Crash and Burn (17 page)

Slowly, the MC started to compose itself again. Everyone
lined up with Miller in front. Landon put his hands to Avery
’
s waist. In that moment, Avery
felt like she and Landon were the only two people in the world. The motorcycles
started to ride by, but all Avery could do was stare into Landon
’
s eyes.

“
It
’
s done now, Avery. You don
’
t have to be afraid anymore.
”

“
But I
am afraid,
”
Avery said,
“
because I
’
m in love with you.
”

Landon pulled her close and kissed her.
“
Don
’
t be afraid. I
’
m
in love with you too.
”

twenty-three.

The celebration started right in the lot the moment Shay
pulled in with Erik. Erik climbed from the car and looked around. Miller took
Erik
’
s helmet off his
motorcycle and walked it to him. The table crew gathered around Erik, Landon
barely making it in time. He didn
’
t
have to say a word to Avery, she knew to hang back at the motorcycle. Things
were tense as it was because of her and what had just happened.

But fuck that guy. That fucking asshole that hurt Avery.
Nobody rapes and beats a woman without proper punishment. That wasn
’
t the problem though. The
problem was the other guy that Jerry took away. That asshole had seen
everything and it didn
’
t
take a genius to figure out that the chief of police in town worked very close
with the MC.

“
They
tried to take one of our brothers down,
”
Miller said.
“
They tried to
blow up Shay but hit Erik instead. Yet, whoever did this forgot one important
thing
…”
Miller held the
helmet up.
“
We
’
re Back Down Devil and we don
’
t fucking die.
”

The club cheered and whistled.

Erik finally smiled.

Landon did his best not to look at Erik
’
s face, but the poor guy was all
sorts of fucked up. Most of it was fresh wounds and scabs, but damn, he was
going to have some wicked looking scars.

Miller handed Erik the helmet.
“
You
’
ll
be riding with us again soon enough, brother. I know it.
”

“
Thank
you,
”
Erik said.
“
Thanks to everyone for giving a
shit about me. And for that nurse. She cleaned me out.
”

Blaine clapped.
“
There
’
s more waiting inside.
”

“
Strippers,
”
Jace said.

“
Strippers
that fuck,
”
Blaine
corrected.

“
Then
why the fuck am I surrounded by a bunch of guys?
”
Erik asked.

Everyone laughed and Miller hugged Erik.

Then, one by one, everyone properly welcomed Erik back to
the clubhouse. Landon waited until last and when he shook Erik
’
s hand, he pulled him in.

“
I
’
m sorry for that out there, bro,
”
Landon said.

“
Wasn
’
t expecting that as part of my
homecoming,
”
Erik said.

Landon nodded and looked at Erik.
“
I wasn
’
t
either. I
’
m sorry if I
fucked up your homecoming.
”

“
Hey
…
guns, bullets, death, and
police. That
’
s about right
for us, isn
’
t it?
”

“
It is,
”
Landon said. He patted Erik
’
s face.
“
You look good.
”

“
I look
like I got blown up.
”

“
You
’
re alive.
”

Erik grabbed Landon
’
s
leather cut.
“
Who did it,
man?
”

“
We
’
re getting close,
”
Landon said.
“
We hired someone to find
everything out. You
’
ll get
your revenge.
”

Erik touched Landon
’
s
cheek and said,
“
Heard you
fought to earn some cash to help out.
”

“
Anything
for the club,
”
Landon said.
“
And you, brother. Whoever
hurt you will pay. They will suffer.
”

“
Thank
you,
”
Erik said.
“
And judging by the pretty eyes
at your back, you
’
re not
getting your dick sucked by a stripper tonight, are you?
”

“
Not
quite,
”
Landon said.

“
Landon,
I need you,
”
Miller
’
s voice boomed.

“
I have
to face this shit,
”
Landon
said.

“
Good
luck,
”
Erik said.

Landon walked over to Miller and Erik went into the
clubhouse. Miller leaned against his motorcycle with his arms crossed.

“
Shit
got intense out there,
”
Miller said.

