OWNED & UNTAMED (Back Down Devil MC #11) - London Casey Page 0,9

diner in thirty minutes.

I walked to the window and looked out at the damn fallen tree. Some random thunderstorm had taken it down. Jim said he’d take care of it. That he’d make firewood out of it. We didn’t get cold weather. We didn’t get snow. We were in California. Having a fireplace was not necessary but my father put one in the house. For the ambiance of Christmas and Santa Claus. More so, we used to have big fires outside.

Not that any of it mattered as the fallen tree was still intact, just fallen.

Jim was outside, staring at the tree. He reached for a thick branch and pushed at it. He took a stuttering step back and grabbed for an ax. He lifted it up and looked wobbly. He brought it down, hit the tree, and then fell to his right. I gasped, thinking he was going to hit the ground. He kept his balance but grabbed at his right leg - his prosthetic leg. Jim was supposed to go to therapy and learn how to use his leg, but he never did. Too stubborn to do that.

He stepped toward the tree and shook a fist at it. Then he raised his middle finger and turned away. I watched him walk back to the house and I lowered my head.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

It was sickly ironic how Jim went to war to protect freedom at home, yet I was the one now at war and stripped of freedom.

Life… sometimes it just didn’t make sense.

five.

(duke)

I opened the door to the conference room and everyone was already at the table. I had been back in my room getting my shoulder patched up again. And, yeah, the reliever might have stayed on her knees for a few extra minutes as I gave her a mouthful of a reward for helping me out.

Everyone at the table rose up and started to applaud me.

I stood there like I had won some fucking movie award or some bullshit.

I walked into the room and Max made a fist and punched me in my good shoulder. Austin patted me on the back and nodded. I stepped around the table and Cade grabbed my chair and pulled it back for me.

“Wait,” Trev called out. He whistled to stop the applause. “Everyone sit but Duke.”

Everyone took their seats except for me and Trev. I felt really uncomfortable. It was goddamn unsettling with all eyes on me. Reminded me of when I got pinned that medal after coming home. My so-called heroic actions of dragging my old buddy out of his blown up convoy, along with returning back on enemy fire to prevent further attacks on the rest of us, helped to save hundreds of lives. Standing there listening to the words being tossed around, a medal pinned on me, people clapping, taking my fucking picture… hell no. I went home that night and never put my uniform back on. I hit the streets, got piss drunk, picked a bar fight with some asshole, and knocked him out cold. I got arrested, tossed into jail, and ended up sharing a cell with Hudson.

That wasn’t quite the start with Back Down Devil though.

That started after I saved Hudson’s ass from getting shanked. Then I got into a fight with him, almost knocking him out too.

“Our crazy brother here,” Trev said, stealing my thoughts, “stood up to the fucking Russians and took a bullet to the shoulder. I couldn’t stop this prick from running his mouth. But Ivan respected it. So did Peter. I got a call this morning letting me know that they send their condolences for shooting you, Duke. But it had to be done.”

“Great,” I said.

“He’s not worried,” Cash said. “He’s eating up all that pity pussy.”

“They’re eating me up,” I said.

“That’s why he’s late to the meeting,” Tristan said.

“You saw the tits on that new one,” I said.

“Fuck no,” Cash said. He slapped the table. “Cassie? Or was it Katie? Kathryn… maybe Beth… either way, fuck. You hit that?”

“No,” I said. “She just had a mouthful.”

“Now a belly full,” Kye said.

“Fuck,” Cash said. “I was working that one. I’m going to have her drink a bottle of mouthwash before she goes down on me.”

“Shit,” Xavier said, “she goes down on you, Cash, she’s going to need more than mouthwash to clear up whatever she catches.”

Austin, Max, and Trent all laughed.

“Listen,” Trev said. “I wanted to also take a second and personally apologize to Duke for putting him in that