SAVAGE HEART (Layne & Shelby Book Two) (A Devil Call MC Book) (8 page)

13.

(Shelby)

I still couldn
’
t breathe the right way.

Layne paced at the edge of the bed,
wearing jeans that were unbuttoned and nothing else. His hands were balled up
into fists, like boulders ready to fly. I was under a blanket, naked, my thighs
still trembling, my pussy aching. Part of me wanted more, part of me needed a
break for like a week.

“
Your
father is tied into this deep,
”
he said.
“
That fuck.
”

“
Hey,
”
I said.
“
Maybe something happened. Maybe it has to do with
my mother.
”

Layne froze and looked at me.
“
You need to let that go. Okay?
Focus on what
’
s right here
and what we know.
”

I hated when Layne talked like
that. It made me feel like he knew something I didn
’
t.

I sat up in bed a little.
“
Why don
’
t you want me to find my mother?
”

“
What?
”
he asked.

“
Every
time I talk about it. You get upset. You get angry.
”

Layne turned and faced the end of
the bed. He was built like a tank. He could take a punch, a bullet, everything,
and still stand.

His lip started to curl.
“
You fucking took off when I told
you not to. I fucking told you to stay right here. You left. You fucking left.
”

I felt cold inside. I lowered my
head.
“
I
’
m sorry.
”

“
You
left because you wanted to talk to your father. To pressure him.
”

“
For
the club,
”
I whispered.

“
That
’
s not your fucking job,
sweetheart. Club business is my business. Not yours.
”

“
It
is if I
’
m in danger,
”
I said.

I looked at Layne. He was enraged.

“
No
it
’
s not. That
’
s why you were in that goddamn
room. The clubhouse is fucking protected. You stay here. You let me do my
fucking job. Instead of doing my job, I had to chase you around.
”

“
I
’
m sorry.
”

“
That
doesn
’
t make it right.
”

“
He
said he knew me, Layne. That we played together when we were younger. What if
…
what if my father is in the
mafia?
”

“
He
’
s not,
”
Layne said.
“
He
’
s in their pocket. He tried
running with the MC and got his cut taken away. You know that. He switched to
other side with his badge and uniform. The mafia saw him as a weak target so
they went after him.
”

“
What
if he didn
’
t stay with the
MC because of me? This is all
…”

“
About
you?
”
Layne asked.
“
Christ. It
’
s all about you, Shelby.
”

I shut my mouth.
“
I was let down by everyone. And
the secrets get worse.
”

“
Join
the fucking club,
”
Layne
said.
“
I
’
ve been living it my entire
life. I
’
m not curled in bed
crying about it.
”

“
I
’
m curled up in bed because you
fucked me!
”
I yelled.
“
I
’
m
not afraid.
”

“
You
should be. If someone takes you
…
what can I do? Mountain Killers get you, they
’
ll
fuck you until you
’
re dead.
Nicolas grabs you, he
’
ll
put the screws to the MC. I
’
d
rather put a bullet in my head than deal with that.
”

In a way, that was actually
romantic.

I moved from the bed, taking the
blanket with me. I kept it tight to my chest and I swallowed a big lump in my
throat.

“
I
went to see if he knew anything about the shooting at the bar,
”
I said.
“
I can
’
t
stop thinking about it. Okay? The bullets flying around. The bullets hitting
people, hitting Pep. Whoever did it
…
if they wanted us dead, Layne, we
’
d
be dead. But we weren
’
t
killed. Why? I want to know why.
”

My bottom lip shook.

Layne stood defiant, looking down
at me as I inched closer to him.

“
Asking
why
is going to drive you insane,
”
Layne said.
“
Let me do what
I have to do to fix it all.
”

“
You
said the shooter wore a Devil Call cut. How am I supposed to feel protected
here?
”

“
Yeah,
I can accept that. But you saw what your old man gave you, right? Nothing but
bullshit paranoia. Because his ass is on the line. He
’
s got Oakville to answer to. He
’
s got the mafia to answer to.
And he
’
s got me to answer
to. And I bring the war. I bring Devil Call MC. Nobody wants that fight.
”

I was turned on again. I loved when
Layne talked tough. Because he could back it up.

“
I
didn
’
t mean to cause a
problem,
”
I said.
“
I wanted to help. I wanted to
know the truth. Goddammit, I just want the truth.
”

“
The
truth? That
’
s what you
want?
”
Layne put a finger
under my chin and lifted my head back.
“
The
truth is that the second I walked into this fucking clubhouse I saw you. And I
instantly wanted to protect you. The truth is that there
’
s bad shit waiting out there for us both,
sweetheart. For the MC. The truth is that you need to trust in me and let me do
my job. The truth
…
is I
’
m giving you all of the truth.
”

And there it was. Some sense of
honesty, even if some was missing. Christ, it hurt my heart to hear that. Layne
slid his finger along my chin to my jaw. He was then holding my jaw with his
thumb and pointer. He inched down at me, kissing me. My hand opened, dropping
the sheet. His other hand touched my breast, cupping under it, his thumb
rolling over my nipple, sending warm fire through my body.

