by Debra Kayn
Sanchez, doubled over at the waist, held his hand out and coughed. “I” — he coughed again — “haven’t done anything.”
“Bullshit.” Rain took one step and drop-kicked him. “I have a house riddled with bullet holes.”
On hands and knees, Sanchez pulled his head up and gazed directly at him. “It wasn’t” — he groaned — “me.”
“It comes back to you. A dirty trail can’t be erased.” Rain surged forward.
“Wait.” Sanchez pushed off the ground, his breath harsh and ragged.
“Give me one good reason not to beat the shit out of you before I let my men loose.” Rain pushed Sanchez’s shoulder. “Look around you. My men outnumber yours. You don’t stand a chance.”
“You putz.” Sanchez leaned against the wall to keep himself standing. “Do you see anyone fighting except you? Huh, amigo?”
Rain dared not turn away to find out if Sanchez spoke the truth. He’d presumed his men would have their hands full keeping the Lagsturns in one location and off him while he talked with their leader. The fact no one was fighting behind him came as a surprise.
“What are you saying?” He fisted his hands at his sides, ready to pounce if he didn’t like the answer he received.
Sanchez’s dark hair was spiked from the fight, his nose bled, and he spit blood from where Rain had punched him in the mouth. With his pretty looks gone, all Sanchez had left was the smooth talk he enjoyed giving. It’d take a miracle to convince him Sanchez wasn’t behind the latest hit against him.
“I’ve heard of your troubles.” Sanchez leaned his head against the building. “I’ve had my men watching.”
“And?” he said.
“It’s not coming from any of my men.” Sanchez stepped forward, swaying. “I’d stake my bike on it.”
A man’s motorcycle meant everything. It was like handing over his first-born child or giving his life for a life. Rain turned and peered out at his men. He raised his chin for them to stand down, but remain on guard.
He had no reason to believe Sanchez other than a belief that a man with no scruples, who allowed his men to transport drugs and steal other men’s women, would draw the line when it came to his motorcycle. Other people would probably call him crazy, but a man had to have one thing he held high above all else, and he’d admired Sanchez’s bike.
“Do you have an idea who’s coming after me?” Rain ran his arm across his mouth.
“No.” Sanchez groaned, holding his ribs. “I’ve listened and I’ve watched, but haven’t found anything.”
Rain walked away. Halfway to his bike, he turned. “Where’s Crystal staying?”
“Outside town.” Sanchez pointed to one of his men. “Layrd will take you. She belongs to one of my new riders now.”
“You allow that?” He was surprised Sanchez would keep Crystal in the Lagsturns after ridding himself of her.
Sanchez shrugged, causing him to clutch his side and groan. “I like to keep my enemies close, amigo.”
Going with his gut feelings, Rain hopped on his bike and motioned for his men to follow as he rode behind the roughneck named Layrd heading toward I-5. He wouldn’t let Crystal contacting Tori behind his back go without punishment. That shit wasn’t going to fly, and Crystal needed to know he’d cause a world full of hurt if she upset Tori again.
Five minutes later, he pulled into a cheap, one-story motel, used by prostitutes and truckers. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Crystal had gotten what she deserved.
The light shone through the threadbare curtains, and shadows moved inside. Layrd banged his fist on room C. Rain stood back, letting Layrd set up the meeting.
The door opened. A man with dirty blond hair, sporting a few days’ worth of whiskers, about Rain’s own height of six feet, two inches blocked the entranced. “Yeah?”
“Prez says Crystal is to talk with Brookshire,” Layrd said.
Rain studied the guy. “Get her.”
Skinny and edgy, the man couldn’t stand still. Crystal’s man had a hard time keeping his lip from curling in disgust or impatience. Rain summed him up quickly. Another tweaker.
Crystal had regressed even farther than he’d imagined, hooking up with this guy.
“Crystal,” the guy yelled.
He stood outside the open door and viewed Crystal as she came out of the bathroom. She turned to the man. “I told you I wasn’t going out tonight, Ethan.”
“You’ve got company, bitch,” Ethan said.
Crystal turned her head, spotted Rain, and failed to hide her surprise. She hurried to the door.
“Rain. What are you doing here?” She gazed past him at all the bikers lining the parking lot. “Hey, I’m out of your territory. You can’t kick me out. I have every right to be here the same as you.”
“You contacted my woman.”
Crystal shrank back. “She tried to run me down in the parking lot.”
“Next time, I’ll tell her to not miss.” Rain lowered his voice. “What we had is over, and the only thing we had was sex. You gave good head, but you’re a dead woman in bed. It’d be no loss if you hightail it out of town. Next time I hear you’ve even shown your face in town, I’ll be back, and you won’t like what happens. You hear?”
“I’m with someone else now — you can’t order me around.” Crystal grasped the doorknob.
“Leave Tori alone. Don’t look at her, don’t talk to her, don’t even fucking breathe the same air as her.”
She glanced behind her, looking for help. Her man stayed out of sight. Rain shook his head. “I mean it, Crystal. Get your shit together and leave.”
She nodded. “We got plans to leave in two days. You’ll have no trouble from me.”
