The door swings easily open, and I see a Kings of Death member sitting at the counter, and he has Izzy by the wrist. She doesn’t look happy, and I can see she’s trying to pull away.
“Dude, not cool. Let the woman go,” I growl.
He lets her go by pulling her forward then shoving her back. Izzy stumbles but doesn’t fall. She turns and looks at me mouthing ‘thank you’ as she scuttles back behind the counter.
“So, you’re the reason we’re all here!” He stands and extends his hand. “I’m Rio.”
“Zeke.” I shake his hand, but I don’t want to. No one has the right to lay their unwanted hands on any woman.
“You look like shit, man,” Rio says with a shit-eating grin.
“Thanks for that,” I reply, sitting two stools down from him.
Rio gets up and moves next to me. I can feel his eyes on me, studying me. I turn to face him as the sight in my left eye still isn’t great.
“Is there a problem?” I ask aggressively. “‘Cause as pretty as you are, I like vaginas.”
Rio laughs, but it’s that fake over-the-top kind of heckle. He even slaps his knee, then he stops and looks at me with a deadly stare.
“I was having a moment with the woman, and you interrupted. Seems to me your club owes us so if I were you, I’d be a bit fucking nicer to me.”
Now, it’s my turn to laugh, and I’m waving a finger at him, slapping my knee as I do.
“We have chapters all over the US. We’re thousands strong. How many are in your piss-ant club? No, don’t answer that. It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head and let the smile fall off my face. “It all comes down to the woman. I can tell you right now that she’s not interested. I’ve known her a long time, so I suggest you fuck off.”
Rio raises his eyebrows. “Fuck me! Didn’t know she was claimed.” He looks at Izzy. “My deepest apologies.” Then he returns his gaze to me. “Piss-ant club, hey?” Rio grits his teeth and leans into me. “Say it again.”
“Boys! This has gone on long enough! How do burgers on the house sound?” chimes in Izzy with super-fake enthusiasm.
I cast her a glance. “A burger sounds good, Izzy, but I’ll pay for mine.”
“You’re seriously going to hide behind a skank like her?”
Without too much thought, my hand comes up and smashes Rio’s head into the counter. He’s momentarily stunned, and it allows me to push him off the stool and onto the floor. Standing, I prepare for the fucker to stand. He does, cracks his neck from side to side, smiles, and fake punches for my head but actually connects with my ribs. The pain is immediate, and I’m winded.
Rio moves back and smiles. I’m doubled over and furious that the fucker is beating me. As I drag air into my lungs, the sheer effort of it causes my body to burn with pain.
Izzy appears beside me. “Leave him the fuck alone! You’ve proven what a big man you are by fighting with a wounded comrade. Aren’t you two supposed to be getting along? Jesus! Grow up, the pair of you,” yells Izzy as she places an arm around me.
Rio moves in closer and sneers at Izzy. “You’re a mouthy little slut, aren’t you? Clearly, he’s not shown you who’s boss. Perhaps someone should?”
The door to the diner flies open, Kade comes barreling in and grabs Rio around the throat and walks him backward, slamming him into the wall with a spine-crunching thud. Rio pushes him off, and the pair of them go at it, fists slamming into each other over and over again. Kade doesn’t know how to lose a fight. His heart is so huge, he just keeps going. I can see Rio’s face is beginning to look bloody while Kade’s is only red from exertion.
The door to the diner opens and an almighty, “Enough!” explodes from Dane. “What the fuck do you two think you’re doing?”
Kade is breathing hard, but he’s backing away from Rio who’s bleeding from his nose and mouth.
Dane moves past Izzy and I and places a hand on Kade’s shoulder.
“Get outside,” Dane orders in a deadly tone.
Kade, knowing better than to argue, walks backward until he gets past me, then he claps me on the shoulder, turns and walks outside.
“You fucked up, Rio. You picked a fight with the wrong man. What the fuck were you thinking?” demands Dane.
“He started it,” replies Rio as he spits on the floor and wipes the blood from his mouth onto his cut. “Your man got all pissy ‘cause I was talking to the woman.”
