I whirled to see the disgust written plainly on his face.
Shit. Bikers and truckers. Just like oil and water.
“Dave, thanks for all you’ve done, but you should get going now,” I said without much hope.
Hellhound eyed Dave expressionlessly. The streetlights didn’t flatter his ugly, bearded face. The leather jacket creaked as his bulky shoulders flexed. “What’s up, darlin’?” he rasped. “I heard ya got a problem. This it?”
“No, Dave’s part of the solution. I’d probably be dead if not for him.”
“Oh.” Hellhound’s posture relaxed, and he extended his hand to Dave. “Arnie Helmand. Thanks for lookin’ after Aydan.”
“Dave Shore.” Dave warily shook Hellhound’s hand.
“What now, darlin’?” Hellhound asked, turning to me.
“Now Dave leaves, and you and I have a talk.”
“Oh.” Hellhound eyed me with poorly concealed trepidation.
“Look, does he know the whole story?” Dave broke in.
“Dave, Arnie knows more of the story than you do. But thanks for all you’ve done. You need to get going now.”
“You shouldn’t do this alone… he began.
“Dave…” I stopped, realizing the futility of arguing. “Thanks, Dave,” I said instead. “Right now, I need you to go so I can talk with Arnie, but I’ll hang onto your card and call you before I do anything, okay?”
“Promise,” Dave growled, still eyeing Hellhound with mistrust.
“I promise,” I lied guiltily. If lying was the only way to keep him safe, my conscience would just have to suck it up.
“Okay. You call me as soon as you’re ready to move.” Dave squeezed my hand, and limped reluctantly back to his truck. We watched him pull away before I turned to Hellhound.
“Now, darlin’, ya know I warned ya,” he muttered defensively.
“What?” I blinked at him. “What are you talking about?”
“We talked about this. I told ya not to get attached. We agreed, no possessive, needy bullshit. Sorry you’re upset, but that’s the way it’s gotta be.” He was edging away.
“Whoa! Hold on, not so fast!” I grabbed his sleeve.
“Aw, come on, Aydan, don’t make this ugly.” He scuffed a boot at the pavement, not meeting my eyes. “I didn’t wanna hurt ya, but…”
“Jesus, Arnie, you think I’m upset that you turned me down?”
“You chicks always get all bent outta shape when I don’t call,” he mumbled. “An’ then you’re pissed when I say I’m busy…”
“Hey!” I shook his arm. “Hello! Earth to Arnie!”
He jerked startled eyes to my face.
“Arnie, you know me better than that!” I grabbed him by the shoulders to give him a gentle shake, desperate to make him understand. “Jeez, you’re talking to the one person on the planet that’s more phobic about commitment than you are! You know damn well I don’t want to get attached, to you or anybody else.”
He gazed at me, apparently unconvinced. I bit back a hiss of frustration and tried again. “Look, we promised not to lie to each other. If you say you’re busy, I’m not going to take it personally. I figure if you don’t want to see me again, you’ll tell me. Otherwise, I just assume we’re good.”
“Ya mean ya ain’t mad?”
“Of course not, why would I be?”
He peered at me uncertainly in the dim light. “Ya said we hadta have a talk. When chicks say that, it’s always fuckin’ bad news.”
“Arnie, you know I don’t pull that shit. Just pretend I’m one of your guy friends.”
He blew out a sigh as his shoulders relaxed. “Christ, darlin’, ya had me worried there. So we’re good?”
“We’re good. Same as always. What you see is what you get.”
His old teasing smile came back. “I like the sound a’ that, darlin’, ‘cause I ain’t been gettin’ any lately.”
The tension drained out of my body. I didn’t want to admit how much his friendship meant to me. Along with the benefits of that friendship. I leaned into him. “We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”
“Yeah.” He pulled me closer and gave me the opportunity to compare his kissing technique with Dante’s.
Oh. My.
He was definitely still in a class by himself. And it had been ‘way too long since I’d sampled that class.
A few steamy minutes later, he pulled away, his eyes black in the dim light. “So what’d ya wanna talk about?” he asked hoarsely.
“Uh.” I refocused with an effort. “Long story.” I tugged him toward the buildings. “I don’t want to be seen. I shouldn’t have been standing out here so long.”
“Coffee shop’s still open.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the hotel.
