Barely Undercover: Legal Heat Book 2(77)

“Take what you want. I’m going to pine to death anyway,” Jackie snapped, her eyes glistening with tears. “But have you thought about your clients…Angel?”

Lana gritted her teeth and tossed a few granola bars in the bag. Tempting as it was to ask for help or even take Jackie with her, she couldn’t take the risk. Levi was her problem alone. And the only way she knew how to deal with him was to run.

Her chest tightened at the thought of moving again. New city. New job. New friends. New life. She would be back to jumping at every shadow and peering into every corner. Trusting no one. She would spend her nights tossing and turning, terrified every creak meant Levi had found her. After coming so far, she was back to the beginning again.

“If you manage to pull the pictures off the lipstick camera, you can send them to Angel.” Her voice wavered. “But I think she and Rex are back together. You can tell my other clients I had an emergency and had to leave town. I already did briefing notes for you. Somehow I knew it would come to this.”

“He loves you.” Jackie’s voice broke. “Don’t do this to him. Don’t do this to yourself.”

He loves me. Lana rolled the unfamiliar concept around her mind. No one loved her. Not since her mother died. Not her father. Not her brothers. Boyfriends had come and gone until Levi. But he had never loved her either. And neither had James. She had let herself forget how she felt the morning she woke up and found him gone.

“How can you leave without saying goodbye?” Jackie threw open another cupboard and absently tossed a few boxes of JELL-O powder and Hamburger Helper into Lana’s bag. “Why won’t you give him a chance to help?”

“Because he’ll go after Levi and get killed, and if he doesn’t die, they’ll go after him.” Lana closed her eyes and sighed. “The Wolverines aren’t ordinary bikers. They make Hades look like pussycats. Someone cuts them off on the road, they burn the guy’s car…with him in it. Someone steals something belonging to them, they cut off the guy’s hands and feet, and toss him in the lake. A biker from another gang tried to help me escape, and they shot up his house. He and his family only survived because he had a safe room and after that they had to leave the state. Every time I ran away, I was beaten and chained up as punishment. And Levi was worse than most of them.”

“Wait.” Jackie raced past Lana and plastered herself against the door. “You’re my best friend. I love you to bits. I’m there for you, no matter what. But I think you’re making a mistake. James is one of the toughest guys I know. He’s like a rock…ice. Probably how he got his road name. But if you leave, you’ll break him. And you’ll lose the best thing that ever happened to you.”

“How can I not leave him?” Lana’s voice cracked, broke. “I have to protect him. Not only that— his biggest fear is that he falls for someone and loses them. If I stay, his worst nightmare will come true. I can’t do that to him.”

Jackie sagged against the splintered wood. “It’s too late. You already did. He thinks he lost you because of what happened at the club. He thinks it’s his fault.”

Nausea roiled in Lana’s belly and the shopping bag fell from her hand, hitting the floor with a loud thunk. “Oh God. That wasn’t it at all.”

“Then tell him and at the very least say goodbye. Give him a choice, a chance. He’s got to go to Kirkland Island tonight with Rex and his inner circle on some kind of secret mission, but if you hurry you could probably catch him at the clubhouse before they leave.”

Lana sucked in a sharp breath and her blood turned cold. “James is going to Kirkland Island?”

Jackie shrugged. “He got called to help on some last-minute deal that he thought could close off his case. He was going to blow them off to look for you but I…I told him you were safe and he should go. He was so desolate. I was worried about him. He didn’t even crack a smile at the chance to shut Hades down for good.”

Lana’s hand flew to her mouth. “He can’t go, Jackie. It’s a trap. They’re going to kill him. They must have found out he’s a rat.”

“Oh God.” Jackie’s breath caught in her throat. “You should have told him.”

A sob escaped Lana’s lips. “I did.”





James parked his Rocker at the edge of the marsh and waited for Ryder to join him. Although the sun had set hours ago, Kirkland Island was abuzz with the croaking of tree frogs, the barking of sea lions and the odd squawking of the many birds that inhabited the tiny island between Richmond and Delta on the South Arm Marshes. They dismounted, clipped their helmets to their seats, and followed Rex, Punch and Dawg down a small dirt hill to the beach. Bones and Diesel silently fell in behind them, packs on their backs.