FILTHY KISSES (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel)

by London Casey

  We all hurried to our feet, checking on each other.

  “I got the plate, Prez,” I said to Trev.

  “I’ll call in a favor right now,” he said. “Find out what the fuck this is.”

  We turned and looked at the house.

  “Should we go inside?” Trent asked.

  “Why the fuck not?” Duke asked.

  Carefully, we approached the front door and we all went inside.

  It was a normal looking country house. Old furniture. Old decorations. The house had a smell of dust and dirt. There were hardwood floors, wood steps, cheap wallpaper on the walls that were peeling from age and in certain corners were water spots that were visible.

  We split up, Trev, Jasper, and Cash going to the left from the living through the dining room. Me, Duke, and Trent went down a hall into the kitchen.

  The six of us met there, nothing to note.

  There was a door in the kitchen that caught my eye. I opened it and it was the basement steps. I held my gun and slowly crept down the steps. When I got halfway down I looked and saw what the hell was going on. There were crates upon crates on the floor. They were all empty but I knew damn well what they were going to be used for.

  I looked up the steps and saw Trev standing there.

  “This is the house,” I said. “That old man is involved in it. It’s all empty crates down here.”

  “Fuck me,” Trev said. “Those pricks are trying to really make a play.”

  “What do we do, Prez?” Cash asked.

  “Leave it all be,” Trev said. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. They’ll be idiots to come back here and fuck around again.”

  I walked up the steps. “I want to know who that third guy was. The one covering his face.”

  “You and me both, brother,” Trent said.

  “Looks like we have something brewing in our backyard here,” Duke said. “Just like the Hell Five. Everyone trying to grab outside territory so they could push into us.”

  Trev froze in the country kitchen. Pots and pans hung above his head over an island. He leaned against it and nodded. “All it means is that we need to widen our protection. It’s time to put our prospects to work. See what happens then.”

  Trev started to move and we all followed.

  I looked around the house and something just didn’t feel right.

  We left the house, got on our rides, and left the scene behind us.

  As we rode back into Daurian, I thought about Dakota and Ellis.

  Ellis.

  What kind of name was that? I was pissed at myself for not getting involved in the naming thing sooner. I could have picked out a better name for the kid than Ellis. But if that’s what Dakota named him, then so be it.

  Shit, I couldn’t wait to see them again. I couldn’t wait to see Dakota. Hug her. Kiss her. I knew I was probably way out of line by going at her like I had done, but I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t like we were together and broke up. Our common ground was Ellis. And it had been a while since I’d been taken care of. And I knew it had to be the same for her.

  Back at the clubhouse, Trev called a table meeting.

  A full table and he stood and explained what had happened.

  “Any word on the truck?” Cade asked.

  “Billy called me,” Trev said. “Came back to some country asshole. His record is filled with DUI’s, domestic battery, and a lot of I rule the world with my rights kind of bullshit. Never did serious time. Defends his house and land.”

  “Now he’s in bed with Night Soul,” I said. “Why?”

  “Why not?” Jasper asked. “He wants a taste of the outlaw life. “

  “He’s going to get a bullet in his head,” Cash said.

  “So Gunner was there,” Max said. “But not Rocco.”

  “Rocco is probably running to get the supplies,” Trev said. “Fuck.”

  “You think this is tied to me?” I asked.

  “I can’t say yes, I can’t say no,” Trev said. “We just have to play it smart right now. Eyes open and wide. Prospects are taking shifts. The rest of us just need to see what’s out there. Any guns. Drugs. Arrest sheets. Anything that seems out of place.”

  “I’ll make a couple calls,” Cade said. “See if any lawyers are getting calls. Check the bail bonds and shit. We’ll make sure we track it all.”

  The table fell silent.

  Trev leaned back in his chair. He pointed to me. “You took off last night. How’d everything go?”

  “Well, maybe I can ease the mood at the table a little,” I said. I reached into my leather cut and took out the picture of Ellis. I tossed it across the table and smiled.

