AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Brewer coughed into his hand. It was a lot of money.
Rubble was rethinking the concept of a civil outcome. He looked at Doc and Kevlar to find their gazes equally disturbed.
“What kind of man offers us half a million dollars to hand over his wife?” Rubble curled his hands to fists, ready should the need arise.
Lyle pushed up his Stetson, black like the rest of his apparel. His beady eyes shot ill-humored daggers at him. “You slept with her, didn’t you? You lucky bastard.”
Rubble couldn’t stop his snarl. Lyle chuckled darkly before standing, finishing his drink, and sauntering over to Rubble.
“I won’t hold it against you. She’s one fine piece of ass.” He shrugged, scanning Rubble’s Macha vest. “Hell, she’s probably slept with twenty men since leaving me.” He brushed a speck from Rubble’s shoulder, eyes meeting his. “Probably all good-for-nothing bikers like you.”
Refusing to take the bait, Rubble narrowed his gaze. “She doesn’t want to go with you.”
“Of course she does.” Lyle stepped away, palms up. “Women don’t know what they want, so we as men have to tell them. She’ll be happy once she’s back at home. In my bed. With me.” He stood behind a reclining chair, hands resting on the top. “But since it sounds like your chivalry is getting in the way….”
The second bodyguard placed another briefcase on the bed and popped it open.
“One million. Cold, hard cash.” Lyle sighed. “Just think about what that could do for your little club. Or how easy it’d be to keep it for yourself. One mil split four ways is a lot of money, boys.”
The four exchanged glances. They were on the same page. No amount of money would tempt them to hand Jupiter over to an abusive psychopath.
Rubble shook his head. “No deal.”
The fabricated defeat on Lyle’s face only pissed off Rubble more. He’d done enough research on the man to know he wasn’t giving up. The Jones family allegedly stole the land they owned in Texas after a poker game gone awry. Rubble wouldn’t put anything past this man.
“I saw you the other night, you know.” Lyle leered at him. “At the fight. You did well too. Back in your prime, I’ll bet you were a sight to see.”
A horrified slither crept down Rubble’s spine. The bastard was in town at the fight night.That or one of his guys was.Either was more than possible.
He took a step forward, and this time no one stopped his approach. “Leave Snowshoe or there’ll be hell to pay.”
Snickering, Lyle closed the distance between them and shoved Rubble’s chest. The audacity enraged Rubble and agitated the bruise from the fight. He winced, and Lyle preened.
“You’re injured. You wouldn’t last five minutes with my fighters.” He snapped his fingers and the room flooded with more men. “Take the money and tell me where I can find my wife.”
“Fuck off and I’ll let you live.”
“You give me no alternative.” Lyle laughed, but the humor didn’t reach his eyes. “If you won’t take my money, you’ll take my vengeance.”
His thugs sprang into action, each one attacking Macha’s bikers. Rubble ducked a punch from one man but got sideswiped by another fist. Rubble pushed through the brute, eyes trained on the man deserving of such a punishment. Blood trickled down Rubble’s brow and into his eye, the blow to his side finally catching up to him. Rubble stepped to the left, kneeing the man in the gut, then smacking him to the floor. He glanced at his three brothers, each one busy with their own hired fighter. For one quick moment, he considered helping them, but the sight of Lyle scurrying off toward the door stopped him.
Jumping around the fallen bodyguard, Rubble hustled to the front door. Just as he reached it, Lyle whirled around with a 9mm in his hand and Rubble slammed to a stop, holding his hands up.
“Back the hell away, biker, or I’ll shoot you dead in the eye.”
He couldn’t make the shot, but Rubble wasn’t going to chance it. “Be reasonable. Jupiter simply wants her own life. Can’t you let her have it?”
Lyle threw back his head and laughed. “Fuck no. She’s mine ‘til death do us part’ and I intend to make her death long and extremely drawn out.”
Rubble took a step toward him, and Lyle shot off a round. The bullet whizzed past Rubble’s side, catching a sliver of his leather jacket before hitting the wall. Before he could register what happened, he felt a jab to the right side of his head. He fell in slow motion to the unwelcoming floor, blood swimming in his eyes.
The last thing he heard was Kevlar yelling at him. Then it all went black. Jupiter’s face was the only thing his mind could summon.
CHAPTER28
JUPITER
Hawk hadn’t budgedfrom outside Rubble’s door since Rubble left. He didn’t answer any of her questions and barely let her leave to use the restroom. Jupiter was on room arrest. The longer she stayed confined to Rubble’s sanctuary, the more she scolded herself for wanting to leave. He’d recognized her lies. He’d done it so many times over the last few weeks. He knew her better than any other man ever had. It scared the hell out of her, but it also gave her a sense of belonging. No one could affect her the way Rubble did with a single kiss.
