CHAPTER SIX
K ade slammed a beer down on the sticky bartop, foam erupting over the edge. “You’re inviting them back already?”
Jagger shrugged, unfazed by his brother’s anger. “Yup. Big weekend planned.”
“And how do you plan on taking care of them this time? Since you’re nowhere near as prepared as you should be, as we saw this past weekend.” Kade gestured vaguely with his beer bottle towards the street outside. “Those girls are still—”
“Shut it, Kade.” Jagger’s voice was sharp, silencing him quickly.
Sadie, who’d been calmly filling out inventory sheets at the bar, looked up and gave them both an annoyed glance. “Real mature here, guys.”
Kade ignored her, his anger directed solely at his brother. “How can you even consider this? Aren’t you done doing gang shit? And you’re pretty unfazed for someone who just let a bunch of predators party at his bar, pretending like this shit is okay.”
“I’m trying to help because of those girls, Kade,” Jagger countered, leaning closer and planting his own hands on the bar across from Kade. “Dad is coming. He’s bringing backup, retired Renegades, the whole damn pack. We will use this weekend and them to get the girls out.”
“Get the girls out?” Kade scoffed. “How? With drugs? Because that worked so well last time.”
“Look, I know you’re upset about what happened,” Jagger conceded. “But Warren has a plan. He’s going to dismantle them from the inside out. And we’re part of that.” He pushed a strand of hair back from his forehead, his gaze meeting Kade’s. “Think about it, Kade. It’s what we’ve been doing our whole lives, except this time, we’re actually taking people out who truly deserve it.”
Kade clenched his fists, knuckles turning white. “And what if Warren’s plan fails? Because we’ve been cleaning up his messes for years. It’s not like he’s the best fucking horse to bet on, bro. What then, Jagger? More innocent people get hurt. You,” he points at Jagger’s chest and then at Sadie’s blonde form. “And your girl could get hurt.”
Jagger’s jaw tightened, and he slapped Kade’s hand down from where it pointed at Sadie. “You know I’ll never let anything happen to her. And if we don’t do it this weekend, they’ll have too much time to figure out what’s happening, and we won’t get another chance. We don’t have the luxury of backing out now.”
Sadie sighed and grabbed another stack of papers from behind the bar, along with a giant black hoodie that must have been Jagger’s, before taking her seat again. She spoke quietly as she pulled her limbs through the sleeves and popped her head out, tugging her hair out and to the side. “He’s right, Kade. I’m behind this one hundred percent, too. So don’t try to make me take your side here. “
Kade shook her off, stepping back from the bar. “You don’t understand,” he spat, glaring at Jagger. “You’re gambling with lives here. Our lives.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Jagger shot back, his voice rising. “Every day, we’re risking everything! But sitting around won’t change anything. Those girls need us to do something now. Who knows how long this has been going on? How long they’ve been stuck with those assholes? When I met them in New York, there were only 6 girls and 5 men–it’s doubled and it’s only been about a month!”
Sadie slammed her hand down on the stack of papers and glared at the men. “Fighting among ourselves isn’t going to help anyone. And it’s giving me a headache. Knock it off, you two.”
Kade turned away, pacing the length of the bar, and glared at Scales and Gremlin as he saw them bring in some kegs from the parking lot. He stopped at the window, pulling the dark curtain away to stare into the parking lot and busy street of early morning commuters. His shoulders slumped as he let out a long breath.
Jagger watched him, tension still simmering under his calm exterior. He ran a hand through his hair again, frustration evident in every movement.
The silence stretched until Sadie broke it once more. “What’s the plan then? How are we going to make sure this goes smoothly?”
“We’ll kill them,” Jagger assured him, though his tone was more determined than comforting.
“Fuck, that’s discreet,” Kade echoed with a bitter laugh. “Fine, but I’m not doing this for you or Dad or any of your grand plans.” He jabbed a finger in Jagger’s direction. “I’m doing it for those girls.”
Sadie looked between the two brothers and then picked up her clipboard again. “Then let’s get to work,” she said firmly.
Kade returned to the bar and poured another beer, watching the frothy head swell and spill over the rim. The cold liquid splashed against his fingers, dampening the sleeve of his gray sweatshirt.
Sadie tossed a rag onto the bar without glancing up from her paperwork. The fabric landed with a soft thud next to Kade’s drink, and Jagger moved towards Sadie. Kade watched Jagger kiss her head before going upstairs to their apartment above the bar.
“Thanks,” he muttered, wiping his hand dry on the rag.
She still didn’t look up. Instead, she continued scribbling numbers on her clipboard, her pen moving swiftly across the paper.
