Beyond the Cut

by Sarah Castille

  “I trust you, Cade.” She softened against him and closed her eyes.

  Sweeter words he had never heard.

  Cade stilled, listening to the party in the background, the wind in the leaves, and the scurry of animals in the underbrush. He heard a car door slam, a gate creak, and the steady thud of bass from the speakers the prospect had set up outside. The air was warm, fragrant with the scent of rich spring earth and newly mowed grass.

  “If I recall, you were touching yourself here.” He slid one hand into her bra and cupped his hand over her left breast. Her heart pounded against his arm as he fondled the soft flesh, rolling her nipple until she squirmed on his lap. “This is mine to touch, sweetheart.”

  She moaned softly and her skin heated beneath his palm, her nipple tightening into a hard bud.

  “Very nice. Now I get to play with the other one.” He switched hands and teased her right breast until her breaths came fast and shallow.

  “You like a little danger with your sex, don’t you, babe?” He widened his legs and Dawn shuddered.

  “I’m too … exposed.”

  “Yes, you are. Anyone coming around the corner will be able to see your pretty pussy, open and ready for me.” He pressed his palm over her mound, resting two fingers on either side of her clit. He loved that she would do this with him; trust him, follow him where he led. And right now, with his cock rock-hard and pressed between her soft cheeks, he was leading to a quick release.

  “You’re so wet.” He stroked her clit and moved his legs wider, spreading her even more. “I like having you open so I can play.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath and her fingernails dug into his thighs. So close. He pinched her nipples and Dawn whimpered. One touch and he would send her over the edge, but he wanted to be there with her, feel her pussy ripple around him. “Up, sweetheart.” Hands on her hips, he lifted her and lowered her down over his cock. Her pussy clamped around him like a silken glove and he held her still and took a deep breath. The urge to thrust was almost overwhelming, but more than that, he wanted to drive her past her inhibitions, past the fear, to the point where she wanted nothing more than the pleasure he would give her.

  Once he was seated deep inside her, he slid his finger over her engorged clit, breathing in the lingering scent of her perfume and the intoxicating aroma of arousal.

  “More.” She wriggled on his lap and his cock pulsed, demanding release. Unable to hold back anymore, he shoved up her bra and teased her breast with one hand, while he slicked his finger through her wetness and worked his way up and around her clit. When her body went taut, he slid his thumb over her swollen nub.

  He barely managed to get his hand over her mouth before she let out a satisfying scream. Her back arched and her head fell back against his shoulder. But when her pussy rippled around him, he couldn’t hold back. With a low groan, he scooped her up and lowered her down to the grass, barely getting her on all fours before succumbing to the urge to sink into her slick, tight heat. His balls ached, tight with the need for release. He grabbed her hips and pounded into her. Hard. Fast. Rough.

  “Feels so good,” she murmured breathlessly as she moved her hips against him. “I want to feel you come.”

  Cade yanked her against him, and came hard, every muscle in his body twitching as his cock pulsed against her inner walls. Her pussy tightened around him, drawing his orgasm out until he was totally and utterly spent.

  He collapsed on top of her, twining his fingers through hers as he nuzzled the soft hair on the back of her neck.

  “You did well.”

  She gave a muffled snort. “Not a lot of skill involved in having a mind-blowing orgasm.”

  “But it took a lot of courage to give me your trust after watching me fight, knowing how you feel about violence.” Every moment he spent with her, he discovered even more about her he liked. He wanted to peel back all her layers and find out what made her tick. He wanted to know every detail of her life, from what she ate for breakfast to the kind of friends she’d had as a kid. And he wanted to give her the kind of life she deserved—a life free of fear and pain and hardship. A life where he could see her smile.

  Stay with me always, he wanted to say.

  Trust me.

  But this wasn’t the time. Not with Mad Dog still on the loose. So he sat back, pulled her into his arms, and held her until the party was over.

  TWENTY-TWO

  I will give my life for my brother as he would give his life for me.

  SINNER’S TRIBE CREED

  Cade didn’t show for the party.

  Dawn rubbed her sweaty palms over her thighs before loading up her tray. Banks had been less than willing to hand over the keys to the bar. But once Jagger’s mind was set on something, there was no going back. He’d paid Banks five times the going rate and given his word he would make good any damage.

