BROKEN ROAD (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novella) Page 11
“What are you going to find here?” Brooke asked.
Armen turned his head. “I don’t like being questioned. If you don’t want the fucking truth, then get the fuck out. I promised you that I would keep you alive and I did. The ends and the means…”
“Okay,” Brooke whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Brooke didn’t like this at all. It never seemed enough for Armen. It always seemed about getting more money and fast. So they could run. So they could keep traveling. Armen told Brooke people were coming and that’s why they needed to move. They needed a lot of cash to get ready to stockpile weapons. That would be the only way to defend the honor of what was taken.
“I have something for you,” Armen said. “Come inside with me.”
Brooke looked out and wished she could be there. Out there, anywhere. She turned and went into the hotel room. Armen turned from the bed and had a gun in his hand.
“I want you to take this,” Armen said. “I want you to get ready for tonight.”
“Christ, what are we doing?” Brooke asked.
“You don’t get how bad Frelen is. There’s a lot of bullshit happening. Okay? A lot of guys that want to kill each other. And trust me, just because you have a set of tits and a pussy, it don’t protect you.”
Brooke swallowed hard. She put her hand around the gun and nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Armen.”
Armen closed in on Brooke. He reached up and touched her face. “Brooke, you may need to use that weapon. You can’t be afraid to pull the trigger. Remember what was taken from you. From us. Okay? You have to be strong. Revenge is easy in our minds, but so hard in reality. When it finally does happen, we’ll be set free. For the rest of our lives.”
Armen came closer and closer. His nose touched Brooke’s. His lips fluttered and his eyes went wide. Brooke hated the temptation her body gave Armen. She couldn’t control it. She couldn’t help how she looked or what Armen thought.
“Stop,” Brooke whispered. “You’re my brother.”
“Alleged,” Armen whispered. “We both know I don’t look like our parents. I bet I’m adopted. I bet we’re not even blood related, Brooke. You know what that means…”
“I said stop,” Brooke said. She backed up. She held the gun out.
Armen started to laugh. “Helps if there’s bullets in the gun.”
Brooke froze and gasped. “I…”
“That’s good,” Armen said. He grabbed the gun from Brooke’s hand and threw it to the bed. He then pulled Brooke close, his hand to the back of her neck. “That’s good. Don’t be afraid. Okay, sister?”
“Okay,” Brooke said.
“Tomorrow at this time we’ll be on the move again. One day closer to the truth. To preparing. To protecting each other. I promise it.”
Armen let Brooke go. He took the gun and walked away.
Brooke dropped to her knees and reached for the nightstand. That’s where Armen had cigarettes. Brooke grabbed the pack and hurried back outside.
She stood there, smoking another cigarette, her mind racing.
Something needed to change. The truth needed to come forward.
More than anything else, Brooke just wanted to know who killed her parents.
three.
Ares opened his eyes and scrambled to his feet. He threw his arms out and expected to be back in his bed. To find a woman next to him. To pull her close, whisper something in her ear to make her think he cared, and then fuck her.
But that wasn’t the case at all. Ares took a step forward and almost went down again. He quickly balanced himself, his head throbbing. He touched his chest and stomach, looking for a bullet hole.
They hadn’t shot him.
“Stupid fuckers,” Ares growled.
He touched the side of his head and saw blood on his fingertips. He looked around, figuring out his surroundings, and realized that the assholes who attacked him simply dragged him to the side of his apartment building and left him there.
They didn’t tie him up.
They didn’t kill him.
They didn’t take him somewhere to confuse him.
Whoever the hell did this were complete idiots.
Ares growled again and walked, keeping one hand against the building. He then pushed from the building and ran to the parking lot. At the very least, he expected to find his motorcycle trashed.
He found the ride on its side, but the tires weren’t flat and the chrome wasn’t busted to shit. The leather case on the back was opened and torn apart. Someone had been looking for something.
Ares grabbed his motorcycle and lifted it back up. He looked left to right. Was it someone from the old crew trying to dig up dirt? That didn’t make sense. Ares took nothing with him when he was stripped of his patches. He left with blood on his face and a black leather cut. Nothing more.
Climbing on the ride, Ares started it. The beast roared to life without hesitation. He looked behind him at the leather pack and wondered who would be checking into his shit. He had nothing to hide. Hell, he had nothing to offer. Unless something bigger was brewing with Back Down Devil.
Ares walked the ride backward and then looked and saw something on the pavement. There were tracks. Fresh rubber markings in the parking lot. There were three tracks. Two side by side and one in front.
“Shit,” Ares whispered.
Someone from Back Down Devil must have come by and surprised the two assholes who attacked him. Then they all took off. That left two on one.
Ares throttled the ride and added a fourth rubber mark in the parking lot.
He sped off and cut through the back roads until he hit the main strip in Frelen. The only thing he could do was work toward the clubhouse. The logical thing to do when in trouble was get to the clubhouse. There were men, weapons, and protection there. If an enemy was dumb enough to chase one of the guys into the compound, they would be lit up with bullets.
