Savage Love (Back Down Devil MC #7)(20)

Jerry then stroked Ella’s cheek. Her good cheek, the one that wasn’t swollen. His fingers slipped behind her neck and he pulled her forward. Ella tried to resist for a few seconds but Jerry was too strong. He pulled her forehead to his lips.

He kissed her. “Ella. What the f*ck happened?”

“I don’t know who you are,” Ella whispered. “You’re so hidden, Jerry. You’re lost. I…”

“No, no, no,” Jerry whispered. “You stop talking right now. Because I’m going to explain very clearly.”

Just like that, Jerry tightened his grip on the back of Ella’s neck. He showed his teeth like a vicious animal, ready to attack. More than once Ella feared Jerry would have a way to kill her and get rid of her and be able to get away with it. He had the job, the power, and worse than that, he had the connections to make that happen.

“You’re going to walk out of this room with that baby. You’re going to pack a bag. Hell, make it two. Whatever you can f*cking carry out of here. While you do that I’m going to double check my gun, make sure it’s ready. You know why?”

Ella didn’t respond.

“Because if you don’t have yourself and that baby out of here in five minutes, I’ll kill you. And it.”

Jerry kissed Ella’s forehead again and then broke away from her. He walked away slow, going down the stairs, disappearing.

Ella didn’t waste a second because she knew Jerry wasn’t joking.

Charging into the master bedroom, she put Beck on the bed. Her heart wanted to weep but her mind knew there wasn’t time now for that. She grabbed a bag from the closet. It was already packed. She had packed it weeks ago and left it there, hidden. It had enough clothing for her and for Beck to last a long while. She then ran to Beck’s nursery to get diapers, wipes, powder, bottles, and his diaper bag. There were some toys and a blanket or two.

Carrying a baby in one arm and bags in the other, Ella nibbled on her tongue as she took down the stairs, trying to keep her emotions in check, along with her balance. She walked to the door and looked back, once, and saw Jerry standing there with his gun. The keys to the car were hung up.

Ella shut the door and felt her eyes fill with tears.

Her mind asked, has it been five minutes yet?

She didn’t know and wasn’t going to test the waters. She hurried to the car.

Ella backed down the driveway and drove away, knowing she would probably never see the house again. At the first stop sign, she sat there longer than the required two seconds. She gripped the wheel tight and wept as silent as she could. In the backseat, baby Beck kicked and played with a toy, making baby noises.

He knows nothing but innocence.

Yet the only place Ella knew to go right now was anything but innocent.





nine.



Blaine tied the final piece of rope around the Coast Road MC member’s hand. Gaige stood behind the chair with a gun to the guy’s head. Miller finished a smoke and tossed it to the concrete floor, scattering glowing embers. Nate made fists, standing next to Jace and Landon.

They caught the f*cking prick less than a quarter mile from the south side of the lot. Lots of junker cars and whatnot back there. Lots of bodies buried there too. No reason for anyone to be there. Especially a guy running around in a black t-shirt.

Nate found the Coast Road MC cut under the hood of a car.

The guy sat there, rope in his mouth, eyes wide. The veins in his arms were thick like pipes, throbbing with fear and whatever drugs the * pumped into himself to look so big and tough.

Miller made a fist and released it. “I have to say… for all the ‘roids you take, you fell hard, man. Really f*cking hard. One punch from a guy like me.”

“Let me do it,” Gaige said. “Let me f*cking do it, Miller.”

“Hold up,” Miller said. He grabbed a chair and sat down. He was just a few feet away from the guy. “Take the rope out of his mouth.”

Gaige loosened the rope and let it fall down the guy’s neck.

“That better?” Miller asked.

“Fuck you,” the guy said.

“Tell me your name.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck me,” Miller said. “They all say that. Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me.” Miller put his hand out and nodded to Landon. “Give me the cut.”

Landon handed Miller the Coast Road MC leather cut. It was complete disrespect to touch another man’s cut. It was even worse to touch another MC’s cut.

“Smells like shit,” Miller said. “Smells like scum.” Miller dropped the cut and then put a foot on it.

“You f*cking piece of shit,” the guy said. “You step on my cut? I’ll step on your f*cking throat.”

Miller grinned. “Tough guy. You were f*cking around my lot. My territory. I bet you have others waiting, huh? Coming around in the dark. Taking off your cut so we wouldn’t know. The fake biceps gave it away, *.”

Miller stood up. He walked to the table and grabbed a can of gasoline and a lighter. He poured gas on the leather cut and made a small line. He lit the gasoline on fire and the leather cut burst into flames.

The Coast Road MC guy started to yell and thrash. “Let me go! I’ll f*cking kill you!”

“Blaine, put this out,” Miller said.