Barely Undercover: Legal Heat, Book 2

by Sarah Castille

  When his heart stopped pounding, he leaned his forehead against hers and brushed kisses over the freckles dusting her cheeks.

  “And then would you have done that?” she murmured

  A smile ghosted his lips. “No. I would have teased you for at least another hour until you were begging me to take you. And then I would have taken you home and fucked you all night long. Some things aren’t meant to be shared.”

  Lana lifted an eyebrow and her green eyes glowed warm and deep, like an emerald sea. “When can we go back?”

  Lana awoke to the rumble of thunder. The warm body next to her shifted. James tightened his arm around her waist.

  “Shhh. Sleep. Still dark out,” he mumbled.

  “I heard something.”

  “Storm.” He nuzzled the back of her neck. “Maybe we’ll be stuck here for the rest of the day. Can’t ride in the rain.”

  The sound grew louder and a gasp broke free from Lana’s lips. “Motorcycles.” She wiggled from James’s grasp, raced over to the window and pulled back the curtain. High above them, on the road winding down the mountain toward the motel, she spotted a blaze of headlights.

  “Fuck.” James came up behind her and pulled the curtain closed. “Get dressed and get into the car. I’ll get Jackie.”

  Lana’s heart pounded against her ribs. “Maybe it’s Ryder and Kickstand and a few buddies.”

  James tugged on his jeans and T-shirt, and tucked two handguns in his belt, covering them with his leather jacket.

  “Not on those bikes. The Wolverines all brought cruisers. I know the sound.”

  Hands shaking, Lana threw on her clothes and raced for Jackie’s car. A minute later, James and a pajama-clad Jackie ran across the pavement toward her.

  “The keys,” Jackie yelled. “I left them on the table beside my bed.” She ran back to the room just as eight Wolverines swept into the parking lot.

  Nonononononononono. Lana’s breath hitched and her vision sheeted white. God, would it never end?

  James pushed her toward Jackie’s room. “Go inside with Jackie.”

  “I can’t leave you out here alone,” she said, shaking him off. “They’re coming for me. I won’t let you die on my account.”

  “Babe. Go inside with Jackie. Try to get out the back and into the forest. Run east but stay out of sight of the highway. I’ll find you.” He drew his weapons and Lana’s blood chilled.

  “Don’t do this, James. There’s no point. You don’t have a chance. There’re eight of them and only one of you.”

  He shifted his stance and tightened his grip on his weapons. “Go inside.”

  “Please. I don’t want to lose you again.” She hated herself for begging but if logic wasn’t going to move him, maybe tears would.

  “I have no intention of dying today,” he said, his focus wholly on the Wolverines dismounting their motorcycles in front of the motel. “You promised me a night at Carpe Noctem and I intend to collect.”

  Lana’s heart pounded so loud in her ears she could barely hear the thud of Levi’s feet on the pavement as he stalked toward them. For the first time ever, she had no desire to run. If she ran, he would come after her again and again. She would spend a lifetime looking over her shoulder, jumping at every shadow. She had to stand up to him and take back the life he’d taken from her. A life with James in it.

  Quietly, she said, “I need to face him, James. I need this to end.”

  “Too stubborn for your own good,” he muttered, half to himself. “Stay behind me then.”

  “You got something that belongs to me.” Levi stopped in front of them and narrowed his eyes. “And to the Wolverines.”

  The Wolverines made a show of drawing their weapons, an assortment of Glocks and Rugers, all illegal in Canada. Lana wondered how they had managed to get them across the border.

  James leveled his guns. “She belongs to no one.”

  Levi snorted a laugh and then snapped his fingers. Two Wolverines dragged a rider off the back of one of the motorcycles and marched him across the parking lot. One of them tugged off his helmet and tossed it to the ground.

  Lana gasped as a sliver of moonlight pierced Kickstand’s blond hair and illuminated his battered face.

  “He should really be dead.” Levi forced Kickstand to his knees and pointed a handgun at his head. “He thought he could outrun us on his piece-of-shit Sportster.”

  “No.” Lana took a step forward. “He isn’t part of this. Leave him alone.”

