He tried to imagine what he’d put her through. How he would feel if she’d accused him of such betrayal. When had he ever lost control before? When had he ever let emotion cloud his judgment? When had he ever cared about anyone so much, the thought of losing them cut deeper than the shrapnel lodged in his heart? Not since he was seven years old, when his mom had walked away.
“That stripper’s been watching me ever since we came in.” Cade grinned. “I’m thinking I might be getting a private dance tonight.”
“Thought you’d hooked up with Dawn.” Jagger sipped his beer, letting the bitter liquid slide over his tongue, no worse than the sour taste in his mouth.
“Nah. She just wants me for sex.”
Jagger’s head jerked up. “Well, that’s a first. Usually it’s the other way round.”
Cade’s cheeks reddened. “She’s got issues.”
“Who doesn’t?” He checked his watch. Jeff was already half an hour late. A few more minutes, and they’d call it a night. He’d made sure the Sinners stayed out of sight, in case Jeff caught on to their plan. Of course, the plan hadn’t included Arianne trying to slap him again when he pointed her to the booth, or calling him a fucking evil bastard, or telling him she would die before she let them touch Jeff. But here they were, and pain and regret were eating a hole through his heart.
Jagger stared at the stage, unseeing. He needed to get a grip. He was the president of the dominant outlaw MC in the state; the world was his for the taking. What did it matter whether she wanted to be with him or not? Or whether their time together had meant anything to her? She was his. He’d claimed her. He could do with her as he pleased. Not that he would ever touch her without her consent, but he could make her stay.
As if she knew what he was thinking, Arianne’s gaze flicked to him and then away, her lips pressing into a thin line. She leaned back in the seat and folded her arms under her breasts, pulling taut the thin material of her top and exposing the crescents of her breasts. Jagger couldn’t tear his gaze away.
Christ. She was driving him fucking crazy. How could he still want her after she’d made it abundantly clear he meant nothing to her?
“You’re not being very inconspicuous.” Cade waved a hand in front of Jagger’s face. “Anyone looking at you would know exactly what you’re thinking. You look like a lion ready to pounce.”
“Fuck off.”
“You’re wrecked. I’ve never seen you wrecked before. Actually, ‘wrecked’ isn’t the right word. I think the word I’m looking for is ‘heartbroken,’ or maybe it’s ‘devastated.’”
“Fuck off again.”
“That’s why I keep it simple,” Cade said with a wry grin. “One night, maybe two, then on to the next. No emotional entanglements. No pain. No gut-wrenching decisions about whether to let the girl you claimed as a blood price go because that’s what she wants most in the world—more than you.…”
Damn Cade and his stupid insightful jokes. If they’d been outside, he would have punched him, wiped that smarmy grin off his face. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know everything about you.” Cade shoved another beer across the table. “We served together too long not to know each other inside and out, and right now, your inside is out, brother.”
Jagger had slid partway out of the booth, already committed to slamming Cade’s head into the table, when Arianne left her booth and walked toward them.
“I’m going to use the restroom.” Strained, quiet, her voice held none of her usual sass, and her eyes none of their usual fire. She didn’t wait for him to respond, just continued on her way. Jagger looked around for T-Rex to send him to watch the door. Where the fuck was he? And where was Wheels? Jesus Christ. Had they learned nothing from their screw-up at the pool hall?
He texted them and stared at his phone, awaiting their response. But when it finally buzzed, it wasn’t T-Rex or Wheels sending the text, but Zane.
Viper knows where you are. Headed your way. Will try to intercept.
“We need to get Arianne out of here.” He stood abruptly and stalked over to the bathroom. How could he make up for what he’d done? How could he tell her the thought of losing her had hurt so much, he had to push her away?
*
“Pssst. Arianne.”
Hands still under the dryer, Arianne turned to see a familiar face peering around the door to the ladies’ restroom.
“Jeff!”
He held up a hand and pulled his ball cap low on his forehead. “Wait thirty seconds, then meet me out back. There’s a hidden door through the storage room at the end of the hallway. The Sinners are watching, so I gotta be quick.”
Heart pounding, she counted off the seconds and then pushed open the door and glanced down the hallway. She could just make out Jagger’s broad form at a table near the stage. Although facing her direction, he was looking down at his phone and a waitress blocked his view. Cade’s attention was focused on the stage. She couldn’t see Wheels or T-Rex. Pulse racing, she slipped out of the restroom and raced down the hallway to a gray metal door marked WARDROBE.