by Debra Kayn
Lee scanned the line of cars in the parking lot, and counted three black sedans parked in the space for room twenty-one, twenty-two, and twenty-four. What stood out was the lack of elaborate hood ornaments Los Li typically used as their signature on their fleet of cars. There would only be one reason for removing the telltale emblem. Los Li wanted to come into Federal without anyone noticing.
Cool mountain air blew over Lee's face, drying the sweat. He kept his gaze on the motel and said, "How's it looking?"
Tango held up his finger, and continued to speak low into the hidden microphone, his earpiece carefully concealed. Lee ran his hand along his belt, wishing he had his pistol. Two agents stripped him of everything when he'd arrived to meet Tango. His nine millimeter, the three-eighty in his boot. They even had him hand over his knife he always carried on him. All they left him with was his hands.
"Three minutes. The first team will surround the premises. Twenty seconds after, the second team will block off both exits from the upstairs. We have a squad surrounding the motel. Within four minutes, I'll take Baker, Sullivan, Wilcox, and Concella and go to the second landing, merging with the second team who will split up and take room twenty-one and twenty-two. My team will clean out room twenty-four. Ramchett, you're with me, stay behind us at all times. Count down starts now, men." Tango handed over a bulletproof vest to Lee.
Lee shook his head. "Pass."
Tango shoved the protection into his chest. "It's not for you, fucker. It's to make sure my niece has a man after tonight."
Lee took his leather vest off, slipped on the shield, slapped the straps over his stomach, and replaced his club vest on him. He'd rather face Herrera, knowing he'd see who was responsible than hiding behind a bulletproof vest. The last thing Herrera deserved to see was a Bantorus member taking him down for the rest of his life, because in the off chance his sentence wasn't for life, Herrera would know to expect to see him again when he stepped foot outside the gate of the prison.
However, he wore the protection, because Tango was right.
He was responsible for Shari now. He had to think about tomorrow, something he'd never done before. By his choice, he wouldn't leave her. He planned to claim her the moment he walked back into the clubhouse. If he lived past tonight.
Shari gave him a reason to want to stick around. For the first time, she had him believing she'd accept him, complete with his past, and the black marks on his soul. That kind of chance came once in a lifetime, and he wasn't foolish enough to throw it away.
"Sixty seconds," Tango whispered.
Somewhere between the night he overheard Taylor describing what happened to her when Toma' kidnapped her and now, he'd forgotten what it was like to experience joy. Kurt was going to be a father, and all Lee could think about was the safety of that child. Would he or she grow up knowing the reasons behind Risa's scar? Would Risa hide the past to allude to a life where nothing bad happened and children remained innocent and unafraid?
He could stop the fear, the destruction, and the scars. He could save Shari from ever feeling the hand of another. But he could never forget what he'd done to make sure everyone stayed safe.
"On five." Tango lifted his hand, counting down.
At the right moment, Lee followed Tango out into the open, staying low, and running. He took the stairs off the end of the building, two at a time, watched team two split up, and squeezed behind an agent in full cover armed with an automatic weapon.
Another agent stepped in front of Tango and used a battering ram against the cheap motel door. The wood splintered, and Lee fought the urge to rush inside. After all four agents entered the room, Lee followed.
"Drop the weapons," Tango yelled.
The agent named Baker said, "Hands in the air."
Four Los Li members stood in front of them. Lee's gaze rolled over their faces, and stopped on the member farthest to the left by the window. His fingers curled into a fist. Herrera.
"Drop the guns," Tango yelled again.
"One of us is not walking out of this room alive." Herrera lifted his pistol. "Any minute, my men will walk in behind you. All we have to do is wait to see who wins, si'?"
The muscles in Lee's legs flinched in tension. He wanted to shove aside the agents and get the motherfucker himself. This wasn't a pissing contest. Herrera and the rest of Los Li were done.
