by Laura Kaye
“We’ll let that be plan A,” Nick said. “But you know as well as I do that plan A often gets fucked when it meets reality.”
Some laughs from around the table. “Ain’t that the truth,” Dare said. But he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen. Not this time. Not when so much that he loved was on the line.
CHAPTER 28
After last night, Haven had decided one thing: if she only had one night left there, she wasn’t spending it alone. Not when Dare clearly wanted her the way she wanted him. Not when Dare held her in his arms and coaxed her to sleep with his touch. Not when Dare was everything she’d never known she’d always wanted.
Since the moment she’d felt him leave her bed this morning—giving her a silent good-bye in the form of a kiss on her hair—she’d been longing to be with him again. Circumstances being what they were, they’d been apart all day. Which was all the more reason to not waste a single moment now that they could be together.
All of which was why, after the kitchen had finally been cleaned up and with Cora’s strong encouragement, she found herself interrupting the meeting in his office with a couple of the soldier guys from Baltimore.
“Haven? You okay?” Dare asked, his gaze cutting to hers where she stood in the doorway.
“Yeah. I just wanted . . .” She shrugged.
“Come in. We’re almost finished,” he said. A big architectural drawing of the racetrack lay rolled out on his desk, Dare, Shane, and a couple of others gathered around.
“So we can use this 911 system you have to communicate sector assignments with your people for tomorrow night?” a guy with dark brown hair and pale green eyes asked. Nick, she thought his name was. She and Cora had spent so little time at the Hard Ink building before Ike had brought them to the Ravens’ compound that they hadn’t gotten to know these guys. Though that didn’t change how grateful Haven would always feel to them.
“Yeah,” Dare said. “That’s the best way.”
“Then we’re set for tonight,” Nick said, looking to the other men.
“If you’re ready for bed, I got spare rooms upstairs, or you can crash out on the couches pretty much anywhere down here. If not, there’s beer, music, and a pool table in the rec room down the hall. I’ll be right there.” Dare rolled up the drawing and stashed it in the corner behind his desk.
“I’m wired, to be honest with you,” Shane said, raking a hand through his dark blond hair.
“I’ll hang,” Nick said, extending a hand to Dare. “Thanks.”
“That’s my line,” Dare said. “This is all above and beyond.”
“Not after what you did for us,” Nick said.
Dare nodded, and the guys left. Haven stepped aside to let them pass, and then she found herself alone with the man she wanted almost more than her next breath.
“Hi,” she said.
He gave her the sexiest crooked smile. “Hi.” He stepped into her space, both his hands going to her hair, pushing it back off her face, just running his fingers through it. Touching her like he always did. “What was it you wanted?” he asked, no rush or urgency to his voice.
“You.” The word fell from her lips unbidden, but she didn’t want to take it back. She didn’t have time for anything but honesty. “Just you.”
Laughter and conversation floated down the hall from the rec room, and then music started to play. An old rock ballad with a sexy, swaying beat. Something about the normalcy of the sounds made Haven smile.
“Well, that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” Dare said. “What’s that smile for?”
“The song,” she said. “I like it.”
“Do you now?” he said, dark eyes peering straight into her. He reached down, grasped her hand, and lifted it against his chest. Her fingers curled against the name badge on his cut. But stupidly, she didn’t realize what he was doing until he wrapped his other arm around her back, pulled her in tight, and started to rock them.
Dare Kenyon was dancing with her. In his office. To music playing on a jukebox in a motorcycle club’s clubhouse. And it was so amazingly perfect that it brought tears to her eyes.
Haven clutched at his hand and his shoulder, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep all this emotion from overwhelming her. A tear spilled from the corner of one eye.
He kissed it away, still swaying with her to the strains of a soulful electric guitar. “Don’t cry, pretty girl,” he said in a low, rumbling voice. “I’ve got you.”
