Crossroads

by Chantal Fernando

  “Hello?” I call out. “Is anyone down there?”

  “We’re here to help,” Jo calls out, which I realize is a smart move, because if any women are down there, I doubt that they’d want to hear a man’s voice right now.

  When I hear a woman yell out, “Help!” Jo and I share another look.

  Fuck.

  “I’m going down,” she says, looking to one of the cops. “There’s a ladder. I just need a light.”

  If she’s going down, so am I.

  One day soon I’d love to say that line in a completely different context.

  We’re both handed flashlights.

  “Let me go down first, just in case,” I tell her softly so only she can hear. “Okay?”

  What if there are men down there? What if it’s a huge drop? Too many what-ifs, and I don’t fuckin’ like it. I’ve never liked a woman like this before, and I’m sure as fuck not going to lose her when I’ve just found her.

  I don’t wait for her answer, I just head down there. The ladder is wobbly, and I’m sure my weight isn’t helping, but I make my way quickly, then turn the flashlight on.

  The sight before me has me wanting to kill someone with my bare hands.

  There are three women here, all of them in separate cages.

  Cages. Like they’re animals. They’re all dressed in white, and they all look like they could use a shower. Disheveled, dirty, treated like they are worthless.

  And none of them is Elizabeth.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” I say, trying to appear nonthreatening. “The police are here. You’re safe now.”

  Jo comes down the ladder, and I help her when she reaches the end, placing my hands on her hips until she reaches the floor. When she turns and sees the women, she curses under her breath.

  “Come on,” I tell her softly, holding her hand and walking over to the first cage. It’s locked from the outside with a latch, but the bars aren’t big enough for the women to be able to break out themselves. I open it, but when I reach inside for the woman, she flinches away. “I’m going to carry you out of here. Is that okay?”

  She doesn’t reply.

  She doesn’t do anything.

  I look to the woman in the third cage, who is watching us warily but is very alert. “Will you let me help you?”

  She nods. I open her cage, and she comes out. I carry her in my arms and walk to the ladder. “Do you think you can climb up? It’s all cops up there, so don’t be scared, all right?”

  “Okay,” she whispers, and starts climbing up the ladder. I wait until she reaches the top, then turn to see Jo has coaxed the first girl out and is carrying her in her arms. The woman is about her size, but Jo carries her like she’s a child. How strong is she?

  “I’ll carry her up,” I say, because there’s no way Jo can do it.

  “I can do it,” Jo says, shrugging me off and heading up the ladder. I watch her for a few seconds, then turn to the third woman, lifting her over my shoulder. I look around the basement, making sure there’s no one left behind. The cops can do a more thorough sweep for anything else that may help with this investigation.

  I climb up the ladder, glad we are able to save these three, but also wondering if Elizabeth is in a cage somewhere right now, waiting for someone to come and save her.

  Fuck.

  What type of man does this to a woman?

  I can’t even comprehend the evil some people have in them, but it makes me fear for humanity.

  And that’s coming from a biker.

  TEN

  Johanna

  I WATCH as the women are taken away in ambulances, while the man we found in the house is led in handcuffs to the back of a police car. He hasn’t said anything so far.

  “We need to raid the next house, now,” I say to Ranger. “Before they figure out we’re onto them and they move any other women they may have.”

  It’s obviously some sort of human-trafficking operation, which was of course my worst fear, and it looks like it’s a reality. One of the women told us about how she was told she would be sold off to the highest bidder. As a cop, I know things like this happen, but I never would have thought something like this could happen to someone I love.

  It’s a hard pill to swallow.

  The rest of the team head to the next house, while Ranger and I stay behind with the forensic team. If Ranger hadn’t noticed the trapdoor, we never would have found those women. A whole team of police, and it was the biker who saved the day. I don’t know how to thank him, or if I even should, but all I’m feeling right now is grateful that he’s here. He’s a good man to have around, that’s for sure, even though he keeps trying to protect me from things I’m used to doing.

  Yes, I’m a woman, but I can do everything a man can do. I train to make sure I’m strong and can lift heavy things; I know how to fight, so I can protect myself even in a hand-to-hand combat; and I can handle weapons as well as any man can. At the same time, it’s kind of cute that he’s being all protective and chivalrous, because I’m definitely not used to it.

  The biker has a heart.

  And that kiss. I absently touch my lips, remembering the way his mouth felt on mine. I don’t know what’s happening between us, and I know I said I’d never have anything to do with a biker, but when he kisses me like that it’s hard to remember reason. It’s hard to remember anything.

  While it hurts that my cousin wasn’t here, three women are now saved, and that’s a start. I’m hoping that the man we arrested can give us the information we need to find her, or that the second raid proves to give us more information, maybe even lead us to her. Either way, we’re onto something good here. I feel like we’re so close I can taste it.

  “Can they check his call history and maybe interview the people he has contact with?” Ranger asks, his mind still working on ways to bring these assholes down.

  “Yes, don’t worry, Ranger, everything will be looked into,” I assure him. “We are the police, you know. We’ve got it all under control.” I step closer to him and lean my head on his arm. “You were so good in there, by the way.”

