by London Casey
Instead, Jordyn stood in the hallway growing anxious as the sexiest man in the world came around the corner. He wore black boots, jeans, and a leather cut over a black t-shirt that hugged his muscles. His face was not clean cut, but his scars were honest.
And those blue eyes. Wow were they piercing.
Jace took Jordyn by the hand and pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.
“Thank you for being here,” Jordyn said. “It means…”
“I get it,” Jace said. “Trust me, babe, I get it. Are you sure you want this though? I’m not some good looking guy ready to take her granddaughter on a nice date.”
“I know that.”
“I’m the guy parents and grandparents fear. I’m the guy that lives here and now, because death is right around the corner."
“That’s actually perfect,” Jordyn said. “My grandmother has been defying death for a while now.”
“I’m damn sorry about her,” Jace said. “Cancer is a motherfucker. It’s not right or fair.”
“I don’t think much is in this world, Jace. That’s what I’ve been learning and trying to come to terms with.”
Jordyn choked up and then swallowed a lump in her throat. She promised herself she wouldn't cry in front of her grandmother anymore. And she promised to accept that she was about to lose the last part of her family. The last bit of her innocence was gone. But, somehow, with Jace holding her hand, she was okay with that.
Jordyn opened the door to the quiet room and walked inside. Her grandmother was resting peacefully, a television on the wall droning on with a collection of hosts debating politics, what clothes were worth buying, and how to have a better sex life.
In her mind, Jordyn was smiling.
Better sex life? Fuck a guy from Back Down Devil…
“Gram,” Jordyn said. “We’re here.”
Her grandmother turned her weak neck and smiled at Jordyn. She looked frail, but she definitely didn’t look half as bad as she could have.
Jordyn took her grandmother’s hand and smiled. “I want you to meet someone. I want you to meet Jace.”
Jace stepped to the bed and nodded. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Look at you,” Jordyn’s grandmother said. “You look like you just got out of jail… or you're on your way to it.”
Jordyn gasped.
But Jace laughed. “Do I look that bad?”
“Pretty bad,” her grandmother said. “You could have at least showered.”
“Gram…”
“Yeah, you're right. I had a business meeting this morning.”
“Business?” Jordyn’s grandmother asked. “Now what kind of damn business are you involved with?”
Jordyn felt her heart racing. Her mouth was dry. Her grandmother stared daggers at Jace.
“I’m in the business of survival,” Jace said. “Of living. Of taking care of things around me. Things I care about. Things I love.”
“You know, my granddaughter dreamed of being a big businesswoman and having the perfect man with the perfect life.”
“I’m starting to understand that,” Jace said. He smirked at Jordyn. He looked back at her grandmother. “I’m not the perfect man for her. At all. I won’t give her the perfect life either.”
“Jace,” Jordyn said. “That’s not true…”
“It is,” Jace said. “I don’t lie. I’m as honest as they come.”
“I like that,” Jordyn’s grandmother said. “So you’re going to crush my granddaughter’s dreams?”
“Yeah,” Jace said. “But I’m going to show her something so real she’ll never have to dream again.”
Jordyn's mouth fell open. That was the most romantic thing Jace had ever said.
“That I like,” her grandmother said. “You care about her?”
“Of course I do.”
“I just wanted you to meet Jace, Gram,” Jordyn said. “To know that I’m okay. I have a job.”
“Which you hate,” Gram said. “I see it in your eyes, Jordyn. You could never lie to me. Just like… like if I asked you if you had slept with this hunk right here.”
“Gram…”
Jordyn felt her cheeks burning.
“I’m respectful,” Jace said.
“Do you believe in anything?” Jordyn’s grandmother asked.
“Like what?”
“Heaven? Hell? Religion?”
“May I ask what you believe?” Jace asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Jordyn’s grandmother said. “I’ve got time.”
She let out a laugh that broke Jordyn’s heart. Jace laughed again. Then Gram began a painful coughing fit that filled her eyes with tears.
