by London Casey
“Isn’t that enough?” I asked. “I mean… for both of us. He’s willing to do that for me. So I should do it for him.”
“You want him to be back with his motorcycle club?”
“I don’t know. I’m afraid he’ll get hurt. But if someone is after him now… what does it matter?”
Debbie shook her head. “I’m sorry, Dakota, I don’t know what to say. That’s quite the load to carry.”
“It is,” I said. “I’m…”
“Why don’t we get out of here?” Debbie asked. “Come on. We’ll go grab some lunch.”
“I’ll go wake Ellis. He might be grumpy though.”
“He’s too cute to be grumpy,” Debbie said.
I laughed all the way to the nursery. I picked Ellis up and he slowly started to wake up. By the time I got him into the carseat he was fully awake. His eyes were tired but he smiled when he saw Debbie.
Ellis then started to cry but that was easily solved when I started to drive. The car always soothed him. Thankfully.
“Where do you want to go?” I asked Debbie.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’m just happy to be out of work right now. And with you and Ellis. Nice to get a break.”
“Yeah, it is,” I said. “I wish Kye could get a break.”
“Back to Kye,” Debbie said with a smirk. “You must love him.”
“Is it that obvious?”
I stopped at a red light. I looked in the mirror to check on Ellis. He was as content as could be. His big brown eyes just taking in the world. But it was when I looked up from Ellis that I noticed something else.
The car behind me.
The driver of that car.
A hood pulled up. Sunglasses on his face.
My heart started to race as the light turned green.
I cruised forward and I reached for Debbie’s hand.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I have to tell you something.”
“What?”
“We’re being followed.”
“What?” Debbie quickly spun around in her seat and looked right out the back window. “Are you… oh, Dakota. He’s got a gun!”
At the word gun I hit the gas pedal. I sped forward and started to do what I did before. Twisting and turning, up and down any roads I could find, wanting to see if the car would follow.
The car followed. Every turn I made, they made. And, yes, the driver had a gun in his hand and wasn’t afraid to let it be seen.
“What do I do?” I asked.
“Call the police,” Debbie said. “Let me call.”
She took out her phone and I grabbed for it.
“No,” I said. “That won’t do anything. I need to call Kye. I need his help. He’ll know what to do. Cops won’t help us.”
“Cops won’t help us?” Debbie asked. “Do you realize what you just asked…”
I fumbled for my phone.
I came up to a stop sign and slowed down. When I came to a full stop, the guy in the car behind me opened his car door. That was good enough for me. I stepped on the gas pedal and decided that stop signs were now officially optional. All it took was one wild shot from that gun to smash through the back window of the car and hurt Ellis.
Ellis. My baby.
I hurried to dial for Kye.
He answered and I started to yell into the phone.
“Kye! We’re being followed!”
“What?” he yelled back.
“The car! It’s back! I’m with Debbie and Ellis. He has a gun, Kye. He tried to get out of the car at a stop sign. What do I do?”
“Shit,” Kye said. “Listen, Dakota, I’m in my truck. Where are you?”
I read the next street sign I could make out.
“Okay,” Kye said. “I’m a few minutes out. I’m going to hang up. I’m going to call the guys to come in and help. Don’t argue with me on it. You need damn protection. Whatever you do, do not stop the car. Do not let that asshole get near you or Ellis. Or Debbie.”
“I won’t,” I said.
Just like that I was thrust into a whole new role in my life. Trying to escape the violent arms of a man that wanted to hurt me and my family because of Kye and his ties to Back Down Devil MC.
I put my phone down and glanced at Debbie for a second.
“What’s happening now?” she asked.
“We drive,” I said. “And we hope for some help.”
I gripped the wheel tight. The car stayed right on my ass. The truth was that he could have taken a shot if he wanted to. He could have crashed into the back of my car. He could have taken me off the road.
I wasn’t going to jinx myself.
I focused on the road ahead and drove as fast as I could without putting my baby in danger.
As I made my way through town I knew I needed to get to the roads going south. They were open roads, big turns, and no stopping. That was far away from people though, which maybe put me at risk.
I made it about two minutes away from the busy part of Daurian when I looked in the mirror and saw the first motorcycle. That was followed by two more, then two more. It was like the motorcycles were popping out of the horizon.
The car quickly realized what was happening so he finally made his move.
The car darted to the left, crossing the yellow line, and started to creep up alongside me. In a last second decision, I slammed on the brakes and cut my wheel to the right. As I went off road, Debbie let out a yell and put her hands to the dashboard. In the backseat, Ellis let out a long whine.
“Dakota!” Debbie cried out.
The car flew by me and I heard the sound of gunshots ringing out.
I crouched down and screamed, realizing that the guy wanted to shoot me. He really wanted to shoot me!
My car came to a stop.
The car was then in front of me and when I saw brake lights, I started to panic. If this guy backed up…
Two motorcycles growled as they flew by me. I saw the Back Down Devil MC logo flying away as they rode after the car. That’s when the car took off, now leading the chase.
