“Jesus Christ,” Acey said. “Your club is a mess. I can see it in both your eyes. Soon enough, Los Ahn will be taking good care of Brocke.”
Layne still wouldn’t look at me. He simply turned around and walked away. Acey backed up and took out a smoke. He lit it up and gave a nod to his two boys.
One guy had clean arms thick with muscle. The other guy had two full sleeves.
And I stood there still hurting from getting beat up with baseball bats. But I had to do this. I had to fight. It was the only thing I knew in life. To keep fighting. The only way I’d ever stop fighting would be when I was dead.
I made fists and got ready for hell.
Both men came right at me. There were no pleasantries or respect for fighting. They wanted blood, bone, whatever.
Tattoo man got me in the face while the other one got me in the cut. I was quickly on my knees. Tattoo grabbed my hair and forced me to look up at him. He came down with a heavy fist. All those wounds that had closed up and were scabbed over were now open again. It hurt damn near worse than getting hit with the baseball bat.
One punch, two punches, a third one cocked back…
The other guy kicked me in the gut. I let out a groan and fell forward.
They let me go and I heard all of Los Ahn laughing.
“That’s usually how it goes,” Acey called out. “The weak fall. No matter what.”
Weak?
I was not fucking weak.
I made fists and punched them into the dirt. I had two handfuls of dirt. No way I was going to go down like this. I needed to be knocked out or dead.
I threw my head back, blood splashing from my face.
“Fucking pussies,” I said.
Both men stopped and turned.
I hurried to my feet and threw the dirt in their faces.
They both cried out and grabbed their faces. I rushed to tattoo guy and started to unload on him. His abs were like punching a brick wall, but my fists were strong. I knocked the wind out of him. He gasped for air, and with his mouth open, the temptation to knock out his teeth was just too much. One good punch and I felt his teeth shift and slice against my knuckles. He fell to his knees and one kick to his face sent him back.
I turned just in time to have the other guy punch me again. He could see now and was fucking pissed. I stumbled back, taking the punch with pride. I kept on my feet and then lunged at him. My shoulder hit him in the gut and he quickly wrapped his arms around my body. I dug my feet into the ground and pushed with a scream. He lost his balance and went back. And back. And back. Until I slammed him into one of the cars. He let me go and I hurried to start rocking his face with hard fists.
It was pretty damn obvious these guys were used to beating the fuck out of someone without ever actually getting into a real fight. They had no idea how to defend themselves.
I took the guy down to his ass and then started to knee him in the face like there was no tomorrow. The sound of his head slamming off the car was thud, thud, thud, thud like a screen door blowing shut over and over in a wind storm.
When I backed up, his face was nothing but blood. My jeans were ripped from his teeth, blood on my knee and leg.
I turned and tattoo guy was on his hands and knees. I smiled, ready to knock his head off. I wanted to do this in front of Layne. I wanted to kill. I couldn’t believe I felt the way I did in that moment. I wanted to fucking kill. It was a surging feeling.
As I rushed to him, I saw Acey from the corner of my eye. Gun in hand. Lifting it. I spun to my left, reaching for my weapon. As I drew it, Acey moved by me, not pointing his gun at me, wanting to kill me. He stepped up to tattoo guy and put the gun to the back of his head. He pulled the trigger.
“Holy fuck,” I said.
Acey then turned and pointed the gun to the other half dead guy on the ground. One pull of the trigger and he was gone too.
“I need new guards,” Acey said and then faced me. He walked right at me, putting his gun between my eyes. “You ready, Talon?”
“Ready,” I said. “Don’t hesitate. You know what happens…”
Acey gritted his teeth. He swallowed hard. He was afraid to do it. I wasn’t wearing the President’s patch, but fuck, I still could command some respect.
Acey didn’t say anything else or do anything else.
So I spit in his face.
A good chunk of fresh blood in his face.
Acey screamed and stumbled back. I grabbed his wrist, twisted, and took his gun. His other guys started to come forward, but I hurried to point the gun at them all. Acey put his arms out and called them off.
