Bayou Devils MC: The Complete Series

by A. M. Myers

In the three years that I’ve known her, I never would have guessed that she was this unbalanced and I shake my head, wondering how the hell I never saw it. How I never picked up on the fact that, at some point, she fell in love with me?

  “You killed him?” I ask as I struggle to draw a breath into my lungs and she shrugs again, her grip on the steering wheel tightening.

  “I couldn’t let him just leave me, Piper. Not after everything. Don’t you judge me.”

  Holding my hands up in surrender, I shake my head. “I’m not. Just surprised is all.”

  “Oh, okay…” Her gaze flicks to the rearview mirror and she hisses a curse. I glance in the side mirror and my heart jumps when I see the Bronco right on our heels.

  Oh, fuck, Wyatt, what the hell are you doing?

  She glances over at me and I turn, meeting her eyes. Her grip on the steering wheel tightens and she blows out a breath.

  “This was all a trick?”

  I shake my head. “No, Lil… it’s not a trick but he’s not just going to let me go.”

  “I shouldn’t have left the gun,” she growls and I’m suddenly very glad for my quick thinking as I glance at the truck in the side mirror again. When I glance back at her, her eyes are sad and she shakes her head as a tear slips down her cheek.

  “I don’t want to do it…”

  My brows knit together and my heart sinks as I try to decipher her words. “You don’t want to do what?”

  “I won’t let him take you from me…”

  My eyes widen and I open my mouth to scream, beg her to rethink her plan but before I can get the words out, she jerks the wheel to the side and the car flies off the road. My head smashes against the window and everything flips upside down just before my world fades to black.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Wyatt

  “What the fuck were you thinking, Piper?” I hiss to myself as I press my foot harder against the gas pedal as my chest feels tight and I struggle to pull air into my lungs.

  Fuck.

  I can’t lose her.

  “Where are they headed?” Rodriguez ask over speakerphone and I relay our location to him. As soon as Lillian and Piper walked out of the backyard, I called Detective Rodriguez and told him what was going down. He urged me to just wait for him to get there but there was no way in hell that I was leaving my wife.

  Hell no.

  “We’re almost there.”

  I nod. “Okay.”

  The car jerks to the side out of nowhere, flying off of the road and I slam on the brakes, my whole world screeching to a halt as Piper’s car begins flipping through the air. I throw the truck in park, gasping for breath, and jump out as it comes to a stop on the roof, my heart pounding in my ears. Running my fingers through my hair, I stare at it for a second, unable to move before I start running toward it, toward her.

  Shaking my head, I pull myself from the memory and stare up at the monitor as Piper’s heart rate steadily tracks across the screen. My knee bounces like crazy as I prop my chin on my hands and stare at it like at any moment, she could crash despite all the doctors telling me she looks good and it’s just a waiting game now. She’s been unconscious for thirty-six hours and while that might not seem like a lot to most people, it has felt like an eternity to me. Although, I suppose it’s better than the total dread that swarmed me as I watched the car fly off the highway.

  I shake my head to clear the memory as I turn to look at her bruised face. When I got to the car, it was clear that Lillian had died in the crash but Piper was in and out of consciousness until the ambulance showed up along with Rodriguez and two other patrol cars.

  “Hey,” someone says and I glance over at Chance and Storm as they walk into the room and sit in the chairs along the wall. I nod my greeting. “How is she holding up?”

  I shrug. “Same.”

  “She’ll wake up, man,” Storm assures me and I nod. I know he’s been exactly where I am now but he can’t promise me anything. Chance stands up and walks over to me, clapping my shoulder.

  “You need anything?”

  “No.”

  He sighs. “All right. Call us if you do, okay? Moose and Henn are taking over guard duty for us.”

  “I’ll be fine. Go see your wives.”

  They walk back out of the room and I release breath as I run my hand through my hair. Blaze ordered everyone to the clubhouse after Veronica showed up and that is all where we’re hunkering down while we try to figure all of this out. I can’t wait to get Piper there, where I know she will be safe.

