SAVAGE ROAD - Layne & Shelby (12 page)

5.

(Layne)

When I turned on the faucet, the
building felt like it was going to shake to the ground. The pipes rattled,
groaned, and a few spurts of water spit out. The water then started to flow and
I let it go for a few seconds before daring to touch it and splash it on my
face. My face hurt, I wasn
’
t
going to lie.

I turned and Nicolas stood with his
arms crossed. Two lumbering men were behind him with short, black hair,
shoulders a mile wide, eyes beady and staring me down.

“
You
better?
”
Nicolas asked.

“
I
feel great,
”
I said.
“
Now, do you feel like telling me
what the hell is going on?
”

“
Sure.
Let
’
s get out of this
building though. It feels
…
stuffy.
”

Nicolas nodded to his bodyguards
and they started walking first. I walked alongside Nicolas, keeping my mouth
shut and my eyes wide open. It was sometimes better to be observant than to
just act irrational.

Our feet hit the floor, echoing as
we walked.

“
See,
it
’
s a delicate situation,
”
Nicolas said.
“
Our businesses have purpose and
then collide. I know about your deals running into Canada. We have guys up
there. Hell, we
’
ve probably
indirectly worked with each other at some point. Small world, I know. Our
contact guy
…
Alan
…”

“
Shit,
”
I whispered.

“
Hey,
it
’
s okay,
”
Nicolas said.
“
We know you took him. We know
you killed him.
”

“
He
was on the inside with another crew,
”
I said.
“
Look, I just got
up here and am getting control of things. I know that means dick to you
…”

“
No,
no, new leadership is another delicate situation to be in. You need respect,
power, but you don
’
t have the
experience.
”

“
I
can handle my own.
”

“
Sure
you can.
”

I looked at Nicholas and he
grinned.

Right then I saw myself attacking
him. I could grab him and hold him hostage as I worked my way out of the
building. Take him back to the clubhouse and really make a fucking statement to
whatever shit this was.

We kept walking and Nicolas said,
“
Watch your step, Layne.
”

I looked down just in time to see
two bodies on the floor. One was face down, dead. The other guy, who was face
up, gurgled and reached for my leg. He grabbed my jeans and I shook him free.
It was like something you
’
d
see in a zombie movie.

I walked, glancing back, the guy
reaching and trying to roll over.

“
Oh,
fuck it,
”
Nicolas said.

He paused, took out a gun, and
shot.

Now the guy on the ground would
never move again.

Nicholas then put the gun in my
hand and squeezed tight.

“
Your
kill, Layne,
”
he said and
grinned.
“
Forensics can
match that up. Better not drop the gun.
”

I stepped back, gun in hand. I
tucked it behind me.
“
What
the fuck do you want?
”

“
To
talk, man. To just talk.
”

We left the building a couple
minutes later and there was black car waiting. The bodyguards opened the back
door. Nicolas got in first, I climbed in behind him. The door was shut and the
car started to move.

“
You
’
re going to make a decision on
who dies next,
”
Nicholas
said.

“
I
am?
”

“
You
are. President.
”
He pointed
to my patch.

“
And
can you tell me what that means? One of my guys owes you money or something?
”

Nicholas grinned.
“
Everyone owes us something. The
Reinitelli family comes from a long line of friends and enemies. We
’
re deeper than you could
possibly imagine, Layne. We appreciate what Devil Call MC has done. From Brocke
down to the Mexican border. And now up through Oakville and into Canada. Bravo.
A bunch of guys on motorcycles really making a movement.
”

“
We
’
re just protecting what we know.
”

“
And
you like to fuck, fight, and kill. You like to raise a little hell.
”

“
True.
”

“
Let
me share a secret,
”
Nicolas
said.
“
So do we.
”
He tugged on his own tie and he
leaned toward me.
“
We love
to kill. To shake things down and earn.
”

“
How
does that involve me?
”

“
There
’
s a development going in right
at the border of Oakville. We are involved in that. Your club can
’
t go anywhere near it. We need
the development. We need the reason to be around Oakville and south of it. So
we can go west to the ocean and north. We have product to move. We have product
to deliver. You understand that?
”

“
Drugs?
Guns?
”

“
Doesn
’
t matter to you,
”
Nicolas said.
“
I
’
m
making a little offering because I don
’
t
believe in forceful takeovers unless I need to. You seem to have your hands
full already with the Mountain Killers, right? Now you
’
ll need another contact point at the Canadian
border.
”

“
Sounds
like that
’
s our problem and
not yours.
”

“
Very
true. We can help with that.
”

“
No
thanks. I don
’
t get into
bed with anyone who doesn
’
t
have a pussy between their legs.
”

“
I
can arrange for that,
”
Nicolas said.
“
Come with me
to Vegas and spend a weekend. I
’
ll
show you women you never believed could exist.
”

“
I
’
m needed right here.
”

“
You
’
re not though. You
’
re in the back of my car. You
were taken at my orders. Shit, Layne, I could have taken all of you out. But I
didn
’
t. I wanted to meet
you. I remember talking to Rex a few times. He was mean and jittery, always
drunk. So maybe that
’
s why
I orchestrated this.
”

Nicolas reached for the door handle
and opened the back door. I pushed on the seat, thinking we were still moving.

