DARK FALL (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) (4 page)

“
Don
’
t know,
”
Jack said.
“
Said
her car needs work.
”

“
She
ended up here?
”
Blaine
asked.
“
Christ, Erik, looks
like we came just in time.
”

Erik.

Kaity had a name now. She loved it.

She watched Erik take a step toward
Jack and reach for his shirt.
“
What
were you planning on doing with that woman?
”

“
Helping
her,
”
Jack said.
“
She has her damn doors locked
though. I can
’
t help her.
”

The bikers, who she knew now were
named Erik and Blaine, walked up to the car. Blaine pulled on the handle and
Kaity jumped.

“
Whoa,
beautiful,
”
Blaine said.
“
We
’
re
not going to hurt you. What
’
s
going on around here?
”

“
Come
on. Get out.
”
Erik said.

“
No,
”
Kaity said.

“
What
the fuck do you want then?
”
Erik asked.
“
We don
’
t have time for this shit.
”

“
I
’
m not opening my door for four
strange men,
”
Kaity said.

“
You
came here for help!
”
Erik
yelled.

“
Easy
now,
”
Blaine said.
“
We ain
’
t gonna hurt you. I mean, you spend a little time
with me and I
’
ll make
everything better. Let these two greasy assholes work on your car
…
and let me work on you.
”

Kaity couldn
’
t stand this Blaine guy. He looked dirty and talked
like a jackass. She slowly unlocked her door, never looking away from Blaine.
Thanks to her
one time assignment
she learned how to move to protect
herself. That was, until she got lost in a little town like this and ended up
in a lot with four men eye humping her.

Kaity threw the door open and it
hit Blaine. He doubled over and stumbled. She quickly closed the door and
locked it again.

“
Fuck,
baby,
”
Blaine said.
“
You
’
re going to hurt me
…”

“
Get
out of the car or get out of here,
”
Erik said.
“
We
’
ve got business to do.
”

“
Take
your time,
”
Willy yelled.

Erik looked back and grabbed a gun
from a holster under his leather cut. That
’
s
when Kaity realized things had just gotten more serious. Erik pointed the gun
at Willy and he put his hands up.

“
Is
this your set up?
”
Erik
asked.

“
I
swear, man,
”
Willy said.
“
She just pulled in. We were
having a smoke. Talking.
”

Erik looked at Kaity.
“
Open the door.
”

“
No,
”
Kaity said.

“
Bro,
wait a second,
”
Blaine
said.

Kaity saw Erik lift the gun. It
wasn
’
t the first time she
had a gun pointed at her, but it still made her uneasy. Erik swung the gun and
Kaity winced. She heard the sound of glass shattering but didn
’
t feel anything. She turned and
saw that Erik had smashed the back driver
’
s
side window out.

“
You
fucking asshole,
”
Kaity
growled.

“
That
’
s right,
”
Erik said.

He reached through the broken back
window toward the front of the car. Kaity couldn
’
t
believe how bold this guy was. She saw his hand moving toward the lock button
and she panicked. She started to punch and claw at Erik
’
s arm. He quickly turned his hand and grabbed her
wrist.

“
Look
at me,
”
he ordered.
“
Right now.
”

Kaity looked at Erik, her heart
racing.

It wasn
’
t the fear making her heart race
…
it was because he was touching
her
…

“
Look
at my face,
”
Erik said.
“
You see that?
”

“
Yes,
”
Kaity said.

“
You
think I give a fuck about you clawing at my arm? You think I give a fuck about
your car? You think I give a fuck about you?
”

“
No.
”

“
Then
open the fucking door before I take out the rest of the windows.
”

Erik opened his hand. Kaity
unlocked the door and pushed it open. She climbed from the car and stood, not
sure what to look at first. Erik stood with the gun at his side. His face was a
mess, but it was sexy to Kaity. He obviously feared nothing. A man who would
just take out a gun and bust up a window was the kind of man that could protect
a woman.

