by Lexie Davis
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2017 Lexie Davis
ISBN: 978-1-77339-446-6
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Audrey Bobak
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Roaming Devils MC, 3
Lexie Davis
Copyright © 2017
Prologue
The previous day…
Ryker stared at his bride dancing with her friends, trying to figure out how the hell he’d gotten so lucky. When he’d been fifteen, he could only dream of their wedding day. Back then, men like him didn’t marry and he never expected himself to. But they’d come a long way.
The Roaming Devils Motorcycle Club was built on the principle of brotherhood. They weren’t just a group of men that got together and rode motorcycles. They were hardcore one percenters for the mass majority of his life. His father, Razor, took that to a whole new level. With him trying to force Ryker and Ella apart, it only made them grow closer together.
She’d helped him overcome addiction. That was something she probably literally saved his life from. He’d also gone from sleeping with anything that walked to being a one-woman man. Hell, he became the clichéd husband type that he made fun of a kid. Sometimes he wanted to kick his own ass for how whipped he’d become, but then he stared at the love of his life and remembered there would be nothing good without her.
His father was a nightmare on a good day and an evil bastard on a bad one. After the stabbing, Ryker sent him away. Little did he realize how much he couldn’t trust Razor. The man had a vendetta and he planned to see it through. It took a few weeks and Razor kidnapping Ella for Ryker to realize the problem simply wouldn’t go away. He tried to contain it by banishing him. Now, he contained it by imprisoning him. It wasn’t the ideal situation since Ella wanted him dead.
Death—the mother of all ends. Ryker had seen more than his fair share and he’d been the cause of more than his fair share. Now that he was President of the Roaming Devils Motorcycle Club, he didn’t do that anymore. There were no drugs. No murder. They made the majority of their money extortion and what cocaine they had left over from Razor’s reign. Razor dabbled in guns and while that proved to be hazardous to the Roaming Devils’ name with the police, Ryker didn’t want anything to do with it. He wanted peace after a long life of war.
“I have to say, I never thought I’d see you married.” Vampire, his Sergeant at Arms, sat next to him at the table and lit up a cigarette. “I don’t know how she puts up with you and I don’t know how you put up with her.”
Ryker chuckled. “Me either, honestly.”
Vampire took a drag from his cigarette. “Are you happy? Is this what you really wanted?”
He was. His life had been a very dark place without Ella. She was the only good thing he knew. “Do you honestly have to ask me that?”
“No.” Vampire blew a stream of smoke out. “But several of the guys have been asking if this is the end of the Roaming Devils for you. After that bullshit with Razor, impersonating the Roaming Devils, the guys want something of a little more permanent option to deal with him. You can’t disrespect the cut like that and get away with it.”
The guys. Vampire was talking about Superman, the Vice President. It wasn’t protocol for a former president to remain alive when another took over. Especially with the way things went down. Did Razor deserve death? Probably. He was an evil son of a bitch and they all knew it. Ryker didn’t try to deny it. But it didn’t make sense for him to kill him off when he could be contained.
“Are you doubting my leadership?”
“No.” Vampire licked his lips. “I just think you’re getting a little too comfortable. Maybe we can be fully legit, but you’ve got to think about skeletons we’ve got in the closet too. You can’t just lock the door and pretend they’re not there.”
Ryker knew that. Maybe he had been focusing more on other things lately. The club had always come first. Ella was wrapped up in some of the club business, and she’d been his priority. She would always be his priority.
“Do you agree with him?”
Vampire tapped the ashes into a tray on the table in front of him. “I think we’d be doing the world a serious favor. He won’t stay locked up forever. He’s slimy and he’ll find a way to get what he wants.”
“So dealing with him now is the best option?”
“It’s the one we all agree on.” Vampire met his gaze. “You’re the only one that has reservations.”
“He’s my father.”
Vampire didn’t say anything. It was a weak excuse. Razor left him for dead when he’d been bleeding out on the club floor due to the stab wound in the abdomen. He was shocked when he saw Ryker survived. It should have been really easy to cut the cord. He was never a parent nor did Ryker really think he cared about him. But at the same time, loyalties ran thick in the club. He couldn’t just pretend he was doing the world a favor. That was exactly what made Razor the way he was, and quite frankly, Ryker wanted to be nothing like him.
Superman came over to the table with a beer in his hand. “From the look on your face you’re talking about anything but your wedding. You might want to smile since your wife is staring at us.”
Ryker smiled at Ella and she smiled back. He didn’t need her questioning his mood on their wedding night. Superman sat down next to Vampire and grabbed a cigarette, propping it between his lips before he lit it up.
“I’m saying no.” Ryker glanced between his two friends. “I think everything is contained right now. He can live his life and we can live ours.”
