The Devil's Curve: a Back Down Devil MC romance novel

by Jaxson Kidman

  She wasn’t in the mood or position to argue. She had given Reese her bag which had those stupid drugs from Starla. She had no idea what he was going to do with it all. Tell Levi? Come after Starla herself? Come after everyone at the strip club? Blame it on Jefferson?

  “Hey, Josie,” an old voice said.

  Josie looked up from the bar where she worked after sending Parker to go have a cigarette because he was almost in a panic over the cop situation. It wasn’t the first time the cops showed up to harass Jefferson and it wouldn’t be the last. In some way, that was just part of this life. Strange how she was never able to fully shake that stuff away. Meaning that the cops were always a breath away from taking things down around her.

  Harvey stood at the bar, one hand on it, looking as though he was catching his breath.

  “Harvey,” Josie said. “Good to see you.”

  “You too.”

  “Too bad we have to meet like this, huh?”

  Harvey shrugged his shoulders. “It is what it is.”

  “You have nothing on this place,” Josie said with a grin. “We know that. You’re trying to scare everyone so they start talking. Like turning on a light and seeing cockroaches scatter.”

  “Now, now,” Harvey said, “That’s some real police work there, Josie.”

  “Who was my father?”

  Harvey knocked a hand on the bar. “You know, I always wondered what you’d become. You were always interested in it.”

  “In what?”

  “Police work. Oh, you’d bother all of us over what we did and how we did it.”

  Josie leaned on the bar. “Maybe I just knew you were all corrupt and working with the bad guys.”

  “Says the woman who fell for one of those bad boys,” Harvey shot back with a wink.

  “Well, to be fair, you all kept parading him in front of me.”

  “Ah, that’s right. Blame us.”

  “And you’re not blaming…” Josie said and waved her hands around.

  “Look, I’m just doing my job,” Harvey said. “And you know I’m trying to help.”

  “How about a beer?”

  “Soda.”

  “Deal.”

  Josie got Harvey a soda and put it on the bar. When Harvey reached for it, Josie pulled it back.

  “What are you really doing here?” she asked.

  “You’re like your father now. Good angle to work here.”

  “Harvey.”

  “I don’t know,” Harvey said. “We got the call that there was a situation here. Colt must have set this up. I’m sure Winston will have his head for it, but Colt is fierce and hungry. I’m here trying to piece this together and do my part.”

  “They took Brett, Jason, and Hawk away,” Josie said. “On what charge?”

  “Resisting,” Harvey said.

  “They didn’t resist.”

  “Of course not. But that’s a way to get them behind bars, even for a few hours. Colt figures that someone will eventually crack.”

  Josie laughed. “One thing I can say for sure is that they don’t crack.” She pushed the soda at Harvey. “They don’t crack. Ever.”

  “I know,” Harvey said. “Thanks for the soda.”

  Josie looked around the club and things were looking just about back to normal. Music thumping in the background. Starla and Caramel on stage, their hips jutting left to right with the beats of the music. Guys sitting at the bar by the stage, shelling out money for more of a show.

  “I think about him a lot,” Harvey said.

  “Excuse me?” Josie asked.

  “Your father. I think about him. What it would be like today if he were still around.”

  Josie let out a breath. “I don’t know. Tensions were always high with him around. He was good at what he did though. But I don’t know about the balance right now if he were here.”

  “Could be better.”

  “Could be worse,” Josie said. “What does it matter? He’s not here.”

  “Right. Sorry. How are you?”

  “How am I? You just got done running through this place. Arresting MC members, who, by the way, are paying customers. My girls are now terrified that something is happening. And Jefferson… well, he always sweats like that.”

  “He’s a walking heart attack.”

  “Maybe I’ll get a promotion then,” Josie said.

  “Wow, you’re vicious,” Harvey said. “Glad you aren’t my woman.”

  “Oh, you couldn’t handle it, Harvey. Your dear heart would give out in a second.”

