Crash and Burn (Back Down Devil MC #2)(10)

“Pop, you know how we settle this,” Landon said. “Give me a number.”

“Five hundred. Right now. You pay me.” Pop slapped the counter.

“Five hundred dollars?” Avery asked. “For a slice of pizza?”

Pop turned and Landon stepped between Avery and Pop. Landon was just inches from Avery’s face. She looked up at him as he towered over her.

“It would be nice,” Landon said, “if you shut your f*cking mouth, sweetheart.”

“My name is Avery, not sweetheart.”

“I’ll call you what I want. Sweetheart.”

Landon turned and Avery felt her legs wanting to give way, just like in the bakery earlier. Only now her legs weren’t tired and weak, her body was melting because of Landon.

“Five hundred?” Landon asked.

“Right now,” Pop said.

Avery watched Landon reach into his pocket and he counted out five one hundred dollar bills. He handed it to Pop and the old man stuffed the money in his pocket. He then looked at Avery and pointed.

“You stay away, cunt,” Pop yelled.

“No more of that,” Landon said to Pop.

“Yeah?”

Landon reached for the gun and grabbed a handful of Pop’s shirt and threw him against the counter. The old man started to cough, but Landon didn’t seem to care. He put the gun to Pop’s head and smiled.

“We don’t talk like that anymore,” Landon said. “You gave up your leather, remember? You walked away when you had a chance to come to the table. That’s fine. Your blood runs through two wheels, but that doesn’t mean you can act like that. Got it?”

“Yes,” Pop said and kept coughing.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Landon said to Avery. “Get yourself a slice and sit down to eat.”

Avery hesitated for a few seconds before moving. She slowly took a slice of pizza and started to eat it as she walked away. Landon stood with his gun pointed at Pop the entire time she ate. When she finished, Landon threw Pop to the ground and then took a slice for himself. He bit into it as he walked toward Avery.

“Good pizza, isn’t it?” Landon asked.

“It’s really good,” Avery said.

“Want more?”

“Kind of.”

Pop reached up and pulled himself to his feet. Landon went back to the counter and took the rest of the pizza pie. He reached into his pocket and put another hundred on the counter.

“That should cover it,” Landon said. He went back to Avery and smiled. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s have lunch.”

Avery looked back at Pop. He rubbed his neck and then waved. “Come back again…”

Avery was flabbergasted by the power Landon had. He walked into a pizza place, paid the owner off to stop him from killing Avery, then roughed him up. It was crazy. It was sexy.

“Let’s hang over here,” Landon said. He walked outside to a motorcycle and put the tray on the seat. “Eat up.”

“Thanks for that,” Avery said. “Like seriously, thanks.”

“You realize he would have killed you, right?”

“I picked up on that after he put the gun to my mouth, yes.”

“How was he going to do it?”

“What?”

“It’s Pop. He offers options. That’s his thing. Sex and you die easily. Resist and you die hard.”

“He wanted me to…” Avery felt her cheeks turning red.

“What?” Landon asked. “Take it up the ass?”

“No,” Avery said. “Gosh, do you always talk like that?”

“I talk however the f*ck I want, sweetheart,” Landon said. “What did he want?”

“Blowjob,” Avery said.

“Okay. Good to know.”

“Why is that good to know?” Avery asked.

Landon grabbed another slice of pizza. “Well, I’m out six hundred bucks for a cold pizza pie. Someone owes me something.”

Avery’s mouth fell open. “You don’t think I’m…”

Landon laughed as he chewed. He swallowed and then touched Avery’s face. His touch was rough and the rings on his fingers made him even hotter. Fuck.

“Sweetheart,” Landon said, “if I want you to blow me, I’d order it and you’d listen. I’ll find another way for you to earn your keep.”

“What if I told you to go f*ck yourself?” Avery asked.

Landon’s hand slid around her neck and tightened. “That would only turn me on more. Now, take that tray back to Pop before I bend you over my motorcycle right in front of everyone.”

Avery grabbed the tray and succumbed to the order from Landon. He did have a hell of a point. He saved her life. He paid Pop six hundred dollars. Avery walked away and as she turned to go into the pizza shop, she heard a voice yell, “GET DOWN MOTHERFUCKER!”

When Avery whipped around, she saw another man running at Landon. The man had a gun and when he got close enough to Landon, he swung and smacked Landon in the face it. He was tall, skinny, and really young.

“I’ll f*cking kill you,” Landon yelled.

“One through your f*cking head,” the man said. “One in the heart. That’s the order, brother…”