Kaden

by S. Nelson

  Kaden was, after all, a single man.

  As soon as Chelsea opened the door, I expected to be hit with an overwhelming and awful smell of whatever nasty aroma existed inside strip clubs, but there was none of that. The air had a clean scent with a touch of subtle fragrance. I overheard my dad talking about an air filtration system that was installed in both clubs last year and it appeared to be working well.

  “Who has your brother’s phone?”

  “Carla.”

  I’d met Carla twice before. Once when I’d been with my dad at the clubhouse and she’d stopped by with paperwork for Marek, and once in a grocery store where I was shopping with my mom. The two women chatted for a while, and I remember thinking I liked her. She seemed pleasant and she had one of those faces you could trust, for as odd as that might sound. If I had to guess her age, I’d say she was in her early to mid-sixties, although she seemed younger.

  My eyes roamed around the enormous space, and while my initial thoughts of what the place would look like didn’t match, I still felt out of place and somewhat uncomfortable sharing the same space as so many naked bodies. I wasn’t a prude by any means, but there was something about the atmosphere that while not being as seedy as I envisioned, prickled at my need to rush home and take another shower.

  Years back, they remodeled the inside of Indulge, which I thought was a waste of money. Why sink resources into a place men would come to regardless of the décor? Various-sized booths lined three of the four walls, while numerous tables and chairs were positioned in the center areas of the club. There was one main stage with several smaller ones scattered around allowing more than one stripper to perform at a time.

  “Can we stay for a drink?” Chelsea asked, already on her way to the bar. I hurried to catch up to her to tell her I wasn’t staying, but she placed her order before I could get to her.

  The petite black-haired bartender flashed me a big smile when I approached. “What can I getcha, honey?” Her southern drawl threw me, and before I could answer, telling her I didn’t want anything, someone appeared to my right and waved his hand toward the bartender, dismissing her.

  “What the hell are you doin’ here?”

  I turned to see Kaden’s eyes burning right through me and mixed with the nasty scowl on his face, I should’ve just told him I, we, were only there to pick up Linc’s phone and go. But I didn’t. Last I looked, this was a free country and I was a grown woman and I could go wherever I wanted. Not that I wanted to be here, but still.

  The stubborn part of me roared to life when I glared back at him. “Nice to see you, too.”

  “I mean it, Ry. Why the hell are you here?”

  Chelsea appeared next to me, drink in hand and a smile on her face. “We’re here checking to see if they’re hiring.” She was obviously kidding, thinking it would be funny to play some sort of joke on Kaden, but what she didn’t realize was she’d only served to poke the beast. Even if Kaden had not been actively trying to see me, to talk to me, to get me back into his life in some way, he still wouldn’t have taken her words lightly, even in a joking manner.

  “What the fuck?” He looked from Chelsea to me, his gaze sinking into mine and making me squirm where I stood.

  “Calm down,” Chelsea laughed. “I’m just kiddin’.”

  “I am calm,” responded the person who looked like he was ready to kill someone. Either he was having a shit day or the thought of me on one of those stages was enough to contort his features as if he’d smelled something rotting.

  “What are you two doin’ here?” Ace strolled toward us, and unlike Kaden, had a smile on his face when he saw Chelsea and me.

  “They were just leaving.” Kaden grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me in the direction of the door. The moment he tried to kick me out was the exact moment I decided I was gonna stay.

  I shrugged away from him. “I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

  “Riley.” The arch of his brow did nothing but rile me further.

  “You can’t kick me out.”

  “I can if I feel your presence will incite a situation.”

  I laughed, thinking he was pulling my leg, but when I glanced down and saw his fists clenching, I knew he wasn’t joking.

  “Oh yeah? And what kind of situation am I gonna incite?”

  “Hey, sexy,” some bald drunk guy said as he walked by, stopping a second too long to be casual. “You comin’ on next?” Ace shoved him back, saying something to him to make him move on without another glance in my direction.

  “Need I say more?” Kaden crossed his arms over his chest, the fabric of his shirt stretching over his biceps.

  “Hey, I didn’t know you two would be here,” Tag said, walking up behind Kaden, clueless there was an altercation about to happen between me and the infuriating man in front of me.

  I looked around Kaden and smiled at him. “Hi, Tag.”

  If I hadn’t been all wrapped up questioning if what I felt for Kaden was residual from our time together years ago or true feelings reemerging since he’d cornered me outside the salon, I could see myself pursing something with Tag. Or at the very least, getting to know him better to see if we jived. The side of his cheek indented a fraction when he smiled, making him appear harmless, innocent even. But I remembered his entire torso was covered with ink, which portrayed the possibility he was a little more dangerous than I perceived him to be, more so to a woman’s heart and mind. When all was said and done, he was definitely eye candy.

  Tag tapped his chest, then moved his arms behind him, patting his pockets. He scowled right before he moved toward me, brushing my shoulder with his as he passed.

  “Where you goin’?” Ace asked.

  “I left my phone in my truck. I’ll be right back.”

