Laughing, he pulled her to him and buried his face in her hair. “C’mon, Alyssa. Man up. I won’t even look at you while you say it.”
Her small hands pushed on his chest. He pulled back, his laughter fading as their eyes locked. The glittering pools of amber pulled him in, letting him see into her soul. She cupped his cheeks and smiled. “You’re right, Rémi. I do love you.”
Showering kisses on his face, she rolled him onto his back. He laughed and returned her kisses. Like gurgling rapids, happiness bubbled in his chest.
She loved him.
“We can get through anything, sweetheart, as long as we’re together. The last few days have proven that.”
She straddled his waist and growled, raising her fist in mock battle. “Bring it on!”
Could a woman be more perfect for him? Alyssa was everything he wanted, everything he needed. As she lifted her hips and lowered herself onto him, he sank into her warmth. For the first time in his life he was home. He’d finally found a place where he truly belonged.
Alyssa laughed as she hopped onto the motel’s porch, waving her arms in the air like Rocky. Her morning run was the best part of her day, a time where she could forget all her problems and focus on what made her happy. And that was Rémi. A frisson of pleasure rippled through her belly as she recalled the sound of his voice when he’d admitted to loving her. She smiled. Somehow she’d have to find a way to make him repeat those words several times a day.
Constable Leroux, today’s SQ-assigned babysitter, held a stitch in his side and breathed heavily as he lumbered behind her, grumbling something that sounded an awful lot like “show-off.”
Hands on her hips, she grinned. “I know I ran your ass off. Why don’t you go to the restaurant across the street and take a break?”
He rubbed his stomach. “A break sounds good. But don’t go anywhere without me. I don’t want to get fired.”
She crossed her fingers over her heart. “Promise.”
As Leroux hiked across the parking lot, she took the stairs two at a time up to her room. Rémi would soon be back from his turn guarding Ellie’s body, and she still needed to shower. After unlocking the door and stepping into her room, she tugged the canister of pepper spray out of a hidden pocket in the canvas belt she’d worn over her running shorts. Given its status as a banned weapon, one she couldn’t carry if she wasn’t in uniform, Leroux would have had to confiscate the spray had he caught sight of it.
Just as she was about to toss the canister on the nearby desk, the door slammed shut behind her. Her stomach clenched and her heart thudded in her chest. Without even looking at who might be there, she whirled around, her finger poised over the spray’s trigger. “Get away from me!” Why the hell had she sent Leroux on a break?
A large man jumped back, hands held up to protect his averted face. Snake tattoos slithered up the man’s biceps. Her breath caught in her throat. Justin. The Vipers had come to finish her off. She grabbed the lamp off the desk and brandished it in one hand, while holding the pepper spray in the other. “I’ll blind you, then bash your brains out, motherfucker!”
Justin peered at her over his forearms. “Come now, Lacy. Is that any way to greet your old boyfriend?”
His smooth voice washed over her, bringing back a flood of memories, both good and bad. She pointed the spray toward the carpeted floor but didn’t move her finger from the trigger. “Justin—”
“No,” he said in a harsh whisper. His eyes darted around the room, and he held a long finger to his lips. “No names.”
When he’d told her his real name, he’d sworn her to secrecy, making her promise never to use it unless they were alone and somewhere surveillance-free. Did he think her room was bugged? More importantly, was her cover blown? “Did The Carver send you here to take me out?”
“Why would he want to kill you?”
Oh, maybe because she’d put Lalonde behind bars and The Carver was scared she’d do the same to him? She arched a brow but didn’t say anything.
He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Okay, maybe he has a few reasons.” He smiled. “But you know I’d never hurt you. Now put the lamp down before you injure yourself.”
“Fuck you, Nitro. Someone blew up my car yesterday. I almost died.”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Yet you show up in my room less than twenty-four hours later. Looks to me like you’ve come to finish the job.”
“If I was the hitter, you’d be dead, babe. I don’t miss.”