By his expression, Superman instantly knew what he was talking about without anyone spelling out the conversation. “He has a way of creeping back into your life and trying to kill your wife. Maybe you should reconsider.”
“I can’t do it.” He shook his head. Both of his friends knew that to a point. “End of discussion.”
Superman shrugged. “It’s your call, but the entire club thinks you’re making a mistake.”
“It’s my wedding day. I don’t really care at the moment what the entire club thinks.”
Ella came toward him and both men stood to leave. For a few minutes longer, he wanted to spend time enjoying his life instead of constantly thinking about his father and the club.
“What was that about?” she asked.
He smiled up at her before taking in the way the tight dress hugged her body. “Right now, I want you naked.” The diamond on her finger glittered in the light. “I want you as mine.”
She smiled. “What’s stopping you from taking what’s yours, cowboy?”
He stood and she took a few steps back. Her expression said that she knew he’d take her on the table in front of everyone. He didn’t care. She held out a finger at him.
“Five more seconds of civilization. I’ve got to tell people goodbye.”
“Hurry.”
She ran off and he started counting. The woman he had always wanted was finally his. Damn being civilized. He wanted to be an animal and fuck her until they both couldn’t walk.
And he would.
All day and all night long.
Cha
pter One
Present day
A fist pounded on the door, and Ella opened her eyes. She groaned and watched as Ryker got up to answer it. They’d told everyone to leave them alone. One day—that was all she wanted with him. One day as husband and wife without family, friends, or the club.
Ella went to the closet and gathered some clothes. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she saw the thoroughly content look on her face. She’d never dreamed she could be so happy. She’d thought graduating med school was the happiest day of her life, but her wedding topped that by a million.
Leaving the room, she headed down the hall to find Ryker speaking with the cops. Two uniformed officers stood in the doorway and looked pretty intent on whatever they spoke about.
“What’s going on?” Ella asked.
Ryker turned to her. “Don’t panic.”
She stared at him as the officers came toward her.
“Ella Hawkins, you are under arrest.” One officer grabbed her arms and forced them behind her back. “You have the right to remain silent…”
The next few seconds felt like slow motion. Ryker rubbed his chin, clearly upset by the ordeal. He argued with the police about the charges, but his concerns fell on deaf ears. He stood off to the side while the officer slapped handcuffs on her, the click sounding so final as the cold metal wrapped around her wrists tightly. She stared at him, confused. What the hell was going on?
“What is this about?”
“Illegal drug peddling.” Ryker followed them out. “Don’t say anything. I’m going to get you out.”
Ella felt her throat closing up as they approached the police car. She stiffened, resisting them as she tried to look at Ryker. “Why are they arresting me? I didn’t do anything.”
“Ma’am,” the officer spoke.
“Go with them.” Ryker said it so calmly that she wanted to slap him. “I’m right behind you to get you out. Okay? They’re going to take you to an interrogation room. Do not say anything without a lawyer present. I’ll figure out what is going on. Just trust me.”
She swallowed hard, her eyes filling with tears. The officer opened the door to the car and forced her inside. She sat with tears streaming down her face. Ryker climbed on his bike and rode ahead of them. Sucking in a breath, she thought about anything she could have possibly done wrong. Stealing fentanyl for Razor was the only thing. She could lose everything she had because of it too.
Her nose was stuffy from crying by the time they got to the police department. The officers grabbed her arm and pulled out of the car. They led her into the building through a back door. Her mind was a complete wreck.
They paused at the processing counter to take her information before they escorted her down a long hallway and into an interrogation room. So much ran through her mind. Ryker had told her not to say anything, but she couldn’t help wonder how they’d even had her on their radar in the first place. Only a few people knew about what she did, Razor being one of them.
After a few moments, a detective came in. “Dr. Hawkins, I’m Detective Aaron Peterson. Do you know why you are here?”
She sat there, reminding herself to breathe. “No.”
He pulled out a remote and pushed a button so the screen hanging on the wall in the room came to life. On it was security footage of what appeared to be her in the ICU. She watched as the bottle of fentanyl was left unattended and the doctor pocketed it.
“Is this you?” The detective paused the video. Her back was to the camera. They really couldn’t see much despite the accusations.
“No. And I want a lawyer.”
“No?” He pursed his lips. “Okay. What about this?”
He pushed a photo toward him. She stood with her face to the camera which appeared to be taken from a phone at the club. She handed Razor a bottle that appeared to be the one stolen.
“You do know it is a criminal offense to give drugs illegally to known criminals, right?” The detective gave her a condescending glare. “That fancy degree of yours along with common sense should state that wouldn’t be good for your career. Stealing drugs and all.”
Ella didn’t say anything. How did they get the info? Nobody knew about it except for the criminal himself. Why would he crawl out of the grimy hole he lived in just to set her up for stealing fentanyl for him?
