Secret Mayhem (10 page)

“
You
didn
’
t fucking try hard
enough I guess,
”
Shay spat.

Erik grabbed Shay by the shirt.
“
Talk to her like that again
…
I dare you.
”

“
Hold
up,
”
Gaige said, pulling
Erik
’
s hand away from Shay.
“
Ava just walked out?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Kaity said.
“
She was acting weird. I don
’
t know. I never met her before.
”

“
Fucking
hell,
”
Shay said. He took a
step and then stopped. He touched Kaity
’
s
arm.
“
I
’
m sorry for yelling, Kaity. I
owe you more respect, considering what you did for us. It
’
s just
…
she's not safe out there. There's more to her than
meets the eye."

Kaity nodded.
“
I kind of picked up on that. I
should have run after her.
”

“
Like
hell,
”
Erik said.
“
Nobody leaves this
clubhouse."

“
Okay,
”
Kaity said.

Shay looked at Gaige, then to Erik.
“
I have to find her.
”

“
Christ,
man,
”
Gaige said.
“
If she
’
s gone
…”

“
She's
not far. I know it. She wouldn
’
t
just leave. I have to fucking find her.
”

“
Oh
man, you really like her,
”
Erik said.

Blaine stepped up to the group.
“
Hey, Kaity. My baby love.
”
Blaine puckered his lips.

Kaity shook her head.
“
Nasty.
”

“
Yeah,
I am,
”
Blaine said.
“
Hey, who do we like?
”

“
Shay
and Ava,
”
Gaige said.

“
Oh,
that sweet thing,
”
Blaine
said.
“
You see her eyes?
She
’
s not a biker chick.
She
’
s like
…
like an innocent outsider.
Lost. She needs a guiding hand. A man. A big cock
…”

“
I
’
m leaving,
”
Kaity said.
“
I need to throw up.
”

“
Fuck,
Blaine,
”
Erik said.

“
I
have to find her,
”
Shay
said again.
“
Here
’
s what we do. Erik, Gaige, you
guys get everyone ready. Stay local if you can. Blaine, will you come with me?
”

“
Yeah,
bro,
”
Blaine said.
“
I
’
m
always ready. Riding. Fucking. Drinking. Fighting. It
’
s what I do.
”
Blaine put his fingers up.
“
Wait,
did I get that list right?
”

“
Stay
right here,
”
Shay said.

He ran down the hall to his
bedroom. He opened the door and saw Ava
’
s
bag on the floor. He grabbed it and looked inside. It didn
’
t appear as though anything was
taken from it.

Why would she leave without
taking her shit?

Shay dropped the bag and charged
from the room. When he spotted Blaine, he had a reliever pinned against the
wall. He was thrusting at her, making her giggle.

“
I
swear on it,
”
he said with
a grin.
“
It
’
ll wrap around your wrist. Like
a snake.
”

“
Can
it choke me?
”
the reliever
asked.

Blaine laughed.
“
Yeah, it can choke you. And fill
your belly up. One stop shop
…”

“
Let
’
s move,
”
Shay yelled.
“
Right
now.
”

Blaine kissed the reliever and
said,
“
I
’
ll be back later. You better be
hungry.
”

Shay and Blaine ran from the
clubhouse. The parking lot was filled with bikers all gearing up for their
rides. Shay and Blaine were the first to start their motorcycles and take off.
Shay knew there would lots of eyes on him as they sped out of the compound. But
this was his business. He needed to find Ava. Before Nile did something to her.
Before his goddamn brother did something to her.

As they rode down the main strip in
town, Shay kept his eyes moving left to right. She couldn
’
t have gotten far unless she
hailed a cab. If she did, she could be anywhere. If she really wanted to be
gone, she would be gone. But she left her bag in the room. That meant
something.

At a red light, Shay looked at
Blaine.

“
Hey,
”
Blaine yelled.
“
Got any ideas?
”

“
None,
”
Shay said.
“
Where would she walk?
”

“
What
does she want?
”
Blaine
yelled.
“
What
’
s her
…
thing?
”

Shay shook his head. He had no
idea. The only real information he knew about her was the way her body hadn't
been touched in a long time. And he knew she was running from something, but he
knew nothing about it. The only reason he would run would be for freedom.
Freedom from guilt and bad choices.

The light turned green and Shay
made a quick left. Blaine hurried to follow, darting between two cars, narrowly
missing getting clipped and dropping his motorcycle. Shay knew where to go. He
sped up. He was going to go where the road ended. The ocean was the end of the
world in some sense, and perhaps the beginning of a new journey.

