Page 38 of The Samaritan

Grady forcibly cleared his throat, which pissed Caden off. He knew what the old man was going to say. He hadn’t been in favor of this deal since it started. Grady had been with Caden since the very beginning and saw the partnership with the club as a setback.

He glared Grady. “What?”

The old man held up his hands in surrender. “Nothing. Just don’t know why ya made a deal with the devil is all.”

Caden eyed him and grunted. “What’s done is done.” He was in this, no backing out now. He couldn’t if he wanted to keep the company. He needed the Ghosttown Riders as much as they needed him.

“Yep.”

Grady’s condescending tone was grating on Caden’s nerves. He balled his fists, and the heat rose from his neck to his face. “If ya got something to say, just say it.”

Grady sighed, probably sensing the tension in the room. “This is yours, Cade.” He snorted. “Just don’t see why ya gotta get involved with Kase and the club.” Grady was coming from a loyal place, but not a realistic one. He knew they were hurting financially but didn’t realize the full magnitude. Grady had never been a fan of Kase’s. After watching Caden take care of his business, a son, and his father, Grady had a slight disdain for Kase.

Caden scowled. It was a sore subject and one which had stabbed at his pride. “You like fucking working here, Grady?”

“We’d get by without them.” He sighed, turning to his computer.

Grady didn’t know shit. Caden was drowning in debt, and without the partnership with his brother and the Ghosttown Riders, he’d have to file for bankruptcy. But he understood where Grady was coming from. Much like Caden, Grady didn’t want Kase and the club coming in and taking over what he’d worked so hard to build.

Caden’s body strummed in anger. He’d fought tooth and nail to come up with something other than partnering up with Kase. There was nothing else.

His options were limited when Kase offered him the deal. He’d already taken a second mortgage on the buildings to keep the business afloat. With Jack’s decline, the medical bills started rolling in. He was drowning in debt and needed an out. Kase offered him one. And I took it.

“Hi, Cade.”

He stilled and then glanced up to see her standing a few feet away from the landing. How long had she been standing there? More importantly, how much had she heard? Her long hair fell past her shoulders in waves. Marissa had her hands clasped in front of her, twisting her fingers and looking very uncertain.

“Hey.” He sat back in his chair and eyed Grady, who was taking a long perusal on her body. Cade couldn’t blame the old man. Her body was the epitome of perfection. Not in a stereotypical sense. She was thicker in the legs and ass, but exactly what he liked. Her tee molded around her breasts and showed off a sliver of skin at her midriff.

It was as though her presence lifted all the tension from the room.

She bit her bottom lip. “I’m wearing a bra,” she blurted and then smiled.

Grady chuckled, and even Cade couldn’t hold back a smile. His chest eased from the irritation of minutes ago. After seeing her this morning, he regretted being short with her. Just being around her threw him off his game, and today was not the day for it. He needed laser focus, and the beauty standing across the room was a distraction.

He cocked his brow. “I appreciate it.”

“I don’t,” Grady muttered, but he had heard. He turned to the old man with a sharp glare. The bastard didn’t even seem remorseful.

“Go check the intake orders.”

Grady smirked. “Did it earlier.”

“Do it again,” Cade demanded and caught Marissa eyeing both men as if she was watching a tennis match.

Grady snickered but got up and made his way down the steps. Caden drew his attention back to her, where she stood with a slight curl to her lips.

“You need something?”

“Just wondering about my car.”

He hadn’t even had a chance to mention it to Drake yet.

“Yeah, shit, um, haven’t gotten to it yet.”

“It’s fine, I’m in no rush.” She scanned the office.

It wasn’t much to look at in its current state of disarray. He had an unused filing cabinet in the corner and a stack of papers filtered all over his desk.