High-Sided: An Armed & Dangerous Novel (21 page)

“Not sure. He hasn’t texted back yet.” More people rode in. It was interesting to see how many of them liked riding, and how many did it to show off.

I leaned my head on Logan’s shoulder. “Think we can grill steaks tonight?” My stomach growled and he chuckled.

“Sounds good, baby.” He was always the best at grilling. I hadn’t met a man other than him who could master the art of grilling, not even my father or Sean. “We ready to go?”

“Yep, let’s get out of here.”

We hopped on our bikes and I started to put on my helmet, but then stopped when I saw Madison’s face. Her eyes narrowed at the crowd of people, then changed to a look of horror. “No,” she breathed.

I stared at her, then at Logan, who also had a strange expression on his. “What’s going on?”

When I turned to focus on the crowd, I saw him; it was the rider who tried to run Logan off the track during tryouts. Micah Perry. “Maddie, please tell me that’s not the guy you’re seeing.”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t understand what he’s doing here.”

I did. Obviously, he didn’t tell her who he was. What made it worse was, he was hanging out with the Hendrix crew, laughing and carrying on like he was their best friend. But when he saw Madison sitting on Logan’s bike, his smile faded and his attention landed on Logan.

“This isn’t good,” I whispered. Madison wasn’t there during tryouts, so she didn’t see what went down between the two of them, nor had I told her.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Logan jumped off his bike and Micah stormed across the lot.

“I don’t know, but whatever it is isn’t gonna be good.”

O
ut of all the people for Micah to mess around with, it had to be Madison. He never told me he was seeing her. By the look on his face, he was just as shocked to see her with me. Kassidy grabbed my arm. “Please don’t fight him, Logan.”

“I won’t, unless he starts something.” I could handle not fighting Micah because he was my partner, but with Mark and Jacob flanking him, I couldn’t promise anything.

“Looks like he’s with Hendrix now,” she said.

Madison gasped. “What? He never said anything about that. I didn’t even know he rode motorcycles.” The pain was evident on her face, and I wanted to tell her that he was actually a good guy, but I couldn’t; at least, not yet. There was no choice but to break her heart. “Do you think he’s only seeing me to mess with us?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Kassidy growled.

Micah glanced quickly at me, then focused on Madison. It was show time. “I thought you hated motorcycles,” he said to her.

Madison crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Mark and Jacob. “And I didn’t realize you had such poor taste in friends.”

He snorted. “I could say the same for you.”

“What the fuck ever,” I spat. “At least, I’m not a murderer.”

The whole crowd gasped, including Mark and Jacob. More people closed in around us and it was just what I wanted. Micah caught on pretty fast, knowing exactly what I was doing.

“What the hell’s going on?” Madison demanded. “How do you know him?” The pain in her voice made me cringe.

I hated hurting her, especially since she clearly had feelings for him. I nodded toward Micah. “Your boyfriend here killed one of my friends a few years ago.”

She stumbled back and Kassie caught her. “Oh my God.”

Micah shook his head. “I didn’t kill him, asshole. I can’t help it he ran off the road.”

“You were the one who ran him off!” I shouted.

With a smirk on his face, he shrugged. “Whatever you say. The police didn’t find me accountable.”

I scoffed. “I wonder why. I’m sure someone was paid off.”

Kassidy tried to hold Madison back, but she jerked out of her hold. “Did you know who I was this whole time?” she demanded.

Micah quickly glanced back and forth, from Kassidy to Madison, and realization passed across his face. He must not have known she was Kassidy’s sister. “Yep. I heard no one’s been able to get in the Bennett sisters’ pants, so I thought I’d give it a try. Came pretty close, didn’t I?” He tried to reach for her and I smacked his arm away.

“Touch her and I’ll break your fucking arm,” I spat.

Kassidy stepped between us, placing her hand on my chest. “Logan, don’t. He’s not worth it.” She faced Micah head on, clenching her fists at her side. “Stay away from my sister.”

His brows lifted and he laughed, elbowing Mark in the side. “Looks like you boys were wrong. Chandler here managed to get in one of their pants. I think I chose the wrong sister.”