Tango stepped forward. "You no longer have your men watching your back, amigo. Right now, the others in this motel are handcuffed and being prepped for their trip to the Idaho state police department where the FBI is waiting for them with a book full of charges. Now, put the fucking guns down."
Lee's hand automatically went to his pistol and came back empty. A flash of panic over not finding his gun hardened into hatred. Los Li had no room to negotiate. Experience kept Lee ready to move. He'd never trust Los Li to go down easy.
"Put the guns down nice and easy." Tango moved forward.
Herrera lowered his arm, looked to his men, laughed the insane bravery of a man who wasn't afraid of dying, and whipped his arm up. The room exploded in gunfire. Tango dropped. In the flash of fire, Lee jumped over Tango and tackled Herrera, pinning his gun hand to the floor, his other hand clamped around the son of a bitch's neck.
Behind him, agents shouted for backup. Lee continued to squeeze the delicate cords on Herrera's throat, oblivious of what was happening in the room. He used all his energy on the man that had to die.
"Back away, Ramchett," Baker yelled. "We have him covered."
Lee ignored the order and leaned down into Herrera's blotchy face. "Do you see my patch?"
Herrera's eyes defied Lee. He dug his thumb into Herrera's vocal cords, while struggling to take the pistol out of his clutch.
"Take a good look at who holds your life in his hands, asshole." Lee grunted, feeling Herrera change directions and lift his wrist off the floor. "Bantorus."
Herrera gurgled, his face turning ruddy. Lee slammed Herrera's hand down and removed the gun from the fucker responsible for allowing Toma' to scar Taylor. The one who ordered Risa's kidnapping, the one who orchestrated Remmy's beatdown. Lee put the barrel to Herrera's forehead. The one who put a hit on his woman.
"God dammit, Ramchett. Back off him," Baker said. "Do not do it."
Lee let go of Herrera's neck, wanting him to hear, to see, to understand what was about to happen. Ever since he was eighteen years old and went nomad, he'd searched for the perfect time to take down Los Li. He'd given up everything and nothing, and now he had a chance to make things right and start over.
"Have the paramedics stand clear. Tango's gone," Wilcox said. "Sullivan's shot."
The news of Tango's death settled on Lee's chest. He leaned down and whispered to Herrera, "You've marked everyone in my family, and now you've taken the only person my woman had to call family."
Herrera sneered. Lee scraped the barrel of the gun across Herrera's face and planted the end of the pistol in the middle of Herrera's forehead. "I want you to see me take your life, motherfucker. Live with the knowledge that Lee Ramchett, Bantorus MC lifer, put you in hell."
"Shit," Baker said. "I've got him covered. Put the gun down, Ramchett."
Lee put firm pressure on the trigger. "It's over—"
The blast from the shot echoed in the room. Lee fell back, blood splattering his vest, his face, his eyes. He dropped the cold pistol beside him and turned to Baker.
The agent held his weapon out in front of him and slowly lowered his arm. Lee sat, legs sprawled, arms draped across his thighs. "You son of a bitch," Lee muttered.
Baker handed off his pistol to Wilcox. "I can explain my shot, but Tango gave strict instructions that you were not here. I don't know you. I haven't seen you."
Lee closed his eyes and took the gift. He was tired of hiding, tired of running, and tired of killing. He opened his eyes, stood, and stepped over to Tango's prone body. His supervisor took a bullet to the side of the head.
"You need to get out of here so we can bring in
emergency crews and get Sullivan to the hospital." Baker laid his hand on Lee's shoulder. "We'll take care of Tango's body."
Lee nodded. "His niece...Shari Tango, goes by Shari Dunley. She's staying with Bantorus Motorcycle Club outside of Federal. She'll need to talk with you. You'll have to explain..."
"Tango had papers. We'll get an order to open his file and contact her as soon as possible," Baker said. "You need to get out of here. I'll have two of our men escort you to your bike."
Lee squatted down, grasped Tango's limp hand. The risk of going after Los li was always there. He went in each time expecting never to walk out alive, but Tango's death knocked him to his knees.