“Make sure you keep your word.” He strode away, nodded at Laryd, and then looked to his men. “Split up. Five with me — the rest of you are on guard through the night. We’ll meet in the morning.”
He took the half-hour ride home to clear his head. Tori deserved to have him sane and in control, and he was feeling anything but on top of his game. If Sanchez wasn’t behind the trouble, he had no idea who would target Tori or him. In the meantime, he’d hold tight to her and not take a chance on putting her out there where something could happen.
When Rain arrived home, Torque stood at the door, waiting for him. “Boss?”
He shook his head. “Dead end.”
“Shit.” Torque lowered his voice. “Any leads?”
“Could be anyone.” He shrugged off his jacket. “Where’s Tori?”
“Asleep on the couch. She’s beat, and barely hanging on.” Torque laid his hand on his shoulder. “She’s hard on you, my brother.”
“I know.” He swallowed hard. “You and Jedman stay here tonight. Take turns watching and get a few hours of sleep. I’m taking Tori up to the bedroom. She needs to sleep, and I want to lay down with her to make sure she rests.”
“Got it.” Torque motioned Jedman to the front door.
Rain walked into the living room and stopped at the end of the couch. Warmth flooded his chest, and the tightness that always came over his heart appeared. He rubbed his chest.
Curled on her side, her head propped on the arm of the couch, Tori lay sleeping, the blanket he’d covered her with earlier wrapped around her shoulders, her bare legs bent underneath her. Even in sleep, her eyelids fluttered, and he knew her dreams troubled her.
She’d gone through hell growing up, and still fought the past. He clenched his teeth. Now she was dealing with more shit being here with him.
He’d send her away for her own good, but he was selfish, and he didn’t trust that the trouble they were going through wouldn’t follow her. He had to figure out who wanted to harm her before it damaged her more. If he failed, she’d stay closed off from loving life again, and he wanted her
to continue telling him what was inside her head.
He slid his hands underneath her legs and picked her up into his arms. She stirred, opening her eyes. He kissed her forehead. “It’s okay. I’m taking you to bed.”
She yawned, laying her head on his shoulder. “Did you find out what’s going on?”
“We’ll talk in the morning.” He climbed the steps. “Tonight, we sleep.”
“Don’t leave me again,” she mumbled.
He laid her down, not worrying about her clothes or his. Joining her on the bed, he curled his body around her and tucked her close. “Ain’t going nowhere, babe. Told you that.”
“Okay.” She relaxed. “Love you.”
“Love you too, babe.” He kissed her head and stared into the darkness.
Tomorrow he’d check in with Jim and see if his investigation had brought up any information Rain could use to end this shit. He tucked the blanket around Tori. His hands ached, and he knew that they’d soon grow stiff from the beating he’d given Sanchez. But he couldn’t make himself leave Tori to ice them down.
Chapter Thirty-One
Tori reached under the counter in the Shack, extracted the bank pouch she kept her change in, and replaced the ten and twenty-dollar bills in the cash register with ones. She wouldn’t be surprised if all Rain’s men who’d came to buy coffee had walked straight to Cactus Cove and dumped the coffee down the drain.
Poor guys.
She had a sneaky suspicion Rain kept them coming around to the open window and ordering coffee so she would continue to have protection during the morning hours. There was no way they could drink that much coffee without skipping across the parking lot.
Her brave face hadn’t fooled Rain this morning, but she was determined not to show fear to whoever was targeting them. She opened a grape lollipop and stuck it in her mouth. She also saw through Rain’s questioning. He suspected whoever was behind the shooting was sending another message to her.
She had a hard time believing this was about her. She made sure she never made any friends on her travels and kept on the move. She had no ties to anyone who’d want to hurt her.
Another car drove up to the window. She quickly tossed her sucker, washed her hands quickly, and turned her attention to her customer. “Good morning, what can I get you today?”
A woman, early twenties, swept her hair over her shoulder and smiled. “A small caramel latte, please.”
“Coming right up.” She pulled the bottle off the shelf, grabbed a cup, and proceeded to whip up the order. She glanced back at the woman. “Along with a purchase, you also receive free love advice.”
The woman laughed. “No problems there. I have a boyfriend.”
“Lucky you.” Tori smiled, handing over the drink and taking the four dollars for the latte. “You can’t beat a day that starts with sunshine, a man at your side, and a dash of caffeine to get your morning started. Enjoy your day.”
“Thank you.” The woman drove away.
A knock came from the other side of the Coffee Shack. She smiled and hurried over to open the door.
Rain stood outside and frowned. “You didn’t look outside to see who was knocking.”
“I knew it was you.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into the trailer. “Besides, I was wishing you were here … I may have magical powers.”
“You need to pay attention to what’s going on.”
“I’ll be careful.” She wound her arms around his neck. “Super careful.”
She slid her hand into his hair, bent his neck, and rose up on her tiptoes. Her lips touched his mouth. With her body pressed against his, she took her time and built the kiss from nothing to spectacular. She only pulled away when he groaned.
God, he was sexy. She couldn’t stop herself.
“Magic,” she whispered.
