barrel-chested and foul-mouthed, Diesel and Punch could have been twins save for the fact Diesel had a woman’s face tattooed on the back of his bald head and Punch sported dreads that would make even a Jamaican jealous.
James breathed an inward sigh of relief at not being sent out with them. Trunking involved snatching off the street underworld characters with known wealth, locking them in the trunk of the vehicle and driving around until someone paid their ransom…or they died. He had done it a few times and once had almost called for backup when the drug dealer’s family initially refused to pay.
“Got another deal going down in a couple of weeks.” Rex leaned back and dropped his feet off the desk. “We got serious kilos coming in by helicopter. I’ll give you the details later.”
James’s heart pounded. This was it. The break he had been waiting for. The DEU would be able to take down the inner circle and probably a large contingent of full-patch members. With the wiretap evidence he had collected over the last two years, they should have enough to shut down Hades for good.
It would all be over.
Until then, he just had to keep Lana away. And he had to stay focused. Keep his thoughts on the assignment and not on the beautiful woman with liquid green eyes, kick-ass curves and sass to match.
Simple.
Chapter Five
“Chip?”
Jackie held out the chip bowl and Lana shook her head. Jackie knew better than to bring fattening junk food to Lana’s apartment, especially when Lana was emotionally distraught. She was the one who had pulled Lana out of her James-induced doldrums by suggesting they start working out and go into business together. The work involved in merging their PI practices had given Lana the kick she needed to get out of bed and into Jackie’s morning strategy sessions at the local gym.
“I lost over twenty pounds pining for Heartless Bastard over the last two years,” she said. “I’m not about to gain it back now that he’s seen the new, svelte me. I want him to suffer. I want him to regret the day he walked out my door.”
“Chip?”
Lana grabbed the bowl. “Did you bring any dip?”
Jackie shook her head. “I was trying to be sensitive to your new healthy-eating regime when I picked up the snacks on my way over here. Chips, yes. Dip, no. Soda, diet. Oreos, mini.”
“Very thoughtful.” Not that Jackie ever had to worry about what she ate. Utterly gorgeous, tall and tan, Jackie could have held her own on any runway or movie screen. Her hair was a sleek, smooth black curtain that had never seen a tangle. Irritatingly and perpetually slim, she had all the right curves in all the right places and a metabolism that meant her svelte figure could not be destroyed by multiple packages of Oreos or weekly chip binges. Lana did not begrudge Jackie her beauty because her striking blue eyes hid a kindred wild child and thrash enthusiast, and more secrets than Lana had curls.
Lana delicately nibbled her chip. Only one. She would eat only one chip and give the bowl back to Jackie. “Now, if only I could find a boyfriend who cared as much.”
A curious expression crossed Jackie’s face—part longing, part regret—but it disappeared so quickly Lana wondered if she had imagined it.
“From what you told me on the phone earlier, sounds like you found not one, but two, at the sex club the other night,” Jackie said.
“I don’t consider evil, scary biker dudes who threaten to kidnap me and take me back to the clubhouse to do God knows what, to be particularly thoughtful.”
Stretching out on Lana’s worn velvet couch, Jackie sighed. “I think you should call Angel, give her back the deposit and move on. Rex saw you. If he is after you, then not only are you compromised, you also have a professional conflict.”
Lana finished her chip and then ate another, and another, and another. Damn addictive chips . She shoved the empty bowl in Jackie’s direction. “I can’t leave Angel in
James breathed an inward sigh of relief at not being sent out with them. Trunking involved snatching off the street underworld characters with known wealth, locking them in the trunk of the vehicle and driving around until someone paid their ransom…or they died. He had done it a few times and once had almost called for backup when the drug dealer’s family initially refused to pay.
“Got another deal going down in a couple of weeks.” Rex leaned back and dropped his feet off the desk. “We got serious kilos coming in by helicopter. I’ll give you the details later.”
James’s heart pounded. This was it. The break he had been waiting for. The DEU would be able to take down the inner circle and probably a large contingent of full-patch members. With the wiretap evidence he had collected over the last two years, they should have enough to shut down Hades for good.
It would all be over.
Until then, he just had to keep Lana away. And he had to stay focused. Keep his thoughts on the assignment and not on the beautiful woman with liquid green eyes, kick-ass curves and sass to match.
Simple.
Chapter Five
“Chip?”
Jackie held out the chip bowl and Lana shook her head. Jackie knew better than to bring fattening junk food to Lana’s apartment, especially when Lana was emotionally distraught. She was the one who had pulled Lana out of her James-induced doldrums by suggesting they start working out and go into business together. The work involved in merging their PI practices had given Lana the kick she needed to get out of bed and into Jackie’s morning strategy sessions at the local gym.
“I lost over twenty pounds pining for Heartless Bastard over the last two years,” she said. “I’m not about to gain it back now that he’s seen the new, svelte me. I want him to suffer. I want him to regret the day he walked out my door.”
“Chip?”
Lana grabbed the bowl. “Did you bring any dip?”
Jackie shook her head. “I was trying to be sensitive to your new healthy-eating regime when I picked up the snacks on my way over here. Chips, yes. Dip, no. Soda, diet. Oreos, mini.”
“Very thoughtful.” Not that Jackie ever had to worry about what she ate. Utterly gorgeous, tall and tan, Jackie could have held her own on any runway or movie screen. Her hair was a sleek, smooth black curtain that had never seen a tangle. Irritatingly and perpetually slim, she had all the right curves in all the right places and a metabolism that meant her svelte figure could not be destroyed by multiple packages of Oreos or weekly chip binges. Lana did not begrudge Jackie her beauty because her striking blue eyes hid a kindred wild child and thrash enthusiast, and more secrets than Lana had curls.
Lana delicately nibbled her chip. Only one. She would eat only one chip and give the bowl back to Jackie. “Now, if only I could find a boyfriend who cared as much.”
A curious expression crossed Jackie’s face—part longing, part regret—but it disappeared so quickly Lana wondered if she had imagined it.
“From what you told me on the phone earlier, sounds like you found not one, but two, at the sex club the other night,” Jackie said.
“I don’t consider evil, scary biker dudes who threaten to kidnap me and take me back to the clubhouse to do God knows what, to be particularly thoughtful.”
Stretching out on Lana’s worn velvet couch, Jackie sighed. “I think you should call Angel, give her back the deposit and move on. Rex saw you. If he is after you, then not only are you compromised, you also have a professional conflict.”
Lana finished her chip and then ate another, and another, and another. Damn addictive chips . She shoved the empty bowl in Jackie’s direction. “I can’t leave Angel in
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