Dane’s nostrils flare, and he turns to look at me. “Is that fucking true?” he asks through gritted teeth.
“He laid hands on her and called her a slut.”
“What the fuck? Are you both five and in fucking kindergarten? We’re trying to build a fucking relationship here, and you start a fight over a woman?”
Izzy makes a noise that quickly dies in her throat when Dane shakes his head slightly at her. Her eyes go wide, and she clutches harder onto me.
Dane turns back to Rio. “Are you good?”
Rio looks at Izzy and me and nods. “Yeah man, I’m good.”
“You’ll let this shit drop?” Rio nods. “Good.”
As Rio goes to walk past Dane, Dane leans into him and whispers, “Don’t ever touch a member of my MC ever fucking again. We have a motto, you hurt us, we bury you. Do. You. Fucking. Get. Me?” Rio pales and nods avoiding eye contact with the behemoth of a man. “Now, when Smithy asks what happened to you, you better fucking say you worked this shit out, comprende?” Rio nods again. “That’s not going to work for me, say the fucking words.”
“I get it. We worked this shit out.”
Dane smiles and claps him on the shoulder. “Good man, and I won’t forget this.” The double meaning to his words isn’t lost on any of us in the room as Rio stumbles out. Kade flexes his fists as Rio walks past and watches the man walk away. When he’s apparently moved far enough along, Kade opens the door and comes back inside. Izzy has me sitting in a booth, neither of us have said a word as we wait for Kade.
Dane waits until Kade is back inside the diner before he speaks. “Have you two lost your ever-loving minds? We’re outnumbered here! No fucking weapons and the Kings have extended a fucking olive branch. They could have slaughtered us at the airport or here for Jesus fucking Christ!” explodes Dane.
“It’s my fault,” I say.
“Yes, it’s your fault! I don’t like men manhandling women either, but be fucking smart about it. And you,” growls Dane as he waves a hand in Kade’s direction, “what the fuck were you doing?”
“He was laying into Zeke. That fucker is nothing less than a scum-sucking bottom dweller. He only picks on those weaker than himself. You can bet your last fucking dollar that if Zeke were feeling one hundred percent, he wouldn’t have even tried.”
“I don’t fucking care. Use your head,” says Dane, eyes bulging as he points to his own head.
“It’s my fault. I didn’t know how to get rid of him,” states Izzy, and we all stare at her. “Well, it is. The thing is, I can take care of myself. I’m a black belt in karate, so I could have kicked his ass.”
Kade chuckles, Dane pins him with a look, but I can’t help but laugh. Then Izzy joins in, and a smile creeps across Dane’s face. He shakes his head, a laugh escapes him, and Izzy reaches up and touches his arm.
“I’m sorry.”
The laughter dies as Dane looks down at her hand and shakes his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. The guy was a douche, but these two know better.” Kade shakes his head slightly. “Fuck that, Kade, you do know better. I get it. The guy had it coming. It’s not just about you or Zeke, what just happened affects the whole bloody club. You’ve got to be smarter, both of you.” Dane pauses and looks down at Izzy whose hand is back in her lap. “And you, don’t be going anywhere alone. Make sure one of my men are with you or a friend of yours. I don’t need to be worried about you, too.” Dane pins Kade with one last scathing look and heads back outside.
“Fuck, he’s big and scary,” whispers Izzy as she watches Dane walk away.
/>
I chuckle and look at Kade. “He’s a good man. But yeah, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of his fist.”
Kade flops down into the other side of the booth. “I could take him.”
“In your fucking dreams you could,” I say.
“What? No faith in me, brother?”
“Kade, you don’t know how to lose, but Dane has never lost a fight. You’d kill each other before either of you conceded defeat.”
“Enough talk of death. How are your ribs feeling? And can I get either of you something to eat or drink?” asks Izzy.
“You,” says Kade with a grin, pointing at her. “You can take care of yourself? Well, fuck, woman, next time do it.”
“Fuck you,” mumbles Izzy.