I was about to push him away, but Kassidy was there first. Swinging her arm, she punched him right in the face. His head snapped to the side and Mark and Jacob backed up, holding their hands in the air. The look on Micah’s face was priceless. He wasn’t expecting Kassie to do that, and neither was I. I was impressed.

“You’re damn right you chose wrong,” she hissed. “If you came after me, your balls would be down your throat.”

Madison glared at him, her anger palpable, but I could see the tears in her eyes. I grabbed her arm and pulled her away. “Let’s go.”

She pointed angrily at Micah. “You stay the hell away from me.”

I couldn’t have asked for a better confrontation. Now everyone knew Micah’s story, and soon, it’d get around town. Hopefully, to the right people. Madison climbed on my bike and held on as we sped away from Micah and the others. Once everything was over, I had a lot of explaining to do.

When we got back to Kassidy’s house, Madison was a wreck. She stormed inside and didn’t come out.

“If you want to stay with her tonight, I’ll understand,” I said.

Kassidy sighed and bit her lip. “Maybe we both could come over and hang out with you? You have a way of cheering people up.” Then she smiled. “Just let her win at cards.”

I pulled her into my arms. “I can do that. I’ll need you to occupy her though, while I listen in on my partner’s meeting.”

Nodding, she lifted up on her toes. “I will. We’ll be over in a bit. I want to make sure she’s okay.” She kissed me on the cheek and hurried inside. By the time I got on my bike and headed home, my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I knew exactly who it was going to be.

“It’s about fucking time you call me back,” Micah snapped.

I climbed in my truck and headed to the store. “I was on my bike, jackass. Now I’m on my way to the store to pick up steaks and ice cream, since I have a heartbroken girl about to show up at my house.”

“I can’t believe this shit,” he stormed. “I knew Madison looked familiar but she never gave me her last name.”

“Now you know. I can’t believe you didn’t recognize her from TV.”

The line grew quiet. “She’s not the same in person. Now I don’t know what the fuck to do. She’s leaving tomorrow and she’s pissed. Not to mention, my jaw hurts like a bitch. Remind me to thank your girl when this is over.”

I chuckled. I never thought Kassie would hit him, but she surprised us all. “I will. She’s protective of her family, mostly Madison. You’re lucky she didn’t kick you in the nuts.”

“You’re telling me,” he said, his voice sounding defeated.

“Dude, what’s up with you? You’ve never given a shit about the women you’ve messed with before.”

He huffed. “Hell if I know, man. This one’s different.”

“Exactly. She’s my girlfriend’s sister. You’re my partner and I’ve got your back, but I won’t let you mess with her head. Madison’s a good girl.”

“I know that. Why do you think I haven’t slept with her?”

“You haven’t?” Madison wasn’t the type of girl to sleep around, but Micah had a way with women.

“Trust me, I wanted to.”

“How did you two meet?” I asked.

“I saw her at the diner down the road. She was with some of her friends. She left right before me, and we were headed in the same direction. A deer darted out in front of her and she swerved off the road, busting up her tire. I pulled over and helped her change it.”

“Were you in your truck?”

“Yeah. I never told her I rode motorcycles, not since she told me how much she hated them. Imagine my surprise when she showed up riding on yours.”

“She doesn’t hate them, she’s afraid of them. Kassie and I made her come out with us today. She did fine until we rode through the Gap.” He grew quiet. “But once the mission’s over, we’ll tell her the truth. You two can work things out.”

He scoffed. “Doubt it. There’s no telling how long this shit’s gonna last. She’ll probably find some jackass by then.”

“We’ll figure it out. What time do you have to be at the party tonight?”

“Eight. I was going to meet with Hendrix and see Madison afterward. At least we gave everyone a good show today. It’s what we wanted.”

“Yes, it is,” I said, pulling into the store parking lot. “Hey, I gotta go. Text me when you’re about to meet Brad. I’ll listen in.”

“Will do, bro. Let’s hope he fucks up.”
Let’s hope.

“Thanks for letting me crash here,” Madison murmured sleepily. She laid her head on Kassie’s lap and closed her eyes. I’d already let her beat me in cards the entire evening, and now she was passed out drunk.

“You’re welcome, Maddie,” I replied.

Kassie shook her head and sighed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have given her all of that vodka.”