by London Casey
“Yes. They can’t take on the MC. Miller would never let the land be sold. So these savvy political assholes decided to give me a chance to basically steal the property from the club. They’d sue, but it would get lost in the court system for a long time. So long that maybe Back Down Devil wouldn’t exist anymore. Actually, that’s exactly what would happen. Do you know why?”
“No, sir, I don’t.”
Mr. Strokner leaned toward Jordyn. He put a finger to the paper. “Because this is where they hide bodies, Jordyn. This is where they rid their evidence. This is why they need the land. And if I bought it and started digging… do you know what would happen?”
Jordyn nodded. “They’d get into trouble.”
“Trouble? What a cute word. From such a cute woman.”
Mr. Strokner ran a hand up Jordyn’s leg. He slipped his fingers under her skirt and climbed up her bare leg. It took all of Jordyn’s focus not to smack his hand away and scream.
She stared at the piece of paper with the land on it.
More murder. So much more…
She thought about a time - not that long ago - that she had a really long conversation with her grandmother about life, love, family, careers, and money. In Jordyn’s mind, it almost seemed laid out, like the plan she had in college. She would get her dream job and then, at some random point, a wonderful man would step into her life and change everything. That man would be handsome, successful, and have a heart worth loving for the rest of her life. She pictured the two story house with shudders that matched the door. The elegant landscaping and white picket fence.
It was all there.
She could feel… it…
Jordyn gasped and jumped.
“No, it’s okay,” Mr. Strokner said.
Jordyn looked down and came back to reality. Mr. Strokner was pressing two fingers to her body. He slipped inside her and pulled back. When Jordyn looked at him, he was moving toward her. Before Jordyn could say a word, Mr. Strokner pressed his lips to hers. Things had never gotten this serious before.
In fear of being hit again, Jordyn remained still. Mr. Strokner kissed her only twice and then stopped. He closed his eyes and let out deep breaths. His hot breath was gross. The touch of his fingers was awkward.
“We shared this moment,” he spoke. “I trust you, Jordyn. And when I take care of things, you’ll be there with me.” Mr. Strokner took his fingers from Jordyn’s center. He touched the listing, leaving two small wet dots. “It’s time I start to replace what I’ve lost. The world keeps moving. I must do the same. Do you understand?”
“I’m sorry for what you’ve lost…” Jordyn whispered.
“It’s not just losing,” Mr. Strokner said. He hurried to stand. “It’s so much more. It’s what was taken. I let Rachel out of my sight too much. That was my fault. And she fell into the arms of those devils. She was killed because of them. They may have avenged the death of my daughter in their eyes, but I’ve come to realize how they work.” Mr. Strokner’s eyes went wide. “They have cruel souls.” Mr. Strokner punched the table just like he did during the meeting. “Well, I’ll be the same! I can’t just turn a blind eye to what they did and where they are going. I’ve seen too much and I’ve lost too much. And you, beautiful Jordyn, you will be mine. You’ll replace what I’ve lost. You’ll be everything to me. In every way.”
His eyes were locked onto Jordyn’s, but it was obvious that he his mind was somewhere else plotting. It sent chills to her core. She needed an exit plan.
Slowly, Jordyn stood from her chair. She reached out and touched Mr. Strokner’s tie.
“Wouldn't it be easier to just cash out and live peacefully somewhere away from the world? So there’s no more pain? No more worry? No more fear?”
Mr. Strokner shot a hand out and had Jordyn by the throat. “I don’t fear anything or anyone… I have the power. Now get out of here. I have a personal matter to tend to.”
Jordyn almost ran to the door. She looked over her shoulder to be sure that he wasn't following her, and she saw him slip the listing back on top of a stack of other papers. What else could he possibly have in that folder?
With disgust from his touch, and in fear of whatever else he had up his sleeve, Jordyn knew the only place she would feel safe was the clubhouse... in Jace's arms. against the MC.
fifteen.
Jace had been stupid drunk by two in the afternoon the past two days. He did not like waking up to an empty bed and still being able to smell Jordyn's scent on his sheets. A long time ago Jace had taught himself to ignore any feelings of caring about someone else, because it would always end badly. But in the blink of an eye, Jordyn had found a way to reopen those emotions.
