Beyond the Cut (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #2)(19)

“To win the war against the Jacks. I don’t want to bury any more brothers over at Sandy Hill Cemetery.”

The front door opened and Rusty emerged with a woman beside him, her red hair twisted into a messy bun on top of her head. She wore workout clothes, and not stripper gear, and Cade didn’t recognize her until he heard her raspy voice.

“C’mon, Rusty. I’m in big trouble here. I need the cash you owe me and I need it fast or Jimmy’s gonna slit my throat.”

Shelly-Ann. What the f*ck was she doing at Peelers when she was supposed to be looking after Dawn’s kids?

Rusty shoved her away. “I don’t owe you nothin’, bitch. I paid for that coke by giving you the pleasure of my dick.”

“That’s Mad Dog’s sister,” Cade murmured to Shaggy. “The one who’s blackmailing Dawn.”

“You want her taken out?” Shaggy jerked his chin in Shelly-Ann’s direction. Vicious, loyal, and trigger-happy, he’d once claimed he would shoot his own mother if it would benefit the club.

“Just keep her quiet.” Motioning to his brothers to follow, Cade unholstered his gun and crossed the parking lot, blinking to clear his vision when the first few raindrops fell.

“Hey, Rusty. Remember me?” He smashed the butt of his gun into Rusty’s head, and the smaller man staggered back against the wall.

“Stop! No!” Shelly-Ann’s hand flew to her mouth as Cade threw punch after punch, easily dodging Rusty’s retaliatory strikes. He hit Rusty’s nose and blood sprayed over Shelly-Ann’s jacket and splattered on the wall.

“Oh God.”

Shaggy grabbed Shelly-Ann and pulled her away when Zane and Gunner joined the fray, the three men pummeling Rusty until he fell to his knees.

“You like that Rusty?” Cade kicked him in the ribs. “You want my boot prints on you to match the ones you left on me?”

“Damn Sinner. We shoulda f*cking killed you when we had the chance.” Rusty heaved in a breath, and pushed himself to his feet. Then he ran at Cade, knocking him back.

“Your mistake.” Cade grabbed Rusty and twisted his arm behind his back, then pushed him to the ground. Raindrops splattered on the pavement around them, streaming off Cade’s jacket. “Six against one and my hands tied? You must have known I’d come for you.”

“Didn’t think you were that stupid,” Rusty grunted, his cheek flat against the wet pavement. “We’re patching over to the Jacks, and then we’re all coming for you. There won’t be a Sinner left alive when we’re done.”

His free hand slid out from beneath him and Cade caught the glint of steel. “Look out!” He dived to the side just as Rusty fired. The bullet hit Shaggy in the leg and his brother went down.

“Die, f*cker.” Rusty jumped to a crouch and aimed his gun at Shaggy’s head. Cade threw himself forward, knocking Rusty off balance. Rusty fell to the side and his head cracked against the cement parking bumper. Then he went limp.

“Fuck.” Shaggy fell back, clutching his leg. “One more second and I woulda been a dead man. Gratitude, brother.”

“Oh. My. God,” Shelly-Ann shrieked. “You killed him. You killed Rusty. He owed me money. Now what am I going to do?”

His body still pumped with adrenaline, rage seeping through his veins, Cade grabbed Shelly-Ann by the shoulder and shoved her hard against the wall. “You are one damn coldhearted bitch. Man’s dead and all you care about is money. And what the hell are you doing at Peelers when you got two kids at home to look after?”

Shelly-Ann’s face twisted in anger. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I got a babysitter. And I need money. Since you killed Rusty, his debts are your debts. You owe me.”

“Son of a bitch,” Gunner said. “She’s either incredibly stupid or she’d got the biggest f*cking balls this side of the Bridger Mountains.”

“You owe me,” Cade growled. “I saved your f*cking life. Shaggy here wanted to off you the minute you stepped outside.”

“I know you.” Shelly-Ann leaned up and stared into Cade’s face. “You’re the Sinner who was with Dawn outside the school. Just wait till Jimmy hears you offed Rusty.”

Cade snorted a laugh. “You tell him, princess. Let him know I’m coming for him, although I think he’ll guess.” He tipped his chin in Rusty’s direction, drawing her attention to Gunner, who was spray-painting the Sinner’s Tribe symbol on Rusty’s cut.

Shelly-Ann’s eyes narrowed. “Kinda hard to go after him if you’re in jail. Gimme the money Rusty owes me and maybe I won’t say anything to the police about what I saw.”

“How about you go home to those girls and I won’t tell Shaggy to slit your f*cking throat?”

“How about I get someone to slit yours?” Shelly-Ann gave him a sly look and then she screamed. “Help! Shifter! Trey! The Sinners got Rusty!”

Cade clamped a hand over her mouth a moment too late. The door to the club burst open and Brethren bikers flooded the parking lot.

“Let the fun begin.” Zane drew his weapon, and the brothers followed suit.

“Stand down,” Cade ordered, gesturing the brothers back to their bikes. “Zane and I will cover. Everyone out of here now. We’ve done what we came here to do. They know what Rusty did. Even with the possible patch-over, they’ll have been expecting some form of retaliation, although it wasn’t meant to go that far.”