Stand Off

  “Don’t like to fuck when I’m pissed off.”

  “Must be bad to keep you from fucking. Is it CeCe?”

  “No, I haven’t seen her since she started dating that professor.”

  “Sherrie?”

  “No, her and Henry are a couple now.”

  Jackal gave up. If he went through all the women Max had fucked, he would be there all night trying to figure out what had Max so upset.

  “Renee’s kid.”

  “Casey is hardly a kid.” Jackal’s appreciative tone drew Max’s angry gaze.

  “Casey giving you trouble?” Mason stopped as he was walking past the bar. He was an older member—Mugg’s age—who mainly hung out at the clubhouse, since Ice gave him few duties.

  The president had a beef with the brother that he refused to share. The only thing Max knew was the two had butted heads when Ice had first taken over the club. Since then, Ice had more than proved himself worthy of being the leader of the Predators and gave the older members a share of the spoils for doing very little of the work.

  Max looked at Mason questioningly. He had been with Renee for five years during the time that Casey would have been in her teens.

  “You and Casey didn’t get along when you were married to Renee?” Max asked curiously.

  Mason snorted. “I got along with Casey fine. It was her mother who drove me crazy. The best day of my life was when I left and divorced her fucking cheating ass.”

  Max raised a brow at his vehement statement. Usually, Mason was quiet and never talked shit about anyone. Even when Mugg had begun seeing Renee two years after his and Renee’s divorce, Mugg had confided he expected hard feelings from Mason, yet none had been forthcoming.

  “Any idea of why she needs extra money from a part-time job?” Max questioned, despite telling himself he was going to stay out of her personal shit.

  “No, I didn’t keep in contact with Casey after the divorce.” Mason motioned for Issy to give him a drink. “I could give her a call and find out if you want.”

  Max shook his head. “Don’t do that. She says it’s none of my business, and she’s right.” If she found out he was discussing her with the other brothers, it would only make her even more secretive. Casey was a private person. If she wanted to put her neck on the line for a few dollars, it sure as fuck had nothing to do with him.

  Giving Issy a grin, he leaned over the counter as she placed Mason’s beer in front of him. Then he placed his finger in the vee of her low-cut T-shirt and tugged it down.

  “Want to suck my dick?”

  “Hell, yes,” she breathed.

  Max reached over the counter, lifting her up and over the bar. “You fuckers can find someone else to wait on you tonight. Issy is going to be busy.”

  The woman wrapped her legs around Max’s waist as he carried her back to his bedroom and slammed the door shut with his foot. As soon as he placed Issy down on her feet, her hands went automatically to his zipper.

  Staring down at the woman going to her knees, Max’s stomach knotted. He placed his hands over hers, stopping her from loosening his jeans.

  “Issy, the beer is getting to me. Must have drunk too much on an empty stomach.” Max pulled away from the woman’s grasp, going to his bed and sitting down.

  “You want me to stay?” she asked halfheartedly.

  “No, go have your fun with someone else.”

  Issy hesitated but turned toward the door. Max lay down on his bed, confused as to why he hadn’t let the woman have his dick. Truth be told, the slut hadn’t been able to get a rise out of him.

  Frustrated at himself, he turned out the light and lay down on his bed, staring at the dark ceiling.

  He was bored with all the club whores and even the last three women he had fucked outside of the club. Women bored him easily. That was why he went through so many of them. CeCe and Sherri had each lasted six months, the women before them not even that long. Probably the only reason they had lasted longer was they both worked, and he wasn’t able to fuck them as often. As soon as he satiated himself with a woman, his interest invariably led him to another pussy.

  He heard Stump in the room next door banging Issy. Her loud screams were unmistakable.

  Looking at his illuminated clock, he saw that it was three a.m. It hadn’t even taken her five minutes to find another dick to replace his, but he really wasn’t bothered by it. His mind went back to Casey working. She would be in the store alone and taking the trash outside in the dark parking lot.