Fuck.

We kissed and kissed.

Finally, Layne pulled away. He
shook his head.
“
You
’
ll understand everything
someday, sweetheart. Not today. Not tonight. If you ever try to fucking leave
here again, I
’
ll track you
down and I
’
ll kill you
myself.
”

Layne kissed my forehead and backed
away from me.

I stood there, naked, desperate for
him.

“
I
have business,
”
Layne said.
“
You stay here tonight. Don
’
t leave the fucking bed.
”

Layne walked out of the room.

My body ached and shivered.

I
’
ll kill you myself
…

It made no fucking sense, but that
turned me on. I was in big trouble with Layne.

14.

(Layne)

I threw a shot of whiskey back and
let it burn down my throat. I sat in a leather chair in a dim room. Outside the
room, music thumped. People out there were tossing money around like it was
free, hoping to get the right attention from the right woman.

The black curtain moved and two
women came walking through. They grabbed money out of their thongs, walking
topless, large breasts bouncing. Their skin was glistening with sweat and
shinning with glitter. They looked at me and paused.

“
Ladies,
”
I said.

One woman had darker skin, the
other one more pale. Their contrasts made them even more enticing. I had to
make fists and cool myself down.

“
Am
I in your way?
”
I asked.

“
Hardly,
”
pale skin, blue eyes said.
“
You looking for someone private?
I can arrange that. Free.
”

“
Both
of us,
”
the other woman
said.
“
You know how it
goes.
”
She leaned forward,
her tits inches from my face. She touched the President
’
s patch on my cut.
“
Mr.
President.
”

I grabbed her wrist and waved her
away.
“
Not fucking
interested.
”

“
Then
why are you here?
”

“
For
me,
”
another voice.

From my left came Jessa. Wearing a
long black robe, her hair pulled back. She strutted to the other girls and
snapped her fingers. The two then walked away, collecting their cash.

Jessa faced me.
“
Hey you.
”

“
Easy,
”
I said.
“
I
’
m
here to talk to your guy. Make sure you
’
re
not in trouble.
”

“
No
cash?
”

“
I
had a long talk with Ransom. I can promise he
’
ll
never do that again.
”

“
That
doesn
’
t put the money in my
pocket.
”

“
You
don
’
t have pockets, babe.
”

Jessa opened the robe and dropped
it. She was wearing white laced panties and a bra. She hooked her thumb into
the panties and pulled them open.

“
You
’
re right, I don
’
t. But I still need the money.
”

I rose up from the chair.
“
Where
’
s your guy?
”

“
I
’
m right here.
”

I turned and saw a guy in a suit,
no tie. He took off black sunglasses and tossed them aside. He had gold rings
on all his fingers. Chubby cheeks, a scar above his left eye, an aura of a complete
asshole.

“
We
finally meet,
”
I said.

“
Yeah,
right. Where
’
s the four
grand?
”

I rubbed my chin.
“
There
’
s a couple ways I could have done this. First, I
could have just sent my guys down to rough the place up. Fuck all your girls.
Drink all your whiskey. Or I could come down here and face you man to man.
Offer my condolences for what one of my guys did. We
’
re good for our word. And you have to take care of
Jessa. No matter what.
”

The guy scoffed at me.
“
That cunt? She
’
s a dime a dozen.
”

I threw my hand out and grabbed the
guy by the throat. His eyes instantly went wide. I turned and tossed him into a
table like he weighed nothing. A mirror crashed to the ground and shattered.

Four women came rushing to check on
things. Two topless, one wearing a robe, the other in some kind of leather get
up that looked like it took her an hour to get into.

“
It
’
s okay,
”
I said.
“
Nothing
to worry about.
”

“
Kill
him!
”
the guy yelled from
the ground.

Two bodyguards appeared from
nowhere. I drew my gun and put my hand out.
“
Easy,
motherfuckers. Don
’
t make
this thing bloody.
”

“
You
’
re fired, Jessa!
”

“
Fuck
you, Dave!
”
Jessa yelled.

I walked to the guy, Dave, and put
my foot to his throat.
“
Listen
to me. These two big guys behind me are smart. They aren
’
t touching me. They know better.
”
I looked back.
“
Ain
’
t that right?
”

One of the guys took a step
forward.

I pointed my gun at his foot and
shot.

The women screamed but not as much
as the big guy did.

“
Fuck,
”
Dave said.
“
Fuck, fuck, fuck
…”

“
That
’
s right,
”
I said. I dropped my knee to his chest. He
coughed.
“
You
’
re going to pay Jessa like
normal. You
’
re going to
keep her shifts, you
’
re
going to keep her busy. If any of my guys come snooping around, you
’
re going to contact me.
Understand?
”

Dave nodded.
“
Okay. Yes. Sure.
”

“
Good.
”
I stood up. I put my gun away.
“
Now, as for the four large
…
I
’
ll
make sure you get it. I
’
m
in the middle of a war right now. Trust me, Dave, you want me to win it. If I
win, it
’
s good for Oakville
and good for business. Now let me help you up.
”

I offered Dave my hand and pulled
him to his feet. I then tossed him into his other bodyguard. The big guy caught
Dave and Dave wrapped his legs around him.

