Page 27 of Diamonds in the Mud

–Unknown

Jameson

I couldn’t believe my luck. Not ten minutes after Rayne’s patrol car disappeared from the parking lot of the gym, Ben and Declan showed up. A few minutes later, a few more of the Reapers joined them.

For the next hour, I joked and worked out with the men, trying to act like nothing was wrong. In truth, since the week before, I’d been on edge.

I’d gotten a call from Felix asking me why I hadn’t high-tailed it out of the bar when the rest of the gang had. So I told him the truth.

I’d spotted some tail worth following.

When Felix asked for a name, I joked that I hadn’t even had time to get one. Thankfully, he’d laughed that off and we’d moved on in the conversation.

Now I was helping five of the other Reapers lift weights and talking about each of their sex lives while desperately wishing I was anywhere else.

How long had I been dealing with jackasses like these? Years. Never before had I felt so over conversations like this. Not like I currently felt.

When anyone from my real life asked me if I liked my job, my normal answer was that I loved it. Then again, I hadn’t been in contact with anyone in the real world much in the last few years.

In truth, the past week was the first time I’d missed having a real personal life. And it was all thanks to Rayne.

The moment the Reapers left the gym, I hit the shower and changed into my street clothes. Thankfully, the rain had let up a little. After pulling on my leather jacket and helmet, I hit the road for the cabin.

Besides my apartment, the cabin was the only other safe space I had in or near town. The DEA had rented the property under a pseudonym a year before my arrival. They’d moved in the basics of furniture and supplied it with everything I’d need during my stay.

Since the road to the cabin was a narrow dirt lane, it wasn’t hard to tell if I’d been followed anytime that I drove out there. So far, none of the other Reapers knew or cared where I spent my time outside of the gang activities.

I wasn’t surprised to see a white Jeep parked under one of the massive oak trees off to the side. I pulled my bike under the carport, turned it off, and pulled off my helmet.

“So, want to tell me whose place this is?” Rayne asked as she stepped under the carport.

“I would have thought you’d have time to research that before heading over here,” I joked.

Watching her eyes narrow, I smiled and waited.

“I did. Who is Caleb Morales?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

I shrugged. “Who is Rayne?” I countered.

She rolled her eyes. “Do you have keys?” She motioned over her shoulder to the cabin. I held up the set and shook them. “I brought lunch,” she added and held up a bag from one of the fast-food burger joints in town.

We headed down the pathway, and she stood under the front porch while I unlocked the door. I stood back as she walked in, then stepped inside and flipped on the light switch.

The place was decorated with country-style furniture. In the living room, there was a leather sofa and matching chairs. The dining room had an oak table and chairs, and the bedroom had a king-sized bed, nightstands, and a dresser.

The only thing missing was a television and some other basics. Just the essentials.

I had only been out there twice in the time I’d been in town, both times to meet Jasmine and pass information between us. The place smelled dusty and empty. But the view from the large windows in the back was something I could get used to. The river curved around half of the property and a large grove of oak trees stood beyond the river.

“Okay.” Rayne turned on me once we stepped inside. “I’m thinking…” She tilted her head. “Homeland Security?” I arched my eyebrows, then shook my head. She sighed as she set the bag of fast food on the table. “FBI?” I shook my head again. “I’m close, right?”

I shrugged. “Why Rayne?” I asked her.

She sat down and, instead of answering, pulled out a burger and started eating it. “Is there anything to drink in that fridge or is it just for looks?” she asked.

I walked over and pulled out two sodas that I’d stocked in there the last time I’d been here. There could come a time when I’d have to hide out here and I wanted to be prepared. Setting two sodas down on the table, I sat across from her.

“You’re undercover.” It was a statement, not a question this time. I nodded in agreement and she slapped the table. “I knew it.”