by Shyla Colt
Payback
Sequel to Dual Desires
By
Shyla Colt
Dueling Devils M.C. Series
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Editor: Leanore Elliott
Cover Art: Dreams2media
Sequel to Dual Desires
Dueling Devils M.C. Series
Ardy paid the price for her family’s debt, working for the Dueling Devils M.C. Love was never meant to be part of the deal. But somehow, the dark and dangerous club president, Demon stole her heart. Now, she’s been thrust in to hell fire. The Sidewinders’ personal attack on Demon’s family has the M.C. out for blood. As the rough side of Demon’s lifestyle rears its ugly head, she’s tested to her breaking point.
Consumed with keeping his family safe, Demon is determined to put the Sidewinders in the ground. Focused on revenge, he watches the miles between him and Ardy grow. The. M.C. comes first, but he won’t let Ardy walk away, now that he’s claimed her. Backed into a corner, he does the only thing he knows how to do, fight his way out.
The Pay Back
Previously in this series….
Dual Desires
The sound of boots coming down the stairs made her tense. She wrapped her arm around Rocket’s shoulder and pressed Harley’s head to her chest. “Remember guys, they can’t get in, okay? We’ll be as quiet as we can and when they get tired of that, they’ll go away.” Ardy prayed the Dueling Devils would get here soon. They were no more than ten minutes away, but time seemed to be moving as slow as freshly tapped molasses.
“Come out, bitch. I know you’re there! You make this easy and we won’t mark up that pretty face.”
Harley whimpered.
“Shhh, baby, quiet.” Ardy rocked back her and forth. Rocket burrowed his face against her side. The sound of things crashing against the wall made her flinch.
“Where are they? We didn’t see anyone leave,” a muffled voice said.
“Maybe they ran next door from the backyard,” another man said.
“We don’t have time for this. Their boys are on the way.”
“If we go back empty-handed, Pres. is going to hurt us.”
“Better him than the Dueling Devils.” They rummaged through the basement for a few more minutes, then plodded back up the stairs. Ardy took a deep breath and her muscles relaxed.
“We’re going to be okay, guys. Your dad will be here soon.” Crew or not, nothing short of Demon himself would coax her out of here.
~* * *~
“What the fuck is going on in my house?” Demon jumped from his seat. “I need to leave, now.” He stalked toward the door, leaving the others behind.
“Whoa, what the hell?” Lefty jumped out of the chair.
“You need to finish this up for me. Ardy called, Natasha showed up at the house and then motorcycles came up.”
“Fuck, is she okay?”
“Yeah, they’re in the panic room, but I told them not to come out until I got there. Call the boys, then finish this drop. My family needs me.” He wanted to call, but he didn’t for fear he might alert them. His finger flew over the keys.
Did you make it to the room?
Hours seemed to crawl by. His phone vibrated.
Yes.
“Understood, brother. I got this covered.” Lefty patted his shoulder.
Demon nodded and continued his flight from the building like he was on fire. He hopped onto his bike and placed his keys in the ignition. She roared to life and he pulled out of the parking lot with his heart in his throat. The three people in that room owned his heart. If anything happened to them, he’d lose it.
As it was, the bastards declared war. He wouldn’t stop till their blood turned the ground red and their numbers were too low to continue. When they had to disband or start over, he’d make a deal with the dumb fucks left who’d seen what he was capable of. Either way, their president, Louis had to go. He’d tried the truce with him when he’d discovered the truth about Natasha, the mother of his kids to keep the peace and wrangle an agreement to keep her away for good. When Louis broke that by coming to his house feeling froggy, he’d voided the contract and put his neck on the chopping block.
The ride did nothing to soothe his nerves. Every mile the black tires ate up filled him with dread. By the time he pulled onto his street, familiar motorcycles had lined the driveway. He parked haphazardly at the end of the drive and jogged through the broken front door.
A biker named Sleepy stepped forward. “We looked everywhere for them, but it’s like they disappeared into thin air.”
“It’s okay. I know where they are. Bring everyone top side,” Demon ordered. The only people who knew about his room were Lefty and the out of town contractors he brought in to do the job. He didn’t want it spread around…it would defeat the purpose. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.
I’m coming down.
He shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“Look, I appreciate you coming out as fast as you did. I’ll handle the rest. We got a war coming. Go back to the clubhouse, prepare and wait for my word. You feel me?”
An echo of yes filled the room and they trudged out obediently.
Ever since Natasha, he’d been paranoid. It was time they did a clean sweep of the club, tested loyalties and did some digging into their whereabouts recently. He wanted to tighten the ranks, increase security, then take out the garbage.
Alone in the living room with a doctored door he would have to replace later, he hurried down the stairs of the basement. He knocked on the wood. “Guys, it’s me.”
“D!”
Ardy’s wavering voice made his guts ache. He ripped the panel off, resting it against the wall.
