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Caden stepped in front of his father, resting his hands on his shoulders. “Pop, how did you get here? Think.”
The old man’s forehead wrinkled with his gaze pinned on his son. He was thinking. Jack’s Adam’s apple bobbed from his throat, and his breath shallowed. He was panicking. Not from fear but from having no clue how he ended up at the rest stop. Having no recollection of what may have happened in the past few hours always threw his dad into panic mode. It had happened before, but never this far from home.
What did it matter? Whether he remembered or not, it wouldn’t change anything at this point, except adding stress to an already fucked up scene. Caden drew in a breath and squeezed his father’s shoulders. “It’s all right, Pop. Let’s just get ya home.”
“How the fuck are we gonna do that, Cade?” Kase’s voice echoed through the empty lot.
Caden turned. “I’ll call Dylan, have him come out with the truck.”
Dylan worked for Caden at his trucking company.
Kase snorted. “Yeah, the dipshit is probably high as fucking kite right now.”
Caden rolled his eyes. Kase was probably right. Pothead would be the best and first noun to describe the kid. While he showed up every day, it was no secret he lived his life enjoying the herb.
“You gotta better idea?”
“He can ride on your back.” Before Kase could even finish his sentence, his father lunged forward, pushed Caden out of the way, and grabbed Kase’s shirt, balling it into his fists. It was confirmed; his Pop was completely out of his episode and back to being himself.
“The day I ride bitch on any bike will be the day I cut off my own balls, asshole.”
Caden tried to wedge himself between his father and his brother, but his old man would not let up. Jack’s free hand lifted, and his elbow jutted out, landing against Caden’s jaw, sending him back a few steps. Motherfucker! Caden grabbed his jaw, swearing under his breath.
“Pop, take your hands off me. It’s the only warning I’m giving you,” Kase growled. Pop and Kase were built from the same cloth, neither one ever backing down from a fight. Kase and his dad had been butting heads for as long as he could remember. Caden knew his brother would never raise a hand to their father, but aggravating Kase would only end up with the two of them in a shouting match. Another thing Caden did not need tonight.
Caden rushed forward and gripped Kase’s arm in hopes of pulling him away from his dad. Fuck, this was going to be a shit show.
“Excuse me.”
The soft voice had all three men frozen. One by one, they all slowly turned their heads, Caden last. Marissa stood three feet away, her fingers clasped in front of her. Her mouth slowly curved into a pleasant smile. She seemed so small and almost fragile. There she was in an empty lot with three angry men who almost doubled her size. It was dark and deserted. His first thought was how dangerous this situation would have been for her had they been different kind of men.
None of them were angels, nor did they try to look the part. While they had their flaws and their bouts of illegal activity, they weren’t into hurting women. She was safe with them. But she doesn’t know that. Any other woman would have hightailed it out of there the second she got a chance, especially after the scene with Jack. Self-preservation. Where was Marissa’s? She should have been scared shitless. Yet, aside from her minor freak out when his dad hugged her, she’d been strangely calm and unaffected.
Not completely unaffected. He caught her stare when they showed up, and it seemed to linger longer on him than his brother. Then the smile from minutes ago. He stirred something inside her, though it wasn’t blatant and not like most encounters Caden had with women. Most of the females he attracted lacked the innocence of the woman standing in front of him.
Marissa stood, watching them with her smile planted on her face. No fear from what he could see. She didn’t seem anxious, only curious.
“I can drive Jack.” Her gaze shifted to his dad. “If you want?”
“Are you fucking stupid?” Kase asked without malice. He was seriously asking her if she was dumb. As rude as it was, Caden was thinking the exact same thing. The man had just hugged her, sending her into a panic and almost passing out, and now she’s offering him a fucking ride? He was concerned but not for the woman. Something was off with her, and he didn’t like it.
Her smile faltered, and her lips tightened. She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
Kase turned his head to Caden and furrowed his brows.
Caden was so intently focused on Marissa he hadn’t realized Jack had released Kase until he passed by and strolled to Marissa.
“C’mon, Coll, let’s get outta here.”
“Wait, Pop.” Caden rushed forward, glancing at Marissa. “Thanks, but I got a guy who can come get him.”
Kase snorted. “Yeah, the fucking stoner isn’t looking so bad right now.”
Jack jerked his body around. “Coll is taking me home, you degenerate fucks.”
Caden balled his fists. The old man was weighing on his last nerve. It was this degenerate fuck who was taking caring of his delusional, half-minded ass.
Marissa turned to Jack and reached out, gently caressing his arm. When Jack looked down at her, she smiled, showing her gleaming teeth. “Why don’t you get in the car? I just want to talk to your boys for a minute.”
