“You ready to tell me why you decided to take a shit on our club?”
Casey remained silent.
Ice arched a brow at her before turning to Jackal. “Give me her phone.”
Jackal handed him the phone. “It takes her thumbprint to open it.”
“She has two; take your pick.” Ice tossed him the phone.
Max lifted one of Casey’s hands, expecting her to fight, but she didn’t. He pressed her thumb against the button, and the phone immediately opened. He handed it back to Ice who scrolled through it.
“It’s clean. The only things on it are the pictures she took from the computer. She didn’t even put a contact list of numbers.” Ice stared down at Casey. “We found the stash of information you had on us at your apartment. There isn’t much you found out from your snooping. The check Max gave you opened all the doors you needed, didn’t it?”
“How?” Max asked, his hands clenching into fists.
“She used the number of the account on the check you gave her to trace other accounts that made deposits to that account, which led to other accounts. Once she had yours, she had it all, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Casey admitted.
“She wasn’t working at the Quik and Go for the extra money, either, were you?”
“No, everyone in Queen City knows he sells drugs out of the back room. I figured if he was selling the drugs, he was giving you a share of the money.”
Max kicked one of the empty chairs across the floor. “I fucking watched her every night so she wouldn’t get robbed, and she was fucking putting us away!”
“She’s smart. She accomplished what the police and the FBI couldn’t do—search the club without probable cause—which is why they went after her, isn’t it?”
Casey nodded.
“The thing I’m curious about is, why now? You could have done this anytime, so what made you decide to help them?”
“Maybe I was bored. Maybe I was sick and tired of your club running the city.” Casey’s sarcastic reply only brought a tight smile to Ice’s lips.
“No, I don’t think that’s it. I don’t think that’s it at all, Casey. I think something set this whole thing off. You get pissed when Mugg left Renee like every man she had?”
Casey leaned back in her seat. “If you want to think that, then go ahead. I told you why.”
“You haven’t told us a fucking thing,” Max burst out, getting tired of the bullshit.
“You want me to tell you something? Use better passwords. Don’t pick ones named after your dogs. You’ve become so arrogant, thinking no one can touch your little club, that you became sloppy.”
Max was surprised Ice wasn’t flipping out on her when he only nodded.
“You’re right. All the information you had is useless now, though. Everything has been wiped clean. We have all the papers you had at your apartment, even the ones you hid in your safe deposit at the bank.”
Casey hadn’t seemed concerned until Ice mentioned the safe-deposit box. “How did you…?”
“That would be my secret, now wouldn’t it? And, since you’re not sharing, I see no need to.” Ice pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, handing them to Max.
“Take her home.”
Max didn’t know who was more surprised by Ice’s order: him or Casey.
“That’s it? You’re letting me go?”
“That’s it. You don’t have anything else on us, so I see no need to keep you any longer.”
Casey stood, obviously wise enough to leave before Ice changed his mind, then took a step forward.
“Oh, by the way, if you try to bring any kidnapping charges against us, I have five brothers prepared to swear that you’ve spent the last day fucking their brains out.” Ice pulled his own phone out of his pocket. Pushing a few buttons, he turned the phone to face Casey. It showed her plastered against the wall with Stump all over her. “I don’t have to prove it, just place doubt on any of your claims of kidnapping, and I think this little piece of video proves that, don’t you?”
Her face paled as she watched herself on the video. “Yes.”
Her strangled reply contented Ice enough to put the phone back in his pocket.
“Are we done? Can I go home now?” she asked.
“Go. And, Casey, if you think you’re going to cause any more trouble for the club, think again. I don’t like hurting women, but I have no compunction about hurting another man.” Ice held his hand out to Jackal, who removed something from his jacket, raising it for Casey to see.
“Don’t you touch my brother.” Casey lunged for the photograph in Jackal’s hand. He handed Ice the picture before he grabbed Casey’s arms, pinning them to her sides.
“Max told me you didn’t give a shit about any repercussions for Renee. From the look on your face in this picture, I don’t think you want to see your pretty brother’s face destroyed, do you?”
