DARK FALL (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) (11 page)

Kaity turned off the light and got
into the bed. The darkness blanketed her. The bed smelled of sex and Erik. She
gripped the sheets tight and wished Erik would come into the room
…
and come into her
.

Before Kaity fell asleep, a thought
came to her.

What am I doing here?

eleven.

The next morning Kaity was awake
early. She was still tired but couldn
’
t
sleep. Nothing felt right. The other side of the bed was empty. When she looked
at the door she couldn
’
t
help but wonder what Erik was doing. Where he was. If that woman was still with
him. Or if they did more last night.

It made Kaity angry. She refused to
believe she was jealous.

Jealous of what?

It wasn
’
t like she and Erik were
…
whatever.

Kaity opened the door and walked
the same path as the night before. Last time she thought she would find Erik
with the rest of the bikers. She thought she would do something seductive and
flirty - bite her lip, touch herself gently, anything to get Erik
’
s attention - and then they
would have spent the night in his bed.

This morning was much different.

Kaity counted six men asleep at
tables. Some were face down in their own arms. Other had their arms dangling
and their cheeks pressed against the table.

And then there was Erik.

Sitting in the same spot as the
night before, Erik had his head back as he slept. One hand gripping the arm of
the couch, the other on the couch. Kaity crept forward and let out a small
whimper when she saw that Erik
’
s
pants were still unzipped. For a split second she thought about reaching in
them. She wanted to show Erik what he had missed out on last night. It made no
sense to her why he decided to have some random woman pleasure him instead of
her. Unless Erik was with someone and never said anything.

The thoughts felt like a weight on
Kaity
’
s chest. She turned
and moved away from Erik.

“
Hey,
do you want some coffee?
”

Kaity froze and spotted a guy
behind the bar. He was wide eyed, smiling; definitely not a real biker kind of
guy.

“
Sure.
”

The guy poured a cup of coffee and
put the sugar and creamer on the bar.

“
Are
you with Erik?
”
he asked.

“
Yeah,
”
Kaity said.
“
I guess.
”

“
You
his old lady?
”

“
No.
”

The guy nodded.
“
Maybe soon. Have a good morning
and let me know if you
’
re
hungry.
”

Kaity took the coffee black and
walked to the clubhouse door. She walked outside and the already warm morning
sun spread across her face. She could smell the ocean breeze. Seagulls
cawed
as they flew above, awake and making plans for their busy day of gathering
scraps.

Kaity walked to the line of
motorcycles and stood there. She sipped the coffee and wrinkled her nose. It
tasted like shit, but it was coffee. She needed the caffeine. The line of
motorcycles was really cool and intimidating. She reached out and touched the
front wheels on a few of them. How many of these rides had seen blood? Bullets?
Had been part of someone dying?

The thought gave her goosebumps.

The parking lot was quiet. The gate
at the end of the compound was shut. Next to the clubhouse were a few small
buildings, a couple big ones, and then what looked like an underground garage
area.

Kaity walked to the gates and stood
there. She wasn't sure which side had more freedom. Out there, she could go
anywhere she wanted. In here, she was trapped, but she was under the protection
of the MC. Strong men willing to help for a price. Kaity had once dealt with a
much smaller motorcycle club when she worked undercover for Brad, but they were
nothing like Back Down Devil. The other club was only six guys dealing drugs
and getting too high for their own good. Back Down Devil was much more
organized, much stronger, a force of their own.

Kaity drank half the coffee and
called it quits on the nasty, bitter taste.

A green car came down the street
and turned as though it was going to come into the parking lot. Instead, it turned
so that its passenger mirror scraped against the gate. The window rolled down
and the driver threw something out of the window. It hit the gate and fell to
the ground.

The car sped away.

Kaity looked down and saw a little
brown box. Bending her knees, Kaity stuck her hand through the gate and grabbed
the box. She turned and started to walk back toward the clubhouse. Halfway
there, Kaity realized what she had just done. Someone threw a package at the
gate of the lot. It may have been a simple package, but it could have been a
fucking bomb.

Kaity rushed to a table. She threw
her coffee down and then gently placed the little brown box down. For whatever
reason, a sense of bravery overcame her. She grabbed a piece of tape and pulled
it across the small package.

Leaning down, Kaity put her ear to
the box and listened for a ticking of some kind. She didn't hear anything.
Kaity ducked down to shield herself as she slowly lifted the flaps open on the
box. There was no explosion. Kaity reached up and hit the box, tipping it over.
She waited again for an explosion, but there was none.

Kaity slowly stood and looked down
at the table.

There definitely wasn't a bomb.

But there was a finger.

A human severed finger.

It was slightly curled, pointing at
Kaity.

The coffee in her stomach churned
and she bent over to throw up.

Instead, she screamed.

twelve.

Erik opened his eyes and his neck
hurt. He stared straight ahead and looked around the clubhouse. It took him a
few seconds to fully wake up. The night slowly came back to him, along with a
headache and the realization that his pants were still open.

“
Fuck,
”
he whispered.

