Chapter 19

"Diamonds are forever–my youth is not."

–Jill St. John

Jameson

In the previous week and a half, I had made more than a dozen drops or pickups. Each one, I told myself, got me one step closer to the top. There was no doubt that Felix and Ben now trusted me. Completely.

I'd gone to the Nest two more times. Declan was now acting stir crazy and had obviously been told about Evelyn's death. The last time I saw the man, he'd been so strung out he could barely stand.

Still, Ben had acted as if it was the most natural thing on the planet.

We'd gone deep into the bayou once more to gather two more bags of cash. Every time, Ben handed candy to the little boy with the haunting eyes, who thanked him and handed over the cash as if he had no clue what he held, that so much money could have been his ticket out of the mud hole.

Felix had requested that I cut my hours back at the gym to accommodate all the running around. I'd been compensated with a crisp wad of bills to make up for the loss of income.

After each run, I'd checked in with Jasmine, who was sticking close to town and working her own angle. It wasn't the first time she'd stepped in and done her own thing, and I knew that whatever happened next, she'd be there to see things through.

I also knew there were a few dozen agents nearby who were ready to storm in when I gave the final word. It was a sign that I was getting closer to the end of the game.

I missed Rayne. I wanted to spend all of my days and nights with her. Years if possible.

We talked as often as we could on my secure line. Sent a few coded text messages back and forth.

Since that night a few weeks back, we hadn't had time to hold one another again.

I'd never felt lonely before. Never really thought about how empty and dark my nights were. Now, when I lay in bed alone, it was all I could think of. I missed her warmth, her softness, her laughter.

I had never loved a woman before now. Hell, I hadn't thought it was possible for me. It had never seemed to be in the cards for my life. Now I was dreaming. Which was dangerous.

Often, when I should have been focused on work, I was thinking of our future together. I couldn't afford to let my guard down.

In the previous two days, I had avoided replying to Rayne's messages. I needed to push her away until I could give her all of my attention. Our future depended on it.

Tonight's run, a pickup from another shady motel outside of some other little town along the old highway, was only shitty due to the summer rainstorm pelting my face as I drove on the old road.

I hadn't been out to the motel before and, honestly, hadn't even known of its existence. I was pretty sure I had crossed a few county lines by the time I stopped in front of the dive.

The sign was half lit and the no-vacancy light was the brightest thing in the evening sky, except for the occasional bolt of lightning off in the distance.

I stepped under the torn awning and knocked on the door to room 212 and waited.

"Yeah?" someone said from inside.

"I hear there's a full moon tonight," I said, using the code words.

The door flew open, and seconds later I stumbled back as two large dark figures rushed me. I didn't even get a chance to ball my fists before the first blow to the side of my left temple had me seeing stars.

Half dazed, I was dragged into the room and tossed on the floor. Steel-toed boots kicked my sides, shoulders, head. I heard screaming. Felt my skin tear. Tasted blood.

Then, nothing.

When I woke, sunlight was streaming through torn blinds, hitting me directly in the one eye that I'd forced open.

"Shit." I coughed and rolled over. The bag of drugs I'd brought with me to hand over for the cash was gone. Along with my wallet, motorcycle boots, and jacket. Both of my guns and my knife were gone as well. I'd wager they'd taken off with my bike too.

"Shit." I groaned and wobbled as I hung out on my hands and knees. Droplets of blood fell from my mouth onto the matted carpet.

I'd let my guard down and it had cost me.

I wiped my mouth with my shirt sleeve and moved to stand up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark figure sitting in the chair across the room and stilled. My entire bruised body went on guard.

Until I saw the kid's eyes staring blankly back at me and realized his throat had been slashed. He'd bled out all over his football jersey.

"Shit." I sat down on the carpet, staring at the dead kid.

No doubt, the high school jock had been the one I was supposed to meet.

I closed my eyes and assessed how badly hurt I was. Not as bad as the kid, I thought quickly.

Bruised ribs, black eye, bloody nose. I reached up and touched it—not broken at least. Fat lip. I ran my tongue over each tooth, thankful that none of them wiggled.

I hadn't even gotten a hit in. I hadn't seen either man's face. Hadn't heard any names or seen anything other than darkness.

Was this a set up? Had Felix and Ben been the ones to jump me? The two men in the room had been roughly their size. Big. Full of muscles. Steel-toed bike boots. Still, something told me it wasn't them.