“What’s got you so calm?” Kade leaned back against the bar, frustration bubbling beneath his skin. “You act like this weekend isn’t going to spectacularly blow up in our faces.”
Finally, she paused and raised an eyebrow, her eyes shooting towards him briefly before returning to her work. “Why are you here drinking for breakfast instead of studying for your finals this week?”
“Seriously?” Kade shot back, irritation seeping into his voice. “Because I can’t think about that crap right now. Not with everything going on.”
Sadie looked up from her sheets and gave him a small smile. “I think you should trust Jagger and Warren,” she said simply. “They know what they’re doing.”
Kade scoffed and didn’t care about the sneer that spread across his lips. He was angry, and it wasn’t just about the gang’s antics. Madison had him completely messed up, and he wanted to blame it on something else. “You think so? Last weekend was a disaster.”
“Last weekend was a learning experience,” Sadie corrected him, tossing a rag down the bar top without looking up from her paperwork again. “And we learned from it.”
Kade sighed heavily, leaning against the bar. “I just wish there was another way,” he muttered, rubbing at the damp spot on his sleeve with the rag Sadie had provided him with. “I don’t want to be part of this anymore. I’m supposed to graduate next week and get the fuck out of here.”
Sadie looked up at him then, her eyes serious and filled with understanding. “I know it’s hard,” she said softly. “But most gangs aren’t like this. Who makes it a point to traffic women and use liberating sex parties as a front?” She gestured towards the door with her chin, indicating the girls still out there, trapped in their dangerous world. “We can’t just sit back and let them suffer any longer.”
Kade’s phone buzzed next to Sadie on the bar top. She pushed the sleeves up on her sweater, glanced at it, and then at him. “Does ‘Madison’ know you’re leaving?”
Kade snatched the phone up, his expression darkening as he read the message. “She does as of last night.”
Sadie raised an eyebrow. “Well, that explains why you’re in such a pissy mood.”
Kade’s scowl deepened, and he gave her the finger without looking up from his phone. Sadie didn’t miss a beat, returning the gesture with a casual flick of her hand.
Kade grunted in response, typing furiously on his phone before shoving it into his pocket. He turned his attention to the rows of liquor bottles lining the shelves behind the bar, their colorful labels blurring together.
“Is she upset?” Sadie asked, her voice softer this time.
Kade sighed, leaning heavily against the counter. “Yeah. She doesn’t get it.”
“Doesn’t get what?”
“Any of this,” he replied, gesturing vaguely around them. “The risks, the reasons. I can’t keep living like this. Jagger was right—” Kade held his hand up and pointed at Sadie. “Don’t you ever tell him I said that. But, I gotta get out. Or at least try. Fuck . I mean, look at you guys, you’re still caught up in this shit, too, and that’s why I have to get as far away from here as possible if I’m going to make a life for myself.”
“And she’s not part of that plan?”
“I never said that. I care about her. A lot. I just can’t ask her to join me in moving across the country, though. Her life is here.”
“You guys are graduating college. Your life can be wherever you want it to be.”
Sighing, Kade downed the rest of his beer. What was that, now? His fifth?
“I think she’s mad at me.”
Sadie paused in her writing and looked at him with sympathy. “Can’t say I blame her.”
Kade’s shoulders slumped further. “Neither can I.”
The silence stretched between them once more, filled only by the distant hum of traffic outside and the sound of footsteps as Jagger moved around upstairs.
Finally, Sadie spoke again as she set down her pen and pushed her papers aside. “Come with me,” she said, standing up and moving around the bar.
Kade raised an eyebrow but followed her as she led the way to the office door. He rarely ventured into this part of the bar; Jagger typically kept it locked. Sadie produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open.
“Why are you showing me the office?” Kade asked, glancing around at the shelves lined with liquor bottles and random bar equipment.
Sadie moved to the desk in the corner, opened a drawer, and retrieved another key.
“There’s something I want you to know about before this weekend,” she explained, walking towards a door behind the desk. She unlocked it and pushed it open, revealing a small closet space with some bookshelves and cleaning supplies. Kade frowned, confused. “The storage room? Where’d it go? I remember it being much bigger than this.”
“We made it into a safe space,” Sadie said, stepping inside and gesturing to the makeshift closet. “If we ever need to hide, this is where we go.” She pointed to a mop bucket in the corner. “There’s also a gun hidden in there if things get really bad.”
Kade’s eyes widened as he took in the setup. “Seriously?”
Sadie nodded, her expression serious. “It’s better than nothing. And it deters anyone from seeing what’s behind it.”
“What’s behind it?” Kade asked, curiosity piqued.
Sadie hesitated, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to,” she answered with a laugh.