Outlaw (37 page)

“Wyatt’s?” Crash asked.

“Yeah.” Cole lit a cigarette.

“What for?”

“See what the deal is with the Hyena’s, and see if
we think the Souls are ready to patch.”

Crash nodded. He noticed something was bothering
Cole, and he didn’t think it had anything to do with this little trip tomorrow.
He motioned Crystal, who was tending bar, over and nodded his head toward Cole.
“Another shot glass, darlin’.”

She set one in front of Cole.

Crash picked up the bottle of whiskey sitting in
front of him, next to his own shot glass, and filled Cole’s. “Something
bothering you, brother?”

Cole looked over at him. “Mandy called Angel. Told
her about the baby.”

“Holy shit.”

He downed his shot. “Yeah. I tried to tell Natalie
that Mandy got pregnant back around New Year’s. Long before Angel showed up
here.”

“She didn’t buy it.”

He stared down at his empty shot glass, gently
twisting it between his thumb and forefinger. “I don’t know.”

Crystal, who was tending bar, overheard. “Cole?”

He looked up at her.

“Did you say Mandy got pregnant at the first of the
year?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“It’s July, going on August.”

“Yeah?”

“So, she’d be six, going on seven months pregnant.
My sister’s about that far along, and she’s already big as a house.”

Cole and Crash looked at each other.

“You sayin’ she’s making it up?” Cole asked. She had
a small baby bump under her clothes, but to be honest, he’d not seen her naked
since he’d come back from Arizona. He hadn’t wanted to. He’d been sleeping in
the guest room, and had not had sex with her. He couldn’t bring himself to
touch her.

“Look, I don’t know, Cole. I always liked Angel.
Mandy? Not so much. But that’s your business. Have you been to the doctor with
her?”

Cole shook his head. To tell the truth he hadn’t
been interested in going with her, and come to think of it, she’d never asked
him to go. Now that he thought about it, he’d yet to see any type of doctor
bill come in the mail. Usually, even if all you did was pay a co-pay, he still
knew that doctors sent an itemized bill, showing the charges that were covered.

He pushed off the barstool, and headed for the door.

“Hey, where ya goin’, brother?” Crash called after
him.

Cole replied with out turning around. “To find out
what the fuck is going on.”

Cole walked in the back door, slamming it. He called
out for Mandy, walking from room to room. He noticed her purse sitting on the
dining room table, and then heard the shower running. He started to head for
the bathroom, but paused, staring down at her purse.

Sticking out, next to her makeup bag was a small
round case. He’d recognize the package anywhere. Birth-control pills. He pulled
it out, and opened it. The first thing he noticed was that about a week’s worth
of pills was missing.

He looked at the prescription label stuck to the
inside cover. It clearly said her name. He searched the label for the fill
date. The date listed was just a week ago. So these were new pills.

He carried them with him as he walked to the
bathroom. He opened the door, and stepped in. The glass shower stall was
covered in steam, but he could see the outline of her body. He yanked the glass
door open.

Mandy screamed, jumping back. “Cole. You scared the
hell out of me.”

His eyes roved over her slim form. Her stomach was
as flat as ever.

She saw her mistake, and quickly turned away from
him. “Cole! Please, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“There’s no baby, is there?” he demanded.

“Of course there’s a baby. I’m just small, and
carrying it low, the doctor said.”

“Don’t lie to me.” He held the pills up. “You’re on
the pill. I found them.”

She stared at him.

He shook his head in disgust. “You lying bitch!”

She turned the water off. “You’re being ridiculous.
It’s not what you think.”

“I heard you called Angel.”

“Oh. So, this is about her, isn’t it? That bitch
from Arizona!”

Cole reached in, and grabbed her by the neck. She
gasped, clutching at his hand. Bringing her face to within an inch of hers, he
gritted through his teeth, “You ever call her again, and I swear to God, I’ll
kill you myself.” He shook her. “Do you understand?”

Mandy nodded.

Cole shoved her back against the shower wall, and
stormed out. He could hear her pleading with him as he walked out.

“Cole, please! I love you. I’m sorry.”

*****

A week later, Cole walked back into his house. He
found Mandy sitting at the dining room table, smoking a cigarette. He’d called,
and told her he was coming.

She looked at him with a hostile expression. “What’s
so important?”

He held up some folded paperwork. “You need to sign
these.”

“What are they?”

“Divorce papers.”

“Like hell. I’m not signing those.”

Cole stared at her. “I’m getting a divorce, one way
or another. Why drag it out? I don’t want you anymore.”

“Why drag it out? Why should I make it easy on you?”
she smirked.

He stared at her, and shook his head. “I’d hate to
see something bad happen to you, Mandy.”
That
got her attention. Who the hell did she think she was dealing with?

She tapped her cigarette nervously in the ashtray as
he walked around the table to her.

Cole tossed the paperwork on the table, and leaned
down resting on his knuckles, his face just inches from hers. “Do you really
think it’s a good idea to piss me off?”

“You can’t make me sign those,” she said nervously.

“What’s it gonna take to get you to sign them?”

“What do you mean?”

He blew out a breath, loosing patience. “How much?”

“You mean money?”

She’d never been the sharpest knife in the drawer.
“Yeah. Money.”

She thought a moment.

Cole could see the wheels turning. He was sure she’d
try to take him for all she thought she could get.

“Ten grand. And the house.”

“I don’t own the house, Mandy. It’s a rental. You’d
know that, if you had half a brain.”

“You think I’m stupid? Well, I’m not stupid enough
to sign those papers you want so bad!” she smirked back at him.

