Devil's Pact

by Brook Wilder

  “Thor is setting up the meeting. He’ll call back with the details.”

  “So, what do we do now?” Knox whined.

  Preston sat back with a sigh.

  “Now, we wait.”

  Chapter 25

  They were still parked in front of Jewel’s Roadhouse. The building was close enough to cast a shadow on them, but it didn’t really make Preston feel any better. He couldn’t enjoy the relief of being out of the sunlight. Frustration still boiled inside him and he had to fight the urge to grit his teeth together in impatience. It was becoming a serious problem. He might have to go see a dentist after all this was over. That was if he had any teeth left.

  Preston let his gaze and thoughts wander. He watched a trio of vultures circling overhead and nearly laughed out loud at the irony.

  I’m not dead yet, he thought, staring up at the large birds. And I’m going to try and keep it that way for as long as I can.

  He just prayed it would be long enough.

  His thoughts turned even more morose after that. He knew he was walking into a dangerous situation.

  Understatement of the year.

  But he also knew he didn’t have a fucking choice.

  There wasn’t any other way out this. He’d racked his brain all night to try and think of another. To just sneak away and hide in another state. To get Knox free to safety, because he knew that, if Capone couldn’t get him, he’d go after his brother as soon as he found out he was still alive.

  It was all so convoluted and complicated. Preston was sure it made sense to Capone’s twisted mind. He was just… tired. Too tired to try and make sense of it all. The adrenaline and anger were finally starting to wear off, leaving him feeling empty and worn down. But he knew he needed to be alert and on his A game when they had their meeting with the Devil’s Martyrs.

  Whenever the fuck that would actually happen.

  Preston rolled his eyes to the back seat, but Charlie still sat there, napping lightly in the back with Bowie’s head on his lap, as they all waited for the phone call from Thor. He was busy setting up the meeting place where it would all go down. Somewhere quiet, out of the way, neutral territory.

  Preston felt a pang of jealousy. Thor got to do something. All Preston could do was sit there, stewing in his own juices, while the day slipped farther and farther into evening.

  He lost track of time as he sat there, but suddenly the silence was interrupted by Knox.

  “Can I sit up front now?” Knox’s asked sullenly for what must have been at least the fourth or fifth time since their waiting game had begun.

  “No.”

  Preston gave him the same answer, just like all the other times he’d asked, but this time the patience in his voice was beginning to wear thin. Not that there had been much there to begin with.

  “But it’s cramped back here,” Knox leaned forward, shooting a look at the still napping Charlie and Bowie, who had seemed to spread out as they slept, “If you could just let the dog out at least…”

  “Bowie isn’t going anywhere.”

  “Come on, man. I’m suffocating back here.”

  There was even more of a whine in Knox’s voice this time and Preston let out a long-suffering sigh. He knew it was partially the booze to blame, but mostly the fear. The waiting. It had all of them on edge.

  “Preston, just think about it…”

  “The dog stays.”

  His voice booked no more complaints; at least, he hoped it did. Preston felt like he was balancing on top of a tightrope as it was, trying not to fall over the cliff, and his brother sure as hell wasn’t helping any.

  Knox huffed again, obviously not picking up on the hard tone in Preston’s words.

  “Olivia is a lot smaller than me, that’s all I’m saying.”

  “And all I’m saying is that you need to just sit there and keep your mouth shut until we hear back from Thor,” Preston snapped, barely holding on to the last remnants of his control. “Then we will all be able to get out of this god-damned car. Got it?”

  “Yeah, I got it,” Knox muttered, sounding more and more like a petulant child.

  This time there was no way Preston could stop himself from gritting his teeth. He had more than enough on his plate without Knox pulling one of his childish tricks. He opened his mouth to warn his brother not to say another fucking word, but Olivia’s hand caught his from the passenger seat. She gave him a look and a shake of her head, her gaze telling him without words that it wasn’t worth it. She was right. It wasn’t.

  With a sigh, Preston let his head fall back against the headrest and went back to staring at the bar. There wasn’t much there to look at. Just the old peeling vinyl siding that had actually chipped and cracked off in places, revealing the same brown colored wood underneath. Rusty nails stuck out every few feet, adding to the run-down feel of the place.

  It only took a couple of minutes for his mind to grow bored, examining the same old stain and wondering what it could be, before his thoughts brought him back to the situation at hand. They tumbled and warred, going into overdrive, as he ran through their plan over and over again, and every time he kept running into the same problem. Olivia.

  They could be walking into a trap for all he knew. In all likelihood, they were. Preston knew the chances of all of them walking out alive were growing slimmer by the minute. And he couldn’t stand the thought of her getting hurt because of him. Not again. He wouldn’t risk her. He couldn’t. It made him physically ill just to imagine it. But he also didn’t want to leave her alone, unprotected.

