he’d call us. We may need to help.”
“What the hell are we paying for then?” Nate asked.
“As of right now, we aren’t paying for a thing,” Miller said. “We will get this shit sorted out. If Erik asks us, Jonesy is on the case, following a lead. That’s it. Got it?”
Everyone nodded.
Landon drank beer and wished he was back in the shower with Avery.
“When can we get Erik?” Blaine asked.
“Yes,” Shay said, nodding. “I want to hug that son of a bitch and drive him back here. Back home.”
“Hey,” Blaine said, snapping his fingers, “we need some pussy in his room, waiting.”
“He already had a nurse,” Griffin said.
“Fuck it,” Miller said. “Make it happen. We celebrate life right now. Make it happen, Jace. Make the call. Set it up.”
Jace left the room.
“And Erik?” Blaine asked.
“Soon, brother, soon,” Miller said. “Everyone stay local and stay as sober as you can.”
Miller called the meeting and the room started to clear out. Miller whistled for Gaige and Landon to stay, along with Griffin.
“Griffin knows what’s happening with Strokner,” Miller said.
“For the record, I think you guys are right,” Griffin said. “Having a guy like that think he’s close to us can be a good thing.”
“Okay,” Landon said.
“I know this Charles guy,” Griffin said. “He’s a fat, pompous dick. He inherited all his money from his father and his business deals are always big and wasteful. He’s got more money to spend than he knows what to do with it.”
“Those kinds of men usually spend it on women,” Landon said.
“Exactly,” Griffin said. “But with Charles comes security. It’s going to take a little finesse to make this bomb thing work.”
Griffin smiled. His eyes lit up. Griffin’s job for the MC used to be to simply blow shit up. Although, that was a different time, it didn’t mean Griffin didn’t like stepping back into the past for a little fun.
“You’re going to do this?” Landon asked.
“Fucking right he is,” Miller said. “I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”
“I like it,” Gaige said.
“We need to distract Charles. We need a diversion. We need him alone… with someone.”
“A woman,” Gaige said.
“Yes,” Griffin said.
Landon’s mind went right to work. He said, “Avery…” before realizing what the hell he was saying.
“Avery?” Miller asked. “Your friend?”
“Not my friend,” Landon said. “She’s… whatever. But she’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?” Gaige asked.
Landon nodded. “She will.”
Guilt went through Landon’s body, but he knew why he wanted Avery to do this. He wanted her to prove herself to the MC. And, maybe, to him. He wasn’t supposed to fall for her, but that’s just what happened. He had completely fallen for Avery, but it couldn’t just be some happily every after romance. This was serious shit. This was a serious way of life. In other words, Avery needed to see the purpose and the fight of freedom. Not the life she had with abusive assholes.
“We can hire someone,” Griffin said.
“No,” Landon said. “You’ll need too much trust.”
“We trust Avery?” Miller asked.
“I do,” Landon said. “Is that enough?”
Miller slowly nodded. “Okay. Let’s get a plan together then. We’re going to need to take this to the entire table, so we can make sure Avery is safe when she’s out there.”
“I say we load up his car,” Griffin said. “Then we get him and Avery, and a driver, in the front seat.”
“One of us will be the driver,” Landon said.
“Yes,” Miller said.
“Sure. We stage a heist. We take Avery and make it look pretty fucking serious. I’m sure Charles would give up a woman for his own damn life.”
“Then you hit the button,” Gaige said. “And… it’s done.”
“He’ll be in a billion pieces of blackened flesh,” Griffin said. “It’ll be perfect.”
“Okay,” Miller said. “Let’s not get too lost just yet. We’ll vote on it. But first, we need to get our brother back home, safe.”
“Safe?” Landon asked.
Miller stood up. “It’s been quiet out there with Eight Under. That worries me. But keep that shit tucked away. Let’s keep our eyes open and let’s bring Erik back.”
“Agreed,” Gaige said.
“Yes,” Griffin said.
Landon simply nodded.
He couldn’t believe what he had just done. He just threw Avery right into a fire. But maybe that’s what she needed. The MC life was simple, you were either, in, out, or dead.
twenty-one.
Miller got the call and it was time to get Erik. The entire bar erupted into cheers. Everyone was instructed to get their motorcycles r
eady and load up within the next hour. Landon went to his room to get ready, and to get Avery. Whether she knew it or not, she was coming for the ride.