Blaine had a hand between his legs,
covering himself.
“
Easy,
beautiful,
”
he said.
“
Don
’
t go hurting my dick anymore. Unless you plan on
kissing it and making it all better.
”

“
Fuck
off,
”
Kaity said.
“
Filthy biker.
”

Erik laughed for a second. Jake and
Willy laughed too. Blaine turned and punched Jack square in the face. Jack
’
s head flew back and his
cigarette flew from his mouth. Jack put his hands out but had nothing to grab
onto. He toppled down to his ass and stayed there in shock.

Kaity felt something grab her wrist
and she jumped. It was Erik.

“
What
are you doing here?
”
he
asked.

“
Passing
through,
”
Kaity said.
“
My car started acting funny so I
stopped. Okay?
”

“
I
don
’
t buy that for a
second.
”

“
The
car is broken,
”
Kaity said.
“
What am I supposed to do?
”

Erik curled his lip.
“
You
’
re going to sit on the trunk of the car with
Blaine. He
’
s going to talk
about how big his cock is and how bad he wants to fuck you. But he
’
s all talk. He won
’
t make a move because I said so.
Got it?
”

“
No,
I don
’
t
got it
,
”
Kaity said.

She had no idea why she was being
so fierce with a strong man with a gun. This was stupid.

“
If
you don
’
t listen to me, you
’
ll end up dead. Is that a little
more clear?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Kaity said.

“
Good.
”
Erik pushed away from Kaity and
grabbed Blaine by his shoulder.
“
Don
’
t fuck around.
”

“
You
know me,
”
Blaine said.
“
I
’
ll
keep her warm for you.
”

“
She
’
s not for me,
”
Erik said. He looked back at
Kaity.
“
She
’
s just in the way right now.
”

Erik walked away and Kaity felt
cold and numb. She didn
’
t
want Erik to walk away, but she had no idea why. Blaine hooked his thumbs into
the pockets of his jeans and stared at her.

“
What
in the good hell are you doing here?
”
Blaine asked.

“
Trying
to enjoy my freedom,
”
Kaity
whispered.

“
Well
…
you
’
ve definitely come to the right place,
”
Blaine said.
“
But good luck earning Erik
’
s trust.
”

Kaity stared at Erik. He put an arm
around Willy and then pushed him toward the garage.

“
Hop
up, beautiful,
”
Blaine said
as he jumped on the trunk of the car.

Kaity climbed up on the trunk of
her car and started to shake. She had been trying to escape hell. Now she found
a new version of it.

four.

Erik wasn
’
t sure when the last time he actually slept was.
Last night the booze kept flowing, the ladies were willing, and for whatever
reason, Erik couldn
’
t miss
a shot in a game of pool. He cleared out the clubhouse, beating everyone there,
made three hundred dollars, and took two women to his bed. When he woke that
morning, the two women were sleeping on top of each other, still naked, and
Erik sat up and reveled at the amazing sight. 

That
’
s
when Nate came to the door and said Miller wanted an emergency meeting. Erik
should have taken a few minutes to himself and enjoyed the two women before
leaving, but the urge disappeared. He climbed from the bed, dressed, and
slapped the top woman on the ass, waking her. He told the two women to get the
fuck out.

In the meeting, Miller and Gaige were
tense and pissed off. They had received confirmation that the car Shay had
purchased with the bomb in it came from an auction company twenty miles north. They
were also informed that two scumbag cousins that ran a back alley auto garage
had been there the same day. That meant they could have - and should have -
seen something at the auction. Someone suspicious. Someone fucking around with
Shay
’
s car. Something that
would point the club in the right direction to resolve this problem.

Erik and Blaine were the ones who
wanted to go. Miller was reluctant to send Erik out without himself or Gaige,
but they were already tied up for the morning. As club rules went, Erik had to
ride with at least one other member, for backup. Seeing as Erik wanted to be
alone, he knew he could handle Blaine because that meant mostly just ignoring
the guy.

The last thing Erik expected to see
was a woman in the parking lot of the shitty auto garage. The second Erik saw
the woman
’
s face, he saw
fear. And when she looked back, she didn
’
t
look away.

Is she fucking blind?

