Crash and Burn Read online

  Landon emptied his clip and Gaige and Shay drew their weapons, ready to keep shooting. Before they could take a shot at the SUV, it cut to the right. It misjudged a turn and hit a pole, sending the vehicle spinning. The motorcycles continued and sped around the SUV and then one by one they turned. Landon hurried to put in a fresh clip of bullets and all three had their guns drawn on the vehicle.

  “What’s the plan?” Shay asked.

  “Are you asking me?” Gaige called out.

  “I don’t care,” Shay said.

  “Let them make the first move,” Landon said. “Someone is shot. I can tell by the way they were driving.”

  “Okay,” Shay said. “We wait this out.”

  The brake lights were on and the guys waited. Landon’s heart raced and he wanted nothing more than to have himself a nice bloodbath right here in the middle of the fucking street. His mind had been a mess lately and even messing around with women didn’t seem to help it anymore. That left riding and violence.

  The passenger door opened to the SUV. A set of hands appeared.

  “They’re coming now, “ Gaige said.

  “This is a fucking trap,” Landon said. “I can smell it.”

  “Let’s light them up then,” Shay said.

  His appetite for violence was always eager.

  “Just wait,” Gaige said. “Something is off about this. This isn’t a regular crew. This isn’t experience here.”

  The hands out of the SUV were suddenly a body. The person made it only three steps before falling to his face and then he tried scrambling to his feet.

  “What the fuck is this?” Landon asked.

  “Shay, pop him in the ass,” Gaige said.

  “Aye,” Shay said as he shut one eye.

  A deadeye marksman, Shay sent a bullet into the guy’s body. The guy hit the ground screaming.

  “Christ,” Landon said. “That’s going to attract attention.”

  The three men ran to the SUV with their guns up. Gaige unloaded on the remaining windows intact and with a quick check, the vehicle was rendered empty, minus the driver slumped over the steering wheel, missing most of his head.

  Landon stood over the living man. He was young. “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Help!” the young man cried out. “They’re hurting me!”

  “Shut him up,” Shay said. “Good Christ, brother.”

  “Tell me who you are,” Landon said.

  The man screamed again.

  “Holy fuck,” Gaige said. “Shut him up.”

  Before Landon could open his mouth again Shay stepped forward and shot the guy right between his eyes.

  “Bullseye, motherfucker,” Shay said and laughed.

  Landon looked at Shay. “That’s one way to shut him up.”

  “No choice, brother,” Shay said. “We don’t need anymore activity around here.”

  “He’s right,” Gaige said.

  “Well, now we have to check him,” Landon said.

  Landon tucked his gun away and crouched down. He pulled out a knife and cut the guy’s shirt open. Gaige crouched too and helped to tear the shirt off the guy. Shay stood with his gun up and protected the scene while Landon looked at the body along with Gaige.

  “Look at this fucking shit,” Gaige said. He lifted the young man’s arm and turned him a little. “Right on the back of his fucking shoulder, man.”

  “Yeah,” Landon said.

  The markings on the shoulder were pretty obvious.

  “Eight fucking Under,” Gaige said.

  “Eight Under,” Landon said. “Son of a bitch.”

  Landon leaned down and looked closer at the marking and then shook his head.

  “What is it?” Gaige asked.

  “He’s not in yet,” Landon said

  “What?”

  “Look…”

  The marking of Eight Under was, in all purpose of opinion of those in Back Down Devil, pretty fucking stupid. It was eight straight lines, all misshaped and sized on purpose, but the final marking was a bowed line under the other eight lines. That meant Eight Under…

  “There’s the beginning,” Landon said. “The eight marks. But there’s nothing under it.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Shay said. “They’re sending out these guys to do what?”

  “Earn their keep,” Landon said. “Try to threaten us. They know we’ll fucking kill every one of them, so they’re sending out newbies.”

  “Fucking hell,” Gaige said. “That’s tragic.”

