SAVAGE HEART (Layne & Shelby Book Two) (A Devil Call MC Book) (12 page)

6.

(Shelby)

I pushed through the crowd of
bikers. They yelled, called me names, then realized who I was and split up. Not
that Layne had claimed me as his old lady or anything, but they guys opened up
and let me to the front of the group.

I had moved back when I saw Daddy.
He and Layne faced off. Layne could have destroyed him, but he didn
’
t. He knocked Daddy down, then
helped him back up. Then Daddy arrested him. Layne was gone and I wanted to
know why.

At the front of the group, Ransom
turned and opened his arms to hug me. I lifted my knee and hit him in the
balls. He dropped to his knees.

Brett spun and put his hands out.
“
Shelby, don
’
t. You don
’
t want to see.
”

“
Fuck
you,
”
I said.
“
I
’
ll
kick you in the balls.
”

Ax lumbered toward me, a hand out.
“
Listen to him.
”

“
Don
’
t get in my way.
”

There was no way I could ever
consider overpowering Ax. He was a giant.

“
Whatever,
”
he said.
“
Get out of her way, Brett.
”

I busted through the front of the
group and saw Finn standing over the body. I had seen guys shot, stabbed, and
murdered before. So this was no surprise to me.

Finn turned and moved at me. His
hands hit my shoulders and he knocked me back.

“
What
the fuck are you doing?
”
he
spit at me.

I tried to kick at Finn, but he
blocked me.

I shook a hand free and clawed at
him.

Finn let me go and I looked at the
body on the ground. Before, I was far enough away that it didn
’
t make sense. But then, two feet
away, the body was missing a head.

Missing a head.

I turned and felt my stomach
tighten. When I threw up, it was on someone
’
s
boots. That triggered two or three other guys to groan. The group pushed back.

A hand touched me.
“
Goddammit, Shelby.
”

It was Finn.

“
I
warned you,
”
he said.
“
What the fuck are you doing?
”

“
Layne,
”
I groaned.
“
Why? What
’
s happening?
”

“
Christ,
Shelby,
”
Finn said.
“
Get inside the fucking
clubhouse. We have a mess to clean up here.
”

I looked at Finn.
“
There
’
s no head
…”

“
Inside!
”
Finn yelled.
“
Ax, take her inside. Block the
fucking door. Break her fucking legs.
”

“
I
need get to Layne!
”
I said.
“
Please. Let me talk to
Daddy. Find out what
’
s
happening with Layne.
”

Ax moved at me. I took a swing at
him. I hit his chest and pain seared through my hand. I was losing my cool. I
was ready to just attack until I was killed. That
’
s
where my mind was at.

“
Calm
the fuck down,
”
Ax said.
“
Let me help you.
”

“
Take
me to the station then,
”
I
said.
“
Or I
’
ll run. I
’
ll fucking run.
”

“
Christ,
”
Finn said with a little roll of
his tongue. That bad boy Irish accent would come out every now and again.

Last time I heard that accent,
he was inside me
…

I started to shake even more.

“
Get
a prospect,
”
Finn said.
“
Take Layne
’
s ride down. Let me organize
this cleanup and then I
’
ll
make some calls. Shit.
”

“
Shelby,
”
Brett said.
“
Let me help you, too.
”

I put my hands out. I didn
’
t want anyone to fucking touch
me.

“
Shelby,
”
Finn said from behind me.
“
Just go. Go inside and wait. Or
go for a goddamn ride if you want. Go to the station. Talk to your father.
”

Ax led the way. I had to climb on
the back of the motorcycle with Brett. I had to put my hands around his body
and hold tight. I refused to look at the body on the ground again. It was
disgusting. This was beyond anything I thought could happen.

Had Layne done it? Cut off another
man
’
s head?

My world felt small and cold. I
wanted Layne to be safe. I wanted to get my notebook and get on the road. I had
to find my mother. That was the original goal with the MC, right? Layne had
taken all that off course. The fights, wars, the bloodshed, it all kept me
here, waiting.