I smirk at her, pride swelling in my chest. “You go, girl.”
Izzy smiles at me, her brown eyes twinkling. She reaches over and touches my arm. “Can I get you anything?”
“Water. Water would be good.”
She smiles at me a moment longer, gives a small shake of her head, and leaves us alone.
“I like her,” states Kade.
“Me, too.”
“Really?”
I pin him with a look and point at him. “Whatever it is, keep it to yourself.”
Kade knows me. Deep down, I feel like he’s my only real family, but I don’t need him analyzing me right now. I don’t want him scratching at the thoughts in my head, and I don’t need to be thinking about Cassia.
Shit.
Cassia.
Her face is swimming around in the mess that is my mind, and I don’t want to think about her. I close my eyes and shake my head violently to get the image gone. When I open them, Kade is looking at me warily.
“Did it work? Did you make her disappear?” I say nothing. I give him empty eyes and an expressionless face. Kade points in the direction where Izzy has disappeared. “She’s the past. She’s an awesome chick, and if you hadn’t met Cassia, she’d be the one, but you did. You have. Cassia is the future. Reach out to her before she becomes the past before you fuck it all up.”
I scoff at him. “You mean I haven’t already?”
“Not all the way, brother. But if you do that,” Kade nods in Izzy’s direction, “Cassia is history.”
I watch Kade leave.
Cassia.
I pull out my phone and scroll down to her number, thumb hovering over the call button. A glass of water is placed in front of me, and I turn off my phone and put it away.
“Thanks, Izzy.”
“You okay?”
I rub my side and say, “Nothing a few Advils and some sleep won’t fix.”
“You look like hamburger meat.”
“You look good… real good.”
Izzy sits next to me, her eyes searching mine. A small smile plays on her lips.
“Zeke, you need rest.” Izzy leans in and lightly kisses my lips. It’s so soft and fleeting that if my eyes weren’t open, I would’ve missed it. “We can talk later.”
Cassia
Zeke’s last words are haunting me, ‘Goodbye, love. Take care.’ It sounds so final. So finished. And I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I glance up at my father, and although the bruise is almost gone, I can still see the faint outline of it. Dad nods and smiles at me, and I return the greeting but keep walking through the store. I don’t want another confrontation like the other day. I’m not sure I could emotionally handle it. The store is a part of me, but it’s just a business, and even though I did one day think I’d run it, I’ll find something else, I have to. My whole life I’ve worked here. I remember being six and sitting on the counter and serving customers. Sure, I went away to college, but when I was finished, I came back here to my father, to safety and stability.
Opening the storeroom door, I find our longtime employee, Mavis, counting stock.
“Hey, Mavis, how’s it going?”
Mavis stops and looks at me over the top of her glasses. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
I give her a confused smile and say, “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”
“I call bullshit,” states Mavis sternly.
“Mavis! What’s gotten into you?”
“I’ve known you since before you took your first breath. I know you, girlie, and after your chat with your dad the other day, I think you owe me an explanation. So,” Mavis pauses and sits on a chair and pats the one next to her. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
I sit down and shake my head. I try to speak, but my throat closes up. Shaking my head again, I stare straight ahead, trying to get myself under control. Mavis places my hand in her own and pats it lightly.
“Did I ever tell you that I wished you’d never come back to this town after you left for school?” Eyes wide, I quickly face her. “I missed you, but I always thought you’d find your place in the world, but your daddy got you to come back. It’s not too late.”
“B-but it is,” I whisper as my voice cracks and betrays my emotions.
“Oh, no, sweet girl. Your father never approved of that Zeke, but I could see how much you blossomed around him. You know it is okay to disobey your father. He might think he’s right about everything, but he’s not.” A tear falls down my cheek, and Mavis brushes it away. “Don’t cry, love. Do you love that young man?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. Your daddy loves you, but your daddy also wants to keep you under his thumb. The real question is what do you want?”
“It’s not that easy,” I whisper.
