“Cassia, when did you get back into town?”
“Hello Jeremiah, I’m good, thank you. How are you?” Cass replies as she lifts her cup toward her lips.
Jeremiah scoffs and replies, “We’ve all been worried about you. You haven’t been to work.”
“That’s because I don’t work there anymore.”
Jeremiah grabs Cass by the arm, and that’s when I stand up.
“Take your hand off her,” I growl.
Jeremiah finally looks at me, or more correctly through me, then proceeds to try and drag Cass out of the booth.
“Jeremiah, let me go!” Cass says loudly.
I shove him, and he lets her go.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” demands Jeremiah.
“I’m Cassia’s future husband, and I’ll not allow you to manhandle her.”
Jeremiah’s top lip curls up in a snarl. “It’s all your fault. You turned her against us!”
Cassia gets between us.
“Jeremiah, you’re being a dick. Zeke did not turn me against anyone.”
“Then why aren’t you working at the store? Do you expect a free ride?”
“What? No! I’ve got two jobs, and I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”
Jeremiah gestures toward Cass and me.
“This… this infatuation you have with this biker won’t last. You should come back now before Dad can’t forgive you. You’ve taken this way too far already.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask aggressively.
“You’re really asking me that?” Jeremiah asks with eyes wide and a shake of his head.
“Jeremiah, you need to leave,” states Cass.
But it’s like he doesn’t hear her. Jeremiah is glaring at me, face contorted in rage, and a vein popping at his temple.
“You’re scum. The whole town knows it. My sister is from a good family with good prospects. She could marry anyone. I can’t believe she’d choose you. You’re nothing but a disgusting biker who’s taking advantage of her good nature!”
My vision goes red, and Cassia steps out of the way. I grab Jeremiah by the throat and walk him backward out the front door and onto the sidewalk where I shove him, and he falls flat on his ass.
“Get up!” I yell.
Scrambling to his feet, he fakes a punch with his left and then tries to hit me with his right. I dodge it and hit him hard in the ribs. He winces and swings again, but he misses.
“Fuck, Jeremiah, with all those muscles, I thought you’d at least know how to fight! Or does your daddy do that for you, too?”
A roar escapes him, and he charges me. I step to the side and push him, and he collides with a parked car.
“Why couldn’t you have just taken the money! Why did you have to ruin everything! You’re nothing! What can you give her? What? A lifetime of poverty?”
“I don’t care about money!” yells Cassia.
Jeremiah scoffs and looks at her. “You know what they say, Cassia, if you lie down with dogs, you’ll get fleas!”
“You’re an idiot. Do you want to know why I’m with him? Zeke doesn’t try to make decisions for me or tell me what to wear or speak down to me. Zeke loves me, Jeremiah. What more could I ask for?”
“You’ll come back. You’ll crawl back when he’s done with you. Men like him don’t know how to commit and take responsibility seriously. In his world, women are disposable. He’ll use you up and throw you away!”
Hearing enough, I advance on him, draw back my arm, and connect with his smug-looking face. His nose breaks, blood pours out of it, and to my surprise, he screams like a little girl. I raise my hand to hit him again but realize he’s not worth it. I take three steps back and look at him. Jeremiah is holding his nose and looking at me like I’m a monster. I cast a look at Cass, and she grins at me.
“Sorry, petal,” I offer.
“Oh please, he so had that coming. Fleas? Me really? What did he mean about the money?”
“Your dad—”
“You shut your mouth! He’s nothing but a fucking liar, and now he’s hit two members of your family! Are you seriously going to choose him over your own blood?”
“Shut up, Jeremiah!”
Cassia places both her hands on her hips and looks at me.
“Your father offered me five hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars to leave you. I turned him down.”
“That’s what happened the night of the party?” I nod. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Love, you believed him when he said I hit him. Would you have believed me if I told you he’d done that?”
Cassia nods, then chews on her bottom lip. She wraps her arms around my waist and looks up at me.
“No, I probably wouldn’t have believed my father would do that. Zeke, that was a lot of money.”
Cassia breaks from me and pokes her brother in the chest.
