Stand Off Read online

  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!”

  “I’ll do it, but if she gives me the same trouble Grace did, I’m packing up and going back home. If I’m going to be bored, I can go home and bale hay for my dad,” he complained.

  Ice and Jackal watched as Max took a step forward and punched Snake in the mouth. Blood poured from his split lip.

  “Shut the fuck up. You’re whining like one of my bitches.”

  Grace gasped, staring at him with a shocked expression. “I thought you were the nice one in the group.”

  “I am,” Max said, opening his beer and taking a long drink.

  Grace stared at him dubiously. “Did you not just hear yourself threatening to rip his head off and piss down his throat?”

  Max screwed the lid back on to his pint of beer before putting it in his saddlebag. “That was me being nice. If he had talked back like that to any of the other brothers, they would have ripped him a new asshole and then stuffed him in that dumpster.” Max’s veiled threat was silently acknowledged by Snake, who was about to have seven different kinds of hell beaten out of him if he didn’t watch his step.

  “Why are we still talking about this? Let’s go.” Jackal started his motor, impatient to leave.

  “What’s the hurry?” Max turned the key in his ignition.

  “I thought we were going out for a ride, not sitting out here in the fucking parking lot.”

  “Let’s ride,” Ice agreed, pulling out in the lead and onto the road.

  Max’s eyes went to the large window, staring into the store where he saw Casey was loading the cooler.

  “Anything happens to her, the only patch you’ll be getting is the patch of ground I’ll bury you in,” Max threatened, giving the brother holding his bandana over his mouth a final warning before following the others out.

  As he sped up on the road, he became angry at losing his temper in front of Grace. Ice was going to give him shit about it later. He didn’t even know why he was so pissed off. Casey was nothing to him. He had known her since she was a kid yet had never tried to get to know her until his dad had married her mom. She had been a stuck-up bitch then and hadn’t changed any as she had grown older. Then again, Mugg likes the girl, so I should make sure she is safe, Max told himself.

  His easy humor returned. His temper could get out of control, but it never lasted long. Casey was out of his mind two seconds later as he raced alongside Jackal. No woman held his attention when he was with the brothers.

  It was late at night, and the streets were empty and dark. The road beckoned, and like always, he gave in to the thrill of being reckless and free.

  Chapter 4

  Casey smothered her yawn as she listened to a customer rant about a disputed charge. She pulled the paperwork from the printer, shuffling the papers together.

  “Are you sure your wife couldn’t have used your debit card?” Casey asked again.

  “Why would she pay for a storage locker when we have a perfectly good garage?” he repeated the same answer he had given her continuously since he had entered her office.

  Casey didn’t tell him her own suspicions. She would take the report, and someone else would be forced to be the one to tell him if it was a legitimate charge.

  As soon as his signature was attached, Casey stood up, putting her hand out. “Someone from the office will be in contact with you in three to five days, Mr. Patrick.”

  He shook her hand before stomping out of her office.

  Casey went outside her office, watching as the irate customer left.

  “He doesn’t seem very happy,” a male voice spoke from next to her.

  Casey turned to Lonnie. “He isn’t. Unfortunately, I think he’s going to be a lot unhappier when he finds out his wife is making plans to leave him behind his back. The good news is, I won’t be the one telling him.”

  Lonnie grinned at her good-naturedly. “I’m glad I don’t have to deal with the customers directly.”

  Casey silently agreed. Lonnie was much too sweet to deal with customers. They would make mincemeat out of the mild-mannered man.

  He looked down at his polished shoes, avoiding eye contact with her. “I’m going to Dell’s with Lana and Nicky. Want to come?”

  Casey smiled at him regretfully. “No, thanks. I’m going home. It’s been a long day.”

  Lonnie flushed. “Maybe another time?”

  “I’m pretty busy right now.” Casey let him down gently.

  Lonnie nodded. “They’re waiting on me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Bye,” Casey said to his hastily retreating back. Even if she wasn’t seeing someone else, she would never date someone she worked with. It was asking for trouble in her already complicated life.

  She gathered her purse as the employees left then checked the two story bank to make sure it was empty before she went to the front door where the security guard was waiting after making his own rounds.

  “All clear?” Jack asked.

  “Yes,” Casey answered, stepping through the doors before locking them with the key.

  Jack turned his back, and she keyed in the code to set the alarm system. When the light came on, indicating the system was activated, she stepped away.

  “Good night, Jack.”

  “Night, Casey.”

  She walked across the parking lot to her car, coming to a stop when she saw the car parked next to hers.

  “What are you doing here?” Casey asked her mother, who was flashing a smile toward Jack as he got inside his car.

