“Lucky,” she whispered, although she didn’t know why. The part of her that wanted him gone didn’t think she was lucky at all. Life would have been easier if she’d never seen him again.
He studied her for a long moment, then looked away, hands clenched, jaw twitching. “I’m glad to see you listened to me for once. I was worried you’d already be on your way to the clubhouse.”
“I’m still planning to go. Jackie came over to help me decide what would be short and tight enough to wear to a biker barbeque.”
His gaze slid over to Jackie. She batted her long movie-star eyelashes from her vantage point at the kitchen door. He gave her a dazzling smile, all crinkled eyes and boyish charm. Then his gaze returned to Lana and his smile faded.
She shrugged at the question in his eyes. “I would introduce you, but I don’t know what name you go by, and since you’re leaving anyway, it doesn’t matter.”
“Ice.” He nodded at Jackie.
“Jackie.” She cracked a grin. “So you’re the hot undercover cop. I’ve heard a lot about you. Mostly bad things. I’m afraid as Lana’s best friend I have a duty to hate you vicariously for breaking her heart, which is a shame because you’re kind of cute, and the whole kicking down the door thing…” She fanned herself and finished with a light giggle.
Lana glared at her friend and fumed. Jackie never giggled. She laughed, cackled and chuckled, but she never, ever giggled. Cutesy was just not Jackie’s style. Clearly, she had just lost her only ally to James’s panty-melting smile.
“Jackie!”
Jackie had the good grace to blush. “Sorry. I’ll just hustle over to the window and make myself busy looking out on the street.”
“You don’t have to worry about her,” Lana said to James. “Despite her recent demonstration of disloyalty, she would never betray you. She’s a PI too, and we work together. She understands about confidentiality, although she lacks discretion when it comes to my personal life.”
“Maybe I should wait in your bedroom,” Jackie mused. “I can find you something short and tight to wear to the barbeque.” She gave James a wink. Lana had a sudden urge to smack her over the head with the bag of Oreos.
James turned his attention back to Lana. “What’s going on, babe? I’ve told you twice now it’s too dangerous to keep pretending you’re my old lady. You’ve always been headstrong but never suicidal.”
“I have a job to do,” she snapped. “It may not be as important as yours. I’m not saving the world or putting hoards of bad guys in jail, but it’s important to me and my client.”
“Angel.”
Lana sucked in a sharp breath. How the hell did he know? She had been very careful not to mention Angel’s name. In the PI business, confidentiality was paramount.
“I can’t disclose my client’s identity. You know that.”
James folded his arms and huffed out a breath. “I know it’s Angel. You were in Carpe Noctem before everyone except Rex. I might have believed it was a coincidence until I saw you outside the clubhouse. Neither the police nor anyone in the underworld would hire a PI. He and Angel are having problems. She’s the type to go behind his back. It’s gotta be her.”
“I can’t…”
Before she could finish, James cut her off. “I need to understand what’s going on, babe. You’ve got yourself in some serious trouble. You know I won’t break your confidence; same way I know you won’t break mine. And I’m the one with the most to lose. If Rex finds out about me, I’m done and I’m not just talking about the assignment.”
Lana shot a quick glance at Jackie, still at the window, and received a curt nod of assent. She didn’t want to divulge a client’s details without Jackie’s agreement.
“Okay. You’re right. It’s Angel.” She filled him in on the details, leaving out the week of surveillance she’d already completed.
James raked his hand through his hair. “I know Angel. Maybe she spun out a sob story to you, but she’s as tough and ruthless and hard-nosed as they come. And she’s no saint, I can guarantee you that. You think Rex is bad; Angel is worse.”
Stiffening her spine, Lana leveled her gaze at the man she once thought was her entire world. “I don’t care who she is or what she’s done. I saw a woman who wanted out of a bad life and a mother who wanted to protect her daughter. She needed my help and had the money to pay. She’s my client and I’ll do my best for her. The same way I’ll do my best for all of them.”