“Stay away from Cole!” Casey screamed.
Ice dropped the picture onto the floor and smashed it with his boot. “Then don’t make me. Stay the fuck out of club business and away from the cops, or I’m going to go looking for him, and I will find him.”
Casey jerked away from Jackal, going to her knees to pick up the mangled picture and shaking off the broken glass before regaining her feet.
“You win. Cole has nothing to do with this.”
“Good. Then I see we understand each other. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones this time. Don’t make me regret my generosity.”
Once she gave a sharp nod, Max took her to the elevator. Neither one talked as they went outside to his motorcycle and Max sat on his bike.
“Get on.”
She climbed on behind him, still holding the picture in her hand as they rode out of the warehouse. Max didn’t bother with the blindfold. It was obvious Casey would do what it took to keep the Predators away from Cole.
He drove her to her apartment. When she climbed off and started to walk away, he stopped her.
“Casey, Ice wasn’t bluffing.” Max refused to feel any sympathy for the woman who had fucked him and betrayed him in the same night.
“I know he wasn’t,” she said before running to the steps that led to her apartment.
Max backed out of the parking spot, riding back toward the clubhouse. He dreaded walking through the clubhouse doors for the first time since he had become a member. It was because of his screw-ups that Casey had managed to find out about the club’s private accounts. Ice wasn’t going to let either him or Casey off the hook as easily as he had pretended.
There was always hell to pay when you betrayed a Predator.
* * *
Max found the brothers waiting for him inside the clubhouse.
“Ice, I’m sorry, brother. I fucked up.”
The president of the Predators set his beer down on the counter. The impassive face Ice had presented to Casey was gone.
“I want you to find out exactly why that bitch did what she did.”
Max nodded, not about to argue with a furious Ice.
“I want you to use her the way she used you and the club. When you’re done with her, toss her ass to the other brothers to use. Our asses would all be sitting in jail if Jackal hadn’t rigged that silent alarm to the office door.”
Casey remained silent.
Ice arched a brow at her before turning to Jackal. “Give me her phone.”
Jackal handed him the phone. “It takes her thumbprint to open it.”
“She has two; take your pick.” Ice tossed him the phone.
Max lifted one of Casey’s hands, expecting her to fight, but she didn’t. He pressed her thumb against the button, and the phone immediately opened. He handed it back to Ice who scrolled through it.
“It’s clean. The only things on it are the pictures she took from the computer. She didn’t even put a contact list of numbers.” Ice stared down at Casey. “We found the stash of information you had on us at your apartment. There isn’t much you found out from your snooping. The check Max gave you opened all the doors you needed, didn’t it?”
“How?” Max asked, his hands clenching into fists.
“She used the number of the account on the check you gave her to trace other accounts that made deposits to that account, which led to other accounts. Once she had yours, she had it all, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Casey admitted.
“She wasn’t working at the Quik and Go for the extra money, either, were you?”
“No, everyone in Queen City knows he sells drugs out of the back room. I figured if he was selling the drugs, he was giving you a share of the money.”
Max kicked one of the empty chairs across the floor. “I fucking watched her every night so she wouldn’t get robbed, and she was fucking putting us away!”
“She’s smart. She accomplished what the police and the FBI couldn’t do—search the club without probable cause—which is why they went after her, isn’t it?”
Casey nodded.
“The thing I’m curious about is, why now? You could have done this anytime, so what made you decide to help them?”
“Maybe I was bored. Maybe I was sick and tired of your club running the city.” Casey’s sarcastic reply only brought a tight smile to Ice’s lips.
“No, I don’t think that’s it. I don’t think that’s it at all, Casey. I think something set this whole thing off. You get pissed when Mugg left Renee like every man she had?”
Casey leaned back in her seat. “If you want to think that, then go ahead. I told you why.”
“You haven’t told us a fucking thing,” Max burst out, getting tired of the bullshit.
