Barely Undercover: Legal Heat Book 2(82)

A breathless Kickstand returned with a pen, his face twisted by remorse. James dictated the message letter by letter and Kickstand wrote it on the underside of his arm.

“I’ll make sure she gets it. You can count on me, Ice.”

“I know I can. And if you have any sense, after you deliver the message you’ll get the hell out of town and away from Hades.”

Business concluded, Levi yanked Lana to her feet. “Say goodbye to your Iceman, Roxie. You’ll never be seeing him again. It’s time to go home.”

“No.” With a shriek, Lana suddenly spun, breaking Levi’s grip on her hair. She shoved her hands hard into his groin, and when he doubled over, she kneed him in the chin. Levi’s head snapped back; he groaned and staggered to the side. But before Lana could run, the Wolverines descended on her, pinning her arms and forcing her to her knees in front of an enraged Levi.

“Fucking bitch,” Levi screamed. “You know better than that. Looks like we’ll have to teach you to behave all over again.” He drew his leg back for a kick and a white blur shot across the room and forced itself between them.

Kickstand.

“Don’t touch her,” he shouted. And then to Lana, “I’m sorry. So sorry.”

James roared and threw himself forward. The ropes around his legs caught and he fell to his knees. Ryder yanked him up, murmuring in his ear that he would have the cuffs off in less than a minute.

Levi laughed and plowed his boot into Kickstand’s side, over and over again. Despite James’s exhortations to get out of the way, Kickstand stayed between Levi and Lana, taking the blows that surely would have broken her ribs.

Grumbles in the clubhouse turned to yells and shouts. Although they couldn’t defend Lana because she was marked as Wolverine property, Hades couldn’t allow the disrespect done to their prospect. Within seconds, a full-scale brawl erupted. The clubhouse filled with the sounds of breaking glass and splitting wood, shouts, grunts and moans. Sharp and tangy, blood scented the air.

Anxiety ratcheted through James. He couldn’t see Lana. Or Levi. Or even Kickstand. He howled Ryder’s name just as the lock clicked. The cuffs fell to floor and within seconds he’d untied his feet.

Fury wiped everything from his mind but the instinctive need to find Lana. He forged a path through the crowd, pounding on anyone who dared get in his way. He didn’t ask himself how they would escape two gangs of bloodthirsty bikers. He had no plan. He knew only that Levi intended to take her away. And damned if he would let that happen.





“Quickly. My bike’s over there.”

Kickstand half pulled, half dragged Lana across the parking lot, clutching his side as they wove their way through the neat rows of motorcycles.

Thunder boomed in the distance and a cool breeze sliced through Lana’s thin cotton shirt, sending a wave of goose bumps over her skin. Thick black clouds choked even the light of the moon and they had only the dim orange glow of the perimeter lights to guide them to Kickstand’s bike at the far end of the parking lot.

“You’re hurt.” Lana gently touched the side of his shirt as he pulled out his key. He hissed and pulled away.

“No worse than you. But we have to hurry. It won’t take them long to realize you’re missing.”

He slid an arm around her waist to help her up and pain sliced through her ribs. Dazed, exhausted, her body bruised and broken, she could barely walk, much less hold on to Kickstand if he planned to drive any faster than a slow crawl.

As the motorcycle roared to life, she glanced back at the clubhouse. Already bikers were spilling into the parking lot. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought she recognized James, but then she remembered the confusion and pain in his eyes, the shock and anger in the taut lines of his face when Levi told him she was married.

James wouldn’t be coming for her this time. Not after she’d lied to him and betrayed him just as Christine had done. Not after she had kept secret the one thing that meant the most to him.

“There they are.” Shouts from the door. The thud of feet on pavement. The crack of a gun.

“Fuck. I forgot the helmets. Let’s hope we don’t meet a cop.” Kickstand revved the engine and peeled away.

Lana clung to his back and squeezed her eyes shut. “I hope we do.”





“Don’t even think about starting that bike.”

Rex pointed his weapon at James and walked toward him. “Get off nice and slow. I don’t want your blood messing up the parking lot.”

James shot one desperate glance at Kickstand’s disappearing taillights and dismounted his motorcycle. Bones came up behind him and pressed the barrel of his gun to James’s head.