  “Look at that,” Cash said. He reached for the picture and studied. “I don’t know, brother. This kid looks a lot like me. Maybe this was someone we shared.”

  “Fuck off, Cash,” I said.

  Jasper grabbed my shoulder and started to shake me. “Daddy over here. Let me see that pic.” Cash flung it to Jasper. Jasper held it up and smiled. “Awesome, brother.”

  “Hey, congrats,” Trev said. “When do we get to meet the little guy?”

  My heart sank a little. “I’m working on it. It’s a delicate situation. Just coming out of prison.”

  “I get that,” Trev said. He took the picture from Jasper. “Keep in mind… whatever you need from the MC, we’ve got your back.”

  The table all cheered for me.

  Trev called for a bottle of whiskey and that got the life back in the clubhouse.

  Out at the bar, we all drank a shot to Ellis.

  After two more shots I stared at the picture of the baby boy and grinned ear to ear.

  Cade slapped a hand to my back. “I’ve never seen you happy before.”

  “I don’t know what to do with all of this yet,” I said. “Still piecing it together.”

  “You’ll figure it out,” Cade said. “Take care of your family. I really wish we could have helped more when you were inside. It drove Trev mad.”

  “Yeah?”

  Cade nodded. “He wanted to bring your woman here to keep her safe. But everything worked out?”

  “She’s healthy. The baby is healthy. I just need to get her to understand I’m not a criminal… well… you know…”

  We both laughed.

  “You going to tell her that with those marks on your face?” Cade asked.

  Shit.

  The fight with that asshole at the house had been pretty good. I hadn’t bothered to look in the mirror and see what damage was done to me. I never had to give a shit before. Now I suddenly needed to keep up some kind of appearance.

  “I’m going to need another drink,” I said.

  There was so much on my mind still.

  Booze was a good way to help.

  So was a willing woman…

  chapter sixteen.

  (dakota)

  I put the last dish in the dishwasher, put soap in the holder, and then started it. I looked to my right and saw there was just enough coffee left for one more cup. If I drank it, I’d be up later than I’d like. So what? My mind was flooded with stuff.

  So much about Kye.

  I told Debbie. She listened and smiled. She had no opinion, not that I expected her to have one.

  I poured the cup and as I reached for the creamer, I heard the shuffling of Debbie from behind me.

  I spun around, expecting to see my boy all wrapped up in his frog towel after his tubby. Instead, he was dressed in PJ’s, his little nose puffy and red, his eyes matching, and Debbie with a look of worry on her face.

  “What?” I asked.

  “He’s sick,” she said. “Burning up like crazy. Nose is draining. He’s whining a lot.”

  “I noticed that after his nap,” I said. “I was keeping an eye…”

  “Let me make a call,” Debbie said. “One of the doctors should be able to help us.”

  “Doctor?”

  Debbie nodded. “His fever is too high. I’m not letting it go overn
ight. We either go to the ER now or later. You pick.”

  I shook my head. “The ER?”

  I started to shake.

  My baby was too small for the ER.

  Right?

  No, Dakota. Nobody is too small for the ER.

  Plus, this was Debbie. She was a nurse. If she said to get to a doctor, then you listened to her.

  “Take him and let me make a quick call,” Debbie said.

  Ellis let out a long cry and reached for me. I took him from Debbie and bounced him. He felt so hot. I held him tight and hummed as I kept moving, trying to convince myself to calm down. Everything was going to be okay. Sometimes baby’s got sick. That’s why there were doctors and medicines.

  I cradled Ellis and looked down into his eyes. They were red and puffy.

  “My baby is sick,” I whispered.

  This was another one of those moments when I wish I had someone standing behind me to comfort me. To hold me and tell me it was going to be okay.

  I shut my eyes and thought about Kye.

  But I couldn’t function in a world of fantasy. I had to be present. That meant opening my eyes and tackling the situation at hand.

  So that’s what I did.