  Harvey laughed. He slapped the bar. “Goddamn me for even saying that. I’ve known you since you were in diapers, Josie.”

  “More with the memories, huh?”

  “Right. You don’t do that. Just like your father. That hardened shell around you.” Harvey sipped his soda and reached into his pocket.

  “Get out of here with that,” Josie said. “It’s a soda.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey. Real quick. Off the record…”

  “Oh, jeez,” Harvey said. “You hang around Reese for five minutes and look at you. Just like before.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Ah, so memories are okay now? As long as they revolve around Reese?”

  “You know what? Forget it. Enjoy the rest of your day, Harvey.”

  “Hey, Josie. I meant you and Reese were like an explosion together. You were the gasoline and he was the match. The second you two got together, explosion. And I’m laughing because you want to talk off the record with me. Which means it’s something illegal.”

  “Possibly,” Josie said. “I’m wondering if you’ve had any upticks in drug arrests.”

  “Why?”

  “Curiosity.”

  Harvey glanced over his shoulder, nodding. “Josie, it’s not your job to save everyone.”

  “Actually, it is. Forget I asked.”

  “Josie, if you’re in any kind of trouble…”

  “I’m not,” Josie said. “Better go before you get into trouble. Hate to see you get fired.”

  “Fired?” Harvey asked. “They can’t fire me. I’m older than dirt.”

  “Time for me to sweep the place clean,” Josie said.

  Harvey simply smiled. He gave a nod and strolled toward the front door.

  Josie wiped down the bar as more people started to come in. Parker returned from his cigarette break and everything was officially back to normal now.

  Except nothing felt normal to Josie.

  She had no way of contacting Reese.

  There were only two choices.

  Wait for him to come and find her.

  Or just show up at the clubhouse.

  If anything, having Steph around made it so Josie didn’t have to go home alone. She wasn’t afraid to be alone. She wasn’t afraid of the dark, monsters under her bed or any of that kid stuff. It was just the notion of being alone. Having nobody to talk to. Having nobody there. It wasn’t the most pleasant feeling. In a way, it was her own fault for not getting out there and dating more. Sometimes the moment she mentioned the words strip club, it ruined her own image to whoever she was with. The guy across from her at the table suddenly began to picture her naked. Stripping. Dancing. Or better yet, Josie became the person to get the guy alone with a real-life stripper. Which was childish, but it happened more than Josie cared to admit.

  In fact, the last guy she had dated - Gary - had actually played the birthday card as a way to get a bunch of strippers to his house privately for an all-night event. When Josie said she wouldn’t do that because the girls weren’t rental items like chairs or tents, Gary got mad and made it clear that they were all whores, including Josie, while he was an adult in real life. So that ended that relationship, which was fine with Josie. She could convince her mind not to compare everyone to someone else, but her body had its own way of thinking and feeling.

  When she got home, she checked on Steph.

  A bucket next to the bed, a washcloth curle
d up and dried on the covers, Steph sound asleep, the TV on.

  Josie sat on the edge of the bed and touched Steph’s head and moved hair out of her face. She hoped by morning Steph would be back to normal. Because things were about to change. Like really change. Everything Steph knew in her life of mooching was going to get flipped over.

  All because of…

  Josie stood up.

  “Shit,” she whispered.

  She hurried to the door and got out of the room without waking up Steph. Her heart raced as she scrambled to the kitchen, going for her cell phone. There was literally no way she could call Reese. Chances were he was probably still awake or just settling into bed with some woman for a night of comfort.

  Something then hit Josie hard.

  She had completely forgotten about the pregnancy test. She had dropped it in her bag on her way out the door to work. The plan had been to deal with the results of the test later.

  But there was no later.

  The test was positive, and the reality was here.

  And Reese had her bag, which meant he had the test.

  She thought back to what Harvey had said.

  The match and the gasoline.

  That’s what she and Reese had always been.