The other four motorcycles gathered around me. One behind me. One next to me. Two in front of me.
I rolled my window down and looked to the biker next to me.
It was Max.
“Hey,” he called out. “Are you okay?”
In the backseat, Ellis cried even louder.
“I think so,” I said.
“You’re safe now,” Max said. “Kye will be here soon.”
I shut off my car and got out. I hurried to get Ellis out of his seat. I held my baby and rocked him, soothing him. He had no idea of the danger he had just been in. Hell, I didn’t realize the danger. Not until a gun went off.
Cash climbed off his motorcycle, sitting behind my car.
“Hey beautiful,” he said. “Can I get you anything?”
I looked at Cash. He was rough, gritty, dirty. But I could see that his eyes had a sense of being sincere.
“No,” I said, hating myself for still being cold.
Cash reached out and touched Ellis’s back.
“It’s okay, little one,” Cash’s rough voice said. “You’re in good hands.”
The President of the club - Trev - and Jasper were the two in the front of my car. They were talking. Trev took a call.
I waited for Kye.
When I saw his black pickup truck emerge I felt a crash of relief hit me. It was so impactful that I started to cry.
Kye stopped right there in the middle of the road and dove out of his truck. He ran right to me and Ellis. His arms went around us and he held us tight.
“Christ, I’m so sorry, Dakota,” he whispered. “That will never happen again. I swear.”
I cried. Ellis cried.
“We’ve got you covered, brother,” Max said.
Kye turned and grabbed Max, hugging him. “Thank you.” Then he looked at Trev. There was a moment between them, in silence. I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad. B
ut both men nodded to each other.
“Austin and Hudson are chasing the car down,” Trev said. “I have Duke and Trent following also. We’ll get this figured out.”
“But standing in the middle of the road like this is going to get attention,” Jasper said.
“Come back to the house,” I blurted out. “All of you. Okay?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Kye turned to me. “Get in my truck. I’ll get Ellis’s seat.”
“What about Debbie?”
“She can drive your car. I’m not letting you or my son out of my sight or my reach now.”
Kye walked to the passenger side of my car and helped Debbie out. Then to my shock he put his arms around Debbie and hugged her. He put her at arm’s length and said, “I’m so sorry, Debbie. Everything you’ve done for us. You don’t need this.”
Debbie nodded. “We’re okay. They saved us. The motorcycle club.”
“That’s what they do,” Kye said. “Now, I need you to drive this car back to my house. Can you do that?”
“Sure.”
“Stay with us. Guys will be following you. Nothing is going to happen.”
Kye put the base of Ellis’ carseat into his truck. We got into his truck and waited as the MC guys started to turn around. Trev and Jasper took the lead. Kye followed right behind them. Then there was Debbie driving my car. Behind that was Cash and Max.
Before we could make it around the first bend, Kye reached for my hand.
“Darling, I’ll never forgive myself for this,” he said.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Kye… I think I get it now.”
He slowly nodded. “We’ll talk later, okay? But if I’m clearing the air… I got fired today.”
“For what?”
“I made Marty piss his pants.”
I bust out laughing. It felt good to laugh considering the afternoon I was having.
“You made Marty piss his pants,” I said.
“I’ll tell you the entire story later. First, I need to make sure my family is safe.”
“I love you, Kye,” I said. I couldn’t help myself.
Kye kissed my hand. “I love you too, darling.”
**
Debbie had Ellis in the living room watching cartoons and playing on the floor. I sat at the dining room table, alone, with a mug of cool coffee. The MC guys had been coming in and out for two hours now. I, of course, knew nothing of what they were talking about. It was a madhouse but I had to admit to myself I at least felt safe.
Yeah, they drank beer. Yeah, they cursed. But you know what? They didn’t curse in front of Ellis. Anytime one of those outlaws went near Ellis, they were kind, gentle, almost flipping a switch to become someone else.
It was humbling. It was touching.
The front door opened and I turned to see Trev coming inside. He was larger than life. His presence and what it commanded.
Trev made a line right for the kitchen. He grabbed the chair across from me. “Mind if I take a seat?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Mind if I get some coffee?”
“Help yourself.”
Trev poured a mug of coffee. He put it down and then took off his leather cut. He draped it over the back of the chair and slowly sat down. He stared right at me.
I grew nervous. Very nervous.
What was happening?
“My old lady is pregnant,” Trev said. “So pregnant. Doctors want to schedule her to go in. It’s getting close.”
“Congrats,” I said. “You must be excited.”
“Terrified is more like it. A father. Me? In this world? Shit, it’s insane.”
“Yeah,” I whispered.
“But then I look at a guy like Kye. You know, when he first told me everything, I couldn’t help myself but smack him around. Right there in prison. Did he tell you that?”
“No.”
Trev grinned. “Of course he wouldn’t. Too much pride. I was pissed at him. How could he do that to the club? To me? Just hide something like that. Shit, the way he’d come and go to take care of you, Dakota, it made me wonder if he wasn’t working behind our backs. You know, he ended up in prison because he had no real alibi for the murder. Until he confessed you were pregnant. That’s what he did for you.”