  “Fuck!” Max stood up, going to his bedroom door and jerking it open.

  Jackal and the other brothers stared at him in surprise as he went to the front door.

  “Where’re you going?” Jackal asked, his arm around a hanger-on’s shoulders.

  “Going out for a ride,” Max said abruptly.

  Jackal lifted a knowing brow. “Need some company?”

  “No, what I need is a shrink because I’ve lost my fucking mind.”

  * * *

  Casey yawned as she poured herself a cup of coffee, She was about to leave the store and had changed in the restroom. Hopefully, the coffee would wake her up before she arrived at her other job.

  “See you Sunday, Casey. I found someone I think is going to work out, so I’ll start their training with you on Sunday. That way, you can decide what day you want to be your last.”

  “If you’re happy with them, then we can make next Friday my last shift.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” He grinned.

  “Bye, Ned.”

  He nodded, giving her a brief wave as he began waiting on the long line of customers.

  Casey swung the door open, taking a deep breath of the early morning air. She was getting in her car when she noticed the motorcycle pulling out into the traffic from the parking lot across the street. Casey easily recognized Max’s huge frame on the large bike.

  He didn’t look her way as he roared down the street, disappearing in the busy intersection.

  Getting into her car, she bit her lip as she started the engine. Despite herself, she felt bad about being rude to Max. She had never been good at being hateful to other people. She always regretted it as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

  Casey had learned a long time ago that she was too sensitive. She had built her shields as she grew older, learning to disguise it from others, but her self-recriminations would often last for days after she was sure the other person had forgotten about it.

  Her phone rang as she was getting out of her car at the bank. Looking at it, she chose to ignore the call. Casey had no time to talk to Jayce. She would call him after she opened the bank and took her mid-morning break.

  She had been seeing him for the last year. He lived on and off in Queen City, dividing his time between there and New York. His constant absences were placing a strain on their relationship, adding to the indecision she had about their possible future.

  Casey had a picture of the future she envisioned for herself, and it included a stable home life. Jayce wanted to move in with her, and so far, she had put him off, but he was becoming more demanding, wanting more of her than he was willing to give of himself. To him, moving in was the next step in their relationship. To her, it was always the death knoll. All of Renee’s relationships had ended as soon as the men she had let move in grew tired of her. Casey was determined her own personal life would never mirror her mother’s mistakes.

  She keyed in the security code to the bank as Jack and the other employees gathered to wait for the door to open.

  “It’s going to be a busy day.” Anna stood, searching through her purse before pulling out a tube of lipstick. “State paydays are always a bitch.”

  “It’s not going out today,” Casey informed them. “It’s going out tomorrow, which is going to have us flooded with calls. The state is sticking to the first and last month date from now on. Before, if the dates were on a weekend, they would post on a Friday, but they’ve decided to stick strictly on their due da
tes from now on.”

  “Jeez, can I have the day off?” Gianna quipped.

  Casey shook her head, smiling. “Not unless I can take off with you, so it’s not going to happen.”

  “The least you could do is take us out for a drink after work, then,” Gianna moaned as they all walked through the lobby.

  “I wish,” Casey said, stopping at her office door. “I have a birthday dinner tonight at the Pizza Shack.”

  Gianna and Anna paused, their facial expressions mirroring her own sentiments.

  “I used to love eating there, right up until I was food poisoned by their shrimp gumbo pizza.” Anna’s face turned pale at the memory.

  “You’re a braver person than me. I didn’t even try that one. The Hawaiian barbeque one had me barfing for days,” Gianna chimed in.

  “Thankfully, I’ve never gotten sick from eating there, but I have to admit, I stick to just the cheese pizza. It’s my stepdad’s favorite restaurant, and my mother doesn’t cook, so Pizza Shack is his birthday treat.”

  “Didn’t you eat there for Christmas dinner, too?” Anna quizzed.

