That explained it. All the brothers liked to challenge the new recruits and to watch them get their asses whipped. The ones who fought the best got the better jobs.
“Where are they?” Crazy Bitch asked as she and Jane both searched the room for new faces.
“They’re over at the big table.” Sex Piston nodded her head at the table against the wall.
All the women turned to look at the new recruits, and Jane’s eyes widened when they were caught and held by a man she had thought she would never see again.
Chapter 16
Cade nodded his head in acknowledgement.
“Fuck,” Killyama muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Sex Piston looked back and forth between Killyama and Jane.
“That’s Cade, the one who saved me and Bailey.”
“Which one?” Sex Piston asked, her eyes narrowing on the table.
“The one with dark brown hair and dark eyes.” Jane looked away from the table, taking a sip of her beer.
Sex Piston slammed her drink down on the bar and started toward the table, but Jane pulled her back.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to thank him for saving you, and then I’m going to get Stud to kick his ass out of here.”
“Don’t, Sex Piston,” Jane pleaded. “He didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who wanted him. I should have realized I wasn’t his type.”
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” Crazy Bitch asked.
Jane gave a self-deprecating smile. “It means I know.”
“Know what?” Sex Piston asked.
All her friends looked confused.
“It means I know I’m the ugly one.”
“What!”
Jane laid her hand on Sex Piston’s arm. “It’s the truth, and you all know it. I’m the ugly one in the group. You know, the one who never gets asked to dance or for my number. Men only talk to me to get closer to one of you.”
“That’s not true,” Crazy Bitch chided.
“Yes, it is, and you all know it. It’s okay. I’m used to it. Someday, I’ll find a guy who thinks I’m the pretty one,” she said optimistically, “and won’t need to put a bag over my head.”
“Fat Louise, that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Killyama spoke out.
“It’s true. I heard Dozer tell Bear that one time.”
As the women all stared at Bear accusingly, he turned ashen.
“I think Stud needs something,” he mumbled, moving away.
“I’ll kill that motherfucker. When I get done with him, he’s the one who’s going to need a bag.” This time, Sex Piston moved toward Dozer, who was unaware of his immediate demise.
“Leave him alone, Sex Piston.” Jane clutched her friend’s arm tighter. “He just said what everyone else thinks.”
“No, they fucking don’t,” Sex Piston snapped.
“Yes, they do,” she said, resigned. “Anyway, I came here to have fun.”
The women all grew quiet as Jane climbed onto an empty barstool.
“Are we going to party or not?”
“Hell yes!”
The women climbed up on the stools next to her, and Jane gradually relaxed, loosening up.
After a while, Pike came up behind her. “Want to dance, Fat Louise?”
She slid off the stool. “I would love to.”
Jane tried not to feel self-conscious when she saw Cade watching her as they stepped onto the crowded dance floor. Pike talked as they danced, showering her with attention that would normally turn her head. She knew Sex Piston had probably pestered Stud into asking the man to dance with her, but Jane wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She wanted Cade to think other men found her attractive, even if it wasn’t true.
They danced several more songs before they noticed the bikers going outside.
“The fights have started! Let’s go watch.” Pike grinned.
Jane followed him outside, finding her friends in a place up front.
Recruits were pitted against each other in groups of two. The winners would face off against each other until only four were left. Those four would then take on a member. Those who won their fights would become recruits; those who failed went home with bruises and their tails tucked between their legs.
They weren’t invested in the outcome for any of the men, so the women watched silently.
Cade was matched with a man who was twice his size. The recruit was arrogantly confident of himself and swung his fist out, aiming for Cade’s jaw. He was stopped mid-swing when Cade grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back. Cade then threw him away from him, adding to the insult by bringing his boot up to kick him in the ass.
“Show off,” Sex Piston grumbled.
The next time Cade was up, he fought someone who was his size. He had removed his shirt, and his upper body had Jane practically drooling, wanting to run her tongue over that six pack he was carrying. Reason returned when she remembered Bailey’s gloating look as she had come out of his room.
With his second fight won, he made the final four. He had done it without even breaking a sweat, leaving the other recruit kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath after Cade had fought dirty, punching him in the throat.