As Ella started to lose her breath, she had a wild urge race through her.
She wanted to touch herself.
Her right hand was jittery as she actually tempted herself to do so. Touching her leg for a second, moving down, inside, then up. Yeah, she was over her jeans, but whatever. Just the pressure alone…
A door slammed with a thundering boom.
Fuck. Jerry was home.
Ella hurried to collect herself and rushed to the stairs. She went down as casual as she could, putting a smile on her face. In the kitchen, she saw Jerry was in plain clothes, a gun hanging off his hip.
“Hey,” she said.
He turned. His eyes were big, bloodshot, weary. “There you fucking are. What the fuck were you doing?”
“Putting the baby to sleep.”
“I didn’t hear any noise.”
“That’s the point. He’s sleeping.”
Jerry squinted. “You giving me lip?”
“No, Jerry. What… I haven’t seen you in days.”
“I’m working.”
Ella sighed. “Just so you know, there were cops and bikers passing through. Like you said.”
“That’s right. I take care of my shit.”
“Let me get you a drink. You want a beer?”
“No. Nothing. I’m fucking good, okay?”
“Okay. What… I mean… you probably can’t tell me.”
“No, I can’t,” Jerry said. “You don’t want to know. I got back to the station to get settled for one damn second and those fuckers messed with me.”
“Who?”
“Miller.”
The name sent a gushing wave through Ella’s body. “What happened?”
“They goaded one of my deputies into a chase. They slashed his tires and broke his radio. To get back at me. I arrested one of their prospects on an old gun charge.”
This was the most conversation Ella could remember having with Jerry in weeks.
“Wow,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get them. I think it’s time for this town to start thinking bigger.”
“Meaning?”
“Look, I love my job and all, but maybe it’s time to move on.”
“Quit the force?” Ella asked.
Jerry shrugged his shoulders. For a flicker of a second, he looked sincere. “Maybe it’s time. If I can take it to city hall and give it a nudge, we can merge with another local PD and let someone else deal with it. Bring in a bigger force. That way the pressure is on the MC to move. They’re no good.”
“Did something happen?”
“They’re outlaw bikers, Ella. What the fuck do you think happened?”
“I don’t know. I know you’ve been close to them for a long time.”
Everything comes to an end,” Jerry said. “Remember that. Everything.”
Speaking of which, Jerry. I have something I want to talk about. Can we sit? Can we…
There was silence.
Ella knew this was her chance. She could blow this whole thing open right now. She could speak her mind and try to have an open and honest conversation with Jerry. Then they could talk about the papers upstairs. Or maybe not. Maybe for the sake of Beck they could figure something out. After all, if Jerry was going to get away from the force. Take early retirement. They could sell the house. Move out of Frelen. No, fuck that. Move out of California all together.
“Why the hell are you smiling?” Jerry asked.
“Nothing,” Ella said. “Just… if you do retire…”
“Retire? I’m not old.”
“Okay, not retire. But if you leave the job. If we can…”
“Oh, so it’s we now?”
“Is it not supposed to be?” Ella asked.
“You fucking tell me.”
Now Jerry was pissed. He stared at Ella, his eyes going from slightly defeated to evil and beady.
“What does that mean?”
“Oh, like I wouldn’t fucking know,” Jerry snapped.
“What?”
“Goddammit,” Jerry yelled.
“Don’t yell. The baby.”
“Fuck that baby! Fuck it. That’s why this shit is going down. You used me. You wanted this so you could fucking leave and take my money.”
“I’m not… who said…”
Jerry reached into his back pocket. Ella cringed, fearing he was going to pull a gun on her. It wasn’t a gun, but it was almost just the damn same though. It was folded up papers.
Divorce papers.
Ella looked up. Then back at Jerry. “How…”
“Where’s your copy?” Jerry asked.
“They were delivered to you?” Ella asked.
“I got a phone call about it. That they were being processed. A concerned friend. You know what that fucking felt like?”