Along with jealousy.
Intense jealousy.
The club needed Jordyn to stay close to Strokner for a little while longer to keep him happy and at bay. The talk now was about the drugs and the two bodies Chief Jerry had found near the edge of Frelen. The focus was obviously on that situation and not the fact that someone Jace cared about could quite possibly be in bed with Strokner right now.
That’s what made him drink.
This morning Jace woke to an empty bed. He reached across and grabbed the pillow that had become Jordyn’s pillow. He pulled it tight to his bare chest and buried his face into it. Like every morning, he pictured it was Jordyn’s beautiful chest. There were easily a dozen women somewhere the clubhouse, all of which who would do anything Jace demanded. And if none were worth his while, Jace knew Blaine could make a single phone call and have more women ready.
But Jace didn't want just any woman. He wanted Jordyn.
Fucking Jordyn.
He got out of bed, showered, dressed and left his room. When he got to the bar one of the prospects spotted him and immediately poured him a shot. Jace grabbed the shot and lifted it to his lips. The smell of the whiskey burned his nose.
He took a deep breath and put the drink back down. Today, he changed it up. Instead of wasting away another day, he ate a real breakfast, drank coffee, and then set out to find Miller. That proved to be a waste because Miller had nothing for him. Everything was too much in limbo for his liking.
Early afternoon, Jace found himself in a heated game of darts with Blaine. He was kicking Blaine’s ass. When Miller appeared from nowhere and called a meeting, Jace threw his last dart, hitting the bullseye.
“Fuck,” Blaine said. “No wonder Jordyn can’t get enough of your cock… you always hit the bullseye.”
Jace grumbled, ignoring the comment, and went into the meeting room.
The table was half full and Miller didn’t even bother to sit, so Jace, Blaine, Gaige, Griffin, and Nate awkwardly stood at their seats also.
“I think it’s time we pay a visit to Coast Road,” Miller said. “It’s been too quiet for me since everything went to shit with the chief. I have a bad feeling all around.”
“What have the guys seen out there?” Blaine asked.
“The prospects have seen dick,” Gaige said.
“Literally?” Blaine asked.
“Asshole,” Griffin said.
“My point is that I want you guys to take a ride down to the beach and do your thing,” Miller said. “Rattle those motherfuckers and make sure we know what they’re doing.”
“But we don’t know anything about it,” Jace said. “How they’re moving shit. Where it’s coming from. Where it’s going.”
“I don’t care,” Miller said. “I want them to know. Make them sweat. They’ll eventually fuck up and we’ll be right there. This shit is making me cringe. I’m not happy about Jace in prison. Pending murder charges. Drugs. It’s like we’ve lost control.”
“Damnit,” Nate said. “We haven’t lost control.”
“We’ve lost a step or two,” Gaige said. “Caius took a lot out of us.”
“That’s all done now,” Miller said. “Which means we focus. Get down there and make something happen.”
It was music to Jace’s ears. It was the
perfect way to burn off his built up tension... and jealousy. Not to mention maybe find a way to ignore these fucking feelings for Jordyn.
When they all left the room, Gaige put a smoke between his lips and offered one to Jace. Jace took it. When Griffin opened the door to go outside, the sun almost blinded Jace. He hadn't been outside during the day in a couple days. After his eyes adjusted, the five of them got on their rides. Miller hung back, so Gaige was in charge on this run. Jace rode next to him. Behind them was Blaine and Nate. The tail was Griffin. They cut down the main strip and rode at furious speeds. At a red light, Gaige checked the traffic and signaled to hang a dangerous left turn. This was about business. There was a problem in Frelen and Back Down Devil was going to solve it.
As they made the turn, Jace looked to his right and could see the Strokner's office building. Jordyn was there... probably being touched...
Jace gripped the handlebars harder. And it made him throttle the engine and speed up. When he got ahead of Gaige, he heard Gaige’s ride thundering. Soon they were riding even faster. All Jace could see was red. He wanted to fight. It didn’t fucking matter if the guys were massive bodybuilders. They could all be taken down. If not with fists, then with a fucking gun.
