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And in those few seconds as we connected in ways few others ever achieve, I realized that I’d fallen in love with her.
* * *
Love.
I’d actually thought about the word a hell of a lot during the last few hours as I stood glaring out the window, waiting, even hoping some asshole would try to hurt the woman I loved. Crazy shit. I couldn’t love her. No fucking way. Sighing, I took a quick look at my watch. I’d left her alone, hoping to God I’d be able to get back to her within no more than three hours.
I stood in the shadows directly across the street from Decker’s garage just watching the joint for a solid thirty minutes. While the bay doors were closed, I was able to see two vehicles on the racks even from where I was standing. The single window glowed with fluorescent lighting, indicating there was someone still in the place. The sun was barely cresting over the horizon, but I had a feeling Dwayne had worked on the Harley all night. I hoped that he did. If the kid I’d talked to the day before was on the Desperados’ payroll, a welcoming crew would be waiting with tire irons and pistols in just a couple of hours. Crystal and I would be far enough outside the city limits at that point.
If for some reason certain gang members were lying in wait, they wouldn’t get their chance. I had enough firepower on me to take on a solid half dozen, and you bet I fucking would. The incident the night before had left me in a nasty mood. The assholes should never have threatened a lady.
Adjusting my sunglasses, I finally crossed the street closer to the corner, trying not to allow thoughts regarding Crystal to devour my every thought. I’d allowed my guard to fall, physically and emotionally, making things for her undoubtedly worse. After our discussion, I knew she hated me, and she had every right, but she also had no choice in allowing me to serve as her protector.
Huffing, I moved to the alley, deciding to come in from the back. If the mechanic’s story was accurate, then word of some big, blond goon besting five of the Desperados would be all over. Add in the fact no one was hurt in the bomb attempt and the story would turn into some shitty kind of legend, just not one I wanted to be around. I’d caught just enough of the early morning news before leaving the motel to know the entire city was on edge. Evidently there’d been more than one bombing. However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t in imminent danger.
My real concern was how far the connection went. If Diego and thisEl Capitanwere enemies, I might be able to keep us both alive. But if an actual turf war was ready to begin, Diego could already be in the city lying in wait. Then I’d have a snowball’s chance in hell at protecting myself, let alone Crystal. I’d never been a betting man and I wasn’t going to start now. I preferred action. Time would tell.
Still, if I had to venture a guess, a turf war was ready to rear its ugly head, which would push Ricardo into rallying his soldiers as well as tamping down on his subjects. In other words, he’d require all the protected businesses to pay ahead of schedule. Cash was the great equalizer. Heroin was big business and the cartel with the biggest wad ruled the roost. I continued to find it difficult to believe that a basic gang would go head-to-head with someone as powerful asEl Hefe.
The alley was full of reeking trash, dumped boxes, and rusting appliances but allowed for some cover as I made my way past a string of seedy businesses. There was no sign of the assholes from the bar or any other foot soldiers. I’d slipped the Browning in my waistband, ready for use if necessary. I had to get the Harley and break all ties to the city. I already had a lead on a safe house, a rather unconventional one, but my guess was hiding in plain sight was the way to go for at least a couple of days. Until I could find out what the hell was really going on.
My thoughts drifted to Crystal again. Hearing her story, the horrors she must have gone through continued to boil my blood. If I’d continued a bucket list of assholes I’d eliminate, this Jericho would be on the top of the list. Just hearing the details put far too many questions in my mind. How had she been able to submit so easily? To me.
To a monster.
I gave a quick scan of the area before moving any further. I was aching from guilt and even though I hadn’t forced her to do anything, my mind remained muddled. Having her submit on a regular basis was nothing more than a pipe dream, an incredible fantasy. She’d infused a portion of her own desire with mine, creating the kind of tethering few ever find.
Damn it. Even the scent of her lingered across portions of my naked skin, the taste of her sweet honey remaining in my mouth. As I moved closer to the back of the garage, a continuing thought flashed into my mind. I’d find out if there was a planned retaliation. If so, I’d use my skills to alleviate the problem. The he-man idea almost brought a belly laugh. I was no match for whatever was about to go down.
Inching to the very back, I noticed the single door was cracked open. My hackles were raised as I remained low to the ground, creeping closer until I could peer inside. There was no sign of anyone. Inhaling, I grabbed the gun, placing it in both hands before opening the door slowly and walking inside. The morning light added a gray haze over the equipment, but almost instantly I could see signs there’d been an altercation of some kind. Certain items were in disarray, wrenches and other implements on the ground. No good mechanic ever left his or her equipment this way. Noticing a string of drops, I sneered, my sixth sense taking over. Hunkering down, I swept my fingers through several drops, pulling my hand closer to my nose.
Blood.
While not a significant volume, there was enough to solidify my thoughts.
“What the fuck do you want? I gave you everything, you fuckin’ asshole!”
Jerking to my feet, I leveled the gun in the direction of the voice, hissing when I noticed the look of terror on Dwayne’s face. In his hand, he held what appeared to be a hunting knife, although his hand was shaking so badly I had difficulty discerning what kind. “Whoa, buddy. Relax. You okay?”
His swallow hard and loud, he nodded and closed his eyes before yanking a rag from his back pocket. “Damn fuckers. They waited until I was all alone to jump me. God damn them!”
I swung around in a complete circle, half expecting at least one of them would be waiting. “Are they gone?”
“Yeah, managed to grab my phone, act like I was calling the police, and they ran off.” Dwayne wiped blood from his face before lowering the knife. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Come on, let’s get you inside the office.” I motioned toward his open door, scanning the entire premises before going inside. The safe door was wide open, and the small area had no contents. “Desperados?”
“Hell, I don’t even know. Different crew. I saw a few tats, but they didn’t act like the shit assholes I was used to.” Dwayne slammed his knife on the desk. “Demanded I pay them everything. Every dime. I was going to the freaking bank this morning. This entire street had no recourse against them. None. No amount of begging the police for help. No trying to band together. We’re worn out from these thugs. Now, they’re resorting to destroying businesses who won’t go along with their shit. Un-fucking-believable.”
“Yeah, I know. There needs to be a way to stop them.”
“Yeah, there does.” Dwayne laughed. “I’m sorry, man. Not trying to take this out on you. I’m just pissed. Think I’m packing up, selling the place, and moving to Arizona. Anyway, I even kept the lights off in the office trying to make certain no one knew I was in here. Just wanted to get shit done. You know?”
“The bike.” Damn it. The man had almost gotten himself killed because of fixing the Harley.
He nodded. “I made a promise and I keep my promises, no matter what my wife might tell you. God rest her soul.” He patted his forehead again before clambering to sit in the chair, anger furrowing his face.
“Jesus Christ. It was just a bike. You didn’t have to almost get yourself killed to save her.”
