Chapter 16 #2
This was a good place? Truly? She squinted at it.
The windows were boarded up. A big NO TRESPASSING sign hung near the double doors that had to be the entrance to the place.
At first, she’d thought it was a rundown bar, but now, Agnes realized it appeared that the building had been closed down for a very long time. Not just rundown. More like shut down.
“Your security should still be in place from last time,” Javion continued.
“Ahem.” She cleared her throat. With her non-cuffed hand, Agnes tapped on Cass’s shoulder.
“Not to be a pessimist, but we’ve been found by your enemies at our last two safe spots.
The no-tell motel?” In case he’d somehow forgotten that amazing experience.
“And your ranch house. What’s to stop us from getting attacked here, too?
” And, quite clearly, the man had a large target on his back.
That target is why two different people have tried to stab him in said back.
“I believe Levi was feeding our locations to my enemy.” A low, furious rumble. “Dead men can’t feed shit to anyone.”
“Uh, no, no, they can’t feed, ah, shit to people.” Who is your enemy?
“I scouted around before you arrived.” Javion’s hands rested on his hips. “It’s good.”
Was it? Not like she was ready to jump onto the “good” reassurance so quickly. At this point, she didn’t think any place was good where they were concerned.
“Go help the others with the search,” Cass ordered. “I’ve got her.”
Yes, he did. He had her cuffed to him.
“If you find the shooter,” Cass added when Javion turned to mount his motorcycle, “keep him alive.”
She brightened. Awesome, he was not killing—
“Keep him alive long enough for me to beat the bastard to death,” Cass finished.
And she stopped brightening.
“Message received,” Javion replied. He spun his bike around and roared out.
As for Cass…“Keep holding on,” he told her.
And he drove right for the big, double doors that led to the old bar.
She did keep holding on because it wasn’t like she had much choice.
When they got right up to those doors, Agnes realized a keypad was attached to the door frame.
He leaned forward, punched in the code, and the doors swung open with a click.
Then the man just drove his motorcycle inside.
The doors closed.
And…
Lights flashed on. One after the other after the other.
And, yes, it was a bar. But not some rundown place.
Gleaming, polished wood on the high bar countertop.
Four huge pool tables. About fifteen to twenty tables scattered around the place, all with chairs that had been flipped over and placed on top of them.
A jukebox waited in the corner. Old-school. With soft lights and fat buttons in the front.
She turned slowly. Not a full turn, not like she could do that with the cuffs, but as much of a turn as she could make. Her gaze took in everything she saw, including the narrow hallway to the side and the line of monitors that filled the right wall.
Cass strode toward the bar—which meant she had to stride there with him since they were still connected.
With his free hand, he reached behind the bar and pulled out what looked like a remote.
After clicking a button, the monitors turned on, and she saw images of the bar’s exterior.
The road out front. What she suspected were the woods out back.
“Ah, guessing this is…your gang’s hideout, huh?
” So much for the Night Strikers just being primarily an East Coast crew.
He put down the remote, turned his head, and locked those glittering, intent eyes on her. “We have a problem.”
“We sure as hell do.” Her chin jutted up.
“That bastard you left bleeding out had answers! Levi had one of the tattoos!” Anger and fear and frustration rolled within.
She jerked on the cuff that still held them together.
The cuff was loose enough on her wrist that she could twist her hand around, but she could not get out.
“Did you let me question him? No, you cuffed me and then basically kidnapped me! That crap is not cool! It’s not what partners do to each other. ”
He was…
Moving. Storming away. Dammit, she had to storm, too. “We’re connected!” Agnes snapped at him. “At least undo the stupid cuff!”
He whirled toward her. They were right next to one of the pool tables. “That stupid cuff kept you alive.”
She glared.
So did he.
“Bullets were flying, Agnes,” he gritted out. “And I get that you thought I was the heartless monster who did the shooting, but in this instance—”
“You’re the one who keeps saying that you’re the monster. I’ve never said—”
“The shooter was still out there. He nicked me. The first bullet was supposed to be for me.”
Her eyes widened. Then her stare was flying all over him and— “Blood! Cass!” She tried to reach for his shoulder. How in the hell had she missed that?
“Nothing. Barely a scratch. The second bullet landed in Levi. Dead in his chest. I was already dodging for cover when the second one flew, but that bastard didn’t get down.
He stood there, smiling, like the cavalry had come, and the bullet took him out.
One look, and I knew there was no way an ambulance would get to him in time, not given where we were. ”
In the middle of nowhere? “But we didn’t even try to save him!”
“He tried to kill me. He would have killed you if you hadn’t taken the knife from him. Given that, are you so sure he needed saving?”