“No, let’s stay out of sight. Have you seen James lately?” I asked as we headed for a darkened corner of the hotel.
He frowned. “Not for a coupla days. Why?”
“He beat Nichele up and said he was going to kill her…”
“Shit!”
Hellhound’s yell rang out as I was jerked backward into the shadows. Something very hard ground into my back and a massive arm across my throat crushed me against the tall, muscular body behind me.
“What the fuck?” Hellhound rasped.
I took a shaky breath and pulled cautiously at the arm with both hands. I might as well have tried to wrestle a bronze statue. “Is that a gun in my back, or are you just really happy to see me?” I quavered.
“Don’t do anything stupid, or I’ll shoot you right now,” Kane ground out.
“Ya ain’t gonna shoot Aydan,” Hellhound protested. He stared at Kane in consternation. “Ya said ya hadta talk to her. Ya said it was a fuckin’ emergency. What the hell…”
“Time for you to go, Hellhound,” Kane said. “Get on your bike and get out of here.”
“I don’t fuckin’ think so,” Hellhound retorted. “What the hell’s goin’ on?”
“Leave,” Kane barked. “Now. That’s an order.”
Hellhound stiffened. “Come on, Cap, what the fuck?”
“Arnie,” I said quietly, feeling the tension in Kane’s body. “Just do what he says.”
“This is bullshit!” Hellhound snapped. “I ain’t gonna-”
“Arnie, please, just go!” I widened my eyes at him, willing him to listen. “You don’t want to get in the middle of this.”
“In the middle a’ what?” he demanded. “Put the gun away, Cap, an’ tell me what the hell’s goin’ on, an’ then maybe I’ll think about leavin’.”
“I can’t do that.” Kane’s voice was grim.
“What d’ya mean, ya can’t? Ya ain’t gonna shoot Aydan, so stop dickin’ around.”
“Arnie, if you push it, he’ll shoot me. Believe it. Please, just go,” I pleaded.
Hellhound shot an incredulous glance at us. His face darkened into a scowl. “Then he’s gonna hafta shoot me, too,” he growled.
Kane’s grip tightened on my neck. “Arnie, you don’t know what’s happening. Get out of here, now. I’ll explain later. Please.”
“No.”
I heard the faint but distinct sound of teeth grinding behind me. “Fine,” Kane said. “Here’s the deal, then. We’re going to take a nice, casual walk through the hotel. If either of you makes a sudden move, I’ll shoot Aydan. No matter how many witnesses there are. Clear?”
“But, Cap…” Arnie sounded lost.
“Move.” Kane released his grip on my neck and nodded forward, his gun rock-steady in his hand. Arnie and I moved slowly in the direction he’d indicated.
When we approached the entrance, he slipped the weapon into his jacket pocket, but I knew it would still be trained on me. And I knew he wouldn’t miss.
I walked stiffly down the corridor as Kane directed, half-expecting a bullet in the back.
“That’s it. Stop at 210,” he commanded.
He held out a cardkey toward Arnie, his gun still held unmoving inside his jac
ket pocket. “Open it. No tricks, or she’s dead.”
Arnie took it slowly and unlocked the door.
“Inside. Hellhound first.”
Hellhound stepped into the room, and I followed. We stood side by side as the door swung shut behind Kane. He slipped his gun out of his pocket to aim it at me again.
“What the fuck, Cap?” Arnie hissed. “Drop the act. What’s goin’ down?”
“No act.” Kane’s voice was as hard as his eyes. “I have orders.”
Hellhound made a sudden move, but Kane was faster. There was a tiny flat report and Arnie’s body hit the floor with a heavy thud.
I gaped in shock and disbelief for a frozen second. By the time I jerked my gaze back to Kane, I had exactly enough time to glimpse the small trank gun in his left hand before he pulled the trigger again.
My last coherent emotion was fury.
I had just begun to register the yielding surface under me when my left arm was yanked roughly above my head. Cold steel tore at my wrist and my knuckles slammed into something agonizingly hard. The bruise on my forearm seared fire into my bones.
“Aaagh!”
My arm jerked viciously and repeatedly, pain hammering through my knuckles all the way to my shoulder. Cries wrenched out of me while I fought to escape the torture, my body flopping ineffectually with still-spastic muscles.
