Page 140 of Rags's Awakening
Casey sucked in a breath.
Too late.
Before she could respond, Rags whirled and drove his fist into JT’s face. Blood burst from his nose as he cried out and bowled over.
“You fuckin’ asshole!” JT shouted.
Without a word, Rags grabbed Casey’s hand and dragged her out of the room and up the stairs. He didn’t stop until he shoved her into a room and slammed the door behind them.
“What the fuck, woman?”
Casey moved to the window and stared out.
“You were Saber’s ol’ lady. He’s the dude you had your body plastered to on the back of his bike? You didn’t think you should’ve told me about all that? Why the fuck did you keep this a damn secret?” Rags exhaled. “And turn your ass around and look at me. You need to start explaining, woman.”
She turned, shaking her head. “You bikers are all alike. All you all do is demand and command. Okay, so I was JT’s old lady, so the fuck what? That was a long time ago. I walked out on himover a year and a half ago, but my love for him was gone long before that.”
Rags’s expression softened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to rehash all that shit again.” Her shoulders slumped. “I fell fast and hard for JT. He promised me the sun, the moon, and the stars and gave me the gutter. He broke my heart in the worst way. The last thing I wanted was to talk about it with you or anyone.”
Rags ran his hand through his hair. “I was just shocked that’s all. I’ve known Saber for more than three years. He never mentioned he had an ol’ lady.”
“I’m sure he didn’t.” Bitterness laced her voice. “That was our problem.”
“Come here,” Rags said.
She shook her head, pressing her lips together, trying to hold back the tears.
“Case.”
Rags crossed the room and pulled her against him. “I wouldn’t have judged you for being hitched to an outlaw. We both have a past, but that’s what it is, right?”
“If you’re asking if I’m still involved with him, the answer is absolutely not. I don’t think JT was ever faithful to me, even when we were dating. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time.”
Rags led her to the bed, and they sat on the edge of the mattress.
“How long were you with him?”
“Four years.”
“Damn. I still can’t believe Saber was hitched. I went on a lot of poker runs, bike rallies, Sturgis…” His voice trailed off.
“And he never mentioned he had a wife. That’s JT in a nutshell.”
Casey took Rags’s hand in hers. “I never had a boyfriend until I met JT.” She laughed at the surprise on his face. “I guess I hada half-hearted attempt at one when I was fifteen. A guy in my class kept pestering me to go out with him. A lot of boys were like that, but I knew they just liked my body. Back then, I wore baggy sweatshirts and T-shirts to hide my chest.
“Anyway, I finally gave in and went out with him. He took me to the soda shop, and we had a nice time. After several dates—movies, bowling, pizza—he took me to a chain steakhouse. I’d never been somewhere that nice.” She paused, the memories playing like a slideshow in her mind.
“Did you love him?” Rags asked.
“I thought I did. I was young and just happy he liked me. That night, after dinner, he wanted to take the stairs up to my mom’s apartment. On the landing, he made a move. We’d messed around before, but I’d always stopped things before they went too far. I was feeling good. He gave me a box of perfume and told me he loved me.” She shrugged. “One thing led to another, and I lost my virginity on the concrete floor of that stairwell, with the stench of piss all around us.”
Rags’s jaw tightened. “What happened after?”
“I never heard from him again. The way the boys stared and the girls whispered when I walked past told me everything. He bragged about it.” Her voice hardened. “I couldn’t stand the smell of that perfume, so I left it on my mom’s dresser.” She looked up at Rags. “You know what hurt more? She never asked where it came from. Never said a word. That hurt more than him using me, then running his mouth at school.”
She looked down at their joined hands. “After that, I figured the only way out of that life was school. So I focused, got good grades, and got out.”