  Levi’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Not part of this? He tracked us down and told us he knew where you were. Led us on a wild-goose chase around the city until Hang Nail…” he nodded to the tall, burly biker beside him, “…decided to have an intimate conversation with him. Guess what Hang Nail discovered? Boy was telling the truth. He had a piece of paper with this address on it and your name. Must just have a bad sense of direction.” He thumped Kickstand on the head with the butt of his gun and Kickstand shuddered.

  “What do you want?” James’s deep voice, confident and powerful, rang out across the parking lot.

  Levi’s gaze flicked to him. “A trade. Your prospect for my wife. Usually I just take what I want, but I’m in a good mood since she was so easy to find. My advice? Take the deal. You don’t, the boy dies, you die and I take her anyway.” He pressed the gun to Kickstand’s head.

  “Don’t do it,” Kickstand said firmly. “They’re gonna hurt her so bad she’ll wish she was dead. He told me what he was going to do to her. Made me sick to my stomach. No one should have to go through that. Especially not after what they already did to her.”

  Raw hatred flowed through Lana’s veins. It was time to deal with Levi. No more running. No more hiding. Regardless of what he did to her, she would survive on hate and the burning need for revenge.

  “I’ll go.” Lana stepped out from behind James.

  His arm shot out, pushing her back. “You won’t.”

  “I can’t let them hurt Kickstand. And we can’t take them on. Even I know a losing battle when I see it. It’s time I dealt with him and I can’t do it hiding behind your back. But I’ll only be able to manage if I know you and Kickstand are alive. I’ll go and I’ll find a way to end it, and I’ll come back to you.”

  “Wait.” Jackie raced out of the motel room and threw her arms around Lana. “Let me come with you,” she murmured. “You saved me when you pulled me off the streets. I can use the tricks I learned… I could have us home in a day.”

  “And then he would come after me again,” Lana said, gently pulling away. “I want my life back, and I want you and James in it.”

  “Come back safe.” Jackie wrapped her arms around herself, tears streaking her face.

  “Roxie. You comin’ or am I shootin’?” Levi’s harsh voice sent a chill down Lana’s spine.

  She lifted her gaze to James. Her eyes stung, but no tears fell. Crying would only make him think she didn’t want to go. But she did. A perverse excitement pounded in her temples—the chance to end Levi’s reign of terror and live a life without fear.

  Ice glittered in James’s eyes. She tried to say goodbye, but her mouth went dry and the words stuck in her throat.

  He cupped her cheek with his warm hand. “I know this is something you’ve got to do, but I’m coming for you, babe. Nothing is going to stand in my way. I said I love you and I mean it. Nothing else matters. You aren’t alone in this. Trust I’ll find a way. Don’t lose hope.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned into the warmth of his palm. More than his declaration of love, his forgiveness seared her to the core. “I trust you,” she whispered.

  Then she looked up and winked. “But you’d better hurry. I’m not the kind of girl who sits around waiting to be rescued.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lana clung to the rear handle grips on Levi’s Harley Fat Boy. She tried to look behind to see if James was following them, but the helmet Levi had brought for her—not out of concern for her safety but to
avoid being stopped by the police—was too big. Every time she turned her head, she saw only darkness. Not that James could possibly be anywhere near. The Wolverines had slashed the tires on his Rocker and Jackie’s vehicle, and had kept Kickstand as a hostage to ensure Lana’s good behavior. Gentlemen they were not.

  A cool breeze whipped around her, buffeting her so badly she was tempted to hold on to Levi for balance. During their first few months together, nothing had thrilled her more than racing through the mountains tucked up against Levi’s broad back. But the thought of touching him now made her stomach clench. Better to fall off the motorcycle than to let him think she had even an ounce of affection left for him…her once savior, her first lover, her husband.

  After three hours, Levi turned off the main highway and headed down a narrow road. The Wolverines followed behind him. Lana was surprised they had made it this far without a break. The Wolverines were all riding Harley Cruisers. Good for show and sporting around. Damned uncomfortable for a long trip.