She gave a quick nod and took a deep breath. And then she forced herself to be, to feel, to live in this moment she might never get again. Dancing with Dare, tight in his arms, bodies brushing together. Their faces were so close that the scruff on his jaw kept catching her cheek, but she wouldn’t have changed that for anything. Not anything at all.
He had her.
Her hand slid up to the back of his hair, her fingers toying with the long, soft lengths of it. She tilted her head back—and the look on his face sent her heart into a sprint. Desire. Affection. Longing. It burned from his eyes and carved pained lines into his forehead. Haven didn’t have a lot of experience, and she hadn’t been around a lot of men this way, and she’d certainly never been in love. Well, not really. Not like this. But none of that kept her from knowing that the expression he wore was one of some kind of love. Because his face looked like her chest felt.
“Dare,” she whispered.
“Haven,” he said, leaning down and kissing her softly, slowly, deeply. The kiss went on and on as they danced in a slow, rocking circle. When he finally pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. The next words that came out of his mouth . . . were sung. Gravelly, rasping, so damn sexy. “I say, my darling, you were wonderful tonight.”
His eyelids flipped open, a note of uncertainty in their brown depths. And Haven kissed that away with everything she was worth.
And then the music changed. For a moment, he didn’t stop even though the beat was entirely different. And when he did, that longing was back on his face again. “I . . . I wish things were different, Haven. Safer. For you.”
“So do I,” she whispered, and even though the words broke her heart, they also gave her something she’d never before had. The belief that someone wanted her. The knowledge that Dare wanted her. And if things were different . . .
No, she wasn’t going to waste her last night with him on an endless circle of useless wishes. Not when she had him in her grasp right now.
She pulled out of his arms but kept hold of his hand. “Come to bed with me. I want as much of you as I can get before I have to go.”
Humor slid into his eyes, though that longing was still there. “I love hearing what you want.”
“Good. Get used to it. Because I plan to tell you all night long,” she said, smiling even as heat filled her cheeks.
Dare winked and grinned. “Who is this brazen woman?”
Haven turned on him and threw her arms around his neck. “The woman I was always meant to be. Thanks to you.”
Without missing a beat, Dare kissed her hard and deep, and then he hiked her into his arms, her thighs coming around his waist. He carried her through the clubhouse that way, and she imagined some of the other men must’ve seen, because they went right past the open rec room doors.
But Haven didn’t care. Not about anyone or anything else in the whole wide world.
BY FIVE O’CLOCK on Friday afternoon, Dare felt like a time bomb ready to explode. Dread hung over him like a shroud. No matter how hard he fought it off, his brain was tripping warning bells all over the place about tonight. He felt like he was missing something. And on top of everything, he’d been so busy setting up the security measures they’d brainstormed and dealing with normal race-day issues that he hadn’t seen Haven once since he’d left her bed this morning. And now it was almost time for her to go.
Maybe it was better that way. Maybe they should let the incredible night they’d spent loving
and talking and occasionally sleeping together be their good-bye. Because he wasn’t sure how the fuck he was going to let her go if he saw her again anyway.
And now cars were pouring into the lot as race fans arrived early to eat dinner at the track or visit with the pit crews down on the field. From where Dare stood inside the control room they’d set up in the office next to the ticket window, his gaze scanned over three monitors playing feeds from various security cameras—one on each of the parking lot entrances recording vehicle information and one on the box office windows capturing faces. Randall’s men’s pictures and car descriptions were taped down on the table in front of the monitors. Joker and Blake were manning those feeds and had walkie-talkies to communicate incoming trouble if they saw it.
“Stay in touch.” Dare clapped Joker on his mountainous shoulder.
“You know it, boss,” the guy said.
Dare left the control room and passed through the back of the ticket and betting office, where four of his men were manning the windows, two of which would close once the races started at seven. For right now, though, all four guys were too busy to talk. Continuing outside, Dare checked the time on his cell again. Quarter after five. Caine, Tank, and Domino should be back any minute with everything they needed to start the road trip with Haven and Cora out to Missouri.