“What the fuck are you going to do?” Acey asked, wiping his face.
I looked back at Layne and he just stood there. Not giving a command. Not giving a shit, maybe.
I unloaded the clip from Acey’s gun and threw the weapon at Acey. He caught the gun and I dropped the clip.
“Fuck off,” I said. “Stay the fuck out of Brocke.”
I turned and walked away. Layne came forward and I purposely bumped shoulders with him. I made a line for my motorcycle and stood there, trying to catch my breath.
I got on my ride and started it.
Everyone looked at me.
I was done with the fucking thing. I was tempted to speed away but I didn’t. I needed to keep respect for Layne. For the President’s patch. For Devil Call MC.
Layne didn’t say a word to Acey or the rest of Los Ahn. He got on his ride and started it. That’s when the rest of Devil Call MC got on their motorcycles.
Layne led the way from the scene.
My body was on fucking fire. It hurt everywhere. My eyes, cheeks, nose, mouth. My shoulders, arms, hands, everything. Not to mention my heart. That Layne would just throw me into a fight like that. Turn his back and walk away.
We didn’t make it a mile from the Los Ahn scene before another line of motorcycles waited.
“Christ,” I whispered when I saw it was Rilen Lost.
They had guns drawn, ready to fight.
Layne throttled his motorcycle and sped up.
All hell broke loose again.
All of us sped up, took out our guns, and just started shooting.
We blasted through the barrier of Rilen Lost motorcycles. Bullets were zinging all around. Austin and Drave almost lost their edges a few times, but luckily they didn’t spill onto the ground. Jagg made a wicked cut to the right and I saw a bullet hit his leg. A splash of blood and Jagg screamed.
Holy fuck, it won’t fucking end.
We made it through with all our guys intact and on their motorcycles. Our group was sloppy and Layne didn’t know what to do but just ride hard and fast back toward the clubhouse. Not that it was a bad thing to do, but it would have been nice if we were tighter and looked tougher. Seemed like everyone wanted a piece of us right now.
In that moment, I wondered just what waited back at the clubhouse.
How Everly felt… and if the clubhouse was actually still standing…
4.
(Everly)
I had to get the hell out of the bed. I slept, had a dream I couldn’t remember, and woke up. I looked around the room and made sure I was okay. Safe. In bed. In Talon’s bed. I then fell back asleep and had another nightmare. Talon and Layne were standing a few feet apart and were shooting at each other. Over and over. Their guns fired with endless ammo and their bodies took bullets without falling. But I could see the bullets going into their bodies.
It lasted for a long time before I woke up sweating and crying.
The door opened and a prospect stood there. He asked me if I was okay and I told him to get the fuck out of the room.
After a few more minutes of feeling like I was going to go insane, I knew I had to get out of the bed. I couldn’t stand another nightmare. I couldn’t stand another painkiller pill and getting all loopy and numb. Maybe some people enjoyed that feeling but I didn’t. Not with Talon and Layne out there, riding around, fighting. Not with Talon on edge and Layne getting comfort
able with his new power.
I threw the covers off my body and forced my legs to the floor. I slowly stood, a surge of pain through my shot leg. I stumbled a little and managed to hop to the dresser and keep my balance. The hospital gave me a set of crutches to use. I grabbed them and tucked them under my armpits. I hobbled to the door and opened it.
The prospect standing there turned around and put his hands out. “Whoa, what are you doing?”
“First off, I’m sorry for yelling at you,” I said. “I was… I was having a nightmare or something.”
“That’s okay. But you should go back to bed.”
“No. I’m going for a walk.”
“Ma’am…”
“My fucking name is Everly.”
“Everly, right. Sorry. Everly, Layne told me…”
“I don’t give a shit,” I said. “I’ll hit you in the balls with one of these crutches if you try to touch me.”
The prospect’s eyes went wide. He gave a nod. “Okay then.”
“You can walk with me though and make sure I don’t fall and hurt myself.”