For a long moment he said nothing. Then he shook his head. “You’ve always had a soft heart. Too soft. You don’t see people for who they really are.”
Like him. She had never been so wrong about anyone in her life.
“You’re right about that.” She knew from the way he flinched, he understood her meaning.
James perched on the edge of her sofa and sighed. “I know this case means a lot to you. But for two years I’ve been…”
“Hooah.” Jackie’s breathless gasp cut him off. “There’s a parade of man candy down on the street. It’s like every fantasy I’ve ever had, all rolled up in four badass leather-and-steel packages of biker heaven. They come with you, Ice?” She looked over her shoulder at James, and he and Lana joined her at the window.
“Fuck.” James thumped his fist on the windowsill. “Those are Rex’s boys. He had Kickstand follow you home from the club so he would know where you lived. He’s clearly still not buying our story.”
“Or maybe he is.” Lana’s voice wavered. “And he doesn’t care.”
“Lookit them standing there, all tough and manly in their leathers, leaning against their crotch rockets.” Jackie’s voice was thick with lust. “Where did you say that barbeque was? I’m suddenly in the mood for some flame-broiled beef.”
Lana’s blood chilled. She had done this to herself.
Surveillance Rule # 12: Be discreet.
“I don’t understand.” Her brow creased in a frown. “Why are they here?”
James grimaced. “Because if I don’t bring you, Rex will consider you fair game. He’ll think I can’t control my old lady, or that you weren’t my old lady at all. He’ll tell his boys to escort you to the barbeque as his guest, whether you want to go or not. I didn’t realize until now that his invitation wasn’t really an invitation. It was a test. And it was directed at me.”
Lana bit her lip. “Didn’t you say being your old lady would protect me from his advances? Isn’t it actually safer for me to act as your old lady than stay away?”
He fell silent, toying with her curls as he studied her face.
Finally, he said, “I don’t know if I can keep up an act around you when I’m already acting a part. It’s stressful enough and then worrying about you…” He took a deep breath. “I’m worried I’ll blow my cover. A lot of time, money and effort have gone into this operation. We’ll save a lot of lives by taking down Hades. I know you want to help Angel, but I can’t take the risk. Too much is riding on this assignment.”
Lana wiggled the toe of her shoe into the carpet as she begrudgingly admitted he was right. She couldn’t interfere with his assignment, and she didn’t want to put his life at risk. She hated him, but not that much. A little ingenuity and she would find another way to get Rex off her back and get Angel’s pictures. Such a shame. It was the only break she’d had in the case. A perfect opportunity.
Suddenly, she had an idea.
“What if it’s just once? We go late to the barbeque to minimize the time we’re there. You introduce me to everyone as your old lady. Rex won’t be able to touch me because he’ll have to answer to the entire club if he does. And best of all, you save face. Your old lady did as she was told. You don’t put your cover at risk and you don’t lose Rex’s respect. I’ll mingle so you don’t have to worry about keeping up an act. And from what Angel told me, I’m almost guaranteed to get some kind of picture of Rex being the biker of badness she says he is. Then we leave and go our separate ways.”
“That’s my girl.” Jackie punc
hed the air. “I like it. Nice and neat and all tied up with a big red bow.”
Maybe. But why wasn’t James smiling?
James sucked in his lips and stared at the ceiling. Then he shook his head and paced the room, back and forth, window to wall, until he was once again in front of her. Finally he sighed and leveled his gaze with hers. “Once.” His voice was heavy with resignation. “This is the one and only time I will allow you near Hades or Rex. If you don’t get your pictures today, you give up the case. Deal?”
Lana twisted her lips to the side. He was asking a lot, but then, so was she. “I guess that’ll have to be okay.”
“Looks like I’m no longer needed to solve your relationship problems, so I’ll be off.” Jackie grabbed her bag and headed for the door, giving James a finger-wiggle goodbye. “And I’m thinking James might have more fun helping with the wardrobe selection.”
