17 | Cade
“If you’re here to fuckin’ tear her apart, you’re not welcome in this house,” I growl, staring at Jackson who is standing on my doorstep the next morning. “I respect the hell out of you, Jacks, but you will not fuckin’ speak to her again like you did last night.”
His eyes flash, and I can see the regret in them. “Need to see my daughter, Cade.”
“She’s so fuckin’ broken over what you said. Do you have any idea how much she loves you, and how much knowin’ she disappointed you crushes her?”
Jackson steps up, so we’re face to face. “I want to see my fuckin’ daughter, Cade. Are you going to let me in, or are you going to remind me of how much I fucked up? I know. Now step the fuck aside so I can fix it.”
Holding his eyes for a moment, mine firm and unwavering, I finally step aside.
Addison is in the kitchen, Skye in her arms, preparing a bottle. She looks terrible, and I know she didn’t sleep well last night. Her body is marked, every perfect inch tarnished, and her eyes are red from crying so much. She made a mistake, a big one, but she did it because she cares, and I should have seen that a lot fucking sooner.
Her eyes move to Jackson and his flash as he takes her in.
Walking over, I take Skye from her arms, but there is no fucking way I’m leaving this room. Not until I know he’s said everything he can to make it right with her. There is anger, I get it, but he said shit that burned her in a way he’ll never understand. I can only pray, in this very moment, he makes the right choice.
Without a word, he steps up to her. She tips her head back and looks at him, the pain in her eyes almost too much to bear. Gritting my teeth, I watch as he takes her by the shoulders and pulls her into him. She practically crumbles, her face scrunching as she buries it into his chest. I exhale, a slight amount of relief as I watch, and when he speaks, I know he knows.
He knows he fucked up.
He knows he has to make it better.
“The day you stepped into my life, it changed. I went from havin’ nothin’ in this world to care about, to everything. You are my everything. The idea of a world without you in it is enough to bring me to my knees.”
Addison squeezes him tighter, and I know it’s my moment to leave.
Taking Skye, I walk out the front where Spike is waiting by Jackson’s truck, a cigarette in his hand, leaning against it without a single care in the world. If everyone could live like Spike, the world would be a better place. I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve seen him scared.
“Hey, baby girl,” he drops the cigarette, crushing it out before reaching out and taking Skye from my arms.
“You’re right, take my daughter,” I mutter.
He chuckles and Skye smiles, reaching for the chain around his neck. “What’s yours is mine ...”
“You talk sense into Jacks, or is he here all on his own?”
Spike glances at me. “He wanted to come here. Man ain’t stupid, brother. He knew he fucked up.”
“Any word from Marshall? Did he figure out who was out there?”
Spike shakes his head. “So far, nothin’, which is either good or very fuckin’ bad. We’re preparing for an attack, one we don’t see coming, because a man like Marshall won’t let that shit go. If he figures out who Addison is with, he’ll make sure we know we’re messin’ with the wrong people.”
“She found a chip off a diamond. Got to be worth nearly twenty grand. Whatever they’re sellin’, it’s fuckin’ expensive.”
“No wonder Clara wanted to steal somethin’ from him if a chip alone is worth that much.”
“Bigger than I thought it was.” I grunt. “Not good.”
“We could make a deal with him. See if we can give him somethin’ he wants in exchange for information on Clara.”
“What the fuck could we possibly offer him that he couldn’t get on his own?”
“Wesley,” Spike murmurs. “We have worked out he is in some deep shit, judgin’ by the fact that Janine gave him the diamonds she found, I’d guess it is somehow connected to Marshall. He’s hidin’ from someone, and we know for a fact he has somethin’ that might interest them. We hand him over in exchange for information on Clara.”
It’s not a fucking bad idea.
Wesley is a piece of shit scumbag, and it wouldn’t bother me at all to hand his ass over. The problem is, we have to find him. He’s making that hard, and the only thing we’ve managed to find out is that he’s in hiding, and if I were to guess, I’d say Spike is right—he’s hiding from Marshall.
“How the fuck do we find him?”
Spike grins. “I’m certain we could draw him out if we had Marshall on board ...”
“Marshall don’t play nice; the chances of him workin’ with us are slim to none.”
Spike shrugs, grinning at Skye who is chewing the chain now. “Maybe, but it’s better than nothing.”
He’s right.
It is.
Now we just have to get Jackson to agree.
~*~*~*~*~
“GOD DAMMIT, YOU JUST had a baby, take it easy,” Addison calls, a huge smile on her face as she looks across the bar to where Spike and Ciara are dancing.
Ciara shoots her a smile and continues grinding against Spike in a way that should be illegal.
“Give them a break, baby.” I chuckle. “They’re livin’ the dream.”
Rolling her eyes, Addi turns back to me and slides onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I know a good bar out the back.”
“Fuck me,” Jackson grunts. “The lot of you need to do this shit elsewhere.”
Serenity giggles beside him. “He’s just jealous. You all enjoy yourselves.”
“Keepin’ the legs closed, princess?” Muff asks and Serenity giggles.
“No, but Grandad is getting old now so he needs more sleep.”
Jackson’s eyes flash, and in a second he is up and out of the booth, throwing her over his shoulder as she squeals with delight. “I’ll show you Grandad, baby. You’ll be takin’ that back in a fuckin’ second.”
“Ew,” Addi buries her face into my neck. “Tell me when it’s over.”
Before I can answer her, I see Spike pulling Ciara off the dance floor, striding toward us with a determination that has my senses sparking to life. His eyes are on something, or someone, and he looks concerned. Turning, I see a face I haven’t seen in a long fucking time walking toward us, eight men trailing him.
Marshall looks the same as he did all those years ago, only older.