We weren
’
t moving though.

We were stopped.

“
This
is where you get out.
”

“
That
’
s it?
”
I asked.
“
All
that shit
…
for what?
”

“
My
way of saying hello,
”
Nicolas said.
“
You
’
ll get used to it.
”

“
No,
I won
’
t,
”
I said.
“
You stay the fuck away from Devil Call. We
’
re not your bitch. We can take
care of our own.
”

“
I
know you can, which is why I
’
ll
be in touch soon.
”

“
Don
’
t bother.
”

“
No.
You still have to make your decision, Layne. It
’
s
been a stressful day, so I
’
ll
let you decide at some other time.
”

Nicolas reached into the inside
pocket of his suit jacket. He took out a piece of paper. Lucky for me, because
I thought it was going to be a gun. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together
that made up Oakville was really turning into a big mess.

“
What
’
s that?
”
I asked.

“
Who
I need taken out.
”

“
Why
can
’
t you do it?
”

“
I
don
’
t want to,
”
Nicolas said.
“
This is yours to do. Show that
we can work together.
”

“
Why
the fuck would I work with you?
”
I asked.

Nicolas leaned in.
“
I know where every bone is
buried. I can tie you to enough murders to make Devil Call disappear. Or maybe
I can finance some weaponry for the Mountain Killers. Or
…
maybe
…”
Nicolas reached back into his pocket. He took out another piece of paper.
“
This might interest you.
”

“
Why
’
s that?
”

“
You
can read it. You can make your decision. I normally don
’
t give much time, but I
’
ll give you a favor. I mean, you took one hell of a
beating from Tommy. Damn shame what his girl did, you know? She was a beautiful
woman. Horrible they found her in the pool. She got drunk, slipped, hit her
head
…”

“
I
thought Tommy said
…”

Nicholas put a finger to his lips.
“
We write the stories, Layne.
Remember that. We write it all. Now get the fuck out of my car.
”

I climbed from the car, holding two
pieces of paper. The first one had a name and address on it. It meant
absolutely nothing to me. What was I supposed to do? Go on a hunt for this name?

The second piece of paper
…
that was far different.

I stared at it.

Seconds passed.

Minutes passed.

A breeze stirred and died.

A warm silence cocooned me as I
blinked fast and read it all again.

The car still hadn
’
t driven away. The back window
rolled down and Nicholas was there.

“
I
don
’
t believe it,
”
I said.

“
Don
’
t. But we have your blood. So we
can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, Layne. And we mean business.
”

“
Fuck
you.
”

Nicolas grinned.
“
Oh, and before I go
…
tell Shelby I said hello.
”

“
How
the fuck
…”

“
Ask
her how her father is doing. Damn shame how he turned out. Wearing the badge
and not being able to do anything with it.
”

“
What
are you talking about?
”

“
You
didn
’
t know,
”
Nicolas said.
“
Well then, allow me to fuck up
your day even more. Shelby is the Chief
’
s
daughter. And she
’
s right
inside your clubhouse.
”

With that, the car drove away.

My hands tightened around the
papers in my hand.

I don
’
t
know what pissed me off more.

That Nicolas was fucking with my
head
…
blood? Family? It
has to be impossible.
Or the fact that Shelby was a liar. Another woman
beautiful. Another woman fucking me over.

It was time to start killing.

Remember - it was my decision.

6.

(Layne)

My ride had been lifted back up and
placed on the side of the road. Like nothing had happened to me. The motorcycle
started with ease and I was back on the road. The wind against my face,
charging toward the horizon, my mind heavy with thought. This definitely was
not what I had expected coming to Oakville. Some of it all felt like a big set
up. Like I was put here to be fucked with.

That
’
s
okay though, I could take on anything in front of me.

As I got closer to the clubhouse, I
saw Hawke and Brett on their motorcycles. When they spotted me, they waved
their hands.

I didn
’
t wave back.

I had a one-track mind.