  “It’s Mom’s go-to place for any special occasion. Next year, I’m going to bribe the owner to close down on Christmas day. We were the only ones in there, so he may be willing to bargain if I try to get that loan he’s always asking for approved.” Casey laughed. “Either that or I’m calling the Health Department a day before. I would be surprised if he was able to pass an inspection.”

  “You wouldn’t.” Gianna laughed. Both women knew her threats were all talk.

  “I might,” Casey said, remembering her Christmas dinner. “Either that or I’ll be skipping that holiday dinner.”

  “I’m not doing anything tonight, and I’m kind of in the mood for pizza. Is that good-looking stepbrother of yours going to be there?” Anna asked with excitement glittering in her eyes.

  “Yes, he’ll be there with whoever his recent girlfriend is,” Casey told her and saw the excitement die.

  “Damn, just once, I want to catch him between women.”

  “Good luck with that.” Casey snorted. “That man has a replacement before he breaks it off with his cookie.”

  Anna and Gianna burst out laughing.

  Anna recovered first. “Cookie?”

  “He does a new type every time I see him. I’ve seen him with a clothes stylist who works for Kaden Cross, a stripper, and now he’s dating a woman who teaches at a college.”

  “Does he like chocolate cookies?” Gianna asked eagerly, smoothing her dress down over her hips.

  Casey stared at her voluptuous breasts. “Max doesn’t pick favorites. He likes to sample all the different flavors.” Casey rolled her eyes at Gianna’s squeal. “You seriously would date a biker who’s in the Predators?”

  “He’s not the only one who has a sweet tooth.” Gianna grinned unashamedly.

  “Get to work before I decide you’re not sane enough to handle other people’s money.”

  “Don’t you ever get tempted to live on the wild side?” Anna asked her curiously, eying the staid blouse and skirt she was wearing.

  “No, thanks. One Jamaican Me Happy a week is all I need to satisfy my need for adventure.”

  “What in the hell is a Jamaican Me Happy?” The women stared at her in confusion.

  “Hit the liquor store on the way home and find out. I plan on drinking a couple as soon as I get home from the restaurant. I have a feeling, after the pizza or Max, I’m going to need it.”

  “I thought you said you only drink one?” Anna asked.

  Casey shook her head. “Max makes it a two-drink-minimum night.”

  Now that she thought about it, she decided to stop at the liquor store herself on the way to Mugg’s birthday dinner. She was going to need the four pack.

  Chapter 6

  Casey chewed her plain cheese pizza as she watched Max set a plate down in front of his son. The five-year-old smiled up at his father, who sat down next to him with his own plate piled high with a variety of pizza slices.

  “Dad, I’m going to get another plate.”

  “Don’t get the Thai Chili one. I don’t want your mom calling me tomorrow, bitching that she sat up with you all night because you were sick.”

  The ten-year-old rolled his eyes at Max before leaving the table.

  One side of the long table was filled with Max and his four children. The resemblance was startling, each a miniature version of their father. The youngest, Randy, was eagerly eating the pizza that his father had given him. The eight-year-old was playing games on his cell phone and eating pizza with his other hand. His thirteen-year-old daughter Maxie was quietly eating her spaghetti as if she wanted to be anywhere but there, sitting at the end next to Mugg and Renee.

  “You still working at the killzone?” Max asked loudly as Maxim returned to his seat with a plate piled as high as his father’s. Casey had no doubts that Max was going to get the dreaded phone call from the boy’s mother.

  Casey noticed Mugg and Renee quit talking when they heard Max’s loud question.

  “Ned found someone to work the night shift, so next week will be my last.”

  He grunted at her answer, staring at her as he took another bite of his pizza.

  “What’s he talking about?” Mugg asked.

  “I’m working at the Quik and Go on Market Street,” Casey answered, throwing Max a heated glare.

  “You’re working the night shift?” Mugg straightened, looking at his wife angrily.

  “I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?” Renee’s frown had her feeling guilty for not telling her mother. Not because Renee would be worried, but because Mugg would.