  “Like shit.” Shay spit on the dead guy’s face. “Let him burn in hell.”

  “Okay, we need to clear out,” Landon said. “Before the lights come.”

  “We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen,” Gaige said. “I’ll call Miller and he’ll call Chief Jerry. He still owes us a favor or two.”

  Shay laughed. “Favors for life. We saved that little boy of his.”

  “That’s right,” Gaige said.

  Landon stared at the dead body. Another fucking mess at the feet of the MC. He thought for a second about Erik, in the hospital, recovering. Hell, at least Erik had a woman with him. She was paid to do anything he wanted. Anything.

  Landon wondered if that’s what he needed.

  “Come on, brother,” Shay said. “We need to get back to the clubhouse and sit this one down. It’s getting darker and deadlier out here tonight.”

  “Those are my kinds of nights,” Landon said.

  Shay laughed again. “Let’s get some whiskey in you first. Then a little pussy second. You’ll be fine.”

  Landon nodded and looked out to the night.

  Nothing felt fine.

  three.

  Her name was Avery, but she knew that wasn’t her real name. In fact, she was pretty sure her last name was once Avery but had been changed to her first name. Now she just told people her name was Avery Smith because it was a simple last name - common enough to not be fake, but too common to be forgotten.

  It was midnight and she was hungry and thirsty. Drinks were easy to get because she had a set of boobs and smile that would ease any man’s troubles. She never paid for a drink in her life, which was part of the reason she was in the hell she was currently in. But that didn’t matter right now. She was alive.

  Avery stopped and leaned against the back of a building. Her right leg was still hurting from when she dropped a stolen motorcycle right in the middle of the road. She thought someone was chasing her and when she came across what looked like the lot to a MC, she panicked and lost the motorcycle. When it happened, she thought she was fucked. Then, as luck would have it, a car exploded and that gave Avery her chance to get the hell out of there. Running on nothing but adrenaline, she managed to pick up the motorcycle and ride it away. There was damage to the motorcycle and to her leg. With a basic understanding of the MC life, and knowing how to survive, Avery took the motorcycle to a shady looking gas station. It was full of men, which made it a dangerous spot to be in. She took the flirting and touching, because at the end of the conversation, she walked away with a few grand in her pocket.

  Running right now would prove useless because Avery had no car and she didn’t have the energy or care to try to run. She had gotten away from where she needed to. The small town here was okay and it was near the beach. It allowed Avery to float along without being noticed. And if the day came and she was found, then she would have no choice but to fight. By then though her leg would be healed.

  Right now, in the dead of the night, she was hungry. Avery felt weak and tired but she was a bit of ways away from getting any rest. She eyed the back of a small bakery that would be perfect for a bite. She could load up on some leftovers or just take whatever the hell she needed. Avery came from a world of outlaws so her conscious didn’t quite process the reality of right or wrong.

  Slipping to a recycling bin, Avery pulled out a piece of cardboard. She held it against the small back window of the building and then took a deep breath. She elbowed the cardboard and window. It
sent a wicked pain through her arm. Avery tried again and again, and finally, on her fourth try, the glass broke. With the cardboard still against the glass, Avery pushed gently and the window shattered and fell into the bakery. Thanks to her size, Avery managed to wiggle her way through the broken window and kept herself from getting cut. Once in the bakery she looked around and took note that there was no security system in place.

  Avery navigated in the dark and found a small light over a counter. When she turned it on, she smiled. This place would do just fine. There was a lot of inventory on shelves and judging by how much there was, a few missing pieces of bread wouldn’t shut the place down. Avery dropped her bag and sat down on the floor. She grabbed a long, skinny piece of bread and started to eat. She suddenly felt pathetic. The urge to cry came over her, but she fought it off. She never cried because anytime she ever did, something bad would happen to her. Thinking back on her escape plan, Avery knew she should have just killed him. She should have emptied a fucking clip right into his head. But if she had done that, there would have been half a dozen guys looking for her, and they wouldn’t stop until they had her head, literally.