A brutal statement. Chill bumps rose on her arms. “He had the tattoo,” she whispered. “You must have known. You had to know that he was part of the Twins, and you didn’t say a word to me. I am so sick of being kept in the dark!”
His jaw hardened.
“You’re holding back on me,” she accused. “Dammit. We are partners! We are—”
“You are a Fed working your own agenda. You want vengeance, and I swear, I’ll make sure you get it. I will cut off both cobra heads. You can count on that.” His nostrils flared. “And I’m holding back because, no, I don’t trust you.”
She backed up. As much as she could. The cuff bit into her wrist. “That hurts.” It actually did. And she wasn’t talking about the sting of the cuff as it cut into her skin. She was talking about the lancing pain his words had just delivered.
“Does it?” Doubting. “Does it really hurt that I don’t trust you?”
Yes, it really does freaking hurt.
“Because when I look at you, I see a woman who was willing to use me to get her vengeance. You’re in love with a dead man.”
If she could have, Agnes would have retreated even more. “Stop.” Because he was hurting her. How could he not see that? And hadn’t he said that he wouldn’t hurt her? Hadn’t he made that promise?
“You can’t crawl in the ground with him.” Hard. No, brutal. “I’m not going to fucking let you do that. So, hell, no, I was not going to let you stay out in the freaking open with Levi. Not while the shooter was still there.”
“He had answers!” Her words were as ragged—as jagged—as she felt.
“He said I should have died that night! Levi wasn’t talking about recently—he was talking about that terrible night in Austin.
He said I should have died with my boyfriend.
He was not the one who stabbed me, the tattoo was all wrong.
But he was either there or…or maybe he was the one on the phone.
He knew what happened. He knew who I was. He remembered me, he—”
“Levi was following orders. His boss told him who you were.”
Her heart slammed into her chest. “I thought you were his boss.”
“So the hell did I…until he tried to plunge a knife into me, and then he told me that a ghost from my past was still walking.”
She could only shake her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Anger had her voice going husky. “Because you don’t trust me.”
He jerked on his hand—the hand cuffed to hers—and Agnes stumbled forward, caught off guard. But…
He caught her. Hauled her closer. But their bodies twisted and heaved, and the stupid cuffs had them all tangled. “Get the cuffs off!”
Cursing, he reached into his pocket. His fingers came back up with a key, and he put it in the lock, and he freed his wrist. The snick as the cuff opened was far too loud. His cuff, then hers.
She immediately attempted to retreat, but he grabbed her in a flash.
She didn’t know if he’d dropped the key or what the heck he’d done with it.
She just knew that he held her tightly, and his dark gaze seemed to burn as he demanded, “If it came down to it, if it was a choice between me and the Feds you treasure so much, who would you choose?”
She could feel a thick, dark tension swirling between them. He’d gone from the violence of the fight, to the shooting, to the frantic ride that had brought them to this place. Adrenaline, rage, and so many twisting, heaving emotions filled the air.
“You wouldn’t choose me, would you? Because I’m a means to an end.
The devil you want to use.” He nodded. “Done. Use me. I will kill for you. In a heartbeat. I’ll eliminate the threats.
I’ll get you the vengeance that you need, but I won’t trust you.
I won’t let you beneath my guard, I won’t—” But he broke off. Just stopped.
And she wanted him to continue. “You won’t…what?” The cuff around her wrist was open, and she shook it off. The handcuffs dropped to the floor.
“I won’t fucking care,” he snapped. “I will not care about you.”
She sucked in a breath at the vicious blow. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. And then… “Liar,” she called.
That muscle flexed in his jaw again, and the gold buried in the darkness of his eyes glittered all the harder.
“You already do care,” she whispered as she realized the truth.
He warned me that he lied all the time. He’s lying now.
But I can see through the lies. He says he won’t care but…
he does. Her hand rose to press to his chest. “You care about me. Otherwise, you would have left me in the field with Levi. You would have left me to get shot. You wouldn’t have saved me then, and you wouldn’t have rushed to the rescue when Judas was coming to attack me. ”
“I didn’t rescue you,” he bit out.
“No, I did that myself, but you were still there to have my back.” Agnes knew she was taking a huge risk, but she could not seem to stop herself. “I’m not in love with a dead man.”
His lips thinned.
“I will always love Max.” Adamant. “Never doubt that. Understand it. Accept it. Deal with it. I will love him until I go into the grave myself—”
“You’re not going into the fucking—”
“But I am not in love with him, not anymore.” Her breath whispered out. “Though I do really fear that I might be falling in love with this arrogant, alpha jerk of an MC leader who makes some truly crappy coffee even as he calls himself a villain—”
His mouth crashed onto hers.
Agnes squeezed her eyes shut. I’m super afraid that I’m falling in love with you…and there is nothing I can do to stop that fall.