“How could you let Dad do this? Why didn’t you try and stop him?”
“We believed we were doing the best by you,” states Jeremiah flatly.
“You’re an idiot. The fact he turned down the money, that should tell you what kind of a man he is. But you don’t get it, do you, J?”
Jeremiah shakes his head. Cassia nods and looks sad.
“Go home, Jeremiah, and pray that one day I’ll forgive you.”
“You’ll forgive me? What for?” Jeremiah asks incredulously.
“For not having enough faith in me. For not believing I have a mind of my own and for attacking my fiancé.”
“I’m the one bleeding here.”
“Yes, you are,” replies Cass with a smirk. “Come on, Zeke, let’s finish breakfast.”
“Don’t you turn your back on me, Cassia Lee!” yells Jeremiah.
“Buddy, don’t you know when to quit? Cass has chosen, and if you’re lucky, when we have children, I might let you see them.”
Jeremiah’s face goes bright red again, and he swings at me. For a big guy, he’s not a good fighter. I dodge the attack and strike him hard in the ribs twice then an uppercut to his jaw. He goes down, hits the pavement so hard his head bounces off it. Standing over him, I can see he’s out. Sheepishly, I cast a glance at Cass and she’s grinning.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Zeke, he got what he deserved. You have nothing to apologize for. Are there any other secrets about my family I should know?” Cass asks teasingly.
“No, you know it all. Bribery, hiring a hitman, and good old-fashioned stay away from my daughter.”
The blood drains from her gorgeous face. All the humor has drained away as she stares at me bug-eyed.
“He’s awful.”
I shake my head. “I was going to ask you to talk to him as the Russians have offered to take him out for me instead.”
Cassia leans up against the diner’s wall, hands on her knees, taking in great mouthfuls of air, all the while shaking her head.
I crouch down in front of her. “Just breathe, Cass.”
“I feel like he’s this monster I never really knew. I can’t believe he’d go this far. I get that he would be protective of me but murder? That’s taking fatherly love a little too far.”
I stand and place an arm around her. “Come on, let’s get you inside so we can talk about it and figure out what to do.”
Cassia looks at me. “Who was in our backyard last night?”
“I don’t know. I know it wasn’t the Russians, but your dad might have hired someone else.”
Like her brother, Cassia’s face goes red, and a vein at her temple begins to pulse. She breaks free of me and stands over her brother. Cassia’s fists are clenched as she stares down at his prone form. She lets out a frustrated growl and kicks him in the side.
“Cass!” I yell.
“What? It wasn’t that hard! Jeremiah will know stuff, so we need to torture him!”
I chuckle, hook her around the waist, and walk her backward.
“We don’t torture people. Ever. Besid
es, you’d feel guilty tomorrow, and I bet right now you’re feeling bad you kicked him.”
Cassia whirls in my arms, burying her face in my chest. I hold onto her, and when she finally looks up at me, tears rim her eyes.
“I do feel bad.”
“He’ll never know.”
“He’ll never know what?” asks a voice from behind me.
I turn my head, and Cass peaks around me, standing there is the town’s sheriff, Carlos Morales.
“Sheriff,” I say as a greeting and cast a look at Jeremiah. “Seems Jeremiah has had a little too much to drink.”
“Zeke, it’s eight o’clock in the morning.”
“I know, it surprised both of us.”
Carlos places his hands on his hips and looks down at Jeremiah.
“Zeke, someone phoned it in and said you attacked him, and now he’s sprawled out on the sidewalk bleeding,” replies Carlos looking grim.
The diner door opens, and Howie comes out with Izzy hot on his heels.
“Hey, Sheriff, glad you made it. Jeremiah was harassing our newest employee. He got all handsy with Cassia, and Zeke stepped in. There are witnesses inside if you’d like to talk to them.”
Carlos stares at Cassia. “You work here? When did that happen?”
It’s a small town and news travels fast. Carlos’ confusion is understandable.
“I employed Cassia and Izzy today,” states Howie.
“Take me to your witnesses. You two wait out here,” orders Carlos. As he walks past Izzy, he squeezes her hand, and she goes beetroot red.
