AN OUTLAW MONSTER (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) Read online

  “Pressure!” Rocco bellowed. “Get him covered up. We have to get him to the hospital and patched up.”

  “What about me?” Mays asked as he held his shoulder.

  “Say one more thing and you’ll get a bullet to the forehead,” Rocco warned.

  I grabbed a towel and tossed it to Mays. “Here. Stuff that in your mouth.”

  Everyone chuckled.

  They all looked at me.

  I realized how dangerous it was. All these men with no care for women or the law. I was in too deep. And I couldn’t just walk away either. It wasn’t that easy.

  The only way to get away was to have an escape plan.

  Rocco came rushing toward me. His hands grabbed my waist and he lifted me up. I started to claw at his hands and kick. He tossed me like a rag doll and I fell to the floor.

  He looked down at me. “If I wanted to fucking hold you down and tear up that cunt, I would. Don’t fuck with me.”

  I kicked back and sat there, catching my breath.

  I slowly climbed to my feet as the guys all tried to work on Ryley.

  Everyone was talking at once. Even Mays got back into the picture, still holding the towel to his shoulder.

  Finally, Rocco told everyone to fuck off. They all backed away. He looked around the clubhouse, stopping at me.

  “You. You’re the driver.”

  “What?”

  “Take him to the hospital.”

  I shook my head again. Rocco showed me his gun. “Don’t make me.”

  “And what am I supposed to do?”

  “You drive your car with him in the backseat. Take him to the emergency room and drive the hell away. Anyone asks you a thing, you keep it simple. Tell them you saw him in an alley.” Rocco then looked down at Ryley. “You with me, man?”

  “Yeah,” Ryley groaned.

  “You tell them it was a drive by deal. Two black cars circled a few times. Tinted windows, two doors, you know the picture I’m painting here. I don’t want any heat on us or the ones who actually did this. Got that?”

  “Got it,” Ryley said.

  “Gunner, Daxton, get him into the bitch’s car.”

  I guess that meant I was the bitch.

  I followed the scene outside and watched as they tossed Ryley into the backseat. He was pale, sweating, and it was pretty clear he was afraid to die.

  As I walked toward the driver’s side, I felt someone grab my arm and spin me right the hell around. Next thing I knew, I was against my own car, Daxton an inch away. His eyes were beady and mean.

  “Don’t fuck this up,” he said. “It’ll be your ass that ends up there next. Except, it’ll be in the morgue.”

  How romantic.

  “I’ll be back soon,” I said.

  I climbed into the car and started to drive away. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the guys standing there staring at my car. It was a horrifying sight for me. I had never intended my life to end up like it was. I just wanted to be safe and have a chance to make some money and survive.

  Yet everything seemed fitting in that moment - a bleeding man in my backseat and some scary bikers watching me leave. The truth was that I could dump off Ryley and then just keep going. I had some money saved up… well, the money that Daxton hadn’t taken yet. I had wanted to just get to New York to stay with a friend. She lived a normal life. A good life. Hell, if I showed up I don’t know what she would do. We were friends and then we both chose different paths.

  “Drive faster, bitch,” Ryley groaned.

  I slammed on the brakes and Ryley rolled forward into the seats. He let out a scream.

  “Whoops,” I said. I looked in the mirror and saw his white face. “Call me a bitch again.”

  Ryley showed his teeth. “I’ll have you killed.”

  “Fuck off,” I whispered.

  I drove Ryley to the emergency room doors and got out of the car. I opened the back passenger door and waved at Ryley. Ryley fought to climb out of the car on his own, sweating and looking more and more pale with each passing second. I offered my hands to help him and he swatted me away. He took a step and collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.

  “Ryley,” I said. “Let me get someone.”

  “No. No witnesses and names. Get the fuck out of here.”