When we arrived at the station, I
jumped off the motorcycle and ran to the front door. The guys didn
’
t have the same clout as I did.
I could just barge in and demand to see my father. And that
’
s exactly what I did.

Two people behind the desk stopped
me and I slapped at them.

My father then appeared and yelled
for the officers to take their hands off me.

He then ran after me. He pushed his
two officers out of the way and had me by the shoulders.

“
You
’
re okay,
”
he said.

“
I
’
m not okay. Where
’
s Layne? What did you do?
”

Daddy gritted his teeth.
“
That
’
s what you think about?
”

He pulled me and then had a hand to
my back, guiding me through the police station. He took me to his office and
slammed the door shut.

“
Sit,
”
he ordered.

I took a seat. He went to a corner
stand and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then he opened a drawer and took out
a bottle of booze to top it off.

Real nice, Sheriff.

Daddy sat across from me.
“
What the hell happened to you?
”

“
Where
’
s Layne?
”

“
Goddammit.
”

“
What?
”

“
You
were there the entire time,
”
he said.
“
You saw it.
”

“
So
what?
”

“
That
’
s what you want? Right into the
line of fire, Shelby. That
’
s
where you
’
re headed.
”

“
Just
like outside your trailer? What was that?
”

“
I
told you to run,
”
he said.
“
I warned you. There
’
s no business for you finding
your mother. Or staying here.
”

He swallowed hard. He was nervous
and it pained him to say that to me.

I leaned forward.
“
You know where she is, don
’
t you?
”

“
No.
”

“
You
’
re lying to me. You
’
ve always been lying to me.
”

“
Don
’
t let that shit get into your
head, girl.
”

“
Girl?
I
’
m not a girl anymore.
”

Daddy lifted an open hand.
“
I
’
ll
smack your teeth you if you talk back to me.
”

“
Layne
will kill you.
”

“
That
’
s what you think? That
’
s what you want? You were
supposed to work in at the bar to find your mother. That
’
s what you wanted so badly. And now you
’
re getting involved. I can see
it. The way he looks when he talks about you. You trying to defend him now.
That
’
s what you want, huh?
The old lady life? How
’
d
that work out for your mother?
”

“
What
are you talking about?
”

“
I
wore my cut for years,
”
Daddy
growled.
“
And your mother
suffered. Then she left. I got out to take care of things. She took off.
”

I licked my lips and sat back.
“
Just tell me where she is then.
And let Layne go. He didn
’
t
do anything with that guy.
”

“
You
know that for sure?
”

“
I
know
…
enough
…”

Daddy slapped his desk and stood
up.
“
You don
’
t know shit. You think you can
handle it, Shelby? You can
’
t.
It
’
s nothing but secrets.
The entire life is based on secrets. There
’
s
shit he hasn
’
t told you
that will crush you. Trust me.
”

“
Let
me see him. Why did you bring him here?
”

“
He
hit me. I had no choice.
”

“
You
always have a choice,
”
I
whispered.

“
Goddammit.
Look at what I
’
m dealing
with. A headless body on the ground. The fucking VP of a rival crew. Devil Call
standing there, the body in their lot. What am I supposed to do?
”

“
I
watched the Mountain Killers throw the body on the ground!
”
I said.
“
I swear on it. Layne didn
’
t do it.
”

Daddy put a hand up.
“
I don
’
t want to hear a thing. My only daughter is in this
now. Eyes on you.
”

“
Daddy,
who is Nicolas?
”

He froze. His faced turned white.
“
Shelby, please listen to me. You
need to get out of Oakville.
”

“
I
’
m not leaving anywhere. Not
until I know everything. I want the truth.
”

“
You
won
’
t get it from Layne,
”
Daddy said.
“
Or the MC. It
’
s too deep now. Everything is
too deep.
”

“
The
mafia,
”
I said.
“
That
’
s what this is. You had a deal with them when I was
younger, didn
’
t you? Did
you do something while you were in the club?
”

“
Let
me go check on Layne,
”
Daddy said.
“
See how he
’
s handling himself.
”

“
What
does that mean?
”
I asked.