He zipped his pants and forced
himself to stand. He stretched his neck and cracked his knuckles. The smell of
coffee and grease caught his attention so Erik went to the bar. He put a fist
down and someone was there to take his order.

A mug of coffee was presented to
him and he drank the whole thing in one big gulp. It burned, it was bitter, but
it was necessary.

“
Bacon,
”
he said.
“
A lot of it.
”

“
You
got it,
”
the guy behind the
bar said. He returned a minute later with a heaping plate of bacon.
“
That woman got her coffee and
went outside a few minutes ago.
”

“
What
woman?
”

“
The
one you were with.
”

“
Black
hair?
”

“
No.
Lighter brown hair. Pretty face.
”

Kaity.

“
You
think my woman is pretty?
”
Erik asked.

“
Well,
yes. If you don't mind me saying.
”

“
Don
’
t say it again. Get out of my
face.
”

The guy walked away. Erik peered to
the front door. He curled his lip, wondering what the hell Kaity was doing
outside. Maybe she was climbing over the gate and leaving.

Good. Go. Bye.

Erik then remembered everything he
had said to Blaine the night before. Knowing Blaine, he would have definitely
pursued it. There was nothing Blaine liked more than pussy. Especially pussy
that came from the outside, like Kaity
’
s.
And after what Kaity had seen, she might have just given herself up to Blaine
out of desperation and annoyance.

Fuck.

Erik looked at the wall of booze behind
the bar and wondered if it was too early for a shot. Erik shoved two full
pieces of bacon into his mouth and enjoyed their greasy taste. His right foot
was on the floor, tempting him to go outside and check. To see if Kaity was
still there.

What if she was? What would happen
then? Erik owed nobody an explanation. He never answered to anyone before and
he wouldn't start now. Especially to a woman.

After getting a second cup of
coffee, Erik ate another piece of bacon. He lifted the coffee mug to his lips
and heard a scream. It was a harrowing scream and Erik immediately knew it was
Kaity
’
s voice.

“
What
the hell,
”
Erik said.

He dropped the coffee mug and it
tipped over. He dove from the bar and ran to the door. After damn near tearing
it off its hinges, he yelled,
“
GET
HELP!
”
and charged outside.
He looked around and saw Kaity on her hands and knees next to a table.

“
Kaity!
”
he bellowed as he ran to her.

He dropped down and touched her
back. She turned her head and looked at him. He moved her hair out of her face.
Kaity swatted a hand at him.

“
What
’
s wrong?
”
he asked.

“
The
fucking box,
”
Kaity said.
“
Get it the fuck away from me.
”

“
Are
you hurt?
”
Erik asked.

“
No.
”

Erik stood and stared down at
Kaity. She sat up on her knees and ran a hand through her hair. It was no
surprise that his first thought was that she was at the perfect height to suck
his dick.

He moved away and looked at the
table.

“
Oh
fuck,
”
Erik said at the
sight of the finger.

It was a pinky finger.

He shook his head, knowing it was
another one of Jonesy
’
s
fingers.

“
Kaity,
come here right now,
”
Erik
said.

“
I
’
m fine,
”
she said.

Erik wasn
’
t going to take bullshit from a woman. He reached
down and grabbed Kaity
’
s
arm.

“
I
gave you a fucking order,
”
he bellowed.

Kaity thrashed, but Erik knew he
was stronger. He grabbed her other arm and lifted Kaity to her feet. He planted
her down and then spun her around. Now wasn
’
t
the time for baby bullshit and jealousy.

When Kaity spun, she swung a fist -
not a hand, but a fist - and connected with Erik
’
s
face. It made his head snap back and actually shocked him. He
’
d been bitch-slapped hundreds of
times in his life, but never punched by a woman.

“
Holy
fuck,
”
he said, rubbing his
chin.

Kaity winced and cradled her fist.

“
How
did that feel?
”
he asked.

“
Good,
”
Kaity whispered.

“
What
the hell are you doing out here? How did that get here?
”
Erik pointed to the finger.

“
Whose
is that?
”

“
I
asked you a fucking question,
”
Erik said.
“
Do you not
realize this is life or death here?
”

“
Are
you going to kill me? Why did you bring me here?
”

Erik shook his head.
“
Christ. Just answer the
question.
”

“
I
walked to the gate and a car pulled up and threw the package out the window.
Okay? I took it and then realized maybe it was a bomb or something.
”

“
So
you opened it?
”
Erik yelled.

What the hell is wrong with this
woman? Seriously
…

“
I
know what I
’
m doing,
”
Kaity said.

She looked so shaken up.

Erik moved slow and reached for
Kaity
’
s wrists. He took
them and pulled her up. She fell forward and crashed against his body. His arms
were around her and he squeezed tight.

“
That
was stupid to do,
”
Erik
said.

