TANGLED SECRETS (A Devil Call MC Book) (Talon & Everly Book Eight)

by Ana W. Fawkes

  “When I get the footage and I tie you to the murder of Tommy… I can safely assume you took out Vaughn and Jade… and I can start to really build something against you. And they’re dead. They can’t talk.”

  I clenched my fists.

  Detective John slid off the hood of his car and got inside.

  I climbed on my ride and started it. As Detective John started to pull away, I couldn’t help myself. I took out my gun and shot out his back passenger tire. Then I throttled my ride and took the fuck off.

  Devil Call MC wasn’t going to fall… but the bloodshed… that wasn’t over yet.

  5.

  (Everly)

  Something wasn’t right.

  Actually, something hadn’t been right in a week or so. I just played it all off as stress and the craziness that my life had become. Or maybe it was just the intensity of Talon and I together. How hard we went after each other. We literally kissed, touched, and fucked as though we were never going to see each other again. Someday, maybe, that would come true. Death would take us. Death would take all of us.

  I clutched my stomach and felt another deep ache of pain. I breathed through it, groaning when I needed to. The pains never lasted long, but when they were there, it was a little bit of hell.

  I sucked in a big breath and the pain subsided. But enough was enough for now. What the implications left me feeling was scary. I looked in the mirror and my face was a little pale. The color quickly returned, as it always did. I turned and left the bathroom. I walked to the bed and used my cell to find some kind of walk-in clinic that I could go to in town.

  Lucky for me, there was one just a few blocks away.

  I couldn’t talk to Talon about this. Definitely not Layne either. I could have probably grabbed a couple prospects to accompany me, but there was too many MC members to see me leave and not go crazy and start some shit.

  Talon had left an hour ago and still hadn’t returned. As I walked down the hallway, Layne bustled from the bar to the room where the guys met. He had Drave and Buzzy with him. The door slammed behind them. That gave me the chance to walk to the bar and beyond. I kept my head down and kept moving. I felt some eyes upon me, but I think everyone knew better than to bother me. I figured everyone was probably too held up in whatever the hell was happening with Talon and Layne.

  For me, I just needed to get to a doctor and get checked out.

  Out in the lot, it was empty. Thankfully. I ran through the lot, like I was escaping. I looked back to make sure nobody saw me. My hair curled around my face. I used a finger to pull it out of my face and kept running. I opened the gate and was free. My two feet on the sidewalk, I stopped and looked around. There were enemies everywhere. Everyone poised for an attack against Devil Call MC. Sure, a lot of the enemies had been killed, but there were more. There would always be more.

  I managed to walk without an issue. I got to the women’s clinic and went inside. I filled out a fake name, paid for what I needed - even if I didn’t have insurance or cash, they would have helped me for free - and then waited. There were three other women in the room. The place wasn’t the brightest and cleanest, and it had an eerie feeling of regret and hate throughout it.

  When my name was called - Emily! Emily Smith! Hello?! - it took me a few seconds to remember my fake name. I jumped up, closing the magazine that teaches you how to redecorate your house on a budget.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I was reading…”

  The nurse judged me head to toe.

  The doctor that I saw was a woman - thankfully - and I was on an exam table, feeling like a fucking science project. I had to answer two dozen questions about drug use, alcohol use, sexual preference, partners, disease, and a whole slew of uncomfortable questions. It made me sick to imagine that people came here with laundry lists of bullshit bigger than mine. Then again, my deepest secrets were hidden from the outside world. For all people knew of Devil Call MC, they were just guys with matching leather cuts and motorcycles. Maybe some knew that the MC had power and, in ways, did protect the town.