Her shoulders slumped, and she dropped her arms to her sides. He stepped closer and held out his hand. “Give me the lamp.”
“Why should I trust you? You’re one of them,” she spat.
He grabbed the lamp from her and set it on the desk. “Alyssa, I can’t stand you being afraid of me.”
He knows my real name. The room spun. Her knees wobbling, she swayed, and Justin grabbed her elbow. Without thinking, she raised the canister and pressed the trigger.
His arms shot up to shield his face as he doubled over. “Stop fucking spraying me!”
“Oh my God!” Her hand opened and the canister tumbled onto the carpet. What had she done? If Justin had wanted to hurt her, he’d have already done it. When he lifted his head, his eyes were bloodshot and swollen.
He blinked repeatedly. “Christ, that shit burns.” His voice sounded hoarse, as though he’d inhaled smoke.
“Don’t touch your face. You’ll just spread it and make it worse.” She ran to the dresser, opening the bottom drawer. “I’ve got some special wipes. Give me a second.”
The sooner she got the oil off him, the faster he’d recover. Justin sat on the bed while she dabbed at his face, careful to avoid his red-rimmed eyes. When she was done, she used several cloths on his arms and hands. “You should take your shirt off.” The spray would soak through it and burn his chest.
Squinting at her, he grinned. “Babe, all you had to do was ask.”
She snorted and grabbed the hem of his tank, yanking it over his head. “You’ll need to rinse your eyes out.” He followed her into the bathroom. While she rummaged through her makeup bag searching for the small bottle of baby shampoo she kept for emergencies, he leaned against the counter and watched her.
He lifted a strand of her hair and let it fall through his fingers. “I like the blonde. Suits you.”
Her gaze shot to his, reflected in the mirror. The last time they’d been together, her hair had been brown.
“Then again, I always knew you weren’t really a brunette.”
“How—” She cut herself off as heat rose to her cheeks. “Never mind.”
“The curtains match the carpet now.” He laughed and tugged gently on her hair.
She shrugged his hand off and threw the bottle of no-tears shampoo at him. “Shut up. How long have you known who I am?”
“Since the trial.” He caught the bottle against his muscular chest. “What’s this?”
“Baby shampoo. Rinse your eyes with it.”
While he was busy with the shampoo, she let her gaze her wander. The muscles of his back bunched and flexed as he splashed water on his face, and his arms seemed even bigger than before, the movements of the viper tattoos even more striking. He straightened and, using a facecloth, scrubbed his chest and stomach. Jesus. The man had the body of a fitness trainer, not a beer-swilling biker.
When he was done, she handed him a clean towel. “What gave me away?”
“I didn’t get arrested.”
Her brows drew together as she considered his response. “I don’t get it.”
“I figured someone was protecting me. I figured that someone was you.”
“Why me?”
He tugged the hem of her T-shirt up a few inches. His fingertips brushed the skin around her navel. “You still have my tattoo,” he said, his voice thick with awe.
“I….” The words died on her lips when he looked up.
“No one else would have cared enough to help.” H
is blazing eyes bore into hers, daring her to deny it. “We were really good together, babe. We still could be.”
She blew out a breath and turned away from him. There was no denying it. She had cared about him. And even through their relationship had been based on a lie, she’d enjoyed her time with him.
The man had saved her career, her sanity, and her life. She’d owed him. And she’d paid him back. “Nitro—”
His warm hands slipped around her waist from behind and pulled her against him. “I’ve missed you more than you can imagine.”
She let her head fall back against his shoulder. How could she make him understand without hurting him any more than she already had? “You need to let this go. It could never work.” She lowered her voice and whispered, “I’m a cop.”
The breath hitting her neck when he chuckled made her shiver. “I’m well aware of that. Believe me.”
Maybe in another time, another place. Maybe if she weren’t a cop and Justin weren’t a gangster, she could have fallen for him. But not now. Now her heart beat for only one man: Rémi.
