Free Cash (Sexy Bastard #2) by Eve Jagger Page B

big fucking NO checked. Now tell me, what do you think of the
drink?” I ask, anything for a change in subject. The last thing
I need to do is open up more about Savannah. What happens between us
is our business.
    “It was good, but does it taste
better than a lawyer?” Ryder shoots back, cocky bastard. When I
find out—and I intend to—I’ll let him know. Last
night was just a start. I’ve had a taste, and now I want the
whole package. Savannah at my mercy; me finding every way to make her
scream.
    My phone goes off, and I grab it. Small
miracles. Ryder’s too good at getting secrets out of me.
    Unknown
Number . I’ll take it. At this point, I would even
talk to telemarketers in order to get out of this conversation with
Ryder.
    “Hello?”
    “You’re not getting out of
it that easy,” Ryder says.
    “Cassius,
darling, don’t hang up, please.”
    My thumb hovers over the red button,
but I can’t—it’s the sound of her voice. The strain that she doesn’t let show except when
something’s bad, or she needs something.
    “Are you still there?”
    “Yeah, Mom,” I say eyeing
Ryder. He raises an eyebrow. Just because I’ve never mentioned
my family doesn’t mean I don’t have one. If I were smart,
I would hang up and block the number, because this phone call will
suck me back into the world I’ve tried so hard to leave behind.
But she’s my mother, and as much as I want to ignore her,
sometimes I just can’t.
    “Your father’s had a heart
attack. He’s in the hospital. We don’t…they don’t
know…Please come. We’re at Piedmont
Hospital. He’s coming out of surgery soon, I’ll
let the nurses know to direct you to his room when you get here.”
There’s a level of panic in her voice that crosses the phone
line and infects me.
    “Sure thing,” I reply. No
matter our differences, Emmett Gardner is still my father. Even if he
is a swindling bastard.
    I end the call, already sliding out
from behind the bar, my pulse speeding. I grab my jacket from the
counter and head for the door. It’ll be just a quick in and
out. I’ll go see my father and be back in time to sling drinks
tonight.
    I make it about four steps before I
remember: keys . And when I
turn back, I’m face to face with my friend.
    “I gotta go,” I say.
There’s not much more I can tell him.
    Keys. Keys. I pat my pockets and then
backtrack to the bar to grab them.
    “Your mom okay?”
Ryder asks.
    Mentioning my mother was a mistake.
Ryder may not have the school bought pedigree of Jackson or Parker,
but the man connects the dots faster than anyone. Not to mention he
hates liars, and lying’s all I seem to be doing about my
family.
    “It’s nothing,” I
say, trying to get past him. “I mean it’s serious —
I gotta go.” There isn’t time to explain what’s
happening or going on, because it’ll raise more questions. And
more questions about my past is the last thing I need right now.
    “I’ll grab the car. You’re
about as able to drive as a drunk at last call.” He gets up and
grabs for his keys, finding them instantly.
    “No.” The last thing I need
is for my friend to get involved with my parents. I’d have to
explain everything, and I can’t stomach that. “I mean
thanks, I just…”
    “Cash, man, whatever it is,”
Ryder says, taking a seat again. He’s a better friend than I
deserve right now. “You don’t have to go it alone.”
    If I stick around it’s not going
to end well. I’ll spill everything, and then they’ll hate
me when they find who I am and where I come from.
    Ryder’s
confused by my fast exit, but doesn’t chase after me. When I
get to the door, I know why. Jackson’s just come in.
    “Where’s the fire?”
he asks.
    “Another girl,” I say,
brushing past him. “You know the drill,” I lie.
    My parents poison everything good in my
life. Now they have me keeping secrets from the guys who are supposed
to be my family. We all worked our way up to something, and now, just
like