  The puzzle made his head ache. He was so conflicted, not knowing which move was the right one to make. It would be easy if it had just been him, if he didn’t have to worry about anyone else, but Olivia had taken that option away from him. She was brilliant and clever and sexy as hell. Determined, stubborn, and so good-hearted it made him want to curse. How could he not love her?

  The thought exploded in his mind. Love. He loved her. He truly did. He knew it all the way to his soul. He loved this woman. And he was about to drive her into the middle of a war zone.

  Panic set in, making his heart race and his pulse jolt faster in his veins. Before he’d even thought through the words he was going to say, Preston turned to Olivia and opened his mouth.

  “When we get to the meeting place, I want you to stay in the car. You can hide in the back seat, duck as low as you can and stay out of sight.”

  “What? Preston, that’s not going to happen…”

  “Then, if things go south, you can just take off and drive away. You’ll be safe.”

  “And leave you all behind? No way!”

  Olivia looked over at him in shock and all he could see was blood dripping down her beautiful face.

  “You have to listen to me, Red…”

  “No, you listen to me! I am not going to hide in the car by myself while you go ride off to fight the dragon alone! This isn’t some story, Preston! We’re in this together!”

  “You’re right, Olivia. It’s not a fucking fairy tale. You’ll stay in the car.”

  Preston forced the words out through a jaw so tense he could barely unlock it to talk.

  “No, I won’t.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him in mutiny. There was no way he was going to convince her. No way to keep her safe. The fear inside him flickered to rage in an instant.

  Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He couldn’t breathe, locked in the hot car with thoughts of holding Olivia’s lifeless body flashing in his mind. With a curse Preston got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him, and walked to the other end of the dusty lot.

  Chapter 26

  Olivia held her breath as she watched Preston stalk off on his own. The sound of the door slamming still echoed on the inside of the car. Charlie and Knox were both watching Preston’s retreat with identical wide-eyed looks. Even Bowie let out a small cry as he watched his owner stomp angrily away, kicking up dust and rocks with eve
ry step.

  Knox made a move for the door handle, but Olivia stopped him.

  “Wait a minute,” Olivia said softly.

  Knox rolled his eyes in her direction.

  “I’m his brother. I know how to calm him down.”

  Somehow, she doubted that was the truth. She had a feeling that any conversation between Preston and his brother at that moment would devolve into a shouting match or something worse. And they needed Knox alive and well, damn it.

  Well, at least alive. A black eye probably wouldn’t hurt him. Olivia clicked her tongue at herself at the thought. It was the irritation talking, she knew that. Knox had a talent for getting under people’s skin, it seemed, and she was no exception.

  “Just, stay in the car okay?” Olivia said. “In case Charlie’s contact calls back. I’ll go talk to Preston.”

  She slid out of the car too quickly for him to tell her otherwise or voice his concerns. She had no doubt that Charlie and poor Bowie were getting an earful. She was just grateful to get out of the cramped confines. Maybe after this she would invest in a truck or an SUV. Something that didn’t feel so terribly claustrophobic.

  Olivia gazed after Preston’s retreating form for a long moment before following after him. There was nothing else in the dust and gravel parking lot, except for a few other cars parked haphazardly out front, but it didn’t matter. The only thing she saw was him. The stiff line of his back. The unforgiving slant of his shoulders. The way he held himself as if expecting an attack at any moment.

  When she finally caught up to him, they were clear on the other side of the lot. Olivia didn’t hesitate. She reached out, grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face her. It was like tugging on a light-pole. He didn’t budge at all.

  She resorted to planting her fists on her hips in an angry stance.

  “What the hell was that about?” she demanded.

  Olivia waited impatiently, staring at his back until finally, slowly, he turned around to face her. She let out a shocked gasp at the pure icy fear she saw blazing in his piercing blue eyes.

  “I’ve already come so close to losing you, Olivia,” Preston said suddenly, the desperate words all falling from his mouth in a torrent. “I can’t leave you alone and I sure as hell can’t take you into the middle of a meeting with Capone and the Devil’s.”

  He shook his head, as if trying to shoo away a fly that wouldn’t stop buzzing around his head.

  “I just… I keep picturing you on the ground, bullet holes in your body, and it’s tearing me up inside, Red. I can’t stand it.”

  Olivia took a step closer to him, and then another, and then she was pulling him into her arms. He let her, leaning against her as she held him as close as she could.

  A confusing mix of emotions assaulted her. A part of her was warmed by his care and concern, wanting nothing more than to curl up, content as a kitten in front of a fire, happy to let him take care of her. The other part of her was outraged. He had to learn that she couldn’t be ordered about like one of his crew. She was her own person, free to make her own choices, her own decisions, even if he didn’t like them.