  Lana whipped off her helmet as the motorcycle slowed to a stop. Her brain ached from trying to come up with a plan. Escape was fast becoming a better option than confrontation, persuasion or even attacking Levi in his sleep. And one thing she knew for certain—escape would be exponentially more difficult once they crossed the border. She had friends here. People she could call. Places she could go. In the US, she would be utterly alone.

  Lost in thought, Lana startled when one of the Wolverines grabbed her arm and pulled her off the motorcycle. She tried to stop her sideways momentum by hooking her foot under the passenger peg, but the bolt had loosened during the ride and the peg fell into the grass with Lana on top of it.

  “Get the fuck up.” Levi kicked her shin and then yanked her off the grass. “We need to be quick about hiding the bikes. Next time I say to get off, you get off fast. Guess that’s something else you’ll have to learn when we get home.”

  “Vancouver is my home,” she spat. She opened her mouth to mention the peg—it would be damned hard to ride pillion without it—and then closed it again. The motel was off the main highway and tucked into the base of a mountain. She didn’t have any breadcrumbs with which to leave a trail, but a passenger peg might do the trick.

  “Home is where your husband is.” Levi twisted her arm behind her back and Lana gasped in pain.

  “Don’t damage her too bad.” Hang Nail loosened Levi’s grip on her arm. “If we get stopped by the police or the border guards, they’ll ask questions. She might decide to give her friend up for a chance to escape.”

  “Kind of damage I plan to do while we’re waiting for her fake fucking passport to be made, no one’s gonna see,” Levi growled. “And the border guards won’t be a problem. We’re not crossing through the normal route. We’re taking a smugglers’ trail.”

  A black hole tore its way through Lana’s chest, sucking the air from her lungs and the hope from her heart. Every time she thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, it did. Now, even her rough plan to draw the attention of the border guards to the Wolverines’ illegal weapons was moot.

  Levi shoved her at Hang Nail and punched a number into his cell phone as he walked toward the motel reception area. Hang Nail gripped her shoulders hard. “Don’t think about running,” he growled.

  Lana snorted her derision. As if she would leave Kickstand or stand a chance on foot with eight Wolverines hovering around her.

  Levi returned and threw Hang Nail two sets of keys. “The Fanelli brothers said they’ll be here at dusk with her passport and a trailer to load up our bikes for the border crossing. They’ll take us to the smugglers’ trail after the sun sets. It’s just off Zero Avenue and runs the full length of Langley. The rest of the guys can cross like normal and meet us in Blaine.”

  Hang Nail frowned. “Why can’t we take our bikes?”

  Levi clamped a hand around Lana’s neck and shoved her in the direction of the motel. “There’s a huge ditch between the two countries. Too wide to jump with our Cruisers. It’s heavily policed but the Fanellis know where and when to cross on foot.”

  “So we have some time to kill.” Hang Nail and Levi exchanged a glance that chilled Lana’s blood.

  Levi laughed. “You and the boys can keep the prospect entertained. I’m going to reacquaint myself with my wife.”

  “Don’t forget. No visible marks,” Hang Nail called as Levi dragged her to the motel.

  Levi’s gaze found hers and he snickered. “Not a problem. Hidden wounds hurt the most.”

  “What’s taking so long?” Jackie tapped her spoon on the table in the motel’s tiny coffee shop. “Why didn’t we just steal a car and chase after them? Why do we have to wait for Ryder? We could go and buy a car or go to an auto shop and get new tires. I would even take a bus. They could be in the US by now.”

  Jackie’s anxiety was fuel to James’s fire. Not for the first time in the last hour did he wonder if he’d made the right choice to wait for Ryder. What if Levi hurt her, touched her or…worse. He slammed a mental wall down and pushed the betraying thoughts away. If he didn’t stay clear and focused, he would be no use to anyone, especially Lana.

  “They can’t cross the border during the day,” James said. “Especially at a border crossing. Too risky. They’ll have to lie low until dark and my guess is they’ll find somewhere else to cross. We can’t take them on alone. We need help and firepower. The Wolverines aren’t going to hand her over without a fight. Ryder said he would meet us here. I believe him. I’ve already called the local police and they’re on the lookout too.”