Daddy moved to the door.

I jumped up and tried to go after
him.

I couldn
’
t get to him though. He had the door open and he
looked back at me. His face was long, worn out, a tired old man.

“
Everyone,
Shelby
…
everyone takes a
beating sometimes.
”

7.

(Layne)

One motherfucker held one arm,
another motherfucker held the other. The third motherfucker landed punch after
fucking punch. Three goddam Mountain Killer guys in the local PD, sleeping off
a night of drinking. And I was their feast. Tossed into the cell, the door
locked with a hollow sound, and the officer just walked away, whistling,
knowing I was going to get my ass kicked.

So I took it like a man.

The guy punching man was sweating,
winded, definitely hungover. He swayed as much as I did.

“
You
like that, bitch?
”
one of
the guys said in my ear.

“
Why
don
’
t you take a swing?
”
I asked.
“
Let
’
s see who can hit harder.
”

“
Yeah,
”
the other guy said.
“
Let
’
s take turns. Let
’
s
fuck him up good. Before Viper comes to get us. Or they let us out. Then we can
swing by their clubhouse and get that piece of ass Layne
’
s been fucking.
”

“
I
like her,
”
the other guy
said in my ear. His breath smelled like shit.
“
Between
you and Finn though, she
’
s
broken open wide. So I
’
d go
for her ass. That
’
ll always
stay tight.
”

My blood was boiling.

Finn? Shelby? Not a fucking
chance
…

The guy punching me took a break.
He leaned against the cell and held up his bloody hands. He flexed his fingers
and then smiled.

“
It
’
s good. It feels good.
”

“
I
bet,
”
I said.
“
The first fight you
’
ve come close to winning.
Fucking pussy.
”

The guy lunged at me. I hurried and
spit at him, a glob of blood hitting his face. He stopped and rubbed his face.
My blood was spread on his cheek like war paint. He wound up and punched me
again.

That one fucking hurt.

I lost my balance, but the other
guys kept me standing.

“
Change
with me,
”
he ordered.
“
Someone else beat this fuck
down.
”

The guy on my left loosened his
grip. There was my chance.

I shook my arm loose and made a
fist and swung it left, hitting the guy in the mouth. He fell back and hit the
wall. I threw another left at the guy in front of me, hitting him in the nose.
Perfect shot because it made his eyes explode with water and his nose explode
with blood.

I pushed to the right and wrestled
my other arm away.

Now I was free, but it was still
three on one.

I assessed my opponents. The guy
doing all the punching was almost ready to pass out. Fuck him. The guy to my
left had smacked his head hard off the wall and looked dazed.

I moved to my right again.

I hit the guy with my shoulder and
drove him into the wall. He hammered down on my back with fists but my face was
protected. I punched hard at his gut, knowing he was losing breath and I was
smashing his ribs. He turned and fell to the bench in the cell, wrapping his
arms around my neck. I hurried to slither away and came down with a right fist,
opening his face. I felt someone behind me and I threw an elbow, hitting the
guy who had been punching me. He groaned and fell back. I turned and set my
sights on him. I put my hand over his face and drove him back until his head
crunched against the cell bars. I then pulled and slammed him, over and over. All
the while he swung at me, hitting me.

I didn
’
t give a fuck.

The fire had been lit. The fuse had
gone.

I let the guy fall and I turned,
facing the dazed guy. He put up his fists as his lips moved. He was definitely
concussed already. It took two punches to knock him down on the floor, where he
stayed, on his hands and knees, rocking and moaning.

“
Jesus
fucking Christ!
”
a voice
boomed.

I turned and saw the officer who
had thrown me into the cell with the Mountain Killers.

“
Got
anymore?
”
I asked.