  Her father had been the cop trying to go after bad guys, while Josie had fallen in love with one of those bad guys, putting everyone at odds.

  The match and the gasoline.

  Josie shut her eyes and sighed.

  One word came to mind.

  Boom.

  Chapter Seven

  “You look like shit, brother,” Hawk said as he sat down at the breakfast table.

  Reese had been nursing a mug of coffee for way too long, staring down into it. He couldn’t get the sight of the word pregnant out of his mind.

  “You awake?” Hawk asked.

  “Yeah. I’m good,” Reese said.

  “You look like you missed out on some pussy last night or something.”

  A second later, a hand smacked Hawk’s face so hard, the slap echoed through the house and everyone stopped eating. A couple of utensils clanked to the plates.

  “The mouth. The mouth on this one. At my table?”

  Hawk stiffened and rubbed his cheek. “Sorry about that, Aunt Athena.”

  “Now shut up and eat. And don’t talk about women like that. They’re beautiful. Like flowers.”

  Aunt Athena moved down the table, carrying a giant pot of scrambled eggs, refilling everyone’s plate. She was Levi’s aunt, by blood, and she was as ruthless as a person could come. But she believed in her traditions, which included having the MC over several times a week to cook for them. In some way, her table was their second table. Levi had called meetings at that table several times, using a fork or a spoon as a gavel to make decisions.

  There were a few rules at the table though. Aunt Athena’s rules. There was no cursing during meal time. There was no real business talk either. Everyone was to enjoy their food. Take a sense of thankfulness that they had food. It was long rumored that her lost husband was the original member of BDD MC. The one who founded the name, the club, wore the first cut and the original patch. It was said that Aunt Athena had that original patch somewhere in the house. That meant she was the true queen of the MC. And you did not mess with her.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Aunt Athena asked Levi as she slapped eggs on his plate. She pointed the spoon at Reese. “He looks too tired.”

  “He’s a growing boy,” Levi said. “Probably discovering his body. Up too late, you know what I mean?”

  “Pigs,” Aunt Athena said. She put the spoon under Levi’s chin and showed her teeth. They were false, but that look on her face was real. Her blue eyes still shined brightly. Her hair was thinned and puffy. She was short and a little stout, but she packed a punch with her attitude that made the biggest and toughest of men fall on their knees and cry. “Are you done talking like that, Levi?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Levi said.

  She took the spoon away. “So, what’s been happening at the clubhouse?”

  Levi looked at Reese and nodded.

  Reese snapped out of his trance and lifted his coffee mug to his lips for a sip. “The usual, Aunt Athena. The police have been pushing hard against the entire MC. Chasing charters out of towns. We have a close eye on things so it doesn’t happen here.”

  “Good,” she said. “You can never take your eyes away from anything. It’s smart to be ready. No matter how successful you think you are, you’re not.”

  “There’s a pep talk for you,” Ellis said.

  “Am I wrong?” Aunt Athena asked.

  “Never wrong, Auntie,” Ellis said with a grin. “Hey, how about that bacon? Was that not perfection?”

  “Here, here,” Jason said and slapped the table.

  Everyone started to slap the table, shaking everything on it. Half the guys cheered, the other half started to oink like pigs. Brett stuck two pieces of bacon into his mouth and growled like an animal.

  Aunt Athena tried to stay calm, but ended up laughing.

  Levi finally stuck his fingers into his mouth and whistled to get everyone calm.

  “The bacon is perfect,” Reese said.

  “I had the butcher cut it thick for me.”

  “A butcher, huh?” Zac asked. “You’re like straight out of a TV show.”

  “Except she’s packing heat under that apron,” Levi said.

  “Bullshit,” Zac said.

  He quickly covered his mouth, realizing his error in cursing during eating.

  Aunt Athena stepped forward and put the bowl of eggs between Jason and Brett. Her perfect U-shaped apron with the frilly pattern at the edges flipped up and sure enough, Aunt Athena had a gun.