  Jackie snorted her disdain. “Seriously? You’re gonna put Lana’s life at risk because you’re that sure Ryder will show? Didn’t he also tell you he was going after Kickstand? He hasn’t answered any of my texts or calls, so he’s already zero for one hundred in my book. And I’ll tell you something else. He’s not who he appears to be. You sleep with a guy and you get some insight into who they really are. Ryder has a whole lot of mystery going on.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Although he wasn’t one to talk relationships, he was perversely glad for the distraction of Jackie’s conversation.

  Jackie lowered her eyes and stared down at her lap. “It’s over between us,” she said quietly. “I didn’t tell Lana because she’s got enough stress in her life. He’s a great guy. Nothing like the bikers I knew. We got along well. He wanted to take things further. But…” she picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, “…he wasn’t the one. Sounds stupid, I know.”

  “Doesn’t sound stupid at all.” James glanced down at his watch and drummed his fingers on his thigh under the table. He would give Ryder thirty more minutes and then they would head into town and rent a car. Thirty more minutes of distraction. “So, tell me about the one.”

  Jackie shrugged. “I don’t mind playing around, but…I had a couple of bad experiences before I met Lana. Life’s too short to put up with that crap. If I’m gonna open myself up, then I need to know I’ve found the one. Someone who lights up my life and makes my heart sing. All that stuff. So that no matter what life throws at us, I’ll know, in the end, we’ll wind up together. I told that to Ryder. He was cool with it.”

  James raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t his one either?”

  “I’m thinking not. And that’s a good thing.” Jackie glanced up at the clock and then dialed Lana’s number for the umpteenth time that morning. When she didn’t get an answer, she dropped her phone on the table with a sigh. “Let’s go, J. I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been doing my best to keep us distracted, but I’m too damn worried. And if something happens to her while we’re sitting around, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  James nodded and waved the waitress over. Fuck the thirty minutes. Jackie was right. They had to get a move on.

  “Did you know?” Jackie asked softly as James tossed a wad of bills on the table. “Did you know right away Lana was the one?”

  James met her curious gaze full-on steady. “Yeah, I
knew. But I was too afraid to accept it. And look what happened. I almost lost her. I might lose her still.”

  They slid out of the booth and wove their way through the empty tables to the door.

  “You won’t lose her,” Jackie said over her shoulder. “If she’s the one, you’ll wind up together, no matter what. That’s how love works.”

  James’s throat tightened. “Didn’t take you for a romantic.”

  “Didn’t take you for one either, J, but here you are, ready to risk your life to get my girl back. Doesn’t get more romantic than that.”

  A thunder of motorcycles echoed in the valley as they stepped out the door. Jackie took an involuntary step behind James, and he reached for his gun. If Rex’s boys had found them, they’d better not get in the way. James had Angel’s number and he knew what to do with it.

  Sunlight glinted off the lead motorcycle as it swooped into the parking lot. James threw an arm up to shield his eyes and recognized Ryder’s bike as it pulled to a stop.

  “Ryder,” he said over his shoulder, his tension leaving his body in a rush.

  Jackie stepped out from behind him and frowned at the sea of motorcycles in front of them. “Who does he have with him?”

  Ryder dismounted and quickly closed the distance between them. He shook James’s hand and gave Jackie a warm smile. “Sorry we’re late. We’ve been looking for Kickstand but he disappeared. We found his bike in a field near the clubhouse, but no trace of him.”

  “Wolverines have him,” James said. “They’re holding him hostage for Lana’s good behavior. They have her too.”

  Ryder’s face tightened. “Damn. I knew we’d waited too long. Well, we’re here now and we’ll get them back. You have my word on it.”

  James surveyed the sea of black in front of him. “What is this? The guys aren’t wearing their colors.”

  “My new club.” A smile ghosted Ryder’s lips. “Hades split over Rex’s decision to call the Wolverines. A lot of them didn’t take kindly to watching Lana being abused or to Rex’s involvement in what they saw as human trafficking. Strange moral code. Drugs and murder are okay, but abusing and enslaving women are not. I convinced another eight to join my original ten.” He waved his hand over the assembled crowd. “Everyone is briefed and ready to go.”