Flying down the road, Ares started to cut in and out of traffic. He dodged cars like it was a video game. But this was no damn game. His hands were tight on the handlebars, knowing that all it took was one wrong split second decision to crash into a car or drop the motorcycle.
Running two red lights left Ares feeling alive.
He spotted a police cruiser a block up the road. The lights were flashing and a car was turned sideways. Ares pulled up to the intersection and when the police officer saw him, he pointed and then motioned to the side of the road. The person in the car looked scared to death. There was a dent in the passenger door.
That was all Ares needed to see. He throttled his ride again and cut to the left, the back tire squealing. He flew down the next street and when he made the next right, he spotted the rides. Two motorcycles chasing one. And that one had a large Back Down Devil patch on the back.
Ares rode as hard as the motorcycle would allow it. He gained speed and then ground. The three motorcycles in front of him cut down road after road, sometimes going into traffic, sometimes taking narrow back alleys. They were risky moves to make and only someone who really knew Frelen could know the alleys and dare to take them.
As Ares got closer, he saw the guy on the one motorcycle look back.
It was Miller.
Fucking Miller… the President of Back Down Devil MC.
That’s who was being chased down. And there was no other guys in sight. The two men chasing Miller had black leather cuts with nothing on the back. They were prospects for a rival club. And they were chasing down the President of Back Down Devil.
This was insane.
This was deadly.
Ares knew it was his job to protect Miller. Even if it cost Ares his life, he needed to make sure that the President made it to the head of the table alive and well.
Ares kept at it hard, following the lead of Miller versus the movements of the asshole prospects in front of him. He managed to gain more ground, narrowly missing a few large dumpsters and almost hitting a few brick walls.
Miller cut down another alley and
Ares knew this was his chance to do something. He throttled harder than ever. He gritted his teeth. The motorcycle bellowed and inched more and more. Slowly, Ares started to get between the two prospects. The two men looked at him and Ares remembered the one with the gun. That was the asshole who hit him.
Paybacks were a motherfucker and Ares intended to make these guys pay.
He cut to the right and hit the back wheel of one of the motorcycles. It quickly cut left to right, left to right. The motorcycle then went right, crashing into the back of a building. The motorcycle twisted in wicked metal carnage and the rider went into the air. The guy hit the ground and Ares ran over him without thinking twice. The other rider looked back and started to lose control of his ride. He managed to save it just in time to pull out a gun.
“Fuck,” Ares yelled.
He couldn’t risk having a shot get fired at Miller.
Ares reached for his own weapon and pointed it, waiting for the right angle to shoot. If by some chance he missed or the asshole moved, the bullet could hit Miller.
When Miller cut to the right, it gave the small window Ares needed. He took his shot, hitting the prospect in the head. The guy was off the motorcycle before it twisted and turned, slamming into a dumpster and flipping up and over before crashing to the ground with a thundering boom of chrome on pavement.
Ares slammed his brakes and cut to the right, spinning himself around. He needed to see if the other guy was dead. He moved down the alley and saw the heap of man on the ground. Next to him Miller caught up and grabbed at Ares arm. He nodded.
“Stop,” Ares yelled.
They both slowed.
“Fuck,” Miller said.
“Stay here,” Ares said. “He might still be alive.”
“I’ll get it, Ares.”
“No. I’ll protect you, Miller. That’s my job.”
Miller closed his mouth and nodded.
Ares crept toward the man and saw him slowly moving. His hands were shaking, his face bloody. He looked up at Ares and started to cry.
“It wasn’t my idea,” the guy whispered in a pain filled voice. “I didn’t want to.”
“But you did,” Ares said. “Now you pay.”
Ares pointed his gun and pulled the trigger once.
The scene was done.
He turned and looked at Miller.
There was once a time when Ares saw himself sitting at the head of a table. Fuck, maybe there was even a time when he had the chance to be an enemy to Miller and Back Down Devil.
Time and fate changed all that. Time and fate…
“Motherfuckers,” Ares whispered.
He looked back and pointed the gun.
He unloaded the clip into the body on the ground.
four.
“Get over here!”
Ares looked up from his beer and saw Miller waving him to a pool table. He saw Miller at one end, Nate at the other. There was Gaige and Griffin on side. Blaine and Erik on the other.
“I’m not saying it again!” Miller called out.
“Get to it, prospect,” a voice said next to Ares.
It was Jace, nursing a beer and a shot. His eyes were dark and cold.
Ares stood from the bar and walked to the pool table. Miller grabbed a shot glass and handed it to him.
“Come on,” Miller said. “We honor you right now, brother. For what you did today.”
“What did I do today?” Ares asked.
“You saved Miller,” Gaige said.
“You know how much pussy you’ll get for this?” Blaine asked. “Christ, man, it’s going to be raining sweet delicious juice all over you…”
“Blaine,” Nate said. “Shut up.”
“I don’t get what the fuck happened,” Ares said.
Miller laughed. “We took a vote, Ares. We decided to give you a little more work around here to get patched in. I was coming to your place to talk about something I wanted done. I got there and two prospects from Eight Under were there. I scared the fuck out of them.”