  “Mr. Landry?” someone says and my heart jumps into my throat. Fuck, is it one of the doctors? Do they have more information on her condition? I spin around and scowl at the woman I don’t recognize. She forces a smile to her face. “I’m Dr. Brewer, your wife’s therapist.”

  I nod, eyeing her. “And Lillian’s doctor.”

  “Ah, yes… that’s why I’m here, actually. I wanted to tell you… well, both of you, how sorry I am. I knew Lillian had some deep seeded trauma but she was reluctant to open up to me and I had no idea that she was so…”

  “Unhinged?” I hiss, glaring up at her and she nods.

  “Yes. She… hell, I probably shouldn’t be saying this… but she was in another car crash when she was very young and she lost her sister. It… manifested itself with this fear that she would lose everyone she loved and so, she took matters into her own hands. I thought… I thought we were getting somewhere with her but if I had known about her developing feelings for Piper… I would have…”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  My head whips to Piper and relief rushes over me when I see her green eyes staring back at me and I don’t know how I don’t collapse on the floor.

  “Baby,” I whisper, standing and leaning over her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She closes her eyes and when she opens them again, she flashes me a smile.

  “Hey, you.”

  I shake my head, cupping her face as softly as I can so I don’t hurt her. “Don’t you ever do that to me again, you hear?”

  “Yes, sir,” she answers, her voice scratchy and a dreamy smile on her face for a second before her eyes widen as she reaches up and grips my shirt in her hand. “The baby?”

  I smile. “The baby is just fine, sweetheart.”

  “I’m just going to give you two a little time,” Dr. Brewer says and Piper shakes her head, glancing over at her.

  “No, wait… I wanted to thank you.”

  Dr. Brewer’s eyes widen. “Why? You were in that situation because of me.”

  “No, I wasn’t. But I knew what to do and how to handle Lillian in her fragile state because of you. You saved all of our lives.”

  “Oh,” she whispers, tears welling up in her eyes.

  “And there is something I wanted to ask you.”

  Nodding, Dr. Brewer takes a step forward. “Okay…”

  “Do you offer couples counseling?” Piper asks, looking up at me with a grin and I roll my eyes. Leave it to my wife to get shot at, kidnapped, and put in a coma for a day and half and still remember the promise I made her about counseling. Dr. Brewer glances between the two of us and nods.

  “I do… but are you sure you wouldn’t prefer someone else?”

  I shake my head. “Nah. Piper was right. This wasn’t your fault and honestly, you already know all about our past and you’re probably the best person to help us.”

  “Okay, then,” she answers with a smile. “Call me when you’re feeling a little bit better and we’ll schedule something, okay?”

  We agree and she tells us good-bye before stepping out of the room, leaving us alone. I turn to look at my wife, wishing I could pull her into my arms but I don’t want to hurt her and she is bruised everywhere.

  “Lillian?” she asks with a sigh, looking up at me and I shake my head. Tears well up in her eyes and she nods. “Oh.”

  “I’m sorry, baby. I know she was your friend before all of this happened but I can’t be sad that she�
�s dead. You’re my everything and I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you.”

  She nods. “I can’t believe I never saw it…”

  “It sounds like she did a very good job of hiding how she really was,” I say and she nods with another heavy sigh.

  “I know you’re right. I just wish I could have helped her.”

  I flash her a grin and her eyebrows knit together as she stares up at me. “Well, look on the bright side, we can talk about it in therapy.”

  “If I didn’t love you so much,” she growls, shaking her head and I laugh.

  “Yeah, but you do and now… you’re stuck with me forever.”

  Her green eyes meet mine again and fear flashes through her gaze for just a moment. My heart stalls. “You promise? Even with all the shit going on with the club?”

  “Yeah, I do, baby. I know I’ve said this before but I’m not letting anything come between us and this time, I’m going to prove it to you - every single day, for the rest of our lives.”

