Owned & Untamed (Back Down Devil MC #11)(13)

When bullets started to zing by me I dove forward and hit the ground. I returned fire until the guys behind me took control so I could save Jim. I got to him and pulled him out of the charred mess. His face was bloody and black. His eyes were dazed. His hands clutched to me, shaking, filthy. The second I looked down his body I saw that he was missing a leg. Shock settled in pretty f*cking quickly for both of us.

“I got you, brother,” I shouted. “You’re safe.”

Jim reached up and touched my cheek. “I didn’t get them all out. Billy… I let him die…”

There were more explosions, the ground rumbling like a damn earthquake.

Seconds later we had air support.

Two of my guys came to Jim’s aid, trained medics, knowing what to do and how to do it.

I pulled back and away from Jim, our hands holding together until I had to break the hold. Then I lost my f*cking mind. I stood up, grabbed a gun, and just started unloading. Everything went black. I only stopped shooting because I got shot.

“You listening to me?” a voice rang out in my memory.

I saw my left hand balled up in a tight fist. I was shaking. I felt a cold rage in my veins.

I snapped my head to the left and saw pretty Cassie. I put my hand to her lower back. “Tell you what,” I said. “Go find Max. Take care of him tonight. Tell him it was from me.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t do…”

“You’re in my clubhouse, act accordingly. You’re a f*cking reliever so do your damn job or leave.”

That was Cassie’s first dose of reality.

I watched her walk away and I curled my lip. I walked toward the bar and Cash spun around from his stool.

“What happened?” he asked. “She finally see how small your dick really is?”

He was just f*cking around, but I wasn’t in the mood.

I slammed my beer bottle off the bar. I grabbed Cash by his shirt and pushed him against the bar. I thrust forward with the broken bottle only to have someone hook their arm into mine and stop me.

“Fuck, brother,” Jasper yelled in my ear. “Take it outside. Right now.”

“Jesus Christ,” Cash said. “Go take a f*cking pill or something, man.”

I dropped the broken bottle. I walked to the door and punched it open, going outside. I walked to a picnic table and flipped it over. That did nothing. I started to pace like a hungry animal, wanting to f*cking attack. Yet there was nothing to actually attack that would make me feel better.

Shit, it wasn’t even about Jim. It was about Belle. I made myself very clear to her a long time ago. She didn’t need this shit in her life. Especially with her brother being hurt. And f*ck, I had no idea she was taking care of Jim on her own. Her old man died a while back from heart issues. I spent the night getting shit wasted during his funeral. I f*cked two different women, trying to chase the guilt away.

I should have gone to the funeral.

“Fuck,” I said.

“You need something,” a voice said from behind me.

I turned and Trev was there. “Prez…”

“Hey, take it easy,” Trev said. “You want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Fair enough.” Trev put his hand forward. “Fresh beer?”

“No.”

Trev kept the beer for himself. He stepped up next to me. He was the same height as me. I probably had a few extra pounds of earned muscle than he had. Yet he stood there so calm. Staring out into the night. It pissed me off.

“Whatever the f*ck you think you have to do tonight, I would just go with it,” Trev said. “As long as you’re not going to hurt yourself physically. Or wind up in jail. But even if you do, we’ll back you up, Duke.”

Jesus Christ… did this guy really have to be that good of a President?

“Anything else, Prez?” I asked.

Trev put a hand to my shoulder; my torn up shoulder. His thumb dug into the wound and I stood there, accepting the pain.

“Your brothers have your back,” he said. “Never forget that. But don’t ever put a broken bottle to another brother’s throat without good cause. We all know your dick is huge. No need to act like some f*cking dumb ass high school jock.”

Trev walked away.

That was true command. I respected him for that. Coming up to Daurian and taking over the mess Ripper left.

If I wasn’t going to f*ck Cassie… or drink beer… there was only one thing to do.

Ride.

And I knew where I would end up if I got on that open road.

I had to see Belle.





eight.



(belle)



I heard Jim’s voice mumbling from the kitchen. It wasn’t my place to just barge in and snoop on him. Yeah, it was one big house but I did try my best to respect privacy. But I just had to make sure he was okay. I snuck into his bathroom and opened the cabinet. I counted the pill bottles.

All good.

I grabbed the heaviest pain killer and twisted off the cap. I looked inside and tried to do my best mental count. It didn’t look like there was a lot missing. Other than his normal dosage.

I put the cap back on and stuck it in the cabinet. I shut the door and saw the reflection of Jim as he stood behind me.