  I scrambled from the kitchen and put Ellis down in his chair. He didn’t like it, but I had to quickly pack his diaper bag for a long night. Debbie came booking down the stairs and pointed at me.

  “Dr. Hilbert is at the hospital tonight,” she said. “We’re leaving right now. He’ll take a look at Ellis.”

  Everything was happening so fast, but we really didn’t have much of a choice but to move fast. This was about making sure Ellis didn’t get very sick or ended up staying at the hospital.

  I picked Ellis up. “We’re going for a little ride, baby. Going to get you checked out.”

  As though he knew what that meant, Ellis started to cry.

  It broke my heart that he wasn’t feeling good. This was his bedtime.

  Instead, we were piling into Debbie’s car and driving to the hospital.

  I sat in the back with Ellis, stroking his head, his cheek, talking to him. His big, innocent eyes were locked to mine the entire time. He was afraid. So was I.

  Debbie was stoic and focused. She had been trained and had experience in all of this. But not me. I had no experience. I had nothing… except Ellis.

  I grabbed for my phone.

  It was late, but I knew the way Kye’s life went. He didn’t sleep a normal schedule or live a normal life.

  He would still be awake.

  I wasn’t going to text him to try and test him.

  I was afraid. I was alone. I needed him.

  I needed the man… I needed the outlaw… I needed Ellis’s father.

  **

  We ran through the sliding doors to a mostly full ER room. I looked left to right and couldn’t imagine how long it was going to take to get Ellis checked out. How greedy of me, right? All these poor people sitting there with their own ailments.

  “Go sit down,” Debbie said to me. “I’ll be right there.”

  She went to the counter and I went to a seat.

  There was a baby section to keep them away from adults who were very ill. A handful of people were wearing face masks. I hated the hospital to begin with, but there I was, clutching my infant to my chest.

  I looked down at Ellis and puckered my lips together. He reached for me. His little fingers grazed my lips. He sucked on his pacifier hard and even flickered a little smile at me. That little smile reassured me so much.

  “It’ll be okay,” I whispered.

  A minute later Debbie came walking over. “Do you have his insurance information?”

  “Of course. It’s in my bag.”

  “Okay. We’ll do that last.” Debbie crouched. “It’s going to take a few minutes but Dr. Hilbert is going to get us. As soon as a room opens.”

  “Are we cutting in front of other people?”

  “No,” Debbie said. “Sick babies and kids get first priority. Just trust me, okay?”

  I nodded. “Thank you, Debbie. I wouldn’t have known…”

  “Yes you would have,” she said. “You’re a great mother. Don’t be hard on yourself. Babies get sick. Kids get sick. Adults get sick. Just take a deep breath and let the doctors do their job right now. I’m going to poke around and see what I can do here.”

  Debbie popped up and went on the move. She had clearances at the hospital and disappeared through a door. I wasn’t sure if that was allowed or not, but she did it.

  I continued to rock Ellis, his big eyes staring at me. They were watery. Puffy. He looked sick. So sick.

  “I’m sorry little guy,” I said. “But we’re in the right spot here. Just you and me right now for a little bit. That’s all.”

  Ellis’s eyes started to get heavy. As he dozed off, I took that as a good sign. The fever medicine was kicking in, which was good. He could get some sleep until the doctor could check him. I had to use his bib to wipe away all the junk coming from his little nose. It was green and stringy. Gross.

  I shut my own eyes for a minute and put my head back against the wall.

  I felt like I was going to fall asleep myself but my pocket buzzed.

  I thought maybe it was Debbie texting me to tell me to come back.

  It wasn’t Debbie though.

  It was Kye.

  And his message was simple.

  I’m on my way, darling.

  chapter seventeen.

  (kye)

  I stopped the whiskey hours ago. The beer wasn’t doing shit for me either. The clubhouse was loud and almost annoying. Guys tossing darts, shooting pool, betting on dumb shit, everyone with the common goal to get drunk and laid. Not that I could blame anyone.