“
Maybe.
I don
’
t know. I woke up
this morning, alone, and was going to just leave. I
’
m in the way, obviously.
”

“
Because
of what you saw last night?
”

“
It
doesn
’
t matter.
”

“
You
’
re right. It doesn
’
t.
”
Anger moved through Erik
’
s
body.
“
Did Blaine
…
last night
…”

Kaity moved away from Erik.
“
Yeah. He came to the room. Said
you sent him to take care of me.
”

Erik opened his mouth but before he
could speak, the door opened and out came Miller, Gaige, Nate, and Blaine. They
ran to the table and all froze in place. Each man offered their own
fuck
.
Miller turned and punched a thin metal sign, knocking it off the wall to the
ground.

“
This
is out of hand,
”
Gaige
said.
“
He
’
s going to kill Jonesy limb by
limb.
”

“
Fuck,
”
Miller growled again.

“
How
did it get in here?
”
Blaine
asked.

“
Kaity
found it,
”
Erik said.
“
Thought it was a bomb so she
took care of it.
”

“
You
know how to diffuse a bomb?
”
Nate asked looking right at Kaity.

Erik stepped in front of Kaity.
“
What does it matter? What are we
going to do about this?
”

“
Give
me a minute here,
”
Gaige
said.
“
Christ.
”

“
Take
her the hell inside,
”
Miller ordered Erik.

Erik grabbed Kaity by the arm and
walked her back into the clubhouse. Kaity pulled and twisted, breaking free of
Erik
’
s hold.

“
Hey!
”
he yelled.

He reached again but Kaity was
faster. She threw a barstool to the ground. Erik tripped into it, then stepped
on it, breaking one of the wooden legs. Kaity came at him, swinging at his face
again. This time, Erik moved to side and dodged the punch. He never had a woman
try to attack him before.

She was wild.

Erik took his chance and grabbed
Kaity by the waist. He lifted her into the air, sat her on the bar and forced
himself between her legs. With one hand, he held her wrists behind her back. It
made it so Kaity
’
s chest
pressed against Erik
’
s
chest. He tried not to think about it, but that was fucking impossible. Those
ample, firm breasts pressing so hard
…

“
Damnit
Kaity," Erik whispered.
“
What
’
s with you?
”

“
Get
off me,
”
Kaity said.

Erik kind of liked this. He liked
seeing Kaity frazzled. He liked tempting her.

“
If
I was on you, you
’
d know
it. You want to be pissed at me because of what happened last night?
”

“
I
have to get out of here,
”
Kaity said.

“
Then
get away,
”
Erik said.
“
Break my hold and leave. Come
on. Do it.
”

Kaity
’
s
lip curled. She was breathing heavy. She tried to move her wrists, but Erik
knew his grip was like a damn vice. With his free hand he reached up and
touched Kaity
’
s cheek.

“
You
don
’
t get it,
”
he said.
“
The life I live. You think
because I tasted your body that meant what? We were married or something?
”

“
No,
”
Kaity said.
“
I just
…
I just didn
’
t
want to be alone. Or if I was going to be alone, I
’
d want to be in the back of my car. Traveling.
”

“
Running.
”

“
Exactly.
”

“
What
are you running from?
”

“
Something
long gone,
”
Kaity said.
“
But it still gets me.
”

“
I
know the feeling, baby.
”

“
Yeah?
You know about feelings? How about that woman last night? Did you feel that?
”

Erik moved closer. His nose almost
touched Kaity
’
s. Her eyes
were wide. Erik could feel the scars on his face almost throbbing. Yet Kaity
wasn
’
t afraid.

“
I
was thinking of you,
”
Erik
said.
“
Wishing it was you.
”

“
Then
you should have asked me.
”

“
When
I want that from you, baby, I won
’
t
ask. I don
’
t ask for
anything. I just do, and take, whatever I want.
”

Kaity opened her mouth, but Erik
had heard enough already. He put his mouth to Kaity's, wasting no time in
slipping his tongue into her mouth. She gasped and for a second Erik thought
she was going to pull back. But she didn
’
t.
She pushed forward with her mouth, offering her tongue to him. The kiss instantly
became hot, way too hot to continue in front of the entire bar.

Erik opened his hand, releasing his
hold on Kaity. Instead of punching or clawing away, she put her hands to Erik
’
s shoulders and gripped tight.
When she let out a breath through her nose, she also moaned.

It may have been too early to deal
with a severed finger and the bullshit surrounding Jonesy, but it wasn
’
t too early to have Kaity. Erik
slipped his middle fingers into the belt loops on her jeans and pulled her
close to him. Kaity wrapped her legs tight around Erik and he lifted her.

They continued to kiss, even as he
walked down the hallway, his tongue wanting more of Kaity. Her lips were thin
and delicious. Her tongue swirled and spun, fighting Erik
’
s tongue. It was seductive and
it made him throb. He was rock hard and he was not going to back off. Not now.
No way in fucking hell.

Erik kicked open the door to his
room and then kicked it shut. He took Kaity right to the bed and dropped her.
She hurried to sit up and tore at her own clothing. She was aggressive. When
Erik looked down at Kaity all he could imagine was Blaine touching her. He didn
’
t know what she and Blaine had
done the night before and it made him mad. It made him jealous. Erik hated to
feel jealous.