“You want me to tell you something? Use better passwords. Don’t pick ones named after your dogs. You’ve become so arrogant, thinking no one can touch your little club, that you became sloppy.”
Max was surprised Ice wasn’t flipping out on her when he only nodded.
“You’re right. All the information you had is useless now, though. Everything has been wiped clean. We have all the papers you had at your apartment, even the ones you hid in your safe deposit at the bank.”
Casey hadn’t seemed concerned until Ice mentioned the safe-deposit box. “How did you…?”
“That would be my secret, now wouldn’t it? And, since you’re not sharing, I see no need to.” Ice pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, handing them to Max.
“Take her home.”
Max didn’t know who was more surprised by Ice’s order: him or Casey.
“That’s it? You’re letting me go?”
“That’s it. You don’t have anything else on us, so I see no need to keep you any longer.”
Casey stood, obviously wise enough to leave before Ice changed his mind, then took a step forward.
“Oh, by the way, if you try to bring any kidnapping charges against us, I have five brothers prepared to swear that you’ve spent the last day fucking their brains out.” Ice pulled his own phone out of his pocket. Pushing a few buttons, he turned the phone to face Casey. It showed her plastered against the wall with Stump all over her. “I don’t have to prove it, just place doubt on any of your claims of kidnapping, and I think this little piece of video proves that, don’t you?”
Her face paled as she watched herself on the video. “Yes.”
Her strangled reply contented Ice enough to put the phone back in his pocket.
“Are we done? Can I go home now?” she asked.
“Go. And, Casey, if you think you’re going to cause any more trouble for the club, think again. I don’t like hurting women, but I have no compunction about hurting another man.” Ice held his hand out to Jackal, who removed something from his jacket, raising it for Casey to see.
“Don’t you touch my brother.” Casey lunged for the photograph in Jackal’s hand. He handed Ice the picture before he grabbed Casey’s arms, pinning them to her sides.
“Max told me you didn’t give a shit about any repercussions for Renee. From the look on your face in this picture, I don’t think you want to see your pretty brother’s face destroyed, do you?”
“Stay away from Cole!” Casey screamed.
Ice dropped the picture onto the floor and smashed it with his boot. “Then don’t make me. Stay the fuck out of club business and away from the cops, or I’m going to go looking for him, and I will find him.”
Casey jerked away from Jackal, going to her knees to pick up the mangled picture and shaking off the broken glass before regaining her feet.
“You win. Cole has nothing to do with this.”
“Good. Then I see we understand each other. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones this time. Don’t make me regret my generosity.”
Once she gave a sharp nod, Max took her to the elevator. Neither one talked as they went outside to his motorcycle and Max sat on his bike.
“Get on.”
She climbed on behind him, still holding the picture in her hand as they rode out of the warehouse. Max didn’t bother with the blindfold. It was obvious Casey would do what it took to keep the Predators away from Cole.
He drove her to her apartment. When she climbed off and started to walk away, he stopped her.
“Casey, Ice wasn’t bluffing.” Max refused to feel any sympathy for the woman who had fucked him and betrayed him in the same night.
“I know he wasn’t,” she said before running to the steps that led to her apartment.
Max backed out of the parking spot, riding back toward the clubhouse. He dreaded walking through the clubhouse doors for the first time since he had become a member. It was because of his screw-ups that Casey had managed to find out about the club’s private accounts. Ice wasn’t going to let either him or Casey off the hook as easily as he had pretended.
There was always hell to pay when you betrayed a Predator.
* * *
Max found the brothers waiting for him inside the clubhouse.
“Ice, I’m sorry, brother. I fucked up.”
The president of the Predators set his beer down on the counter. The impassive face Ice had presented to Casey was gone.
“I want you to find out exactly why that bitch did what she did.”
Max nodded, not about to argue with a furious Ice.
“I want you to use her the way she used you and the club. When you’re done with her, toss her ass to the other brothers to use. Our asses would all be sitting in jail if Jackal hadn’t rigged that silent alarm to the office door.”