That was the first thought that
went through Erik
’
s mind.

Didn
’
t
this woman see the scars on his face? Didn
’
t
it bother her? Why the fuck did she keep staring without a look of disgust on
her face?

It really bothered Erik.

Of course the woman wouldn
’
t open the door to her car. Erik
couldn
’
t blame her. She was
surrounded by two bikers and two greasy mechanics. But Erik wasn
’
t in the business of harming
women. He was in the business of getting answers as to who tried to kill him.

He didn't need to, but it felt damn
good busting out the back window to the car. And it felt even better watching
the woman climb out of the car, still staring at him. Erik couldn
’
t figure out what the hell it
meant, but the woman was very good looking. Beautiful, in fact.

And that pissed Erik off, too.

He wasn
’
t there to flirt with anyone, yet he made damn sure
that Blaine wasn
’
t going to
make a move on her. Erik took his frustrations out on Willy as he threw the
mechanic into the side of the building. Willy stumbled back and Erik grabbed
him again and threw him one more time. When Willy fell back, he waved his
hands.

“
Fuck,
man,
”
he cried out.
“
What did I do?
”

“
Get
in the garage,
”
Erik said.
He turned and looked at Jack.
“
Come
on, get up, asshole. Let
’
s
move.
”

Erik showed his gun and Jack
hurried to his feet. He wiped the blood from his nose and face. The two men
stood side by side and Erik wanted nothing more than to fight both of them. He
’
d put his gun down right now and
go fist for fist with both of them. Whether they deserved it for the bombing or
not, he did not care, because their intentions toward this woman were obvious
and it pissed him off.

“
I
have a few questions,
”
Erik
said.

“
Yeah,
sure,
”
Jack said.
“
Christ, man, we
’
re all good here. You don
’
t need to come in swinging at
us.
”

“
We
weren
’
t going to hurt that
woman,
”
Willy said.
“
I swear on it. We were trying to
help her and she locked the door.
”

“
Look
at you two,
”
Erik said.
“
I
’
d
lock my door too.
”

“
Can
I have a smoke?
”
Willy
asked.
“
I feel like I
’
m going to have a heart attack.
”

“
Sure,
”
Erik said.
“
Smoke up.
”

The two men lit fresh cigarettes
and Willy leaned against a car. Jack touched his nose and winced.

“
If
you don
’
t want trouble,
then don
’
t lie to me,
”
Erik said.

“
Why
would we lie?
”
Willy asked.
He laughed.
“
Fuck, man, I
used to ride back in my day. Before I hurt my back.
”

“
Ride?
”
Erik asked. He stepped forward,
lumbering over Willy.
“
See
my face? You think that
’
s
from riding?
”

“
Shit.
No.
”

“
That
’
s from living. Now, tell me
about the last auction you were at.
”

“
Auction?
”
Jack asked.
“
That was
…
why?
”

“
You
’
re going to question me?
”
Erik asked.

“
Shit.
Sorry. I mean, uh, we bought two junkers.
”

“
Cleaned
them up and sold them,
”
Willy said.
“
We made a few
bucks. Didn
’
t do
…
much wrong.
”

“
I
don
’
t give a fuck about the
cars you sell,
”
Erik said.
“
I want to know if you saw
someone there.
”

“
There
’
s a lot of people at those
auctions,
”
Jack said.

“
You
know what happened over where I work?
”
Erik asked.
“
Why my face
got fucked up?
”

“
Bomb,
”
Willy said. Jack looked at
Willy.
“
Heard some guys
talking about it at a bar.
”

“
Yeah,
a bomb,
”
Erik said.
“
I need to know who put that bomb
in the car. My good friend picked the car up that day. I think someone from the
auction did it.
”

“
How
would we
…”
Jack started to
say.

“
Did
you know the car?
”
Erik
asked Willy.

“
Black
beauty,
”
Willy said.
“
I remember her. Was wondering
what she was doing at an auction. I figured something was wrong with it.
Sometimes those cars can be big projects, you know?
”

“
Who
was looking at it?
”

“
Lots
of people.
”

“
Who?
”

Willy swallowed. He took a deep
drag and dropped his cigarette. He stepped on it and crossed his arms, deep in
thought.