When Shay stopped his ride, he
climbed off and grabbed Blaine by the shoulder.
“
Stay
right here. I
’
ll be right
back. I want to see if she
’
s
on the beach.
”

“
I
won
’
t move, brother,
”
Blaine said.
“
Unless I see something worth
chasing.
”

Blaine smiled and Shay ran to the
beach. The paved road quickly turned to sand. He climbed over a small dune and
looked down the beach. Families played happily, completely unaware that danger
lurked around the corner almost daily and that he was the one who kept them
safe. It didn't bother him though, he didn't do it for recognition.

When Shay looked to his right, he
saw her. He saw Ava. Sitting there on the sand, her shoes next to her, her feet
buried. She stared out to the water. Her hair danced in the breeze and she looked
incredibly gorgeous. Shay took two steps and then hesitated. Maybe Ava didn
’
t want this. Maybe she preferred
running, hiding. Hell, maybe she wanted to die.

But Shay didn't care what she
wanted. He had told her to stay put so that he could protect her, and that's
what he was going to do. He was not going to let her get hurt or killed on his
watch. He would keep her safe until it all blew over and then she could leave
and go anywhere she wanted.

When he got to Ava, he was pissed
off. Care for her twisted with anger. He looked down at her and when she looked
up at him, her eyes went wide.

“
What
are you looking for?
”
Shay
asked.
“
What is this?
”

“
Nothing,
”
Ava said.
“
I went for a walk. How did you
know
…”

“
I
can see through it all,
”
Shay said.
“
You
’
re not meant to be here. You
were not Stein
’
s old lady.
Fuck, you don
’
t even know
what a MC is. Or what it
’
s
about. The violence in your memory is fresh from the Lost Men. And I bet that
bag of yours has secrets that could be found in a second.
”

Ava
’
s
chin started to quiver. Shay didn
’
t
want to scare Ava, but he needed to cut through her fake wall before something
bad happened to her.

“
You
want to just up and run? Then just up and run. But don
’
t leave your shit behind and want me to track you
down. Because you know what? I did track you down. And I
’
d do it again. But every second we
’
re wasting right now is a second
I'm not out there finding the man who tried to kill me. The man who almost
killed one of my brothers. The man who hurt Kaity.
”
Shay took his sunglasses off and made damn sure
Ava was staring him in the eyes.
“
And
that man
…
would think
nothing of killing you, Ava, for the simple fact that you
’
re talking to me. This isn
’
t a game. This is
dangerous."

“
I
know,
”
Ava said.
“
I know dangerous very well. I
’
ve been trying to get away from
the danger. And I
’
m trying
to keep it away from you.
”

“
You
can't keep danger away from me, love,
”
Shay said. He put his sunglasses back on and offered his hand to Ava. He pulled
her to her feet and looked at her.
“
What
did you want to find out here?
”

“
Nothing,
”
Ava said.
“
Just wanted to look and wonder
what
’
s out there.
”

“
Fucking
water,
”
Shay said.
“
And some land
…
but you
’
d never get there. You want to live in a fantasy?
Go swim in the ocean and become a shark
’
s
dinner.
”

Ava smiled.
“
I
’
m
sorry, okay? Nile cornered me. He
’
s
going to hurt me. And when Trev finds out
…”
Ava turned her head.
“
Just,
it
’
s not good. You are
right. I
’
m not who anyone
thinks."

Shay put a finger to Ava
’
s chin and turned her head so
they were looking at each other again.
“
Is
your name really Ava?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Swear
on it?
”

“
I
swear. I wouldn
’
t hide my
name. It
’
s all I have I
guess.
”

“
No.
You still have those eyes. They cut through me, love.
”

Ava smiled again.
“
Thanks.
”

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to
throw her right down on the sand and take her. Tear all those clothes off her
and see those hips and perfect little breasts again. He wanted to nibble on her
nipples until she screamed and clawed his back.

Fuck
.

“
You
have to ride with me,
”
Shay
said.
“
We
’
re on a run to track down some
guys.
”

“
Seriously?
”

Shay nodded.
“
Can
’
t take you back now. I don
’
t trust it. Half the guys are on a protection run
with Miller and Trev. And Nile. The rest of us have to keep shit from stirring
up.
”

“
Is
that possible?
”
Ava asked.

“
I
doubt it. But you want to see how real and dangerous things can be? Follow me.
”

Shay walked and Ava was by his
side. He reached for her hand. He had no idea why but he just wanted to touch
her. Once they hit pavement, Ava brushed off her feet the best she could before
putting her shoes back on.

“
Ready?
”
Shay asked.

“
You're
taking the sexy lady?
”
Blaine asked.

“
Yeah,
”
Shay said.
“
She
’
s all mine, Blaine. I
’
ll
protect her.
”

Blaine nodded and Shay looked down
at Ava. The way she looked up at him drove him mad. This woman was more
dangerous than the war waiting to be fought.

ten.