Dare hated how fucked their usual procedures were going to be on this relocation. Phoenix usually headed them up, but given that the Iron Cross might be in play here, everyone agreed he should stay local. So Caine was leading this trip, which was fine, though the guy wasn’t particularly good at putting people at ease. And the last thing Dare wanted was for Haven to feel uncomfortable or scared. On top of it all, they’d never rushed through making relocation arrangements so fast, and that pissed him off on Haven’s behalf. Because she deserved the best from them. Certainly, the best from him.
The late afternoon sun beat down warm and heavy, and an excited energy encompassed the whole venue as cars rolled into the lot and people streamed toward the track. Music played, announcements echoed over the loudspeakers, voices and laughter carried on the breeze, engines revved.
And all Dare wanted to do was head up to the clubhouse and steal a few final minutes with Haven. But it wasn’t in the cards. Taking a deep breath pressed the guns in the holsters at the small of his back and under his left arm into his skin, and the feeling was one of comfort. He was ready for fucking anything.
Spotting Nick and Shane down by one of the entrances to the field, Dare headed that way. He gave a wave as he neared. “How goes it?”
“We’re set,” Nick said. He and his men were in regular street clothes tonight, not wanting to call any special attention to themselves. “Patrols are in place. Communications are up and running. Everything looks good.”
The only thing keeping Dare sane was how smoothly the day had gone so far. The Brothers of Steel had arrived as promised, a dozen strong. Marz had had no difficulties getting the security cameras set up and had hacked into two potentially useful traffic cameras as well. And there’d been no major snafus on the racing side of things either. Even the weather had cooperated, giving them a gorgeous day sure to bring fans out in droves.
“All right,” Dare said. “Stay in touch.”
“Roger that,” Nick said.
Before he’d taken two steps away, Dare’s cell rang, and he looked to the screen, relieved to see Caine’s name. Fucking finally. “Caine, what’s the word?”
“We got a problem,” Caine said.
“Don’t tell me that,” Dare said, that feeling of dread creeping up his spine. He covered his other ear with his hand as an announcement echoed through the loudspeakers.
“Nothing’s ready. It may be later tonight. If not, definitely tomorrow, but good shit takes time.” Frustration was plain in the guy’s voice.
“That’s the one thing we don’t have,” Dare said, his mind whirling on how to make this work.
“I know. Tank, Domino, and I are still in the city. We’ll stay until we have everything in hand and then we’ll hustle back,” Caine said.
“Let me know the second you have it, brother,” Dare said. They hung up.
“What’s going on?” Nick asked.
“My relocation team’s delayed with what we need for Haven and Cora.” Dare sighed, thinking through the schedule.
“Fuck,” Shane said. “What are you thinking?”
Dare shook his head. “The stuff might still come through tonight, which would be fine. We could get them out late and then get in touch with the Iron Cross about tomorrow as soon as we know they’re clear.” Maybe. Possibly. Sonofabitch.
“Or you could send them out of town now. Have your team catch up with the documentation,” Nick said.
“Yeah. That’s what I’ll do if the paperwork isn’t going to be done tonight,” Dare said. He didn’t want Haven anywhere around once the Iron Cross knew the Ravens weren’t paying up.
“Play it by ear then?” Nick asked.
“For now,” Dare said, keeping his mouth shut for a moment while a big, rowdy family with a bunch of kids moved toward the entrance. When they were out of earshot, he continued, “Though we didn’t have a plan in place for protecting the women tonight.”
“We can consolidate a few of the patrol sectors at the edges,” Nick said. “That would free up people to create a protection detail to stay with them up at the clubhouse.”
Nodding, Dare considered the idea. “Think that’s better than bringing the women down here?” Part of him wanted Haven right by his fucking side, though the track was where any danger would most likely focus—assuming anything actually went down tonight. Man, was it too much to hope all this was overkill and the Iron Cross would be good on its word?