“Gram, take it easy,” Jordyn said.
“I’m fine,” Gram said and swatted Jordyn’s hand away. “I’ll laugh and cough until I can’t anymore. Now, you, Jace, what do you believe in?”
“I believe in right now,” Jace said. “I believe that when darkness comes and takes us, we find a way to live on. Through memories. Through things we’ve left behind. Is there something beyond all this? I don’t know. I don’t think it’s my job to know that. I think it’s my job to try and make it to another sunset. And another sunrise.”
Jordyn stared at him in disbelief. She had never been so smitten by someone before.
“You take care of her?” Gram asked, her voice crackling a little.
“Yes,” Jace said. “She means a lot to me. I’ll protect her forever.”
“That was my promise, too,” Gram said.
“I know I look rough,” Jace said, “but it’s who I am. I hold things very close to my heart."
“Can I speak with my granddaughter alone?” Gram asked.
“Yes,” Jace said. “It was nice to meet you. I now know where Jordyn gets her beauty from.”
“Now that’s bullshit,” Gram said, blushing.
Jace touched the small of Jordyn’s back and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be outside, babe.” His whisper made Jordyn shiver with excitement and then Jace was gone.
The door shut.
Jordyn waited to be blasted by her grandmother.
“That should be nothing more than a fling,” Gram said with a grin.
“It’s not like that,” Jordyn said. It was still weird to hear her grandmother reference sex. “He’s a good guy, Gram. He’s…”
“Oh, hush up. Listen to me. You look at him with those eyes of yours and he looks right back at you with those eyes of his… it’s real, Jordyn. That’s good. Scary, yes, but good. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s sexy.”
“Gram…”
“What? You see his arms? I’d like to grab onto them for a minute or maybe a little longer.”
Jordyn was embarrassed but smiling. “Are you mad at me?”
“For what? For finding what you’ve always wanted? Jordyn, the white picket fence isn't ideal. It’s a prop in the movies, dear."
“His club…”
“I know who they are,” Gram said. “Your grandfather was almost one of them."
“What?”
Gram smiled. “I was like you, Jordyn. Pretty young woman. Wanting a perfect life. Then this loud motorcycle almost crashed into my boyfriend's car. My boyfriend got out to confront the jerk who just cut him off and I sat in the car and watched this…” Gram exhaled and shook her head. “I watched this beautiful man get off a motorcycle. He socked my boyfriend once in the mouth and he stole my heart.”
“I never knew that,” Jordyn said.
“It was my secret, that’s all."
“Why didn't he stay with the club?”
“He didn’t want to get too deep,” Gram said. “I didn’t pull him away. I didn’t care. I had him and that's all I needed. But he left on his own and opened his auto garage and that was our life. We weren’t rich. We weren’t poor. But we loved each other so madly, Jordyn. It made my world whole.”
“I love Jace, Gram,” Jordyn whispered.
“Love him with everything yo
u’ve got.”
“He’s not going to leave the club though,” Jordyn said. “He's already in too deep."
“Then it’s your life now, too,” Gram said. “Look at me. No matter how much I could have protected myself, I ended up here. In a damn bed, sick. In pain. Waiting to go. And that’s where we are all going to end up. But it’s that ride, Jordyn, that wild ride of freedom… that’s what makes all of this worth it. I can still close my eyes and feel myself on the back of his motorcycle holding on tight… and that’s what I will take with me.” Gram took a deep breath. It was hoarse, weak. “Can I tell you something else?”
“Of course,” Jordyn said. “Tell me everything, Gram. I didn’t know my grandfather was a biker. That you were okay with it. You were always so… proper. Strict.”
Gram raised a finger. “I was always honest. I never lied. There were just some things you weren't ready to know. You came to me and you were broken. A broken little girl. And there I was, mourning the loss of my son and my daughter-in-law. Jordyn, as much as I raised you, you helped keep me young and gave me something to live for. Now, for what I wanted to tell you. About that man out there. His beliefs are strong. He has conviction. Stand by him."
