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. Idon t care who she is or what she s done.I saw a woman who wanted out of a bad life and a motherwho wanted to protect her daughter.She needed my help and had the money to pay.She s my clientand I ll do my best for her.The same way I ll do my best for all of them.For a long moment he said nothing.Then he shook his head. You ve always had a soft heart.Toosoft.You don t see people for who they really are.Like him.She had never been so wrong about anyone in her life. You re right about that. She knew from the way he flinched, he understood her meaning.James perched on the edge of her sofa and sighed. I know this case means a lot to you.But fortwo years I ve been&  Hooah. Jackie s breathless gasp cut him off. There s a parade of man candy down on thestreet.It s like every fantasy I ve ever had, all rolled up in four badass leather-and-steel packages ofbiker heaven.They come with you, Ice? She looked over her shoulder at James, and he and Lanajoined her at the window. Fuck. James thumped his fist on the windowsill. Those are Rex s boys.He had Kickstandfollow you home from the club so he would know where you lived.He s clearly still not buying ourstory. Or maybe he is. Lana s voice wavered. And he doesn t care. Lookit them standing there, all tough and manly in their leathers, leaning against their crotchrockets. Jackie s voice was thick with lust. Where did you say that barbeque was? I m suddenly inthe mood for some flame-broiled beef.Lana s blood chilled.She had done this to herself.Surveillance Rule # 12: Be discreet. I don t understand. Her brow creased in a frown. Why are they here?James grimaced. Because if I don t bring you, Rex will consider you fair game.He ll think Ican t control my old lady, or that you weren t my old lady at all.He ll tell his boys to escort you tothe barbeque as his guest, whether you want to go or not.I didn t realize until now that his invitationwasn t really an invitation.It was a test.And it was directed at me.Lana bit her lip. Didn t you say being your old lady would protect me from his advances? Isn t itactually safer for me to act as your old lady than stay away?He fell silent, toying with her curls as he studied her face.Finally, he said,  I don t know if I can keep up an act around you when I m already acting a part.It s stressful enough and then worrying about you&  He took a deep breath. I m worried I ll blowmy cover.A lot of time, money and effort have gone into this operation.We ll save a lot of lives bytaking down Hades.I know you want to help Angel, but I can t take the risk.Too much is riding onthis assignment.Lana wiggled the toe of her shoe into the carpet as she begrudgingly admitted he was right.Shecouldn t interfere with his assignment, and she didn t want to put his life at risk.She hated him, butnot that much.A little ingenuity and she would find another way to get Rex off her back and getAngel s pictures.Such a shame.It was the only break she d had in the case.A perfect opportunity.Suddenly, she had an idea. What if it s just once? We go late to the barbeque to minimize the time we re there.Youintroduce me to everyone as your old lady.Rex won t be able to touch me because he ll have toanswer to the entire club if he does.And best of all, you save face.Your old lady did as she was told.You don t put your cover at risk and you don t lose Rex s respect.I ll mingle so you don t have toworry about keeping up an act.And from what Angel told me, I m almost guaranteed to get some kindof picture of Rex being the biker of badness she says he is.Then we leave and go our separate ways. That s my girl. Jackie punched the air. I like it.Nice and neat and all tied up with a big redbow.Maybe.But why wasn t James smiling?James sucked in his lips and stared at the ceiling.Then he shook his head and paced the room,back and forth, window to wall, until he was once again in front of her.Finally he sighed and leveledhis gaze with hers. Once. His voice was heavy with resignation. This is the one and only time Iwill allow you near Hades or Rex.If you don t get your pictures today, you give up the case.Deal?Lana twisted her lips to the side.He was asking a lot, but then, so was she. I guess that ll have tobe okay. Looks like I m no longer needed to solve your relationship problems, so I ll be off. Jackiegrabbed her bag and headed for the door, giving James a finger-wiggle goodbye. And I m thinkingJames might have more fun helping with the wardrobe selection.Lana followed her out into the hallway and Jackie paused at the top of the stairs. Fifty bucks says you sleep with him before next Saturday.Lana snorted a laugh. Easiest fifty bucks I ll ever make.Chapter SixFucking hell.James stared at the ruins of Lana s door.So much for calm and detached.The thought she mightnot talk to him or worse, that she might go to the clubhouse without him had driven all rationalthought from his brain.Instinct had taken over a primal need to protect.And he couldn t do that witha damn door in the way.He pulled out his phone and called in a few favors from some local carpenters and locksmiths.His friends didn t disappoint.The door would be fixed by the time they were back from the barbeque.He still couldn t believe he was going along with her plan.The creak of wood alerted him to Lana s return.She stepped gingerly over the splinters and shookher head. The door was supposed to be unbreakable.Did you wing it or were you taught how to breakdown unbreakable doors at the police academy?Relieved her humor had returned, he shrugged. There s no magic involved.First you need tomake sure the door opens away from you.Then you kick near the handle, weight in your heel,dominant foot.Doors are weakest where they contact the frame.If you try running at it with yourshoulder like they do in the movies, you ll break your shoulder and nothing else. Good to know.I would practice, but I have no front door. I ve called some friends, he assured her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]