  The back of the bakery was comfortable. The bread was delicious and inside, Avery started to feel cozy. She finished the bread and sat with the dim light shining down on her. She thought of that MC and how strange it was that something blew up just as she dropped the motorcycle. Maybe that’s why she had stayed in this town. If that MC was in trouble, maybe she could help them and in return they could help her. However, she had no idea how she would be able to help though… all she was used was spreading her legs and taking orders.

  Avery put her head back and let out a sigh.

  “I need to change this,” she whispered. “I need to heal and get the fuck out of here. Start over.”

  It made sense. Or at least it was easy to say.

  Avery closed her eyes, just for a minute, she promised herself, and whispered to herself.

  No more bikers… definitely no more fucking bikers…

  four.

  Miller sat at the head of the table looking angry. Everyone looked angry, and rightfully so. It felt wrong with an empty chair at the table. Erik’s chair was turned, facing Jace. Landon sat across from Erik’s empty chair and he hated the sight of it.

  “Christ, those assholes are ruthless,” Shay said.

  Everyone had skipped the shot glasses and went for the whiskey bottles. Shay lifted the bottle and drank from it.

  “They were young,” Landon said. “Too fucking young.”

  Gaige took a drag of his smoke and nodded. “Too fucking young to be out there like that.”

  “It was suicide,” Miller said.

  “A fucking sacrifice,” Blaine said as his lip curled. “That ain’t right, man. No matter the rules and the MC. That ain’t right.”

  “They’re dead now,” Miller said.

  “That ain’t right either,” Blaine said.

  “Hey,” Shay called out, “they tried to fucking kill us. And when we got the living one out to the road, he screamed like a goddamn baby, wanting attention. I had no choice but to pull the fucking trigger.”

  “There’s other ways,” Blaine said.

  Shay stood up. Blaine followed.

  “Goddamn this,” Miller shouted. He slammed his hand on the table. “Sit the fuck down. Not in the goddamn room.”

  Shay and Blaine slowly sat.

  “I’m just as ready to fight,” Landon said. “But we can blow off steam after this, brothers. Right now, we need to sort this shit out.”

  Gaige put out his cigarette and sipped from a whiskey bottle. “Landon’s right. We can’t let all these fucking emotions make us do rash things.”

  “Like kill people that aren’t even tatted in?” Blaine asked.

  “You fuck,” Shay growled.

  “Hey,” Miller said. “The bottom line is that we all made it back to this table alive. Erik is in the hospital still recovering. I’m sure his nurse friend is still working him over.”

  “How much juice can be in a man for one night though?” Griffin asked.

  “A lot,” Blaine said with a smile. “And if you run dry and she’s still wet, you keep going. If she runs dry, then kick her the fuck out and get something fresh and wet.”

  “What we paid for,” Miller said, “that nurse friend is as sopping wet as the ground after a monsoon rain. She’ll fuck Erik until he passes out… and she’ll keep going.”

  “Can we get that here?” Blaine asked.

  “If you pay,” Griffin said.

  “How far does she go?” Blaine asked.

  “Jesus Christ,” Shay said. “Can we talk business? Or just pussy?”

  “Business is pussy,” Blaine said. “And pussy is business. Or something like that…”

  The table laughed. The tension started to chip away. Landon wanted to take advantage of it before someone started throwing fists for real. He lifted his whiskey bottle and let out a whistle.

  “Let’s take a second and have a drink to our brother,” he said. “To Erik. For his fierce heart to fight through this shit.”

  “And to his poor cock,” Blaine said. “He’s not going to be able to walk for a week after that nurse is done with him.”

  “Aye,” Shay said. “For Erik… and his cock…”

  Miller smiled and shook his head. “Drink it to him. For a quick recovery, so he’ll be back in that seat.”