  For me, all I could think about was my son and the fact that someone out there tried to set me up for murder. That we had enemies working behind our backs trying to work out deals on guns and drugs. Fuck, that shit happened all the time. But right now it all seemed more important. So much more important.

  I walked to the meeting room and opened the door.

  Trev stood at the table, fists on it. Standing next to him was a very pregnant Eden.

  Such an important thing for the Prez and his old lady.

  Trev looked right at me.

  I gave a nod.

  He nodded back.

  I shut the door.

  When I turned, there was a woman standing there. A beer in each hand. Her jean shorts cut so short that the pockets hung out. Her shirt was tied way up her belly, showing off a glistening belly button ring.

  “You look like you need a drink,” she said with a smile.

  Blonde hair, pulled back tight, a low cut shirt, oozing with more temptation than a bottle of whiskey.

  “You look like you need something bigger than a drink,” I threw back at her.

  “Let’s take care of both,” she said.

  I grabbed the beer bottles out of her hand and walked them to the bar. My mind was slipping a little. I was beyond built up and beyond ready for a little release. I took her by the hand and spun her around, putting her against the wall. I pressed my body tight against hers, gritting my teeth.

  “You know what you’re up against here?” I growled at her.

  “Of course I do,” she said. She touched my face. “I can see it in your eyes. You’re pained. You need someone.”

  “And you’re that someone?”

  “I can be anything you want.”

  Her lips touched mine.

  Fuck, she tasted good. So fucking good.

  I kissed her back, kissing her harder, devouring her. My cock swelled. Her hands grabbed at the pockets of my jeans, wanting me. I wanted to destroy her. Just take it all out on her. I needed my mind and my body to be fucking clear.

  I placed a hand to her side, the other inching up until I was cupping her breast.

  That’s when my back pocket started to vibrate.

  That made no fucking sense at all. Every
one that had my actual cell number was in the clubhouse. Anytime I dealt with outside noise we used phones that couldn’t be tracked.

  I pulled away from the woman. The look in her eyes was intense. A look that told me she would do anything. She would be my playground for the night. Not a hole I couldn’t touch or fill. Not a thing she would push me away on.

  Holy fuck…

  I grabbed for my back pocket.

  There was only one other person who had my number.

  The mother of my son.

  And sure as hell, it was Dakota texting me.

  “What is it, baby?” the woman asked. She grabbed for my cock.

  I pushed her hand away. “My son is sick. I have to go.”

  “Your son?”

  I didn’t have time to explain a thing to a woman that I didn’t even know her name.

  I ran to the bar and cut in, whistling for a drink.

  A prospect brought me a beer.

  I pushed it away.

  When I told him I needed water, he looked at me funny. I gave him a half-hearted punch to the eye and that woke his dumb ass up. He hurried to get me water.

  “What’s wrong?” Cash asked next to me.

  “That was Dakota,” I said. “My boy is sick. He’s on his way to the fucking hospital.”

  “Oh, shit,” Cash said. “Let me find a ride…”

  “I’m okay,” I said. “I’m not drunk, Cash.”

  “Fuck, man,” Cash said. He was obviously drunk. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “No idea,” I said. “I have to be there. Tell Trev and Jasper I cut out and why.”

  “We’ll meet you there,” Cash said, slurring.

  “No,” I bellowed. I caught myself and grabbed Cash’s shoulder. “Listen to me, brother. You’re all wasted here. Stay here. I’ll be in touch, okay? Let me get to my son and see what’s wrong. Then I’ll let you all know what’s happening.”

  The last thing I needed was a group of wild outlaws busting into the hospital. Shit, it would have meant the world to me but I knew it would have scared the hell out of Dakota.

  I chugged the giant glass of water and went to take a piss. I got another glass of water and chugged that down too on the way out the door. I left the glass on the picnic table and eyed my motorcycle.

  No, Kye, not tonight…

  I wanted to be there for Dakota and Ellis.