by Sam Crescent
“I need to think,” Tiny said.
All he could see was Eva, raped, beaten, and being delivered to him bit by bit. He couldn’t let that happen. She was the love of his life, and it would drive him insane.
“I’ve got to go back to Piston County,” Devil said, appearing back in the kitchen.
“What?” Tiny asked, turning to glare at his friend. He wasn’t in the mood to be playing around. This shit had been bought to Fort Wills because of Devil. His wife had been in danger because of Devil and his crew.
“They’ve found Kayla. She’s been pinned to the gate of the clubhouse. I’ve got to go back and identify her body.”
Kayla Howard was Lexie’s sister and the real mother to Simon, Devil’s son.
“You can’t go back now. You’ve got to stay here so that we can deal with what’s just happened.” He pointed at a dead Everett.
“I know, and I’ve got shit to take care of.”
Grabbing the first thing nearest him, Tiny threw it across the room. The cup shot past Devil’s head and smashed into the wall.
“You brought this crap to me, and now you’re running off back to you town like a fucking coward.”
“Don’t you fucking say that shit,” Devil said, yelling. “I’ve come to your aid every fucking chance I’ve got. I’m not turning my back on you. I’m going to clean up a mess that has occurred. My woman’s sister is fucking dead. I told that bitch to stay gone and she’d live. She’s just turned up fucking dead, and I bet it has this bastard’s stamp on it.”
“You leave now and I swear we’re fucking finished,” Tiny said, losing control. He was done with Devil, his shit, and his crew.
Devil started to laugh. “You really think our friendship will be over? Are you even listening to yourself, or is this Alex speaking? The jumped up businessman who thinks he can run a club.”
“This is all me. You walk out of here, and I swear, that’s it. You can take your shit and get the fuck out of Fort Wills. You and Chaos Bleeds will not be welcome here ever again.”
Tiny wasn’t in the mood to be tested.
“Boss?” Zero asked.
“No, I don’t give a fuck what anyone says. You leave Fort Wills now and consider us through.”
Devil folded his arms. “What about our women? They get along, Tiny.”
“I don’t give a fuck what they do. We’re through, and Eva will do what I ask. She’s my woman, and I’m the one who she should agree to.”
“You’re fucking insane,” Devil said. “Gonzalez has you freaked out, and you’re acting like a pussy who hasn’t lost anything. You’re the one losing control here, Tiny. You’re too old to deal with the club.”
He charged at the other man, tackling Devil to the ground. They fought each other, their men staying out of the way as they started to land blows. Devil kicked him off, and together they got to their feet.
“You think I’ve lost control of my club?”
“Alex runs this fucking place, not you. You’ve got no chance of making the tough decisions. You’re too much of a pussy.” Devil slammed his fist against Tiny’s face. Blocking some of the blow, Tiny punched Devil in the stomach. Pushing him out of the kitchen, he charged him into the dining room. The table collapsed beneath their weight as they fought. In the back of his mind, Tiny thought about his woman. Eva was going to be so pissed at him.
“Tiny, you’ve got to stop this,” Lash said.
He wasn’t listening. This fucker was supposed to be his friend, and he’d brought death to his door and was now leaving him to clean up the mess.
After minutes passed, Lash and Pussy got between the two.
“I want you out of my fucking town. Take your whores and get out.”
Lash had to fight Pussy as he went to attack him. “Don’t you call my woman a fucking whore.”
“No, boys, round your shit up and grab your women. We’re out of this town.” Devil glared at him. He was sporting a black eye, and blood was dripping down his nose. “You’re going to regret this.” Devil pointed his finger at him. Tiny didn’t stop until Devil was out of sight.
“Go with him and make sure they don’t destroy the club.” Tiny pointed at Lash to get him out of the house.
While the rest of his men cleared away the body, Tiny sat in the sitting room, staring straight ahead of him. The hours passed, and silence soon descended in the house.