  “Wow,” Zac said. “You never fail to amaze me.”

  “Now eat,” she ordered everyone. “I can make seconds and thirds. You need to fill up for your busy day.”

  “How do you know we have a busy day?” Brett asked.

  “Because if you don’t, then you’re a pussy. And no pussy is going to wear that leather cut,” Aunt Athena said in a bold voice.

  Everyone fell silent again.

  “Whoa,” Hawk whispered.

  “That’s why you don’t mess with the best,” Reese said. He raised his coffee mug to Aunt Athena. “The best ever.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Levi said.

  Everyone lifted their mugs.

  “Now eat,” Aunt Athena said. “Before I start shooting you all.”

  They all laughed as she walked back into the kitchen. She never ate with them. She always picked and made a small plate and ate in the kitchen. So she could watch everyone fill up the large dining room table. She told them it was her favorite thing in the world, other than playing bingo at the fire hall and winning cash off a lady called Marge, the grumpy old bitch with a broom stuck up her wrinkled ass.

  Reese pounded the food as though he would never eat again. One thing about Aunt Athena’s breakfasts was that they were huge. And if you didn’t eat at least four plates, you were ridiculed by her and the guys in the club. You ate until the plates were cleared. Anything left over, Aunt Athena would then take down to the shelter to give to anyone who needed a real meal.

  “I’m tapping out,” Hawk said. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. “I need a couch and a toilet.”

  “I second that,” Ellis said. “That was good.”

  “Hawk, Ellis,” Levi said. “Go do the dishes.”

  “Really, Prez?” Hawk asked. “I went to jail last night.”

  “You were in a holding cell for a few hours,” Reese said.

  “Go clean up,” Levi ordered. “Zac, help clear the table.”

  “I got it,” Reese said as he stood up. “If I sit here I’m going to fall asleep.”

  “No sleep?” Levi asked.

  “Not much,” Reese said.

  The entire day into night had been a blur. They had to get their members out of the hold
ing cells, based off bogus charges of resisting arrest. That meant a threatening call from their lawyer, Larry. He was old school, mean, and loved to fight with words. And he loved to charge the MC a fortune for his services. He was the best and he understood the MC life as a former member of the club.

  By the time they got back to the clubhouse and got settled, it was a little late. Reese told Levi about the junk in the bag but didn’t give the exact full story yet. Reese wanted to talk to Josie first about the entire story before giving it all to Levi. Because it would lead to the club pursuing their own investigation and that would lead to fights, and maybe even a war. Right on the streets. Right when the badges were breathing down their necks.

  As Reese carried a stack of plates to the sink for Hawk to clean up, Aunt Athena grabbed his arm. “You look tired.”

  “Rough night.”

  “You need sleep. Good sleep. I can have my doctor write you something for sleeping. Pills… something to smoke…”

  “I’m good, Auntie,” Reese said. “Thank you.”

  “You letting a woman tear you up again?”

  “Me? No.”

  “You’re like your father was,” she said. “Oh, he would fall in love so easily.”

  “I think we all fall in love easily,” Levi said as he walked from the table to the kitchen.

  “Yeah, with the stuff between your legs,” Aunt Athena said.

  “That’s the best way to do it,” Zac said. “You fall in love and then fall right out.”

  “Unless you fall in love for a second or third time,” Brett said with a laugh.

  Aunt Athena reached for a powder blue dish towel swung it at Brett a few times.

  Levi chuckled. “She hates hearing that. She wants us all to settle and have a big family.”

  “Is that wrong?” Aunt Athena asked. “A little baby to hold and take care of?”

  Reese’s mind went right back to the pregnancy test he found in Josie’s bag. She was pregnant, and it certainly wasn’t his. They hadn’t been together in years.

  “Hey, you okay?” Levi asked Reese.

  Reese cleared his throat. “Yeah. I’m… yeah.”

  “Let’s go have a smoke,” Levi said.

  “Those will kill you,” Aunt Athena said.