The door swung open and he pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips to hers as he claimed her mouth, plundering it like a pirate looting a ship. They broke apart for air and he scanned the area. Harley lay beside her brother on the cot, mouth open.
Probably worn out by all the insanity.
Demon clutched Ardy’s thick locks. “You’re mine, Ardy. We’ve been dancing around our emotions long enough. If anything had happened to you, I would have torn this place apart, brick by brick.” He growled. “That kind of emotion doesn’t just happen every day. I see how you look at me. I know it’s mutual.”
“D, but what about—?”
“I don’t give a damn about the logistics. You aren’t going anywhere. Your place is here.” Their gazes locked.
She opened and closed her mouth. “But—my family.”
“What about them, Ardy? You can’t put your life on hold forever for them. They’re all grown, or close enough to it. Their debt is wiped out. They can handle it from here.” He nipped her full bottom lip.
She whimpered.
“Unless you don’t want this?” He pulled back.
“No. I want it.” She cupped his face with her hands.
“Then stay, be my old lady and make a real go of it.”
She studied him from beneath her thick lashes.
“Don’t go, Ardy!” Rocket’s small voice echoed in the room. He’d sat up in the bed.
Little sneak wasn’t sleep after all.
“We want you to stay.” Rocket slid off the cot and ran over, wrapping his arms around them both. “I want you to be my mommy, like my friends have.”
Ardy’s jaw dropped. “Rocket, I don’t…D?”
Demon smirked. “Great minds think alike, little man. How about we give this thing a chance to grow naturally before we put labels on it?”
Rocket wrinkled his nose. “Okay. But...” His voice shook. “You’ll stay, right?”
Not above using a little dose of guilt to get his way, Demon looked at her. “Right, Ardy?”
She nodded her head. “Yeah, I’ll stay.”
“Good, because everyone’s about to be locked down tighter than Fort Knox. This can’t be left unanswered.” She tensed in his arms. “When they’re asleep for the night, you and I are going to have a long conversation. For now, how about we get out of this room, huh?”
Arty nodded.
Rocket stepped back. “I was scared, Daddy.”
“I know you were buddy, but you did a great job. I want you to remember this room in case anything ever happens again, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Demon smiled, relieved they were all fine, but furious that it ever happened.
The tension in the house was palpable, as they played nice for the kids. A brother who did construction work came to fix the door Then prospects came to help set the house back the way it had been.
The kids held on until ten when their heavy lids got the best of them and they passed out on the couch. Demon carried them to their bedrooms one by one, tucking them in and kissing their heads. He had boys doing patrols around the house, but he wouldn’t feel right until he got his revenge. This time, I’m going to put that bitch down for good, too. He shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind. Now was the time to deal with Ardy. He hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted out of her earlier. I’ll rectify that now.
He walked to his bed and paused in the doorframe, admiring the way she looked sitting on the bed freshly showered, clad in a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top. Her hardened nipples poked out. No bra. He bit back a moan. “You ready to talk?” He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed facing her.
All the stoicism left her expression and she launched herself into his arms. Silent sobs shook her frame.
He rubbed her back. “It’s okay, baby girl. I got you.”
“I was so scared, D. I was sure they were going to come in, take the kids and kill me.”
He clenched his jaw, swallowing the angry words that wouldn’t fly. It wasn’t what she needed. “I’ll never let anything happen to you, Ardy. I don’t know how you did it, but you came into this house and filled all those empty spots, in me…in my kids.” He shook his head. “I’m not good at this shit. I can’t whisper pretty words, but I can promise to protect you for the rest of your life and take care of you.”
She pulled back, wiping at her tears. “I don’t need you to do that.”
“No and that’s part of why I like you so much. Fuck, Ardy. You have to know I’m half in love with you.”
Her eyes grew as round as quarters. “Y—you are?”
“Why else would I be making an ass of myself right now?”
“You’re not.” She shook her head. “I thought—I hoped, but...You—men like you don’t want women like me.”
“They do if they have any common sense.” He brushed her lips with his thumb. “I got a lot of shit to sort out right now, Ardy. But the one thing I’m sure about is this; I want you to be my old lady, to be mine officially and stay here. What do you want?”
“The same.”
“Then that’s what we’ll have. Later, we’ll go over what happened. But right now, I want to be buried inside my old lady.” He pulled her into a kiss and she sighed, tilting her head and opening her mouth. He took advantage, exploring the moist cavern as he massaged her thighs.
They had a long road ahead of them, but that was life in the M.C. Shit fell apart and came together so fast, you barely had time to catch your breath. She dug her fingers into his back and he pulled her onto his lap. Right now, the only thing that mattered was his family. Family. A smile flickered over his lips. This time, he’d found the right woman to put his trust in. When the smoke cleared from the battle, he’d build the club back up better than before.
She straddled his thighs and ground into his lap and the world faded into the background.