It could be another test though. To see how I'd handle waking up in a motel room with a dead kid.

Looking around, I saw a pair of dirty white sneakers. They were a little small, but I pulled them on. Whatever happened next, I wasn't going to deal with it barefooted.

I walked over to the window and glanced out. Yup, my Harley was MIA. Shit.

They'd taken everything I had, including my phone.

Could I chance making a call on the motel's phone? I glanced at the thing sitting on the nightstand and knew better.

From what I could tell, the only thing leading me to the scene was a few drops of my dried blood on the already dirty carpet. I'd wager there was a hell of a lot of DNA on the damned thing.

I glanced down at the dirty white shoes and doubted they'd be missed. The kid was wearing what appeared to be a brand-new pair of Air Jordans. Expensive. Why hadn't they taken those?

Using my shirt sleeve, I opened the door. I pulled my hoody over my head, and stepped outside, making sure no one was watching.

Quickly, I stepped into the alley and walked down a side road. I didn't see so much as a car or another person for almost an hour. I stopped at an old gas station that had probably closed twenty years before and used the pay phone, which surprisingly worked, to call the emergency number.

Jasmine answered on the second ring.

"What's wrong?" she said, sounding worried.

Half an hour later, a car pulled up to the back of the gas station and I slid into the passenger seat.

"There's a fresh pair of clothes." Jasmine nodded to the back seat. "We done here?" she asked me.

I rolled to the back seat, prepared to change out of my ruined clothes.

"No," I answered. "I don't think it was Felix or Ben." I'd thought about it while waiting. "Not their style," I mumbled as I switched the ruined clothes for the clean ones.

"Are you sure you don't need medical help?" she asked as she drove.

"I'm sure," I assured her and winced as I moved wrong.

"Shit, they fucked you up good," she said, glancing in the mirror.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"The kid?" she asked solemnly.

I shrugged. "You made the call?"

"Yeah, the manager will check on the room. When he calls it in, our team will go in quietly," Jasmine answered.

"Rayne?" I asked.

"Not her jurisdiction," Jasmine said. "We're two counties away."

"Right." I groaned. "Still, I'd like her to be clued in."

Jasmine nodded. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell Felix?"

I closed my eyes and laid my head back after finishing changing. "Not yet. I want a shower and sleep first."

"We could get you the cash," Jasmine offered.

"Then what happens when word gets out that I was jumped? My bike gone? They'd question where I'd gotten the cash."

"Right." Jasmine sighed. "I'll drop you off just outside of town. You can walk the rest of the way."

"Thanks." I closed my eyes until I felt the car stop.

"Your stop." She turned to look at me. "Here's a backup phone." I took it and pocketed it. "If you get spooked, you know where to meet me. Safe house," she said as I climbed out.

Since the cabin was no longer safe, we'd changed locations. There was a house a few blocks away that she had rented under her alias.

She had presented herself in town as a business investor named Jasmine Rice who was looking to invest in a few properties around town.

After five minutes of walking, a familiar truck pulled up next to me and I groaned as Ben stared back at me.

"What in the hell?" He jumped out of the truck and helped me into the passenger seat. "Don't tell me Mason did this to you?"

"Mason?" I blinked a few times and shook my head. "The kid?"

Ben's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, the kid who was supposed to pay you for the drop."

I shook my head again. "Two big guys, bigger than Felix." I wiped my lip. "They jumped me before I could blink. Slashed the kid's throat, stole everything, even my fucking bike."

"Shit," Ben said, hitting the steering wheel. "Mason is dead?"

I nodded and rested my head back. Okay, so not Ben and Felix, I thought.

"You okay?" Ben asked as the truck started moving.

"Bruised. Pissed about my bike," I said. "Pissed they got the jump on me," I added.

"Did you see their faces?" Ben asked.

I shook my head without opening my eyes.

"Two big guys?" Ben asked again. I nodded again and groaned a little with pain.

Ben was quiet.

"Know 'em?" I asked, cracking my eye open.

"Yeah," Ben said with a sigh. "I have a clue who." He glanced at me, his eyes running up and down me. "Killed the kid?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Slashed his throat." I motioned. I wanted to add that it pissed me off, but I knew it wouldn't matter to Ben.

"We'll get them back," Ben said.

"Who?" I asked.

Ben's eyes narrowed. "You're in no shape. We've got you on this one."

"Who?" I asked again. "It's personal."