  As with any biker party, the old ladies and sweet butts were expected to serve, except, of course, Arianne, who had taken up her usual station behind the bar.

  With Gunner’s mix of hard-rock tracks blasting through the speakers, and the Sinners working hard to charm the Brethren, the bar had a good vibe going. Only Cade’s absence and Jimmy’s presence kept Dawn from enjoying the evening.

  She could feel Jimmy’s eyes on her as she circulated the bar, and just once she’d made the mistake of meeting his cold, dark gaze. She knew that look. The hard menacing stare, the leering, supercilious expression, and the way he flipped the bottle cap into the air, catching it without a glance. He only flipped bottle caps when something bad was going to happen, usually to her.

  Dawn curled her hand around the edge of her cut. Aside from the look that always filled her with dread, something was off with Jimmy tonight. Unusually confident, overly cocky, he sat like a king with his supporters huddled around him, as if he fully expected to win the upcoming election, and he was here just putting in time.

  Sweat trickled down her back. If he won the election, she would have to take the girls and leave town despite the risk of the police tracking her down. He’d come for her, and nobody, police or Sinners, would be able to stop him.

  No. Dawn put the brakes on the fear train and rallied herself. She was a Sinner. She wasn’t alone. She had a plan to deal with the video tape of the fake drug deal and regain custody of her children. No more running away.

  By contrast, Shelly-Ann was doing a lot of running away. Dawn didn’t know which of the Brethren bikers had invited her ex sister-in-law, but for the first time ever she was delighted to see her. Unfortunately, Shelly-Ann clearly wasn’t feeling the love, or maybe she sensed Dawn wanted to speak to her. Whatever the reason, whenever Dawn tried to corner her, she managed to slip away.

  “You still worried about Cade?” Arianne opened six beers in rapid succession and placed them on Dawn’s tray.

  Dawn shook off her morbid thoughts. “He hasn’t returned my messages, and when I asked Jagger if he knew where he was, he said it was Sinner business. I know this isn’t real, but I’m wearing a cut, and Cade is…”

  “Your old man.” Arianne gave her a soft smile. “Yes, he is. And you deserve to know. I’ll talk to Jagger as soon as he’s done talking to Wolf.”

  Dawn finished serving the drinks on her tray, casting the odd surreptitious glance at Jagger’s table. For the most part, Sinners and Brethren sat with their own, but here and there Sinners and Brethren mixed, and so far no one had been shot, stabbed, or hit over the head with a bottle.

  After dropping off her tray with Arianne, she headed to the restroom. Pushing open the door, she was so distracted by memories of her heated encounter with Cade by the sink, that she almost walked past Shelly-Ann drying her hands.

  “Shelly-Ann. I’ve been wanting to speak to you all night.”

  “This isn’t a good time. Jimmy’s waiting for me. Maybe later.”

  Dawn stepped in front of the door and turned the lock. “How about now? We never really get a chance to talk and we might get distracted out
side.”

  “Really, I gotta go.” Shelly-Ann gestured to the door.

  “Not until I say my piece.” Dawn folded her arms and leaned against the door. “All this time, I’ve been trying to find a way to get my girls back, and you held the key.”

  Shelly-Ann gave her a puzzled frown. “What are you talking about?”

  “You took the video of the setup. You gave the drugs to the investigator. My girls were taken away because of you. I would never have known but you’re still using the same stickers on your quarters.” At least she thought the bags held about twenty-five dollars worth of coke. She’d never made it close enough to the box in Shelly-Ann’s living room to tell.

  Relief flickered across Shelly-Ann’s face so quickly Dawn wondered if she’d seen it. And then Shelly-Ann’s face twisted in a sneer. “So what? Who’s gonna know? You think I’m gonna testify that I helped Jimmy set you up? You saw what happened to that PI. Jimmy doesn’t give a damn that I’m his sister. He’ll kill me. He almost killed me when he found out his money was—”

  She cut herself off with a sharp breath and leaned right up in Dawn’s face. “Give it up. Stop fighting, ’cause you’re not gonna win. Now get the hell out of my way.”