“
You
sick fuck. How did you
…”

“
Tell
Bob I need to talk to him. Now.
”

The officer backed away. I stood
there watching the Mountain Killer guys as they weren
’
t sure what to do. I made fists and gritted my
teeth at them. I flexed my arms and shoulders.

“
You
stand up and I
’
ll fucking
kill you,
”
I warned.

The guy who had been punching me
was on his ass, his hand cupped under his nose as he bled. The dazed guy was
done. He needed to go to a hospital. The third guy, however, was standing back
up.

“
You
want to keep going?
”
I
asked.

“
Fuck
you,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m
not afraid of you.
”

“
Good,
”
I said.

I threw a right, a left, one, two,
hitting him. He took the punches and then swung at me. I turned, taking the
shots to the ribs. It hurt, but I
’
d
survive.

Then I felt something hit the back
of my legs.

The fucking guy who had been
hitting me tackled me from behind.

As I went down, the other guy threw
a couple punches, hitting me in the face. I crashed to the cold ground, hard,
and started to grab at anything I could. I grabbed the guy who tackled me by
the throat and squeezed. The other guy started to stomp on me. My ribs, my
shoulder, trying to get to my head.

That
’
s
when the cell door opened.

“
You
fucks! Stop!
”

It was Sheriff Bob.

“
Layne!
Let his throat go!
”

The officer who put me in the cell
grabbed the guy stomping on me. He pulled him out of the cell and cuffed him.

Bob took out a gun.
“
I
’
ll
blow your brains out, Layne.
”

I looked at the guy who had been
hitting me. His face was red. His eyes ready to pop. He was seconds from death.

I let him go.

He gasped for air and then burst
into tears.

“
Get
up,
”
Bob yelled to him.
“
Crawl the fuck out of here.
”

I climbed to my feet.

“
What
did you do to him?
”
Bob
asked, pointing to the dazed guy.

“
He
hit his head off the wall.
”

The officer came in and then
dragged the guy out.

Now it was just me and Bob.

He shut the cell and motioned for
the officer to leave us alone.

“
What?
”
I asked.
“
You want to fight me now?
”

“
You
’
re free to go, Layne.
”

“
Just
like that?
”

“
Just
like that,
”
Bob said.
“
Shelby is waiting for you.
”

“
What?
”

“
She
’
s here. She came looking for
you.
”

Anger filled me again. She was
supposed to stay at the damn clubhouse.

I
’
m going to tie her to a fucking bed.

“
She
’
s protected with me,
”
I said.

“
Yeah,
sure. I know the life, Layne. I wore the cut. I was part of Devil Call MC.
”

“
And
you gave it up. You went outlaw.
”

“
I
went straight,
”
Bob said.

I laughed.
“
Nobody goes straight. That
’
s what scares me.
”

Bob put his hands around the bars.
“
You need to manage your wars,
Layne. If they bleed into my town, it
’
s
over.
”

“
Your
town, huh?
”

“
You
know exactly what I mean. Right here in town. It can
’
t happen.
”
Bob looked back at me.
“
Understood?
”

“
Yeah,
”
I said.

Bob pulled and opened the door. I
walked forward, leaving the cell.

My eyes met with his and knew there
was something missing. This guy got out of the MC and gave up his cut. Yet he
stayed right in Oakville and became the sheriff. He had no power. He had no
jurisdiction. Somehow, though, he was here.

He was a puppet.

That
’
s
when I felt bad for Shelby. Her father was a loser. Her mother had a hit on her
from the mafia. I was the strongest thing in her life and I was no better.

When I saw her outside, I should
have been happy and relieved. When she ran at me and dove into my arms, I
should have felt something deep and warm. When her lips crashed to mine, again
and again, her hands touching my face, I should have kissed her back harder,
with more emotion than she had ever gotten from another person in her entire
life.

None of that happened.

I just stood there.

I barely touched her.

My heart had been ripped open by
this fucking woman.

Love was blind
…
yeah, sure
…
love made strong men weak.

And I couldn
’
t afford to be weak.