Chapter Twenty-Six #3
Casey met JT’s stare—shock flashing first, then hardening into something colder.
Rags grinned between them. “You two look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Casey forced a smile. “Just didn’t expect this many people.”
JT’s gaze stayed locked on hers. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “Small world.”
Too small.
Rags laughed. “Saber’s solid. Rode with him a few times. The guy knows his shit.”
Casey nodded, her throat tight. “I’m sure he does.”
JT’s eyes darted to Rags, then back to her. “Didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” JT said.
“Likewise.” Casey shifted on the barstool.
Rags’s hand tightened on her shoulder. “You sure you’re good?”
“I said I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” Rags said, his tone sharpening.
JT’s mouth twitched, like he was enjoying her discomfort.
Rags’s gaze snapped to him. “Stop looking at my woman like that,” he growled.
Casey stiffened, her pulse kicking hard against her throat.
“How am I looking at her, bro?” JT said.
Casey felt the shift between the two men. “I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat,” she said, starting to push off the stool.
Rags didn’t look away. “With fuckin’ disrespect. Cool it or we’re gonna have a problem, Saber.”
“What can I say? You’ve got a hot woman.”
Casey felt the anger rolling off Rags. She grasped his forearm. “Let’s go eat. Forget this jerk.”
“I’m not forgetting shit,” he said, shrugging off her hand.
“How do you know I’m a jerk, Casey?” A smirk spread across JT’s face.
“Because you are. Look how you’re acting now,” she said evenly.
“What the hell’s going on?” Rags said. He turned to her. “You know him?”
“Real well, dude. I mean, she’s my woman.” JT grinned.
Rags’s eyes locked on hers. “Is that true?”
“It is, dude.”
Rags didn’t look away. “Casey?”
“No, it’s not.” She glanced at JT over Rags’s shoulder.
“She’s bullshitting you, just like she did me.”
“Shut the fuck up, you liar.” Casey met Rags’s eyes. “I used to be his old lady. Then I left him.”
Shock spread across Rags’s face. “You were Saber’s ol’ lady?”
She nodded.
“She loved being my ol’ lady, didn’t you, sweetcakes?”
Casey sucked in a breath.
Too late.
Before she could respond, Rags whirled and drove his fist into JT’s face. Blood burst from his nose as he cried out and bowled over.
“You fuckin’ asshole!” JT shouted.
Without a word, Rags grabbed Casey’s hand and dragged her out of the room and up the stairs. He didn’t stop until he shoved her into a room and slammed the door behind them.
“What the fuck, woman?”
Casey moved to the window and stared out.
“You were Saber’s ol’ lady. He’s the dude you had your body plastered to on the back of his bike? You didn’t think you should’ve told me about all that? Why the fuck did you keep this a damn secret?” Rags exhaled. “And turn your ass around and look at me. You need to start explaining, woman.”
She turned, shaking her head. “You bikers are all alike. All you all do is demand and command. Okay, so I was JT’s old lady, so the fuck what? That was a long time ago. I walked out on him over a year and a half ago, but my love for him was gone long before that.”
Rags’s expression softened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to rehash all that shit again.” Her shoulders slumped. “I fell fast and hard for JT. He promised me the sun, the moon, and the stars and gave me the gutter. He broke my heart in the worst way. The last thing I wanted was to talk about it with you or anyone.”
Rags ran his hand through his hair. “I was just shocked that’s all. I’ve known Saber for more than three years. He never mentioned he had an ol’ lady.”
“I’m sure he didn’t.” Bitterness laced her voice. “That was our problem.”
“Come here,” Rags said.
She shook her head, pressing her lips together, trying to hold back the tears.
“Case.”
Rags crossed the room and pulled her against him. “I wouldn’t have judged you for being hitched to an outlaw. We both have a past, but that’s what it is, right?”
“If you’re asking if I’m still involved with him, the answer is absolutely not. I don’t think JT was ever faithful to me, even when we were dating. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time.”
Rags led her to the bed, and they sat on the edge of the mattress.
“How long were you with him?”
“Four years.”
“Damn. I still can’t believe Saber was hitched. I went on a lot of poker runs, bike rallies, Sturgis…” His voice trailed off.
“And he never mentioned he had a wife. That’s JT in a nutshell.”
Casey took Rags’s hand in hers. “I never had a boyfriend until I met JT.” She laughed at the surprise on his face.
“I guess I had a half-hearted attempt at one when I was fifteen.
A guy in my class kept pestering me to go out with him.
A lot of boys were like that, but I knew they just liked my body.
Back then, I wore baggy sweatshirts and T-shirts to hide my chest.