  But Dawn wasn’t about to move. Not until she had the whole story. “Is that the money he’s after? Why does he think I have it?”

  “Because I told him you had it.” Shelly-Ann’s voice rose in pitch. “I had to do something. I didn’t know that money he left with me wasn’t all his, so I started dipping into it. Once I started, it was hard to stop. I never thought he’d hurt me. He never hurt me before. And there was so much. Bags and bags of the stuff. I didn’t think he’d miss a few thousand here or there. But then I decided to treat my friends to a weekend in Vegas, and we had some bad luck at the tables.”

  “You gambled with Jimmy’s money? Are you insane?” She would have felt sorry for Shelly-Ann if she hadn’t fingered Dawn as the thief.

  “I made a mistake, okay? And I needed to make it good so I leaned on you, and I expanded my drug distribution, got a line into some political big wigs. I figured it wouldn’t take too long to make it up, but then the Sinners started putting heat on the Jacks, and Jimmy came for his money. Viper’s money. He said Viper had helped him sell a few crates of guns he’d stolen from the Brethren and they’d split the proceeds.”

  “Oh God, Shelly-Ann. Viper’s money.” Now, she did feel sorry for her ex sister-in-law. Once Viper found out what had happened—and he would—he would show her no mercy.

  “Jimmy went fucking crazy.” Shelly-Ann dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her fancy jacket. “He beat me in front of the girls. He was gonna kill me. I had to tell him something. So I showed him my busted door and told him how you and the Sinners came and took it.”

  “How could you?” Dawn’s voice echoed in the small room. “You took my children away. You put us at risk. You set Jimmy on me. He destroyed my house and almost killed me.”

  “How could I?” Shelly-Ann shouted. “This is the world we live in. It’s not nice. It’s not safe. It’s not all flowers and sunshine. There are no happy families. The world breaks you when you’re a kid and then you gotta deal with it the rest of your fucking life. You think Jimmy and I had it good? Our mom died of a fucking overdose and our dad drank himself to death after using us as punching bags and sex toys for a couple of years. We were bounced around from foster home to foster home because Jimmy wasn’t right in the head and he’d do scary shit like kill the family pets or try to suffocate babies. We were beaten, starved, and abused. No one gave a damn. So we learned to do what it took to survive. And that’s what I did when Jimmy came for the money. I survived. And if you don’t know how to do the same, then you deserve whatever Jimmy’s got coming for you.” She grabbed Dawn by the shoulders and shoved her to the side. “Now get out my damn way.”

  “Don’t touch me.” Dawn’s hand curled into a fist and she punched Shelly-Ann. Not a tentative blow, like she’d given Stan, but a real-honest-to-goodness-wind-up-and-swing-full-force punch that sent Shelly-Ann to the floor. “That’s for me and my girls. And you will testify about the setup, because if you don’t, whatever Jimmy was going to do to you will be nothing compared to what I will do. No one fucks with me or my girls.”

  Someone thudded on the door. She half expected it to be Banks, but when she heard Cade’s voice, her heart warmed.

  “You okay in there, babe?”

  “Yeah.” She stepped over Shelly-Ann lying stunned on the floor. “I got this.”

  * * *

  “Fucking hell.” Cade moved to the side as Shelly-Ann pushed her way past him in the hallway, her face swollen and red and her eye half shut. “You do that?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Proud of you, sweetheart.” He gave her a hug and Dawn laughed.

  “You didn’t even ask why.”

  “Didn’t have to. Knowing how you feel about violence, I figure she must have deserved it.”

  “She did.”

  While Dawn told him about her altercation with Shelly-Ann, Cade discretely gestured to T-Rex and the prospect to follow Shelly-Ann. Yeah, his girl had this, but he wanted to make sure it didn’t come back on her in any way.

  “I thought you weren’t coming,” she said as he led her to the dance floor. Jagger caught his eye and frowned, but Cade didn’t give a damn if he provoked Mad Dog. In fact, he hoped Mad Dog started a fight so he would have an excuse to off the bastard tonight, instead of hunting him down tomorrow.