  Olivia pulled back, about to tell him just that, but stopped before she could speak, other words taking their place.

  “Preston, don’t you think I worry about you too?” Olivia asked softly. “What if I asked you not to go. What if I told you that you had to stay back and stay hidden while Knox and I went to confront Capone.”

  Preston let out a snort of a laugh.

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Why? Why is it ridiculous? Because you say it is? What about how I feel Preston? I am terrified of going to that meeting.” Olivia swallowed hard, forcing out the admission. “But I am going to go and I am going to stand by your side and face whatever happens with you. Together. Do you understand? We’re in this together, now. I couldn’t just stand back and watch you walk into danger alone, because… because I love you too much.”

  Preston’s blue eyes widened on hers, drinking in the sight of her as she stared up at him. She wanted to memorize every line of his face. She wanted to remember every bit of this moment, have it engraved on her heart, on her soul.

  As gently as if she was made of porcelain, he cupped his hands around her cheeks, pulling her closer to him.

  “I love you, Olivia.”

  “I love you, Preston,” she whispered softly against his lips. “But I’m not going to back down. I’m not going to let you do this alone. You’re not alone anymore.”

  Preston opened his mouth to say something, probably to argue with her, to try and change her mind, but Charlie’s shout drew both of their attention.

  He had his head poking out of the back-side window.

  “Uh, sorry to interrupt, but Thor just called me back. We’re meeting in one hour. He texted me the address. We have to go. Now.”

  Olivia suddenly felt a jolt of fear. She hoped that she had made the right choice in demanding to go with him. She knew it could be a mistake, but she also knew that she was going to do everything she could to protect the man that she loved.

  Olivia turned to Preston and held out her hand.

  “Together?”

  He stared at her hand for a long, long time before finally letting out a deep sigh and taking it with a nod.

  “Together.”

  Hand in hand, they turned and headed back towards the waiting car and their meeting with fate.

  Chapter 27

  It was a tense drive out to the empty field that sat just on the outskirts of the town of Hightower. Preston kept the gas pedal pressed all the way to the floor of the car the whole way there. They only had an hour to get there and he hoped to arrive before Capone and the rest of the Devil’s Martyrs did. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the sort of traps the President of the gang would try and trick them into if they didn’t.

  His hopes were dashed to shreds as they pulled down the small dirt lane that led to the field only to see row after row of motorcycles arranged in a semi-circle, blocking their path. There was no way to know if there was anyone else waiting in hiding in any of the thick tree-lines or patches of shrubs that dotted the field.

  Preston fought the unease that threatened to overwhelm him as he slowly brought the car to a stop in the middle of the road. He was such an idiot. This was a terrible mistake. A monumental mistake. And now his best friend, his brother, and the love of his life were all going to pay for it.

  He swallowed down the dread and the bile, tried to keep his hands from shaking by grasping the steering wheel as tight as he could, before shooting everyone else in the car a nervous grin. It trembled on his lips.

  “Well, I guess this is it.”

  Olivia just stared out at the gang of at least fifty leather-wearing, tattooed bikers that made a wall of flesh and steel in front of them. Knox snorted and the sound did not feel particularly hopeful. Charlie was the only one who leaned forward. He nodded at the crew.

  “Let me go out and make contact first. If I can talk to Thor and the others, let them know what the situation is before Capone goes off the rails, maybe we can keep this from getting violent.”

  “Why bother? We’re all dead anyway,” Knox said caustically and then sighed far too dramatically. “You’re just delaying the inevitable.”

  “I love you, Knox, but shut the fuck up,” Preston growled, then nodded his agreement towards Charlie before turning back around to face the army staring them all down.

  Preston couldn’t keep his eyes off of the scene unfolding before him as Charlie crept out of the car and walked towards the waiting gang with his arms held high in the air to show that he wasn’t armed.

  He couldn’t blink, and he couldn’t breathe either. All Preston could do was sit there, hanging on to the edge with sheer willpower.

  A tense silence settled over the gathered crew as they all watched Charlie with hard, solemn gazes. He only made it about halfway to where Thor was sitting towards the front when Arthur Capone Johnston hims
elf strode forward and pointed an accusing finger at Charlie.

  “This man is a traitor! He harbored Preston Osbourne and that bitch of his, fully knowing that they had a hit out on their heads. He lied to us! He betrayed us!”

  Capone paused as his words rang out like steel on an anvil in the warm evening air. He grinned then, reveling in the moment, in the power, as all eyes turned towards him.

  “Take him down!”

  Preston watched on in absolute horror as the sound of guns being unholstered came next and all the barrels were pointed straight at Charlie.