Secret Mayhem (Back Down Devil MC #4)(20)

The two women stopped.

“You came with the Lost Men, right?” the one woman asked. She had scars on her face. Was she bombed too?

“Yeah…”

“I’m Avery,” the other woman said. “I heard you were an old lady.”

“Something like that,” Ava said.

“By the way, I’m Kaity,” the woman with the scars said.

“Nice to meet both of you. I’m Ava.”

“Ava,” Avery said. “That’s a hot name. No wonder Shay is all over you and risking his ass by stealing a woman from the Lost Men.”

“Not stealing,” Ava smiled. “I was leaving to go for a walk or something.”

“Leaving the clubhouse?” Kaity's eyes widened. “That’s kind of dangerous right now with what’s going on.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Ava said.

“Shay will be pissed,” Avery said. “I’ve seen him pissed before. He’s nasty.”

Ava swallowed. She shrugged her shoulders. “I just need to escape sometimes."

Kaity came forward and touched Ava’s arm. “And sometimes you need protection.”

Ava couldn’t help but look at the marks on Kaity’s face. Even with the scars, she was beautiful and her eyes were dark and sexy.

“She’s not shy about it,” Avery said. “Her face. You keep looking at it.”

“I don’t care,” Kaity said. “I just don’t want the same to happen to you.”

Ava shook her head. “Why would that happen to me?”

“Because you’re here. The second you stepped foot in this clubhouse, you became part of it all. Part of the war. Part of the MC. Sorry.”

“I’ll take my chances still,” Ava said. “Living with the Lost Men does that to you. Accepting death is more comfortable than anything they have to offer.”

“Pretty rough with them, huh?” Avery asked.

Ava nodded. “As bad as you’ve probably heard. They’re all just shells of men. They're monsters. And they really do not care about a thing.”

“Kind of like the men around here,” Kaity said with a grin.

“Yeah, but at least there is order and rules around here,” Ava said.

“For the most part,” Avery said. “Are you really going to leave the clubhouse?”

“I have to,” Ava said. “I’m sorry. I can’t explain it right now to anyone. Not even Shay. Are you going to rat me out?”

“No,” Kaity said. “If you have to go, go.”

Ava appreciated the women somewhat helping her. She walked by them and kept her sights on the main floor of the clubhouse. When Kaity whistled and called her name, Ava looked back.

Kaity touched her face and nodded. “I had nothing to do with this war, Ava. I was just a woman on the run with a broken down car. But the club's enemies were out for blood, so that’s what these scars are. They force Erik to look at me everyday and remember what his face looks like. You leave this clubhouse you never know what could happen. I hope you’re okay with that.”

Ava nodded and started walking again. Her heart rose to her throat.

She needed to do this.

Not a single person in the clubhouse bothered her as she left. Once outside in the parking lot, she looked around and then started to run. It was all she could do right now. She craved that sense of freedom and escape.

Outside the compound, Ava felt the worry roll through her body. She shouldn’t be doing this. But anything an enemy of the club wanted to do to her would be better than letting Nile have his way with her. Because that man would hurt her in ways she feared to even think about. And ultimately she would end up dead anyway.

As Ava continued to jog along the sidewalks in town, she smelled the fresh, warm air and was overcome with the smell of the ocean. It enticed her. It had been a long time since she saw a beach or the ocean. When she was younger, the beach was a beautiful place of peace, and she was in desperate need of peace. So that’s where Ava went.

As much as she wanted to leave Frelen and leave Back Down Devil, she was shaken by what both Kaity and Avery had said. They were involved with the MC so they knew what they were talking about. Ava kept looking around, wondering if someone was looking at her. Stalking her. Waiting for the right time to swoop in and attack her.

When Ava got to the beach, she stood and looked around. There were plenty of people enjoying the day. Some sitting in chairs, reading. Some throwing frisbees around. Some in the ocean, trying to ride the waves.

Ava walked over to an empty, quiet spot and sat down. She pulled her shoes off. The sand between her toes felt amazing. It seemed so unfair that she was the one having to run and hide. She didn't ask for this life, and she definitely didn't ask for the life her husband had tried to force her into. His craving for fame and fortune was why she had to leave. He wanted so badly for them to become "camera stars" as he would put it. Their sex life became increasingly scarier and more dangerous as he got more abusive and forceful in his attempt to make her sign the papers for films. So when she found out who her real father was, it seemed like the best way to protect herself. She had no idea it would get him killed.

A warm breeze tickled along her skin.

She took a handful of sand and let the wind take it from her hand. She swallowed and thought about Shay. The intense look on his face all the time made her so curious about him. He was troubled and it was obvious that no one else was seeing his struggle. Ava pictured his naked body and could still traced the lines of his muscles with her mind. Then she looked down at her hand and blushed. That hand had earned her keep.