Ben shook his head. "You're sitting this one out." He stopped at my place. "Get some rest. Take a few days to heal. Let me know if you need… anything."

I nodded. I was feeling nauseous, so I climbed out of the truck and headed upstairs.

I stumbled into my loft apartment, each step sending waves of pain radiating through my bruised ribs. The taste of blood lingered on my lips, and I could feel the sting of a fresh cut on my cheek. I reached up to touch the tender skin around my eye, wincing as I felt the telltale swelling beneath my fingertips.

With a sigh of relief, I made my way to the bathroom. I stripped off my fresh clothes, which were now stained with blood, and stepped into the hot spray of the shower. The water cascaded over me, washing away the grime and blood that clung to my skin, but no amount of scrubbing could erase the memories of the beating I had endured or the image of the dead teen.

I downed a couple of aspirin and drank what felt like a gallon of water and then pulled on a pair of shorts. Exhausted and sore, I collapsed onto the bed, the soft mattress offering little comfort to my aching body. I closed my eyes, hoping to find some respite in sleep, but my mind refused to quiet, replaying the events of the night over and over again. The empty look in the high school kid's eyes. Knowing the pain that would come to his family with today's sad news.

Finally, exhaustion overtook me, pulling me into a fitful sleep plagued by nightmares of violence and death.

When I awoke, the sunlight streaming through the windows cast a warm glow over the room. I blinked away the remnants of sleep, my eyes slowly focusing on the figure standing at the foot of my bed.

"Rayne?" I croaked, my voice rough from disuse.

She smiled softly, her eyes filled with concern as she approached me. "Jasmine called me. How are you feeling?"

I winced as I shifted, the pain in my ribs flaring to life once more. "Could be worse," I muttered, forcing myself into a sitting position.

Rayne nodded, her expression sympathetic as she reached for the first aid kit on my bedside table. Had she set that there? How had she gotten into my place? How long had I been out?

"Let me help you with those cuts," she said, her voice gentle as she began to bandage the wounds on my face. "Want to tell me about it?"

As she worked, I filled her in on the events of the previous night—the ambush in the hotel room, the discovery of the dead high school student.

Rayne listened intently, her brow furrowed in concentration as she processed the information. "Sounds like you stumbled onto something," she said finally, her voice tinged with concern.

I nodded, a knot forming in my stomach as I realized just how deeply I had unwittingly waded into danger.

"Ben seemed to know who jumped me," I added. "He claims they'll pay them back."

She was quiet for a moment. "I'll keep my eyes out for the Reaper's retribution."

I leaned back on the headboard. "I didn't know what to tell them, how I'd gotten out of this," I mumbled. "Shit, I fucked up." I took her hand in mine. "I dropped my guard."

She frowned at me. "Why?"

My eyes locked with hers. "You know why."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then leaned in and brushed her lips gently over mine.

"You rest here," she said, "I'll make you something to eat."

I nodded gratefully, sinking back onto the pillows as Rayne disappeared into the kitchen.

I glanced at my windows, only now afraid that she'd be seen in my apartment. Then I realized I didn't give a fuck. It was the middle of the day, and Ben had just told me to take time off.

I'd wager every member of the Reapers was elsewhere, plotting to pay back whoever had jumped me. The last thing they'd do was watch my place.

The scent of sizzling bacon and frying eggs soon filled the air, and my stomach rumbled in anticipation.

Minutes later, Rayne returned with a plate piled high with eggs and bacon, setting it down on the bedside table with a soft thud. "It's all you had. It's almost seven at night, but you get breakfast for dinner," she said, her smile warm as she handed me a fork.

"Since it's the first thing I'll eat today, it's perfect," I said, digging into the food eagerly, the familiar taste of home-cooked comfort easing some of the tension that had settled in my bones. Rayne watched me eat, her expression thoughtful.

As I finished the last of my meal, Rayne reached out to take my plate, her touch gentle against my bruised skin. "You should get some more rest," she said softly, her eyes lingering on mine.

I nodded, suddenly overcome by a wave of exhaustion. "Thanks," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. "I've missed you," I added, pulling her down with me. "Stay with me for a while?"

"For a while," she agreed as she rested her head against my arm.

With her by my side, her long soft hair brushing against my cheek, I fell almost instantly into a deep sleep. Her sexy scent filled my dreams.

When I woke in darkness, the bed was empty and cold and every part of me ached.