The Biker's Fate Chapter 99

Cassidy

"Yeah, they've classed up the joint." An older woman with a lot of makeup and teased bleach-blonde hair grinned. "I'm Susie. Prez's old lady."

I shook her hand and smiled. "I'm Cassidy. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, hon."

"What can we do to help?" Dani asked.

"Nothing. Pig's on the spit and we got more food comin', so we're good for now," Susie said. "I'll let you know when we're ready to eat. You can help then."

"Sounds good." Dani handed me a glass of wine and led me back into a large common room quickly filling with people. The space was chock full of sofas, overstuffed chairs, a pool table, large flat-screen television, several smaller tables that older kids gathered around for board games, and three outdoor picnic tables.

"There you are. I've been lookin' everywhere for you," Booker said, and leaned down to kiss Dani.

She giggled, breaking the kiss and slipping her hand into his back pocket. "Liar. You knew exactly where I was the entire time. You remember Cassidy, right?"

Austin "Booker" Carver took his eyes off his wife for a few seconds to smile and give me a chin lift. "Hey, Cassidy."

"Hi, Booker. Good to see you again."

We stood and chatted for a little while, pausing to greet Payton and Hawk who arrived half an hour later. Lily was excited to get back and see her friends, so we took her back and she fell right in with Maverick. I had a moment of intense pain when I watched them, heads together, as Maverick showed her how to use one of the video game controllers. This was about the same time I met Carter and, cockroach aside, he was just as patient with me as Mav was with Lily.

I laid my hand on my stomach and took a few calming breaths, before putting a bright, if not somewhat forced, smile on my face and followed Payton back out to the common room. I wondered if I'd ever stop loving him.

When nature called, I headed to the bathroom and once I was done, I washed my hands and pulled open the door. I nearly ran into a couple making out heavily in the hallway, and couldn't stop a tiny gasp as I steadied myself. "Sorry. Excuse me."

"No problem, babe," a deep voice said, but when the man turned to look at me, all time stood still.

I swallowed as I looked into the face of one Carter Michael Quinn. His hand up some woman's shirt, hers was down his pants, but they righted themselves as I gawked at them.

His face still just as gorgeous as I remembered, but his hair was quite a bit longer on top, some of it falling over his forehead as he shook his head. He wore dark jeans that sat low on his hips, motorcycle boots with buckles on the side, and a tight long-sleeved, black tee, with a leather vest over the top. The back of the vest proudly displayed the Dogs of Fire logo. He was just as tall as he'd always been, but he was now much, much wider. He'd obviously spent a great deal of the last few years working out, and his arms were bigger than my head, so it was apparently working.

He jumped away from the woman as though he'd just been caught cheating and his face contorted into rage. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he bellowed.

I was so shocked by the force with which he was speaking to me, I burst into tears. He had never raised his voice at me, not even when he was mad, and to have him yell at me so angrily was a total shock to the system.

"I...I...have to go," I hiccupped, and turned to make a run for it. I didn't even get one step away before I was dragged to face him again.

"I asked you a fuckin' question, Cassidy. What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Ace, baby." The woman we'd both seemed to have forgotten about pushed away from the wall.

"Take a hike, Lisa," Carter said, his eyes never leaving me.

"But..."

"Babe, fuck off."

I drew in a deep breath and bit my lip. He had never spoken to anyone like that before, and to see her expression go from disappointment to irritation, indicated to me that perhaps this was a first for her as well.

"Fuck you, Ace."

"Maybe later," he retorted, still staring at me, his beefy hand wrapped around my bicep.

She huffed and stomped down the hallway, leaving us to our reunion.

"Holy shit."

I turned to see Aidan Quinn walking towards us. "You're here too?"

He glanced at Carter and then back at me. "Where the hell have you been, Cass?"

"I...ah...around." I looked up at Carter again. "Can you let me go, please? I should leave."

"You're not goin' anywhere. What the fuck are you doin' here, Cass?" Carter repeated.

"I was invited."

"Cassidy?" Dani called as she rushed to join us. "Are you okay?"

"Get your fuckin' hands off her, Ace," Booker warned.

"Stay the fuck out of this, Book." Carter still continued to stare at me. "Answer the question, Cassidy."

"You know him?" Dani asked.

I nodded. "I used to."

"Fuck!" Carter bellowed.

Aidan just laughed.

"I should go home," I said again.

"No fuckin' way," he ground out. "You're comin' with me."

Booker stepped closer. "Ace."

"I swear to fuckin' Christ, Booker, you interfere, and you and I are gonna have a problem."

"Then you'll have a problem with me too, Ace," Hawk said as he made his way towards us, Payton following her face showing concern.

"Are you fuckin' shittin' me?" Carter bellowed again.

"Can you please stop yelling, Carter?" I whispered, still trying to bring my emotions under control. "You're giving me a headache, not to mention scaring the hell out of me."

"Nobody calls me Carter anymore, Cassidy," he said in warning.

"Not even your parents?" I challenged. "Or have you wiped them from your lives, too?"

"Fuck!"

I yanked my arm from his grasp and shoved at his chest. "Stop posturing, Cart... Ace, whatever you want to be called now. When did you become such a bully? If your mom heard you right now, she'd smack you upside the head!" My tears quickly dried up, although, the hiccupping continued until I took a few calming breaths.

I heard male chuckling behind me, but I didn't look... mostly because I couldn't stop staring at Carter. Good lord, the man could still render me immobile and, even though he was yelling and swearing more than I'd ever heard him, I knew he'd never hurt me. And damn it if seeing him in person didn't drive home how much I really still loved him.

He ran his hands through his hair then dragged them down his face. "You should go."

"Okay," I whispered, and started to head down the hall to get Maverick. Again, I didn't get far.

"Wait," Payton said. "I don't know what's going on, but you can't just chase her out."

"Babe," Hawk warned.

"What, Alex? Cassidy has as much right to be here as Ace. If he's so hell-bent on not seeing her, then perhaps he should leave."