The Porter brothers were sitting in Rosie’s, having a beer.
Shade saw the determined expression on Cash’s face as he walked over to their table to greet them. Their hate-filled expressions and lack of response had Cash gritting his teeth loud enough for him to hear. Shade wanted to laugh at Cash’s predicament. Hell, he had only had to deal with Beth when he had wanted Lily, but Cash was stuck having to deal with not one but three assholes.
“Mind if we join you?” Shade asked, tempted to let Cash handle this on his own for trying to trick him into helping, but he couldn’t desert a brother who was facing a firing squad.
They didn’t wait for acquiescence, both of them taking a seat at the table. The Porter brothers might hate Cash, but Shade was their regular customer, so he would be harder to piss off.
The men looked like the beer in their stomachs was turning sour as Cash and Shade both ordered their drinks.
“What do you want, Cash?” Tate didn’t hesitate to ask why Cash would be willing to sit down at the table with them.#p#分页标题#e#
Cash decided to take the devil by the horns and be honest with the three brothers. “We need to come to an understanding and cut out this bullshit between us.” Cash began his talk to get in the good graces of Rachel’s brothers.
“Why? It works for us.” An evil grin came to Tate’s face. “This has to do with Rachel, doesn’t it?”
“Why does his talking to us have anything to do with Rachel?”
God, Dustin has to be the slowest of these idiots, Shade thought in pity.
While his two older brothers rolled their eyes at the question, realization slowly hit Rachel’s youngest brother.
“Hell, no.” Dustin’s reaction mirrored his older brothers’.
“We can keep fighting between us, and we’ll all lose Rachel, or we can pretend to get along and keep Rachel in Treepoint. It’s up to you. I’m willing to tolerate you three for Rachel.”
Without another word, the three brothers got up from the table, leaving Cash and him staring at their backs as they left the bar.
“That went well,” Cash said drily.
“Did you expect any different? You four have spent years pissing each other off. It’s going to take more than a meet to change that.”
Cash studied Shade speculatively. “I gave Lily my vote for your marker.”
Shade’s amusement died. “Yes, you did. So?”
“I want your help to bring those assholes around,” Cash laid out his terms.
“I promised you my marker, not a fucking miracle.”
“Shade, you’re the most manipulative bastard I know. If anyone can get those assholes to tolerate me, it’s you. Can you think of a bigger challenge for your skills?”
“Actually, no.”
Mick set the beer down in front of them.
“You’re buying,” Shade told Cash, picking up his.
* * *
“What are we doing here?” Cash asked as they sat outside the movie theater.
“Trying to pay you back.”
Before Cash could ask any more questions, the movie let out and the moviegoers came through the doors. They sat in silence while Shade searched the exiting crowd for the one he was wanting to talk to.
“You sneaky son of a bitch.” Cash’s voice was filled with admiration of Shade’s skills.
As the two boys they were waiting for drew closer to where they were sitting, their gazes were all for the bikes.
“Hi, Shade, Cash.” Jace and his friend came to a stop at the bikes.
“Hey, Jace, Cal,” Shade responded to their greeting.
Jace and Cal were friends who came from opposite sides of town. Jace’s father had been one of the wealthiest men in town until The Last Riders had arrived, while Cal’s parents were lucky to put dinner on the table. It was a mismatched pair, but the two were close friends.
“Can we talk?” Shade deliberately made it seem as if he was taking the boys into his confidence.
“Sure.” Jace puffed up his chest at the thought of someone like Shade seeking him out, while Cal’s expression became impassive and watchful.
“Your dad will be here any minute.”
Shade had to admire the kid for trying to watch out for his friend.
“This won’t take long. I have a favor to ask. Cash here wants to make friends with those cousins of yours. I was hoping you could hook him up with a helping hand. Of course, I could help you out with something you’re wanting real badly, too. I have an extra bike I don’t need any more. You would have to get your dad’s permission and get your motorcycle license, but it would be yours, free of charge.”#p#分页标题#e#