The front door opened, and Eva appeared in front of him. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt.
“What that fuck happened?” Eva asked. “Devil came and got his club and Lexie. Apparently you’ve kicked him out of the town and told him to take his whores with him.”
She knelt in front of him.
“He’s gone home to take care of his own shit. I don’t need him here, and he can go and fuck himself.”
“You’re not thinking clearly, Tiny. We need Devil and the crew. You’ve got to mend fences.”
“No, I don’t. I’m sick and tired of dealing with his shit. I took out the bastard who hurt us, and I almost got Tate killed. Devil went to pick a fight, and we’ve been attacked at every turn. Gonzalez was not my enemy until Devil brought them to our town. He stayed to deal with this shit until Gonzalez was in the ground. Devil’s decided to leave, and now I’m fucking done.”
He ran a hand down his face, feeling incredibly tired.
“You think picking a fight with Devil is going to solve your problems? You called their old ladies whores, Tiny. That’s wrong and fucking mean.”
“I’m not picking a fight with him. I’m cutting him off.”
“What?”
“Our problems began when we started to make deals with the Chaos Bleeds crew. In the future, we’re not going to be making deals with anyone else. We’re not part of the same club. We’re different.”
“That’s it? You’re cutting him off?”
“Yeah and in doing so we’re going to be stronger than ever before,” Tiny said.
“You’re wrong, Tiny. This is going to tear us apart.”
He reached out and stroked her cheek. The bruise annoyed him. She shouldn’t have been in any danger, and yet because of him, she’d gotten hurt. All of the women in his club had gotten hurt or killed. He wasn’t going to let that happen again.
“Devil and I, it’s over, Eva. Are you with me, or are you against me?” he asked, gripping her chin.
Tears were in her eyes as he delivered the ultimatum.
“You can’t be thinking straight,” she said.
“Make your decision or you can follow Devil back to Piston County, Eva. I mean it. I’m fucking done with him.” He regretted the words the moment he spoke them.
She took his hands within her own. “I love you, Tiny and I trust you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Eva placed her head in his lap. Closing his eyes, Tiny hoped he made the right choice. For his sake and for that of the club, he hoped he was right.
Chapter Twelve
Devil and Lexie
“What the hell is going on, Devil?” Lexie asked. Being packed away in the car with their kids sitting in the back and falling asleep wasn’t her idea of fun. From the bruises on his face along with the anger in his eyes, she knew something bad had happened to her man.
“It’s fucking over, Lexie. We’re going back home. Tiny’s a fucking pussy, and he’s losing control over his own fucking club.” Devil lashed out hitting the steering wheel.
Glancing in the back seat, she saw Simon was watching his father.
“Stop it,” she said. “You don’t know what you’re saying. I take it those bruises are from Tiny?”
“Yeah, we got into a fucking fight.”
“Is this a real fight you can’t solve, or are you both just arguing?” She looked out of the window to see the bikes following them back to Piston County. Being pulled out of bed and forced to pack late at night had pissed her off. The anger on Devil’s face was a good indication that he didn’t want to do it either.
“I don’t know what it means. Tiny kicked us out of Fort Wills, Lex. He called you and all our women whores.”
Tugging her hands into fists, Lexie tried not to react to what he said. “Eva’s going to kick his ass.”
“I don’t care. I’ve got something to do.”
His hands were tight as he gripped the steering wheel. She’d seen Devil angry before, but he was also holding something back and she didn’t like it. Something had gone down. She didn’t know what, and she intended to find out.
“What happened?” she asked.
Devil glanced her way. “Nothing.”
“Something had to have happened for Eva to be sporting a bruise and Angel to look like she’d been hit in the stomach. You come into town even though you told me you wouldn’t be home tonight. You tell me what’s going on now, or I swear to God, you will not get anywhere near me in the foreseeable future.”
“You’d withhold sex from me?”
