RIDING DARKNESS (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novella) Read online

  “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.”

  That was one of the other women. Her name was Amber or Ashley or something. Brooke didn’t bother to remember because it didn’t matter. The women were hired for the night thinking they were serving drinks and flirty glances in exchange for some tips and cash from Armen. They’d also have the chance to enjoy the night with one of the bikers, hoping to score even more.

  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 o
n 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.”

  “I can think of two places to hide the gun,” Armen said. He grinned and then laughed. His breath stunk of booze already. “You have one minute to get out there.”

  Brooke rushed back to the bathroom and grabbed her bag. She carried it to the front of the room and left it at the door. She took the gun out and considered what to do with it. She had a garter on her leg, something Armen requested. It seemed dumb, but now it had a purpose. Brooke hid the gun on the inside of her right leg, tucked in the garter. Sure, it was uncomfortable, but it worked. It hid the gun the best she could without sticking it somewhere Armen had casually suggested.

  Brooke shivered and left the room.

  She heard voices yelling already. Her instinct was to grab the gun and start shooting.

  “Hold on, hold on,” Armen’s voice called out. “There’s always room. Plenty of room. Come on, gentlemen.”

  Brooke slowly turned the corner that led to the open floor. It was an old warehouse and Brooke had no idea how Armen managed to secure the place and make this illegal thing happen without the police knowing. Those were details Brooke never was allowed to know about. Her brother made it very clear that her best assets were kept tucked in a bra. Everything else was up to him to figure out.

  Trying to keep hidden, Brooke considered reaching for the gun. But then she stopped dead in her tracks. There were a couple tables set up. Men in suits. Men in leather. Men who didn’t seem to match but were all there for the same purpose. Then there was another group. Just three guys. And the guy talking to Armen easily took Brooke’s breath away.

  “Here, let me help you,” Armen said. He looked back and snapped his fingers. “Brooke! Come here!”

  Brooke cleared her throat and stepped forward. All eyes were instantly on her. But it wasn’t all eyes that got to her, it was his eyes that got to her. Tall, thick, scruff on his face, and the dirtiest looking set of brown eyes she’d ever seen on another man, Brooke felt her heart pounding in her chest.

  He wore a black t-shirt under his black leather cut. His arms were massive for the t-shirt. His jeans were a dark blue color and led to a pair of black boots. Brooke didn’t want to make it obvious she was looking this hot guy up and down, but she couldn’t help it.

  Armen grabbed her by the hand. “This is Brooke. She’s my sister. She’ll take care of you. Pick a table. Place a bet. Enjoy yourselves here tonight. There’s no need for trouble.”

  The man looked at Brooke. But his eyes didn’t move. They didn’t scan down to her chest pouring from her dress. Or the tightness of the dress that hugged her subtle curves in a way that left Brooke feeling almost naked.

  Color rushed to Brooke’s face as she feared the reaction her body was giving would be picked up. In other words, staring at this giant biker was making her crazy wet between her legs. And the small thong she wore wasn’t going to be able to help with this situation at all.

  “We’re not here to play,” the man said. “We’re here to shut this fucking thing down.” He then looked at Armen. He opened his leather cut and showed his gun. “Now this can be easy… or it can get way out of control. Personally, I don’t give a fuck.”

  Brooke’s heart raced faster.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she had ever been this turned on before. Maybe never in her life. And she couldn’t figure out why. This guy was big and bad.

  But he was so hot. And he was so deadly.

  Brooke looked at her brother and saw the concern on his face.

  All hell is going to break loose… and soon…

  five.

  Ares looked around the room and recognized most of the enemies of Back Down Devil MC. The eyes that dared to look back at him did so without much worry or concern. To put it simply, without a leather cut with a patch on it, Ares presence had no purpose to it. He was a prospect, along with two other guys named Gunner and Bale. They were there under Miller’s order to make everyone nervous and disrupt the illegal gambling so that it wouldn’t happen again.

  In reality, Ares knew what this was. It was a fucking scouting mission. Miller (and Gaige) wanted to find out just who was at the gambling event, what guys from what clubs. They also would want to know how much they were betting, what they were playing, and who was running the damn thing. That’s what made it possible for the event to even occur. Without Back Down Devil MC this would be busted in no time. But Miller kept the chief of police really close to the club.

  This was just how life went.

  Ares stared down a man in a suit who looked nervous and excited. But that wasn’t what made Ares change the course of his night. It was the sight of the man’s sister.

  Brooke.

  She came out of nowhere when the man - Armen - called her name. Her body looked fucking amazing in the tight dark red dress she wore. It was pretty evident that she wasn’t comfortable in the dress and definitely wasn’t used to wearing dresses like that. Her breasts pushed out the top of the dress that left Ares body and mouth with a wild hunger. He took a look from the corner of his eye so when it came time to look right at Brooke, he did so and kept his eyes locked to hers.

  He wanted to figure her out.

  She didn’t seem menacing or the kind to take part in this kind of bullshit stuff. But sometimes being beautiful and silent was a weapon more lethal than bullets and knives.

  The longer Ares stared the more he learned.

  Brooke had nothing to do with all this. She wanted nothing to do with it either. Armen was forcing her. She was jumpy and nervous, her face burning eight shades of red.

  “I assure you there is room for everyone,” Armen said. “No need to have things get out of hand here. We all have money to bet. We all can join…”

  Ares stepped toward Armen. The little man backed up. He bumped into an empty chair and then turned around and jumped. He started to scurry away and called for Brooke. She tried to move and Ares acted before thinking. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” he growled at her.

  “Who are you?”

  “Ares. You realize what you’re in the middle of?”

  “Maybe I do,” Brooke said. “Let me go.”

  “You’ll end up dead if you keep playing this game.”

  “Then tip me well enough so I don’t have to anymore.”

  “Come on, bro,” Gunner said. “Don’t worry about her. There’s half a dozen of them. High paid relievers.”

&nb
sp; Ares turned his head and snarled his lip. Relievers. They were the women who hung around the clubhouse and took care of the guys. They started with those at the table. Then they settled for those with patches on their leather cuts. If nothing was available, then the prospects got a little action.

  If Brooke were in Back Down Devil clubhouse, she’d get scooped up in a second. But they weren’t in the clubhouse. They weren’t anywhere near it right now.

  “Serve your fucking drinks and watch your ass,” Ares warned.

  “Better yet, you watch my ass,” Brooke said.

  Ares did just that as Brooke walked away. The way her hips and ass moved left to right, again and again, it was almost hypnotizing. She was taunting him with that wicked body.

  “What’s the plan here?” Bale asked. “I feel like I’m sticking out like a sore thumb.”

  “That’s the plan,” Ares said.

  He stepped forward. Gunner and Bale followed.

  As Ares scanned the tables, the eyes were at him again. He folded his arms, letting his muscles flex.

  “Back Down Devil is here,” Ares said.

  “Doesn’t look that way,” someone said. It was a massively built guy from the Coast Road MC crew. “Nice cuts. Think you’re missing a patch or two.”

  “Just know who we are,” Ares said.

  He had to let the comments roll off his shoulders.

  They kept walking and only stopped when Ares saw four men sitting next to each other that all had Eight Under MC on the back of their leather cuts. The second Ares saw the men, they turned and looked at him.

  If tensions weren’t already high, they slowly started to boil over.

  Two of the men threw their chairs back and stood up.

  “That pair of aces is going to bite you in the ass,” Ares said to another one of the Eight Under.

  “Motherfucker,” the man yelled. He tossed his cards to the table and stood up, drawing his weapon.

  “Holy fucking hell,” Armen yelled.