the
gravel and spun on her, snarling. Cadence pointed the bat at her.
"You need to keep your fucking mouth shut, or I'm going to shut it
permanently."
"You're not pack, you can't touch me."
"Fuck pack, this is personal."
The crowd spilled around them from the bar to
the back parking lot, and Jake came around to her view. "Cadence,
don't do this. She's not worth it."
"I think I've put up with more than enough
bullshit from the Tressel pack." She darted a glance to Jason who
looked almost proud of her. Chris grinned at her in encouragement,
a few paces away from Jake.
Lindy righted herself finally, and said,
"You're so tough with that ball bat."
She chucked it at Jake, who caught it deftly,
and Cadence took a menacing step towards her, glad she was wearing
leather pants instead of a skirt like her. "Think it through; you
don't want to tangle with me." Cadence said in a low voice, dialing
into the part of her that had been waiting to hurt Lindy for
years.
Lindy launched herself at Cadence, but her
aim was off because of her heels, so she sidestepped and smashed
her fist into Lindy's back, sending her to the ground. Lindy was
fast and strong, but she was no fighter, and Cadence was able to
get her into a headlock without any trouble and force her to
submit. Which she did. Readily. Cadence shoved her away and she
whimpered, sporting scrapes on her palms and knees from when she
went down, and a long scratch on her jaw from where she had hit the
concrete. Cadence cracked her knuckles. "Don't ever call me a mutt
again."
She brushed her hands together and turned to
Jake, "I need a drink."
Everyone left pitiful Lindy on the ground. It
had hardly been worth the effort, but Cadence was not in the mood
to take any more crap from anyone else in the Tressel pack. Chris
and the band went back up to play after Chris kissed her cheek and
tugged a lock of hair, whispering that he was proud of her, and
Jake told her he was going to take the table out of her paycheck
which she said she expected.
After a while, Jason approached the bar and
asked if he could talk to her. She stepped into the back with him,
expecting him to be mad. "I’m really proud of you, Cadence. I've
been waiting for you to put her down; she annoys the hell out of
me." He laughed nervously.
"Glad I could entertain you." She
smirked.
"Listen, about this week. I, I'm sorry. I
know you're helping me out, but it's hard for me to admit that I
was hurting the business because I didn't know what I was doing. I
would never forgive myself if I let the business go under."
"I won't let that happen, Jason."
He sighed and rubbed his temple. "Michael
told me that you said you feel like I’ve mistreated you since you
were 11. Is that true?"
"Kind of. I think that was when I started to
really feel like I didn't belong. You just have no idea what it's
like for me with one foot in each world. I wish that things were
simple, like I could just be pack or just be human, but neither is
really home for me. It's getting old, chasing a tail I don't have
and trying to please people that don't want me around."
"The pack, my pack, the reason they act like
that is because you're single, you're a threat."
"Yeah, Chris told me that. But Jake's pack
doesn't treat me like that, and," she sighed, "it's just nice to
have things be simple. I know you don't like Chris, but he's easy
to be around. He doesn't make me feel inadequate." She glanced at
her watch. "I should get back. Thanks for not blowing your stack."
She kissed his cheek quickly and walked back out to the bar.
Chris drove her home and kissed her at the
door, and she fell asleep thinking about how strange her life was
turning out.
Chapter 6
A lot bothered Jason as he went home Friday
night. Cadence had been angry at work the whole week, clearly his
fault of course, but he hadn't been able to tell her on Tuesday
that he was embarrassed about everything, how he'd nearly ruined
his family's business. The revelation from
gravel and spun on her, snarling. Cadence pointed the bat at her.
"You need to keep your fucking mouth shut, or I'm going to shut it
permanently."
"You're not pack, you can't touch me."
"Fuck pack, this is personal."
The crowd spilled around them from the bar to
the back parking lot, and Jake came around to her view. "Cadence,
don't do this. She's not worth it."
"I think I've put up with more than enough
bullshit from the Tressel pack." She darted a glance to Jason who
looked almost proud of her. Chris grinned at her in encouragement,
a few paces away from Jake.
Lindy righted herself finally, and said,
"You're so tough with that ball bat."
She chucked it at Jake, who caught it deftly,
and Cadence took a menacing step towards her, glad she was wearing
leather pants instead of a skirt like her. "Think it through; you
don't want to tangle with me." Cadence said in a low voice, dialing
into the part of her that had been waiting to hurt Lindy for
years.
Lindy launched herself at Cadence, but her
aim was off because of her heels, so she sidestepped and smashed
her fist into Lindy's back, sending her to the ground. Lindy was
fast and strong, but she was no fighter, and Cadence was able to
get her into a headlock without any trouble and force her to
submit. Which she did. Readily. Cadence shoved her away and she
whimpered, sporting scrapes on her palms and knees from when she
went down, and a long scratch on her jaw from where she had hit the
concrete. Cadence cracked her knuckles. "Don't ever call me a mutt
again."
She brushed her hands together and turned to
Jake, "I need a drink."
Everyone left pitiful Lindy on the ground. It
had hardly been worth the effort, but Cadence was not in the mood
to take any more crap from anyone else in the Tressel pack. Chris
and the band went back up to play after Chris kissed her cheek and
tugged a lock of hair, whispering that he was proud of her, and
Jake told her he was going to take the table out of her paycheck
which she said she expected.
After a while, Jason approached the bar and
asked if he could talk to her. She stepped into the back with him,
expecting him to be mad. "I’m really proud of you, Cadence. I've
been waiting for you to put her down; she annoys the hell out of
me." He laughed nervously.
"Glad I could entertain you." She
smirked.
"Listen, about this week. I, I'm sorry. I
know you're helping me out, but it's hard for me to admit that I
was hurting the business because I didn't know what I was doing. I
would never forgive myself if I let the business go under."
"I won't let that happen, Jason."
He sighed and rubbed his temple. "Michael
told me that you said you feel like I’ve mistreated you since you
were 11. Is that true?"
"Kind of. I think that was when I started to
really feel like I didn't belong. You just have no idea what it's
like for me with one foot in each world. I wish that things were
simple, like I could just be pack or just be human, but neither is
really home for me. It's getting old, chasing a tail I don't have
and trying to please people that don't want me around."
"The pack, my pack, the reason they act like
that is because you're single, you're a threat."
"Yeah, Chris told me that. But Jake's pack
doesn't treat me like that, and," she sighed, "it's just nice to
have things be simple. I know you don't like Chris, but he's easy
to be around. He doesn't make me feel inadequate." She glanced at
her watch. "I should get back. Thanks for not blowing your stack."
She kissed his cheek quickly and walked back out to the bar.
Chris drove her home and kissed her at the
door, and she fell asleep thinking about how strange her life was
turning out.
Chapter 6
A lot bothered Jason as he went home Friday
night. Cadence had been angry at work the whole week, clearly his
fault of course, but he hadn't been able to tell her on Tuesday
that he was embarrassed about everything, how he'd nearly ruined
his family's business. The revelation from
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