  The doctor poked, asked questions, and made me use the bathroom. The look on her face wasn’t promising as she delivered some news that left me heartbroken. Part of my dream with Talon was going to come to a painful end. But maybe it wasn’t the right time. That’s at least what the doctor said. She told me that my body may not have been ready for it. Or maybe there was something wrong. The human body was a wondrous thing and this shouldn’t be a final decision for anything else in my life. She touched my knees as she spoke, smiling, maybe because I wasn’t the biggest mess of her day. I had openly admitted to being in a committed relationship, meaning I would know the father of my children, if and when the time came. I didn’t use drugs. I drank… but haven’t in a little bit because of my current situation. And I didn’t fuck everything with two legs and a cock.

  But that didn’t make the news any easier to swallow.

  I left the office without a receipt and without a smile. I went out the back door and needed to get back to the clubhouse. My hand instinctively touched my stomach and I sucked in a deep breath. I had it all planned out for Talon. A way to find peace and give him something to celebrate. Maybe something that would take his eyes off the MC for a minute. It could just be us. Us… and our family…

  Now I had to let this pass and talk to Talon.

  I stopped at the end of the block and leaned against a building. Tears filled my eyes. It was always a mess for me, life that is. From the time I was a kid until now. Each time the clouds opened a little for some sun, there was another storm waiting to rain down on me. Hell, if I hadn’t learned to hold my breath, I would have drowned a long time ago.

  Right now, I had to focus on Talon and Layne. I feared one of them was going to end up dead and Talon wasn’t against talking about it. He had said three times already that one of them was going to remain. I had a nightmare - or maybe it wasn’t a nightmare - about Talon standing over Layne. Talon cutting the President’s patch off Layne’s cut and holding it up. But when Talon held it up, I was the only person there. Everyone else was dead.

  I woke up from the nightmare slash dream and reached for Talon. He had been next to me, sleeping, and just having him there comforted me enough to fall back asleep and not dream again.

  I pushed from the wall and started moving toward the clubhouse again. I definitely needed to talk to Talon. But I feared his reaction to all this. So much pain and loss, I just wanted him to have something good. For once and for all. The scars on his body always told me how hard he lived. From that asshole Detective John hurting him right up to Layne stabbing him in the back.

  I crossed the street and then heard the coming thunder of motorcycles. I instantly froze and knew I was busted. They were looking for me. Talon must have come back to the clubhouse and found me missing. That would set him off. Completely off.

  “Shit,” I whispered.

  I turned, looking for the motorcycles.

  I saw the flickers of sunlight hitting chrome off in the distance and counted one, two, three, four… five… motorcycles. They came down a small hill in a two, two, one formation. But the second I saw their faces and their builds, I knew it wasn’t Devil Call MC. That made me slink back a little, wondering who the hell it could be.

  The group closed in some more and that’s when I recognized them.

  They were the Los Ahn MC. They were big, openly carried guns, and from what I heard, they were the go-to MC when it came to drugs and other nasty stuff. They were also the MC that Layne threw Talon into the fire with to fight two guys. Those guys ended up dead, buried in a shallow grave, bringing heat and attention from Detective John to Devil Call.

  I walked backward until I hit a wall. I jumped and felt a pain in my stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut and touched my stomach.

  “Another mess,” I whispered. “Another sliver of hell.”

  I started to shake but told myself one thing.

  Get the hell back in the clubhouse… sooner th
an later.

  6.

  (Talon)

  I had my hand on the doorknob, desperate to see Everly. Desperate to touch her face, kiss her lips, and maybe fuck her until we were both sweating and out of breath. It was the only great sense of relief I could imagine. Just me and her together. Naked. In my bed. Our eyes devouring each other as much as our hands, mouths, and bodies did.

  She was my sense of peace. My line that I couldn’t completely cross. The gate, the ledge that kept me from falling completely the fuck over.

  As I turned the knob, a hand clamped down on my shoulder. “We got a problem, Talon.”

  I looked back at Layne. I gritted my teeth. “Where’s your fucking knife this time?”

  “Los Ahn is here. I need you.”

  I flexed my shoulder and felt pain. You fucking need me…

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  “Got a gun?” Layne asked.

  “Don’t ask stupid fucking questions.”

