Crush: The River Demons MC of Louisiana Read online

  Crush

  The River Demons

  (Noir Valley Charter MC)

  Book 3

  Brair Lake

  © 2020, Brair Lake

  All rights reserved by the author. Brair Lake

  Blue Dove Publications 2020

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  Cover Image: © Copyright: 58931483

  Mentions

  Whiskey Blues

  Harley

  Corolla

  Spider

  FatBoy

  Road King

  Spider

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission of the author

  The work in this book is the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to person either living or dead, places, events or locations is purely incidental. The characters and storyline are a work of fiction. The River Demons MC is about escapism and does not reflect real life in any way.

  Crush

  I want a future, will he let go of the past

  Mia is the sister of The River Demons and Alex's enemy. But this hasn't stopped her from dreaming about her brother's former best friend Alex. Five years ago, they spent one night together. Since her return to Noir Valley, Mia yearned for a repeat performance, but it never happened. Now she's giving up on Alex and his memories and moving on. There's a new guy in Noir Valley who has no affiliations with any of the River Demons or any other MC.

  Alex returned to Noir Valley to forget about his past and the death of his wife, Jo-Leigh. Since his return he has lost his best friend Jono and fought a coup to keep his bike club The River Demons. Five years ago, he slept with his ex-best friend’s younger sister, Mia. He's tried to forget her, but she is in his life. Now he's found a way to keep her close.

  Jono wants revenge for losing his club The River Demons. Alex has an enemy, Joel Delaney.

  Alex thought he was safe, but his past is about to catch up with him

  The River Demons don’t ask for much in life. All they want, is to spend lazy days riding their bikes on the roads of Louisiana and spend their nights gambling and partying on The Demon’s Lair.

  Noir Valley, The Demon’s Lair and The River Demons will never be the same again as their lives are torn apart.

  Discover how the partying die hard bachelors meet their matches in the women who storm through their lives.

  Old friends turned enemies return to Louisiana to take what they believe is rightfully theirs.

  This book contains explicit sex and is intended for mature audience of 18+ only

  There are acts of, hard sex. Loving sex, self-pleasure, voyeurism anal play (female), phone sex, strong language Arrogant Dominant Alpha Men.

  The River Demons MC is about escapism and does not reflect real life in any way.

  If this offends you in any way. Please do not purchase.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Brair Lake

  Book Blubs

  Prologue

  Alex: The Old Demon’s Lair Noir Valley

  Six Years Earlier

  Trees. All I see are trees. We are more swamp rats than River Demon. Holed up and hidden from the citizens of Noir Valley because we don’t want to offend them or their sensibility. Shit, they know who we are. What we do. We take their money in exchange for protection. Security work, Day calls it. Just as Quaker did before he retired and died. This was the deal Quaker struck with Charles Golding, the then Sherriff when Quaker founded the River Demons. Shit, how many years ago was that. Long before I was born.

  I blink, pushing the past into the recess of my mind as I stare at the wooden walls of the old shack. Twelve months ago, I was living in New Orleans. An up-and-coming lawyer with a bright future and a beautiful wife. I run my hand through my hair and smile as I clutch the ends. My hair was shorter then. The new length, a reminder of how my life has changed. My smile twists as I recall the time I spent in New Orleans. A time I was blissfully living in a fool’s world.

  “What do you say, Slick? Are you with me?”

  I wince at the use of the tag Jono gave me when I returned to Noir Valley. Jonathan Cartwright, my best friend. The one who pulled me back into the River Demons and thanks to his nomination six months ago, saw my meteoric rise as the club’s Road Manager.

  “I think we should listen to Day. He knows what he’s talking about,” I said.

  “Fuck that, Slick. The only reason he’s president is because of who he is. If it wasn’t for Quaker and Yellow-Bellie, his old man. Do you really think the club would have voted him in as president?” Jono said.

  I glance out of the window. You can see the river and the old dock where Day used to moor the riverboat. Sat in the river, neglected, it had slowly started to rot. A few more years and it’ll have fallen to pieces. But Day had his plans. Plans he set into action when Quaker stepped down as president two years ago. The discussion I’m having with Jono isn’t new. It’s one that’s festered in the vice president since Day began to restore Demon’s Lair.

  “He’s good at what he does, Jono. His ideas are going to take the club places. Bring in good money” I turn to my bond brother. He’s twenty-seven, and like me, he comes from a white-collar family. At sixteen, he walked out of his home and joined the River Demon’s. We did our year as prospects together. I blink back the other memories which are pushing their way through the mire. Memories I have no desire to recall. The time I spent away from Noir Valley is my burden and one I don’t intend to do anything about. “Don’t you get fed up of being holed up in this swamp. Shit, Kettering’s inspected my bike five times in the last three months. How many times has he stopped you?”