To get to the fucking clubhouse and
put Shelby against the wall. And it wasn
’
t
going to be to fuck her. It was going to be
…

I throttled the ride, making its
cries louder, making the engine roar, picking up speed. Before I knew it, I was
on a death course toward the compound. When I saw it rise up from the horizon,
I gritted my teeth. Like it or not, this was now my home. This was my place to
takeover and completely control. Even if it meant wiping out the entire crew
and starting over. I could easily talk to Talon and have a meeting with other
charters and Presidents to patch over some members.

I sped up to the compound gate and
saw Mack standing there. His face was drawn, his jumpsuit half unzipped. He
looked at me and opened the gate. It was robotic. I realized Jack was missing,
and felt the punch to the gut when I started to put two and two together.

That had me picking up speed and
racing right up to the fucking door of the clubhouse. I killed the engine and
jumped off. Brett and Hawke were right behind me.

“
Layne!
”
Brett yelled.
“
Jesus fuck, man.
”

I turned.
“
Where the fuck is Jack?
”

“
Jack?
”
Hawke asked.

“
The
gate!
”
I growled.
“
Where
’
s Jack?
”

“
Shit,
”
Brett said.
“
He was killed. Black car rolled
up
…”

Fucking Nicolas and his crew.

I made fists. I charged to one of
the tables and flipped it over.

“
Where
’
s everyone?
”
I asked.

“
Out
looking for you,
”
Hawke
said.
“
Finn had a map and
was trying to figure something out.
”

“
Call
him,
”
I said.
“
Right now. I want everyone here.
”

“
What
happened to you?
”
Brett
asked.

“
I
’
ll ask the questions,
”
I snapped.
“
Where
’
s Shelby?
”

“
Shelby
…
I, uh
…
I don
’
t
know.
”

“
She
have a phone number?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Brett said.
“
I have it. If you want it.
”

“
Now,
”
I said.
“
Fuck.
”

Brett called out the number and I
punched it in my phone. I dialed and waited. Hawke was pacing, on his phone,
calling the rest of the guys to get their asses back to the clubhouse.

“
Hello?
”
a cracked voice answered.

“
Shelby?
It
’
s Layne.
”

“
Layne!
Help! They
’
re following me.
”

“
Who
’
s following you?
”

“
Mountain
Killers
…”

“
Shit!
”
I yelled.

I ran and grabbed Brett by his
leather. I pointed to his motorcycle and nodded. He hurried to get his helmet
back on.

“
Tell
me where you are,
”
I said
into the phone.

“
I
’
m near the bar. Pep
’
s. On that road. Coming toward
the clubhouse. I don
’
t want
them to attack.
”

“
Keep
going. I
’
m on my way.
”

I ended the call and ran to Hawke.
Brett
’
s motorcycle was
alive and ready to go. I yelled at Hawke,
“
Get
everyone here! I
’
ll be back
in a minute!
”

“
Don
’
t go alone!
”
Hawke yelled.
“
Even with Brett
…
you need more protection. You
’
re the President, Layne. We can
’
t lose you.
”

I was humbled for half a second.

I nodded.
“
Thanks. But I
’
m
not going to sit behind a gavel, Hawke. My ass is on the line every time I
breathe. That
’
s how I
’
m going to fix this.
”

I ran to my ride and got on.

As I started to ride, I considered
what I was about to do. Put my life on the line for Shelby? For the Chief
’
s daughter? It was completely
fucked up. I should have just let her fucking burn. If the Mountain Killers
wanted her
…

Shit.

My mind didn
’
t want to think about what they would do to her.
Better yet, the things they
’
d
do to her to try and fuck with Devil Call.

I had to save Shelby. And then I
could deal with her on my terms. My way.

Mack held the gates open for us as
we tore out. I cut to the left and sped up. I purposely moved into the wrong
lane and stayed there. I directed Brett to stay in his lane. So it was just the
two of us. To save Shelby, who was a fucking liar to the MC. And to take on the
Mountain Killers again.

I gritted my teeth and rode faster,
harder.

It was a dangerous speed.

We moved up over a ridge and then
around a bend.

That
’
s
when I saw Shelby and the Mountain Killers, her little car, and four
motorcycles.

There were two behind her and one
on each side of her. Christ, they could have shot her. They could have boxed
her in and forced her stop. But they didn
’
t.
They were just trying to fuck with us.

I was in no mood to be fucked with.

I had been shot, attacked, and
kidnapped already, and I was done being nice.

I reached for my gun and wasted no
time in taking the first shot this time.

Was I really aiming for a kill? No.
I just wanted these fuckers gone.

Three shots and they started to
move. The two on the side of Shelby dropped back and got in line behind the
others. They all drew their weapons. I sped up even more, just feet away from
Shelby
’
s car. I waved my
gun at her, hoping she would take the hint and pull to the side of the road.