  Ryley started to crawl. It was kind of pathetic to watch. I didn’t have much choice but to get back in the car and drive the hell out of there. If not, then I’d be pulled into this mess. I could lie to a nurse or a doctor but not if the cops showed up. And if I did anything wrong against the MC, they’d have me killed in a second. I would simply disappear and the truth was that nobody would give a damn. Nobody would come looking for me. The police would give a shit for ten minutes and then move on to something more important.

  So I got back into my car and sped away.

  When I made the turn that would take Ryley out of view, I checked back again. He was still crawling, desperate to get medical attention.

  That was the life they lived.

  And it was also the life I lived…

  **

  Their names were Sasha, Erin, and Charlie. They were regulars around the clubhouse. During the day they were fully dressed and took care of things. Cleaning the place up, cooking food, making sure everything was under control. At night, they were half naked only to end up fully naked with whoever sank their teeth into them first. In exchange they were pretty much taken care of and protected. I never understood the way they survived but I knew I was basically a day away from the same fate. I was already shacking up with Daxton more than I should have. The second I ditched his room that left me as free game… and that’s what they called it.

  What did that mean?

  That meant anyone could go after me.

  If Rocco wanted me on my knees in front of him…

  “I wonder what they’ll do to you,” Erin said. She dropped a dirty rag into a bucket of sudsy water.

  “Yeah,” Charlie said. She was so beautiful. Naturally curvy in all the right spots, bright blue eyes, the most innocent face I’d ever seen. And something about her name just added to it. “It’s not usually a good thing to go into that room.”

  She nodded to that room.

  It was the room where all the main bikers would meet and talk. Some of the guys called it church. Some called it a conference. Other people made comparisons that it was the door to heaven and hell because behind it, that’s where the MC got to play God. It’s where lives were decided and wars would begin and end.

  And Gunner wanted to see me privately.

  He could kill me. He could thank me. He could put me on the table and command me. I had no idea what to expect.

  “Here,” Erin said. She put a shot glass on the table. “Drink this. Just in case.”

  “What?”

  “Might be your last drink,” she said.

  “Or maybe it’ll help you loosen up,” Charlie said.

  “Maybe they’ll get you away from Daxton,” Sasha said. “He’s rough, huh?”

  “Yeah, right,” I said.

  “It’s okay,” Sasha said. “Sometimes you take a beating for good reason.”

  That’s how they talked. They accepted everything as though it mattered. All I knew was that the guys in this club weren’t good people. I don’t think anything was ever really planned out. I had only wanted to help them one time to make some money to keep the lights on in my shitty apartment.

  Now I was trapped.

  I touched the shot glass and stared at the door.

  It opened and there stood Rocco. He looked like a hyena. He was lanky and his grin was goofy. But his eyes told the truth. It was like all the people he killed were somehow living in those eyes. The kind of guy that would kill his best friend for a beer and not think twice about it ever.

  Rocco looked right at me. Then he walked away.

  I hurried to take the shot. It was like fire on my tongue, in my throat. I felt like it was all going to come right back up a second la
ter. I managed to keep it down and then waited.

  Gunner appeared in the doorway and pointed right at me. He gave a quick nod.

  “That’s all you,” Charlie whispered.

  “Good luck,” Erin said.

  I stood and walked toward the room.

  When I entered, Gunner was seated at the table. He had his elbows on the table and his hands balled into fists.

  “Shut it,” he said. I closed the door. “Now turn around.” I slowly turned. “Look at the wall.”

  That’s when I saw the pictures. It was a flow chart of pictures. At the top was a picture of a guy with a black X across his face. Then another picture added right next to it. Under that picture was a set of pictures. They were labeled table. Under that a lot more.

  “I don’t get it,” I said. “I don’t know anyone.”

  “Exactly,” Gunner said. “That’s Back Down Devil MC. A rival club that’s been fucking us over. We’re at war, Harlee.”

  “Why are you showing me this?” I asked, looking back.

  Gunner stood up. He slowly started to walk toward me. “See that top part?”

  “Yeah. What’s the X for?”

  “He’s dead.”

  I shivered. “Oh.”

  “Ripper. He was the President. Something went down internally and the club took him out.”

