Barely Undercover: Legal Heat Book 2(75)

“You’re a smooth talker, J. I can see why she fell so hard for you. You keep buttering me up like that and I’ll be kissing your shoes in no time flat. But you don’t have to worry about sullying your hands with my filth. Like I told you, she’s not here.”

The knot that had formed in James’s gut when Lana had run out of the club tightened. After spending the night looking for her, he’d come to the conclusion she had to be hiding out at Jackie’s place. He had been so certain of the fact, for a moment he felt utterly lost.

“Did she call you?”

“Yeah, she called me,” Jackie said. “She was totally hysterical. She wouldn’t tell me where she was. All I got from her was you took her to some club and she ran away. What the hell did you do to her?”

James gritted his teeth and shrugged off the question that had tormented him all night. If she wasn’t here, where could she be? With the help of Tony, Ryder and Kickstand, all bases had been covered: apartment, office, local restaurants and bars. He had her car keys so he knew she was on foot. Jackie had been calling Lana’s friends and acquaintances until she’d suddenly cut off all communication without a word of explanation. How could Lana not be here?

For the first time in his life he didn’t know what to do.

Jackie tilted her head to one side and studied him. Her face softened and her voice dropped to a quiet murmur. “Okay. I can see you’re worried and pretty beat up. I’ll tone it down. You need anything? Glass of water? Something stronger?”

He shook his head. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have taken her there. I should have asked her more about her past. I pushed too hard and something set her off.” He paused. “Maybe it was Rex. He was trying to get in.”

“She’s not that scared of Rex.” Jackie wove her way through the clothes and boxes piled on the floor. “Not scared enough to run. Only one guy I know she would run from, but he’s somewhere in the US.”

“Levi?”

“She told you?”

James nodded. “Not everything. We were interrupted.”

Jackie walked over to the window and stared out into the night. “She thought she’d been recognized last week and he would be coming for her. That’s why she had the suitcase packed. She ran from him once before. Took her three years to escape. Any chance she might have been right? Do you think he’s in town?”

A chill raced down his spine. Why hadn’t he even considered she would’ve had to run? Abusers rarely let their women walk away. But why would Levi be in Vancouver? Would he still be hunting for her after so many years? If so, how did he find her? Or was he here by chance, perhaps to form an alliance with Hades? It didn’t make sense.

“If Levi is here, I haven’t heard about it.” He brushed his thumb over his bottom lip as he considered the possibility. “If he did come to the Lower Mainland, he would’ve had to stop at Hades to pay his respects. And if he showed up at the clubhouse, Rex would be shouting it out to the world. The Wolverines are a very powerful West Coast club. And I only saw Rex and Angel at Carpe Noctem, no one else.” His voice broke. “It was me, Jackie. It was my fault. I just can’t do right by her.”

She looked at him aghast. “It has nothing to do with you…I’m sure of it.”

“Easy to say. Hard to believe.”

His cell buzzed against his hip and he sighed heavily before he accepted the call.

“Bones.”

Bones didn’t waste time on social niceties. “We need you at the clubhouse right away. We’ve got an unexpected drop tonight at Kirkland Island. Rex wants the inner circle on the pickup team. You need to come in for a briefing.”

James scraped a hand through his hair. For the first time in his life he wasn’t going to do his duty and it didn’t even give him pause. “Tell Rex I can’t make it. Roxie’s missing and I’m trying to find her.”

“You want me to tell Rex you can’t make it because you’re chasing after your old lady? You got a death wish? I’m telling him you’ll be here within the hour. Don’t be late.”

The phone went dead.

James stared at his cell for a full three seconds then threw it as hard as he could against the wall. The impact made a satisfying crack and the phone fell to the ground.

“Fuck.” He sank into a chair, his head between his hands. The DEU would have heard that call and no doubt would be calling his broken phone to ask why he’d refused Bones’s request. It was a perfect setup for a raid. Isolated island. Inner circle together. Hard evidence of drug smuggling.