Page 37 of Beyond the Cut
Not nice work 2 be doing. What r u doing on ur night off??
Fixing the sink
My kind of woman
Not so sure about that. You alone?
At a bar with a local MC
Another strip bar?
Fuck. Why hadn’t he lied when she asked him about Peelers? He wanted her to forget he’d gone there. Ever. He wanted her to forget the rumors about him. He wanted her to trust him, but how could he expect trust from her when he couldn’t even trust himself?
Just a bar
They give you a sweet butt?
Ah. Of course she would know what went on when bikers visited another club. He should lie this time. Zane wouldn’t tell her what was going on, and the truth would just reinforce in her mind that he was exactly the kind of man she thought he was.
And she would be right.
“Hey brother.” Zane leaned across the table and tapped a spoon on Cade’s glass. “Skid Mark asked you a question about passenger pegs. Wake the fuck up.”
The blonde looked down at the phone and laughed. “He’s busy texting Dawn.”
“Jesus Christ.” Cade pushed her off his lap. “You don’t look at a man’s phone.”
“But you can text one woman while you’ve got another on your lap?” Zane refilled Skid Mark’s glass from the pitcher on the table. “Cade’s got a way with the ladies. A good way. No relationships. No complications. No women making promises they can’t keep. No shattered dreams or promises. No betrayals or jumping into bed with the first bastard who knocks on the door. He’s got it right. Women can’t be trusted. Not to keep the faith. Not to hold true. Not to respect a man’s soul.” He thudded his fist on the table and the woman beside him beat a hasty retreat, pulling the blonde with her.
“Whoa, brother.” Cade held up a hand. “Maybe you’ve had one too many. You wanna step outside for some fresh air?”
Zane nodded and they excused themselves from the table and walked out into the night.
“What the hell did that bitch do to you?” Cade asked as soon as the door closed behind them.
“Nothing I want to talk about.” Zane kicked at a stone and then leaned against a pillar, his arms folded. “It was a very long time ago, like when Jagger and I were kids long.”
“Well, you scared those girls pretty good, so it looks like neither of us is gonna have a good night. You wanna go back to the motel? Something felt off in that bar.”
“Thought it was just me,” Zane said. “Didn’t like the way they were watching us. I’m thinking we should head back home tonight. Not keen on having my throat slit while I’m sleeping.”
After texting the prospect to meet them outside the hotel, they walked down the main street, and then turned up an alley. The air had cooled rapidly since the sun set, and Cade’s skin prickled despite the hoodie he wore over his T-shirt.
Or maybe it wasn’t the cold.
Too late he heeded the warning. Gravel crunched behind them, and two men stepped into the alley from the road ahead.
“Two behind us,” Zane murmured, half turning.
“Son of a bitch.” Cade drew his weapon as the two men in front walked toward them. “It’s Mad Dog. What the fuck is he doing here? And with Matchstick?”
“Maybe he came to help us load the missing weapons.” Zane drew his weapon and positioned himself to cover Cade’s back.
“Maybe he’s tired of living and came here to find me ’cause I’ll be happy to take care of that problem for him tonight.”
“Jagger gave his word. He’s untouchable.”
Cade’s lips pressed into a thin line, his body tense and thrumming with energy as the enemy approached. “I’m beginning to regret that decision. You shoulda seen what he did to Dawn’s face.”
