Secret Mayhem (25 page)

The ground rumbled and the building
shook.

“
The
bombs were all outside,
”
Caius said.
“
So when you
surrounded me, I would kill you all.
”

Shay let out a shaky breath. He
shook his head.

“
Oh,
there
’
s the fear,
”
Caius said.
“
You care for those men. And they
left you.
”

“
I
lied. I deserve this.
”

“
Yes,
you do deserve this,
”
Caius
said.
“
And know that when I
’
m done killing you, I
’
m going to enjoy killing all of
Back Down Devil. One by one. Reducing them to ash.
”

Caius dropped the black box and
pulled out his gun.
“
Look
at me, my brother.
”

Shay looked.
“
You don
’
t have the balls to do it.
”

With a shrug and a smile, Caius
pulled the trigger.

Shay didn
’
t expect him to do it that quick, but he did. The
pain seared in his left shoulder. He looked at the hole in his leather cut.

“
Fuck,
”
Shay groaned.
“
That fucking hurts.
”

“
Yes,
yes. Tell me that it hurts.
”

“
It
fucking hurts.
”

“
You
could have been with me,
”
Caius said.

“
I
’
m right here now. Let me out of
the chair, Caius. Let
’
s do
it the right way.
”

“
This
is the right way,
”
Caius
said.
“
This
…
is the right way. You
’
re weak. I
’
m strong. You
’
re tied to a chair, bleeding. I
’
m standing with a gun. That
’
s the image you need to
remember.
”

“
Like
a bitch,
”
Shay said.
“
Like you always were. Remember
when we climbed a tree and you got scared of the height and pissed yourself?
”

“
Shut
up.
”

“
You
pissed like a baby. In your pants.
”

“
I
’
ll hurt you
…”

“
You
needed a diaper, Caius. You baby.
”

Caius lifted the gun and shot
again.

Shay jumped back in the chair as
another bullet went through his right shoulder. He let out a much needed
scream. It really fucking hurt.

“
Do
it again,
”
Shay said.
“
End it. Pussy.
”

Caius came at Shay. He reached down
and lifted the chair.
“
I
’
ll drop you.
”

Shay smiled. He swung his right
foot up and connected with Caius
’
s
jaw. The chair went back and Shay hit his head on the concrete again. Caius was
then hovering over him, blood running from his nose.

“
I
’
m going to put the next bullet
through your head. You
’
re
dead to me.
”

“
I
know,
”
Shay said.
“
Do it. I accept your weakness.
”

“
I
’
m not weak!
”
Caius cried out.

“
Yes
you are. You
’
ve always been
…”

Caius put the gun in Shay
’
s mouth. His eyes went wide.
Shay could feel the gun shaking, clanking against his teeth. He didn
’
t know what to expect. It wasn
’
t supposed to get to this point.
That wasn
’
t the plan.

That
’
s
not what Miller fucking told him.

They were going to dump Shay off
and leave. They were going to establish their presence when the time was right.
They were smart enough to know about the bombs. They used Strokner for
information the same way Caius did.

Unless, of course, Miller made a
decision to let Shay die.

“
Brother,
”
Caius said,
“
it
’
s
the final chapter of the story. You may be stronger and bigger. You may be the
cool guy. But I'm
…
I
’
m the smarter one. Always have
been
…”

Suddenly Caius
’
s head snapped back and a knife
slid across his throat. A wound opened instantly, spraying blood everywhere.
Caius disappeared as Erik appeared. He looked down at Shay, a mild look of
satisfaction on his face.

“
You
’
re late,
”
Shay said, coughing on his own blood.

“
No,
I'm right on time,
”
Erik
said.

He walked away.

Gaige and Nate rushed into the room
and brought Shay back to a seated position. Miller came next, walking slow and
with a serious look on his face. Caius was stumbling back, touching his
bleeding neck, shaking, looking around for help.

