An old, pathetic man. He hadn't sent a man after Emory. It wasn't his deal. All he did was taunt, to fuck with me. He didn't have the balls to do more than that. He might be a powerful businessman, might own a huge swath of the state, but he had nothing on me. Nothing. I could deal with whatever shit he tossed my way, but it seemed I had an ally all of a sudden with Quake Baker. I had no idea what the fuck he had on my dad, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about my dad at all.
“We’re done here,” I said, my voice hard. “We’re done, period. Leave me the fuck alone and you stay away from Emory. You forget she even exists. I’d be happy to beat the shit out of you, and I’m sure Quake will be thrilled to hide your body.” I leaned forward, so he could hear me clearly over the din of the casino. “You think I care what you do? I don’t think about you at all.”
I shook my head and looked at my dad one last time. I wasn’t trying to remember, I was trying to forget.
23
GRAY
I got caught in traffic just over the state line, some semi had jackknifed and brought the highway to a standstill, so I had to meet Emory, Christy and Paul at the diner. I’d spent the extra hour in the car thinking about Quake’s hold on my dad and the reason for the meal.
Quake himself met me by the hostess stand. He looked out of place in the restaurant, but I wasn’t going to say shit about it. I shook his hand, and he clapped me on the shoulder. “Had a good chat with your pops?”
“I didn’t realize you two were friends,” I countered. I was eager to get to Emory, so it was difficult to talk it up. But he was concerned for her, and so I owed him respect. And he had something over my dad. That made him my new buddy.
He offered a small shrug. “Friends? Fuck no. We have… an understanding. Even though he’s your pops, I doubt he’ll be a pain in the ass any longer.”
I narrowed my eyes and felt threatened. I wouldn’t put it past my dad to fuck with someone connected to the MC, but a guy like Quake didn’t do get involved in petty shit like this without wanting something in return.
“What do you want? I have no intention of having my fighter blow the fight or a fight three years down the road when it suits your needs. I don’t need a partner in my business.” I tried to keep my voice even. My father was an enemy… I understood. Quake was in a completely different league.
He shook his head, kept his hand on my shoulder. “The Wyoming No Holds Barred is keeping an eye on him. Whether he remains dead or alive is his choice.”
So he pissed someone off. Not a surprise. I had no idea what he’d done to have an MC mad, and I didn’t want to know.
“You’re confused,” he continued. “Emory is in love with you…therefore I reminded your father of a few things. If Emory’s happy, I’m happy.”
An MC president playing matchmaker?
“She’s… she’s not in love with me.” I could hear the surprise, the uncertainty in my voice. “We met last week.”
While I said the words, I knew them to be empty. Time didn’t seem to make a difference when it came to me and Emory. It was as if I’d known her forever, yet everything was brand new.
The older man laughed, slapped me on the back and pushed me around the corner, so I could see Emory sitting at the booth chatting with Christy and Paul. She hadn’t seen me yet.
“Keep her happy,” he said, as we both watched her. His voice was like gravel and laced with dark promise. “Or you’ll be dealing with a bunch of unhappy bikers. Wouldn’t want that, right?”
I nodded. It was all I could do because the sight of her was like the worst sucker punch I’d ever taken. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move—not because I was afraid of Quake’s threats.
Emory was the only one who could destroy me. I couldn’t do anything but wonder why she was the least bit interested in me. When she glanced up and saw me, she tilted her head and gave me the most perfect smile. Her eyes brightened with what I