When they got close enough, they pulled over and Jace pointed.
"There. That's where I saw the deal go down.”
“Maybe we should check there,” Blaine said.
“Too late,” Griffin said. “Look.”
Darting out onto the road by the docks was a group of motorcycles. Four wide, two rows, made it eight on five.
Jace was tempted to draw his gun and start pulling the trigger. Who the fuck cared if he took out a handful of these pricks?
Jordyn would care.
But for all Jace knew, Jordyn was bent over Strokner’s desk, thrusting back at him, all in the hopes of finding out information to help the MC.
“Hold our ground,” Gaige said. “No killing. Yet.”
Back Down Devil stood and watched the group of big bikers approach them. The motorcycles split as their leader came to the front. Mutty was a big guy, but his skin was beat up by the sun and his muscles had become flabby. These kinds of shows always pissed Jace off. In Back Down Devil the President or VP or leader always rode first. They weren’t afraid of riding into danger. Having their leader in the back was a joke. A sign of weakness.
Mutty stepped off his motorcycle and rubbed his chin. He looked to his left and pointed to the beautiful water. The waves looked gentle, their whitecaps rising and falling. The sun reflected off the water. A perfect day really for anyone who wanted to take a swim, build a sandcastle, or just unwind.
That’s not how life worked in the MC though. There was no stopping to enjoy life, because this was real. Protecting their town did not have a pause button. Neither did enemies. It was always killed or be killed and that would never change.
“I’m trying to figure something out,” Mutty said.
“What’s that?” Gaige asked.
“How much more you could juice up before your cock and balls just disappear?” Blaine asked. “Then again, if you did that, then your boys here could fuck you with their little ‘roid cocks. Maybe that’s a win-win.”
Mutty laughed. He looked to the guy on the far end and gave a nod.
Jace had an uneasy feeling, but before he could say a word, the guy pulled out a gun and shot. The thunder of the weapon was followed by a grunt and a little scream from Blaine as he twisted and fell to his hands to knees.
“Jesus fuck!” Griffin yelled.
Nate and Griffin grabbed Blaine and pulled him back toward their motorcycles.
Gaige and Jace drew their guns, both pointing them right at Mutty’s head.
“What?” Mutty asked. “Anyone else want to make a comment about us?”
“Fuck you,” Jace growled.
“Yeah. Keep talking. What the fuck do you want here?”
“We know what you’re doing,” Gaige said.
Mutty reached out and called the man off. He put his gun away. When Gaige did the same thing to Jace, Jace squeezed his gun tight, not wanting to put his weapon away. He wanted to fire it. He wanted to empty the clip into Mutty’s body.
Jace tucked his weapon away.
A very small sense of calm existed. Jace looked back and saw that Blaine was already back to his feet. He touched his left shoulder and groaned.
“Next time, aim better,” Blaine said. “Motherfucker.”
“Let me take care of this,” the guy said.
“Do it,” Mutty said.
“Like a man,” Blaine said as he walked forward.
Before the guy could grab a gun, Blaine threw his head at the man’s face. It connected with a sickening thud. The man’s face damn near exploded. He stumbled one way and Blaine the other. Blaine went right down to his ass, looking like a fool. The big guy was barely standing. Slowly, he fell to one knee. Blaine scrambled to get to his feet, gritting through the pain in his shoulder. He ran at the guy one more time and lifted his knee at the last second, sending him to the ground.
“Stop this,” Mutty said.
Nate grabbed Blaine and brought him back to the crew.
“You’re dealing drugs,” Jace said.
Mutty laughed. “From what I’ve heard… let’s see… your crew has had some cunt rat in the club. A member's brother almost took you all down. Oh, and you have a nice murder charge pending.”
“Alleged,” Gaige said.
Jace looked at Gaige. He couldn’t remember the last time Gaige stuck up for him. Whether Gaige was being a smart ass or just standing his ground, it meant something to Jace.
“There’s no evidence,” Jace said. “Not that I give a fuck. Took care of business inside.”
“While the outside falls apart,” Mutty said.