Ava wrapped her arms around Shay
and held on tight. The motorcycle rumbled. The road twisted and turned. The
town of Frelen soon thinned out until it was a few scattered businesses, random
buildings, and then just land. Members of both Back Down Devil and Lost Men
surrounded them on bikes. They all looked pissed off and ready to fight and
kill without warning. The anticipation of something happening was what stirred
in Ava the most. She could have been comfortably back at the clubhouse, locked
in Shay
’
s room, figuring
things out. She could have been planning right now.

Instead, she held onto Shay's
strong stomach as she anxiously wondered where they were going and what was
going to happen when they got there.

Riding at the front of the group
was Shay with Blaine and Nate on his right and Gaige, Landon, and Erik on his
left. They took up both lanes of the road. They were on the hunt right now.

Gaige reached pointed forward and
then gave a thumbs up before lifting his hand in the air. Every biker throttled
their ride and the thundering screams grew louder. Their speed grew faster. And
Ava
’
s heart was about to
jump from her chest.

Something was happening already.

They all went around another bend,
leading to what looked like a long stretch of road and flatland. If she took
away the bikers and the deadly situation they were heading into, the scenery
was actually quite beautiful.

The band of motorcycles continued
their journey and the moment Ava saw figures appear she squeezed Shay tighter.
This was why the collection of Back Down Devil and the Lost Men took up both
lanes of the road. They were ready to block whatever was coming.

And what was coming was another
collection of bikers. The tension and anger that she sensed immediately told
her that this wouldn't be as civil as the meeting between the Lost Men and Back
Down Devil.

Gaige put a hand out and the ride
come to a calming end. Something told Ava this would be the only sense of calm
during whatever was about to occur.

The approaching bikers came to a
stop and all the men began to step off their rides. Gaige turned and pointed to
the Lost Men.

“
You
gentlemen sit tight,
”
Gaige
said.
“
But if all hell
breaks loose
…
kill without
question.
”

The words made Ava shiver. She
stepped off Shay
’
s
motorcycle as he did. He turned and looked at her.

“
We
’
re just having a little meeting
here,
”
he said.
“
You shouldn
’
t be here, love, but you made
the decision. Do you understand that?
”

“
I
guess I have to,
”
Ava said.

“
Yeah,
”
Shay said.
“
Stay here and stay out of
trouble. Don
’
t stray far in
case shit hits the fan.
”

“
Shit
hits the fan?
”
Ava asked.
“
Is that going to happen here?
”

“
Probably.
”

Shay walked away. Ava no had no
choice but to watch the scene grow more and more tense. She couldn
’
t find her thoughts to make
sense of anything.

“
Look
at this,
”
Gaige said.
“
The Eight Under boys taking a
ride.
”

Eight Under
…

“
Where
’
s your training wheels, boys?
”
Shay asked and laughed.

“
Funny,
”
the front man of Eight Under
said.
“
Very funny. Yet it
amazes me that you would be here. Right now. Taking up the entire road.
”

“
Protecting
ourselves,
”
Nate said.

“
Witnessed
an interesting meeting, and then saw another car blow up. Oh, then I got
arrested for blowing up the car.
”

Shay was arrested?

“
That
’
s rough,
”
the Eight Under guy said.
“
Did you blow it up?
”

“
Motherfucker,
”
Shay growled.

He reached out and grabbed the guy
from Eight Under by the shirt. He pulled him nose to nose. Everyone then
started to stir, pulling out their weapons. The man put his arms out to keep
them all back.

“
It
’
s all good,
”
the man said.
“
He
’
s
not going to do anything. He
’
s
got orders to not to. Ain
’
t
that right?
”

“
I
’
ll kill and not think twice
about it. So will my friends behind me.
”

“
I
see that. Calling in backup. The only thing I don
’
t
see is their patches. Just cuts. Are they all prospects?
”

“
Oh,
shit,
”
Gaige said.

Before Ava could turn around, she
heard movement. When she looked back she saw every member of the Lost Men had
climbed off their rides and were approaching Eight Under. There was no stopping
whatever was going to happen now.

“
They
’
re Lost Men,
”
Shay said.
“
Ever hear of them? They play by
their own rules. Their own MC's couldn't contain them. You ready for that?
”

Shay pushed the man away. He opened
his arms again to keep Eight Under under control. Something about it bothered
Ava. Why was Eight Under being so laid back when all these men were about to
attack them?

“
No,
”
Ava whispered.

Something bad was going to happen.

“
What
the fuck are you smiling for?
”
someone from the Lost Men growled.

“
Nothing,
”
the guy from Eight Under said.
“
Just a beautiful day for a ride.
Or a drive.
”

“
A
drive
…
,
”
Shay said.

The men in Eight Under all turned
as a car started to come around a bend. The tension doubled instantly and only
got worse when the driver
’
s
door opened. The car was going very slow, just coasting along.

“
What
the hell is this?
”
Gaige
asked.
“
Trying to making a
point?
”

“
We
saw what you did,
”
Shay
said.