“There is also a anonymous tip suggesting you stabbed Ryker Dennison as part of a scheme you had going with his father Razor.”
“Scheme?”
“Did you have a relationship with Razor?”
Ella wanted to throw up. “I’m not answering anymore questions without a lawyer.”
“On the night of April twenty-fourth, Ryker Dennison was stabbed with this knife.” He pulled out Razor’s knife and laid it on the table. “I have several eyewitness testimonies saying that you were the one that stabbed him.”
“That’s not true.”
“No?” He pulled out a piece of paper. “We did a fingerprint analysis. Two different prints were collected. One is in the system and the other is not. Once we run the fingerprints we just collected from you, can you say without absolute certainty that yours will not be the other set on this weapon?”
She studied the lab report. There was no trace of Razor’s fingerprints on the weapon. They had Ryker’s and an unidentified person’s. Ella frowned. What the hell was going on?
“I also have four officers who have given testimonies that you told Detective Hawkins that, and I quote, ‘That stunt you pulled with the video? Yeah, that almost got me killed,’ end quote. Then Detective Hawkins was overheard saying, and I quote, ‘The Roaming Devils won’t assume you are to blame,’ end quote. And then you stated: ‘Are you really that fucking naïve? No wonder the Young Bloods caught you and beat the shit out of you. I shouldn’t have even bothered trying to save you.’ End quote.”
He glanced up at Ella. “Care to elaborate on that conversation?”
She folded her hands together, squeezing them tight. “I gave a statement to a uniformed officer that the stabbing was an accident. Ryker stabbed himself. That should be in your file as well.”
“I know what’s in my file, and everything points to you, a well-established doctor in the community doing dirty work for the outlaw biker club. How deep are you with the Roaming Devils? Were you screwing the President while trying to get his son to notice you?”
“I’m done talking to you. I want my lawyer now.”
“You may be done, but I’m not. We have this video.” He clicked a few buttons and a video of her over Ryker’s body with the knife in her hand played. Blood gushed out of his mouth as she seemingly sat there, beside him, holding the knife in place.
“Can you explain that?”
She glanced over at him.
“Is that you?”
She didn’t say anything. For some reason, she thought Razor had reared his ugly head again. This time he was going after her with the legal system since the criminal way didn’t work.
He’d had her kidnapped, enticed the club to shoot her, tried to make Ryker shoot her, then he kidnapped her again in an effort to shoot her himself. But when all that didn’t work, he pulled out the big guns and started throwing around the legal system. All of course because he didn’t want her with Ryker.
“I need to speak with my lawyer.”
The detective sat back. “Your lawyer isn’t going to help you much right now. We know your father was kidnapped by Young Blood several months ago. We know you have an affiliation with the Roaming Devils MC and Ryker Dennison. We also know you had a conversation with your father about a video that would get you killed if the Roaming Devils saw it. It doesn’t take too much common sense to put two and two together.”
“Ryker’s sworn testimony was that he accidentally stabbed himself.”
The detective pulled a paper from the file on the table in front of him. He handed it to her and she read the words written. In his handwriting, Ryker had written that Ella had attacked him. That she wanted
to be with him romantically and he’d turned her down. He’d written that he tried to defend himself but she’d grabbed the knife and shoved it in his stomach, saying that with just the right cut a human being could bleed out within seconds. She shook her head as she stared at his signature and the date.
“This isn’t his statement.”
“It has his signature on it.”
“It’s forged. It’s not true.”
The detective watched her. “I know it’s difficult to understand sometimes that maybe a guy just isn’t that in to you, but it’s not a reason to be violent toward him or anyone for that matter.”
“I didn’t do anything!” Ella shook her head. The more she thought about it, the more she knew Razor was behind it. The more she wanted to rip his cold, black heart out with her bare hands. Ryker had promised her he was dead. He hadn’t admitted to killing him though. What if he put his trust in him again? What if this time, he got her for good? Having an arrest record meant instant termination at the hospital. Surely, there was someone she could get to vouch for her. Maybe the Roaming Devils members? Anyone who had been there when it all happened.
“That’s not for me to decide, but the evidence points to the fact that you did.”
“We’re married, for crying out loud.” She held up her hand and showed him her rings. “I’d never do anything to hurt him.”
He nodded. Standing, he went to the door. “Before you book her, we need to get a psych evaluation. I want to make sure she is mentally fit to be in jail.”
Ella stared at the door. Her happy moments were about to end. She felt it deep in her soul. It didn’t matter what the outcome was of her case—there was no going back from here.
****
Ryker sat in the waiting room for what felt like an eternity before Ella finally walked through the door. Her eyes were puffy and red. She sniffled as she walked toward him.