Jace stepped forward. Gaige grabbed him, but Jace smacked him away.
“Fuck you,” Jace said. “I know what I saw. You might not be dealing directly in Frelen, but we know.”
“You don’t know shit,” Mutty said. “The tough guy act won’t get you any cred with us, man. You know that. And if you think about just trampling into our territory again, you’ll go for a swim with the sharks out there. You might be able to make people disappear on that land of yours, but we have a goddamn ocean. We win.”
“You lost,” Gaige said. “Maybe we’ll take a ride down to those rocks and have a look around.”
“Do that,” Mutty warned, “and I won’t have one of my guys pop you in the shoulder. It’ll be between your fucking eyes. Greasy fucks.”
Jace gritted his teeth. Mutty kept looking between Gaige and Jace. His eyes were dark as hell. His pupils massive. Jace realized Mutty was high. But he wasn’t stupid high. There was a strange confidence in Mutty and the Coast Road MC guys that he had never seen before. They were getting their fake power from somewhere, and it wouldn't end well for them. It was almost as dumb as Eight Under trying to work with Shay’s brother. When that finally blew up, Caius was dead, Back Down Devil was alive, and Eight Under was decimated to the point where they were struggling to rebuild even a small crew.
“We’re not looking for trouble,” Jace said. “Just answers. Two bodies were found down near the backroads. You know where I'm talking about, right?"
“Good place to run some shit,” Gaige said.
“You don’t want trouble?” Mutty asked. “Fuck you.” Mutty turned and nodded. “Kill them all.”
Jace saw Gaige take a step back and brace himself. This was going to be a bloodbath. Blaine was barely standing, holding his bloody shoulder. Griffin looked ready to explode and Nate just stood like the towering man of anger he was.
But Jace had the key here. Slowly, he stepped forward and put his arms out.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Mutty yelled.
“You’re not going to kill us. Not right now. You have your own problems to worry about. Us? We just wanted to pay you a visit and say hello. Watch the waves crash to
the shore. Take a breath, you know?”
“I’m going to gut you,” Mutty said. “With a rusted knife.”
“Better yet,” Jace said as he stepped back, “you could do something better with that rusted knife.” Jace reached into his pocket and Mutty jumped back. “Whoa, whoa,” Jace said. “I’m not pulling a gun. It’s all good here.” Jace took out the small baggie he had taken from one of the bodies. He held it up and wiggled it. “Look what I found the other night.”
The look on Mutty’s face was simply priceless. His eyes went wide and his face turned white. He put his arms out to call off his guys.
“What is this?” he tried to ask in a shaky voice.
“Fuck you,” Jace said. “Like I said, we know.” Jace threw the small baggie at Mutty. Mutty caught it in midair and squeezed his hand tight. Jace smiled. “Next time we come, we’ll wipe you out, just like we did to Eight Under.”
Jace turned and Gaige looked at him with complete surprise. Jace pointed to the motorcycles. It was time to go.
Nate helped Blaine onto his ride and Blaine started it. He moved his shoulder and gave a thumbs up. It was such a badass move to take a bullet and then still get on motorcycle to take off. It sent a clear message to Coast Road MC and it made damn sure that whatever anyone thought Back Down Devil had lost in the war with Caius and Eight Under… was complete bullshit.
They didn’t lose.
They grew stronger.
Jace turned and grabbed his gun. “Let’s just make sure all of this is clear.”
Mutty started to take a step, but Jace was done with talking. He pointed his gun at the man who shot Blaine. The man put his hands up and Jace smirked. He aimed the gun at the man’s knee and shot once.
Now it was definitely time to go.
Back on the road, Jace didn’t think about the mess of a world around him. He could only think about Jordyn.
He hoped she was okay.
sixteen.
Jordyn showered twice and changed. She sat on the edge of her bed and put her face in her hands. She was an emotional mess. A call from a nurse informed Jordyn that her grandmother wasn’t doing well. Her prognosis was limited to weeks, maybe even days, instead of years. Jordyn was so upset over it. And yet, in an ironic twist, she was falling for a man who had the same fate as her grandmother, or so it seemed.
