“Don’t flatter yourself.” She sighed. “I have things to do and places to be. A life that doesn’t involve you. If you recall, you made it very clear you didn’t want to see me around the clubhouse again, which I took to mean around you.”
“You’re the one who said it was a mistake.” James paced across the room. Although her bedroom wasn’t small, he managed to take up almost all the space.
“And you’re the one who didn’t disagree,” Lana snapped. “So now that we have that sorted, you can be on your way.”
“Not until I find out if you’re packing or unpacking. And if you’re packing, where are you going?” He frowned and looked over at the bed. “Jackie?”
Jackie shrugged. “I have half a story and I’m sworn to secrecy. I can say she thought someone might be after her and I recommended she contact a certain police officer we know. However, I have since convinced her she might be delusional.”
“Jackie.” Lana gave her friend a warning glare.
All traces of humor disappeared from James’s face. “Who’s after you?”
Lana ignored him and continued to slam panties back into her drawer. Why was he here? They were done. He had made that abundantly clear by his silence after sending Rex out of his room. He had watched her dress, led her outside, warned her away and pecked her on the cheek. No discussion. No talking. No trying to convince her she was wrong. If that wasn’t a brush-off, she didn’t know what was.
“Lana, I want an answer. Now.” The tone of his voice—forceful, commanding—touched the last of her raw nerves. She rounded on him, drawing in a deep breath as she prepared to berate him for daring to speak to her like that.
And then he kissed her. His firm mouth closed over hers, taking her so deeply, so swiftly, she melted into his arms.
Sweet. Gentle. Tender… Concerned.
Angry tears welled in her eyes. “I hate it when you do that.”
Damn.
James tightened his arms around Lana’s waist and plunged his tongue into her hot, wet mouth. Her body softened and her hands snaked around his neck, pulling him close. If Jackie hadn’t been there he wouldn’t have stopped with just a kiss.
Christ. This was exactly what he hadn’t wanted. He had come to tell her she was right. They had made a mistake and the best solution was to stay apart. But because she was still on Rex’s radar—Rex had made that clear in their meeting last night—James had come up with a plan to protect her. A way to keep her away from Rex and Hades.
Away from him.
A quick morning call and it had all been sorted. She would stay with Tony in his West Vancouver mansion until Rex was arrested in the raid James had been promised would happen soon.
But then he’d seen the suitcase.
The thought of her gone had fuzzed his brain. It didn’t matter if it was for a weekend or a holiday, or even for business. His brain had registered Lana and gone, and his great plan had flown out the window. The potential threat Jackie had alluded to brought it all home. He couldn’t walk away. He couldn’t leave her. Not even in Tony’s care. Not now.
Maybe not ever.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he gently pulled away from her soft, sweet body and checked the caller ID. Ryder. He excused himself and headed for the kitchen to take the call.
They exchanged greetings and Ryder’s voice tightened. “Rex wants the weapons for the brothers who’ll be guarding an unexpected shipment coming in at the end of the week. Thought I’d give you a heads-up and we would arrange to meet to collect them.”
Damn. He had appealed the confiscation multiple times, but in the end the DEU had decreed the danger to innocents was a bigger risk than the danger to James’s life. Bitterness from that conversation still coated his tongue. He’d always been prepared to give his life in the line of duty, but he’d never expected to be a deliberate sacrificial lamb.
“I left them with a trucker buddy and he’s out of town until next week. He didn’t leave me with a key to his place. What does Rex need?” The prepared lie rolled off his tongue, unconvincing even to him.
“A couple of semis and a few pistols. He’ll be fucking pissed if you don’t bring them.”
James scrubbed his hand through his hair. “I need a day to figure out how to get in touch with my friend.”
Silence.
“Ryder?”
“Leave it with me. I’ll get Rex what he needs.”
James froze. No way could he let Ryder get dragged into this. “Appreciate it. But it’s my mess. I’ll handle it.”
Ryder snorted his disagreement. “The way I see it, you saved my ass at least four times over the last two years: the police shootout in East Van, the botched drop on Vancouver Island, the night we went trunking and picked up the wrong guy, and the time Bones faked that evidence to try and prove I was a rat. I’m not even counting the times you covered for me when I had to go away or when I knocked heads with Rex. Consider it handled.”