“
They
’
re all dead,
”
Miller said to Caius.
“
You should have picked a smarter
crew to team up with. Eight Under had no idea what hit them. They thought they
were untouchable with you around. But you were in here and they were out there.
I don
’
t know who
’
s dumber
…
Eight Under for thinking they could beat us or
you, Caius, jumping into bed with a bunch of dumb assholes
…”

“
What
…
happened?
”
Shay asked.

“
Cut
him loose,
”
Miller ordered.

Nate cut Shay loose. The pain was
unbelievable. Blood was everywhere.

Miller walked to Shay and crossed
his arms.
“
We knew where
Eight Under would be. We took care of everything. As planned.
”

“
He...
he shot me,
”
Shay said.
“
Twice.
”

“
I
know,
”
Miller said. He
clamped a hand on Shay
’
s
right shoulder. Shay cried out in pain.
“
I
’
m sorry, Shay, but you have to
understand something. Back Down Devil is my life. It
’
s my blood. It
’
s
my soul. And I know it
’
s
the same for you. The bullet holes in your leather and the scars that will form
on your shoulders
…
let them
be reminders of what happens when you don't trust us. Even for a second.
”

Shay nodded. He swallowed blood and
his pride, knowing Miller was right.

Miller then helped Shay to his
feet. He moved so Shay could see Caius on the ground, still bleeding. His hands
twitched.

“
Go
tend to your brother,
”
Miller said.

Shay stumbled to Caius and stared
down at him. Caius
’
s eyes
were glossy as he looked back up. There were no more words to say. Shay reached
forward with his foot and placed it to the wound on Caius
’
s neck. He stepped down and
crushed Caius
’
s throat
until he no longer made noise. He was gone. 

Then Shay turned and faced Erik,
Nate, Gaige, and Miller. He nodded.

“
Hurts?
”
Gaige asked.

“
Like
a motherfucker,
”
Shay said.

“
The
wounds, too?
”
Miller asked.

“
Yeah,
those too.
”

Shay took a step and pain swelled.
He fell to one knee on the cold concrete. He then felt a hand on his neck.

“
It
’
s okay, Shay,
”
Miller said.
“
Stay with us.
”

Shay looked up and reached for
Miller.
“
You
…
and everyone else. You
’
re my brothers.
”

Miller nodded.

Shay closed his eyes and the
strength drained from his body.

twenty-five.

Shay woke in a hospital room. He
had no idea how he survived the gunshots and the damage to his face and head.
It took him a few minutes before he felt like he could move.

When he turned his head to the
right, he found Ava curled up in a chair, sleeping. Her hair was in her face.
She had a leather cut covering her body. When he saw the bullet holes, he
smiled.

She looked beautiful. She was the
reason he survived. She was his strength.

“
Bro,
hey, look at me.
”

Shay looked forward and saw Blaine
standing at the edge of the bed.

“
Where
the fuck did you come from?
”
Shay asked.

“
Hanging
around. How you feeling?
”

“
Sore.
Like I was shot?
”

Blaine smiled.
“
You
’
re a crazy fuck, man.
”

“
I
was tied to a chair. When he put the gun in my mouth, I actually started to
think I was a goner.
”

“
Nah,
man, come on. Miller wasn
’
t
going to leave you. You know that. Things worked out just fine.
”

“
Yeah,
”
Shay said.
“
I
’
m
in a hospital bed.
”

“
It
happens to us all,
”
Blaine
said.
“
Caius is dead. I
’
m sure you know that. Chief is
taking care of the messy details for us. Miller sent the Lost Men packing, and
made damn sure they didn't come near Ava. He had to set a few of them straight,
but I took care of her while you were occupied.
”

“
Oh?
”

“
She
was trying to sneak out of the clubhouse. To save your sorry ass. You have a
good woman there.
”

“
I
know,
”
Shay said.
“
But she doesn't deserve this
life
…”

“
Fuck
that,
”
Blaine said.
“
Life is what it is. You want to
wear a suit and tie and sit at a desk? Come on, brother.
”

“
I
know. I just fear for her.
”

“
No
need. You
’
d kill before
someone could breathe on her.
”

“
Did
you breathe on her?
”