  “So were you,” he says, wrapping his arm around me so my head is now touching his stomach. “We make a great team.” He pauses, then adds, “Travis better look out.”

  I can’t help but grin at that. “I’ll have to give him a heads-up.”

  I’ve never been so lighthearted in such serious moments before, and I know it all has to do with him. Normally I’d be feeling down right now, replaying events in my head, just being really harsh on myself, but with Ranger here going through the exact same thing with me—I don’t feel so alone. I don’t even know how to explain it, other than that he seems to bring out a side in me I didn’t know existed. With Travis, we’d just go our separate ways after our work is done, and I don’t know how Travis deals with it, but I tend to go into a zone where I overanalyze everything. Ranger being here with me is changing the way I handle the aftermath of the situation.

  You just met him, and he’s a fucking biker.

  Ahh, right. That little chestnut.

  Then why aren’t I stepping away from him right now? Why didn’t I stop the kiss? Why can’t I stop thinking about the kiss? I look at his lips, then clear my throat.

  “I need a shower. Let’s go back to the hotel and wait for more calls,” I tell him, stepping away, breaking our contact. But then, he offers me his hand, and I take it. I don’t question it, I just do it because it feels good, and it feels right. I don’t listen to the voice in the back of my head. I don’t have time to listen to it.

  We still have more work to do.

  Once this is all over, I’ll worry about it then.

  • • •

  I’m fresh out of the shower and sliding on my black silk pajamas when there’s a soft knock at my door. I know it must be Ranger, but I still peep through the hole, watching him standing there. It’s about ten o’clock at night, and I know that inviting him inside right now will be a very dangerous thing. May
be he just wants to tell me something? Maybe I’m making excuses for what I secretly want to happen anyway. Did I just actually admit that to myself?

  I unlock the door and open it. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” he murmurs, looking down at my pajamas. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure,” I say a little warily, opening the door wider and stepping back. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” he says, closing the door behind him. He sits in the chair by the desk, and glances up at me. “Today was intense.”

  “It was,” I agree, sitting down on the edge of the bed. The second raid came up with nothing, and still no sign of Elizabeth. The man from the first house is now in custody, but he’s not talking.

  “Do you think they’ll let me interrogate him?” he asks, dead serious.

  “Probably not,” I say, feeling amused. “Let’s see how the detectives do first before we offer our services.”

  “We?”

  “You think I don’t want a piece of him too?” I say, arching my brow. “And if you’re going in there, so am I.”

  “Why?” he asks, studying me. “I’d rather you not see that side of me.”

  “She’s my family,” I fire back, brow furrowing.

  “And she’s my friend,” he says, surprising me.

  He knows Elizabeth?

  “Why didn’t you mention anything about that before?” I ask. “How do you know her? Is that why you came on this case?”

  It all suddenly makes sense. He isn’t here because Faye made him, or because he has some kind of hero complex. He’s here because he knows Elizabeth and cares about her. I rack my brain, wondering if she’s ever mentioned a biker, or if I’ve ever heard the name Ranger before, but come up with nothing. We didn’t grow up living near each other though and went to different schools, so she knows a lot of people I don’t.

  “You didn’t ask,” he says, playing it off. “We used to be friends. We actually went to high school together. I haven’t seen her in years, but when I saw her photo I knew I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. So, yes, that’s why I’m here. This isn’t just personal for you—it is for me too. Trust me, I wouldn’t be here otherwise. You might be her blood, but that doesn’t mean that I care any less. I won’t rest until she’s safe.”

  We share a look, a moment of understanding passing between us. Neither of us will quit until we have her back; we’re both on the same wavelength. I never thought I’d have something in common with a biker, but here we are, in my hotel room, basically partners. It goes to show that you never know where life will take you. All you can do is hold on for the ride.

  “If you hadn’t found that trapdoor today . . .”

  “But I did,” he says, moving his gaze from me to around the room. “I should be tired, but I’m not. Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

  My eyes widen at the offer, taken aback. “Ummm, sure,” I say, handing him the remote. “Why don’t you choose something?”

  Is he going to watch on the bed with me? Is this appropriate? We did kiss—it’s not like that’s appropriate, but I don’t regret it either. I don’t know what to think or say, so I just move to one side of the bed and watch as he puts on the TV and selects a movie channel. When he moves to the bed, on the other side, I hold my breath. He, on the other hand, acts like this is something we do every day. He makes himself comfortable lying on the bed, flicking through the channels again when apparently the one he chose wasn’t entertaining enough.

  “Any requests?” he asks, not paying me any attention. He still has his shoes on, so his feet are off the bed, but every other part of him is flat on the mattress.

  “I’m easy,” I reply without thinking, then cringe when I realize what I just said. “You can watch whatever you want; it’s fine.”

  Nice save.

  However, Ranger doesn’t let it go. “Are you?”

  “Am I what?”

  “Easy?” he asks, lip twitching. He finally looks from the screen to me. “Because I don’t think you are.”

  “Really?” I say, turning my body toward him. “What am I, then? Have you already figured me out in the little time you’ve known me? I must be pretty simple, then . . . hmmm?”