Lana followed her out into the hallway and Jackie paused at the top of the stairs.
“Fifty bucks says you sleep with him before next Saturday.”
Lana snorted a laugh. “Easiest fifty bucks I’ll ever make.”
Chapter Six
Fucking hell.
James stared at the ruins of Lana’s door. So much for calm and detached. The thought she might not talk to him—or worse, that she might go to the clubhouse without him—had driven all rational thought from his brain. Instinct had taken over—a primal need to protect. And he couldn’t do that with a damn door in the way.
He pulled out his phone and called in a few favors from some local carpenters and locksmiths. His friends didn’t disappoint. The door would be fixed by the time they were back from the barbeque. He still couldn’t believe he was going along with her plan.
The creak of wood alerted him to Lana’s return. She stepped gingerly over the splinters and shook her head.
“The door was supposed to be unbreakable. Did you wing it or were you taught how to break down unbreakable doors at the police academy?”
Relieved her humor had returned, he shrugged. “There’s no magic involved. First you need to make sure the door opens away from you. Then you kick near the handle, weight in your heel, dominant foot. Doors are weakest where they contact the frame. If you try running at it with your shoulder like they do in the movies, you’ll break your shoulder and nothing else.”
“Good to know. I would practice, but I have no front door.”
“I’ve called some friends,” he assured her. “It’ll be fixed by the time we’re back.”
“So we’re going?” A faint smile curled her lips. So beautiful. The risk inherent in taking her to the club was almost worth it to see her smile again.
“Yeah, I guess we’re going.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave her a begrudging sigh. “But there’s one more condition. You promise to stay the hell away from Rex. You don’t go near him. If you need to get a picture, you do it with me beside you.”
“Promise.” Her smile broadened. “I like it when you agree with me. You should do it more often.”
“Still with the sass,” he rasped.
“Only for you. The rest of the world gets to see my soft, sensitive side.”
A lump the size of his fist clogged his throat. Once, he’d had both—her sass and her sweetness—and he’d thrown them away.
She held his gaze for only a few seconds before her bottom lip quivered and she turned her head. The tiny glimpse of her vulnerability inflamed his desire. God, he wanted her. He wanted to strip off her clothes and run his hands over her lush curves. He wanted to feel the softness of her skin against his chest and the heaviness of her breasts in his palms. He wanted to hear her laugh, and moan, and whisper his name in the still of the night. He wanted her to sass him like there was no tomorrow, and kiss him like it was the day before he’d walked away from the best thing in his life.
He gritted his teeth against the ache of wanting what he couldn’t have, but he couldn’t stop himself from cupping her soft cheek in his palm.
She breathed out a quiet “oh” and stepped back, her face wary. “I guess I should…get…ready.”
Her words tumbled out, tripping over each other, as she backed away. So unlike the Lana he remembered. She had always been cool and confident. He had never seen her unnerved.
Lana bumped into a chair and froze.
Something moved inside him, triggered by her desperate retreat. Frustration that she no longer trusted him? Wounded pride? Fear he might never heal the rift between them? Anger at her rejection? He didn’t know, and right now he didn’t care. He needed to touch her, reassure her and let her know he only wanted to keep her safe.
He closed the distance between them in three easy strides. Although his mind told him to stop, his body kept going, reaching for her, drawing her in, not slowing down until he held her in his arms. And then he just hung on, wishing he could have made a different decision two years ago.
Lana’s breath hitched, and trepidation carved lines into her face. With a gentle stroke, he swept his hand along her jaw, cradling her face and tilting it back, until their gazes met, locked. Without thinking, he dipped his head and brushed his mouth over her soft, lush lips.
She pulled away.
“Please…James.” Her voice broke and dropped to a pained whisper. “Don’t.”
He froze and silently cursed himself for giving in to his base desires. He’d made his decision two years ago. His circumstances—the past—hadn’t changed. It didn’t work then and it wouldn’t work now. He was just making things worse.
