“They aren’t going anywhere.” Rex stepped into the hallway, arms folded, a trickle of blood on his temple and a scowl on his face. “They betrayed Hades. They pay the price.”
“For the love of…” Angel cut herself off when Rex walked toward them. “You got one hell of a hard head, Rexy. Most men would have been out a coupla hours after getting hit with this here pipe. Maybe it’s been all that coke you’ve been snorting or all the girls you’ve been fucking. You’re too stupid to know when it’s best to stay passed out.”
“Only one girl I wanted,” Rex snarled. “Wasn’t you.”
Unperturbed, Angel gave a bitter laugh. “I heard you were sniffing around my PI and she wouldn’t have you. So you decided to give her up to the Wolverines. Isn’t that right? If you couldn’t have her, no one else in the club could have her? You’re pathetic. And you know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking the reason you didn’t stay down is because the wrong person hit you with the pipe.”
She tossed the pipe to James and gave him a wicked grin. “Let’s see what you got, Ice. If you can’t knock him out longer than I did, I’ll take that damn pipe to your head next.”
James hefted the pipe and stalked toward Rex. “Go home, Angel. By the time I’m done here, there won’t be any pipe left to play with.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The heart-shaking roar of a motorcycle engine wrenched Lana from sleep. She shook Jackie awake and raced to the window of the tiny motel hidden away in the Rocky Mountains.
“Is it Levi?” Jackie ran around the room, still half-asleep, stuffing clothes in her backpack, her long dark hair a tangle around her face.
“I can’t tell. It’s too dark,” Lana whispered.
“How did he know where we are?”
“Maybe it’s not him.” She dared to hope, but practicality reared its ugly head. “We have to be prepared to escape on foot. Our car will be blocked off once they enter the parking lot.”
Jackie tugged a hoodie over her pajamas. “Excellent. I’ve always wanted to run aimlessly through a cold, dark forest in the middle of the night, being pursued by crazed Wolverines. Can’t have too many experiences in this life, I always say.”
Lana peered out the window again and her heart skipped a beat. “There’s only one guy and he’s parked beside your car.”
“If he puts a scratch on that paint, I’ll kill him,” Jackie grumbled. “I just had it redone. Cost me every penny I made on the Pomeranian case.”
“He’s heading to the front desk. We can sneak out now.” Lana grabbed her backpack and pushed open the door.
The phone rang, the sound jarring in the quiet of the night.
“He’s calling.” Jackie’s eyes widened. “Very thoughtful. I thought he’d just bust down the door and drag you out by the hair. But I guess he wants to be sure you’re properly dressed for your kidnapping. Are you going to answer it?”
Heart pounding, Lana lifted the receiver.
“Babe…”
“James.” Her heart swelled in her chest and a grin split her face. “It’s James,” she whispered.
Jackie raised an eyebrow. “I gathered that from the breathy sigh and the stars in your eyes. He’s like a white knight riding his silver steed into the mountains to rescue his damsel in distress. What I wouldn’t give for one of those.” Her face fell and for the briefest moment Lana thought she caught a glimpse of regret in Jackie’s eyes, but it was so fleeting she could have imagined it.
Footsteps hammered down the wooden walkway in time to Lana’s beating heart. She pulled open the door and threw her arms around James’s neck as he stepped into the room.
“You came.”
“Of course I came,” he murmured. “You’re my girl.”
“Did Kickstand call you?” Jackie asked. “Is he okay? I got the feeling he was about to do something stupid.”
James kicked the door closed and wrapped his arms around Lana. “He called Ryder. And Ryder was with me. We had just dropped Rex off at the hospital. Someone beat him up pretty bad with a pipe. He’s got a coupla broken limbs and a concussion. Maybe a broken nose and a few broken ribs. Lots of cuts and bruises. Internal injuries…”
“Hmmmm.” Lana looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like someone was pretty pissed at him.”
James brushed a kiss over her forehead. “Someone was. A man sees his girl being abused and sold to a bunch of fucking Wolverines, he gets a bit annoyed. A man gets annoyed, he has to do something about it. Someone puts a pipe in his hand and pushes him in the right direction, he knows what to do.”