  He throws his head back and laughs. “Fuck, Jo. You’re not simple—no woman is—but you definitely aren’t. You’re strong, yet you have a soft, vulnerable side that I want to protect. You don’t know what you want. You think that you don’t need anyone else, but you do. You love hard. You love everyone hard except yourself. You—you just get by, working yourself into the ground and not giving yourself what you need, what every fuckin’ human needs.”

  I blink slowly. “I don’t need anyone else. I’ve gotten on just fine, thank you. I don’t need love, or an epic romance, or whatever else other women want, because it’s not in the cards for me. I haven’t even had sex in over a year!”

  “Do you make yourself come?” he asks, scanning my face and waiting for my reply.

  I swallow. “Ranger. I feel like we need to have a talk about boundaries.”

  “I have none,” he says, shrugging, his expression blank. “Now answer the question.”

  “Yes, I do,” I say, cheeks heating. “I’m a grown-ass woman, what do you think?”

  “I think that you have needs.”

  “That I can take care of on my own,” I say, lifting my chin.

  Ranger licks his lips, then replies with, “You don’t miss someone holding you? Kissing your neck? Someone’s mouth on your pussy? A vibrator can’t replace that connection, that pleasure. The truth is, I haven’t fucked anyone in a while, because I’m sick of meaningless fucking. I did so much of it, and it got old really fast. Without a mental connection, I get bored. So, I’ve been waiting. Waiting for someone worth fucking. The difference between me and you? I know what I’m missing, I’m not in denial about it. I never thought I’d meet a woman who actually held my interest, but I always hoped to. I’m the only single man in the whole MC now, you know that?”

  “Really?” I ask, eyes flaring. “All the women must want you, then, if it’s only you who is available.”

  “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” he asks, lips turning down. “It didn’t sound like one.”

  “As if you don’t know that you’re good-looking,” I say, feeling bold. “Women must throw themselves at you.”

  I shouldn’t be feeding his ego, but we’re both being completely honest right now. This conversation isn’t about anything but the truth—like he said, no boundaries. No filters. Just being real. So I’m not going to hide behind anything.

  He isn’t.

  He ignores my comment and says, “Come here.”

  “What?” I ask, tucking my hair back behind my ear.

  “Come here,” he repeats, lifting his arm out.

  I scoot over on the bed until I’m within reach. He pulls me into him, so my head is on his shoulder and I’m wedged into the crook of his arm.

  “Much better,” he says softly, then returns his attention to the TV. While surrounded by his warmth, I realize that what he said is right. Sure, I miss sex, but I miss this more. The contact, the affection and just the feeling of being close to someone. Damn him for being right, because I was doing so well convincing myself otherwise. The worst part is, I think I only crave these things being near him.

  I don’t think I’ve changed my opinion on things—I think that he’s changed it. Because I don’t want to cuddle up to anyone, it’s just him—being like this right now, I don’t want to move. It feels perfect. How did this happen exactly? And so quickly? If I don’t want this, I need to back away now, before we’re in too deep. Before I probably end up hurt, or with regrets.

  Ranger-size regrets.

  I notice him glance down at me, but he doesn’t say anything, he just returns his gaze to the TV screen, where an Adam Sandler movie I’ve never seen before is playing. I bury my face in his black hoodie, taking in his scent, closing my eyes and just enjoying the moment. And that’
s how I fall asleep.

  ELEVEN

  Ranger

  I FREEZE when I walk out of the bathroom to find Jo pointing a gun at me.

  “Oh fuck, it’s just you,” she says, lowering the weapon and touching her free hand to her chest.

  “You spooned me all night and forgot about it?” I ask, feeling offended. She rubs her eyes, still looking half-asleep.

  “I forgot where I was for a second,” she murmurs, sliding out of bed. “What time is it? We better get to the station.”

  She puts the gun down and starts walking to the bathroom but then stops, and starts to stare at my bare chest, blue eyes widening as they roam up and down my torso and back.

  “What?”

  “When did you get half-naked?” she asks, eyes now glued on my abs. I absently run my hand down them, and her eyes follow the movement. I don’t think she’s even blinking. I try to hide my smile, amused and pleased that she finds my body so appealing. This is definitely a good thing, and one I plan on using to my advantage.

  “In the middle of the night. It was hot with you pressed against me,” I explain, picking up my T-shirt and hoodie from the floor. I leave the hoodie on the bed while I put on my T-shirt, purposely flexing as I lift my arms up. Her eyes widen even further, if possible, and are as big as saucers. “I’m normally cold at night because of the air-conditioning.”

  With my arms through the T-shirt, I pull it down over my six-pack slowly for effect.

  Jo clears her throat, but she doesn’t look away. When I let go of the material, she raises her eyes to mine. “We fell asleep watching movies. Nothing happened.”

  “I know,” I say, taking my hoodie in my hands. “I was there. Who are you trying to convince here? We didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “We spooned,” she says, cheeks going pink. “This isn’t what we’re here for, Ranger. We’re here on a mission, and I don’t know how this is happening.”

  “Like you said,” I tell her, taking a step toward her and lifting her chin up with my finger. “Nothing happened. Don’t overthink this.”