For both of them.
Lana drew James’s hand away from her cheek. He offered no resistance, as startled by her words as she was. When had she ever turned him down? But he was moving too fast and presuming too much. Although she appreciated his concession, she still didn’t trust him. Not by a long shot. Not with her heart.
Still, she didn’t miss his sharp intake of breath, or the way his shoulders tightened when she stepped away.
“We’d better get going.” His voice was cool now, guarded. “The sooner we let everyone know you’re mine, the sooner we can get you out of danger.”
Mine. Her breath caught in her throat and longing squeezed her heart. Her father hadn’t wanted a daughter, particularly one he hadn’t planned, and after her mother had died, he’d wanted her even less. Rejection and a desperate need to be loved had sent her into Levi’s arms. But he wasn’t the savior and protector she’d thought he would be. She had been his possession but she had never had his heart. And he had never had hers.
Oh God. What was she doing? Reality crashed down on her fleeting moment of happiness. Could she really face a biker clubhouse again?
She sank down onto the couch and scrubbed her face with her hands. But nothing could banish the memories—so many hands, so many voices. Struggling, screaming…and the pain. So much pain. Her body chilled and a violent tremor shook her body.
James knelt in front of her and rested his hand lightly on her head. “What’s wrong? Do you not want to go? I won’t hold you to it. In fact I would be relieved if you don’t go. I can deal with the fallout and Rex.”
Lost in the past, she barely registered his words, and when she tried to answer, her throat tightened and she couldn’t speak, much less meet his gaze.
“You’re afraid.” His calm, even voice held no trace of judgment or scorn, just puzzled curiosity.
He brought her hand to his face and pressed his mouth to the sensitive underside of her wrist. Warmth flowed through her veins, beating back the chill of old memories. He’d never seen her afraid because she’d never been afraid around him. James had always made her feel safe. But she’d been too ashamed to tell him about her past when they’d been together. She was too ashamed now.
“You don’t have to worry, babe.” He threaded his fingers through hers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “If this is what you really want to do, I won’t leave you alone. Not for a minute. You’ll be safe with me.”
Saf
e. Lana swallowed past the lump in her throat. She hadn’t felt truly safe since the night he’d left. But, of course, he would feel obligated to keep her safe. His unerring sense of duty had been one of the things that had attracted her to him. Like her, he wanted to put things right. But, unlike her, James had a clear path to follow. She’d always envied James the strength and purpose he got from the simple act of doing his duty. So unlike Levi and his flagrant disrespect for the law.
“One visit will be enough to face down the problem,” he said. “No one will touch you after that.”
Face down the problem. Just like Jackie had said. Walking into a motorcycle club after all these years would take her one step closer to dealing with her past. She could get her pictures, close the case, get rid of the tattoo that marked her as Wolverine property using the most expensive and effective technique available, and never see James or the bikers again. She just needed a little courage.
“I do want to go,” she said. “But yeah, I’m afraid. Hades doesn’t have a reputation for being all warm and fuzzy.”
“Trust me.” The confidence and conviction in his voice wrapped around her like a warm, thick blanket. She studied the firm set of his jaw and his steady blue eyes, dark now like an ocean storm. Something sparked inside her. Maybe hope. Maybe desire. Maybe both. At this point, she had more to gain than to lose by trusting him. He couldn’t hurt her any worse than he already had.
“I don’t trust you.” Her voice shook despite her best efforts to keep it steady. “But I do think you’ll keep me safe and that’s enough for me to deal with…get through the door. You are a cop, after all. Protecting people is your job.”
“Let’s get you changed then.” His gruff voice betrayed strong emotion, but whatever he was feeling he kept hidden.
With a resigned sigh, Lana made her way to the bedroom. James followed behind her and settled himself on the bed.
She lifted an eyebrow. “You planning to have a nap?”
James winked and lay back on her pillows. “Thought I’d watch.”
Barely Undercover: Legal Heat, Book 2 Page 6