“Justin, I…”
“Let’s get on my bike and leave all this shit behind. We can go someplace where it’s just you and me: no SQ, no Vipers. Just us.”
Tears pricked her eyes. He wanted to leave his whole life behind for her. What was she supposed to do now? Be honest and hurt this man who’d done nothing but protect her, or lie again? She squeezed his hands at her waist and swallowed around the lump in her throat. She’d already lied to him enough. “I’m involved with someone.”
He pulled away from her, and she turned around. For what seemed like ages, he searched her face. When he spoke, the ache in his voice clawed at her heart. “Babe, it’s only been a few months. Was I that forgettable?”
Her chest constricted, making it hard for her to breathe. She had cared about him, only not in the way he wanted. “That’s not it. It’s just that I…”
His expression darkened. “Just what? Did I mean anything to you at all?”
“I was working, all right? Infiltrating the Vipers was my job.”
He took a step toward her. She took a step back. He took another and another until her back hit the wall. He leaned in, his mouth mere inches from hers. “Let me get this straight. You slept in my bed, made love to me night after night, for three goddamn months. For what? Your job?” Air seethed through his teeth and his voice dropped dangerously low. “You fucking used me.”
She shook her head even as she shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet. “It wasn’t like that.” But it had been like that. Justin had been her safe haven in enemy territory. No one had questioned her presence in the Vipers stronghold as long as she’d been with him. But there’d been a lot more to their relationship than her security.
His top lip curled up in a menacing snarl as he leaned his forearms on the wall beside her head, caging her in. “Get over yourself, sergeant. I was your fucking cover.” He narrowed his eyes at her and growled, “Pun fully intended.”
Her pulse raced as guilt threatened to crush her heart. Reaching up, she stroked the side of his shaven face. “You might not have known who I was, but what we had together was real.” She’d had true feelings for him, just not the happily-ever-after kind. The kind she had for Rémi.
He pressed his cheek into her palm and let his lids close, as though savoring her touch. “Why didn’t you turn me in? You had enough evidence to lock me up too.”
“I owed you.”
“It was more than that.”
No way was she going there. “Why did you steal my files?” When he hesitated, she pressed. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Certain things we did together, I didn’t want getting out.”
“So you knew Lalonde made a video of my proof of loyalty.”
“He what?” A flurry of thoughts manifested on his face. Finally, he pressed his forehead to hers. “How did you find out?”
A shudder rippled through her body, and she let out a long breath. Justin understood what that video meant to her because he’d been there. He’d been as much a victim as she had. Perhaps even more. “A senior officer has it. He’s blackmailing me.”
“Tell me the cocksucker’s name. I’ll shoot a nice big hole in him and get the video back.”
She barked out a laugh even though the situation wasn’t remotely funny. “Don’t you dare. More important than getting it back is finding out how he got it in the first place.”
“You don’t think it was picked up during the SQ raid when Lalonde was arrested?”
“I searched all the evidence myself.”
Justin pushed off the wall and paced the small bathroom, hands hitched on his hips. “I’ll tell you something, but you didn’t hear it from me. In fact, you haven’t had any contact with me since, well since ever. Got that?”
“Perfectly.”
He ran a hand across the back of his neck. “Blanchette’s got a man inside the SQ.”
Excited, she moved to his side. “Who?”
The rattling of her outer door opening followed by a loud bang as it slammed shut startled her. Shit! Rémi was back. She grabbed Justin’s arm, pushing him toward the bath where she could conceal him behind the shower curtain. “Hide in there!”
“Fuck that.” He swept her behind him and reached for the gun tucked in the waistband of his jeans. She launched herself against his back, trapping his arm, and the M1911, between their bodies.
Rémi called out. “Alyssa? I got us some—”
He stumbled to a stop in the bathroom doorway, his hands loaded with a box of donuts and a cardboard tray with two cups of coffee. His eyes flicked from Nitro to her, then his gorgeous face darkened. “Who the fuck is this?”
