Page 80 of Beyond the Cut
“No.”
“I’ll come by the playground tomorrow. Point him out to me and I’ll make him stop.”
“I don’t want him to stop.” Maia put a hand on her hip and gave an affected sigh. “Don’t you know anything about girls?”
He thought he did. Apparently, he was wrong.
***
“Mommy.”
Dawn waved to Maia and Tia from the back lawn. She’d been watching Cade polish his bike with her girls ever since she got off the bus and her heart warmed at how well they got on together. Even Tia, although she didn’t talk, stayed by his side.
A family. Just like you always wanted. Jimmy’s taunt flitted through her brain. She bet he’d never imagined she would have a family like this, albeit a temporary one.
Or was it? Their talk last night was all about a future together. But they hadn’t addressed the elephant in the room. What would happen when it was all over? Was he really thinking of becoming a one-woman man and settling down?
Tank and T-Rex were chatting at the far end of the lane, looking less than enthused that they’d pulled guard duty. Dawn crossed the grass and stepped out of the small gate separating her property from the back lane. She’d taken the evening off so she could spend time with the girls, and she could hardly wait to tell them.
She closed the gate behind her, startling when she heard the rev of an engine. A black van sped down the lane so fast it left a trail of dust behind. Cade reached out and yanked the girls to safety. Dawn froze when the van screeched to a halt. Moments later the back door opened and a body rolled out and onto the gravel.
Shocked, Dawn could only stare as the van took off down the lane, racing full tilt at Tank and T-Rex. They scrambled to safety and then took off after the van, the rev of their engines echoing through the alley.
Maia and Tia ran across the road and into her arms. As the dust cleared, Dawn took in the body, now slumped beside Cade’s bike, with the lettersMDspray-painted on his back. She knew that sign.MDfor “Mad Dog.” Her muscles went taut and she shoved the girls behind her.
“Go inside.” Dawn tried to keep her voice from wavering. “Go to your bedroom and lock the door.”
“But is he okay?” Maia tried to look back over her shoulder. “Should we call 911?”
“No. Cade and I will look after him. Inside. Now.” She hadn’t meant to shout, but the words came out in a rush of fear.
When the girls were safely in the house, she joined Cade. He slowly turned the body so the man’s face was clearly visible, and Dawn gasped.
“You know him?”
“He’s the private investigator from the video Jimmy produced in court to win custody.”
And then the weight of what Jimmy had done hit her hard and she swayed on her feet. “I’ll never get the girls back for good now,” she said with dawning horror. “Not under civilian law. Not unless Bunny can find out who filmed the video, and that’s a long shot without the investigator.” She scrubbed her face with her hands. “God, what have I done? He’s totally lost control. The risk he’s taken to do this… And in front of the children…”
Cade pulled her into his arms. “We’ll call Wolf. We’ll make it clear that he’ll have to do more than just sanction Mad Dog or he’ll risk losing Sinner support for his election bid.”
“He’s not afraid of Wolf anymore,” Dawn said, her voice rising in panic. “Don’t you see? This was as much a message for Wolf as it was for me, and he clearly has men who are willing to defy Wolf as well. If he’s prepared to do something like this, either he’s left the club, or he knows he’s going to win with the Black Jacks’ backing. And if he wins, nothing will stop him. He’ll come for me. And the girls… he doesn’t want them. What if…”
“Dawn.” Cade grasped her shoulders. “I’ll protect you. You’re a Sinner now. The club will look after you and the girls. You don’t have to worry.”
“You can’t protect me.” She pulled away, letting her fear spill over in words. “You weren’t there when he broke into my house, or when he caught me on the street. The Sinners didn’t stop him from coming into town again the night he attacked me. Tank and T-Rex couldn’t stop him from throwing a body in front of my children. No one can protect me. No one ever could. I was a fool to think I could stand up to him. I’ll call Doug. He’ll get me into witness protection. I can’t lose my girls again.”
She knew she’d hurt him when his eyes hardened. “You’re panicking. We’ll deal with this. Together.”
“There is no dealing with this.” She was shaking now, her words coming thick and fast. “There’s a dead body in my back lane, Cade.” She gestured behind her, unable to look at the man again. “Not just dead. Murdered. Jimmy murdered him just to make a point.”
“I’m not going to lose you because of him.” Cade cupped her face between his palms. “Trust me, Dawn. I won’t let anything happen to you. I love you. I didn’t want to, but I do. I didn’t think it could happen, but it did. There isn’t anything I won’t do for you and the girls. I’ll give my life to keep you safe. Just don’t run away. Give me a chance to make this right.”
She stared up at his handsome face, trying to memorize every plane and angle, the scars on his cheeks and chin, the way his nose was slightly off center as if it had been broken and never properly set. His lips were perfectly shaped, full and firm. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine those lips on her body, feel his breath on her skin. She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his cheek. His eyes darkened almost to black, and she wanted to drown in that inky sea.
“Please, Cade. Don’t make me choose.”
She’d made the biggest mistake of her life getting involved with the Sinners, thinking she could beat Jimmy at his own game. She’d forgotten how clever he was, how ruthless, manipulative and totally unforgiving. Jimmy played to win and he would never give up. Not until he had her back. Not until the girls were gone. Not until Cade was dead.