“
That
’
s good,
”
the guy from Eight Under said.
“
That
’
s good.
”

The driver jumped out of the car,
but the car was still moving.

“
How
many miles until Frelen?
”
the guy from Eight Under asked.
“
I
wonder if the car can make it.
”

“
What
are you
…
,
”
Gaige tried to say.

Shay grabbed Gaige by the leather
and pulled at him.
“
Motherfuckers.
”

“
Yeah,
”
the Eight Under guy said.
“
It
’
s
pretty simple, isn
’
t it?
How far can that car go? You figure at least it
’
ll
meet up with some cars. Maybe a person or two. Hell, maybe one of the good
citizens of Frelen will see the car and try to stop it. Then
…”

“
No,
”
Shay said.

He turned and started to run.

Ava watched and had no idea what to
do.

Gaige pointed to the Lost Men and
said,
“
Get back on your
motorcycles. Now. We
’
re
riding. Right now.
”

“
See
you boys later,
”
the guy
from Eight Under said.

Gaige pulled a gun and pointed it
at the guy.
“
Mark my words.
You all will pay soon. What you think you
’
re
doing
…”

“
Shay!
”
Nate yelled.
“
Don
’
t touch it!
”

Ava watched as Shay chased after
the car. She ran to Nate and grabbed his arm.
“
What
’
s happening?
”

Nate looked down at Ava.
“
There
’
s a bomb in that car.
”

“
A
bomb?
”

Nate nodded.

“
Why
is he running toward it?
”
Ava asked, her voice crackling.

“
Because
he
’
s crazy,
”
Nate said.

Ava saw Shay catch up to the car
and jump in the open door. He hit the gas pedal and drove it off the road.

Eight Under all got back on their
motorcycles as fast as they could and took off. Their thundering yells echoed
as Shay was still behind the wheel of the car.

“
What
the hell is doing?
”
Erik
asked.
“
He
’
s going to get killed.
”

“
He's
trying to get it out of harm
’
s
way,
”
Nate said.

“
He
’
s fucking crazy,
”
Gaige said.

Ava was shaking.

She saw the brake lights light up
and then Shay rushed from the car. Ava wondered if it was just a trick to
rattle Back Down Devil. But a second later, the car exploded.

The giant fireball shot up into the
sky. The ground shook. Shay
…

Ava started to run. The guys all
screamed for her. When someone grabbed her, and she went into a fight mode she
didn
’
t know she had. She
threw her head back and jumped up, smashing the top of her head off the jaw of
the man holding her. He yelled and opened his grip. Ava ran as fast as her legs
could move, needing to get to Shay. Behind her she heard the screams of Gaige
and Nate, warning her that there could be more bombs.

Ava didn
’
t care.

She had to see Shay.

Dead or alive.

She ran from road to ground,
kicking up dirt and dust. When she spotted Shay, her legs grew wobbly and she
went sailing to the ground. But not once did her eyes leave Shay. She crawled
to him and right as she reached for him, he popped up.

“
Holy
hell,
”
he said.

Ava reached for one of his hands.
“
Shay
…
Shay
…”

“
Ava,
what the hell are you doing?
”
he yelled.
“
You
’
ll get yourself killed.
”

“
Why
did you do that?
”
she
asked.
“
You could have
gotten killed.
”

“
Better
than a car blowing up in the middle of the road and killing innocent
people!"

Ava shook her head. She was shaking
so bad.

Gaige and Nate appeared and quickly
lifted Shay to his feet.

“
Goddamn,
brother,
”
Gaige said.

“
You
okay?
”
Nate asked.

“
Fine,
”
Shay said.

“
Those
guys are nasty,
”
Gaige
said.

Shay got to his feet. He reached
down and lifted Ava.
“
No,
they
’
re not nasty. Their
partner is nasty. And it
’
s
giving Eight Under confidence.
”

Nate slammed a hand to Shay
’
s back and dust danced in the air.
“
Let
’
s get the hell out of here. Eight Under will go
back to their hole for now. Let
’
s
welcome Miller back when he
’
s
done taking care of Jakey.
”

“
Yeah,
”
Gaige said.
“
Enough explosions for one day.
”

Gaige and Nate hustled back to the
rest of the group. Ava started to follow them, but Shay spun her around to face
him.

“
This
is my life,
”
Shay said.
“
Enemies. Bombs. Everything. This
is why I don
’
t have time to
deal with secrets. Change your hair. Change your name. But your eyes tell the
truth, Ava.
”

“
I
didn
’
t change my name,
”
Ava said.
“
I already told you that.
”

“
Yeah,
you did. We
’
re going back
to the clubhouse. You better think long and hard about what you want. I
’
ll protect you until this all
blows over. But then
…”

“
What
are you hiding?
”
Ava asked.
Her fear had subsided and now she was angry.