“Bullshit, Dawson!” he exploded, his voice booming so loudly it made Piper cry out. “You’ve talked to the cops, asshole. You told Eli I wasn’t interested in the deal so his suppliers would shut it down! You’ve hung me out to dry, and here I thought you were my partner in all this. I had over a million coming in from this next order, half of which was headed straight to your bank account, and you had to go and fuck it all up. Did you even stop to think that if we weren’t running this operation, one of the other clubs would be banking on it? It’s just a matter of who claims the territory first.”
Jace shook his head, smelling the alcohol on Alec’s breath and recognizing the crack in the façade. “It’s not about the money or the guns, Alec. I have to walk away because I can’t watch another one of our brothers get hurt or killed. It was getting too dangerous, Alec. And just so you know, I haven’t told the cops anything yet, but the Feds are on your ass. They know what’s going on, and they’ll find you and book you with or without my help.”
Roaring wordlessly, Alec took a step toward Jace, touching the gun to his forehead. “Do you know who I’ve been relying on since you decided to turn on me? Ron, the sniveling fuck who thought he was worthy of taking your place. You screwed me over, Jace.”
Jace cast a sidelong glance toward Piper, whose lip was quivering as she fought the instinct to scream.
“You don’t want to kill me, Alec. You don’t want to hurt anyone. What about Patty? If you kill me, you’re going to prison. You’ll never make it out of this motel without getting caught, and then you’ll lose the person who cares most about you in this world.”
“Shut up, Dawson!” Pressing the gun harder against his head, Alec turned his focus to Piper. “I do want to kill you. But first, I want you to experience betrayal the way I have. Maybe I’ll have a little fun with your old lady here...give her a taste of what a real man feels like. Make you watch, son.” Keeping the gun pointed at Jace, he took a step toward the bed, his hand gripping Piper’s ankle, pulling her to the edge of the bed.
Jace swung out, trying to knock the gun out of Alec’s hand. The gun fired and Jace tackled him around the waist, knocking the gun from his hand. It slid across the floor and came to rest beneath the small table. Alec fought hard, fists flying, hitting Jace in the jaw.
“I’m going to kill you!” Alec bellowed.
Jace growled, his fist slamming into Alec’s face again and again.
Alec reached out, fingertips grazing the gun until he had it in his hand once again, and he tried to fire it at Jace, who struggled to pull it from his hand, the barrel waving back and forth between them as they fought for control.
Piper could hear the strangled breathing of the men, watched the blood streaming from Alec’s nose, a scream pouring from her lips. Frantic, she scrambled to her feet when the door to the room flew open. She instantly recognized the two agents from the hospital as they came into the room, guns drawn. She pressed herself against the wall as they focused on the two men fighting it out on the floor.
Piper heard a familiar voice call her name, and she looked around the corner to find her sister cowering in the doorway. “Sterling! Get out of here!”
The commotion was getting louder and louder, and another gun went off. Both agents hit the floor and Piper did the same until she heard a squeal of pain and realized it was her sister. Dragging the sheet with her as she crawled toward the front of the room, she saw Sterling slide down the wall, her hand covered in blood.
“Sterling, don’t move!”
Alvarez hit the door, took one look at Sterling, and aimed his gun at Jace and Alec. Alec had Jace pinned down to the floor, and the gun was slowly turning toward Jace’s chest.
“Please, no, please...” Piper prayed in a panicked whisper.
Alvarez fired his gun, and there was a split second of chaos before everything froze. Jace cursed, Alec grunted, and Piper knew she’d let out a cry of her own, fearing the worst as both men on the floor went stock still. Morris and Resner were on their feet and pulled Alec away from Jace as Piper watched in horror, seeing blood on both of them and trying to decipher whose blood it was.
When Jace sat up, the wave of relief was so strong she couldn’t stop the instantaneous tears from flowing. Wiping a streak of blood from his face, he glared at Alec, who hung limp from the two agents’ arms, before he moved over to Piper, pulling her into his arms, holding her tighter than he ever had before.
She squeezed his shoulders, noticing cuts, scrapes, and what she knew would later become bruises, but he seemed to be okay and she cried out in relief.
“I was so afraid I’d lose you...”
Jace kissed her forehead tenderly, his strong arms wrapping around her, protecting her.
“I know...but I’m okay. I love you, Piper.”
“I love you, too.”
Jace let out a deep breath, exhaustion settling in. “You should go check on your sister. Make sure she’s okay.”
Piper nodded before moving to where Sterling rested, her back propped against the wall as she winced in pain from the wild bullet that seemed, upon closer inspection, to have grazed her arm, skimming it rather than going through.
“It burns like hell,” she laughed as Piper inspected the wound and tore the bed sheet to make a tourniquet for it.
Piper offered her a wavering smile. “I’m sure it does, but it could have been a lot worse. What the hell were you thinking coming here? You could have been killed.”
“I could say the same thing to you!” she countered, hissing as Piper tied the cloth tightly around the wound. “You should have just told me where you were and what was going on. You should have trusted me.”
Piper nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “I know...I’m sorry, Sterling.”