  “They hurt their own member?”

  “That’s how horrible these guys are. The new President, a guy named Trev, is from another charter.”

  Why is he telling me all of this?

  I wasn’t supposed to know anything about club business. For every word Gunner spilled, it meant I was deeper into the MC.

  “Stare at the pictures again,” Gunner said. “The table pictures. That’s where the war is. See, the bottom guys are just patched in members. They’re front line. They come and go. Just like our MC. But the table guys…”

  Gunner was then right behind me. I smelled cigarette smoke and whiskey. A hand gently touched my side and I squirmed.

  “Sweetheart, I’m VP,” Gunner whispered. His lips were close to my ear. “Daxton is a patched in table member. If I wanted my cock inside you, there’s nothing you could do to stop me. No matter what hole I wanted to fuck. Got it?”

  I became rigid.

  Gunner slid his fingers down my left arm. It was like a spider crawling down my skin. I wanted to throw up and pee myself at the same time. I hated this. I hated it so much.

  His fingers wrapped around my wrist and he lifted my hand.

  “Put your finger out,” Gunner whispered.

  I did as told.

  He put his finger at a picture right under the new President of Back Down Devil MC. “This is Jasper. He’s their VP. He was there when Ryley was shot. And this guy…” Gunner moved my hand to another picture. “This guy is Trent.”

  The picture stole my breath.

  It was a police mugshot of the guy.

  His jaw looked cut from steel, his face designed to perfection with a mix of roughness, toughness, yet he looked like he could splash some water on his face then model cologne or underwear. His black hair was messy, sort of slicked back, but it was his eyes that sucked me right in. Terrifying yet sexy eyes.

  “This guy is a monster,” Gunner said. “He’s the one who pulled the trigger and shot Ryley.”

  For some reason, hearing that instantly turned me on. I thought about all the times Ryley called me a bitch. Or a whore. Or when he’d grab at my ass. Or when he’d try to stick his hand up my shirt. Hell, guys like Ryley were more than half the reason I had ended up with Daxton because I was afraid they were going to go too far and I wouldn’t be able to protect myself.

  I couldn't stop looking at the picture of Trent. His shoulders looked a mile wide in the picture. He didn’t have a care or worry on his face, even though he had been arrested. Most of the guys around the Night Soul clubhouse tried so hard to give the aura of bad ass, but Trent’s mugshot did more than anything any had ever done in the clubhouse.

  “A monster,” I whispered.

  “Yes,” Gunner said. “But that’s not why we’re here.”

  He moved my hand again to another picture.

  The guy he stopped on was a really tough looking guy. Sort of clean cut, built with muscle on top of muscle. His eyes were dark and scary, super intense.

  “This guy,” Gunner said. “This is Duke. He’s a military guy. But he’s got plenty of problems. He may look strong as fuck but he’s got plenty of demons. That’s our target.”

  I heard Gunner’s words but it took me a few seconds to process what he had just said.

  I turned my head and was too close to him.

  He had a sick happiness in his eyes.

  “Our target?” I asked.

  Gunner nodded. He then spun me around and put me against the wall. “That’s right. You’ve been lingering around this club for far too long, Harlee. You want to earn? You want to do right? This is your chance.”

  “Meaning what?”

  Gunner’s lip curled. “You’re going to kill who I tell you to kill.”

  three.

  (trent)

  “They were coming for you, Prez,” Jasper said.

  Trev looked right at me. “You shot one?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Kill?”

  “No,” I said. “He’ll bleed out if he doesn’t get help. They’ll drop him at the ER and make up a story. They know better than to bring the PD into this shit.”

  “Especially between two towns,” Max said.

  “No matter what,” Jasper said, “they aren’t letting the gun thing go.”

  “So what do we do?” Cash asked. He finished off a beer and leaned back in his chair. “I’ve got a massage in about thirty minutes.”

  “A massage?” Austin asked.

  Cash winked. “Love those girls down on the corner.”