Jesus, man, it wasn't supposed to end this way. We both knew I was the loose bullet. There's no reason for me to be alive and you be the one laying in your own blood. He swallowed hard, over the lump of emotions. He not only lost his supervisor, but his friend. I'm going to claim Shari, give her a home, a life within the club, and do right by her. You asked me...you asked me before if I loved her. Lee wiped his arm across his face and squeezed Tango's hand. I love her, Tango. I promise, I always will.
He inhaled deeply, stood, and walked out the door. Somewhere behind him, two agents followed, but he numbly walked straight to his Harley. The war was over. Payback fulfilled. He started the engine. The expected high never came.
Chapter Twenty Two
Risa paced along the far wall in the meeting room. Shari flicked her thumbnail back and forth against the bottom of her front teeth, agitated over not knowing what was going on. Lee left six hours ago to take care of business, and she still couldn't wrap her head around everything happening.
She understood that her uncle's job involved Los Li, and the Mexican mafia had caused trouble with Bantorus members in the past. The only thing she couldn't piece together was how Lee was involved. Was he going after Los Li himself, or was he helping Uncle Ted?
"God, how much longer?" She groaned, crossing her arm.
Risa stopped walking and shook her head. "I don't know."
It'd been two hours since Kurt received a phone call from Lee and assured her Lee was okay. Then Kurt had escorted her and Risa into the meeting room where he told them both to wait. She'd heard nothing more about the situation with Lee, Uncle Ted, or Los Li.
The Silver Girls were still in town dancing under the protection of half the Bantorus members. The other members who stayed behind at the club remained on guard. She blew out her breath. If Kurt spoke the truth and the war with Los Li was over, then why hadn't Lee come straight to her?
She sat down in the closest chair and cradled her head in her hands. Unless, he planned to leave her once his job was over. Her eyes burned and she rubbed the heels of her hands against them. Maybe she'd fooled herself into believing his need to settle into Bantorus MC after living the life of a nomad would be a permanent position instead of short term. He never spoke of the future. Her stomach ached and she inhaled a shuddering breath. He also never spoke of the past. She had nothing to go on.
He'd walked into her life when she wasn't looking for someone to love, and she'd fallen hard for him.
"Everything will be okay," Risa said, sitting down on the other side of the large, wooden table.
Mentally exhausted, Shari planted her elbow on the table and cradled her chin. "Do you really think so?"
Risa shrugged. "No, but if I keep saying it, I'll stop myself from falling apart."
Tears blurred Shari's vision. "I'm so sorry. This must be hell for you. I don't know how you handle it all. There's so much I didn't know, and I still don't understand. If I would've known the men who attacked you were a constant threat to the club. If I would've known—"
"Honey, don't. The secrets...it had to be this way for the club. You can't share the information you learned about tonight with anyone else. You can't talk with the other girls about Los Li. They're safe, you're safe, and that's how it has to be," Risa said.
"Secrets," Shari muttered. "I'm good with those."
Risa frowned. "I feel like I should've talked with you more and gotten to know your background. When I started Silver Girls, I knew most of the girls that worked for me were coming from a lifestyle they wanted to escape, and then with the club—she waved her hand in front of her—everyone starts over as a member, and moves on from there."
"It doesn't matter. I wouldn't have confided in you. I was too scared of saying or doing something to put my uncle in danger to worry about sharing secrets." Shari worked her fingers through the ends of her tangled hair.
"I know, but I could've been there when I noticed you growing closer to Lee," Risa said.
Shari's life had become one big secret, until Lee came and for once, she had someone she connected with and understood what she was going through. "I don't know what will happen with Lee. There're times when I feel like I can't exist without him, and I wonder how I coped when he wasn't here. We haven't even known each other very long, and I'm sitting here on the verge of screaming, because I'm worried about him. What if he doesn't come back to me?"
"Oh, honey," Risa said. "You've fallen in love with him."
Shari already knew she had, but admitting it hurt. "It's all good when it's good, but when it's bad I become...I don't know."
