Shadow: Cerberus MC Book 3 (31 page)

I’ve been hopeless for so long that the possibility seems more like a fairy-tale than a feasible outcome. Praying he dies in a car accident hasn’t worked no matter how many times I’ve begged God to take him away. I went to the police once. Once. That was all it took for me to realize that the fat guy working the front desk had no desire to help me. That cry for help landed me in the hospital for three days under the guise of falling down the stairs at the apartment complex. The doctors didn’t believe me but were too busy to dig any deeper. Thank God they didn’t, or I’d be dead right now.

Dead. Doesn’t seem like such a bad thing as I walk around barely able to take a deep breath with the pain I feel on the right side of my body. Steel toe boots, I’ve discovered, are no match for bones.

I can’t hide the genuine smile on my face when the bikers walk through the front door and make their way to the back corner table. There are four men rather than the usual three. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping the three guys would show up tonight. Well, two of them anyways; the third guy is kind of a creep, but the other two are super sweet and easy on the eyes.

I work my tables quickly so I can make my way to them. I’m certain their order will be the same as it’s been the last couple of weeks, but I go to them to verify since they have an addition to the group this evening.

I stop short when I get close to the table. Shadow and Kid, as they introduced themselves a few weeks ago, are very good looking guys. The man with them tonight? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a beautiful creature before. Tattoos cover both arms from the wrists, disappearing under the sleeves of his t-shirt. His baseball hat does nothing to hide his soulful brown eyes and perfectly pouty lips, lips that are turned up in a knowing smirk as I make my way to their table.

I steel my expression immediately. He has bad boy written all over him. I cut my eyes to the table where Bobby is sitting. Thankfully his face is turned up watching something on the huge TV on the wall. I pray these guys behave tonight. This is the first time they, along with my husband, have been here together. They haven’t been inappropriate by normal standards, but Bobby’s standards aren’t normal. He’s a wuss when it comes to confronting other men, so any perceived transgression will be taken out on me, of that I’m certain.

“Hey guys,” I say with a smile as I near the table. “What can I get for you tonight?”

Although the smiling stranger remains silent, I can feel his scrutinizing gaze on my face. I cut my eyes to him. Biggest mistake I could’ve ever made. Once my eyes meet his, I’m locked in place, and I can’t look away. It’s as if I’m entranced and it’s up to him to give me permission to break my gaze.

“Don’t worry, honey,” I hear one of the guys say breaking the trance. I look over and see that it’s the creepy one who spoke. “All of the ladies react that way when they see Prez.” Creepy guy slaps the tattooed bad boy on the back.

Prez? My eyes cut to the patch over his heart on his worn leather vest. PRESIDENT.

I blush at being called out for my apparent appreciation of the leader of their group.

“Enough, Wrench,” the president chides. “Hey, darlin’,” he says with a mischievous smirk that makes my stomach flutter.

“Coors?” I ask hoping for a quick escape. Anything to get away from this man and the mouth that my eyes can’t seem to tear themselves away from.

“Please,” the president says drawing my attention back to his pouty lips.

I clear my throat, spin around, and leave the table. What the hell is wrong with me? I give Bobby a quick glance; thankfully his eyes are still glued to the TV. Not once have I ever even thought about cheating on Bobby, and I’m not thinking about it now, but there is just something about that man that has me… interested. I would never cheat. It’s not a moral issue for me at this point but rather a means of survival. Bobby would put the last nail in my coffin if he even suspected the thoughts I just had over that stranger’s mouth.

I give my head a slight shake and head to the bar to fill their drink order. I have a bad feeling about tonight, and my gut instinct is usually right on track.

Chapter 2

A celebration. That’s what’s going to happen tonight.

Josie has been found. She’s not in the greatest of health, but the doctors say she’ll make a full recovery. My cousin doesn’t have to suffer the loss of the woman he loves. Today’s a great day, one I didn’t think could get any better. That was until I walked into
Drifter’s Bar
. The guys have been talking about the hot waitress for weeks now. I’m here to have a few beers, but a scenic view in the form of a good looking woman is always a plus.

We make our way to the back corner of the bar; the best strategic location to keep an eye on the entire situation. Diligence, even in a social setting, is what keeps a man safe. They don’t even have to point her out; I could’ve picked her out of a lineup of a hundred good-looking women. Good-looking? The phrase doesn’t even do her justice. She’s gorgeous. I’d say perfect when looking at her long, blonde hair and full breasts, but she seems a little sad when I look into her dark, blue eyes.

I follow her with my eyes as she takes orders and delivers drinks in the fifteen minutes that it takes her to make her way to our table. I can’t help but smirk when she stops cold the first time her eyes land on me.
Yeah, yeah, sweetheart. It’s just a pretty face.

She seems to gain control of herself again and walks to the table with a smile I can tell she’s having a hard time keeping under control.

“Hey, guys. What can I get for you tonight?” The voice of an angel if I’ve ever heard one.

I watch her, taking in every inch of her face. I notice it all. The cut on her lip. The heavy makeup she’s using as an attempt to hide something. Closer inspection tells me she’s not just the sadness I saw in her eyes; she’s broken. A tortured soul. My fucking Kryptonite.

I nearly lose my breath when she turns her eyes and focuses her attention on me. If my mom could see me now. A big, badass biker, former Marine getting lost in the blue eyes of a woman in a bar.