“I understand,” I said. “I love him for it.”
Trev lifted his coffee mug and set it aside. He made fists and put them to the table. “Here’s the thing, Dakota. As I sat there with my old lady, my hand on her stomach, I got it. I understand all of it. Hell, I’d probably do the same thing for my family.”
“Thank you for helping today.”
“No need to thank me. That’s what family does.”
Family.
I sucked in a breath.
“You know I’m not sitting here to sip coffee, right?”
“You didn’t take a sip yet,” I said.
“I know you’re against the club. Against the life. Against everything.”
“It’s not personal.”
“I’m not taking it personal,” Trev said. “But there was a bullet meant for you today, Dakota. Protecting you from the outside is hard to do. But bringing you in on the inside… why don’t you tell me what happened.”
I saw Kye step into the kitchen from the corner of my eye. He nodded at me. Like this was all set up.
“What do you want to know?” I asked Trev.
“Your story. How I can help.”
“My father was killed. You can’t do anything to help that.”
“You’re right,” Trev said. He leaned back in his chair. “Shit, if I could somehow go back in time and fix problems… oh, I’d be a very rich man. But what I can do is make sure the same doesn’t happen again.”
Kye was standing next to me now. His hand gently touched my back.
“I don’t remember much,” I said. “I was young. My father was a cop. He tried to balance the line between right and wrong with the MC’s.”
Trev nodded. “Keep going.”
“There was something brewing. It was out of town but my father was always involved. He was sort of a voice of reason to a lot of the guys. Tried to help them a lot. Another club was pushing south into our town. They were really rough guys. All black. No affiliation. I heard my father telling someone once that they only existed to kill and burn. That’s all they wanted. And that’s what they did. Fires starting to happen in town. The police investigated. Then someone in the MC was killed. I don’t know who or what, but the war went to the street. I remember that. I remember coming home from school and my mother keeping me inside. I remember her terrified each time my father left. One time he left and he never came back home.”
“Who did it?” Trev asked.
“Those other guys,” I said. “They gunned him down on purpose. To send a message to the police to stay away.”
I felt a lump in my throat rise up. I turned my head and bit my fist.
Kye crouched down and kissed my shoulder. “That’s enough, Prez.”
“What happened then?” Trev asked.
“The MC took over and won the war,” I said. “My mother blamed the MC though. Said they let my father die so they could take over. And it made sense to me. You know?”
“Of course it did,” Trev said. “Your father was tangled up in a fucking mess and paid a price he wasn’t meant to pay.”
“Yeah,” I said. I was surprised. I thought Trev would have defended the MC. “Exactly.”
“The guy that was running the club before me had issues too,” Trev said. “Changes were made. Things are different. Of course, saying that to you means nothing. Right now, all I care about is loyalty and family. The days of wars in the streets are gone. We’re not criminals, Dakota.”
“I know that,” I admitted. “I just… I feared losing Kye for good.”
“And today,” Trev said, leaning toward me, “Kye almost lost you for good. And his son.” Trev the
n stood up. “I can tell you this. It takes a real man to put on the leather cut and keep with it. But it takes an even bigger man to take that cut off knowing the implications.”
“What implications?” I asked.
“You can discuss that with Kye. I want you to know, from my mouth to your ears, that your family is important to me. I’ll make sure you’re protected. But if I could be straight with you, Dakota, knowing what your family is going through, having Kye without his cut… it’s not right.” Trev put his own leather cutback on and walked to Kye and slapped a hand to his shoulder. “I’ll see you outside, brother.”
“Thanks, Prez,” Kye said.
Trev left the kitchen and Kye turned my chair so I was facing him.
I touched his face. I kissed him. “What implications…”
“I could lose my cut for the rest of my life,” Kye said. “I could have been voted to have my ink cut off my skin. Shit, turning my back? I could have been voted to die. At the very least though, nobody should be helping me. Helping us.”
“I never meant it to be like this,” I said. Tears filled my eyes. “I just…”
Kye’s thumbs grazed the corners of my eyes, collecting the tears. “I know what you meant, darling. But this is our reality now. I need to fix all of this. With or without my cut.”
Kye leaned in and kissed my forehead.
He started to walk away and I grabbed his wrist. “Kye?”
“Yeah?”
“Whatever you have to do. I support it. I love you. I want you to protect our family.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Kye said.
He walked away.
I forced myself to my feet and went to the living room. I plopped down on my knees on the floor and reached for Ellis. Debbie sat on the edge of the couch, her eyes still wide as when I pulled the car to the side of the road. We looked at each other.
“What happens now?” Debbie asked.
There was only one thing that came to mind. So I said it. “Kye has to put his leather cut back on… and become an outlaw again…”
chapter twenty-seven.
(kye)
I threw back the first beer like it was a bottle of water. My nerves were frayed. Between that asshole Marty and some asshole trying to hurt my family, I was going to lose it. And soon.