Page 36 of Rough Ride

“They’re with you, Max. With the Demons. Always has been, always will be.”

“Prove it.”

“Prove it?” Kye asked, feeling his ire rise. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” Max, for the briefest moment, had a look of surprise. “I’ve done everything you ever asked me to do, and I’ve made you a rich man doing it. You wanna know the truth? Yeah, I fucked her. God, I bent her over the counter and fucked her until she couldn’t walk.” Yaakov chuckled. “I fucked her because you told me to. I fucked her, got it out of my system, and that’s the end of it. You’re pissed because I went dark for less than a day. You’ve been dead ass silent for almost a week. The fuck did you want me to do?”

“Watch your tone with me, boy,” Max said, pointing a threatening finger at him. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”

“Actually, you do,” Kye replied. “You name me second, yet you’re keeping things from me. Shit, Max, you look like you’ve had a stroke, and I seem to be the last person to know. You want me to carry on your legacy, keep the club going strong? You’ve got me undermined before I ever take authority. Like it or not, Max, once you’re dead, this club isn’t going to hang on to your every word anymore. You want to present a strong, united front. This is the fucking wrong way to do it.”

“Hmm,” Max said with a contemplative growl. He tapped a finger to his temple. “You think I don’t know that?” Max asked, and his head jerked in a slight spasm. “Since we’re telling the truth here, I’ve been reconsidering my decision.”

“Why?”

“The girl.”

“If you were so worried about her, you never should have brought her back into the picture,” Kye argued.

“She had her hold on you, boy. Here or there doesn’t matter. You’ve always been divided. Torn. A man at war with himself. It’s about as productive as you taking a piss in the wind.”

“Whether you name me successor or not, I’m a Demon through and through,” Kye said firmly. Max, with his lopsided face, grinned and clapped Kye on the shoulder.

“You’ve made friends in the club, son. The Demons like you. Look up to you. Hell, a lot of them fear you. But you’re crazy if you think after me there’s a future for you here. Say I name Riggs King, what’s the first thing you think he’ll do?”

“Fuck his way through Jez’s?”

“Don’t get smart with me,” Max said, but he chuckled. “If not Riggs, what about Dhal. What do you think he’ll do first?”

“You’d really name Dhal?”

“I’d name anyone I thought wasn’t going to fuck things up,” Max barked, and for the first time, Kye could hear the desperation in his voice. Kye gripped Max by his good shoulder and stared the man in the eyes.

“Max,” he said, stepping closer and resting his forehead against the older man’s. “You’re scared. You don’t show it, but I know you are. It’s a fucking waste the way things are ending for you. I’ve let you down. I’ve worried you. I am still the man you raised. I am still the leader you made me into. You have to trust me. Trust me now, to honor you. To represent you. To keep your legacy safe. I am your man.”

“I know, son,” Max said, gripping Kye’s arm. A tear leaked from Max’s left eye, and he sniffled before pulling away. “But I need to know. Once and for all. You choose me, you choose this club over everything.” Before Kye could ask how, Max was crossing back to his desk. “Kill her.”

“Kill… Eliana?”

“Do you know another ‘her’ I could be referring to?” Max asked sarcastically. “She’s a threat. I’ve seen her casework. She’s good, and she knows too much. Plus, she’s pissed. We let her go, she’ll make it her life work to take us down.”

“So… we don’t let her go,” Kye said, turning to face him. “We keep her. Believe me, the condition I left her in, she’s a submissive, purring kitten.” Yaakov chuckled again, and Max glared at him. “She already quit her job, left the law firm. She’s got other priorities now.”

“She’s a woman. She might be sucking your dick today, but that bitch has teeth, and she’ll use them. I’ve decided. As my final order, I want her dead. I want you to kill her. If you don’t do it, I’ve got a list of men who will. Your buddy, Grier? He’s at the top of that list.” Kye felt his hands ball into fists. “Didn’t realize he was on my payroll, did you? Had him keeping his eye on you all these years, making sure my grooming was working.”

“Grier has always had his own priorities, I never claimed to have his loyalty above his allegiance to you.”

“No, no you didn’t,” Max agreed, sitting back in his chair. “What’s your answer, son?” Max asked, getting back to the point.

“I can use her.”

“That’s not good enough,” Max said, and using his good hand, gestured to Dhal. Kye felt a hand on his shoulder from behind, and his knees were kicked out from underneath him as he was forced to the ground. The cocking of a pistol sent shivers up his spine. “I want her dead. I want you to kill her.”

“Max, don’t do this,” Kye pleaded, and Dhal pressed a hard boot to his back, pinning him to the ground. Kye was unable to move let alone reach his gun.

“You have one more chance,” Max said slowly, and Dhal grabbed Kye’s ponytail, yanking his head back and drawing him to his knees. Standing from his seat once again, Max walked over to the kneeling Kye and took the gun Dhal extended to him. The moment the barrel of it was aimed directly at him, images of Eliana flashed across his mind.

Had he known their first time together would be their last, he wouldn’t have bothered with breakfast. He’d have laid in that bed with her until they’d burned the house down with them inside. Refusing to close his eyes, he set his jaw and prepared to meet his maker.

Then a phone rang.