“
Suit
and tie,
”
Jack said.
“
Shit, I got it now.
”

“
Got
what?
”
Erik asked.

“
I,
uh, I was busy with something
…
but there was a black car with a guy
…”

“
What
were you doing?
”
Willy
asked.

“
Nothing.
”

Erik grabbed Jack by the shirt and
he screamed.
“
I want every
detail.
”

“
Fuck,
”
Jack said.
“
I was with Wanda.
”

“
Wanda?
”
Willy asked.
“
My
…”

“
Who
is Wanda?
”
Erik asked.

“
My
fucking ex-wife,
”
Willy
yelled.

“
What
were you doing with Wanda?
”
Erik asked.

“
Fuck,
”
Jack said again.
“
Look, I
’
m sorry, man. She was
…
she was going down on me. Behind the bathrooms. It
’
s a thing we have.
”

“
A
thing you have?
”
Willy
asked.
“
You sorry son of a
bitch.
”

Willy lunged at Jack and hit him right
in the nose. Jack cried out as his nose opened once again, bleeding everywhere.
Erik stepped back and watched the two idiot cousins wrestle around for a few
seconds before they broke apart, both out of breath.

“
I
hate you,
”
Willy said.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
Jack said.
“
We
don't do it all the time. Just once in a while. She misses you, man. She tells
me by doing that to me it's like doing it to you. She thinks of you when she
does it. I swear.
”

“
That's
fucked up,
”
Erik said.

“
Does
she still do the tongue thing?
”
Willy asked.
“
With the
swirl
…”

Jack nodded.
“
Yeah. And then with her hand
…”

“
Shut
up!
”
Erik yelled.
“
You two can deal with this
family mess later. Tell me about the black car.
”

“
Right,
”
Jack said.
“
Okay. So Wanda was
…
you know
…
and this car came up. I turned my head, wondering
if we were going to get caught. This guy got out of the car in a suit and tie.
Looked too fancy to be at a car auction. Then it dawned on me that maybe he was
there for that black car. He made a phone call and I heard him ask if the '
present
was sent
' and then he smiled and said '
terrific
.' But there was a
way he said it that stuck with me, okay? And when he smiled
…
he had a gold tooth off to the
side
…”
Jack hooked his own
cheek with his pointer finger and pulled. He then said,
“
Riihheerrr.
”

“
Then
what happened?
”

“
He
left. Got in the car and sped away.
”

“
Did
you get the plates?
”

“
No,
”
Jack said.
“
I looked down and Wanda was
looking up at me with those brown eyes of hers
…”

Willy came at Jack again and
punched him in the side of the head. The two started wrestling again and Erik
couldn
’
t handle anymore. He
shot the tires on the car in the garage, flattening two of them. He then
pointed the gun at Willy.

“
Come
on, man,
”
Willy said.

“
Calm
down.
”
Erik looked at Jack.
“
Think hard, Jack. What
else did you see about the man?
”

Jack stared at the ground for a few
seconds and then his eyes went wide. He slowly lifted his right hand and
pointed to the side of his neck.

“
What?
”
Erik asked.

“
His
neck,
”
Jack said.
“
He had a mark
…
no
…
uh
…”
Jack looked at Erik and pointed.
“
Like
your face.
”

“
Scars?
”
Erik asked with gritted teeth.

“
Yeah,
”
Jack yelled.
“
He had a scar on his neck. On
the side. That
’
s all I
remember, I swear. I mean, you can
’
t
kill me for that, right? It wasn
’
t
like I had complete focus.
”

Jack smiled.

Willy tried to move, but Erik put a
hand out and stopped him. Erik held Willy at bay with his left arm as he put
his gun away and then made a fist.

“
Fuck,
”
Jack whispered.

Erik threw a hard right and knocked
Jack out cold. Jack spun and hit the ground.

“
Jack!
”
Willy cried out.
“
That
’
s my fucking cousin.
”