  She and I have a lot of work to do and I’m not under the impression that it will be easy but if I’ve learned anything in the past two months, it’s that my life is better with her in it and I will do whatever I have to do to make this work. Piper is my whole fucking world and I am never going back to the man I was before she walked into my life again.

  Epilogue

  I take a drag of my cigarette, the smoke burning my lungs, as I scan the clubhouse parking lot but it is nothing compared to the rage burning through my chest as I watch them all gather to celebrate Fuzz and Piper renewing their vows.

  How fucking sweet.

  When I first heard of this impromptu wedding, a part of me hated the idea of letting them take a break from the panic and paranoia I’ve instilled in all of their hearts and minds but after taking some time to think about it, I decided this was better. It’s my little gift to them, the only small instance of charity they’ll see from me. So, let them celebrate and be happy for this one day before I rip it all away.

  Brutally.

  Violently.

  In a pool of blood.

  It’s what they deserve. I clench my teeth so hard that my jaw aches as I watch Fuzz step up to the end of the aisle in his cut with Streak and Smith on his side. He rubs his hands together, waiting for his bride to join him as all of his brothers and their wives look on with smiles on their faces.

  Not for long, though.

  God, what I wouldn’t give to carve those grins from their faces.

  I am so close to ending this, so close to getting the one thing I have wanted more than anything else in the world for as long as I can remember - justice. There is a pounding in my ears and my hands shake, rage coursing through my veins as I think about everything they did to me, everything they took from me. I used to fucking be somebody and then they came into my life. My thoughts drift to the plans I have laid out for them and I smile. It’s taken me a hell of a long time to put all of this together and most days, I hated how long I had to draw this all out. I wanted action and I wanted it now but I also wanted to inflict the most pain, the most suffering possible and that takes time. Now, this is almost over and when I’m done, they’ll be left with the same thing I have.

  Nothing.

  Wicked Games

  Bayou Devils MC

  Book Eight

  Chapter One

  Rowan

  “Are you guys ready for our little dark-haired beauty?” Max, Skin’s resident DJ asks, his booming voice full of energy as it echoes off the walls of the club. The men scattered around the room barely look up from their drinks to give him a few seconds of unenthusiastic applause and I grit my teeth as I shake my hands out and stretch for my dance. Just like them, I wish I was anywhere else but here tonight. Max glances over at me and offers me an apologetic look but I shake my head. I don’t blame him for the poor attitude in this place right now. He’s a damn good DJ but I think it would take an act of God to rouse the spirits of the people in this club. Sighing, he raises the microphone to his lips again and winks in my direction. I straighten my body and suck in a breath.

  Showtime.

  “Welcome to the stage… Raven!” He drags my stage name out for emphasis and I roll my eyes. Mr. Alexander, my boss, thought he was so clever when he assigned that nickname to me since I’m the only girl at this club with dark hair. At first, I embraced it - making myself seem more mysterious than I really am but the more I hear it shouted through the speakers, the more it grates on my nerves. My song begins to play - “Sweet Dreams” by Marilyn Manson - and like an elastic band snapping into place, I feel myself becoming Raven as I step out onto the stage and strut toward the center in my six-inch platform heels. As I wrap my fingers around the cool metal of the pole, I look around the room and try to fight back my disgust at the disinterested expressions staring back at me. Some of them are leaning back in their chairs and sipping their drinks while others are obviously drowning their pain in booze and faceless women. In the end, though, it all boils down to the same thing. There isn’t a single person that wants to spend their Thanksgiving in a seedy strip club instead of with family but some of us don’t have any other option.