BOOK ONE
Just Ninety-Nine Cents
Chapter One
Demon paused on the edge of the bed, glancing back to take in Ardy’s form in the early morning sunlight. Her creamy, brown curves were a temptation he almost couldn’t resist. Any other morning, he’d be slipping his dick into her moist folds and waking her up properly. He ran his fingertips over her warm flesh. She looks so damn young right now. Supple and soft, her skin was the opposite of his calloused, blood-stained hands. A better man would’ve let her go. Mine…Everything in him balked at the thought of letting her go. He’d staked his claim last night, put her under the list of people you didn’t fuck with, unless you wanted your heart ripped out.
I guess I never claimed to be a good man.
Moaning softly, she rolled onto her back and exhaled. Her eyelids fluttered. She spotted him seated on the side of the bed and her eyes went wide. Pushing her sleep tousled curls from her round face, she studied him with slightly unfocused gaze. “What’s going on?” she asked in a husky voice.
The vibration of her voice filled his mind with erotic images of their bodies entwined. She licked her lips and he cleared his throat. Time to get my mind on the business at hand. “Going to church.”
She gasped and sat up, suddenly, fully awake. “Is this about last night?”
Demon paused. “You know we don’t talk about business to women. But you’re not stupid either, so I’ll say yes and leave it at that.”
“Are they going to come back?”
The fear that crept into her eyes hit him like a fist to the gut. His heart raced and he fisted the covers, willing himself calm. She’d had enough drama over the past twenty-four hours. The last thing she needed to add on top of it was seeing him lose his temper. He didn’t earn the name Demon by chance. If he unleashed his rage here, he’d destroy this room and set Harley and Rocket off. “Fuck no. They’re not that stupid or suicidal. They caught us with our pants down. It won’t happen again. I have men doing drive bys and two Prospects sleeping in the front room with enough firepower to take down a small army.” He leaned down and palmed the side of her face, rubbing the petal soft skin of her cheek with his thumb. “I’ll keep your safe. That’s a promise you can count on.”
She blinked and the moisture in her eyes receded. “I know that, really I do. I’m just—scared as fuck.”
“And that’s okay. I don’t expect you to be anything else. “
She bit her bottom lip. “I wish you could stay.”
“You know I need to handle this. The boys will keep you safe. I need you to be there for the kids.”
“I will.”
“I know.” A feeling of pride rose in his chest. She’d protected his children with the fierceness of cunning of a lioness guarding her cubs. He would never forget that. “Now, I need to leave. I’ll probably be gone all day. If you need anything let Rambler or Mumble know.”
“Okay.” She nodded.
“Get some more rest. It was a long night and the kids won’t be up anytime soon.”
“Right.”
He wanted to linger and reassure, but duty called. The M.C. came first always. Technically, that included his family, but as with soldiers, family members often were placed on the back burner when duty called. He stood from the bed and moved to the dr
esser. He grabbed a pair of clean boxers, jeans and headed to the bathroom without looking back. He could feel her eyes burning a hole in his back. This was the reality of life with him. She’d have to get used to it sooner or later. He’d never been coddled and he wouldn’t do it for her. It only made reality more painful when the time of pretense came to an end. I’m many things, but a liar ain’t one of them.
Beneath the steamy spray of the shower, he mentally plotted his revenge. Louis fucked up, coming after him. They’d seen their cuts. Even from a distance, it was unmistakable. No one else wore that particular dusty sand color on their cuts. The Sidewinders were about to get their head lopped off. Louis fucked with the wrong man. The beady-eyed bastard was a lot like the snake his crew was named for. With his greasy black hair, nervous countenance and questionable reputation, the man inspired no trust. Demon hadn’t wanted to cut a deal with him in the first place, but after Natasha, he’d been a fucking mess. That was no time to go to war.
He clenched his jaw and the muscles there ticked. I’m all better now and I’ll sure as fuck have my revenge. Nothing short of watching the light go out behind Louis’s eyes would soothe the burning going on inside his chest. Finishing his shower swiftly, he dressed and headed out into the living room.
Rambler sat up straighter on the couch. “Prez?”
“Guard them with your life. They so much as get a paper cut and I’m taking that shit out of your hide, you understand me?” He stared at Rambler.
“Yes, Pres.” Rambler swallowed. Fear colored his eyes. A heightened sense of awareness would help him stay sharp.
“Good, you two handle this shit properly and there might be a cut in it for you.” Demon turned away and walked out the newly installed door, locking the two dead bolts behind him. Everything had been stepped up. Mounting his bike gave him no pleasure. Instead, he felt like a warrior on his steed, moving into battle. This shit was going to get ugly before it got better. The Sidewinders had no code of honor and if they felt brave enough to go for blood, they must be packing. Their crew wasn’t very big, so they did have help, caught a case of idiocy, or had this planned down to the letter. Either way, the shit needed to be squashed before the bodies started to pile up.
