Cade’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and for a moment he considered not answering it. Gunner was waiting for him outside the clubhouse, and he was just about to bail on him for the very first time. He’d promised Gunner weeks ago he would go with him to a party tonight. At the time, he’d been more than happy to accept the invitation, envisioning a night in a hot tub with a girl tucked under each arm, an endless supply of champagne, and a room with a bed big enough for three. But now there was only one woman he wanted, and she kept him plenty busy in bed.
Well, at least she had until he lost it outside Bunny’s pool hall. She hadn’t spoken to him since their encounter in the alley. But he couldn’t let her put herself in danger, especially after she’d just made a narrow escape from Bunny. Sure, she said it all went fine. But who knew what went on behind closed doors?
With an irritated growl, he checked the screen. Arianne?
“Is Dawn with you?” She sounded breathless, anxious. He could hear people talking, glassware clinking, and the faint sound of the Kongos’ “Come with Me Now” playing in the background.
“No.” His skin prickled. “Haven’t seen her since I dropped her off at work.”
“She didn’t call after her shift to let me know she was home and she’s not answering her phone. I thought maybe she was with you.”
“Maybe the bus broke down.”
“I called the bus company,” she snapped. “The busses are all running on time. I’m worried, Cade. It’s not like her to forget to call.”
That warning prickle returned, but worse, and his heart raced like he was running a damn marathon. Cade closed his eyes and tried to pull it together. But he couldn’t shake the damn past: memories of his mother’s face covered in bruises, her body limp on the floor, her arm in a cast, bandages on her head; the nights he spent sitting with her in the hospital. Abusive guys like Mad Dog—like his dad—never let go and they never gave up.
“Gunner and I were about to head over that way for a party. We can swing by her place.”
“Hurry, Cade. Something’s wrong.”
SEVENTEEN
I may not always agree with my brother, but he is always my brother.
SINNER’S TRIBE CREED
A family.
Yes, she’d always wanted a family like she’d had before the car crash, but when she imagined a family it was much like what she’d had at the zoo: her children playing in the sunshine, and a partner who made her laugh, someone who respected her need for independence, but was there when she needed him.
“You don’t know what a family is.”
A shadow crossed his face so quickly she wondered if she’d imagined it, but when he spoke, his voice was gentle, the same voice he’d used when he coaxed her off the streets with promises of a better life, the voice he used on the good days just before everything turned bad.
“I’ve got a gun in my cut, love. If I wanted to kill you I would’ve done it already. But I want you back. I miss you … and the girls. A president needs a family so the old boys think he’s stable and … settled. And … the money. It doesn’t all belong to me.”
As if she would ever believe him. The red wheal on her hand from his belt and years of hospital visits had taught her that the soft words were usually followed by a hard beating, and she hadn’t missed the hesitation before he mentioned the girls. He didn’t want them. Never had. And he was crazy if he thought she had any money.
“Slide your weapon across the floor to me. And your belt. When I’ve got them, I’ll call Wolf and he can send someone to pick you up.”
Jimmy’s smile didn’t reach his ears. “That’s my girl.”
A loud thud on the door startled them both. Jimmy froze and drew his weapon. Resting against the wall directly across from her in the living room, he was in clear sight of the door.
“Who the fuck is that?”
“Dawn!”
She recognized Cade’s voice and her lips quivered with a smile. “Maybe it’s the mailman.”
“It’s Cade. Open the door.”
“I knew it.” Jimmy’s harsh voice echoed in the tiny room. “You are fucking that Sinner. You betraying little bitch. That’s why you wouldn’t come back. You were spreading your legs like the whore you really are. Open the damn door. I’m gonna blow so many holes in him you won’t be able to find his dick.”
Dawn glanced around the room, assessing potential places to hide. The kitchen lay behind her, visible through the opening at the breakfast bar, but accessible only if she could make the ten feet to the door. The small hallway leading to the bathroom and the bedrooms was directly across from the front door and also in Jimmy’s line of fire. If Jimmy started shooting, her best bet for cover was the couch beside her.
Jimmy put a finger to his lips. His black eyes gleamed and she knew right away if she’d gone to help him he would have found a way to hurt her. Drawing in a ragged breath, she threw herself behind the couch and screamed. “Jimmy’s here. He’s down but armed and at nine o’clock from the door.”
Silence.
And then the door splintered and Jimmy fired.
*
“You can’t kill him.”
Plastered against the walls on either side of the front door, Gunner and Cade shared a glance.