“I was thinking about Tiffany, the land sale, and the cartel possibly being the other party who tried to buy it, to get close to our property.”
“You think that Simone was working with them to kill me, so that Tiffany could inherit the rest of my land, and when that didn’t work, they killed Tiffany in the hopes that they could squash the deal to sell it to your club for more money than the cartel offered her?”
Yeah, I didn’t know what I was thinking when I kept shit from Cass. The woman was whip-smart and didn’t miss a beateven while laid up in the hospital. She cracked a grin and rolled her beautiful eyes at me.
“I’m stuck in this stupid bed with nothing to do but think everything through. I’ve done nothing but connect dots and invent what I thought were just wild theories. Do you really think Simone got herself involved with a cartel?”
“The club is bringing your friends in for their protection until we know more about what really happened.”
“I appreciate them looking out for my family. And for the record, they’re my beneficiaries. Finch, Collette and Amberlee inherit equal shares of my land and the businesses if something happens to me. The only stipulation is that they can’t sell until after Mitch Thompson passes because he has a place there as long as he lives and he won’t accept any portion of the land from me. The stubborn bastard,” she added the last bit under her breath.
I squeezed her hand and smiled at her as she took another sip of her water. When she put it down, her eyes locked on mine and she was dead serious when she asked again, “Do you think Simone got involved with the cartel?”
“Won’t know for sure until she talks, but it is looking that way. The question is, how long has she been feeding them information.”
“You’re worried because I pointed out that she initially had her sights set on Jasper back in high school and he was closer to the club then than you were.”
“Maybe we should bring you in as a new prospect, too,” I teased.
“Nah, I’m not coordinated enough to ride a motorcycle.”
“Bullshit.”
“Seriously, all the shifting gears with your feet is confusing to me. I’ll stick to my car the work truck, and maybe riding bitch with someone.”
“Me, Cass. Your only option for riding pillion will be with me.”
“Pillion?”
“Motorcycle passenger. Not calling you a bitch in any context. You might be laid up, but I have zero doubt you’ll still kick my ass.”
“Good that you know better,” she said as she tried to contain her laughter so it wouldn’t hurt. Cassidy still ended up with a coughing fit that left her in tears and me pushing the button to get the nurse to her room.
“What did I tell you about upsetting your beautiful wife?” The nurse chided when she hustled in.
“Didn’t upset her. She was laughing at my dumbass,” I informed her.
“Well, don’t do that either. Tell her sappy, romantic things that will make her quietly swoon.”
“Honey, she would laugh harder at my attempts to be romantic, I promise.”
“He’s not lying,” Cassidy agreed. It surprised me that she continued to play along with being my wife. “And, hubby dear, you really shouldn’t call other women ‘honey’ in my presence, or out of it for that matter.”
Her nurse threw her head back and laughed. “You two are a riot. My name is Honey Davis. Your husband here decided I’m his long-lost sister since we share a last name.” She helped Cassidy get situated again after checking to make sure she didn’t bust open any of her stitches.
“It’s possible,” I told her. “My dad was a dog and didn’t even claim me for a years.”
“Well, he missed out, didn’t he?” Honey asked. “Let me know if you need anything else. Dr. Roberts should be around in about an hour to check in on you.
20.ALL THE FEELINGS
CASSIDY
Of all thethings that James Davis had said to me since we came into each other’s sphere once again, none of it made me feel as though he was being honest with me or himself. I didn’t know what to believe about our past. Maybe he had a crush on me, maybe he was just trying to repaint an ugly history with a different brush. I didn’t know.
What stuck out to me, though, was that he never left my side. There were bound to be important things he needed to get to. One of them was to get back to the clubhouse to deal with Simone. I had overheard part of a conversation he had with someone when he thought I was sleeping. Simone wouldn’t cooperate until Knuckles was the one to question her. Those answers she might have held would help the club, but he was still here with me instead.
He held my hand in his again. It was something he did often, as if he needed that touch more than he needed his sustenance. Plus, we had nothing but time, so we talked about anything and everything. It was weird getting to know the adult version of Knuckles versus the boy, James Davis, I had grown up with. They were the same in some ways and vastly different in others. It was obvious, almost immediately, that Simone had done a lotof damage in their time together. He talked to me about not being able to trust himself for a long time. Back then, he thought it was because of her but I was also in the mix.