  We moved down the hallway. There were already guys pouring out the door, ready to defend the clubhouse with their lives.

  Outside, there were five motorcycles waiting. Two to the left, two to the right, the last one creeping forward. That was Acey, the President of Los Ahn. He walked his ride forward and then shut it off. He sat there, his arms way up on his high and long handlebars.

  Layne and I walked through our group of guys.

  For the moment, the whole backstabbing thing took a backseat to all this shit.

  We were in an instant stare down with Los Ahn. Acey slowly got off his ride, fetching a thick cigar from his leather cut and sticking it between his lips. He sucked on it like a bitch, not even lighting it.

  “What do you want?” Layne asked.

  “Just paying a visit,” Acey said. “Maybe even a chance to celebrate.”

  “What’s that?”

  Acey took the cigar from his mouth. “I have two more. Since you two fucking bitches can’t go anywhere without each other’s cocks in your hands.”

  I lunged forward and Layne stopped me.

  “Talon,” he growled. “Don’t.”

  Acey licked his lips. “Tastes okay. A little sweet. Supposed to burn for a long time. Hell, for what I paid…”

  “What’s the goddamn celebration?” I yelled.

  I then shoved Layne off me. My shoulder throbbed with pain. Fucking stab wound.

  “Our biggest competitor has dropped off the face of the earth,” Acey said. “And soon enough, our biggest wall will be knocked down.”

  I froze and made fists. My right hand slowly inched behind me, ready to draw my fucking gun. I wanted to put a bullet between Acey’s eyes. Take him out. Another club, another President.

  I held my ground and waited.

  “What does that have to do with us?” Layne asked.

  “You don’t know what you did for us,” Acey said. He touched his chest. “Dear to my heart here. Taking out those scummy people. That sick fuck… brother and sister, whatever the fuck they were. That was…”

  Vaughn. Jade.

  Nobody said a thing.

  “Come on,” Acey said. “I know you did it. I appreciate it. They were high up, you know? Connected through business. But now they’re dead and the suits above them have to remain silent and still. Authorities are going to tear through it all like a hungry lion on a pack of gazelles. And we reap the benefits because junkies can’t take a break, can they?”

  “I guess not,” Layne said.

  “Come on!” Acey yelled. He put the cigar between his lips. “It’s a beautiful thing!” He started to clap. His four goonies behind him started to chant something in a different language as they clapped the beat to a song.

  That was enough for me.

  I took out my gun and shot it into the air.

  That shut everyone up. I inched forward and kept my other hand into a tight fist. I swung it at Acey but aimed for his cigar. I punched the damn thing out of his mouth and that’s when I was met with four shotguns pumped and ready to blow holes in my stomach.

  “Fuck off,” I said.

  “Jealous?” Acey asked. “Our business is thriving. The money… oh, the money, money… it’s so good. We have so many new connections now. It’s like an expansion for free. Thank you, Layne. Talon. Devil Call. You fucking morons.”

  Now Layne stepped forward.

  The tension grew even more.

  Acey put his hands up and backed away. “I’m just coming with a fair celebration and warning.”

  “Warning of what?” I asked.

  Acey looked right at me. “We’re coming for you next. Enough is enough. We have the business. We have the cash. We have access to weapons you could only dream of. And when it’s time, we’re going to take Brocke from you. I thought I would give you a little warning. That’s all. Trying to be nice and fair.”

  Acey took out two more cigars and dropped them to the ground. He then started to laugh. He put his arms out, threw his head back, and yelled something.

  I went forward again and put my gun to his chest. Right at his fucking heart.

  “I’ll do it,” I said. “I don’t care, Acey. You want to fuck with us, be prepared to fight.”

  Acey looked at me, down at the gun. “Hey, hey, Talon. Look, my friend, we’ve had our past. I get it. I could use someone like you on my crew. You just have to clean yourself up a little. Maybe do a few more pushups. But I could use a fucking insane guy like you. You could be my muscle, Talon. Collect money, teeth, bones, blood.”