  “Because it’s only for a couple of weeks. The place has cameras, and it’s never been robbed before. I’m safer working there than the bank,” Casey told them truthfully. “I was only helping Ned out until he found a new worker, and he has. As I just said, I’ll train this week, and then Friday will be my last day.”

  “Call him and tell him you quit. He can train his employees himself. I don’t want you a sitting duck for anyone wanting a quick score. If you need money, I can—”

  “I’m fine, Mugg.” Casey smiled at her stepfather’s concern.

  Even though Renee had married Mugg after she had moved out of her mother’s house, he had always treated her like a daughter, despite Casey’s own attempts to keep a distance between them. She had been burned too many times from Renee’s relationships ending to develop a close relationship with a man she was sure would end up leaving her mother just like all the others had.

  “I don’t want you working there, either.” Renee’s tear-filled eyes stared down the table at her. Once upon a time, those tears would have effectively had her doing what Renee wanted, but those days were long past. Those crocodile tears were more for Mugg’s benefit than any real concern for her daughter. The spare money she had made the short time she had worked there would ease a tiny amount of the financial pressure Renee had put on her that had been gradually escalating.

  “It’s only for six more days,” Casey stated resolutely.

  Ignoring Max’s glare, she stood up. “I’m going to get some more pizza.” Escaping the table, she went back to the food bar, carefully choosing from the selection before returning to the table. Thankfully, Mugg had begun opening his presents.

  Renee had given him a new wallet. He then opened his grandchildren’s who had each drawn him pictures, and one had even made him an ashtray. He opened Max’s next, pulling out the new saddlebags that would go on his bike. Mugg thanked him before opening the one from her.

  He slit the envelope open, staring down at the card in his hand. His eyes rose to meet hers.

  “I don’t understand—” Mugg began, but Casey cut him off.

  “Your bike is a piece of crap. The owner of Fast Mike’s comes in the bank, and he gave me a discount. You can go the store tomorrow and pick out a new bike. I’ve already paid for it. Just don’t go crazy and pick the mos
t expensive one in the store,” Casey said jokingly.

  “I can’t accept—”

  “It’s already paid for, no money back. That bike you’re riding is a death trap.”

  There was silence at the table, even from the children.

  Mugg stared down at the card, clearing his throat. “In that case, I guess I got myself a new bike.” Mugg motioned to the waitress. “Bring us another pitcher of beer. We’re celebrating tonight!”

  While everyone gradually began talking again, she avoided the stare Max gave her. Instead, Casey awkwardly accepted her mother’s hug while Mugg grinned, refilling his glass with beer.

  “I knew the day I married your mother it was a smart move. I caught a good woman and a daughter.” He winked at her.

  She blushed, lowering her eyes, her throat tight. Casey hoped he would always think so, but knew if their marriage came to a crashing end, Mugg treating her as a daughter would end.

  She finished her slice of pizza and watched as Mugg cut up his cake. Afterward, she stood.

  “I better be going. I have to be at work early in the morning.”

  Mugg and her mother both hugged her.

  “Thanks, Casey.” She smiled at Mugg’s gruff voice.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I’ll walk you outside.” Max’s voice from behind had her stiffening, but she didn’t protest. Whatever he wanted to get off his chest would be better said out of earshot of her mother and stepfather.

  Max followed her out to the parking lot, silent as she unlocked her car.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting him a new bike? Is that the reason you were working the extra job?”

  Casey remained silent.

  “If you had told me, I would have pitched in. Why didn’t you?”

  Casey didn’t look at Max. “Because I didn’t want to put any pressure on you financially. I imagine paying child support to four different women can’t be easy.”

  Max stiffened. “I’m not poor. I could have chipped in. Of course, I don’t get paid the big bucks like you do,” he stated harshly.

  Casey jerked at his comment, hiding the hurt his curt words had inflicted.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it? I’ve already bought the bike. Bye, Max.” Casey swung open her car door, getting inside.