Secret Mayhem (Back Down Devil MC #4)(26)

Gaige pointed to the Lost Men and said, “Get back on your motorcycles. Now. We’re riding. Right now.”

“See you boys later,” the guy from Eight Under said.

Gaige pulled a gun and pointed it at the guy. “Mark my words. You all will pay soon. What you think you’re doing…”

“Shay!” Nate yelled. “Don’t touch it!”

Ava watched as Shay chased after the car. She ran to Nate and grabbed his arm. “What’s happening?”

Nate looked down at Ava. “There’s a bomb in that car.”

“A bomb?”

Nate nodded.

“Why is he running toward it?” Ava asked, her voice crackling.

“Because he’s crazy,” Nate said.

Ava saw Shay catch up to the car and jump in the open door. He hit the gas pedal and drove it off the road.

Eight Under all got back on their motorcycles as fast as they could and took off. Their thundering yells echoed as Shay was still behind the wheel of the car.

“What the hell is doing?” Erik asked. “He’s going to get killed.”

“He's trying to get it out of harm’s way,” Nate said.

“He’s f*cking crazy,” Gaige said.

Ava was shaking.

She saw the brake lights light up and then Shay rushed from the car. Ava wondered if it was just a trick to rattle Back Down Devil. But a second later, the car exploded.

The giant fireball shot up into the sky. The ground shook. Shay…

Ava started to run. The guys all screamed for her. When someone grabbed her, and she went into a fight mode she didn’t know she had. She threw her head back and jumped up, smashing the top of her head off the jaw of the man holding her. He yelled and opened his grip. Ava ran as fast as her legs could move, needing to get to Shay. Behind her she heard the screams of Gaige and Nate, warning her that there could be more bombs.

Ava didn’t care.

She had to see Shay.

Dead or alive.

She ran from road to ground, kicking up dirt and dust. When she spotted Shay, her legs grew wobbly and she went sailing to the ground. But not once did her eyes leave Shay. She crawled to him and right as she reached for him, he popped up.

“Holy hell,” he said.

Ava reached for one of his hands. “Shay… Shay…”

“Ava, what the hell are you doing?” he yelled. “You’ll get yourself killed.”

“Why did you do that?” she asked. “You could have gotten killed.”

“Better than a car blowing up in the middle of the road and killing innocent people!"

Ava shook her head. She was shaking so bad.

Gaige and Nate appeared and quickly lifted Shay to his feet.

“Goddamn, brother,” Gaige said.

“You okay?” Nate asked.

“Fine,” Shay said.

“Those guys are nasty,” Gaige said.

Shay got to his feet. He reached down and lifted Ava. “No, they’re not nasty. Their partner is nasty. And it’s giving Eight Under confidence.”

Nate slammed a hand to Shay’s back and dust danced in the air. “Let’s get the hell out of here. Eight Under will go back to their hole for now. Let’s welcome Miller back when he’s done taking care of Jakey.”

“Yeah,” Gaige said. “Enough explosions for one day.”

Gaige and Nate hustled back to the rest of the group. Ava started to follow them, but Shay spun her around to face him.

“This is my life,” Shay said. “Enemies. Bombs. Everything. This is why I don’t have time to deal with secrets. Change your hair. Change your name. But your eyes tell the truth, Ava.”

“I didn’t change my name,” Ava said. “I already told you that.”

“Yeah, you did. We’re going back to the clubhouse. You better think long and hard about what you want. I’ll protect you until this all blows over. But then…”

“What are you hiding?” Ava asked. Her fear had subsided and now she was angry.

“Don’t worry about me,” Shay said.

“Too late.”

Ava shook Shay away and walked back to Shay’s motorcycle. She waited for him as he walked slowly toward his club and her. His eyes were dark and angry. She needed to find out what he was hiding, because the guilt was causing him to unnecessarily risk his life, and she couldn't let that happen. She needed Shay's protection. Ava was going to have to get aggressive.





eleven.



Back at the clubhouse, Shay had a shot, and then a beer, and then he looked around. Nate, Gaige, Landon, Erik, and Blaine were settling back in. Gaige made a call to Miller. The protection run had gone off without a hitch. Jakey was safely delivered and they were gassed up and on their way back. Gaige filled him in on what had happened with Eight Under. When the call ended, he gave a warning to everyone that there would be a meeting when Miller got back.

In the clubhouse, the mood wasn't celebratory. The Lost Men either wandered around or sat around, looking pissed off. Shay knew what they wanted. They wanted a fight. But going after Eight Under with force would do nothing. There would always be a plan in place to make sure nothing happened. Caius was smart like that. There was plan after plan. The big question was what was the goal of it all? If it was just Shay’s death, then he’d give himself up to Caius and accept death in order to protect Back Down Devil from anymore harm.