Sterling smiled weakly, her head resting on the wall behind her. “Just don’t ever do it again.”
Piper smiled and then turned to the agents, who knelt next to Alec. “I can help him.”
Morris looked at her with surprise before shaking his head. “I called the paramedics. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
She nodded as she grabbed her backpack and headed to the bathroom where Jace was waiting. Inside, she collapsed against his chest, the tension leaving her body as his arms enveloped her in a comforting embrace.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked him, her voice muffled with her lips pressed to his skin.
“I’m fine, baby.” He caressed her hair before pulling her back so he could plant a reassuring kiss on her lips. “We’re going to be okay. Alec’s going to the hospital, then to jail, and with him out of the picture, no one else in the club will have the balls to come after me. Everything’s going to be just fine, Piper.” He ran his fingers through her hair and felt a shiver flutter down her spine. “Get dressed so we can get back out there. You need to be with your sister until the ambulance gets here.”
Nodding, she did as he told her to. She waited with her sister until the paramedics arrived and lifted her into the ambulance.
“You’re going to be just fine, sis.” Piper kissed her sister on the cheek before jumping down from the ambulance. She made her way back to Jace, who wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders.
“We’ve got Alec on breaking and entering, attempted murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and there will likely be a ton of other charges when this all comes out, even before the gun smuggling charges are laid. When we present the evidence that he’s a threat to you and tell the judge it’s going to take a few days to get you locked down somewhere safe, he won’t make bail, and no one’s going to be allowed in his hospital room except law enforcement. You’re safe now.”
Jace nodded, patting the agent on the shoulder. “Thanks, Resner.”
Gathering his things, he guided Piper out the door and over to where his bike stood in the darkness of the night. “Let’s go to my place.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Yeah, I’m
sure. Besides, we can get a cop posted outside the door.” Jace smiled that incredibly sexy lopsided grin that took Piper’s breath away. “I just want to get you in my bed.” His arms went around her and he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her with heated demand, a kiss of love and promise that went straight to her heart.
“There’s plenty of time for that,” she laughed, burying her hands in his hair. “Because I don’t plan to leave your side.”
His hands stroked lovingly over her back and she could feel his heartbeat against her chest.
“Good, because I don’t plan to ever let you go.” The words blew quietly across her forehead, his voice soothing as he tightened his hold on her. He brushed her hair from her face, kissing her long and deep, his hands holding hers, promising to never let go. When he finally broke away, she saw that there were unshed tears swimming in his eyes.
“Let’s get out of here.”
He swung a leg over his bike, revving it as she climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Before long they were cruising down the highway, the warm night air fueling their senses, and for the first time in a long time they felt truly free.
About The Author
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Hunter writes contemporary and paranormal romance stories that feature irresistibly powerful alpha heroes and beautifully curvy heroines.
Connect with Adriana on her website at http://www.AdrianaHunter.com and subscribe to her official newsletter at http://www.SpicyTales.com for details on upcoming books!
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Also By Adriana Hunter
ROMANCE NOVELS
Sweet Surrender
Rock Hard
Fight For You (New Adult Romance)
All American Wolf (Paranormal Romance)
ROMANCE NOVELLAS
Truth Or Dare
Something Borrowed
For Keeps
Made For The Billionaire
Full Throttle (Biker Romance)
Riding Danger (BBW Biker Romance)
Learning Curve
Captive Heart
PARANORMAL ROMANCE STORIES
All American Wolf
Taming The Alpha & Claiming The Alpha
Better Mate Than Never (Shifter Romance)
Shifting Hearts (Werewolf Romance)
ANTHOLOGIES
Curve Crazy (BBW Romance Collection)
To Love An Alpha (Shifter Romance Collection)
Dangerous Desires (Bad Boys & Billionaires)
Adriana Hunter’s Newsletter
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Excerpt From Captive Heart
Now available on Amazon: http://j.mp/1nME5qP
Lainey rolled over again, facing the wall, wishing for sleep to come back. But then she was aware of movement behind her, the subtle swish of the curtain moving, a sliver of yellow light hitting the wall in front of her.
A footstep, then two, and she froze. Someone was in the room with her and she was naked and alone. Should she scream? Yell for Gideon? Her heart beat loudly against her chest, her breathing fast.
“If you’re not going to use that blanket, can I have it?”
At the sound of Gideon’s voice, Lainey sat up, wide-eyed. Gideon was backlit, standing in the doorway.
“Turn around! And close the curtain. And no, you can’t have the blanket.” Lainey groped over the edge of the low cot, feeling on the floor for the blanket. She snatched it up, struggling to cover herself.
“I closed my eyes. Does that count?” The smile in his voice was unmistakable, and it irritated her.
“Not funny. You shouldn’t sneak up on people when they’re sleeping.” She sat up on the cot, pulling her legs beneath the blanket.
“Sorry about that. But I wasn’t expecting to find a naked woman lying on my cot.”
“I’m not naked... And I didn’t know it was your cot.”
Gideon moved further into the room and the curtain fell behind him, cutting off the light, throwing the room into darkness again.