“You’re withholding something a lot more important than sex. We’re on the road in the middle of the night, Devil. Now is not the time for you to be trying to keep secrets from me. I won’t have it. It’s not fair, and I refuse to be pulled from one town to another just because you and Tiny said some crazy shit to each other. Now, open up, or that’s it and you can sleep at the club tonight.” She’d do it even though she wanted to feel him tonight.
“For fuck’s sake.” He growled the words, and Lexie was pleased she wasn’t the steering wheel what with the death grip he had on it.
“Don’t keep me in the dark.”
He reached out to look in the back. Simon had fallen back to sleep while they were talking. “Check and make sure he’s asleep. I’ve seen the little shit pretending before.”
Rolling her eyes, she turned around and placed a finger in the spot underneath his arm that always made him giggle. Nothing. Simon was dead to the world.
“He’s not pretending, and he only got that from you.”
“I don’t care where he’s got it from providing he doesn’t do it to us.”
“Stop stalling and tell me what’s got your panties in a twist.”
“I’m not wearing any.”
Shaking her head, she reached down in her bag to grab a bottle of water. “You’ve got a one track mind, and you’re trying to distract me. Just so you know, I’m not wearing any panties or bra either.”
She’d thrown on a dress with how quickly Devil wanted them out of the town.
“Are you for fucking real?” he asked.
Taking hold of his hand, she placed his palm between her thighs. His fingers pushed the dress out of his way. Holding her breath, Lexie closed her eyes as he touched her naked slit.
“Fuck, baby.”
She didn’t care if anyone could see them.
“You’re doing this to fucking kill me. I’m not going to make it back home without taking you.”
Lexie chuckled, pushing his hand away. “Then you’re going to have to deal with it. Tell me what happened or else you’re not getting anymore.”
He released a sigh, sucking his fingers into his mouth. “Fuck, you taste so good.”
“Stop stalling and tell me.”
“I don’t like this. You shouldn’t have to deal with this crap.”
“Then you shouldn’t have pursued me the way you did. Tell me what’s going on, and then we’ll talk about something else.” She smoothed her skirt out to cover her exposed thighs.
“I fell in love with you, Lex. There was no walking away from you after that.”
She smiled. Whenever Devil talked about his love for her, he made her melt. “You know how to say all the right things.”
“A guy working for Gonzalez broke into Tiny and Eva’s house. He attacked Angel because she was there. Lash sent her to Eva’s when he wasn’t going to make it home. Eva then tried to help Angel and was hurt herself. One of the new prospects, Baker, I think, saved them both. He tied the bastard to the chair.” Devil stopped talking, and she saw his jaw tense.
“That’s not all?” she asked.
“No, not even close.”
“Then tell me, Devil. I’m not going to change my thoughts about you. I knew you were a hard assed man when I married you. I’ve been dealing with it a long time.” She rested her head against the chair and looked at him. Lexie wasn’t stupid. She knew Devil had blood on his hands, but she still loved him. To everyone else he was a tough as nails biker but to her and the kids, he was this tender, sweet, loving man. So long as he continued to be the man she loved, she didn’t care about anything else.
“Whizz tortured the information out of him. Everett was the man’s name, and he’d been sent by Gonzalez to kidnap Eva. Once he had her, he was to rape, torture, and finally kill her, sending bits of her back to Tiny at the clubhouse.”
Pressing a hand to her stomach, Lexie felt the nausea suddenly overcome her. “Stop the car,” she said.
“Lex, it’s fine, I’ll shut up.”
“I’m pregnant, and I’m going to vomit. Stop the fucking car now.”
He pulled up against the side of the road. Tugging the seatbelt off her, Lexie shoved the door open stepping away from the car. The bikes containing their crew stopped, heading back toward them.
“Lex?”
She bent over, pulling her hair out of the way as the first heave began. The dinner she ate started to come up. Devil took over, holding her hair out of the way as she continued to vomit.
“Boss, is everything okay?” Pussy asked.