  Some of the strippers walked past our group, their eyes staring a little too long at Kaden first, then moving on to devour the sight of Ace. This was exactly what I didn’t want to be privy to, and to make matters worse, one of them doubled back and approached Kaden, linking her arm with his when she was close enough. She was attractive, thin, and had huge fake tits, her fire-engine red hair wild and curly.

  “Hi, baby,” she cooed, her false lashes batting up at him as soon as he turned toward her.

  “Jaz.” One word was all he gave her, his tone curt and annoyed, but she didn’t take the hint. She rose on her tip toes and whispered something in his ear, and while I wanted to stand my ground, I refused to watch this shit.

  I grabbed Chelsea’s hand and dragged her toward the main bar. The same bartender approached, but before she could ask what I wanted to drink again, I asked if she knew where Carla was. She held up her pointer finger before walking away.

  Swearing under my breath for giving in to my brother didn’t erase the fact I was here, but at least we’d be out of here soon, sooner if Carla hurried the hell up.

  I saw the woman in question twenty feet away, talking to one of the security guards, her expression solemn. When she pointed her finger at the big guy all he did was nod before walking away. I’d heard my brother mention that Carla was a force to be reckoned with and I never knew what he meant. When I’d met her, she seemed laid-back, but now I understood what he was talking about.

  “I hope you’re charging Linc for this little errand.” Carla laughed as she drew near, holding out my brother’s phone.

  Once I had the device in my hand, I shoved it in my back pocket for safe keeping. “A lot.”

  “Good.” She looked to Chelsea, then back to me. “Do you want a drink before you go?” There was something about her demeanor that put me at ease, and while I didn’t want to stay in this place any longer than necessary, I contemplated taking her up on her offer.

  “No, she doesn’t,” Kaden answered before I could. “These two were just leaving.”

  I turned to tell him what I thought about his intrusiveness when Tag reappeared, standing close behind Kaden. He leaned in and said something in his ear, and I didn’t think anything of it until
Kaden’s eyes landed on me, a flash of worry passing over his face before he gave me his back, beckoning over two of the security guards and Ace.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, reaching out to touch Kaden’s shoulder, but he walked away before I could make contact. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and while I didn’t fully understand what was going on, I realized I needed to pay attention to my gut. “I think we need to go.” I grabbed Chelsea’s wrist and dragged her off her stool. The puzzled look on her face would’ve been amusing had I not been alarmed with the quick movements of Kaden, Tag, and the security detail.

  “Why? What happened?” Chelsea looked around the club before resting her gaze back onto me. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I… I just wanna get outta here.”

  “Okay.” She took another sip of her drink, then pushed it forward on the bar. “Wanna say goodbye to the guys?”

  “No.”

  A scream tore through the air before we moved away from the bar, a plume of smoke appearing from the hallway and slinking into the main room of the club.

  A flurry of activity erupted, everyone making a mad dash for the exit. The smoke intensified, but it wasn’t until the shrill sound of the alarms filled the air that my heart picked up its pace. Chelsea and I followed the throngs of people, making it outside in what I thought was record time considering the amount of people shoving their way out of the club.

  When I heard glass shattering, I turned to look back at the building, smoke billowing out of the now broken windows. I flinched when another one broke, the sound frightening me, making the scene unfolding in front of all of us feel that much more dangerous.

  “Are you hurt?” Kaden appeared out of nowhere, wrapping me in his arms before I could answer, or protest being engulfed into his embrace. He squeezed me tighter before releasing me, looking to Chelsea to ask her the same.

  “We’re fine,” I answered the moment I took a step back, the worried look on his face disappearing once he saw I was indeed okay.

  Ace and Tag rushed toward us, Ace pulling my friend away and doing his own inspection of her body. I smiled, happy she had someone who was concerned about her, even if she played it off like she didn’t much care for him, which I knew wasn’t the whole truth.

  “I need to talk to you guys,” Tag said, walking off to the side and waiting for Kaden and Ace to follow. All three of them huddled together, talking quietly about God knew what. I heard Kaden shout “Fuck!” before he left the other two, striding toward me with determination laced into every line of his face.

  “Are you okay to drive home?”

  I was shaken up a bit but otherwise all right. “Yeah.”

  “Okay.” He leaned in and kissed my temple, his hand resting low on my back. The gesture was far too intimate to be shared between us, yet somehow, I found comfort in the action. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. When I happened to look over at Chelsea, she wiggled her brows and shook her shoulders, quick enough I was the only one who saw her reaction.

  Rolling my eyes, I gestured for her to follow me to my Jeep. A couple of minutes later, we pulled out of the parking lot, passing a fire engine, ambulance, and two police cruisers on their way to the club.

  25

  “I wanna know why the fuck Riley was at Indulge in the first place,” Stone shouted, shooting daggers at me, Ace, and his son. We were back in Chambers, called in because of the fire last night, and while all of us were on edge, things were about to get worse because I had something I had to tell everyone but wanted to wait until after Stone was finished chastising us about his daughter showing up at the strip club.

  Linc had the common decency to briefly lower his eyes and hunch his shoulders. On this subject, I shared Stone’s anger. Linc never should’ve asked his sister to swing by just to pick up his phone. What the hell had been so important that he couldn’t’ve waited until after his fight to get it?