It surprises me that Carlos doesn’t check on Jeremiah. I look down at Cass, and she looks apprehensive.
“The sheriff is a good man. He’ll sort it out.”
“Should we put something under J’s head?”
“Nope. Maybe you could kick him again?” I tease.
Cass swats my arm. “It’s not funny.”
The sheriff comes back out with a bucket of water in his hands.
“I spoke to everyone inside. Seems Jeremiah here was at fault, and you were defending yourself against him.” Carlos looks down at Jeremiah with distaste, upper lip curled. “Never liked him. You, on the other hand, Cassia, have always been a good woman. Although why you’re with this guy, I’ll never understand.”
“Fuck you, Carlos,” I say with a grin.
“That’s fuck you, Sheriff Morales, and I meant it.” Carlos is grinning at me, glances at Cassia, and then throws the water over her brother.
Jeremiah sits bolt upright, spluttering. It takes him a good minute to gain his bearings, then he begins ordering the sheriff about.
“Arrest him! Arrest that motherfucker! He assaulted me!”
The sheriff tries to smother the laughter that escapes him by coughing and holding a hand over his mouth.
“Now, Mr. Lee, from all accounts, you attacked Mr. Russo here first after he defended Miss Lee from you.” Jeremiah gets to his feet, blood smearing the front of his white shirt. “Miss Lee, Mr. Russo, do you want to file charges?” asks the sheriff.
“What? Them file charges against me? Are you fucking kidding?” yells Jeremiah.
“Now, that’s an excellent question, son. Are you, Sheriff? It being an election year and all?” asks Gerald Lee as he approaches us from behind.
“I’m not sure what one has to do with the other, Mr. Lee. If the good people of Tourmaline don’t want me as sheriff anymore, there’s not much I can do about that.”
“I donate a lot to your campaign fund. Suppose that was to disappear?”
Carlos places one hand on his hip and the other on his gun and steps closer to Gerald. Both of them are wearing wide-brimmed hats that almost touch. I’ve seen Carlos angry before but never this close. His lips are in a firm line, shoulders squared.
“That sounds an awful lot like a bribe,” replies Carlos in a stern, angry tone.
“No, not at all. You misunderstand me,” says Gerald with a false smile on his face. “Just stating a fact.”
“No, I don’t want to press charges and neither does Zeke,” interrupts Cassia.
Slowly, the sheriff turns his head to look at her. “You sure?”
“Yes, Sheriff.”
“Seems like your job is done here, Sheriff,” says Gerald smugly.
Not wanting Carlos to lose face in front of Gerald, I take a step toward him and hold out my hand.
“Thank you, Sheriff Morales. I’m sure that if you need campaign funds, the town will band together and donate. There’s plenty of folk in town who know what a good job you do.”
Carlos shakes my hand, nods at Cass, and walks away. The fact of the matter is, even though the Savage Angels have had our run-ins with the sheriff, he’s clean, unlike his predecessor who was as crooked as they come. Sheriff Morales can’t be bought by anyone. He’s a man of honor, and I know Dane or Kat would help him out if it looked like he was going to lose his position.
“Bye, Sheriff,” says Jeremiah loudly.
It’s eight-thirty in the morning, and there’s a small crowd gathered around the diner now. Carlos goes rigid at the sound of Jeremiah’s cocky voice. He stops and turns around, a grin firmly plastered on his face.
“Bye, Jeremiah Lee. Next time I catch you drunk and disorderly at this hour, I’ll have no choice but to lock you up. You’re lucky your sister didn’t want to press charges. There’s nothing worse than a man who lays hands on a woman. In my book, they’re the same as a pedophile, picking on someone weaker than themselves.” Carlos tips his hat and strides away.
Jeremiah’s face loses all color as he looks at the crowd. Some shake their heads in disgust while others whisper to each other.
“That’s not fucking true!” yells Jeremiah to the sheriff’s retreating form. In response, Carlos does a two-fingered wave but doesn’t turn around. He just keeps going.
Jeremiah, with arms outstretched, looks at the people around him, then he grabs Cass by the upper arm and demands, “Tell them, tell them it’s not true.”
