Page 90 of Beyond the Cut
“Cade…”
“Shhh.”
“Mad Dog.”
“I know.”
The door swung open when they were ten feet away and the only thing that kept her from running into the relative safety of the street was Deputy Sheriff Doug Benson and the five policemen behind him.
“Fuck,” Cade muttered. “What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Doug?” She took a step toward him, but he looked away. “What’s going on?”
“We’re looking for Jimmy ‘Mad Dog’ Sanchez,” Doug said in a voice loud enough to be heard over the music. “I have a warrant for his arrest.”
“Doug.” Dawn grabbed his sleeve. “What are you doing? I said I didn’t want to go ahead with this.”
“Someone has to protect you since you won’t protect yourself.” Doug pulled his hand away.
“It’s a setup,” Jimmy shouted as one of the police officers snapped the handcuffs around his wrist. “The whole party was a set up to get me arrested.”
The music stopped and the bar fell into silence.
“Fuck. We trusted you.” Wolf glared at Jagger. “We came here in good faith and what do you do? You set us up and tipped off the cops to arrest one of our brothers.” He wasn’t really angry. Dawn could see it in the way his lips twitched at the corners. With Jimmy in jail, he had no challenger in the election. But he had to publicly show support for his brother, so he was doing the minimum to save face.
“Nothing to do with us.” Jagger held up his hands in mock defense. “You got a brother wanted by the cops, he should know better than to show his face in town.”
“Fucking bitch,” Jimmy screamed at Dawn as the police dragged him to the door. “I know you did this. You set me up. You think you’re so tough wearing that cut? You think they’re gonna be able to hold me? Not with the friends I’ve got. You don’t even understand what you’ve unleashed. I’m coming for you. I’m coming and you’re gonna suffer like you never suffered before.”
TWENTY-THREE
When there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to fear.
SINNER’S TRIBE CREED
Cade threw himself into the spare chair in the prospect’s makeshift IT office and kicked the door shut. They had set the prospect up in an unused room at the back of the clubhouse, and Cade had authorized the purchase of what looked to be way too much computer equipment. So far nothing much had come of the investment except some fancy Sinner’s Tribe screensavers and new phones for all the brothers. But then, they hadn’t really given the prospect an opportunity to prove his worth. Maybe now that the situation with the Brethren was resolved…
He and Jagger had spent the morning on the phone with Wolf. With Mad Dog in jail and the election only one day away, Wolf had the presidency all but wrapped up, and he’d called to discuss the details of the patch-over.
A patch-over Cade still didn’t want. Yeah, they could use the extra bodies, but the Sinners were still the dominant club in the state, and now that they knew how the Jacks were growing their numbers, they were in a position to take the Jacks down hard. So why did they need to put the Sinner patch on a bunch of bastards who had not only challenged Sinner dominance, but also turned a blind eye to Dawn’s suffering?
“Bad day?” The prospect pounded on his keyboard, his back to Cade. He wore a red T-shirt that saidAMORAL INDIVIDUALISMin white letters across the back. Cade didn’t know what the hell amoral individualism was, but it sounded smart.
“You could say that.”
“You look like shit.”
He probably did. After the party, he’d taken Dawn home and made love to her all night long, showing her just how much he admired her courage and even more how much he liked watching her dance. But after she fell asleep, and the first rays of morning light filtered through the curtains, he lay in bed and stared at her cut, neatly folded on the dresser. Benson’s actions had pushed them into an uncertain future. With Mad Dog in jail, she no longer needed the cut, and he didn’t know what he would do if she tried to give it back.
“Got something for you to do.” He handed the prospect a piece of paper. “Man named Lou. Lived in Seattle about ten years ago. Connected to a family named Delgado. I want to know where he lives now, and I want to know everything about him.”
“Consider him found.”
“Keep it quiet. Just between you and me.” Although when the time came, he wouldn’t have any trouble rounding up a few brothers to pay Dawn’s uncle a visit. Maybe he’d bring the prospect along to toughen him up. And of course Dax, so they could have a little fun.
The prospect turned away and tapped on his keyboard. “I’ve been waiting for a job like this. When I first started hanging around the club, I told everyone I’m about brains not brawn. I can hurt people worse with my computer than you can with your fists. I can wipe out bank accounts, freeze credit cards, hack into secure computers and steal information. I can erase your criminal record or give you a rap sheet a mile long.”