“
Nice
look,
”
I said. The girls
started to laugh. I looked at Jessa and nodded.
“
There.
We
’
re square now. I
’
ll take care of everything else.
”

“
Thank
you,
”
she said.
“
You didn
’
t have to do this.
”

“
I
did. I don
’
t want you hurt.
Not by that guy.
”

“
You
want to hurt me?
”
she
asked, running a finger down my t-shirt.

When she got to my belt buckle, I
slapped her hand away.
“
Go
dance. Make money. Stop opening your fucking legs for cash.
”

“
I
’
m going to take advice from a
biker?
”

“
Never
said you had to take it, babe.
”

“
Go
fuck yourself, Layne.
”

Jessa turned and strutted away. I
stood there, like a damn fool, and watched her leave until she opened the
curtain and was swallowed up by the heavy bass thumping music and people
cheering, ready to slide money anywhere she would let them.

Outside the club, Jet and two
prospects were waiting for me.

We rode back to the clubhouse.

Right at the stroke of midnight, I
stood at the head of a full table.

The room lingered with whiskey,
beer, and smoke.

“
Hunter,
what did you find out today?
”
I asked.

Hunter took a cigarette from his
mouth.
“
Uh, the Mountain
Killers were a little active. Running arms up north. I
’
m not sure for who. Probably small gang deal. Just
two guys. Not Viper or Stryker though. Couple low rung guys. I could have
gotten ten feet within them and they wouldn
’
t
have known.
”

“
Okay,
”
I said.
“
Viper and Stryker are watching Oakville with steady
eyes. They
’
re waiting for
us to fuck up. I want Hunter, Blaze, Roc, and prospects on the border at all
times. I want a firm presence up there. Hunter, can you handle that, brother?
”

“
Yeah,
sure,
”
Hunter said.

I put my fists to the table.
“
Would you die for this club?
”

“
Of
course.
”

“
Would
you die by my orders?
”

“
Patch
says President,
”
Hunter
said.
“
I get my orders and
go.
”

“
Okay.
”
I scanned the table.
“
Does anyone object to my orders?
”

Nobody spoke up. Not even Finn.

He skipped the shot glass and went
for the bottle. Nursing a bottle of amber whiskey, he sipped it and his eyes
looked glossy and drunk.

“
I
’
m going to visit Pep again,
”
I said.
“
See if the old son of a bitch is dead yet. I put
his gun on his chest. Maybe he
’
ll
get the nerve to kill himself.
”

“
He
used to stand where you are,
”
Finn said.
“
A lot of people
did. This town gets run over again and again. It
’
s
a bad spot. Maybe it
’
s time
to pack it all in. Go outlaw.
”

Outlaw.

That got the attention of the
entire table.

Going outlaw meant stripping all
patches off your cut and riding away. You were given a one day in advance
before you became target by the MC you bailed on. Some guys were offered outlaw
as a sign of respect if they fucked up. Other guys took it as a way out.

I grabbed the bottle of whiskey
from Finn and threw it against the wall.

“
Let
me say this once,
”
I said.
“
Any of you motherfuckers even
think about going outlaw, I
’
ll
hunt you down and slit your throat myself. Nobody in this clubhouse is going
outlaw. We
’
re at fucking
war right now. You step out there in that lot, on that battlefield, and you go
with honor for the cut on your back.
”

“
Layne,
what do we do about the shooting at the bar?
”
Brett asked.

“
Keep
looking. We
’
ll figure it out.
Either the Mountain Killers are trying to send a message. Or the mafia is fucking
with us. Maybe it
’
s the
local PD pushing at me being here.
”

“
You
think they
’
d go that far?
”
Rylan asked.

“
The
fucking sheriff used to wear a cut,
”
I said.
“
Why doesn
’
t he now?
”

Nobody spoke.

Finally, a hand went up. Blaze.

“
What?
”
I said.

“
You
’
d have to ask Pep,
”
Blaze said.

“
Sure,
”
I said.
“
As soon as I fucking pull the tube out of his
throat and wake him up.
”

“
Or
Niles,
”
Blaze said.

“
Who
the fuck is Niles?
”
I
asked.

“
Pep
’
s VP.
”

“
You
mean
…
that Niles?
”

“
There
’
s only one,
”
Finn growled.
“
You go find him.
”

“
He
’
s dead,
”
I said.

“
He
’
s not dead,
”
Blaze said.
“
It was set up to look like he
was killed. So he could squeeze out. That
’
s
what I heard.
”

That was news to me. I tucked that
away in my mind for the moment.

I sat down. I flicked at my shot
glass. To my right, Ransom hurried to fill the glass.

“
It
’
s time to figure it out,
”
I said.
“
No more attacks. I want Oakville secured. Nothing
comes in. Nothing goes out. So if there
’
s
an attack again, I know it
’
s
from the inside.
”

The guys agreed, figuring I meant
from the inside of Oakville. Police, political stuff, whatever. What they didn
’
t know is that I meant from
inside
…
of the club.
Another so called brother turning his back on us.