  “Christ,” Trev said. “They spray you with disinfectant when they’re done?”

  “Spending time with Cash?” Jasper asked. “They better spray themselves.”

  Everyone chuckled.

  “Fuck you, Jasper. You’re just jealous that you have to pay extra to roll over and finish up. They love my cock down there. They call it the lizard.”

  “Because it’s bumpy and could poison you?” I asked.

  Everyone burst into laughter.

  Cash jumped up and grabbed his gun.

  I wasn’t afraid of Cash. He was an asshole. Mostly talk, loved to fight and fuck, but if it came down to it, he’d take a bullet for you. So I stood up and gave him a target.

  He grabbed his belt buckle. “Say one more thing. I’ll let it down. It’ll roll right across this table at you, Trent.”

  “Cock talk,” Trev said. “We have wars all around. People want me dead. But, sure, let’s break out the rulers and measure our dicks.”

  “How many rulers you got, Prez?” Cash asked. “It’s gonna take more than one to measure me.”

  “Okay, horse man, lizard dick, whatever,” Trev said. “Sit down or I’ll shoot your dick off.”

  Cash quickly plopped down. He looked at me and threw the finger.

  Love you too, brother.

  “Maybe it’s time to think outside the box,” Trev said. “Take a risk.”

  “Meaning what?” Jasper asked.

  “We get Night Soul their guns,” Trev said.

  That brought silence to the table.

  We all looked around at each other. There were reputable gun sources the MC worked with when needed. But when it came to resale from club to club, there was only one place to go.

  “You’re talking the family,” Xavier said.

  Trev nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Ah, shit,” Duke said. “I need a shot.”

  “Hold on,” I said. “Prez is right. We can work both sides of the story. We can control the entire story.”

  “Especially the ending,” Trev said. “That’s the most important part of it.”

  “So, what, we j
ust roll up to Night Soul and tell them we’re going to get their guns?” Jasper asked.

  “Do you all trust me?” Trev asked.

  Goddamn, he was sometimes quick to trigger and always bold. He could have taken the seat and really pushed at all of us hard, but he wasn’t afraid to point out that he was the new President of the club. That gave him serious respect from the table.

  “Someone fucking answer me,” Trev growled. He put his hands to the table and rose up. “Right fucking now.”

  “I trust you, Prez,” I said. “Whatever you need done.”

  The rest of the table chimed in with an agreeing murmur of yeah.

  “I’ve ran outlaw. I’ve ran patched in. I’ve ran to hell and back. My old lady is pregnant. If you think for a second I’d put her in real danger, then fuck yourself. Night Soul is not going to give up on us. I don’t know what the exact communication was with Ripper and the O’Nuall family. We know that those Irishmen are tough, smart, dangerous, and completely ruthless. No communication from us now seems like we’re hiding. And when you’re hiding you seem like you’re guilty. Get the picture?”

  “So then we communicate with them,” I said. “Try to make some kind of peace.”

  “That’s impossible,” Xavier said. “You know them. It’s about money or blood. Or both.”

  “Exactly,” Trev said. “I want both.” After a few seconds, Trev then pointed to Kye. “Go ahead, brother, tell them.”

  “Tell us what?” I asked.

  “There’s a hit out for Duke,” Kye said. He then swallowed hard.

  “Me?” Duke asked. “What the fuck…”

  “Your game issue,” Kye said.

  “Who the fuck said it’s an issue?” Duke asked. “I like to play cards, drink, and fuck one of the bartenders.”

  “You’re behind on dues,” Cade said. “Three months now.”

  “That’s true?” Trev asked.

  “Yeah,” Cade said.

  Cade managed the finances for the MC.

  Duke always had money problems. Whatever demons were in his head from being overseas in the desert after two tours were still alive and kicking. He had good days, bad days, and really bad days.

  “Fuck this,” Duke said. He stood up and his chair flew back. “Fuck you all.” He reached into his pocket. He threw cash right at Cade. “Take your fucking dues and shove them up your ass.”