Cole smiled, and shook his head. Did she really
think he’d walk in here without an ace up his sleeve? He pulled out a fat
envelope, and tossed it on the table. He nodded to it. “Two grand. It’s yours
if you sign right now.”

She looked at the envelope, debating.

Cole smiled. Who was she kidding? He knew she was desperate
for money. And he knew why. He leaned down, and whispered in her face. “I found
out your other dirty, little secret, wife. While I was in Arizona, and you were
here, supposedly pregnant, you ran up quite a coke debt with Skeeter. A debt
that totals over a grand, babe.”

“That’s…that’s a lie,” she denied weakly.

“Is it? What’s he gonna do to you when I’m not
around to protect you from him?” He watched the fear wash over her face. “I’m
not paying it off for you, Mandy. So, what are you gonna do?”

She looked down at the papers, and he saw the
realization hit her that she had no choice.

He held the pen out to her.

She looked up at him, and slowly took it out of his
hand, and signed.

Chapter Eighteen

Cole snapped his cell phone shut, and threw it
across the room. It hit the wall, and fell on the floor. He lay on his bed, in
his room at the clubhouse. He’d been staying here ever since he’d walked out on
Mandy.

He stared up at the ceiling. Why wouldn’t Angel talk
to him? He’d called her every day for six weeks, and she’d refused to come to
the phone every time. Natalie kept telling him not to give up, but how much
crawling was a man supposed to do? Six weeks ago, when he’d first called, he’d
told Natalie that Mandy had signed the papers, and that they’d been filed. He
told her that the pregnancy had all been a fake. And still, Angel wouldn’t talk
to him.

Now, he had the final papers in hand, and still she
wouldn’t talk to him. Crash had asked him how he’d managed to get the divorce
finalized so quickly. Cole had smiled. Money talks, he’d told him. You just
have to know the right people to pay off.

It was early September now. Cole supposed it was
still damn near a hundred degrees in Arizona. He thought about making the drive
out there. Seven hundred miles was a long way to ride, just to have a door
slammed in your face. But he didn’t see any other way. She wouldn’t take his
calls. He was going to have to go out there, and talk to her face-to-face.

Hell, he’d tried everything else. He’d sent her
flowers. They’d been refused. He’d written her letters. She’d returned them,
unopened. He now had them hidden away in a box in the bottom drawer of his
desk. Him? Writing a Goddamn love letter. The guys would die laughing if they
knew.

He sat up, leaning his elbows on his knees, trying
to get a plan together in his head. He had some stuff he needed to do for Mack,
but he could probably leave next week. He felt better already. At least he had
a plan of action. It was better than sitting around here hoping, day after day,
that she’d take his call.

He got up, and walked out of his room, and went
downstairs.

Crash and Cajun were sitting at the bar.

He joined them. “What’s up, guys?”

Crash looked over at him. “Just thinking about
makin’ a run down to Lucky’s.”

Cajun smiled at him. “Wet T-shirt night, tonight.”

Cole grinned back at him. “Ain’t you a little old
for those college girls, Cajun?”

“Hey, dey better lookin’ than those girls down at da
strip club. Guaranteed.”

“Oh, and you think you got a shot?”

“I’ll find me a sweet little sugar who wants a ride.
Don ya worry ‘bout dat, son,” Cajun explained confidently.

Cole snorted.

“You comin’?” Crash asked him.

“Hell, it’s only four. That shit’s not gonna start
until nine at the earliest.”

“So?” Cajun asked.

Cole laughed, and shook his head.

“We might make a few stops on the way over there.”
Crash grinned.

Cole took a hit off his beer. “Yeah. I’ve got to
stop at Red’s. See if that tire I ordered is in. Gonna need it.”

“Why?”

“Road trip.”

Crash gave him a knowing smile. “Arizona?”

Cole nodded. “Yup. Next week.”

“Shit. You sure?”

“Gotta give it a shot.”

Crash nodded. He and Cajun got up to leave. “Well,
maybe we’ll see you over there, tonight?”

“Yeah. I’ll try to make it.” Cole laughed. He
watched them walk out. He sat, and finished his beer, and then he headed out as
well.

Cole pulled into a gas station on his way back from
Red’s. He pulled his bike up to a pump, and got off, pulling his helmet off,
and setting it on the seat. He unscrewed the gas cap on the tank, and swiped
his credit card at the pump. He was reaching for the nozzle when he heard
someone behind him.

“Excuse me.”

He turned around. A pretty blonde woman, in her
early twenties he guessed, was standing next to a silver Mercedes convertible.
She shut the driver’s door, and walked over to him. She pulled off her
sunglasses, and looked at him, and smiled.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” she asked.

He looked her up and down, and glanced back at the
expensive car. She wasn’t exactly the type of woman that ran in his circle.
“No, ma’am. I’m pretty sure I don’t know you.”

“It’s been a few years.”

He looked at her sideways, and shook his head.

“My name’s Shannon. You pulled me out of the back of
a van. Remember?”

His eyes widened, and he whispered, “Holy shit.”

She smiled. “Remember me now?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. I think I recall threatening
to kill you,” he admitted, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

“If I recall, I was not being very appreciative at
the time for what you’d done for me.”

He nodded. “Glad to see you’re doin’ okay.”

“Yes. I’m doing well. Hey, could I buy you a drink
or coffee or something?

“Aw, that’s okay. You don’t have to do that.” He
began pumping gas into his tank.

“Please. I want to. It’s the least I can do.
Please.”

Cole studied her a moment. “Sure you want to be seen
with the likes of me, darlin’?”