“
Oh
man, when I grabbed her, she started wiggling against me. Fighting me. Got me
so fucking hard, I jerked it three times to cool down.
”

“
You
’
re an asshole, Blaine,
”
Shay said. Then he smiled.
“
But thanks. Means a lot to me.
”

“
That
’
s why we
’
re here,
”
Blaine said.
“
She hasn
’
t left the hospital since you
got here. She demanded I wipe the blood off your cut and give it to her. She
loves you, Shay. I mean, true love kind of bullshit. Kind of gross. But lucky
for you.
”

“
Yeah,
lucky me,
”
Shay said.
“
I
’
m
glad this is all done now. No more bombs. No more secrets.
”

“
It
’
s over. Look to your right. That
’
s your future. Heal up because
we got business to tend to.
”
Blaine smacked Shay
’
s foot
and then started to walk away. He paused and looked back.
“
Oh, I wanted to ask
…
is her ass as tight as it felt
when she was rubbing against me?
”

Shay growled.
“
Are you really asking me that?
”

“
What?
”

“
Blaine
…
get out.
”

“
It
is. I'm right,
”
Blaine
said. He puckered his lips and exhaled.
“
A
tight ass like that
…
mmm
…”

Blaine left the room. When Shay
clenched his fists, pain shot through his shoulders and he groaned. He took a
deep breath and forced himself to sit up. When he swung his feet off the bed,
he groaned again. His left arm throbbed and he looked at the bandage covering
the wound where he
’
d been
stabbed with cutters.

Sliding to the edge of the bed,
Shay managed to get his feet on the floor. He balanced and stood, then eyed the
IV
’
s running from his
hands. He wouldn
’
t be able
to really walk far, if at all. Still, Shay reached forward. He touched his
leather cut on Ava and then ran his hand through her hair. He moved it out of
her face and watched her stir.

Her eyes opened and she quickly sat
up.

“
Shay?
What the hell
…
get in the
bed.
”

“
No,
”
Shay said.
“
I
’
m
okay, love. I
’
m standing. I
’
m alive. Nothing to worry about.
”

Ava hurried to her feet, tears in
her eyes.
“
I didn
’
t know what to do.
”

Shay touched her face.
“
Heard you tried to escape and
dry humped Blaine.
”

“
Oh,
gross,
”
Ava whispered.
“
Don
’
t remind me. I felt his
…
ugh.
”

“
Yeah,
Blaine gets hard for anything. Not that your ass isn
’
t worth getting hard for, but I
’
ve seen him get drunk and dry
hump the corner of a wall because it felt good.
”

“
I
don
’
t want to talk about
Blaine.
”

“
Neither
do I, Ava. I
…
I
’
m sorry I didn
’
t tell you what was going to
happen. Miller called the shots."

“
The
Lost Men are gone,
”
Ava
said.
“
Trev took the guys
and left. He wasn
’
t happy.
I apologized for lying, but he was still pissed.
”

“
Fuck
those guys,
”
Shay said.
“
This is about us. And Ava, I
fucking love you.
”

“
I
know.
”

“
No,
you don
’
t. I never said it.
Now I am. I love you. I want you with me so I can protect you for the rest of
our lives. And that could be a few seconds or a few years
…
hopefully longer.
”

“
Much
longer.
”

“
All
I want is each day with you to matter,
”
Shay said.
“
It will be okay
now. There will always be a war to fight. You have to understand that. Life is
about fighting, Ava. If you stop and get knocked down, you
’
re dead.
”

“
You
were shot,
”
Ava said.
“
That
’
s scary.
”

“
No.
Scary was falling on my face and having darkness sweep over me
…
because the last thought I had
was about you.
”

“
Why
’
s that scary?
”

“
Because
I think it means I have a heart.
”

Ava smiled. She moved to her toes
and kissed Shay.
“
You have
a big heart, Shay. Not as big as your cock, but I can live with that.
”

Shay slipped a hand to Ava
’
s back and pulled her close. She
felt warm. Her mouth tasted delicious. He always thought his life's purpose was
to serve his club. Looking into Ava's blue eyes, he realized that the club had
brought him to his life's purpose. Ava.