  “Got a lead on a coupla guys who were in the van with Mad Dog. I know how Banks doesn’t like blood spilled on his floors, so Zane, Gun, and I took a little side trip.” He tensed, worried about her reaction, but Dawn just laughed.

  “I thought Mad Dog’s group of supporters was looking a little thin.”

  “Five down. One to go.” He held up his hands. “But I washed up before coming here.”

  “That’s sweet in a fucked-up-violent-biker-gets-revenge kinda way.” She turned to face him and Cade rumbled his approval. God, she looked hot. Tight black dress showing way too much cleavage. High heels, totally inappropriate for waiting tables. Little white apron. Her beautiful hair flowing over her cut in a golden wave … Hell, he knew what every biker in the bar was thinking and he wanted to kill them all.

  Mine.

  They reached the small dance floor at the back of the bar and her gaze fixed on him as if he were her anchor in the storm. He wanted so badly to take her away—shelter her from this world—he could almost taste it. But another part of him, impressed at how she’d handled herself, wanted more.

  “I’m a bad girlfriend…” Dawn mouthed the words to the song as she laced her hands around his neck, her body swaying to the beat.

  “But you’re a damn fine old lady, and I’ll prove it to you when I have you alone and in my bed.” Unable to stop himself, Cade slid his hand up her thigh beneath her dress, his finger tracing along the edge of her stocking.

  “Later,” she whispered.

  Desire shot through his veins with violent intensity, and a wave of possessiveness crashed over him so hard he could barely breathe. “Banks got an office here?”

  She laughed and tilted her head into his palm. “No way would he give it up. He heard what you did at Riders.”

  “That was a good night.”

  “The best.”

  Cade bent down to kiss her, frowning when she tensed and leaned away. He followed her gaze to Mad Dog, standing in the corner, his face a mask of rage. And although he knew it would only inflame the situation, he pulled her close and covered her mouth with his—a full-on, one-hand-in-her-hair, one-hand-on-her-ass, totally possessive kiss that was as much a statement for her as it was for Mad Dog.

  Take that you fucking bastard.

  “Let’s get outta here, babe. I can’t wait to get you home.”

  * * *

  Jimmy followed them through the bar after the dance, gaining on them as they neared the door. Dawn
tried not to look, but she couldn’t help herself. She wouldn’t put it past him to shoot them in the back. She couldn’t understand why Cade didn’t look, but he kept walking with the same even, measured steps, his arm around her, his free hand nowhere near his holster where it needed to be.

  “Cade…”

  “Shhh.”

  “Mad Dog.”

  “I know.”

  The door swung open when they were ten feet away and the only thing that kept her from running into the relative safety of the street was Deputy Sheriff Doug Benson and the five policemen behind him.

  “Fuck,” Cade muttered. “What’s he doing here?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Doug?” She took a step toward him, but he looked away. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re looking for Jimmy ‘Mad Dog’ Sanchez,” Doug said in a voice loud enough to be heard over the music. “I have a warrant for his arrest.”

  “Doug.” Dawn grabbed his sleeve. “What are you doing? I said I didn’t want to go ahead with this.”

  “Someone has to protect you since you won’t protect yourself.” Doug pulled his hand away.

  “It’s a setup,” Jimmy shouted as one of the police officers snapped the handcuffs around his wrist. “The whole party was a set up to get me arrested.”

  The music stopped and the bar fell into silence.

  “Fuck. We trusted you.” Wolf glared at Jagger. “We came here in good faith and what do you do? You set us up and tipped off the cops to arrest one of our brothers.” He wasn’t really angry. Dawn could see it in the way his lips twitched at the corners. With Jimmy in jail, he had no challenger in the election. But he had to publicly show support for his brother, so he was doing the minimum to save face.

  “Nothing to do with us.” Jagger held up his hands in mock defense. “You got a brother wanted by the cops, he should know better than to show his face in town.”

  “Fucking bitch,” Jimmy screamed at Dawn as the police dragged him to the door. “I know you did this. You set me up. You think you’re so tough wearing that cut? You think they’re gonna be able to hold me? Not with the friends I’ve got. You don’t even understand what you’ve unleashed. I’m coming for you. I’m coming and you’re gonna suffer like you never suffered before.”