This time, I’m not standing for it. I yank his hand off Cass and shove him hard. Jeremiah stumbles, and Gerald Lee gets between us.
“Out of the way, old man,” I growl.
“Now, son, calm down. This is a family matter and everyone in town knows you aren’t part of my family.” Gerald smiles at the crowd.
“You’re right, Dad. Zeke isn’t part of your family, but he is part of mine,” replies Cassia tearfully.
“Now, Cassia, enough of this! Do you honestly think this man can give you a future? Look at him!”
“I am, Daddy. I am looking at him, and I’m looking at you, too. And you know what? If I had to choose the better man, I’d choose him every time. You’re not the man I thought you were. You’re a monster.” Tears fall down her face, and she goes back into the diner, Howie hot on her heels.
“You happy now, Gerald? You’ve managed to turn your daughter against you. She knows everything. The check, the Russians, the hit, everything. Even if you get me out of her life, you’ve lost her forever. I could help you, Gerald, but it all has to stop or,” I close the gap between us and lower my voice. “I’ll put you in the ground. Cass and I don’t have secrets. She knows a penalty must be paid. Ball’s in your court.”
Gerald squints at me, lips turned down in a frown. I step back and go looking for Cass.
“That’s it? You’re just going to let that low-life walk away?” demands Jeremiah.
“Shut up, Jeremiah!” bellows Gerald as I shut the diner door.
Zeke
Not wanting to put Cass or myself in any danger, I decide we’ll be staying at the clubhouse in the immediate future. Cass and Izzy worked at the diner for a couple of hours, with me watching over them. It turns out Cass is a natural at making people feel welcome and convincing them to order more than they can eat. I’m pretty sure every customer she served got a slice of pie. Right now, she’s in our room taking a nap. We left Izzy with Howie so he could introduce her to the locals and sh
ow her around the place. I’m waiting for Dane and Jonas in the meeting room. The whole town will know what happened at the diner by now, and I’m unsure how my president is going to take it. Dane walks into the clubhouse, does the rounds with the men and some of the women and finally comes into the room.
“Jonas isn’t here?” he asks.
“No, Prez, he’s MIA.”
“Nah, he’s just running late. Seems Doc Green and Rush have him running all over town doing errands. Those two sure are persuasive.” Dane chuckles as he sits at the head of the table. The man is six-foot-six and weighs three hundred pounds of muscle. Today he’s got on jeans and a black t-shirt that’s straining against his bulk. Dane casually leans back in the chair, fingers steepled in front of him, eyeing me carefully.
Dane takes a breath and says, “So, I heard about the ruckus in town today.” Dane leans forward and appears to be weighing up a decision. “And I got a call from Gerald Lee.”
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “Gerald phoned you?”
“Yeah.”
Jonas walks in, looking frazzled. He points at me. “Go and visit Doc Green and Rush, for fuck’s sake. I can’t be their personal chauffeur. You need to do something.”
I grin at him and nod. “I will. Sorry, man.”
“No, don’t be sorry. They spent the whole morning telling me how they’re giving you space and time to reconnect with your community.” Jonas shakes his head. “Well, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve had enough of all of that shit. Go sort out your business. Now, what did I miss?”
“I just told Zeke, Gerald Lee phoned me.”
Jonas pulls out a chair and sits down. “Okay.” Jonas eyes me carefully. “Seems Gerald has seen the light.”
Dane clears his throat and shakes his head slightly. “He’s offered to pay back the money we paid the Russians plus ten percent.”
Dane and Jonas stare at me and from their demeanor, I can tell there’s more.
“What else?”
“Told you he was smart,” states Jonas.
“He said he’ll give us twenty percent if you keep away from Cassia,” replies Dane.
I let out a whistle and lean back. I’ve helped the club with business deals, but I’ve only ever been a soldier. It’s a lot of money and bottom line if Dane tells me to walk away from Cassia, I’ll have to, but I know that, in time, I’ll leave the club. My gut clenches at the thought. I don’t want to have to choose. Sweat beads on my brow as I think about my words carefully.
Savage Lies: Savage Angels MC #7 Page 19