  Thankfully, I’d been there to make sure she was safe, before and after the fire broke out. Our encounter had been tense at first because I chose not to hide my irritation that she’d waltzed her fine ass in there. That club was no place for her, and I tried to kick her out, something she didn’t take too well. But then the fire started, and she had no choice but to leave.

  Luckily, no one was seriously injured. Two of the dancers had been in the back room and had suffered minor smoke inhalation but otherwise were medically cleared to go home shortly after being taken to the hospital.

  “Well?” Stone pounded his fist against the table.

  I kept my eyes away from him until after Linc answered, because otherwise his anger would continue to ignite mine and I’d end up saying something to Linc that might be taken the wrong way. I had to be careful to toe the line in displaying concern for someone we all cared about instead of acting like a man protecting his woman.

  “I needed my phone, so I asked if she could swing by and pick it up for me. I didn’t think it was a big deal.” Linc’s face contorted in a grimace. “Had I known something like that would’ve happened, I obviously wouldn’t have asked her to do me the favor.” Linc loved his sister dearly and this shit was eating him up, I was sure.

  Stone didn’t say anything else, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was too upset or because he saw how upset his son was at involving Riley.

  Either way, the topic was dead.

  Now… on to a new debacle.

  “I have to tell you all somethin’.”

  “Oh, shit. This can’t be good.” Tripp shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “It’s not.” I took a breath. “Right before the fire broke out, Tag went outside to grab his phone. When he was walking back toward the front of the club, he saw two guys come around the corner, looking shady as fuck even though they weren’t technically doin’ anythin’ wrong. Or so we thought. He told me about it as soon as he came back inside, but then moments later the fire broke out, and the main goal was to get everyone out safely.” I focused my attention on the guy at the head of the table. “I know there will be an investigation as to what started the fire, but I can tell you right now… the Reapers set it.”

  “Wait,” Ryder said, leaning forward. “How do you know the guys Tag saw were Reapers?”

  “Because he described them to me. They’re the same ones we got into a fight with.”

  “How do you know you can trust what Tag told you? You barely know him,” Jagger added, looking as tense as everyone else.

  “Because how would he be able to perfectly describe the same guys we fought with? And yeah, I haven’t known Tag long, but he’s a good guy. My gut tells me so.” I was a very good judge of character, this time being no different.

  “I don’t like it.” Trigger was the one to speak up now, scratching the side of his face before turning to look directly at our leader. “If we retaliate against the Reapers for this, and they didn’t do it, we’re callin’ for a shitstorm to rain down on us.” He slapped the table. “And you remember what that entails.”

  Silence drifted over the room, some of the guys looking around at the other members present, while some hung their heads in what appeared to be defeat.

  “We don’t do anything until we find out for sure the Reapers were the ones who set the fire.” Prez locked eyes on me. “Where is Tag now?”

  “In the garage.”

  “I wanna talk to him.” He looked around the room. “Anything else?” Everyone shook their heads before he pounded the gavel. He stood from the table and motioned toward me. “Let’s go.”

  I followed him out the door, through the clubhouse, across the expansive lot and into the garage where Tag was diligently working, waiting for me to return.

  26

  “We’re leaving,” my mom shouted from the bottom of the steps. Initially, we were all going to ride over to Braylen and Ryder’s house together for Roman’s tenth birthday party, but at the last minute, I decided to drive myself. I needed to be able to leave in case anything happe
ned. To be more specific, in case Kaden did or said something I didn’t want to deal with, I could leave and not worry that I inconvenienced anyone else.

  “I’m right behind you,” I said, turning the corner into the kitchen, my parents standing close, my dad’s hand resting on the small of her back. They didn’t bother to look up when I entered, too involved in whatever was going on between them, but as long as they weren’t arguing, I was happy to be ignored.

  Making a quick trip to the bathroom, double-checking my hair and makeup, I deemed myself presentable for the world. I chose to wear one of my favorite dresses, a navy and cream summer dress which hit just above my knee, the pair of wedge sandals I paired with the outfit showcasing my long legs. The top of the dress also teased with a bit of appropriate cleavage. I was attending a kid’s birthday party, after all.

  When my mom finally broke away from my dad, she turned her eyes on me. “You look beautiful, honey.” My dad glanced over at me and mumbled something under his breath, his brows drawn tightly together. His wife slapped him on the arm, and I could only imagine what he said.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re lucky you’re goin’ somewhere no one will hit on you,” Zander chimed in, startling me when he threw his arm over my shoulder, towering over me. He was taller than Linc now, even though he was only nineteen. “Otherwise, this guy would ruin the party.” My brother pointed toward our dad and smirked when the patriarch of our family huffed, acting like what his youngest said wasn’t the absolute truth. “Can I ride with you?”

  “Sure.” I wanted to tell him no because of my plan to escape the party if necessary, then realized he could catch a ride with our parents if I did indeed leave early. Besides, it would be nice to catch up with my younger brother.

  Before I opened my mouth to ask about Linc, my mom seemed to have read my mind. “Lincoln will meet us there,” she said, grabbing her purse and slinging it over the crook of her arm.