“
I
shouldn
’
t have done it like
that,
”
Landon said.
“
But the shit Avery told me that
guy did to her
…
I kept
picturing it. No matter what I did
…”

“
It
’
s okay,
”
Miller said.
“
Christ,
Landon, you have a fucking heart after all.
”

“
Yeah,
thanks. But I made a mess.
”

“
It
’
ll get cleaned up,
”
Miller said.
“
The question here though is how
committed is your woman? Can she handle her own?
”

“
She
’
s good with what we need from
her. I talked to her. I promise.
”

“
Okay,
”
Miller said.
“
Because you
’
re going for a ride.
”
Miller pointed.

Landon looked back and saw the flashing lights of a police
car as it pulled into the lot.

“
What
the
…”

Miller clamped a hand on Landon
’
s shoulder.
“
Punishment,
brother. You have to clean up your mess. Finish the job you started.
”

“
In
jail?
”
Landon asked.

“
That
’
s where the mess waits,
”
Miller said.
“
Tell your woman to come with me.
I
’
ll keep her safe while you
’
re on the inside.
”

Landon hated the look on Miller
’
s face, but he had no choice but to respect it. On
top of that, he had to trust that Avery would be able to handle herself. But as
Landon approached Avery, all he could imagine was her being forced to a bed.
Her clothes ripped off as she thrashed. Bry getting on top of her.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Landon chased the thoughts away.

What happened is done. Bry is dead. It
’
s over. OVER.

Landon opened his eyes and Avery was inches away.

“
What
’
s happening?
”
she asked.

The cruiser came to a stop and an officer climbed out. He
pointed to Landon and drew his weapon.

“
Let
’
s go, asshole,
”
the officer said.

“
The
name is Landon.
”

“
How
about fuck you?
”
the
officer asked with a smile.
“
Get
on your fucking knees.
”

“
Landon
…
,
”
Avery said.

“
It
’
s okay,
”
Landon said.
“
I
have to go. Just routine questioning.
”

“
You won
’
t see him for a long time,
”
the officer said as he
approached Landon.

“
Hey, I
bet this isn
’
t the first
time you
’
ve had a guy on
his knees in front of you,
”
Landon said.

“
Yeah?
”
the officer asked.

He swung his knee up and connected with Landon
’
s jaw. The pain surged and he
tasted blood. Landon coughed and spit blood to the ground.

“
Got
anything else to say?
”
the
officer asked.

“
Nope,
”
Landon said.
“
I won
’
t beg to suck your dick.
”

The officer put the gun between Landon
’
s eyes.
“
You
’
re
fucking scum.
”

“
Yes I
am,
”
Landon said.

The officer then cuffed Landon and walked him to the
cruiser. Landon sat in the backseat and looked at Avery. She would need to do
this on her own to prove to herself she could be part of the club.

The cruiser started to back up and then swung a hard turn
and peeled away.

“
Don
’
t get sick,
”
the officer cackled.

“
Fucking
tough with that badge on,
”
Landon said.

“
Fucking
tough with that leather on,
”
the officer said.
“
Authority
wins over bullshit.
”

Landon nodded. That much he could agree with. The thing the
police officer didn
’
t
realize was that it was Landon and Back Down Devil that had the authority.

twenty-four.

Avery slowly walked toward Miller. This guy was the
president of the MC. His orders were final, weren
’
t
they? What would happen if Miller ordered her to do something to him or forced
Avery into submission? If it was for the sake of the MC, Avery wouldn
’
t know what to do. The thoughts made
her feel sick. She touched her stomach and tried to control her breathing.

“
I don
’
t bite,
”
Miller said.
“
But
I am going to put my hand to your back to guide you through the bar. You get
special privilege tonight.
”

“
Special?
”
Avery asked.

Miller laughed. He put his hand to Avery
’
s back, as he said he would, and
she shuddered. He was strong, like Landon, but he wasn
’
t Landon.

“
Is
Landon in trouble?
”
Avery
asked.

“
Maybe.
”

“
Did I
get him in trouble?
”

Miller looked at Avery.
“
Do
you feel guilty about something?
”

“
What if
I said I felt guilty about everything?
”

“
Then I
’
d say you have a heart and
hard-on for Landon.
”

“
I can
’
t get a hard-on,
”
Avery said.

