“If he’s part of Hendrix’s crew, hell, yes, I can.” Cass stalked for the door.
She jumped in front of him. “No, no, you aren’t listening to me. You can’t fight him.” Her feverish gaze searched his. She’d trusted him with the scene at the tattoo shop. She needed him to trust her now because she could not just spill all right then, not with both Bear and Javion watching and with Raz groaning and his eyelids flickering as he started to wake up on the floor.
She grabbed Cass and hauled him close. Agnes shot onto her tiptoes. His hands flew to her waist as she planted a desperate kiss on his mouth, hard and fast, and then her mouth darted toward his ear. “Trust me,” she breathed. Pleaded. Demanded.
His grip tightened on her waist.
Trust. That was what it came down to with them. He had to trust her. Or else everything was about to blow up in their faces.
Cass carefully shifted her to the side. “Bear, there’s a storage room in the back. Drag Raz in there and secure him.”
Bear immediately stepped forward.
“Javion, keep her in here. If she gets anywhere near danger, I am holding you personally responsible.”
“Shit.” From Javion.
“She does not walk out that front door,” Cass emphasized.
“Understood.”
Uh, no, nothing was understood. “I’m the one who saved your ass last time! You don’t bench a good player when the game gets intense!”
Cass sent her a hard frown. “You protect your most valuable asset. Always. Now stay the fuck in here.” He slipped around her and reached for the door.
“You don’t even have a shirt on!” Agnes snapped.
Axel popped into the doorway. Yes, she’d finally gotten good at attaching the names to all the crew members. Or at least, she’d learned the ones who’d challenged Cass in that fierce fight scene. “We’ve got unwelcome company,” Axel announced.
Uh, yes, Bear had told them already.
“Not someone I recognize.” He tossed a black t-shirt at Cass. A t-shirt and a gun.
Instead of putting on the t-shirt, Cass wrapped it around the gun. The better to hide his weapon.
No, no, no. “Cass…”
He looked back at her.
Then he winked.
And he walked away.
Agnes immediately lunged after him.
“Nope.” Javion locked his hands around her waist and hauled her back. “Can we take a moment and deeply analyze what he meant when he said I would be held ‘personally responsible’ should you rush out there?”
Chapter Twenty
It took a lot of balls for someone to stand off against the Night Strikers. But the prick who’d just rolled in, parked his beast of a Harley, and was now sauntering toward Cass with his black helmet tucked under the curve of his left arm…this guy showed not a hint of fear at all. In fact, as he drew closer, the only emotion that he did show…
That would be rage.
Rage glittered in his brown eyes. The sun was still up, still hanging in the sky, though definitely dipping lower now, and Cass could clearly see the man’s hard features. His black hair. The slight crook in his nose that had probably come from a fight.
Tattoos swirled on the man’s fingers. Dipping beneath the sleeves of his black coat. The guy was close to Cass’s build. Same height. Shoulders about as wide. They seemed to probably be the same age.
The stranger stopped about five feet away from Cass. Cass was aware that his crew was watching. He’d given them the sign to stand down as soon as he walked out.