“Jerry, I never meant… I have a copy but I didn’t…”
Jerry jumped and grabbed the papers. “They’re fucking signed by you! They’re fucking filed by you!”
“Okay, fine. I filed papers. And I wanted to talk to you about it. I had it arranged so that they wouldn’t…”
“I got them! I got them right fucking here, Ella. What the hell are you trying to do?”
“Beck is sleeping.”
“WAKE UP!” Jerry boomed. He cupped his hands around his mouth. “WAKE THE FUCK UP!”
Ella moved at Jerry. She grabbed his wrists and tried to slap him in the mouth.
“You stop this,” she said.
Jerry grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her back. For a brief second Ella left her feet. She crashed against the counter, the edge hitting her back so hard she lost her breath. The room spun and went dark for a second. Next thing she knew she was on her ass on the floor. As Jerry then came at her, she put her hands up.
“You try to fucking stop me?” he growled.
A hand grabbed her hair and twisted. Ella yelled in pain. She kicked up and forward, hitting Jerry in the leg. He stepped back and she kicked again, this time getting him in the balls. Jerry stumbled back and groaned in pain.
Ella tried to get up, gasping for air.
Jerry swung with the back of his right hand. He barely got her, but got her enough to send Ella to her side. She put her hands out and grabbed at the floor, trying to pull herself out of the kitchen. She told herself she could hide somewhere, for a moment, just to catch her breath.
But Jerry was right there, right on top of her. His hands clawing at her shoulders, the weight of his body crushing her to the floor.
“You like this?” he asked. “You like me holding you down? You fuck. You want to fucking leave me?”
“Yes,” Ella said. She threw her head back, smashing into Jerry’s mouth. “I hate you!”
Jerry groaned again.
For a second, Ella thought she had a chance. She felt Jerry’s body lift off her.
“You’re going to pay for that. You’re going to pay for everything.”
Ella started to turn her head and caught sight of Jerry’s boot. She tried to scream but had no chance. Jerry’s boot hit the back of her head, driving her face to the hard, tiled floor.
All Ella could remember was some kind of pop sound.
Then there was complete silence. Complete darkness.
When Ella could move again, she popped up and let out a cry. She looked at the floor and saw blood. Her hands shook and she put them to the floor and pushed up. She got to her knees, trying to brace herself, balance herself.
“No,” she whispered.
She touched her face and it hurt. Reaching up, she grabbed the counter and pulled herself up. She was able to keep her balance, which was good. Her face throbbed but there wasn’t blood dripping. As Ella stepped forward, she let go of the counter. Her legs almost gave out, but she demanded her body to work. Instinct had kicked in and she knew that Jerry had Beck.
He has my baby. My son.
Ella got to the stairs and climbed them. The room on the right at the end of the hall wa
s Beck’s room. The door had been shut; now it was open a crack. Just seeing that gave Ella a sudden burst of strength and extreme willpower. She ran to the room and grabbed the door, opening it the rest of the way.
There was Jerry, sitting in the rocking chair. Beck cradled in his arms.
Ella couldn’t remember the last time Jerry held Beck.
But there he was, rocking Beck back and forth.
When he looked at Ella, his eyes were dark, evil, sick. He was a far changed man and now he was holding the baby.
“Your face is bleeding,” Jerry said with a grin.
“You can go to jail for what you did.”
“Seriously? You really think anyone would believe you? Or give a damn?”
“Give me Beck.”
“It’s my son, right?”
“It? Beck is not an it.”
“So cute and innocent,” Jerry said. “Kind of like what you used to be. Right, Ella?”
“Stop this,” Ella said. “Beck has nothing to do with this. This is between us. You’re mad at me for filing papers. I never…”
“That’s what you want,” Jerry said. He slowly stood. “After everything I’ve done for you. Given to you. This house. A marriage. The front yard and back yard bullshit. The neighborhood where there’s no fucking crime. I even gave you a baby.”