Miller laughed again.
“
Good
to know. Good to know.
”

Miller walked into the clubhouse. He made a stop at the bar for
two beers. It was exhausting watching him shake hands, hug, nod, smile, and
give orders. Avery could see how women could fall for Miller. The power was intoxicating.
But Avery
’
s heart belonged
to Landon.

When Miller stopped at a large set of doors, he looked at
Avery.

“
One
thing we need to get straight here,
”
Miller said,
“
this room
…
this room is fucking important.
”

“
I
understand.
”

“
Nobody
gets into this room,
”
Miller said.
“
This is where
life changing decisions are made. A decision was made that could change your
life. Now, I
’
m inviting you
into this room and I hope you understand the impact
…”

“
Yes,
”
Avery said.
“
I understand. Just tell me what
’
s going to happen to Landon.
”

“
You
care about that guy, huh?
”

“
Yes.
”

Miller opened the door and allowed Avery inside. There was a
long table with chairs. The center of the table had
BDD
written on it.
The back wall had the name written out in bold black letters.

BACK DOWN DEVIL

This was
the
room. In the corners of the room were safes
and filing cabinets. There were no windows. It had the stale odor of smoke, and
booze.

Miller sat at the head of the table and twisted off a cap on
one of the beer bottles. He slid it down the table toward Avery.

“
Have a
drink. I can
’
t offer you a
seat.
”

Avery accepted the beer and sipped from it.

Miller opened his beer and drank. He put the bottle down and
leaned forward, folding his hands.

“
What
happened?
”
Miller asked.

“
With
what?
”
Avery asked.

“
The
dead guy on the side of the road. The guy that I
’
m
going to have pay dearly for. Who was it? Why did that need to be done?
”

Avery swallowed.
“
His
name was Bry.
”

“
Part of
a crew?
”

“
His
own,
”
Avery said.
“
Just a bunch of guys who drank
and thought they mattered.
”

“
Most
crews are like that. What did he do to you?
”

“
I
…”

“
Listen
to me,
”
Miller said,
“
my sign of respect to you
shouldn
’
t be mixed with the
reality of who I am and what I
’
m
capable of. I'm asking you a fucking question and I expect a fucking answer.
”

“
He hit
me. He raped me. He made me feel like I had no other place to go and no chance
to escape. Until I finally snapped and stole his motorcycle. I made it here,
and after crashing the motorcycle, I sold it to some guy near the end of town.
”

“
Scrap
place?
”
Miller asked.

“
Yes. I
was waiting to heal before leaving with the cash. Then I almost got caught
stealing food and Landon entered my life. He was almost gunned down by some guy
and I helped him. I watched him murder the guy and then he chained me to his
motorcycle because he thought I had something to do with what happened in your
lot.
”

“
Smart
thinking,
”
Miller said.
“
Which brings me to another
question
…
how do I know you
weren
’
t part of the
bombing?
”

“
I have
no reason to bomb the MC,
”
Avery said.
“
I was running
from Bry.
”

“
You
stopped here. And you
’
re
still here. Why?
”

Avery
’
s heart
raced now. She could see the look in Miller
’
s
judging eyes. He did not trust her.

“
Because
I saw the size of Landon
’
s
cock,
”
Avery said.
“
Is that what you want me to say?
”

Miller smiled.
“
I
knew there had to be a good reason.
”

“
Landon
wouldn
’
t let me leave. He
wanted me to stay so when Bry tracked me down, he could handle it.
”

“
Murder
on the side of the road,
”
Miller said.
“
Is that what
you wanted? Is that what you
’
re
going to ask Landon to do every time you have a problem?
”

“
No,
”
Avery said.
“
Bry deserved that
…”

Miller lifted a hand.
“
That
I will agree with.
”
Miller
leaned back in his chair.
“
Landon
had to go to jail for a little while. It
’
s
best not to worry about it, okay? He
’
ll
be fine. Now, let
’
s talk
about what you want to do for us.
”

“
Okay.
”

“
You can
handle this?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
A woman
who was
…
hurt
…
like you were,
”
Miller said.
“
Think about this long and hard.
This man is going to touch you. Want you. He
’
s
going to feel like he owns you. And in that moment, he fucking does. You have
to fucking go with it.
”

“
I
’
ll do it,
”
Avery said.
“
I
said it once and I
’
ll say
it a hundred times. I
’
ll do
it.
”

“
Let me
ask
…
why?
”

“
Because
Landon told me to. Because the MC needs me to. Because I don
’
t want to be looked at as
someone who just crashes here, like those other women.
”

“
You
’
re not a
reliever
,
”
Miller said.
“
That much I know. If you say you
can do this, then I
’
ll put
trust in it. Just know that if you fuck this up
…
it won
’
t just be Landon you
let down.
”

“
Okay,
”
Avery said.