On the periphery of consciousness, I hear Wrench say something idiotic beside me; then feel him slap me on the back. The action snaps me back into the present. “Enough, Wrench,” I mumble to the fellow biker. The one who never keeps his fucking mouth shut. “Hey, darlin’.” I drawl at the siren standing in front of me.

Her cheeks flush, and I notice the incremental shift of her feet.

“Coors?” Her voice is more of a squeak this time.

She’s clearly affected by me as well. Something that for once makes me smile. I’m no stranger to women; they flock to me wherever I go. I’m not a narcissistic asshole who thinks he’s God’s gift to women; it’s just a fact. Women find me attractive. It has its benefits. Most are looking for a good time, a story to tell their friends later about how they hooked up with the president of an MC. I generally keep my extracurricular activities closer to home, in a setting I’m more easily able to control, but every once in a while I find something that’s hard to turn down. It seems tonight is one of those nights.

“Please,” I say with a seductive rasp.

She turns quickly and saunters away. My eyes follow the sway of her hips, and I can tell she’s not doing anything to purposefully entice me, but entice me she does. I clear my throat and adjust my crotch. A quick glance at Shadow lets me know I’ve not been as nonchalant about the encounter as I would’ve hoped. He leaves it alone.

Wrench on the other hand? He doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.

“I told you she was a hot piece of ass,” he sniffs and runs his arm under his nose. Disgusting. He waggles his eyebrows in the direction she went. “I’m gonna get me a piece of that before we leave Denver.”

“Are you blind you stupid fucker?” Shadow asks. “She clearly has her sights set on Kincaid.”

Wrench pulls his attention from the petite, curvy waitress getting our beers from the bar and looks at me. His face falls when I raise my eyebrow at him.

“That’s fucked up,” he grumbles crossing his arms over his chest like a petulant child.

I chuckle. It’s an unspoken rule that the president gets first pick. It’s not a card I pull very often. Usually, I’m not interested in anything Wrench would want, but this fine specimen is on my radar.

Shadow laughs softly and claps Wrench on the back. “Better luck next time, man.”

I tap my fingers on the table top and watch her. She continues to cut her eyes to a guy sitting alone along the far wall of the bar. He’s engrossed in the game on the TV, but the way she looks over at him bothers me. I can tell she’s concerned, either about him being there or seeing something he shouldn’t.

“When are we heading out?” Shadow asks diverting my attention momentarily.

I shrug. “Day after tomorrow maybe? I wanted to stick around for a bit, make sure Kaleb doesn’t need anything before we hit the road.” I narrow my eyes thinking about the whole situation we were called into and how everything doesn’t line up like it should.

“I know that look.” I turn my head toward Shadow. “You can’t stop thinking about the leak in the department.”

I grin, only because the waitress is making her way back to us. “That’s Denver PD’s problem unless they call us in to investigate, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

I watch her eyes as she hands the guys their beer and look down to take my beer from her. My face falls when it lands on the gold band on her left ring finger. She leaves as soon as she arrived.

“She’s fucking married,” I say with bitterness in my voice.

Wrench claps his hands together and rubs them vigorously like he’s won the fucking lottery. He, unlike me, doesn’t have an issue with going after married women.

“No,” I say to him. “Leave her the fuck alone.”

“But you don’t do married women,” he seethes.

“Leave her the fuck alone. I mean it, Wrench.” He narrows his eyes at me but keeps his mouth shut. He knows he’s on thin ice and better not push his fucking luck.

I tip my beer up and take a long pull, my eyes evaluating the guy across the bar. I can’t help but wonder if he’s the one who busted her lip; it’s highly likely. He looks like the type of asshole that would hit a woman. I despise men who hit women; they are the absolute scum of the earth.

Knowing I need to divert my attention away from the waitress for more than one reason, I scan the bar. My eyes land on a redhead sitting on a stool at the bar. She’s facing outward and staring right at me. From the way she’s running her tongue over and around the tip of her beer bottle, I can guarantee she’d be down for just about anything, which means she’s my kind of girl.

I wink at her to let her know I see her and go back to talking to the guys at the table.

“Kid,” I say catching his attention. “Why the sour look?”

Dustin “Kid” Andrews is the newest and youngest member of the MC. At twenty-four and having served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first four years of his adult life, he’s seen more devastation and death than most men twice his age. The great thing about Kid though is he always has a smile on his face; he always sees the bright side of things. Right now? That character smile is nowhere to be seen.

Wrench laughs and Kid shoots him daggers from across the table. “He got blue-balled last night.”

I tip my beer up, emptying it to hide the smile on my face. Wrench is cackling like the idiot he is, but Shadow has enough respect to hide his laugh behind a cough.

“Well,” I finally manage. “It’s a new night. No reason not to try again.” I turn to Shadow. “And Misty?”

Misty is the woman he’s been seeing casually since we got to Denver. She’s also the woman who called in the tip about Josie when the little girl reported a woman being held by her parents at the school Misty works at. I’m grateful for Misty, which means I’m for once grateful for Shadow’s inability to keep his dick to himself. This time, it worked in our favor.

He shrugs his shoulders noncommittally. “We’re leaving in a few days.” It’s his only explanation, and I know that’s all I’ll get from him. Shadow treats every woman he comes across like a princess, but when he’s done, he’s done. He likes to spread the love around.

I force my eyes to keep from following the waitress, but it’s appearing to be an impossibility since she’s walking toward us now. The smile she pulls from me is unintentional, but painted on my face nonetheless.