“You gave me a baby?” Ella asked. “We had a baby.”
“No, Ella. You had a baby. And if I knew you were going to close up on me and turn into this, I would have pulled out or made you take care of this a long time ago.”
Ella gasped. She felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.
“Get out of here,” Ella said.
“This is my house.”
“Then I’ll leave you.”
“You want to go that bad?” Jerry asked. “Pack a bag, bitch.”
“Give me my son.”
Jerry looked down at Beck and grinned. “I guess it’s for the better. He is kind of ugly.”
Beck let out a little wail and Jerry held him out. Gently, Ella took the baby. She pulled him tight to her chest, feeling relieved. She could take the abuse, but Beck deserved nothing of the like.
Jerry then stroked Ella’s cheek. Her good cheek, the one that wasn’t swollen. His fingers slipped behind her neck and he pulled her forward. Ella tried to resist for a few seconds but Jerry was too strong. He pulled her forehead to his lips.
He kissed her. “Ella. What the fuck happened?”
“I don’t know who you are,” Ella whispered. “You’re so hidden, Jerry. You’re lost. I…”
“No, no, no,” Jerry whispered. “You stop talking right now. Because I’m going to explain very clearly.”
Just like that, Jerry tightened his grip on the back of Ella’s neck. He showed his teeth like a vicious animal, ready to attack. More than once Ella feared Jerry would have a way to kill her and get rid of her and be able to get away with it. He had the job, the power, and worse than that, he had the connections to make that happen.
“You’re going to walk out of this room with that baby. You’re going to pack a bag. Hell, make it two. Whatever you can fucking carry out of here. While you do that I’m going to double check my gun, make sure it’s ready. You know why?”
Ella didn’t respond.
“Because if you don’t have yourself and that baby out of here in five minutes, I’ll kill you. And it.”
Jerry kissed Ella’s forehead again and then broke away from her. He walked away slow, going down the stairs, disappearing.
Ella didn’t waste a second because she knew Jerry wasn’t joking.
Charging into the master bedroom, she put Beck on the bed. Her heart wanted to weep but her mind knew there wasn’t time now for that. She grabbed a bag from the closet. It was already packed. She had packed it weeks ago and left it there, hidden. It had enough clothing for her and for Beck to last a long while. She then ran to Beck’s nursery to get diapers, wipes, powder, bottles, and his diaper bag. There were some toys and a blanket or two.
Carrying a baby in one arm and bags in the other, Ella nibbled on her tongue as she took down the stairs, trying to keep her emotions in check, along with her balance. She walked to the door and looked back, once, and saw Jerry standing there with his gun. The keys to the car were hung up.
Ella shut the door and felt her eyes fill with tears.
Her mind asked, has it been five minutes yet?
She didn’t know and wasn’t going to test the waters. She hurried to the car.
Ella backed down the driveway and drove away, knowing she would probably never see the house again. At the first stop sign, she sat there longer than the required two seconds. She gripped the wheel tight and wept as silent as she could. In the backseat, baby Beck kicked and played with a toy, making baby noises.
He knows nothing but innocence.
Yet the only place Ella knew to go right now was anything but innocent.
nine.
Blaine tied the final piece of rope around the Coast Road MC member’s hand. Gaige stood behind the chair with a gun to the guy’s head. Miller finished a smoke and tossed it to the concrete floor, scattering glowing embers. Nate made fists, standing next to Jace and Landon.
They caught the fucking prick less than a quarter mile from the south side of the lot. Lots of junker cars and whatnot back there. Lots of bodies buried there too. No reason for anyone to be there. Especially a guy running around in a black t-shirt.
Nate found the Coast Road MC cut under the hood of a car.
The guy sat there, rope in his mouth, eyes wide. The veins in his arms were thick like pipes, throbbing with fear and whatever drugs the asshole pumped into himself to look so big and tough.