  She didn’t let her mother’s behavior toward a much younger man embarrass her. She had learned long ago that Renee was never going to be the typical mother.

  “I wanted to ask a favor,” Renee began.

  Casey’s stomach sank, already knowing what her mother wanted.

  “No.” Casey came to a stop next to her mother’s car.

  “You don’t even know what I want,” she said without trying to hide her annoyance.

  “Money. It’s what you always want,” Casey said matter-of-factly, steeling herself against her mother’s machinations.

  “Don’t be like that, Casey. I went shopping and got a little carried away. I need to put the money back into my account before Mugg sees it’s gone.”


  Casey looked into the back seat of her mother’s car, seeing all the bags with the purchases she had made.

  “Mugg told you, if you didn’t quit spending so much money, he was going to divorce you. Didn’t him leaving you for a week last month show you he isn’t going to put up with it anymore?”

  Her mother waved her hand in the air. “It did, but I couldn’t pass these sales up.”

  “No,” Casey cut her useless promises short. “I suggest you go back to the stores and return what you bought. If you hurry, you’ll be able to get the money back into his account before he can get mad.”

  “You’re seriously not going to help me out?” Her mother managed to shed a fake tear and twisted her hands together as if she were truly distraught. She probably is at the thought of having to return the clothes, Casey thought unsympathetically.

  “I told you three months ago that I can only give you a certain amount every month. I can’t give you what I don’t have.”

  “You have all kinds of money. You work in a fucking bank.” The nasty was beginning to come, just like it always did when Renee didn’t get her way.

  “The bank’s money isn’t mine to use to save your ass,” Casey stated coldly.

  Casey didn’t discuss her finances with her mother for good reason. Her mother had always considered any money she made also hers until Casey had given her a strict limit.

  She went to her car, pushing the button to unlock the door.

  “You’re going to leave me hanging? That rich ass boyfriend of yours has plenty. If you used those tits and ass you inherited from me, both of us would have enough cash to buy what we wanted.” Subtlety was useless to Renee. She had told Casey over and over when she was growing up that, unless a woman asked for what she wanted, she stood as much of a chance of getting it as an ugly man getting pussy for free.

  Casey stared at her mother. “Take the clothes back.”

  Renee’s mouth pouted. “I’ll talk to Mugg. If he wants me to take them back, I will tomorrow. I’ll show him the panties and bra set I bought, and that’ll convince him to let me keep them. That and a blowjob works wonders on him.”

  Casey winced. She was used to her mother’s bluntness in discussing sex, but it still was information she preferred not to hear.

  “I’d cook him dinner, too. I don’t think you can return intimate apparel,” Casey advised, opening her car door.

  “I’ll stop and get some takeout on the way home.” Renee smiled. “Don’t forget, we’re having Mugg’s birthday party this Friday night.”

  “I won’t. I’ll see you then. Bye, Renee.”

  Renee gave her an airy wave as she got inside her car. Her mother was incapable of holding a grudge. She only wanted to surround herself with beauty, which was why she was addicted to the constant shopping sprees that were slowly destroying her marriage.

  Casey started her car, driving home in the heavy traffic while battling exhaustion. She was relieved to pull into her apartment building, bringing her car to a stop.

  She unlocked her second-floor apartment door, going inside and closing it behind her. She took her shoes off by the door as she went to her bedroom. She wanted a shower but didn’t have the energy. She managed to shed her clothes and pull on an oversized T-shirt before lying down on her bed. Sinking into the soft mattress, she closed her eyes, barely remembering to set her alarm before she fell asleep.

  It didn’t feel like long before the blaring of the alarm clock woke her. Groggily, she turned it off and stumbled toward her bathroom. The cold water from the shower brought her out of her haze. Hurriedly washing her hair, she rinsed off before getting out.

  She dressed in the quiet apartment. Casey had thought about taking a roommate yet had eventually decided against it. When she had been growing up, Renee had constantly kept a full house of visitors: either her current husband, boyfriend, or friends. A couple of her husbands also had children from previous marriages. Casey had often found herself sharing her room during those times.

  Once dressed, she grabbed a change of clothes, as she would be going to the bank when her shift ended at the convenience store.

  Yawning, she grabbed her purse then headed out into the dark night to her car. Thankfully, she didn’t live far from the store and arrived with a couple of minutes to spare.

  As she closed her car door, she saw a lone bike sitting in the parking lot. Shrugging, thinking they would soon be gone, she went into the store.

  “Thank God you’re here,” Myrtle said, rising from the stool behind the counter.

  “Long night?” Casey questioned.