His brown hair is the same style and cut, and his eyes are the same empty black. His skin, always pale, is slightly more dehydrated than it used to be. He’s a big man, bulky and strong, but it’s his evil presence that gets most people in line. He would shoot us down in this bar without even blinking. That’s the kind of fucking monster he is.
“Take the girls, find Jackson, and do not fuckin’ come out until I tell you to,” I growl into Addison’s ear as I shove her off my lap.
She looks confused as she turns and stares at Marshall.
“Now,” I bark.
She moves quickly, as do the guys, and, in a moment, they’re gone. Not feeling a single ounce of relief, I stand and turn just in time to see Marshall stop in front of me. He was always taller than me, but over the years he doesn’t seem as strong. His muscle tone has faded, but I know damn well he doesn’t need it. He’ll fight dirty, he always has.
“Long time, Cade,” he murmurs, his voice scarily calm. “No need to send the ladies away, I’m not here to cause problems. Yet.”
The last word, and the way it rolls off his tongue, has my spine straightening. Spike is beside me, his presence overpowering, and Muff steps in on the other side. The guys at the other table are already up and behind us, ready for a fight. We outnumber him, but he’s not even close to looking scared.
“Tell your dogs to sit down, I’m here to talk.”
Spike flinches beside me, but he turns and waves a hand, and everyone sits.
“What the fuck do you want?” I growl.
Marshall grins. “You and I both know why I’m here, let’s skip the dramatics. Do you want to tell me why your little woman was scoping around on my turf?”
Keeping my calm, I say simply, “Lookin’ for my sister.”
Marshall looks slightly shocked by my answer, but then a smile spreads across his face. “Clara? Well, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Pity about her, she was a pretty young thing, but no brains in that head of hers.”
It takes everything inside me not to punch his smug fucking face.
“Whatever it is you’re here for, spit it out. I don’t have all fuckin’ night,” I seethe.
He smiles, but it’s nothing but cold and empty. “I don’t appreciate people snooping around in my business. As I’m sure you’re aware, I don’t react well to that kind of situation. Your woman put her nose in my business, and I’m going to need to rectify that.”
“You so much as touch a hair on her head, I’ll hunt you down and gut you like a fuckin’ fish,” I bark.
“Now now, there’s no need to get testy, Cade. I’m sure we can come up with something.”
“What do you want?” Spike is the one to speak now. “Because, cunt, my patience is running out.”
Marshall looks at Spike as if he’s nothing more than a speck of dirt. “Bad language isn’t needed, biker. I’m here to make a deal.”
“Well, it’s your lucky night, because so are we,” I say, crossing my arms.
Marhsall grins. “Last time I checked, I was the one with the upper hand.”
“We have somethin’ you might be interested in.”
He looks curious, enough to give a sharp nod for me to go on.
“Wesley.”
I only need to say a single name, and I know that he is immediately curious because of the small, sadistic smile that spreads across his hideous fucking face.
“You know where Wesley is?”
“I can find him. I also know he has what you might be lookin’ to sell. I know, because we gave it to him.”
Janine gave it to him, in hopes he would go away, and thus far he has but it’s only because the fucker is in hiding. He knows that people will come after the guns and jewels he has, and I know one of those fuckers is Marshall. It’s a stab in the dark, but judging by the look on Marshall’s face, he is looking for Wesley as much as anyone else is.
“What’s the deal, biker?” Marshall asks, his voice low.
“Simple. You tell me what happened to my sister and agree to leave the club alone, and we’ll deliver you Wesley and the things he has that you want.”
Marshall’s grin spreads across his face, and I can sense Jackson coming up beside me, his demeanor ready for a fight. I raise my hand, putting it across his chest, letting him know it’s good. I’ve got this.
“Your woman came into my territory and messed around with things she shouldn’t be messing with. You’re telling me your club isn’t going to want a piece of that?”
“I can fuckin’ assure you,” I grind out. “This club ain’t interested in what you’re doin’. We have our own business. My woman won’t come anywhere near your shit again and you won’t hear from us again.”
Marshall glances at all of us, his eyes scanning the now very quiet bar as everyone watches, terrified about what might happen.
“Very well. You bring me Wesley and she can deliver the items he has into my shipping container that is going out in three days, and we have a deal.”
“Why can’t you do that yourself?” I growl.
Marshall grins. “Oh, I can, but your woman stuck her nose in where it didn’t belong.”
“There is no fuckin’ way she is goin’ anywhere near you or your fuckin’ bullshit.”
Marhsall chuckles. “Then we don’t have a deal. Don’t worry, Cade, nothing will happen to her. I just want her to see the world she’s digging around in. Might make her think twice before she meddles in my business.”
“She’s goin’, then I’m goin’ too.”
Marshall shakes his head. “She delivers the items alone, or we don’t have a deal.”
“You think I fuckin’ trust you?” I bark.
“No, I don’t, but that is the only deal I’m willing to make. Take it or leave it.”
Panting with a rage I never thought I could feel, I step closer to him. “If you lay a single fuckin’ hand on her, I’ll gut you.”
Marshall smirks. “Noted. Now, do we have a deal?”
Grinding my teeth, I give him a sharp nod. I have no other choice. If I say no, we’re done for. If I don’t give him what he wants, he’ll bring hell down over the club and lives will be lost. There is no way I’ll send Addison in unprotected, though. He can demand what he likes, she will not be put in danger. I’ll find a way to make sure she’s safe.
“I’ll have my location delivered to you. You have three days to drop that son-of-a-bitch on my doorstep and get your woman to deliver those items to my shipment. If you don’t, we’re going to have a war that I promise you you can’t win.”
With that, he turns and walks out.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.