Page 154 of The Obvious Check

Jeremy grabs it and hauls me out of the trash with ease, then takes me in. “You look like shit,” he says, his expression flat and completely unimpressed.

“Tell me something I don't know.”

“Savannah's too good for you.”

“Nah, I know that, too.” I swallow down a laugh, tasting blood.

“Good. Then you'll treat her right.” His expression softens slightly, but there's still something there. “I came here tonight because Luke told me if I killed you, he'd let me take Savannah away from all this. Said I could have her.” His jaw clenches. “Turns out, she's already exactly where she wants to be.”

The weight of what he's saying hits me. He was offered everything he wanted, and he chose to give it up for her happiness.

“I want out, and you said you'd help. If you don't, then I might regret letting you win.”

“Oh, believe me. You won't.”

Chapter 35

“Sooo,” Henry drawls, rocking back and forth on his heels like a hyperactive kid. “How long are we supposed to stay out here before we rock on in there and take down every asshole in the joint?”

“We’re not doing that,” Dash replies flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh, come on. So what? We’re just going to stand out here and wait by my car? What if Cade needs us?”

My pulse spikes as I stare at the exit, waiting for Cade to come out. I can’t talk. I don’t really register Henry’s whining. All I’m watching is the crack between the doors, silently begging it to burst open.

Come on. Come on.

“Henry, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to shove you in your trunk until we’re ready to go,” Dash growls, but there’s no real heat behind it. “It’s the least I could do for all the shit you put Madison through.”

“Fine, fine. But for the record, this is torture. We could be in there making sure our boy doesn’t get his pretty face rearranged, and instead, we’re out here playing the world’s most stressfulversion of charades.” Henry gestures wildly at the building, which looks quiet from here. A stark contrast to what’s going on inside. “I mean, what’s the point of having all these muscles if we don’t use them?”

“The point,” Dash starts, “Is that Cade specifically told us to stay out here. So we’re staying out here.”

“But what if—”

“Henry.” Dash’s voice drops lower. “Be quiet.”

Henry raises his hands in surrender, but I can practically see the words building up in his mind. The guy doesn’t know when to shut up when he’s nervous.

Neither do I, apparently, because suddenly I’m the one talking.

“What if he doesn’t come out?” The words slip from my lips before I can stop them, raw and terrified. Both of them turn to look at me, not knowing what to say. It’s only when I hear the back door open that the tension between us is broken.

I gasp when I see Cal and Mark dragging what looks to be a limp body out of the club. “Cade?” I whisper to myself as they toss him into the trash like he's nothing more than garbage. “No.”

My heart plummets into my stomach because that can only mean one thing. He lost.

That’s the only explanation for them throwing him out like that. All the while I left him in there to get destroyed while I stood in this parking lot like a coward, waiting, expecting him to come out victorious. What kind of wife does that make me? Am I just as bad as Luke, using Cade for my own purposes?

The guilt tears through me as I rush toward him, my feet pounding against the asphalt as I berate myself for being such a terrible fucking wife.

It's only when the door opens again that I stop dead in my tracks, surprised to see Jeremy walking out.Walking.He might be bloodied and bruised, but Cade’s barely moving.

“What's going on?” Dash asks, appearing beside me. “Oh, shit. That's the fighter.” When he registers who Jeremy is, he starts jogging toward the carnage.

I follow behind him, my heart hammering against my ribs as I watch Jeremy reach into the trash and pull Cade out like he weighs nothing. When Cade stands on his own two feet, relief floods through me so hard I nearly collapse.

Cade pulls something small out of his pocket and hands it to Jeremy, who quickly hides it in his glove. The USB. Because going through with this insane fight wasn't enough, he still wants to take Luke down permanently.

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