Halfway down the hall, Landon heard Gaige yelling his name. When he stopped, Gaige was whispering something to Emily. He squeezed her ass, she giggled, turned red, and walked away.
“You ready to go soon?” Gaige asked.
“Always,” Landon said.
“Hey, are you nervous at all? Or at least thinking anything?”
“Yeah,” Landon said. “I’m bringing Avery with me. Just in case.”
“What did Miller…?”
“I’m not going to worry about that. I have to keep her safe.”
“You don’t think she’ll be safe here?”
“I don’t know what to think anymore. I just know that if Avery is on the back of my motorcycle, I’ll be able to keep her safe.”
“Okay,” Gaige said. “I was thinking the same for Emily.”
They bumped fists and went to get ready.
Landon found Avery sitting on the edge of the bed in his room. When she saw him, she stood up and wrapped her arms around him. Landon held Avery for a little bit, taking deep breaths, inhaling her scent.
“What’s wrong?” he finally asked.
“I can’t stop thinking about it,” Avery admitted. “After what happened in that alley, I just know something else will happen.”
“And if it does, would you rather be alone? Or with me?”
Landon looked down at Avery. She touched his face, her thumb grazing his bottom lip.
“I want to be with you,” Avery said. “But what if he just starts shooting? What if he hurts someone in the MC?”
Landon put a hand to Avery’s face. “That’s the kind of shit that gets people killed. Don’t worry, sweetheart. Nothing is going to happen. You’re riding with me today, okay? We’re going to get Erik from the hospital. I promise you, once Erik is back and we get a plan to get revenge on who tried to kill him, I’m going to personally find Bry and settle this.”
“Kill him?”
“If that’s what you would want me to do,” Landon said. “Or I can take some guys with me and trash his dive bar.”
“No,”Avery said. “I don’t ever want anyone to go in there. That’s where he… to me… all the time…”
Landon saw tears well up in Avery’s pretty eyes. He wiped a thumb under her eye just in time to catch a tear. He’d never really seen a woman in pain or fear like this before. And if he had, he never cared enough to remember it. But this hurt him, too. His mind flashed images that he knew he shouldn’t have allowed. He saw Avery on a bed, held down, forced to give herself to a man. That not only angered Landon but it made him writhe with jealousy. He was the only one who could command Avery now, especially in bed. The difference was that Avery wanted him to fuck her, wanted him to order her to her knees to suck him, because he was the one who protected and loved her.
Loved her.
That thought crashed hard.
Landon moved from Avery. He couldn’t look at her right now for a moment or else he’d slip and tell her.
“Let’s just get through today,” Landon said. “I’m sorry that you’re still hurting from him. But I’m right here, sweetheart. I’ll give you a gun if you would feel safer. But I don’t want you here while the rest of us are going to get Erik. There’s too much shit waiting to happen. Come with me to pick up my brother, and then we can talk. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Avery put her hands to Landon’s back. It made Landon’s lip curl because Avery posed a power threat to him.
“Hey, listen, there’s something else I need,” Landon said, trying to sound tough again.
“What is it?” Avery asked.
Landon looked over his shoulder. “I need you to pay off that debt you owe me and the club. For Pop?”
“Okay…”
“There’s a guy we need to speak with,” Landon said. “But he’ll only travel alone if he’s within the company of a woman. He likes to pay for strippers and pussy. Get my drift?”
Avery’s face looked a little pale. “You want me…”
“I want you to seduce him. Beg him to take you home to fuck you. Then when you get into the car with him, you just have to keep him on a leash.”
“What if he touches me?” Avery asked.
Landon turned his head and closed his eyes.
Of course she would ask that fucking question.
Landon hadn’t thought about Avery’s past until now. What it would be like for her to have someone touching her. Grabbing her. To have someone trying to force themselves on her.
“He’s going to touch you,” Landon said. “He’s going to make advances. You have to keep him happy but don’t let him do anything.” Landon made fists, trying not to think about some fat businessman touching Avery.
“You’re angry right now,” Avery said. “Your hands are in fists. Why? What are you hiding?”
Landon spun around and took Avery by the arms. “I’m not hiding a fucking thing, sweetheart. Okay? I’m telling you what you’re going to do. I’m sorry for what happened to you, but today is reality. Today matters. Without today, there’s no tomorrow. You want to be here, sweetheart? Then you do this. You’ll show your respect for the MC, and that goes a long way around here.”