“Anyway, I finally gave in and went out with him. He took me to the soda shop, and we had a nice time. After several dates—movies, bowling, pizza—he took me to a chain steakhouse. I’d never been somewhere that nice.” She paused, the memories playing like a slideshow in her mind.
“Did you love him?” Rags asked.
“I thought I did. I was young and just happy he liked me. That night, after dinner, he wanted to take the stairs up to my mom’s apartment.
On the landing, he made a move. We’d messed around before, but I’d always stopped things before they went too far.
I was feeling good. He gave me a box of perfume and told me he loved me.
” She shrugged. “One thing led to another, and I lost my virginity on the concrete floor of that stairwell, with the stench of piss all around us.”
Rags’s jaw tightened. “What happened after?”
“I never heard from him again. The way the boys stared and the girls whispered when I walked past told me everything. He bragged about it.” Her voice hardened.
“I couldn’t stand the smell of that perfume, so I left it on my mom’s dresser.
” She looked up at Rags. “You know what hurt more? She never asked where it came from. Never said a word. That hurt more than him using me, then running his mouth at school.”
She looked down at their joined hands. “After that, I figured the only way out of that life was school. So I focused, got good grades, and got out.”
“No guys in between the punk and Saber?”
“Dates. Sometimes meaningless sex. But I never gave my heart to anyone until JT.”
Silence sat between them, stretching long enough that Casey wasn’t sure she could take another second of it. Then Rags pulled her into him. Not in a rough or demanding way, but steady and solid. His hand slid up her back, pressing her close, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head.
“Saber’s a fuckin’ asshole to treat you the way he did. No matter what, Case. I’ve got you.”
“If I hadn’t caught JT with that woman in our bed when I did, I probably would’ve made excuses for him for who knows how long? She paused. “I was afraid to give him up, but in doing that I found my strength.”
“And now you’re here.”
His words cracked something inside her. Casey nestled against his chest, breathing him in—leather, sandalwood, and soap—as the tight knot in her stomach eased.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she whispered.
Rags exhaled slowly, his fingers combing through her hair. “I get it. It’s hard when someone you loved and trusted kicks you in the teeth. That shit sticks around for a long time.” His grip tightened just a fraction. “Saber’s a piece of shit.”
A breath of laughter escaped her. “Very well put.”
Rags hooked a finger under her chin and tipped it up. “You’re with me now. That’s what matters.”
Warmth spread through her, pushing back the cold JT had dragged in with him. “I know,” she said softly.
His thumb brushed beneath her eye catching a tear she’d hadn’t managed to hide.
“I’m sorry I ruined your party,” she murmured.
“You didn’t ruin anything. That asshole just needed a reminder about respect.”
And just like that, Rags’s body went rigid. Casey glanced up, catching the hard set of his jaw, the narrowing of his eyes. In that moment she knew he wasn’t done with JT. Not by a long shot.
“Hey,” she said, running her fingers through his hair. “How about we check out the food downstairs?”
“I don’t like the way he was lookin’ at you,” Rags said, like she hadn’t spoken.
“He’s a jerk. I know that more than anyone.” A nervous laugh slipped out. “It’s over. Done and done. Ribs sound pretty good, don’t they?”
“He doesn’t get to walk into my club, disrespect you, and act like you’re still his,” Rags muttered.
Casey’s stomach tightened.
“Rags forget about him. I have.” She placed her hand on his chest. “Let’s move on, okay?”
His gaze snapped back to hers. “Too late for that. I don’t forget or forgive disrespect.”
“Rags…”
He leaned in and kissed her, slow and gentle. The tension eased, her nerves loosening. When he pulled back, his forehead rested briefly against hers. “Stay here. I’ll be back.” He pushed to his feet.
Her pulse spiked. “Rags. Don’t. Stay here with me. Or better yet, let’s go grab a pizza.” She forced a small chuckle. “If you can’t tell, I’m hungry.”
“We’ll get food soon.”
“Don’t start anything,” she said, standing.
“I’m not startin’ anything,” he said, though the look in his eyes said otherwise. “If he does, then I’m gonna finish it.”
The knot in her stomach twisted tighter.
He brushed his thumb along her jaw. “Lock the door.”
In two strides, he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.
Casey stood there for a long second, the silence pressing in, her heart pounding, her temples throbbing as the noise from downstairs swelled—images of bloody fists, broken bones, and guns flashing through her mind.
She crossed the room and cracked the door open.
The heavy bass that had vibrated through the main floor earlier, had stopped.
Loud, sharp, and angry voice took its place.