Miller made a fist and released it. “I have to say… for all the ‘roids you take, you fell hard, man. Really fucking hard. One punch from a guy like me.”
“Let me do it,” Gaige said. “Let me fucking do it, Miller.”
“Hold up,” Miller said. He grabbed a chair and sat down. He was just a few feet away from the guy. “Take the rope out of his mouth.”
Gaige loosened the rope and let it fall down the guy’s neck.
“That better?” Miller asked.
“Fuck you,” the guy said.
“Tell me your name.”
“Fuck you.”
“Fuck me,” Miller said. “They all say that. Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me.” Miller put his hand out and nodded to Landon. “Give me the cut.”
Landon handed Miller the Coast Road MC leather cut. It was complete disrespect to touch another man’s cut. It was even worse to touch another MC’s cut.
“Smells like shit,” Miller said. “Smells like scum.” Miller dropped the cut and then put a foot on it.
“You fucking piece of shit,” the guy said. “You step on my cut? I’ll step on your fucking throat.”
Miller grinned. “Tough guy. You were fucking around my lot. My territory. I bet you have others waiting, huh? Coming around in the dark. Taking off your cut so we wouldn’t know. The fake biceps gave it away, asshole.”
Miller stood up. He walked to the table and grabbed a can of gasoline and a lighter. He poured gas on the leather cut and made a small line. He lit the gasoline on fire and the leather cut burst into flames.
The Coast Road MC guy started to yell and thrash. “Let me go! I’ll fucking kill you!”
“Blaine, put this out,” Miller said.
Blaine stepped to the fire and unzipped his jeans. He started to piss on the fire, putting it out with a sizzle sound and smoke climbing.
“There’s your cut,” Miller said. “Your guys will appreciate that. Along with your fucking head, because that’s all they’re going to get back.”
Miller hurried forward and took out a knife. He put it to the guy’s throat and started to cut.
“Miller! Miller!”
Miller looked back and gritted his teeth. It was Erik standing in the doorway.
“What the hell do you want?�
�� Miller asked.
“There’s someone here for you.”
“What?”
“A woman is here.”
“For me?”
“Yeah. She’s at the gate. She’s crying, man.”
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know,” Erik said. “But she’s got a baby with her.”
Miller backed away from the Coast Road MC guy. He just stared at Erik.
A woman. With a baby.
A hand touched Miller’s shoulder. “Hey, brother, go to it.” Blaine put a hand to Miller’s wrist. “Give me the knife. I’ll wrap this up here.”
Miller let the knife go and Blaine took it. He then moved forward, eyes on Erik, on the door. Behind him, he heard Blaine.
“Okay, motherfucker, I’m going to fuck you with this knife.”
Then came the sound of skin being cut and the guy screaming.
But that all slipped away for Miller.
He left the garage and started to run. The front of the lot felt like a mile from where they were taking care of business.
Erik stayed with him. “Hey. Talk to me. What is this?”
“It’s Jerry’s… the chief’s family.”
Erik then cut in front of Miller. “Whoa. Wait a second. You’re going to let them here? What if it’s a set up?”
“It’s not,” Miller said and shoved Erik out of the way.
When the gates came into view, Miller bellowed, ordering the prospects to open the gates. There was no reason for Ella and the baby to be stuck outside.
Miller stopped running and watched as the car crept forward. He put a hand to the hood and the car stopped. Through the windshield, he saw Ella. Their eyes met and Miller rushed to the door. He tore it open and gave Ella his hand. He pulled her from the car and before even saying a word, he saw her face. The swollen cheek on the left side of her face.
“No,” he said. “Fuck no.”
“I didn’t know where to go,” Ella whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I don’t know if I should be here.”
Miller touched Ella’s face. “You belong here, darling. Jesus Christ, Ella. He did this?”
Ella nodded. “He found out about the papers. I…”
A baby cried.
SAVAGE LOVE (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) Page 6