“Stop struggling. You’re hurting her.” Kane’s voice was dispassionate.
“Shit!” Hellhound’s voice sounded next to my ear, and the pull eased suddenly. “Ya fuckin’ asshole!”
I couldn’t suppress a sob of relief when my arm relaxed.
“Shit! Aydan, I’m sorry, are ya okay?” Hellhound’s gentle hand stroked my hair away from my face. “Talk to me, darlin’.”
I blinked and shook my head, trying to catch my breath and clear my vision. Hellhound’s face swam into focus beside me on the pillow.
“Wha…” My tongue didn’t want to cooperate.
“Fuckin’ prick,” Hellhound spat. “Handcuffed us to the bed. Sorry, Aydan, I didn’t know ya were on the other end. I didn’t mean to hurt ya.” He brushed a kiss across my lips. “Come on, darlin’, try an’ move up a bit. It’ll take some a’ the pressure off.”
I peered up at my left wrist, handcuffed to Hellhound’s right. The chain of the manacles passed around a sturdy post in the centre of the bed’s headboard. Together, we heaved and squirmed toward the head of the bed. My arm throbbed mercilessly.
“Well.” I swallowed thickly and licked numb lips. “Well, this is cozy.” I glared at Kane as he loomed over the foot of the bed. “What do you want?”
Hellhound’s free arm closed around me protectively. “Ignore him. When he’s ready to stop actin’ like an asshole, then we’ll talk.”
“Shut up.” Kane glowered at his best friend.
“Don’t be a dickhead,” Hellhound retorted. “I can’t believe you’re pullin’ this shit on us. What the fuck’s your problem?”
Kane turned his scowl back to me. “Thanks for betraying my trust.”
I jerked up, momentarily forgetting the handcuff in my rage. “Ow! Fuck!” I fell back on the bed again, clutching my aching arm. “Betraying your trust! That’s pretty goddamn funny. I’ve been trusting you all this time. I was ready to take a fucking bullet for you, you asshole, and what have you done for me? Murdered my husband, lied to me for months, fucked with my mind, and now this? Fuck you, buddy! You can stuff trust right up your ass! Sideways!”
“Ya killed her husband? What the hell?” Hellhound demanded.
Kane ignored him and fixed his iron gaze on me. “You went rogue. Stemp gave the order. I’m giving you a chance to explain.”
“Don’t do me any fucking favours,” I snarled. “You know damn well I wouldn’t go rogue.”
“What were you doing, then?” he demanded.
“You undo this cuff, and we’ll talk.”
“Like hell. You’re not getting another chance to lie to me and take off.”
“I never lied to you! Let me go.” Captivity was starting to have its usual effect on me. My heart pounded and I gasped uneven breaths. “Let me go.”
“Come on, Cap. Ya know Aydan can’t stand bein’ tied up.” Hellhound eyed Kane. “It’s just a misunderstandin’. Take off the cuffs an’ we can talk about it.”
Kane crossed his arms over his chest, his expression remote. “The sooner you talk, the sooner I’ll let you go. Simple.”
“John, please. I was just visiting my aunt in Victoria. That’s all.” I gave him an imploring look as my hands turned clammy. “Please just take the cuffs off.”
Kane snorted. “Visiting your aunt. That’s a good one.”
“It’s the truth. Ask at the nursing home.” I clenched my teeth together on panic. Stay calm.
Hellhound shot a worried look at me and turned to scowl at Kane. “Fuck, Cap, she told ya what ya wanted to know. Let her go. What the hell’s goin’ on, anyway?”
“I’ll let her go when she tells me the truth. And while we’re waiting, you can tell me why the hell you were going to jump me.”
Arnie glared. “I wasn’t. But it woulda served ya right if I did. Ya lied to me. What the fuck was that?”
Kane’s lips tightened. “Sorry,” he said evenly. “I couldn’t take a chance on telling you the real reason I needed to see her. I didn’t know what she’d told you…”
“An’ ya thought what?” Hellhound interrupted. “Ya thought I’d stab ya in the back after all we been through? That’s bullshit, an’ ya know it.”
Kane blew out a breath between his teeth. “I know the two of you are… close.” He shot a glance at Arnie’s arm around me. “I thought she might try to turn you against me.”