  “And for the revenge,” Gaige added.

  Landon nodded. “We will find the motherfucker that meant to kill… and we will kill him. It takes more than a bomb to take down someone from Back Down Devil.”

  “To our brother,” Nate said.

  Everyone drank up and one by one, the whiskey bottles thudded against the table. Jace reached across and patted Erik’s seat.

  “Back to business,” Miller said. “We’ve got Eight Under trying to rattle our asses again. Sending out guys like they did means they’re afraid of us. It also means they’re reckless. We have to be careful.”

  “Did they plant the bomb?” Blaine asked.

  “Fuck no,” Shay said. “That bomb was for me. Those morons at Eight Under can’t even tie their fucking shoes. This was deep and personal.”

  “So that means we have more than one problem to face here,” Landon said. “That’s just great.”

  “It’s our life,” Nate said. “Without problems, fuck, I think that would mean we’d be dead.”

  “What if we call that sleazy guy?” Blaine asked. “Jonesy? He’s a slime ball private investigator.”

  “That could work,” Miller said. “That costs cash though.”

  “Let me find out when the next gathering is,” Landon said. “Maybe we could get some action on fights.”

  “Are we welcome there?” Shay asked. “Last time, there were bullets…”

  “That’s been settled,” Gaige said. “If there’s a fight and we’re not invited, we’ll show up and show them what a bloodbath really looks like.”

  “I’m with that,” Miller said. “Now, for our little problem out there tonight. Our friend, Chief Jerry, has it taken care of. The scene will be cleaned up and it will be a tragic drinking and driving accident. Nothing more. Nothing less. I also want everyone to keep their distance from this Eight Under shit. We need to find who hurt our brother and we need justice done the right way.”

  Everyone at the table nodded.

  “One more to Erik?” Shay asked.

  Landon lifted his bottle. The rest of the table did the same. This time, it was silent. Everyone said their peace in their minds and drank. Miller called the meeting and the table broke up. Gaige hurried from the room to go find Emily. Landon watched and it did bother him for a second. Running through pussy was something to take pride in, but it had to feel good to have someone consistent.

  “Hey, Landon.”

  Landon saw Miller standing at the head of the table.

  “Yeah?”

  “You look like shit
,” Miller said. “Everything okay?”

  “It’s all good,” Landon said. “Just trying to process all this shit.”

  “Don’t get too lost in it,” Miller said. “Keep the simplest thoughts and paths to follow. Those are where the answers are. It’s not some deep philosophical bullshit here.”

  “Got you,” Landon said.

  “Beer is cold and the pussy is warm,” Miller said. “Make that your priority now. Erik is good. We’re all good. Eight Under is realizing their mission blew up in their face. We’re right where we want to be.”

  “Yup.”

  Landon left the room and shut the door. He turned the corner to walk to the main part of the bar in the clubhouse. It was packed and the music and conversation were loud enough to chase away most thoughts. Landon leaned over the bar and snapped his fingers. One of the guys working for a patch on their blank leather rushed to get Landon a beer. When Landon turned, he saw Shay and Blaine standing nose to nose.

  “Oh, fuck,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Nate said from his barstool. “Letting off steam.”

  “With all these women around?” Landon asked.

  “It’s an interesting fight, brother,” Nate said. “One is skilled… and one is a fucking madman.”

  Blaine pushed into Shay and Shay smiled. “Is that all you got, boy?”

  “Oh yeah?” Blaine asked. “Watch this shit…”

  Blaine took a step back and made a fist. Rings on, it would be like getting punched with fist of metal. He lifted his fist and Shay stood, waiting.

  “They going hit for hit?” Landon asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nate said. “They’ve been talking for so long, I think they might end up fucking each other before fighting.”

  Landon smiled.

  Blaine held his fist out and then punched… himself. He stumbled back and shook his head, spitting blood to the floor.

  “Christ,” Shay said. “What’s wrong with you?”