“She’s fine. She’s pregnant again, and her stomach’s unsettled.”
She placed a hand on her stomach trying to stop the twists and turns happening.
“Congrats, Devil,” Death said. “I didn’t know you were expecting again.”
“All he has to do is look at Lexie and she’s pregnant.” This came from Pussy again.
“Are you okay, Lexie?” Judi asked.
“I’m fine.” She only got those two words out before she started vomiting again. Devil rubbed her back. The club surrounded them both, protecting them from any passerby. She didn’t know who was going to be passing on the road at night, but she was pleased by the protection.
“It’s okay, baby. Let it all out.”
She liked Eva. The other woman knew what it was like to be a woman to an MC president, and they spoke often on the phone. Thinking of Devil and Tiny no longer being on speaking terms, she knew in her heart things were going to change.
All because of Gonzalez.
Everything was going to change because of one man who didn’t deserve to be given such power.
Heaving once again, Lexie was relieved when nothing else came up.
Over and over she heaved until finally she collapsed in Devil’s arms. Someone handed her a cloth, which she took to wipe her mouth.
“I wouldn’t kiss her if I was you, Boss. She’d have vomit breath, and that’s just nasty.”
She chuckled at Pussy’s statement, looking at her man. “He’s right. I need a mint.” Lexie placed a hand in front of her mouth so he wouldn’t get any scent of her sickness. Her mouth tasted horrid.
“I hate seeing you ill,” Devil said. “I shouldn’t have told you what went on.”
Shaking her head, she took the mints that Judi gave to her, popping two inside her mouth. Devil handed her some water, which she took a generous swig from.
“No, you’ve got to tell me these things. The ride, then thinking about something bad happening to Eva, it was all too much.”
“Are we good to get on the road?” Ripper asked.
Devil looked down at her. She nodded, wanting to put the kids to bed and then a shower. “Let’s go.”
“Get on your bikes, Chaos,” Devil said, yelling out the order.
He helped her back into the passenger side of the car. Pressing a hand to her head, she took several deep breaths to calm her nerves. Staring at her hands, she saw they were shaking.
“Tell me more,” she said.
De
vil climbed behind the wheel, and they were on the road within minutes.
“I don’t want to tell you more.”
“You’ve got to if you want sex, remember?”
“Babe, I love you, but you look like death warmed up. It doesn’t look like I’ll be getting any tonight.”
She chuckled. “After I’ve washed and brushed my teeth, I’ll be fine. Come on, you know how hard pregnancy hits me. Please, give me a break.”
“Fine.”
He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Lash snapped the man’s neck, but I got a call from the cop I’ve still got on my own payroll.”
“What is it?”
Devil stayed silent, and Lexie knew it was bad.
“Don’t hold anything back from me, Devil.”
“They were called out to the clubhouse.”
“The clubhouse is closed. We weren’t there.” Some of the guys had stayed behind in Piston County, but none of them had stayed at the clubhouse. Lexie had watched Devil lock the compound up, securing the large metal fence.
“No one was there, but the cops got an anonymous tipoff. They found a woman, dead, badly beaten, tied to the gates of the compound.”
Pressing a palm to her stomach, she rubbed to try to stop the nausea from starting.
“So?”
“Baby, the cop said the identification on her body was that of Kayla Howard.”
His words rang through her head. No, it couldn’t be Kayla.
“You ordered her to stay away and make sure Kayla stayed dead. There’s no way she would have come around.” She shook her head, as her vision started to blur with tears.
“She did stay dead and gone, Lex. Someone went out of their way to find her. It’s the only explanation for her being found.”
She held onto the front of the car and placed her head between her knees.
“Do you need me to stop?”
“No, keep driving. I want to get home.”
He stayed silent while she stared at the floor.
Kayla’s dead.
My sister, Simon’s real mother, is dead.
None of it made sense to her. She always thought Kayla was having a much better life out there.
Someone found her and killed her.