“
And we
don
’
t just let people who fuck
up slide. Get it?
”

Avery got it. Loud and clear. If she messed up, she
’
d die. Looking at Miller, she
realized that the hard man was giving her a chance to run. The idea seemed
tempting. Avery had nothing to lose and everything in the world to possibly
gain. Nobody would be chasing her down. Bry was dead, and  his so-called biker
club wouldn
’
t care enough to
find him. Avery was pretty sure nobody would ever know the true fate of Bry.

Except for the guy who witnessed it.

The one in jail.

The one
…

Avery gasped.

“
Something
wrong?
”
Miller asked.

“
Landon
is going to kill that other guy,
”
Avery said.

Miller stood up. He walked slowly to Avery and offered his
hand. Avery took it before wondering why the hell she needed to take his hand.

“
Let
Landon handle himself,
”
Miller said.
“
Right now, I
need you to get ready. You
’
re
leaving in five minutes.
”

“
Five
…”

“
It
’
s time,
”
Miller said.
“
All
you need to know is that the man
’
s
name is Charles and he
’
s filthy
rich and he loves to fuck strippers. So, baby, get ready to be a stripper.
”

Miller laughed and opened the door. Avery turned and walked
out of the room. As Miller pulled the door shut, he offered one last piece of
advice.

“
Try
really hard not to get killed.
”

The advice sent chills through Avery
’
s body, but she didn
’
t
have enough time to consider what she was about to do. She had excepted to have
Landon with her the entire time, talking to her, guiding her, his strong hold
on her body. She wanted him to be there in case things went wrong. Standing in
a bar full of bikers, the men who made up Back Down Devil, Avery wasn
’
t sure if she could trust them
or if they would help her.

“
Shay,
it
’
s time,
”
Miller announced.

Shay downed a shot and jumped from his chair. Another man
joined them outside, where Avery stood hugging herself.

“
You
’
re riding with us,
”
Shay said to Avery.
“
You, me, and Griffin.
”

Griffin had a bag on his back.
“
We have to be smooth and go with whatever happens.
If he gets spooked, he
’
ll have
his security rush him the fuck out of there.
”

“
Just
tell me what to do,
”
Avery
said.

“
Sit in
the front seat of the car. We
’
ll
pull up and toss you out. I
’
m
your asshole boyfriend dropping you off to strip for the night. Got it?
”

“
Yes,
”
Avery said.

“
Beautiful,
”
Shay said.

They got into the car and Shay drove fast. In the backseat,
Avery casually watched as Griffin worked with a bunch of wires. She knew then
that the plan was to blow something, or someone, up. It made Avery uneasy and
it filled her mind with questions.

“
Whatever
you
’
re thinking, just stop,
”
Shay said.
“
If you lose focus on Charles, he
’
ll lose focus on you.
”

“
I
understand,
”
Avery said.

“
We
’
re not fucking idiots around
here. This isn
’
t our first
time.
”

“
Okay.
How close are we?
”

“
Just up
the road.
”

A few minutes later, Griffin hid in the backseat as Shay
pulled up in front of a building. It looked like a long garage that had been
converted into a stripclub covered in neon lights. The signs promised the
hottest nudes in town.

“
Christ,
there he is,
”
Shay pointed.

At the end of the building was a shiny black car next to a
round man talking on a cell phone. He was animated as he spoke, pacing left to
right. Outside the car were two men, tall and thick, with pissed off faces.

“
That
’
s security,
”
Shay said.
“
We need them to fuck off. Then
Griffin can do his job and I can do mine.
”
Shay looked at Avery.
“
Hold
tight.
”