Arnie went still. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. “Ya know goddam well Aydan wouldn’t do that, an’ ya know goddam well I’d never turn on ya, no matter what anybody offered. But right now you’re doin’ a helluva good job makin’ me wonder why.”
“Look, I said I’m sorry, and I am,” Kane said. “But Aydan may not be the person you think she is, and I couldn’t take a chance on having you caught in the middle. Just tell me what she told you. I’ll uncuff you, and you can leave.”
“What about uncuffin’ Aydan?”
Kane shot me a cold look. “We’ll see.”
Arnie scowled. “She ain’t told me nothin’ yet. Didn’t have a chance. I got a message on my computer sayin’ to be here, an’ here I am. That’s all I know.”
“Bullshit. We’ve been watching your email. You didn’t get any messages.”
Hellhound gave him a look that dropped the air temperature by about fifty degrees. “So now you’re callin’ me a liar an’ spyin’ on me? We been brothers for forty-some years, an’ you’re pullin’ this shit on me now?”
Kane eyed him, silent and expressionless.
“I already told ya, she ain’t told me nothin’. Ya gonna work me over now?” Hellhound grated. “Gonna make me talk?”
Kane flushed. “Just tell me what she told you, goddammit!”
Hellhound’s face set like granite. “Helmand, Arnold. Corporal, retired, Canadian Armed Forces, service number-”
“Cut the crap,” Kane snapped.
“Helmand, Arnold. Corporal, retired, Canadian Armed Forces-”
“Fine!” Kane threw himself into a chair. “I can wait. She’ll crack any time now.”
Hellhound turned to face me on the pillow. “Hey, darlin’.” His free hand stroked my hair.
“Hey,” I responded weakly, trying to control my urge to scream and struggle against the handcuff.
His arm slid around me and he pulled me closer. “Ya got any bondage fantasies?”
I gave him a tremulous smile, and he kissed me gently. I couldn’t believe it when his hand drifted down to pull my T-shirt free of my jeans.
He nuzzled my ear, the prickling of his whiskers sending a cascade of shivers down my neck. “Wanna play, darlin’? This bondage thing’s givin’ me a
helluva hard-on.” His hand slid under my shirt, caressing my skin while he kissed me again.
“Knock it off.” Kane sounded thoroughly irritated.
I suddenly realized what Arnie was doing. Killing two birds with one stone. Distracting me from my panic, and annoying the snot out of Kane at the same time.
Hell, I was onboard with both those goals. I smiled against Arnie’s lips.
“Actually,” I murmured, “I do have a particularly kinky fantasy involving handcuffs and an audience.”
“Oh, really?” He deepened the kiss, his tongue making seductive promises I knew he could keep. Wildly exceed, as a matter of fact. I draped a leg over his hip and fumbled one-handed at the button on his jeans.
“That’s enough,” Kane growled. “Cut it out.”
Hellhound chuckled. “Nah, that ain’t nearly enough.” He rolled on top of me, parting my legs with his knee while he kissed me hungrily. He pulled away a few inches to smile down at me while his free hand coasted down to fondle my ass before migrating slowly up again. “She’s gotta come seven or eight times before it’s enough.”
“I said, cut it out!” Kane barked.
I’d been hoping he’d realize we weren’t going to cooperate until he took the cuffs off, but he sounded mad enough to shoot us again instead.
Undeterred, Hellhound’s hand slid back under my shirt. “Oh, God, Arnie,” I gasped, only slightly over-acting as his fingers slipped inside my bra. Okay, not over-acting at all. Those gifted hands, oh hell, yeah…
He kissed his way across my throat, the roughness of his beard and moustache sending sizzling pulses zipping to all sorts of sensitive places. I let my head fall back, eyes half-closed while I emitted soft, breathless cries.
“Oh… Hellhound… Oh, baby…”
I moaned, giving it all I had. It wasn’t much of a stretch. He was making it very easy to be convincing.
Heat radiated through my jeans as his denim-clad thigh rubbed slowly between my legs. When his teeth and tongue found the magic spot near my collarbone, my hips automatically matched his rhythm, and I sucked in a shivering breath. “Oh… God, yes…”
Kane rocketed to his feet. “Enough, goddammit!” His enraged shout was all but drowned out by the thunderous pounding on the door.
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