Casey hid her flinch at Max’s words.

“Her shy, little, school girl routine seemed to be working just fine when I came in the door. She’s had both you and Brock trying to get in her panties tonight.”

“There’s a big fucking difference between me and Brock.”

Ginger’s lips tightened. “Jackal’s waiting for you. Ice has something he needs you two to check on.”

Max took advantage of the opportunity to escape, leaving without a backward glance. The second the door snapped closed, Ginger threw the clothes and books at Casey.

“You little bitch! He’s mine. I’m getting your shit while you’re trying to steal my man? Renee said you were a slut, and I took up for you!”

Humiliated, Casey gathered her clothes, tugging on her jeans. With the rest of her things, she went toward the door. She had no idea where she was going or how she was going to get to school, but she couldn’t face Ginger’s accusing look any longer.

“Casey, I’m warning you. Stay away from him.”

“I will,” Casey said faintly.

Mercifully, no one was outside so early, and Casey finished dressing, wincing with pain as she forced her feet into her tennis shoes. Throwing her night clothes into the dumpster, she began walking toward the direction she remembered Max had brought her. She was about to drop when she saw a bus.

She was late for school, but the teacher arranged for her to take the part she missed during her lunch hour. It was a difficult day to get through, and that night wasn’t much better, listening to Renee’s recriminations despite Casey repeatedly telling her that Brock had attempted to rape her.

As soon as she had graduated, she had moved out into the same cheap apartment she lived in now.

Fortunately, Casey didn’t see Max again for several years, but by chance, she ran into Ginger at Renee’s home, and she had her son with her in the carrier. Max’s son lay wiggling with his fist crammed into his mouth. Casey made the effort to carry on a conversation but was rebuffed.

Once she was no longer living with Renee, she didn’t see Max until the day of Mugg’s and her mother’s wedding at the local courthouse. The marriage had intertwined her life once again with the Predators.

After the ceremony, they celebrated at a local restaurant. Sitting at the end of the table and feeling self- conscious, Casey avoided eye contact with Max as he sat with his now four children. He acted friendly, his nonchalant attitude displaying he had forgotten their kiss. However, despite herself, she had compared every man to him thereafter.

Now, as then, Max managed to make her feel self-conscious and nervous, addressing her with the same affable “sweet thing” which he addressed every woman who came into contact with him, though she successfully kept him at arm’s length over the next few years, despite his gestures of friendship.

The Predators’ reputation worsened over the time she grew up and began working in Queen City. The bikers became feared by many of the residents, each shrewdly aware as Casey was that the law wasn’t able to touch them. Little did they know, their day of reckoning was going to be achieved by her amateur skills, using the one thing Max was incapable of resisting—a willing woman.

Chapter 3

Max walked across the parking lot to his bike, where the club members were standing together, waiting for him.

“Find out what you wanted to know?” Ice asked, his arm around Grace’s shoulders.

“Fuck, no.” Max sat down on his bike, frustrated at Casey’s refusal to confide in him. She was the complete opposite of her mother who would tell you what color panties she had on if you asked. With Renee, what you saw was what you got. She was feisty and spunky, dressing more like a woman half her age than a woman in her fifties. She had been married three times before she had married his father. Max liked Renee and wished Casey had taken a few traits from her mother. She hadn’t, though. She was as closed off and snooty as Renee was friendly and outgoing.

“What are you going to do?” Jackal asked.

“Ask Dad and see if he knows what’s going on.”

“Why does it matter? It’s not like she’s your sister.” Ice climbed on his bike with Grace getting on behind him.

“Because Casey is an uptight bitch who watches every dime she spends. If she needs cash, I’m thinking it’s not for her.”

“Renee?” Ice spoke his own thought out loud.

“Dunno.”

“Could be anything,” Jackal broke into the conversation. “She could owe money or have a habit she’s hiding. She could even be giving it to her boyfriend.”

Max shook his head. “She doesn’t spend any money on herself. She has five work outfits that she wears different days of the week. She never goes out. Her ma is always asking her to go shopping and shit with her, and she never goes. I would know if she was doing any drugs since we control that shit in town.” Max spoke faster at Ice’s warning look about watching his words around Grace. “Her boyfriend is a stockbroker from out east and has more cash than he can spend.”

“How’d you know she has only five work outfits?” Grace’s curious eyes met his.

“There isn’t much I don’t notice about women,” Max bragged.

“I didn’t see you paying much attention to what CeCe was wearing. You asked her if one dress she was wearing was new twice.”

Max shrugged. “You still pissed about me and CeCe? She was the one who dumped me, remember?”

“Because you didn’t want to make a commitment,” Grace said accusingly.

“I have to spread the love around,” he joked, winking at Grace, who didn’t smile back.

“What you’re spreading is bullshit, not love.”

“You check the boyfriend out?” Ice broke in, cutting off the budding argument between Max and his wife.

Max raised a brow at Ice’s silent warning to drop the subject of CeCe. Grace and CeCe were best friends, and Ice didn’t want Grace to form hard feelings that would make it difficult to be around the club members.

“Her ma asked me to. She thought he was flashing too much money around. He’s Mr. Clean; couldn’t find crap on him.”

“I don’t understand why you feel the need to try to interfere in her life. She obviously doesn’t want your concern,” Grace remarked.

“She’s not going to get her wish. Snake!” Max yelled at the biker at the end of the row of bikes.

The biker walked toward him with an apprehensive look. “What’s up?”

“I want you to stay and watch the store until Casey gets off tomorrow morning.”

“Fuck, no. I’m not getting stuck watching over another one of your women. Let someone else do it,” Snake argued.

Max’s eyes narrowed on him. “You telling me no? I’ll rip your fucking head off and piss down your throat. She’s not my woman; she’s my stepsister, and I want her watched,” he bellowed.

“Shit, if you put it that way, I’ll stay. It’s not like I have a fucking choice, is it?” Snake said snidely.

“No, if I tell you to shoot yourself in the foot, you’ll do what you’re told until you’re patched!”