"Scared." Risa leaned back in her chair. "That's normal when you're dealing with a biker. I had these preconceived notions of how I'd want my life and thought if I ever got lucky enough to find the perfect man who'd accept me for who I am, I was going to hold on tight to him. Kurt rode into town and nothing about him coincided with what I thought I wanted."
"He wasn't good enough?" Shari asked, surprised to hear the details of Risa's relationship.
Risa laughed softly and shook her head. "Honey, he was better. The shit that scared me only made me love him more, because once he decided he wanted me, he reminded me whenever I doubted him."
Lee acted the same way. He'd warned her away, and pulled her toward him at the same time. Her days were a whirlwind, too fast to think, and too dizzying to care what tomorrow brought her. Tonight, she'd freaked.
The thought of him leaving paralyzed her with fear. Over the last six hours, she dealt with palpitations, shakes, and panic over never seeing him again. Even now, she suspected Kurt lied and something awful had happened to Lee. She'd had the same reaction when Uncle Ted dropped her off in Federal, and promised he'd be back as soon as it was safe.
Obviously, she had abandonment issues for a valid reason. Her head pounded.
Her parents died and left her when she was six years old. The young child in her understood that car accidents happened when you least expected it, but her parents had promised to come home after their once a week date. They'd dropped her off with Uncle Ted and walked out of the house. She shivered and rubbed her arms. She'd accepted the tragic event a long time ago, and there was no reason for the sad memories to crop up now. She barely remembered them.
"I'm sure we'll work it out." Shari cupped the back of her neck and messaged her neck. "I just wish he would've came back and—"
The door swung open. Shari whipped around in her chair and gasped. Lee stood in the room. She scrambled out of the chair and stood, but he remained in the doorway.
His wet hair dripped onto his bare chest, his bleak gaze stared through her, leaving her chilled. The distance between them left her aching. She walked to him, afraid to make any sudden movement, because his tense body appeared ready to bolt out the door.
She stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something. He always spoke. Even when he had nothing to say, he talked to her about everything and nothing. He'd oftentimes rambled in the dark as she lay in bed fighting sleep. She always stayed awake, because it was everything he wasn't saying that she wanted to hear. She'd figured out that when something was bothering him, he liked to pretend he was okay and discuss motorcycles or places he'd traveled.
It was during those times when he talked her ear off that she got to know him the best. She trusted him. She be
lieved in him. She was close to him.
The silence coming from him cut deep into her heart and left her bleeding.
She carefully placed her hands on his chest and whispered, "Lee?"
He grasped her waist, lifted, and held her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. "Lee?"
"Quiet," he said, his voice raspy and low.
He walked out of the room carrying her. She planted her face in the crook of his neck, feeling his heart pound. He was alive and in her arms. He'd come back to her.
Up the stairs and straight into his room, he packed her inside and kicked the door shut. He set her on the floor. His hands cupped her face and he stared at her. Unable to see inside of him, she waited for him to open up to her.
The tension rolled off him and she clutched his wrists, holding him close to her. "What happened?"
His body, hard and impenetrable, shuddered. He leaned forward and nuzzled her nose. "Take off your clothes."
Her sex convulsed at the need in his voice. She unsnapped her shorts, and wiggled out of her panties, letting the clothes drop to the floor. Whatever he wanted, she'd give him. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, she pulled the material over her head, only to find him ripping off his jeans. She barely got her arms down and he walked her back to the bed, landing on top of her.
He paused for a moment. "Need you, and I don't have a condom. I'm clean, doll. Tell me you're on the pill."
She nodded. "Birth control shots."
"Good." He hooked his hand behind her knee, and then the other knee, pinning her to the mattress.
He thrust inside of her.
"Fuck," he breathed, holding himself rigid.
He bent his neck, latched on to her nipple, and ground his pelvis against her, sinking deep inside. She moaned, the pressure, the position, the desperation set a tremor off to rock her body.