Page 142 of Rags's Awakening
He brushed his thumb along her jaw. “Lock the door.”
In two strides, he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him. Casey stood there for a long second, the silence pressing in, her heart pounding, her temples throbbing as the noise from downstairs swelled—images of bloody fists, broken bones, and guns flashing through her mind. She crossed the room andcracked the door open. The heavy bass that had vibrated through the main floor earlier, had stopped. Loud, sharp, and angry voice took its place.
Casey’s stomach dropped. “Rags…” she whispered, already stepping into the hallway.
She moved down the stairs, the sound of tables slamming, chairs screeching echoing through the space as JT’s voice cut through the tension.
“You fuckin’ think she’s gonna be true to you? I didn’t know you were that stupid, Rags. She’s a whore, fuckin’ any biker she can find. When we used to go to the rallies—” A crash cut him off—the sound of a body hitting metal hard.
“Shut the fuck up!” Rags’s roared. “You’re not a man, you’re a weak-ass pussy. Who leaves his woman buried in debt, then slinks off like a gutless bastard, leaving her to clean up his mess?”
For a long heartbeat, everything went silent, then the crack of flesh meeting flesh.
“Rags! Saber! Stop this shit!” a deep voice shouted.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and peered into the large room. The crowd had formed a tight circle. Shouts bounced off the walls, boots scraped across concrete, and guttural grunts filled the air. She caught sight of Rags, blood trickling down the side of his face, as his fist slammed into JT’s jaw. JT fired back, snapping Rags’s head with a sharp uppercut. They tore into each other. Punches flying, bodies slamming into table, and glasses shattering across the floor.
“Break it up!” a voice boomed.
Casey saw an older man with blond hair and striking blue eyes push through the crowd. In one swift move, he dragged them apart: Rags by his shirt collar, JT by his Nomad cut. JT lunged again, blood streaking down his face. The older bikerdrove a hard kick into JT’s gut, dropping him to the floor. Rags jerked free, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
A hush fell over the room, and Casey knew the biker was someone important in the club’s hierarchy.The president.
“Enough! This is a party with brothers and this shit stops now!”
Rags glared at JT, who was pushing himself up from the floor. “Stay the fuck away from me and my woman!”
JT laughed, wild and furious. “She was mine first, and that ain’t ever gonna change!”
Two broad-shouldered men Casey recognized from the Fall Festival grabbed Rags as he surged forward again. Others held JT back, their voices low and urgent, though his glare never left Rags. Rags stilled, chest heaving, eyes locked on JT like he wanted to finish the fight.
“Break it up. Get some Jack, find some pussy, and get the damn music going,” the president said, his gaze darting between Rags and JT.
Rags turned and his eyes locked with Casey’s. All at once, his violent expression shifted. He shoved free from the guys holding him and strode straight toward her.
“We’re done her,” he said, grabbing her hand.
She walked beside him, her gaze fixed straight ahead. The cold air hit her hard as they stepped outside, the chaotic noise of the clubhouse fading behind them as the door slammed shut. Rags didn’t say a word. He helped her up into the SUV, rounded the hood to the driver’s side, and cranked the engine pulling out of the gravel parking lot without looking back.
They drove in silence. Casey watched the dark road stretch ahead and the snowflakes clinging to the windshield. The steadythumpof the wipers matched the slowing rhythm of her pulse, the heat of the fight fading into the cold night.
Rags reached over, his hand closing around hers. “You good?”
She nodded, watching the swirl of snow.
“I didn’t want you to get caught in all that.” He exhaled. “I’m sorry, Case.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I lost my head, but I couldn’t let him get away with that shit.”
“I know.” She leaned against his shoulder. “And thanks for wiping that smirk off his face. It’s bugged me for years.”
Rags laughed. “Anytime, darlin’.”
When they walked into her townhouse, Casey punched in the code for the alarm. A small smile tugged at her lips as Rags checked the windows and doors.
“All good?” she asked, sliding her arms around him from behind.
