Free Cutter's Hope by A.J. Downey Page A

more.
    “What kind of snakes?”
    “Constricters, Pythons and a few Boa’s. Rats too, gotta feed them somehow,” she gave an indelicate one shouldered shrug.
    “Holy crap, you’re serious,” I said.
    “As a heart attack, Baby,” she said with a wink.
    “That’s so… cool,” I said surprised. Snakes didn’t affect me one way or the other. I didn’t hate them, but I didn’t like them either. I guess I was just sort of meh about them.
    We spent the ride laughing and talking about the general retardation of the male half of our species, the rest of the way back to Ft. Royal. The whole way, my mind kept whirring and clicking away, wondering what had put Cutter’s panties in such a bunch and shot him out of the bowling alley like he’d gone out of a cannon. He fucking knew something about Tonya. I knew that much, saw the lie in his eyes every time he denied it. Felt it in his stiff posture every time his lips met mine. The fierce attraction we felt for one another wouldn’t sway him from protecting his club, but what did they need protection from?
    The implications laid in front of me by his actions weren’t good. I didn’t figure Cutter for a killer, he felt more like a lover than a fighter, but looks could be deceiving. Oh, I knew he could kill, that he had killed, I still had my military connections and read what I could out of his jacket. There had been a lot of redacted shit in there but there had also been a lot left readable and what had been left was almost as useful as what hadn’t been; all of it spelled out clearly that Cutter was one dangerous SOB that I shouldn’t try to tangle with, and who I wouldn’t ordinarily take on but, Faith.
    “I’m sorry, what?” I asked. Hossler was looking at me, blue eyes wide with that look that screamed, weren’t you listening to a thing I just said?
    “Can I ask you a pretty personal question?” she asked.
    “Sorry, yeah go ahead.”
    “You fuck him yet?”
    I blinked, “Who Cutter?”
    “No, the Pope! Uh, yeah, the Captain.”
    “Why have you?”
    “Once upon a time.”
    “Interesting.” I pondered that.
    “You going to answer the question?”
    “Oh, no.”
    She rolled her eyes exasperated, “No, you’re not going to answer or no, you haven’t fucked him?” she asked.
    I gave her my trademark, sarcastic coy little smile and looked at her demurely through my lashes. She looked at me, eyes narrowed and tried to decide if I was fucking with her which I was, I smiled at her. I liked her, so I answered honestly.
    “No,” I said.
    She nodded thoughtfully, “My unsolicited advice, Darlin’?” I cocked my head to the side.
    “Don’t. Cutter likes a challenge, to conquer, and once he’s done that? He loses interest, fast. I like you, you’re pretty badass and can hold your own with this pack of jokers. I would hate to see you doing the walk of shame out of town like all the others.”
    I sighed and dug through my purse for my pack of gum. “I thought he wasn’t the love ‘em and leave ‘em type,” I said.
    “That what he told you?” she asked. I unwrapped a stick of gum and just looked at her, shoving it past my lips, the cool minty flavor scrubbing the inside of my mouth clean.
    She snorted, “It is, isn’t it? Well he wasn’t exactly , lying. Cutter doesn’t lie. He just doesn’t tell the truth either.” I raised an eyebrow at that.
    “He doesn’t ever love them, he just fucks them, then leaves them, or really just sends them on their way. Except for Li’l Bit. She got him but good,” she smiled and it held a flicker of savage glee that was quickly overtaken by lines of regret that morphed into a shadow of anger, all within like a three second span. It was actually kind of fascinating to watch.
    “I sense there’s a story and a half there,” I said and tried to sound casual.
    “You’d be right,” she said, but much to my disappointment didn’t expand on anything, instead she changed the subject. We spoke amicably the