  “Long day and night. I pulled a double. The only thing I want right now is a cold beer and my bed,” the woman said grumpily.

  Casey sympathized with her. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into her own bed.

  “Mike is going to have to get some new people hired, or I’m quitting. I’m too old to be pulling double shifts.” She pulled her purse out from underneath the counter.

  Casey ran the cash register total, and they both signed off on it.

  Myrtle stopped at the door before she pushed it open. “That biker’s been sitting there for twenty minutes. If he doesn’t leave soon, call the cops to come by and run him off.”

  “I will,” Casey assured her as she went out the door. She began doing her nightly cleaning routine. She didn’t mind the hard work. It kept her from getting sleepy.

  After she finished stocking the cooler, a couple of customers came in to buy snacks. When she saw their car pull out, she looked out the front window and saw the biker still sitting outside. Casey pulled open the door, walking across the small parking lot to face him.

  “Why are you watching the store?”

  “Because Max is making me waste my time.” At least the biker didn’t try to deny the obvious.

  “You’ve got five minutes to leave, or I’m calling the cops. Tell Max to butt out of my life.”

  Casey saw a car pulling into the parking lot and went back inside. It didn’t take long to wait on the young couple. After they paid and left, she took out her cell phone, making good on her threat.

  She mopped the floor automatically, waiting for the cops to show up and make the biker leave the parking lot. One never came. Just as she was about to call again, the headlight of another bike pulled into the parking lot, and Max soon filled the doorway, staring at her grimly.

  Casey quit mopping, her hands tightening on the handle. Whenever she saw Max, he always had that good ol’ boy attitude, but she had always been able to see the lethal menace he successfully hid behind his cheerful façade. Tonight, he made no attempt to hide his anger.

  “You called the cops instead of me?” he demanded.

  “I gave him plenty of time to leave,” Casey defended her actions.

  “He’s not going anywhere until you give this piece of shit job up.”

  Casey stiffened angrily, dunking her mop back into the mop water then wringing it out before slamming it back down on the floor, continuing to clean.

  “I think it’s funny that you put down a job that pays an honest wage. When’s the last time you held down a job, Max? Not since I’ve known you.” She deliberately let the dirty mop splash against his boots.

  Max strode forward, jerking the mop out of her hands. “I work every fucking day.”

  “Doing what? Running drugs or making sure someone else gets a free pass in this town?”

  Max’s lips tightened at her insult.

  She refused to struggle with him over the mop, so folding her arms across her chest, she stared at him angrily.

  “Woman, if anyone else talked to me the way you just did, it would be the last words out of their mouth. Don’t think you know everything about me just because your mother can’t keep her big mouth closed.”

  “I don’t want to know anything about you, Max. Never did, never will, and I’d like you to return the favor and keep your nose out of mine. Think you can manage that?” Casey snapped.

&nbs
p; Max handed her the mop back. “If you want to put your life in danger working here, fine. I don’t know why I gave a damn in the first place. If your own mother doesn’t give a fuck, why should I?” He turned on his heel, angrily pushing open the door and leaving the silence of the store to engulf her hurt emotions.

  She watched as he climbed back onto his bike, giving the lone biker a signal before both roared off down the dark street.

  Casey refused to feel guilty, not believing for a second that she had hurt his feelings. She had learned long ago not to trust anyone with her safety, and she was smart enough to know never to trust a Predator.

  Of course, she wasn’t happy about making him angry with her, either. She needed to draw him closer. On the other hand, she didn’t want him keeping an eye on her movements. With one slip up, she could hurt the very one she was trying to protect.

  Chapter 5

  Max slammed the empty beer bottle down on the bar counter.

  “Give me another one,” Max told Issy, Jackson’s ex-wife. The bastard had been a guard at the prison they had been locked away in last year. Jack had beaten Ice, and once they were on the outside again, Ice had taken revenge by destroying his life. Issy had been one of the instruments that had been used.

  She had taken to the club life like she had been born to it, and Max had given her the new nickname. Isla was too formal-sounding for a woman who loved to suck dick as often as she did.

  “Save yourself the trouble and give him two,” Jackal said, sitting down on the stool next to him. “What’s up?” Jackal asked.

  Max twisted open the beer then took a long drink. “Nothing.”

  “Something’s wrong, or you wouldn’t be here drinking; you would be fucking Issy in those tight-assed shorts.”

  Max’s eyes ran over the attractive woman as he took another drink of his beer. “I’m not in the mood.”

  Jackal choked on his beer. “Since when aren’t you in the mood to fuck? Hell, when you were stabbed, you were discharged from the hospital and fucked half the women before the night was over to make sure your dick still worked.”