  Jono rises from his seat, strides across the empty clubhouse and using the sleeve of his checkered shirt to clear a spot on the dirty window, he scrutinizes the Mississippi. “Kettering’s a pain in the ass. Make me president and I can get him on our side. He’s power hungry, Slick. We can offer him the Police Commissioner’s position. Then we’re rid of Bernie.”

  Years of training to be a lawyer helps to keep my voice bland. “Bernie’s good to us. Jono.” The biker turns to me, his hazel gaze steady, and I refuse to blink. “I trust Bernie. Wouldn’t trust Kettering. No matter what he says or promises.”

  Jono’s eyes narrow as he watches me, “you’ve listened to Day for too long. Don’t get pulled in by his bullshit.”

  “You should have followed your Old Man’s trade and become a banker, Jono. That’s where the
real con is.”

  Jono slaps me on the back, sniggering as he returns to his seat. “My Old Man is too straight lace. So is Hank. That’s why he’s deputy.” Jono rubs his chin. “If we move Kettering, we’ll need to find a new Sherriff. Fuck, I’m not sure Hank is our man.”

  “Shit, I’m surprised you trusted me enough to take me back, Jono. If that’s what you think of your family.”

  “You were a River Demon when you left Noir Valley. You’ll be a River Demon when you die.” Jono squints as he studies me. “You ever think that’s why Delaney’s case was given to you?”

  I shrug as I turn towards the door. The air is turning oppressive and I need to make my escape. “We agreed never to talk about Delaney. Not to anyone.”

  Jono runs his finger and thumb over his mouth in a mock zipper movement. “My lips are sealed. Remember the votes tonight.”

  I recognize the veiled threat for what it is as I close the door to the old hut. The glint of the sun flashing between the leaves of the trees mock me.

  24 hours later

  I rub my chin as I study Jono from below lowered eyelashes as he rubs his knuckles.

  “I thought I could count on you, Slick.”

  I shrug, “my vote wouldn’t have made a difference.”

  “It might have. If the others knew you had my back. They would have voted for me.”

  The petulance in his voice grates along my spine. As good as a vice president he makes, he’d make a weak president for The River Demons. “The club agrees with the direction Day’s taking us.”

  “The club might. But what about our partners? We do good business with them. Shit, they’ll not let us out easy.”

  “They’ll find more runners. That’s all we are, Jono. Runners and back street bookies. With the casino, we’ll make more money in a week than we do in a month.”

  “You lived in the city too long, Slick. I’m taking the club back. A few of us are meeting up tonight. Join us.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Do. I hear Delaney’s case has fallen through. That he’s about to become a free man.”

  I nod as I turn away and head for my bike. I need to ride. My stomach is churning, and my hands are shaking. Everything I worked for, I lost thanks to Delaney. He had it all taken from me. As the road sweeps beneath the tires of the bike and the trees blur as I ride, my fingers clench, and the bike gathers speed. A year ago, my world fell apart and I refuse to let Jono destroy it a second time.

  When I return to the old club house for Jono’s meeting, there are a dozen or more bikes parked outside the old hut. Four of them I recognize as belonging to Jono, Clipper, Sink and Neat. Four officers of the River Demons. I frown as I dismount from the bike. At last night’s meeting, Clipper voted for Jono, while Sink and Neat had sided with Day. As I walk to the closed door, I wonder what hold Jono has on the two officers. Shit, they were Quaker’s men. Club officers long before I was a prospect. Smoke teases my nose and my eyes water when I open the door. Jono nods as I enter, and after a quick scan of the packed room, I find an empty chair at the rear of the shack. The grievances against Day are long and I wonder if he has misjudged the brothers’ reaction in the direction he intends to take the club. The meeting drags on for several hours, growing rowdier as the brothers voice their opinions at once and my head aches as I listen to them bitch. When the meeting draws to a close, I know Jono is not going to accept his defeat of last night with grace and Day has a fight on his hand. As I glance around to see if I can make my escape, two of the club’s officers approach me and my guard slips back into place.

  “Slick,” I accept the beer Neat offers me and nod at Sink.

  Sink breaks the silence. His gray eyes blank as he watches me, and I don’t blink. “What do you think?” Sink is the club’s Warlord and like Day, he was born into the River Demons. As rough as he looks with hair that reaches his waist, he is a quiet introspective man.

  “That you should raise your concerns with Day.” I turn my gaze to the other members of the club. “And so should they.”

  Neat nods as he sips his beer. His laugh self-derogatory. “People don’t like change. We have money coming in. What happens when that stops?”