“Of course, it is!” Mavis stands up. “I’ll ask you again, do you love him?” I search my heart, and without even realizing it, I nod. “There’s your answer, sweet girl. Now, get out of here and go find him before someone else snaps him up. He is a bit of a looker, that one.”
I stand and walk out of the storeroom, past my father, and out the front door of the store. On the sidewalk, I falter. Where do I go? Where has he gone? Turning I walk toward the Savage Angels’ compound—a place I’ve never been before, never wanted to go to before. They scare me, always have. I’m nice and polite to them, but before Zeke, I’d never dated any of them.
As I enter the compound, I can’t get myself to walk up the clubhouse steps, so I head toward the garage and its office. Opening the door, I find Adelynn Turner sitting behind a desk, looking frazzled. She looks up at me, and the smile that creases her face fades as she rises and takes me into her arms.
“Whatever it is, we can fix it,” Adelynn states firmly.
“I need to find Zeke.”
Adelynn pulls away from me. “Jonas will know where he is. Take a seat. There’s coffee if you need it, and if you’re any good at paperwork, feel free to look over the accounts. I swear these boys only know chicken scrawl when it comes to filling these things out.”
I smile at her as she leaves and flop into a chair. After about thirty minutes, I look at the paperwork that appears to be in piles on the desk. I turn the first page around and can see why Adelynn looked so frazzled. It’s messy, so I make some notes on it, and when I’m done, I pick up the next one, then the next, and the next. Soon I’ve done a whole pile, so I stand and walk around the desk and begin on the next pile. The phone rings, and without thinking, I answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hello. Is this the garage in Tourmaline?”
“Oh, yes, I’m so sorry. How can we help you?”
“I’ve broken down about five miles out of town. Can you send someone out for a tow?”
“We sure can, Mr.?”
“George Route, sorry.”
“All good, Mr. Route. Now we take card or cash. What suits you best?”
“Card. How long will it be?”
“We’ll be there in the next half hour, if not sooner, depending on where you are.”
“I’m on the road to Pearl County. It’s a white 4Runner.”
“We’ll see you soon, Mr. Route.”
I’ve written all his information down on a notepad that�
��s near the phone. Standing, I open the door to the workshop where a half dozen men work, and they all stop and stare at me.
“Who’s in charge of the tow truck today?” I ask loudly.
A man dressed in overalls with scruffy hair that is sticking up in every direction, nods at me. “I am.”
I walk over to him and hand him my notes. “A Mr. Route has broken down on the road to Pearl County, it’s a white 4Runner. He needs a tow, and he’s paying by card. I told him you’d be a half-hour.”
“Thanks. When did you start working here?”
“I don’t, I just answered the phone.”
“I’m Keg.”
“I’m Cassia.”
“Yeah, I know. Zeke’s woman.”
I blush and nod. “I hope so.”
Keg smiles and holds the piece of paper up. “Thanks for this.” I watch him head for the tow truck and turn and walk back into the office. Jonas White, VP to the Savage Angels, is sitting in the chair behind the desk, looking at my notes.
“Did you do this?” he asks as I walk into the room.
“I’m so sorry. Adelynn left me for so long, and she said if I wanted to do it, I could… so I did.” I look around the room, waiting for the floor to swallow me up. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Are you kidding?” Jonas asks, spreading his hands wide over the paperwork.
“I should go. Tell Adelynn I’m sorry.”
“Sit!” demands Jonas. “And we call her Addy.” I fall into a chair and stare at him, unable to speak. “You know this is supposed to be my job. Addy helps me with it, but half the time, I can’t make any sense of it, but you, you got all this done without any help.”
“Y-yes?”
“Hmmm, I know you work for your daddy at the store, but would you like a job? We can’t—”
“Yes!”
“Yes?”
“Yes, I want a job.”
Jonas grins and nods at me. “Okay, then! Now, what did you want?”
“Zeke, I want Zeke.”
“He’s not here.”
“I know. But you know where he is, and I need to see him.”
Jonas chuckles and shakes his head. “Your daddy won’t approve.”
Savage Lies: Savage Angels MC #7 Page 10