Beyond the Cut (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #2)(60)

“What’s going on?” Dawn edged closer to Stan. She had a fair idea what might be going on since T-Rex had stopped Stan from leaving with the rest of the staff, but really, if this was about Stan touching her, it was overkill. She had the situation in hand.

“Have a seat, babe,” Cade pointed her to the nearest booth. “Stan and I are gonna have a little talk.”

Dawn’s blood turned to ice and she stood in front of Stan, blocking Cade’s path. “My fight.”

Cade stared at her, pinning her with blue eyes filled with fury. “He had his warning.”

“I’ve talked to him. I’ve laid down the law. He’s not going to touch me again.” She looked over at Stan, and he vigorously shook his head.

Cade threw a USB stick on the table. “You gonna deal with all the footage he has of you naked in the restroom and change room? T-Rex found the cameras. The prospect checked them out. He’s been recording you and the other staff, selling the images on porn sites, and jerking off to them at home at night.”

Bile rose in her throat, but it wasn’t fear that made her shake, but rage. “Stan? How could you?”

Stan bolted. But, of course, Cade had someone waiting for him at the back door.

“Look what I found.” Shaggy shoved a quivering Stan back into the restaurant only a few moments later.

Cade tipped his head from side to side, cracking his neck. “T-Rex. Take Dawn and Benson out back. Gun, watch on the door.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Dawn glared at Cade. “What he did, he did to me. And what happens to him is my choice.”

“I can arrest him,” Doug said. “What he did was illegal. Give him to me and he’ll be subject to the full force of the law.”

Cade barked a laugh. “Invasion of privacy? Taping someone without consent? What’s that gonna get him? A fine? A slap on the wrist? A night in jail? You think that’s gonna stop him from doing it again? Is that gonna make Dawn feel any better knowing dirt bags across the country saw pictures of her that no man should see? Is that justice?”

“It is justice,” Doug said. “The right way. The legal way. You have to trust in the system.”

“Don’t trust in the system at all,” Cade said. “Legal justice is no justice. My old lady has been disrespected. That means my club has been disrespected. That means justice, Sinner style.”

“Cade…”

Cade grasped her arm and pulled her forward. Her cheek hit his chest and he brushed his lips over her ear and murmured. “You’re a Sinner now, babe. You are my old lady. I like that you’re a fighter but this is one of the times I’m stepping in and you’re just gonna have to suck it up.”

She trembled at the press of his body, hot and hard against hers, the feel of his heart, thudding in his chest, his anger, barely contained.

Wait. That was her heart pounding. Her anger. Her rage. Dawn took a deep breath and let the unfamiliar feelings wash over her. She had never been angry with Jimmy. In the fight for survival, emotion had taken a backseat. But now she felt indignant, powerful, and capable of exacting her own revenge. Yes, Stan deserved to be punished. But not without her.

“Don’t kill him.”

Cade looked down, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Is that a request?”

“Yes.” She caught her breath at his gentle reminder that old ladies needed to ask permission if they wanted to get involved in Sinner business. Chauvinism at its finest.

“Since you asked so nice, sweetheart, I’ll give you that. I won’t kill him. But I’m gonna take it pretty damn close to the line.”

Dawn bit her lip, considering. Her decision to wear the cut meant acknowledging the way things worked in his world, including the use of violence. She didn’t have to like it, but she couldn’t judge Cade for wanting to handle this the biker way. And he was right. The justice Doug was offering was no justice at all. Would Stan really stop if he got a slap in the wrist? Would she feel the horrific violation of her privacy had been addressed if he had to pay a fine? Why not dive in a little deeper and embrace what Cade had given her? Do the one thing she secretly desired.

Vengeance. The Sinner way.

“I want the first punch.”

“Dawn!” Doug’s outraged shout drew chuckles from the Sinners. “What are you doing? What have you become? This isn’t you. You’re not violent. You don’t break the law.”

“Actually, I think this is me.” She tipped her head to the side, musing over her decision. “This feels right. And I have broken the law, Doug. I did it to survive. And I’m about to do it again.”

“Fucking Sinner old ladies,” Sparky said, his voice laced with admiration. “They always gotta have a turn.”

Cade’s voice softened, his eyes dropping to her lips. “Is that another request?”

“My fight. The first punch is my business. Then you can address the disrespect done to the club. After that, and this is my final request, I would like you to give him to Doug, as well as all the evidence. He’ll face justice twice. Our way and Doug’s way.”

Our way. It hadn’t taken long for her to start thinking of herself as a Sinner. Maybe because she’d always been a Sinner at heart.

“Can’t refuse my old lady.” Cade turned her to face Stan. “He’s all yours.”