  “You make it sound like Day’s taking the club cold turkey. It’ll be awhile before we say goodbye to the old business.” Neat watches me. His light green eyes full of questions and his fingers clench around the neck of his beer bottle as he raises it to his lips. That’s who Neat is. He likes things in order. When he says people don’t like change, he’s talking about himself. The River Demons turned him from a homeless street kid to giving him an instant family. Somewhere where he belongs with no questions asked. “You believe in Day,” Neat said.

  My gaze flashes over to Jono and I watch him talking to Clipper, the club’s Secretary. Clipper hadn’t been a member of The River Demons when I left Noir Valley nine years ago. Yet when I returned, he was already an officer.

  “Whose idea was it. Jono’s or Clipper’s?” My question isn’t idle curiosity. Since my return, Clipper and I have crossed on several issues regarding the club and my lawyer’s instinct warns me he is untrustworthy.

  Sink raises his bottle in a mock salute. “Behind every King is the King Maker.”

  Neat nods in agreement. His green gaze on Clipper. “And it’s the King’s Maker you have to watch.”

  I watch Jono. His threat about Delaney rings in my brain. “He got something on you two.”

  Neat shakes his head. “I just wanted to hear what he has to say.”

  Sink smiles. “I just wanted to hear what the man had to say.” Sink’s gaze is on me again, and I know he’s trying to read me. “What about you, Slick? You and Jono have history.”

  I drain my beer. The tepid liquid fails to ease the tension riding in me. “That we do.” My gaze narrows as I watch the man I grew up with. “Too much history as it turns out.” Jono works his way across the floor, stopping occasionally to reassure the bikers when they question him. He’s moving closer to me. I ran from Delaney because of my grief over Jo-Leigh’s death. No matter where I am, he will always be a threat to me. My gaze sweeps the room and silently, I acknowledge Jono has the votes he needs. “I’m going for a ride.”

  After texting Day, I meet up with him and Bastion several miles out of Noir Valley. Beside me, are Neat and Sink. As the two bikers and the dozen of bikers behind them pull up, Day removes his helmet. His dark hair swinging around his shoulders as he watches me. Bastian dismounts from his Harley to stand next to Day, running his fingers through sandy hair flattened by the bucket brain. Then he turns to his brothers, raises and lowers his hand. As the air falls silent as they switch off engines, Bastian steps forward. “What’s Jono planning.”

  Neat dismounts from his bike, nods at Sink and me, and we nod in return. Then he turns back to Bastian. “Jono’s raising a coup. He held a vote and has the men.”

  Day’s gaze flickers between Neat, Sink, and me. “Who’s with him.”

  “Clipper. Sharpie. Rickety-Lee.” Sink reeled off several names. “You don’t seem surprised.”

  Day laughs as he scratches his ear. “He lost last night’s vote.” His eyes swings to Bastian then back to us. “We knew he wouldn’t accept the outcome. What about you three?” Although the question is thrown out casually, Day’s gaze returns to me.

  “Jono brought me into the club, Day.” I glance at the men behind him as a murmur filters through the air. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.” Day nods as he slips his helmet on, and I lick my lips. “I like what you’re doing with the club, Day. I like your plans. Shit, I want to be more than a runner.”

  “Does that mean you’re throwing your cap in with me?”

  I glance at Sink and Neat, both men nod, and I smile at Day. “Looks as though you can’t get rid of us that easy.”

  Day smiles as he slips the strap of his brain bucket under his chin. “Shit, Slick. I’m glad you chose right. I sure would have hated killing you.”


  My smile is weak as I mount my bike. “Let’s go to the riverboat. Jono’s set up at the old hut.” I’ve just betrayed my best friend and have no remorse over it. My loyalty is to the club.

  Just as we hit the outskirts of Noir Valley, we spot bright dancing flames licking against the night skyline above the river and slow our bikes to a halt. The hum of engines deafening as we watch the flames and smoke. Then the air fills with the growl of a dozen engines revving as we ride down to the dock. The riverboat is on fire. Noir Valley is a small town and both firetrucks are dowsing the flames.

  “Jono.” Leon Smythe is beside me. His brown eyes searching mine.

  I nod. “Maybe I left the meeting too early.”

  Day is on my other side and slaps my back. “She’s insured.”

  Chapter 1

  Alex: Demon’s Lair Noir Valley

  Present day

  “We’re having a family day.” Day said as he strolls towards the bar.

  As I watch him, I reach out and pat the cushions searching for the remote which has slipped to the back of the couch and turn the volume of the television down. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  From the bar, he collects a couple of beers, then joins me on the couch, and keeping his gaze on the movie, he passes me a beer. His hair is damp, a sure sign he has just come from the shower, and I glance at my watch to check the date. Nope, it’s not April 1. But it is after two, and it’s the first day of my four days off.