“Wait. Are you sleeping here? With me?” Lainey hugged her knees to her chest, the blanket wrapped tightly around her body. Sweat was already trickling down her sides and the back of her knees.
“There aren’t too many choices here. And as appealing as it sounds, I’m not sleeping with you. I’m sleeping on the floor.”
His words – the slight slurring of those words – took her off guard. Her heart rate had slowed, but now, with the thought of Gideon in the same room, it skittered along in a totally different way, an unexpected shiver running down her spine.
“Are you drunk?”
“I’ve had some wine, yes. But not too much. Part of Francesca’s fee involves alcohol. And she insists we share.” He began moving around the small room. There was the scrape of a chair on wood followed by the thud of Gideon’s boots hitting the floor.
“Don’t worry though. I only do one thing at a time, and right now, you hired me to find your brother. Besides, you’re off the market, even if I was off the job and we were in slightly better accommodations.”
Lainey’s mind was racing, none of Gideon’s words making sense to her. He despised her, or at the very least, tolerated her. He’d been trying to get rid of her every step of the way. And now this revelation, that the only reason he wasn’t making a move was because he thought she was in a relationship.
“Wait, what? What do you mean, I’m off the market?”
The sound of a zipper seemed overly loud in the heavy dark. Lainey closed her eyes even though she couldn’t see anything. The thought of Gideon taking off his clothes was suddenly too much. Then there was the sound of fabric rustling and something soft hitting the floor.
“You have a boyfriend.” His voice was muffled.
“I do not have a boyfriend. Who told you that I did?”
“Scott Navarro.” Gideon’s words came to her from somewhere near the floor, and she assumed he was lying down on the rough wood. A momentary pang of guilt shot through her, but not enough to give up her blanket for him.
“Scott told you I had a boyfriend?”
“No, Scott told me he was your boyfriend.”
Lainey sat up in stunned silence. The blanket slipped off her shoulder and pooled in her lap. She stared in the dark at the spot on the floor where she thought Gideon lay. Why would Scott say that?
“I take it by your silence that’s the truth.” Gideon’s comment was more statement than question.
Lainey finally found her voice. “No, it’s not. He’s not, I mean, not anymore. He used to be a long time ago. But we broke up. It’s been a long, long time.”
Now Gideon was silent. Lainey lay back, tugging the blanket over her shoulder, finally deciding he’d fallen asleep, either because he was drunk or he’d lost interest in the topic. How could he do that? He’d basically admitted he wanted to sleep with her, something so unexpected she had no way to even think about it. And then he’d fallen asleep.
After a long time, there was a grunt from the floor, the sound of Gideon turning over.
“I guess I’m working with the wrong intel then. It’s rare that I do that. I must be slipping.” Gideon paused. “Even more odd that Scott would lie. Makes me wonder what else he’s lied about.” Gideon shifted again. “Apparently he’s still carrying a torch for you, Lainey. A pretty hefty torch.”
‘What’s awkward for you is painful for me.’ Scott’s words echoed in her head. Was that why he offered to help with the money for Gideon? Did he want to try to get back into some kind of relationship with her, even if it meant her being in his debt?
“He told you that when he delivered the money, right? That we were together?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“
Why did you ask to meet with him? Didn’t you trust me?”
“I didn’t ask to meet him. He asked to meet with me.”
Why the hell would Scott set it all up this way? Did Gideon typically hit on his clients or was Scott hedging his bets?
Lainey shifted restlessly on the narrow cot. “None of this matters anyway. I’m only concerned with bringing my brother home. Nothing else.” She fought to steady the quiver in her voice.
“Good. That’s all that should matter.” His voice was gruff, his tone serious.
There was movement on the floor and when he spoke, Gideon’s voice was very close, his breath against her ear.
“Listen, what I said, maybe I was out of line.” He drew a breath and then let out a deep sigh. “Maybe I had a little too much of Francesca’s wine. Maybe I’m getting too old for this. I don’t know.” He voice had a weary tone. Lainey held her breath.
In the dark the cot shook briefly, and then the warmth of Gideon’s hand slid down her arm, fingers brushing against her blanket-covered breast. Lainey jerked, goose bumps prickling her skin. But his hand moved lower, his fingers finding hers. He grabbed her hand and gave it a brief squeeze.
“I’m sorry.” He released her hand and settled back on the floor. “Now get some sleep.”
Now available on Amazon: http://j.mp/1nME5qP
Also by Adriana Hunter
Guilty Pleasures
Surrender: Dominated By The Billionaire (Guilty Pleasures #1) BBW Erotic Romance
Surrender: Dominated By The Billionaire (Guilty Pleasures #1)
Stripped (Dominated By The Billionaire) Guilty Pleasures #2 - BBW Erotic Romance
Stripped (Dominated By The Billionaire) Guilty Pleasures #2 - BBW Erotic Romance
Submission: Guilty Pleasures #3 (BBW Erotic Romance)
Plus Size Loving
Learning Curve (BBW Erotic Romance)
Gentlemen Prefer Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)
Riding Danger (BBW Biker Romance) Page 9