Hades was abuzz with regulars. Everyone thought I was absent and didn't care about the club's well-being, but that wasn't true. I was always watching from the shadows or the cameras in my office. Nothing happened without my knowledge.
It felt like everything was falling apart around me, but showing weakness was not what I did. I would find who was messing with my operations, and their death would be slow. They would bleed. They would pray to whatever god they choose for a merciful death. I was not the woman to fuck with, and this person was ruining my livelihood.
After I had my drink at the bar with Kadence, I retreated to the shadows to watch her. She was hiding something. I didn’t know what it was, but I saw it in her body language. My job was to watch the people I let into my ranks and my club. Readingpeople was a specialty I had, and Kadence was hiding behind fake smiles. She was putting on a performance, but I saw the look in her forest gaze.
Most people would miss it, but I wasn’t most people. Kadence was softer with women, opened up to them, but she tensed around men—even Jax sometimes, if he got to close. If a man was too loud, she braced herself ever so slightly, but it vanished quickly. It made me wonder why she wanted to work here. Yes, Hawke told her, but she was a grown woman.
There was something…off about her. It wasn't a weakness, but being too strong was a weakness in itself, and she was barely holding herself together. She didn’t want people to see her shatter or break. Parts of herself were hidden, and they came out in the form of nightmares and panic attacks.
It raised a question.
What the hell happened to her to make her like this?
Fuck. Why did I care?
There were other issues I had to focus on, and she wasn’t it. I didn’t like the blind spot she created, and I detested the issues that started happening when she stepped foot into my town. Coincidences didn’t happen, and I would find out the truth.
In this life, one clocked threats and handled problems. Studying and learning was beneficial in certain cases, but in most, it involved a weakness. That wasn’t something I would do here. With Kadence Hayes, I was watching her, studying to learn what made her tick. She was cautious of her surroundings, always aware, and watching even when she didn’t think anyone was paying attention.
People like her didn’t end up in my town by accident. Westhaven wasn’t a tourist attraction. Bellevue had more adventures than my town. She came here to hide, but now I wanted to know what she was hidingfrom. Kadence was a professional at hiding because she was under my nose for twoweeks. It told me she didn’t want anyone to know her secrets or why she was concealing herself. Secrets caused problems, and I didn’t want her issues plaguing my town.
“You’ll catch flies if you keep gaping at her,” Hunter said as she found me in the shadows. “She’s doing good at the bar.”
“She’s jumpy.”
“Yeah, trauma does that to a person.” My gaze found Hunter’s. “I didn’t find anything on her, but it’s not hard to put two and two together. She beat someone with a drink tray. I’m honestly surprised.”
Now I want to know more.
I watched her again. If I was honest, it wasn’t just a weakness I was looking for—I couldn’t deny how beautiful she was. Her body was sinful, and her spitfire attitude drove me insane. She had a chokehold on me. I wanted to devour her, destroy her, and see how far I could push her before she completely crumbled at my mercy, but giving into temptation would be my downfall.
“Did she tell you anything?”
“Nope. No ID or history told me everything I needed to know. She’s hiding, but she doesn’t want to say why.”
“Find out. I don’t care what it takes. I need to know what danger she could bring to my town.”
She was a problem, and I was the only one who saw it.
CHAPTER 29
KADENCE
Iwhipped around, grabbing bottles of vodka and tequila and making the orders that kept swimming in. It felt like we were drowning in drink orders, but Jax and I were beasts. I finished two tequila sunrises, three shots of vodka, and a cran vodka before sliding them to the waitress. After finishing a dozen more drinks, Jax and I took a breather. He said Monday through Wednesday were warm ups, and Thursdays were the busiest night for the club; which I thought was odd considering weekends would be busier, but I didn’t question it. I told Jax I was taking a fifteen before stepping away to look for my friends.
Some of the girls whispered about Friday night, but I didn’t stick around as I found my way towards Annika and Everly who were both lingering in the bar area, lost in conversation. Annika’s signature color was pink, but it matched her personality. She was always happy and bubbly. Her bubblegum pink set was gorgeous, the confusing strap work creating an abstract art piece on her pale skin. Everly swapped colors, trying everything under the sun. Tonight, she was wearing a gothic black set with a push up bra that made her tits look fantastic, along with a tiny G-string. The dark contrast made her fiery red hair pop.
“Annika, babe,” Everly started, “how are your guys allowing you to work here? You’re fucking hot. Jesus.”
Annika laughed, her cheeks turning a bright pink. “Well, my guys don’t control me. I can do what I want. They get jealous sometimes with certain outfits, but that’s when I tell them I come home to and fuck them. I don’t want anyone else, but I’m hot and I know it.”
“I still don’t know how you do it,” I commented.
“It’s easy. We’ve been together for years, so I’ve learned how to position myself and move to take them all at once.”
Everly leaned forward, looking at Annika with a curious grin. “Have you had two inside one hole?” Annika bit her lip, clenching her thighs together. “Oh, you dirty girl!”
Curiosity slipped, and the question fell from my lips. “How big are they?”