“You only met him once, Gram.”
“That's all it takes, my dear. I only get one chance to meet someone now. So I have to make it count. If he says he loves you, believe him. If you love him, trust in that.”
“I love you, Gram,” Jordyn whispered. She bent down and kissed her grandmother’s hand.
“I love you, Jordyn. Now quit wasting your time with me and go enjoy that man out there. Oh, those arms. And those eyes. They could make an old woman like me sweat.”
Jordyn gasped. “Gram! That’s… just… ew.”
Gram laughed and then turned her head. Her eyes started to shut and she lifted her hand. “Let me get some rest. Come visit me later.”
Jordyn left the room and found Jace standing with one foot against the wall. His thumbs were in his pockets and he smiled when he saw her.
That’s when she knew. Jace was now her world.
Jordyn ran to him and jumped in the air. Jace pushed forward and caught her. They hugged and they kissed.
“I’m not holding anything back,” Jordyn whispered. “I love you. I’m in love with you.”
“That’s so good to hear, babe,” Jace said as he kissed Jordyn. “Because I fucking love you too.”
nineteen.
Miller took his seat at the head of the table. He twisted the cap off a fresh bottle of beer and took a drink. The table was finally full again. Seeing the tired look on Miller’s face worried Jace. There were questions but no answers.
“It’s a tough time out there,” Miller said. “There was a time when our only enemies wore leather and wanted to put a bullet between our eyes. Things change. Life changes. You must adapt. That’s where we’re at.” Miller looked around the table. “There’s drugs being moved around, but for some reason we can't figure out how and where. I don’t like that. We have Jace’s woman inside with Strokner and it’s becoming more and more clear that he’s going to become an enemy soon.”
“He was always a fucking enemy,” Jace said. “He was just convenient.”
“The convenience is worn out,” Nate said. He took a drag of a smoke and then put it out.
“I agree,” Miller said. “But we can’t just kick in a top floor office and start shooting, can we?”
“Not while Jordyn is with him," Jace said.
“No, we’d be smarter,” Blaine said. “If we took out…” Blaine looked at Shay and nodded. “… Caius… we can take out Strokner.”
“Is he involved with the drugs?” Landon asked. “I mean, it all seems so interesting, doesn’t it?”
Miller nodded. “I’ve thought about that. But I don’t think that’s the case here. Strokner doesn’t gain by dealing drugs. Not at the street level. He’s big on his money and being legit. He never did a damn thing wrong in his life.”
“But he wants us out,” Jace said. “If he grabs that land…”
“Fuck that,” Miller said. “That’s years old political bullshit going on. They want to use him. That’s all. Let him try and get the land.” Miller leaned forward. “He won’t have the time to complete the purchase, okay? I’m looking at this like two situations. Right now, I want more from Jordyn. I want something concrete.”
“She was in the meeting with Strokner and the other guys, and then he showed her the land listing. It’s pretty damn clear what’s happening…”
“Doesn’t connect with the drugs though,” Shay said. “I wonder if Caius did this. Planted more messes for us.”
“I saw that boat,” Jace said. “This is Coast Road's doing. They’re moving shit somehow.”
“We’ll figure it all out,” Miller said. “Maybe even sooner than you think.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Jace asked.
“A friend called and said there was a boat coming toward the shore,” Miller said. “Looked a little shady he said. It could just be some asshole using a vacation day from their job to fish. Or another deal is about to go down.”
Jace stood up. “Then I’m going. Right now. I'm done fucking around with this.”
“Easy,” Miller said, glaring at Jace. “Easy. I want to talk about what happened with that judge and his kid.”
“Are you kidding me?” Jace asked.
“You told a kid to stab people?”
“No,” Jace said. “That’s what he did to protect himself.”
“Well, bravo,” Miller said and grinned. He leaned back in his chair. “His father had to take leave in order to handle the mess. It’s a real shit storm right now. That’ll keep that prick away from the case. I talked to our lawyer earlier and right now you're in the clear. There's no evidence and the judge is preoccupied. So nothing is going to happen anytime soon.”