  “I’d rather fucking die.”

  “Oh, that’ll happen no matter what.”

  My hand shook. I wanted to fucking pull the trigger. I swear, I was just another tempting second away from doing so. And that’s when I saw Everly sneaking into the lot. Coming through the gate, trying to slink along as though nobody would see her.

  Again, she was my peace. Which meant I didn’t pull the trigger. I lowered my gun and stepped back.

  “Now,” Acey said. “We’ve talked. Now let’s give fair warning.”

  “Warning…” Layne said and that was all he got out.

  Acey’s guys shot at the ground. They weren’t shotguns but some kind of custom weapons that shot out gas. I heard the clunk of canisters on the ground, and within a second we all were in the middle of a thick flood of smelly fog.

  Coughing, gagging, waving arms, trying to get the hell out.

  I ran forward and heard the sound of motorcycles starting. I waved my hands, my gun still in my hand, and I kept running. The cloud of fog started to thin out and when I was finally able to see, Los Ahn was at the end of our lot. Motorcycles cutting to the right, leaving. I lifted my gun and took a quick shot. I couldn’t believe it when I actually hit someone in the leg. I saw a small spray of blood and the motorcycle cut left to right, but he kept it standing and kept going.

  “Fuck,” I yelled.

  I blinked fast, my eyes watering and hurting. I spun around and saw just how big the smoke was. It was slowly lifting into the air, dissipating.

  “Everly,” I whispered.

  I ran to the side of the lot and spotted her a few seconds later. She stood at a railing, holding it tight, between two motorcycles.

  “Everly!” I screamed.

  She looked at me. Her eyes were full of tears. But I knew it wasn’t from the cloud of smoke.

  I got to her, grabbed her, and pulled her close. She literally collapsed into me and I dropped to my knees to hold her as she wept. I stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Holy fuck, beautiful. Why were you…”

  Everly looked up at me. “What just happened?”

  “A mess. Another fucking mess. I’m so sorry…” Then anger flooded me. “You need to tell me why you were gone.”

  Everly just stared at me. She was terrified. I looked over my shoulder at the open gates and wondered what the fuck out there could have been so bad to her. For her. And I wanted to fucking know everything s
o I could protect her. Kill whatever was hurting her.

  “Talon, just hold me,” Everly said. “Please… you can’t get mad at me…”

  “Why would I… you shouldn’t ever leave this place without me. No matter what.”

  Her eyes were guilty. I felt betrayed a little. I squeezed her tight and kissed the top of her head again. Then I stood up and brought Everly with me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the cloud of smoke was mostly gone. Everyone was still standing and intact. The gas or smoke or whatever hadn’t been toxic.

  “Stay here,” I said and let Everly go. I turned and ran toward Layne. “Christ…”

  Layne took out his gun and pointed it right at me. Right between the eyes. A fire raging in his eyes.

  So… this is how it ends…

  7.

  (Talon)

  I wasn’t afraid of death. What did scare me though was me dying in front of Everly. And then Everly living a life without me. Because it would be a life confused and be a life unfulfilled. I should have backed down a little, for the sake of Everly. Christ, she was behind me, crying her eyes out. Scared of something.

  But she had left the compound without telling me. She had put herself in harm’s way. She had put the club in harms way. For some reason…

  The sense of anger and betrayal went through me again and again as I stared at Layne. He kept the gun pointed at me. Nobody had spoken a word in a minute now. We were just standing there. A MC truly divided. The patched in guys having no fucking clue what fact or fiction was.

  “Do it,” I said. “If that’s how it’s going to end, Layne, then just do it.”

  “All these wars… I kept them fucking quiet, Talon. I kept them all low key while you were on the inside. And you came the fuck out, pointing fingers. At booze, pussy, and drugs. Thinking I didn’t have a goddam clue.”

  “You feel better now?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “You control the war or the war controls you, man,” I said. “You know that. Don’t fucking point fingers at me, Layne. These wars… they’re inevitable.”