Landon hated the look of fear in Avery’s eyes. He hated himself for building a wall like this. But what choice did he have right now? This was his life and if Avery was going to be part of it then, this was simply the journey.
“Whatever you need,” Avery said. “I’ll do it. I’ll help.”
“Good.”
Landon went to his nightstand and made sure his guns were loaded and that he was ready to go. With such a large crew riding to get Erik, it sent with a message but it also left made them a large target. It would take a complete and total idiot to try and take out the MC while they rode in a large group, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen. However, Eight Under hadn’t exactly been making the smartest decisions lately.
“Let’s go,” Landon said as he pulled on his leather cut.
He put a hand out for Avery. He led her through the clubhouse, through the crowd of bikers as they finished their drinks, smokes, and stories. Landon skipped all that bullshit and went right outside. That’s where the core of the MC waited.
Miller, Gaige, Griffin, Nate, Shay, Jace, and Blaine. They were all on their motorcycles, helmets on, faces stern. This was a celebration, but it was a protection run at the same time. They needed to get Erik safely to the clubhouse and then everyone could celebrate.
Landon walked to Miller and before he could say a word about Avery, Landon noticed Emily on the back of Gaige’s motorcycle.
“You good with this?” Landon asked, nodding to Emily.
“I need everyone safe,” Miller said. “If she’s going to help the MC, then we all need to keep her safe.”
“She wants to help, so it’s all good.”
“Good. We talked to Jonesy again and he’s digging into that dump house. There’s a lot there, brother. This thing isn’t just a simple car bombing meant for Shay. I think it’s more. Much more. We need our last brother at the table so we can prepare.”
“For what?” Landon asked.
“War,” Miller said
He started his motorcycle and the rest of the guys followed.
Landon got on his motorcycle, Avery behind him, and soon the clubhouse started to empty out. These runs were done with a system in place. The main table would ride first and in front of everyone else. The rest of the guys would from a long line behind them. They were more for show, but if something went down, the MC would have numbers.
The guys from the table rode side by side in rows of two.
Miller and Blaine.
Gaige and Nate.
Landon and Griffin.
Jace was the tail, solo.
Shay drove the car so he could take Erik back to the clubhouse.
T
he ride through town was loud and fast. Landon looked down more than once and saw Avery’s fingers interlocked. He had fallen for her. Beyond fallen for her. Landon loved Avery. And now he needed all this little shit to work out. He needed Erik back with the MC. He needed Avery to prove to the MC what she could do. Then all focus could be on revenge, and Landon could have Avery to himself forever.
Landon couldn’t stop looking around, waiting for a mess to present itself. The last time Landon was at the hospital, those punks from Eight Under had taken shots at them. This time, however, there was nothing. Not even any traffic. Things never went this smoothly.
At the hospital, they made a line with their motorcycles basically almost on top of the front doors. Miller and Blaine got off their motorcycles and went inside. Everyone else sat and waited, their engines rumbling, waiting for their brother. When the doors opened and Erik came walking out on his own, they all cheered and clapped. Erik had a visible limp and his face still looked like hell, but damn, it was good to see him in his leather cut. He was tall and thick. He could definitely take a beating… and a bombing.
Miller hugged Erik and pointed to the car. The look on Erik’s face wasn’t very happy right then, but he knew there wasn’t a motorcycle for him. Landon would have given up his ride for Erik, but he wasn’t sure if Erik had been medically cleared to ride yet.
Shay rushed out of the car and hugged Erik, patting his back. Erik spotted Landon and Landon gave a thumbs up. Erik nodded but didn’t smile. There was still a lot of emotion and shit running through his head. That would begin to end when they find who did this and gut the son of a bitch.
Erik slowly got into the car as Miller and Blaine got back on their motorcycles. Miller gave the signal and it was time to travel back to the MC lot. He and Blaine started up and Gaige and Nate rode next. This time, as a sign of protection and love, Shay’s car went next, followed by Landon, Griffin, and Jace. As they rode, Landon found himself slipping back into thoughts about Avery. She had a fierce grip around him. She unlocked her fingers and had one hand on his stomach and her other hand just a little bit too far down. Landon was hard and it was uncomfortable in his jeans while trying to ride. Landon gripped his motorcycle tight and stared straight ahead. He couldn’t ignore the thought in his head.