“Genius move,” Blaine said. “And to think you were going to kill that kid. Fuck, if anything, you went out recruited another prospect for us.”
Everyone chuckled. Jace didn’t. He wasn’t in the mood to laugh. He wanted to see this Coast Road deal go down. Then he wanted to gut them all. And finally, he wanted to tear Jordyn away from Strokner so the MC could take care of business. By the time it was all done, Back Down Devil would make damn sure everyone knew they were in complete control of things in Frelen.
“That’s a hell of a point,” Miller said. “Keep that kid close. Maybe we can use him.”
“Jesus Christ,” Griffin said. “We're utilizing innocent kids now?”
“Relax,” Miller said. “Back on topic here…”
“I’m going alone,” Jace said.
“Like hell,” Nate said.
“So what’s the plan?” Jace asked. “We fucking ride down there like a bunch of assholes to do what? Break up their fun?”
Jace looked around the table.
“What’s your plan then?” Gaige asked.
“I’ll ride down,” Jace said. “Let me see what’s happening. If they’re making an exchange, it’s going to happen. We don’t even know who their supplier is. Or what that supplier is capable of. I think if there’s one thing we’ve learned lately it’s not to underestimate our enemies.”
“Shit,” Blaine said, smacking the table. “He’s right.”
“They’ll see you,” Landon said.
“What if they come at you, like they did to us the last time?” Miller asked.
Jace looked right at Miller. “Then we know this shit goes very deep.”
“You’re willing to put yourself out there like this?” Griffin asked. “We could just as easily send a prospect out.”
“No,” Jace said. “I’m tired of waiting. And hiding. I wasted so much time in prison. I want this done today. I want my girl out of Strokner’s fucking hands. I want him dead…”
“A lot of want for someone not wearing a patch,” Miller said and nodded down to his President’s patch.
“Yeah,
well, I’m sorry about that,” Jace said.
Miller looked around the table. He nodded. “Blaine, Gaige, Shay. Ride with him. Split off a mile away. Jace, roll in alone and back out. Don’t linger. If shit hits the fan, fire a shot and that’s the warning to these guys. Get back here in one piece. And don’t start a fucking war.”
Miller pounded the gavel and pointed to the door.
Jace turned and stormed out of the room. He didn’t look at anything but the door to the clubhouse. He hustled to his ride and was moving before the other guys were even out the door.
Jace was pissed off about having three guys behind him, but he understood it. The club wanted to protect him, and that made him feel good.
Flying through Frelen, Jace was focused. He worked his way toward the beach. Seeing the water, the waves, the people, some on vacation, some playing hooky, it was such an incredible contrast to the life Jace lived.
Jace checked his mirror and saw Gaige, Blaine, and Shay drop back. Now Jace was alone. As much as he wanted to speed and throttle his beast and go screaming right into the Coast Road deal, he knew he had to be alert and smart. So he coasted down the road as far as he could. In the distance he spotted the large rock in the ocean where the last deal went down.
Jace pulled to the side of the road and turned off his engine. He was going to walk down as far as needed to see some action before making a decision. And that decision was simple. Jace was going to kill them.
That was the only way to actually end this.
Miller would have a fit and for all Jace knew, he’d be stripped of his cut. If that happened, Jace would take Jordyn by the hand and they’d be gone. He could finally see the possibility of a life outside of the club, and he wasn't sure whether he should feel good about that or scared that he didn't need the club to make him happy anymore.
But first, Jace had to see something.
There was nowhere to hide out. There were some rocks and sand dunes, but nothing more than that. The boardwalk had ended a few hundred feet back. That’s where most of the Coast Road MC hung out and did their business, but for their shipments, it appeared they moved elsewhere.
Jace stopped moving when he saw a few guys from Coast Road. They were standing on the other side of the rocks, near a small fishing boat. It looked like the boat Jace saw, but it wasn’t the same exact one.