  As much as I would love to run out of here and never look back, it’s almost as if Raven has taken over my body and I find myself hooking my leg around the pole and slowly spinning as my mind drifts to the last Thanksgiving we all had as a real family… before everything fell apart. It was years ago - before Dad died, before Nora was killed, and before Lincoln ran away to escape the pain that seems to haunt us in this town, leaving Mom and me all alone. Pain swarms my chest and tears sting my eyes as I squeeze them shut, trying to fight back the memories and focus on the swing of my hips and the beat of the song but it’s too late. The dam has been opened and I’m not strong enough to hold it all back tonight. Sucking in a ragged breath, I open my eyes, grab the pole again, and jump up before flipping upside down and opening my legs into a “V”. On any other day, there would be cheering and men throwing money onto the stage as they looked up at me like I was some kind of goddess but as I look out at the crowd, all I can see is my own sorrow reflected back at me.

  The song stretches on as I right myself and slide back down the pole, trying my damnedest not to break down in front of all these people as more memories flood my mind. I was so young when Dad’s plane went down during a typical supply run but the memory is still so damn clear - the look on Lincoln’s face when he came home with the police officers, Mom collapsing to her knees as she wailed and Nora and I staring at each other with wide eyes because we couldn’t understand what was going on. It was like all the grownups were talking in code and no one would just come right out and say that he was gone. At least, I don’t think they did but maybe I blocked it out in an act of self-preservation. Leaning back against the pole, I close my eyes again as my lip wobbles and my heart hammers in my chest.

  Goddamn it.

  I cannot lose it up here.

  Gritting my teeth, I open my eyes, reach over my head, and grab the pole before sinking down into a crouch and arching my back so my hips lift forward. Reaching behind my back, I pull on one of the strings of my top, allowing it to come undone so I can toss it across the stage. One of the men in front of me glances up, his eyes locked onto my tits as he tosses some money on the stage before going back to his drink - whiskey, if I had to guess - and, despite the awful feeling building in my stomach, I force myself to keep going. Most nights, I can rake in a couple hundred bucks but in the four hours I’ve been here tonight, I’ve only managed to make somewhere around fifty dollars and honestly, it’s not even worth the trouble. I probably wouldn’t have even come in if I had any other option than sitting in my apartment alone with Ramen noodles and my overwhelming grief.

  Sliding onto my belly along the stage, I pull my knees to my stomach, shoving my ass into the air as the final notes of the song ring out through the club and another man tosses a few dollar bills onto the stage as I grab the pole an
d stand up. Raven, the consummate professional, can’t stop herself from bowing despite the lack of applause and my stomach flips as I grab the money littering the floor and my top before disappearing behind the curtain. As I descend the stairs from the stage, I glance down at the money in my hand and scoff. Fifty dollars. That brings my total to maybe a hundred for the evening, if I’m lucky. If nothing else, I guess it will pay for my groceries for the next week. With a sigh, I grab my silk robe off of the hook and slip it on, tying the belt around my waist.

  “Rowan,” Mr. Alexander calls from his office door just before I duck into the dressing room and I glance up, arching a brow. “How did you do tonight?”

  I make a face and hold up the fifty dollars I made on my last dance and he nods.

  “Why don’t you head home, then? We’re not even breaking even at this point and I’m just going to shut ‘er down early.”

  Nodding, I force a smile to my face. “Sounds good, Mr. Alexander. Thanks.”

  “Tell the other girls to pack up as well, will you?” he asks and I nod again.

  “Sure thing.”

  He flashes me a thankful smile before ducking back into his office and I step into the dressing room and sit down at my vanity by the door before turning to the three other girls working tonight.

  “Mr. Alexander is shutting down early tonight. We can all head home.”

  “Thank God,” Hannah sighs, shoving her heels off and they hit the floor with a clunk. “My feet are fucking killing me.”

  Michelle tosses her eyeliner down on the vanity in front of her and grabs a makeup wipe. “Maybe I can get home in time to tuck my kids in for bed. They were so mad when I had to leave for work earlier.”

  “What about you, Row?” Jen asks. “Any big plans for your suddenly free evening?”

  I shake my head, trying to ignore the burning in my chest as I think about the empty apartment I’ll be going home to. “Nope. Ash flew up to Juneau to see his parents for the holiday and won’t be back until tomorrow so it’s just me and my Netflix account tonight.”