She did, thankfully, cutting the
wheel to the right. She hit dirt and rock, sending up a cloud of dust.

Now it was just four on two, a fair
enough fight.

I moved to the right and got close
to Brett. I made a fist with my right hand pumped it at Brett.
Slow down!
Fucking stop, bro!

Brett and I slowed.

All around was the rumbling yell of
motorcycles. If they wanted a fucking shootout in the middle of the road, I
’
d do it. I reminded myself of
the police car the Mountain Killers had in their shithole of a compound, a
reminder that they were completely ruthless.

As Brett and I came to a stop and
the Mountain Killers rode by, I reached out and grabbed him. I hit the
kickstand on my ride and then jumped off it. I pulled Brett to the ground,
shielding ourselves with our motorcycles. Better to let bullets hit the rides
than fucking kill us,.

There were a few
ping
sounds
as bullets hit our rides. The Mountain Killers kept riding though, speeding up,
knowing their safest haven was to be at their compound. Out here in the middle
of the street, close to town, it was risky. If the police showed up, we were
still bound by some sense of the law. Nobody wanted to deal with the fucking
badges right now. There was too much else to handle.

Once the motorcycles were nothing
but a distant roar, I jumped up. First thing I did was check my motorcycle. She
was in good shape, no damage. And she started right back up. Small victories
were great.

I then pointed to Brett
’
s ride.
“
Get back on. Clubhouse, now.
”

I took two steps and saw Shelby
staring at me from her window. Slowly, the window went down. Her pretty face
was white as a ghost. She was goddamn terrified. I had no idea what she
expected was going to happen fucking around with motorcycle clubs like this. As
I stared at her, I thought about the papers in my pocket. One with a name and
an address. The other with some personal bullshit that couldn
’
t have been true. More than
that, I thought about what Nicolas had said.

Shelby
…
you
’
re fucking beautiful
…
but you
’
re a fucking snitch
…

I thought about what I had ordered
for Bain when I found out what he had done to the MC. Why would it be any
different for Shelby? If she was in the clubhouse and she was lying
…
looking
…
taking notes
…

“
Jesus
Christ,
”
I whispered.

I didn
’
t want to picture Shelby being strung up by chains
and killed. Maybe there was a different way to do it. An easier way. Just one
shot.

Shelby gave a weak wave.

I didn
’
t approach her car.

I noticed she seemed to be favoring
the right side of her face.

“
Clubhouse!
”
I bellowed and then turned to
my motorcycle.

Once on and riding, my mind still
wouldn
’
t ease up. I
wondered if I had been set up by Talon being sent up here. He had to have known
some of the bullshit. I still hadn
’
t
been briefed about the truth on what happened to the former President, Rex. And
now I was in the hot seat. Taking shots from the Mountain Killers. Getting
attacked by the goddamn mafia. Feeling the PD always lurking on me.

Shelby behind me, in her car.
What the fuck was she thinking? What was she doing? Was she on the phone?
Texting and calling her father? The goddamn sheriff in town. Holy shit, man.
She
’
s got to
go
…

I turned into the compound, Mack
holding the gates open. It had been a bad, bloody day for the MC. For everyone
involved in the situation.

All the guys were waiting for me as
I rode forward. To my surprise, they all started to clap and cheer. I even saw
Finn give a little head nod. I was alive and safe. I was their President. They
needed me.

I
’
m
sure my face told a violent story, which was damn fine by me. Blood, wounds,
scars, they were just all part of the business. Like I told everyone, I wasn
’
t going to be the President
sitting at a bar or a table. I was meant to be out fighting and defending the
honor of the patch.

Brett climbed off his ride and I
grabbed him.
“
You okay, man?
”

“
Fine,
”
Brett said.
“
No bullet holes.
”

“
Okay.
Good job.
”

“
Sure.
”

He joined the guys.

I turned and saw Shelby in her car,
shielding her face.

Shame? Something more?

But then I saw Jack at the gates.
Closing them up. Fucking alone. His best friend taken today for no good reason
at all. I took two steps and paused, thinking about what could have caused
this.

Shelby.

I should have just taken my gun out
and taken care of her right then. But I held back. I fucking held back and stayed
focused on Mack.

As I approached the prospect, he
stiffened and put his hands at his sides.

“
Mack,
”
I said.

“
Sir.
”

“
Layne.
”

“
Okay.
I
’
m sorry.
”

“
Say
my name.
”

“
Layne,
”
Jack said.

“
I
’
m sorry about what happened. To
Jack.
”
I waited a few
seconds.
“
You were close,
weren
’
t you?
”

“
Friends,
yeah.
”

“
More
than just friends. Brothers.
”

“
Sure.
”