CHAPTER 19
Rémi threw his purchases to the ground and kicked them out of the way. He dropped his weight, ready to fight. What was the blond bastard doing in Alyssa’s room? The snake tattoo on the guy’s arm caught his attention. Oh fuck. Alyssa had been right about the hit. “Let her go,” he growled.
The Viper shrugged and pointed an M1911 in Rémi’s face. “Who the fuck are you?” the guy ground out.
Rémi lowered his gaze to Alyssa, hovering behind the half-naked man, with an oh-shit-what-am-I-going-to-do-now look on her face. What exactly had he interrupted? “Alyssa?”
She scrambled forward and stepped in front of the gun, her back to him. Why did she keep doing that? Did the woman have a death wish?
“Nitro, put the gun away.”
Rémi gripped the doorframe as his mind spun out of control. A Viper was protecting Alyssa?
Nitro nudged her out of the way. “Who is he?”
Rémi reached out to pull her behind him. Nitro lunged forward trying to grab her arm. Alyssa slapped at both their hands and yelled, “Nitro, put the fucking gun down. Rémi, get into the bedroom. Both of you stop acting like goddamn cavemen.”
Nitro tucked the M1911 back into his jeans. “Sorry, babe.”
Babe? Rémi ground his teeth and spun on his heel. He took a seat in one of the chairs by the window and waited, his hands clenching and unclenching on the armrest. Alyssa had a lot of explaining to do. The guy, Nitro, was acting like a protective lover, not a hitman.
She perched on the edge of the bed and stared at him, wringing her hands in her lap. The small gesture spoke volumes. Nitro sat beside her. That gesture told him even more. He jerked to his feet. “Have a nice life,” he spat out, going for the door. He wanted to hit something. Preferably the blond Adonis’s perfect face.
“Rémi, wait. Let me explain.” Small hands wrapped around his waist and held him tightly. His anger drained away at the feel of Alyssa pressed against his back. She loved him. Didn’t she?
He twisted in her arms and peered down at her. “I really hope this isn’t what I think it is.”
She took his hand and pressed it to her heart. He could feel it pounding against his skin. “It isn’t.”
“Not exactly, anyways,” Nitro ad
ded.
“You, be quiet,” she said, glaring at him over her shoulder.
Nitro cocked a brow. “Tell me something, Lacy. Is this the guy you dumped me for?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She threw her hands up in the air and headed to the bathroom.
When the door shut, Nitro pushed to his feet. His lip pulled up in a snarl as he invaded Rémi’s personal space. “You may be the one she’s chosen, but hurt one hair on her head, and I’ll assassinate your ass.”
Lips back, teeth bared, Rémi curled his hands into fists. “You need to get the fuck out.”
“Whitedeer, right?”
“Yeah. So?” Shit, he sounded like Corey.
“Let me give you a word of advice, chief. You want to keep her safe, look close to home.”
Rémi frowned. “Drop the Dr. Seuss.”
“The drugs, asshole,” Nitro said. He shouldered his way past Rémi and opened the door. “Follow the trail.”
When the door closed behind the man, Rémi sat down in the chair. He scraped his fingers along his scalp, trying to massage away the tension headache holding his brain hostage.
Alyssa slipped into the room and glanced around. “Is he gone?” When he nodded, she knelt in front of him, her hands in his lap. “I’m so sorry, Rémi.”
“What happened to his shirt?”
“I… I.” She blushed and stared down at her fingers. His heart hammered in his chest as various scenarios trotted through his mind. She swallowed. “I pepper sprayed him.”
Rémi barked out a laugh. For the first time since opening the door to Alyssa’s room, he felt like his world was back on its axis. “He knows you’re a cop?”
“He does now.”
“He’s a hitman?”
“One of the best.”
“So they do have a hit on you.”
“All Nitro said was he wasn’t after me. But he did admit there was a mole in the SQ. You arrived right before he could give me the name.”
“Too bad I interrupted your little tête-a-tête.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
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