Page 3 of Cutter's Hope

“Wasn’t an invitation,” I stated dryly, “and I thought you didn’t do first and last names.” I was almost to the alcove.

“This is my town, Baby. I don’t need no invite, and we don’t do given names, but Civilians like you? Well, you usually only got one name and that’s your given one, so what’s yours?” he winked at me and I gave him a nasty little smile.

“Hope, my name is Hope,” I told him, before turning and striding back out into the sun, flipping my glasses down off my head and over my eyes. I wanted to be a bitch and not give in to him with my name, but I’d already said where I was staying and he might tell me what I wanted to know with some persuasion.

Notthatkind.

When it came to a fight, I wasn’t sure who would win in a match up, me or him. I didn’t think it prudent to find out, either. I wasn’t there yet, but I was getting close to being just about desperate enough to get another kind of physical, if it would get me a better lead.Okay, who was Ikidding? Cutter was just plain my kind of hot. I loved a guy with a certain amount of perceived arrogance. I say perceived because I was betting that Cutter came by his arrogance honestly. Meaning he had the testicular fortitude to back his mouth up. It isn’t technically arrogance if you’re that good. Maybe confidence was the word I was looking for.

I sighed and derailed my runaway train of thought that my hormones had put on full throttle. The trouble wasn’t so much what he’d said, but rather what he hadn’t. I’d seen the spark and flare of recognition in his eyes. If I’d learned one thing for sure out of this exchange? Anders Martin AKA Cutter knew the girl in the picture, or at the very least, something about her and I wasn’t leaving Ft. Royal until I knew what it was. Even if I had to use my powers for evil to get to the greater good. All joking aside, Iwasthe kind of desperate at this point that wasn’t opposed to anything as long as it got me results.

I walked up the street, away from The Plank at a steady clip and contemplated my next move.

2

Cutter…

“Atlas!” I shouted a few minutes after Hope sashayed that sweet, perfectly toned, ass out of my bar. My club’s secretary jogged into the room a half second later.

“Yeah Captain?” he asked.

“Find out everything you can about that girl that was just in here. Said her name was Hope and she’s stayin’ down at the Nautilus,” I said to him but my eyes were fixed on where she’d been.

She was a girl onfire,and I damn sure wanted to know whatshewanted with the girl from the picture. I’d recognized her alright. Wasn’t no way I was going to tell that cool drink of water though, not with how that run went straight to hell in so many ways.

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

“Send Tiny back here,” I told him when he turned to tend to the task I’d set him. Atlas gave me a half assed grin and an even sloppier salute. He could tell when I was in a mood and this particular shit show put my mood square in the middle of the black. Tiny didn’t exactly have any fans around these parts and I think the club knew I was reaching the end of the line when it came to my patience with our SAA.

Tiny came in and said, “Wanted to see me Cutter?”

No fucking respect, this one.

“Sit down,” I told him, tone cold. He scowled but complied.

“What’s up?” he asked, crossing his arms over his barrel chest.

“What did I tell you when you came to me about that girl from The Sacred Hearts’ Lake Run, and you told me what you’d done?” I demanded. He scowled.

“Why the hell you bring that up now, Man? That shit’s over and done. It’s been in our rearview over a year now.”

“Answer the fucking question, Tiny,” I grated.

“You said if anyone came looking my ass was on the line and you’d put it to a vote.”

“Put what to a vote?” I demanded. I wanted to fucking make sure we were crystal goddamned clear this time. No mistakes. No fucking up. No Tiny going on his own fucking program.

“My standing as SAA and within the club, period. What the fuck, Man?”

“That’s fucking right, and guess fucking what?” I pointed in the direction of the open bar room door and dropped both feet to the floor, the flip flops slapping loud against the concrete. “Someone, and by the set of her I’d say some sort of LEO, just came looking!”

“Oh Jesus Christ, Man! It’s been over a year, even if she was a fucking cop she ain’t got shit,” he tried to blow it off and I turned my pointing finger to a fist and brought it crashing down on the arm of my chair.

“You don’t get to decide that! Now I kept you on as a favor to Mac but this ain’t his club anymore. It’smineand you have proven, time and fucking time again that you ain’t interested in falling in line and now you’ve put all of us, every single fucking one of us, in the goddamned hot seat! I told you,consequences, Man.” I crossed my arms while Tiny looked at me poleaxed.

“It ain’t nothing to make this bitch disappear too…”

“Have you learnednothing?” I bellowed, “This isn’t some girl with no family! No, you sit your ass right there.” I pulled my phone out of my cut and dialed Marlin, my VP. He answered on the third ring.

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