The prospect stayed right next to me but didn’t touch me. We walked down the hall and just as I spotted the clubhouse floor and the bar, feeling a sense of some kind of pathetic freedom, the clubhouse door busted open.
Layne came in with Jagg almost in his arms. Layne took Jagg to a pool table.
“I’m fucking fine,” Jagg said. He touched his leg. “There’s no bullet in me. It grazed me.”
I stopped and gasped. I looked at the prospect. “You better help.”
He ran from me and I looked at the rest of the guys coming in. Everyone looked okay. No other blood and wounds… until Talon walked in.
His face was a mess. Worse than before. He was limping and looked completely dejected and abused. The second he saw me, he froze. His lip snarled and he made a line for me.
“We have to make sure,” Layne said to Jagg. “Fuck, man.”
Jagg stood up and dropped his pants. He pointed to his leg. “Fucking look, Layne. It’s a cut, man.”
Talon pushed through the bar and came right at me.
“Talon,” I said. “What the hell…”
“What the fuck are you doing out of the room?” he asked me.
“I needed a break. A walk. Something.”
“You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“Speaking of hurt,” I said. “What happened?”
Talon touched his cheek. “Just a fight.”
“Why isn’t anyone else…”
“Just me,” he said. “It’s fine. Taking care of business.”
“Did Layne…”
Talon touched my face. He shook his head. “Beautiful, none of this matters to you, okay? This is club business. You’re not part of it. I’m sorry and I know it pisses you off.”
“I know more about this club than everyone in this clubhouse,” I spat.
I could feel eyes looking at me now.
“It’s okay,” Talon said. “Take a breath. We’re all back here. Just fine. Get some water. Try to relax.”
“Hey, Talon?” a voice called out.
Talon turned his head. It was Austin standing in the doorway to the clubhouse.
“What?”
“Detective John is here,” Austin said. “Needs to discuss Everly and her case.”
“Her case?” Talon asked.
“My case?” I asked.
“She fucking hit him,” Layne said. “Christ.”
“He said…” My lips started to tremble.
“He wants Everly alone,” Austin said.
“Fuck that,” Talon said. “Over my…”
“Everly, go,” Layne said.
I froze and looked at Layne. He came toward me. He acted as though Talon wasn’t even there. He touched my shoulder and gently rubbed it.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll take you out there. I’ll be right there. It’ll be calm.”
The way he said calm it was a direct shot at Talon.
“Fuck that,” Talon said. “Layne…”
“Talon,” Layne said without even looking at him. “Go clean yourself up. Take a fucking shower. Get a shot of whiskey. Stay inside. I’m not going to repeat it.”
I never saw Layne give orders like this before. And especially to Talon. It was weird… but strangely hot. I wanted to be mad at myself. For always being torn between these two guys. One touched me and loved me. The other brought me here and was a gentle giant temptation thing.
I looked at Talon. “It’s okay, Talon. Nothing will happen.”
“You can’t go out there…”
“Better than John coming in here,” Layne said. “If he sees Jagg. Blood. The smell of violence. He’ll keep coming. Just do what he says for a fucking second.”
I nodded to Talon.
Please…
Talon’s nostrils flared and he gritted his teeth. He slid his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. It was a quick kiss but made my legs feel numb. He then stormed away and Layne pointed to the door.
As promised, he led me outside.
Sure as hell, Detective John was there. He sat on the hood of his car eating a hotdog. He looked so cocky, like he knew everything.
Layne stopped and turned. Over his shoulder, he said, “Everly, I’ll keep an eye. I have to protect this club and clubhouse.”
“I know,” I said. “I won’t hit him this time. No matter what.”
Layne smiled. “Good. You’re crazy, sweetie. But I kind of love it. I won’t ever let anything happen to you.”
I believed Layne. His eyes offered me a sense of comfort that I hadn’t felt in a while. He stepped into the clubhouse, but I knew he wasn’t gone. He was hiding.