“Why were they there for me?” Ares asked.
“You had a bitch in your bed,” Blaine said. “She was spoken for.”
“What?”
“Whoever you had in your bed,” Miller said, “was with the guy you popped in the head.”
“Christ,” Ares said. “I’m sorry. Fuck.”
“No,” Gaige said. “You did right by it all. You fucking chased down those guys and saved Miller. That takes balls.”
“That takes skill,” Griffin said.
“That’s the shit we want at the table,” Nate said.
Blaine punched Ares in the arm. “Look at you, going balls deep in some trash bag from Eight Under. Was she tight? Did she bleed? I bet she did, man. Those Eight Under… their cocks are so tiny, you know?”
“How do you know they have tiny cocks?” Ares asked.
“Don’t ask,” Gaige said. “He’s obsessed…”
“I know everything about cocks,” Blaine said. “Trust me. I fuck enough pussy to know…”
“That’s enough,” Miller said. “We’re all raising our glasses to Ares. For being one tough motherfucker. And for being patched in… to Back Down Devil MC.”
Everyone put their shot glasses in the middle of the pool table.
Ares didn’t.
“No,” Ares said. “I don’t want it.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Gaige asked. “We’re patching you in, bro. You’re one of us now. We want to get you to the table someday, too.”
“I don’t need that,” Ares said. “Been there and it didn’t end well.”
“Come on,” Griffin said. “We all know the situation…”
“You get a lot more action with the patch on your back,” Blaine said. “You get to fucking command them. All of them. Whatever you want. They have to listen…”
“No,” Ares said. “I don’t want the patch. I’ll take the shot though.”
“Why not?” Miller asked.
“You wanted me to do something else. I’ll do it.”
“Fuck,” Gaige said. “It’s a shit job.”
“I want it.”
Miller looked around and said, “Everyone fuck off except Gaige.”
When it was just Miller, Gaige, and Ares, Miller spoke again. “I don’t get you, Ares.”
“Neither do I,” Ares said.
“This is a deadly job,” Gaige said. “Underground gambling.”
“Perfect,” Ares said. “What do I do?”
Miller put a hand to Ares shoulder. “You can be mad at yourself for the rest of your fucking life. Most of us in this club are. We’re all scarred men. We’re all full of writhing demons. But you put yourself on the line for me today. That means you put yourself on the line for Back Down Devil.”
“And I’ll do it again,” Ares said.
“Christ,” Gaige said. “You’re fucking insane.”
“Perfect then. What do I do next?”
“There’s an underground gambling thing,” Miller said. “Some of the Eight Under will be there. Some of the Coast Road, too. I wanted to send in a few prospects just to show face. To show that we know and we’re there. I figured it’ll get a little rowdy and broken up. The last thing this town needs is drugs or that kind of bullshit gambling. We control what happens in this town.”
“Then I’ll be there,” Ares said.
“Christ, man, do you have a death wish?”
“Who doesn’t?”
Miller sighed and shook his head. “Take a drink. Then I’ll give you the information.”
*
Brooke pulled at the tight dress. She looked to the bag on the floor and wished she could just change and feel normal. Feel like she could just blend in with the rest of the world and disappear. But she needed the image right now. The image to distract and the image to give Armen whatever he needed to take a ton of money from whoever showed up to this thing.
A knock came at the door. “Brooke, it’s time.”
It was all a sham.
Brooke taught herself to be numb to it all. She couldn’t care or get involved. The goal was to escape and get closer to the truth. Armen said they were coming. Brooke wasn’t sure who they were, but she kept in her heart that they were the ones who killed her parents. Because whoever did it… they deserved to die.
Brooke opened the door and was met with three women taller than her with a lot more makeup on their faces.
“Holy hell. Look at you, Brooke.”
“What? Is something wrong?”
“You’re fucking beautiful, girl. I mean… are those tits real?”
“They’re real,” one of other said. “They look natural. Heavy. Full.”
“They’re real,” Brooke said.
“See… these are fake…” The woman pulled her dress down, exposing her breasts. “See mine? They’re firm. Perfect in every way possible.”
Brooke looked down to her cleavage line. Her breasts were big. Nothing wrong with that, right?
“I think Brooke’s are nicer.”
“Well, fuck you both,” the woman said as she tucked her breasts back into her dress. “They look good now, but just wait. Time and nature is a bitch. You’ll be saggy and floppy… and mine will still be perfect.”
Brooke had nothing to say. She wasn’t here to make friends or enemies.
Another door opened and Armen stood there wearing an expensive suit. “Ladies, follow me. It’s time to work.”
One by one, they all walked out of the room. Armen stepped in front of Brooke and blocked her path.
“You look amazing, Brooke,” Armen said. “You’re going to turn some heads tonight.”
“That’s the plan, right?”
“Exactly. Do you have your gun?”
“Shit. It’s in my bag.”
“Go get it. Carry it.”
Brooke ran her hands down her tight dress. “Where am I supposed to hide it? This dress is way too tight, Armen.”