Secret Mayhem (Back Down Devil MC #4)(8)

“Just fine,” Ava said. “Living in my dream home.”

Ava opened her hands and smiled.

Nile laughed. “Just so you know, you’d enjoy it. You’d come begging for more. You and me, sweetie, we could be something good. Real good.”

“If that’s what you need to think to sleep better tonight, that’s fine,” Ava said.

“I’m going to think about what could have been,” Nile said.

“Do that then.”

“One of these days Trev ain’t gonna be around to protect your sweet ass. And when that day comes, I’m going to f*ck it… and every other hole on your body I can force myself in.”

Nile stuck two of his fingers up his nose and pulled them out, covered in blood. He touched Ava’s door and ran his fingers down a few inches and then stopped. Ava had no idea what the hell that was supposed to do, other than gross her out.

She slammed the door, shut it, and locked it.

Ava plopped back down on the couch. She looked to the mismatched cushion next to her and then to the door. She bit her lip and reached behind the cushion. She flipped it up on its side and opened the zipper. Reaching into the yellow stuffing, she closed her eyes and told herself that the stuffing was always yellow. That it wasn’t from smoke, stain, and age.

When Ava touched the envelope, she opened her eyes and pulled it out of the cushion. She put the envelope on her lap and looked at the door again. Being locked didn’t mean shit. Trev had a key, and if anyone wanted in, they’d just kick the door down.

Ava was just going to have to take the chance.

She opened the envelope and found the picture of Stein. Big round shoulders, hairy as anything, a rough looking face, and mean eyes. Mostly bald but still desperate to keep hair on his head. He looked old and goofy, but the tattoos and devilish look in his eyes made it so nobody questioned anything he did or said. Most of the guys, with the exception of a few scumbags like Nile, kept away from Ava, out of respect to their fallen leader. They believed Ava was Stein's old lady, which was why she was given the respect and protection of the Lost Men.

But if the truth came out about Ava and Stein, it would be bad. She would be beat, automatically passed around to each and every member, and then possibly even killed for her betrayal. Without hesitation. She hadn't shown up to the Lost Men by accident. It wasn’t because she wanted to fall in love, get f*cked, or become an old lady. In fact, hearing people refer to her as "Stein's old lady" made her sick. Not because Stein was an ugly man, but because Stein was... her father.

When she discovered where her father was and who he actually was, she prayed that he would help her escape her husband, Todd. There was no way Todd would come near her if he knew she was protected by outlaw bikers who had no respect for the law.

It was a secret between Ava and her father in order to keep her safe. So when one man began questioning their relationship a few weeks ago, Stein killed him, but not before the man pulled his trigger too, ending Ava's father's life. The wound was fresh. The grief real. And suddenly Ava's life became even more complicated.

Ava ran her thumb along the picture with one hand and then along a piece of paper with the other. She couldn’t be here forever. Eventually a guy like Nile would get tired of being turned down and take matters into his own hands. And Trev would eventually decide it was time to move on from Stein’s death, and his first move would be toward Ava. Because other than fighting and shooting at each other, Ava knew the guys around here wanted to f*ck. Most of the other women were drunk, high, and looked worn out. Not that Ava was conceited, but she was the youngest and the most virginal.

Someone tried to open her door and her heart skipped a beat. She scrambled to hide everything under the cushion. The last thing she needed was to face punishment for having her door lock.

“Open the f*cking door,” Trev bellowed as he knocked harder.

“I’m right here,” Ava said.

She unlocked the door and opened it. Trev put a hand to her chest and pushed back, sending Ava tumbling all the way to the couch. She sat on the cushion that was hiding the pictures and papers that would get her killed if they were discovered.

“What the f*ck are you doing?”

“Relaxing,” Ava said.

“Why was the door locked?”

“Nile…”

Trev’s eyes went wide. “What happened?”

“See the blood on the door?”

Trev nodded. “That was him?”

“He stuck his own fingers up his nose and did that to scare me or whatever. I just don’t want to be bothered anymore. Okay?”

“What’s with the get up? I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“You try to act so tough around here,” Trev said, sitting down next to Ava. “You try to act like you belong here. Like you want to be here. You don’t even know who the f*ck we are.”

“Who are you then?”

Trev shook his head. “We’re the outcasts of all the MC's. We are the ones who wouldn’t listen because we think all law is worth shit. Stein was a tough man. He managed to keep order around here. Loosely though. He was a smart man. I'm sorry that he's dead."

“Me too,” Ava said.

“Look, I just got a call about helping an old friend out.”