He owed his life to them, and he
would never keep a secret from them again.

*

Jace, Gaige, and Nate were out on a
ride. They needed to sweep through the building one more time before they
released everything back to Chief Jerry and hopefully over to Strokner. If he
picked up the building, it would provide some space for the MC. Then again,
they
’
d be even more
indebted to the rich businessman. When they left the building, Gaige and Nate
took the lead, riding back into Frelen. At a red light, Jace pulled between
them and motioned for Gaige.

“
I
’
m fucking hungry, bro,
”
he yelled.
“
I
’
m
grabbing a slice and a beer. Need to clear my mind of all this shit. You in?
”

“
No,
”
Gaige said.
“
I
’
m
heading back to the clubhouse. I
’
ve
got a naked woman waiting for me.
”

Jace looked to Nate and Nate shook
his head. When the light turned green they split up. Jace went to the left and
got as close to the ocean as he could. The look of the beach, the small shops
and restaurants, and the people reminded him what he was working so hard to
protect.

After a slice of pizza, a cold
beer, and flirting with a few women in small bikinis, Jace jumped back on his
ride and kept going. He crossed into Coast Road MC territory. He had no
business being there, but the ride was nice. The sun glistened off the water.
The breeze was cool. And it took his mind off everything that had happened with
Shay and Caius.

As Jace made a turn to head back
toward the clubhouse, he noticed something in the water. It looked like a small
boat. He came to a stop and watched the man standing on the back of the boat.
He didn
’
t look out of the
ordinary, but it did seem interesting that he was talking to a member of Coast
Road MC who was on the dock. The two men quickly shook hands and the man on the
boat pointed to the water.

“
What
the fuck are you up to?
”
Jace whispered.

He shook his head. There would be a
time and a day for all the wars that needed to be fought. As he started riding
again, the smell of the ocean stirred up memories and he heard the laughter of
a little boy. It was the kind of laugh that cut into his heart. Like it always
did this time of the year.

Jace flew into the clubhouse lot
and skidded to a stop when he saw the two police cruisers. Chief Jerry stood
with his arms cross, leaning against the back of his car.

Jace turned his bike off and
removed his helmet.

That
’
s
when Chief Jerry pulled a gun.

“
Hey!
Come on!
”
Miller bellowed.

Jace looked around and noticed that
Miller, Gaige, and Nate were all in cuffs.

“
What
the fuck is this?
”
Jace
asked.

“
You
’
re under arrest,
”
Chief Jerry said.

“
Like
hell
…”

Jace turned and started to move
back to his motorcycle. Chief Jerry opened fire, shooting into the air.

“
That
’
s your only warning.
”

Jace put his hands up. He looked
back at Miller. Miller shook his head.

An officer ran up to Jace and
grabbed his arms. Jace fought back, and the officer grabbed him by the hair and
pulled.

“
Don
’
t fight me,
”
he growled.

“
Listen
to him,
”
Chief Jerry said.
The chief approached with a blank look on his face.
“
We gotta go, Jace.
”

“
What
is this?
”

“
You
’
re being arrested for murder.
”

“
Murder?
Prove it.
”

“
That
’
s for the lawyers,
”
Chief Jerry said. He grabbed
Jace by the shirt. He gave a nod and the other officer walked away. Chief Jerry
brought Jace nose to nose.
“
There
’
s been a discovery of a body,
Jace. Everything points to you, including pictures of you with the victim.
There
’
s nothing I can do
right now
…”

Jace looked at Miller again. The officer
was taking the cuffs off Miller, Gaige, and Nate.

The worst thing Jace could imagine
happening was happening right now. His freedom was being stripped away. Now
wasn
’
t the time for any of
this. When Jace closed his eyes, he wanted to scream. The next time he opened
his eyes, he was in the back of the police cruiser.

On his way to jail.

Chief Jerry was looking at him in
the rearview mirror.
“
Sorry,
Jace. Time
’
s up
…
"