He glared down at her, and she didn’t believe for a second he was mad. With his hands firmly planted on her ass, she felt the proof of how much he enjoyed the kiss.
“We got shit to talk about.” He patted her butt and pulled away. “How soon can you close for the day?”
She peered out the window. “I only have fifteen minutes left until closing. I’ll go ahead and clean up. It’s Monday, and people always seem to leave for work earlier. The rush is probably over.”
“I’ll be outside waiting for you, then.” He turned and opened the door.
“Wait.” She whirled around. “After you’re done talking to me, can I borrow the computer in your office?”
His gaze softened. “Sure. You don’t have to ask.”
“Thanks.” She pushed the lid down on the ten-gallon bucket of coffee grounds. “Pauline said she’d forward a couple emails for me, and I’d like to get started. Hopefully this week it won’t take me two days to come up with something inspiring and helpful to say to the letter sender.”
“You’ll do fine.” He glanced out the window. “Make sure you lock up.”
“Got it.” She saluted.
He chuckled. “Goof.”
She grinned, melting inside over how easy it was to change his mood lately, and then set about closing up the Shack. Rain’s laughter soothed her soul. She suspected he wasn’t much of a laugher, and there were times she wondered how long it’d been since he found something to amuse him. With all the businesses he owned, the number of men he led in the club, and his responsibilities within the town, he needed to loosen up.
She vowed to make him smile more. Totally worth it when they went home in the evenings. The man was insatiable when he was happy or bossing her around.
Finished with clean up, she grabbed her purse, jumped down from the Shack, and locked the door. She spotted Rain standing over by a group of bikers near the entrance of the bar and waved.
He continued talking when she approached, but his arm came out and he tucked her into his side, his arm around her shoulders. She smiled at the men and relaxed when they all lifted their chin in her direction. They’d had enough serious talks lately, and Rain needed to get his man chats in about mufflers and new chrome on side plates … whatever that meant.
Whether it was her appearance or the conversation had wound to a close, Rain pivoted her around and into the bar. She followed him into his office and plunked down on the couch. She needed to get an air conditioner unit for her shack. It felt much better inside the office with the cool breeze coming down from the air vent on the ceiling.
Rain swept up a folder and handed it to her. “I had Jim run a background check on you.”
She sat up straighter. “What? Why?”
“Someone is sending you a message, and I think we’ve all realized it isn’t me who’s the target.”
“I can’t believe you did that.” She tossed the folder onto the couch. “All you had to do was ask me anything you wanted to know.”
He squatted in front of her. “You didn’t tell me everything, babe. I had to read it.”
She chewed on her lip. “I’ve told you all the important things, I swear.”
“We need to talk about what I’ve learned,” he said. His voice went low and soft.
“You know … ” She squeezed her hands between her thighs. “It’s in the past, and has nothing to do with what we have going between us. End of subject.”
His chin hit his chest. She squeezed her legs together, trapping her hands to keep from rubbing the scar on her thigh. She wouldn’t blame him if he told her to hit the road.
Tears pricked her eyes. She stared at the top of his head. Worse than waiting for him to reject her was knowing what it felt like to have his love and losing it in the end. She couldn’t deal with the disgust she’d see on his face if he talked about what’d happened.
“Tori.” He sighed, slowly raising his gaze.
She scooted over on the couch
to get away from him and stood. “I get it. I do. I’ll drive the truck back to your house, grab my things, and — ”
He grabbed her wrist. “Stop.”
She froze. His thumb stroked the underside of her arm. She blinked rapidly, trying to staunch the tears before they could fall.
“What do you think I’m going to say?”
Unable to look at him, she stared at his large, rough hand holding her wrist with the gentlest of touches. “You don’t understand. I had problems understanding what happened. Because I was a ward of the state, I was required to see a psychiatrist. I’m not crazy.”
“Did you think I would believe you’re mentally unstable because you were given help to understand what you lived through?”
She closed her eyes and nodded.
“Babe. Look at me,” he said.
It was true. She could never outrun her past. No matter how often she created a new identity, inside she always remained the same. She’d always be the twelve-year-old girl whose father shot her mother, shot her, and killed himself. The blood in her veins never changed. She raised her gaze. It was time to stop running.
“I’m sure everything you’ve read about me is true. I spent four years in an alternative school because I withdrew from the world after losing my whole family in one evening. I only talked when necessary. I rocked in bed at night for years and slept only when I collapsed because the nightmares about killed me. I swear to this day, I can still feel the blood rushing through my veins spreading evil. Alone, I fought knowing that I too would end up killing anyone I loved because that’s what my dad believed.”
“Babe — ”
“I’ve traveled for the last six years trying to escape. The first two years, I lived with whoever would let me crash on their couch for a few nights. I saved, I scrounged, I picked pop cans up from the side of the road because I needed the five cents I could get from recycling them. At twenty, I bought the Shack for five hundred dollars.” She inhaled a shuddering breath. “Until I pulled into Pitnam and you started bossing me around, my only goal was to keep ahead of the memories. You gave me an excuse to rely on someone else. I could pretend I couldn’t fight your stubbornness, so I could enjoy letting someone take care of me for a change.”
