Page 87 of The Marriage Mistake

“There’s a new business registered with you listed as the director,” I said. “A motorcycle repair shop and an equipment rental business.”

Cash’s eyes sharpened. I wasn’t an amusing child anymore. “Yeah. So? Nothing illegal about starting a business.”

“Of course not,” I said, shrugging. “But I imagine it takes a lot of capital to get something like that off the ground. There’s the building and land required. The purchase of the equipment. The liability insurance. Big outlay. You need lots of cash.”

“And you’re offering?” He grinned, and the man standing beside the table laughed.

I smiled at the two of them while Jack bristled beside me. Knox was a silent presence at my back. When the two other men had quieted down, I said, “No. I imagine you’ve made the appropriate loan applications with your bank. Based on the date you registered the business, they might still be processing it. But I do have some information about that new clubhouse you’ve built outside of town. Something that the bank will find out very shortly, if they don’t already know it. If you have made a loan application for your new business, there’s a good chance it’ll fall through unless you make other arrangements.”

Cash’s jaw bulged. “Out with it, then.”

It was my turn to smile at him like he was a small child. “I believe my husband asked you a question, Mr. Bridges. Which of your men threw a brick through our window?”

His gaze slid to Jack. “Where the hell do you guys find these women?”

Jack shrugged. “Ask my grandmother.”

The biker sighed. Suddenly, he looked exhausted. “I’ve been trying to take us legit,” he told us. “The business is a way to do that. If I can pull it off, Buzz says he’ll hand me the reins.” He nodded to the man behind the bar. “Real money for the club. Jobs for all our guys, even the ones who have done time. It’s a way out for all of us.”

“I thought you were already in charge here,” Jack said.

Cash huffed. “Some of the old guard aren’t happy about my decisions.”

“The brick launcher is one of them?” Jack asked.

Cash met Jack’s gaze, looked at Knox, and then me. He seemed to come to a decision. “I’ve had suspicions that one of our guys is moonlighting. Taking outside jobs.” He grimaced. “Involving civilians.”

“Breaking the rules,” Knox rumbled.

Cash nodded. “If he’s your guy, it means someone else paid him to do it. It’s got nothing to do with the club.”

“We need a name, Cash,” Jack prodded.

The standing man shifted on his feet. Looked at Cash. Cash met his gaze, and some unknown communication passed between them. Cash gritted his teeth and said nothing.

I took all the bits of information we’d gathered and looked at them. There was a war of succession going on here—Cash and his followers against the old guard, who didn’t want their motorcycle club to go legit. Our vandal was one of the old guard, and he’d broken a club rule by taking outside jobs from civilians. Based on the way Cash had revealed it, that was a big deal.

“This helps you,” I said, and Cash met my gaze again. This time, he looked at me with his eyes narrowed and his body tensed. Like I was the real threat. Ha. “The old guard are operating outside of club rules. How many people will support them when they know they’re bringing unwanted heat down on the club? We’ll find out who hired your man to moonlight, and I’ll also tell you what I know about your loan application. We’ll help your business get off the ground and help you build your case against your rivals. All that for just one name, Mr. Bridges.”

To my surprise, the scary biker chuckled. He leaned back in the booth, throwing an arm over the top of the cushions. “It’s kind of hot when you call me Mr. Bridges. Makes me feel like I’m getting scolded by a librarian.”

Jack bristled. “Careful, asshole.”

That made Cash laugh. He lifted his palms, relenting. “His name is Spider. Never learned his legal name. Lives out by the Creek. Now pay up, sweetheart.”

“There’s been an update in the flood zones in the area. Your clubhouse sits on land that will become uninsurable within six months. When that happens, you won’t be able to use it as collateral on a loan, and it will become extremely difficult to sell. No bank will touch it, so no one will be able to get a mortgage to buy it. It’ll become effectively worthless, other than its use as a building with four walls and a roof.”

Cash looked shocked. It was very gratifying. He recovered quickly, but I saw it.

Two minutes later, Jack, Knox, and I were standing outside in the cold autumn wind. I lifted my face to the cloudy sky and inhaled the crisp air into my lungs. Unspent adrenaline made me jittery, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

Jack wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me to his chest. His eyes were alight, looking into mine with an intensity I’d never seen before. “What happened to letting us do the talking?”

I grinned. “You were taking too long to get to the point.”

Jack’s eyes went warm, and he dipped his head and kissed me. When he pulled away, it looked like he wanted to say something—something big and scary and true—but he just swallowed and murmured, “Let’s get out of here. We’ve got some work to do before the party.”

We walked toward the car. Jack opened the door for me and let me in. I nodded to Knox in the back seat and waited for Jack to get behind the wheel. “Are you sure you want to go to Oren’s party? Isn’t this enough to cancel?” I waved at the grimy bar in front of us.