I turned and Detective John stuffed the rest of the hotdog in his mouth and then smiled and waved at me. I used the crutches more than usual, trying to make my injury seem worse. I don’t know why I did that, maybe for sympathy. Somewhere deep inside me, I just wanted Detective John to go away. Vaughn and Jade had the video of Talon murdering someone. He was supposed to get the video, but I fucked everything up when I lost my mind watching Jade blow Talon.
“You look uncomfortable,” Detective John said.
“I was shot.”
“I know. I know everything, Everly. What I don’t quite know is why…”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Why are you here?”
“Can’t I check on you?”
“No.”
“Well, here I am. Might as well stay for a bit.” Detective John slid from the hood of the car. He took off his sunglasses and tossed them to the hood. “Jesus Christ, look at yourself. Is that what you want?”
“You don’t know anything of what I want.”
“Should I go back in time, Everly? To your mother, father, grandmother? Should we start turning rocks over?”
“Fuck you.”
“No,” Detective John said. “That’s where you’re wrong. That’s the next part of the plan in all this. Finding out how you fit into this club. It’s not just me interested anymore. There was another MC that had a private funeral. But the undertaker they used is a friend of a friend. The body buried had been murdered. People talk, Everly.”
I swallowed hard. Detective John was digging deep. He probably knew things I didn’t even know.
“And there were two bodies found in shallow graves,” Detective John said. “Not on Brocke land though. Just beyond. I’m talking… oh, twenty yards maybe.”
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked. “You going to accuse me of killing people and digging graves?”
Detective John laughed. “I wonder what that would have sounded like before.”
“What?”
“Before you got sucked into this. Before you turned into this.”
“Into what?”
Detective John stepped toward me. “I guarantee that if I mentioned anything to do with dead bodies and shallow graves it would have bothered you. You would
have turned white, turned red, you would have been shaken by it. I mean, it’s terrifying. Someone shot two men. One in the back of the head and one in the face. One was point blank range and the other about ten feet away. And there’s technology to know all this. We can find the dirt mixed with dirt to know where the other dirt came from. Say… a piece of dirt from this compound. And that should scare the fucking hell out of you, but it doesn’t. Do you know why?”
“Because it has nothing to do with me,” I said. “Or the MC. Layne, Talon, any of the other guys.”
“No. Because you have the shell around you now. You’re an old lady, Everly. You’re the one taking orders from your guy. Or guys. Whatever your fucking arrangement is in there. And they’re going to bring you down with them. I can’t protect you anymore. And look at you, shot in the leg. Heard you got lucky though. Could have been deadly.”
“That’s right. Lucky me.”
Detective John reached out and stroked my face. I stiffened.
“No worry,” he whispered. “You don’t have to hit me, Everly. I just… I’m going to miss you when it all goes down. To see you taken away in cuffs. You’re going to be used up by authorities. They’re going to drain you of every piece of information. And then when it’s all said and done… Talon and Layne will be rotting in prison. The rest of the MC will be in prison. The clubhouse will be destroyed. Oh, and anyone who has a tie to Devil Call MC will get the orders to kill you. Because you talked.”
I hobbled back. I swallowed the massive lump in my throat. I hated when Detective John spoke like this because it made sense. It was laced with reality, mixed with my personal fantasy. Could Devil Call MC fall?
“That’s a great plan,” I said. “But you need proof of whatever you’re looking for.”
“There was blood at the scene,” Detective John said. “It’s all being tested. Any chance that Talon was in a fight?”
“Ask him.”
“Where is he?”
“Inside.”
“Should I go in there?”
Detective John started to step forward. I lifted a crutch and pointed it at his dick. “Don’t come closer.”
He smacked the crutch and it fell to the ground. When he stepped again, his eyes flared with rage. I stepped back, using my hurt leg. The pain that shot up my leg took my breath away. I twisted and writhed in pain, falling to the ground.
RAW MERCY (A Devil Call MC Book) (Talon & Everly Book Six) (Devil Call MC Talon & Everly 6) Page 3
