Secret Mayhem (Back Down Devil MC #4)(56)

“Lied…”

“About you. I knew it was you doing this and I held the information back.”

“Why?”

Shay leaned forward. “Because I wanted to f*cking kill you myself. You weak piece of shit.”

Caius’s eyes widened and he looked like he could cry. He curled his lip and looked down. His hands were shaking and when he made a fist, Shay was ready. He didn’t fear his brother’s physical violence.

Caius punched Shay in the nose, making him bleed, but then Caius jumped back. He shook his hand and held it as he tried to catch his breath.

“Should have kept your guys alive,” Shay said, laughing to taunt his brother. Blood dripped into his mouth and he swallowed it. “Come on, Caius, hit me again. Or untie me. Let me fight you like a man. Let's settle this.”

“There’s nothing to settle,” Caius said. “I’m taking everything you have. I hate you, Shay. All I wanted to do was destroy the world with you by my side. You turned on me. I f*cking hate you.”

“I hate you too, brother,” Shay said.

“Your club abandoned you,” Caius said as he collected himself. “And I guess I won’t need to visit AnnMarie and sweet Stephanie.”

“Jonesy's family?”

Caius smiled. “I was going to do bad things to them. I gave him an order and he listened. However, I was prepared for your entire club to come after me."

“I’m alone,” Shay said. “You just said you checked the area.”

“I know. But I have backup, just in case.” Caius pulled out a small black box. “This is a detonator. I figured you would all surround me here. I just wanted to know if Jonesy was dead.”

“He’s dead,” Shay said. “He slit his wrists.”

Caius laughed. “Can’t blame him. I did make him eat his own tongue.”

“You *.”

Caius came at Shay again. This time the punch hurt. Caius cried out. He then held the black box out and pressed the button.

For a second, Shay saw it all ending. Caius brought him here to kill them both. To die as brothers. Together.

The ground rumbled and the building shook.

“The bombs were all outside,” Caius said. “So when you surrounded me, I would kill you all.”

Shay let out a shaky breath. He shook his head.

“Oh, there’s the fear,” Caius said. “You care for those men. And they left you.”

“I lied. I deserve this.”

“Yes, you do deserve this,” Caius said. “And know that when I’m done killing you, I’m going to enjoy killing all of Back Down Devil. One by one. Reducing them to ash.”

Caius dropped the black box and pulled out his gun. “Look at me, my brother.”

Shay looked. “You don’t have the balls to do it.”

With a shrug and a smile, Caius pulled the trigger.

Shay didn’t expect him to do it that quick, but he did. The pain seared in his left shoulder. He looked at the hole in his leather cut.

“Fuck,” Shay groaned. “That f*cking hurts.”

“Yes, yes. Tell me that it hurts.”

“It f*cking hurts.”

“You could have been with me,” Caius said.

“I’m right here now. Let me out of the chair, Caius. Let’s do it the right way.”

“This is the right way,” Caius said. “This… is the right way. You’re weak. I’m strong. You’re tied to a chair, bleeding. I’m standing with a gun. That’s the image you need to remember.”

“Like a bitch,” Shay said. “Like you always were. Remember when we climbed a tree and you got scared of the height and pissed yourself?”

“Shut up.”

“You pissed like a baby. In your pants.”

“I’ll hurt you…”

“You needed a diaper, Caius. You baby.”

Caius lifted the gun and shot again.

Shay jumped back in the chair as another bullet went through his right shoulder. He let out a much needed scream. It really f*cking hurt.

“Do it again,” Shay said. “End it. *.”

Caius came at Shay. He reached down and lifted the chair. “I’ll drop you.”

Shay smiled. He swung his right foot up and connected with Caius’s jaw. The chair went back and Shay hit his head on the concrete again. Caius was then hovering over him, blood running from his nose.

“I’m going to put the next bullet through your head. You’re dead to me.”

“I know,” Shay said. “Do it. I accept your weakness.”

“I’m not weak!” Caius cried out.

“Yes you are. You’ve always been…”

Caius put the gun in Shay’s mouth. His eyes went wide. Shay could feel the gun shaking, clanking against his teeth. He didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t supposed to get to this point. That wasn’t the plan.

That’s not what Miller f*cking told him.

They were going to dump Shay off and leave. They were going to establish their presence when the time was right. They were smart enough to know about the bombs. They used Strokner for information the same way Caius did.

Unless, of course, Miller made a decision to let Shay die.