“If we get company, they’re way more likely to show up here, don’t you think?” Shane asked, echoing his thoughts.
“Yeah. All right, I’m going to consolidate sectors eleven and twelve,” Dare said. “I’ll take the former twelve team up to the clubhouse and let the women know what’s going on. Be back in twenty to thirty unless you need me sooner.”
The other men nodded. “We’ll hold down the fort,” Nick said.
Dare was already in motion and on the radio. His truck was parked in the service driveway farther down the lot, and Dare used it to pick up Jeb, Bandit, and Gunny, whose stint in the Marines and expertise with a gun made Dare particularly happy to put him on this assignment. It was the matter of a few short minutes until they walked into the clubhouse, where they found three duffel bags of the women’s meager belongings waiting by the front door and Bunny, Doc, Bear, Haven, and Cora sitting at a table in the mess hall.
“What are you doing here?” Doc asked, his face sliding into a frown.
“We’ve got a slight delay,” Dare said, his gaze going right to Haven. Fuck, she was beautiful. Beautiful and so damn innocent. Too innocent for all this bullshit. He hated it for her. “The package isn’t ready. Caine, Tank, and Domino are waiting in the city for it and will be back as soon as they have it. Probably still tonight. If not, we’ll go ahead and move the two of you a couple hours out and Caine’s team will catch up.”
A series of emotions passed over Haven’s face—concern, fear, and something that looked a lot like relief. Dare didn’t want to think too closely about why the delay might make her feel that way. “So, what do we do now?” she asked.
“Stay right here. Jeb, Bandit, and Gunny are your protection detail for the night, and they can get in touch with me at any point,” he said, gesturing to the men behind him. “I’ll check in when I can. The approach to the house is guarded, too, so you’ll be safe here for a few more hours.”
Dare’s cell rang. Dutch’s number registered on the screen. Dare put the device to his ear. “Dutch, how are you?” he asked, hoping he was doing a passable job of keeping the frustration out of his voice.
“I’m good. Shirley and I are taking you up on your offer. I’ll be there in about ten minutes,” ca
me the old man’s voice.
“Glad to hear it,” Dare said, though he couldn’t ignore the niggle in the back of his brain that didn’t want Dutch in the middle of a possible storm. “What are you driving? I’ll have someone keep an eye out for your car and follow you to your spot with the golf cart.”
Dutch answered and they hung up, and then Dare radioed that information to Phoenix, who was stationed at the main entrance.
“I better get back down there,” Dare said, wishing he had time to pull Haven into his office. Hold her. Love her. Claim her.
Fuck if her eyes weren’t filled with the same longing he felt. “Right. Sure,” she said. “Be careful.”
He gave a nod. “Always am.”
CHAPTER 29
“Will the after-party still happen?” Haven asked after Dare and the three Ravens who’d come with him left the room. She looked from Bunny to Doc, concern plain as day on their faces. She wasn’t sure how their staying longer might change things.
“I’ll guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Doc said, his voice gruff but not unkind. He gave her a small smile as he stroked at his gray beard. “All this security might yet turn out to be unnecessary. Don’t get me wrong,” he said, gripping a coffee cup in his hand. “Taking the precautions was the right way to go—Dare’s judgment was spot-on as far as that was concerned. But if nothing happens, then the rest of the night can be business as usual.”
Bunny nodded and got up from the table. “Well, since you girls are staying for a while yet, what’s say we get you some dinner?”
Haven looked at Cora and said, “I’m not very hungry, but I guess it’s a good idea.”
“Sustenance is always a good idea,” Bunny said, her eyebrow arched in a gentle, motherly reprimand. “Gotta take care of yourself, Haven.”
Haven and Cora followed Bunny into the kitchen, where there was a veritable smorgasbord of choices. They made plates of meatballs and lasagna and sat together at the table.