Breathing His Air (25 page)

She understood how a woman would have a hard time walking away from a man like Rain. He protected his own, and the bad-boy attitude worked for him. Not to mention he was sex in leather.

“We’ll talk later.” Rain cleared his throat, and gazed past her to Officer Corbin. “We both know who’s threatening my woman. It’s one thing to come after me. That I can handle in my own way, in my own time, but when he comes after someone who means more to me than breathing air, then I take that personally, and I’ll kill the sonofabitch. You hear me?”

“Shit.” Corbin hung his head. “You can’t be making those kinds of threats — ”

“You’re not listening.” Rain continued, each word rumbling out of him. “If this was aimed at my back, I’d deal with it. It’s not. It’s my woman, and if there’s one thing I’ll prove to anyone who questions me, it’s that you don’t fuck with my woman. I won’t allow her to deal with this kind of shit. Nothing touches her. I take care of her. The most she should have to worry about in any given day is if I’m doing my job of keeping her happy. She can’t do that when she’s scared to death and slips back into her head and doubts my ability to protect her. When that happens, I’m going to do something about it. I’ll make sure the threat to her world stops. Today.”

Corbin stood. “Give us a half hour.”

“No longer than that.” Rain hitched his chin. “In thirty minutes, you’ll probably want to patrol the east side of town for a while. Make yourself scarce.”

Corbin’s eyes narrowed, but he gave a slight nod Tori almost missed. “Watch your back.”

“Always.”

The police officers left. Unaccustomed to having someone defend her with the intensity Rain displayed, Tori found herself caught between crying and melting. No one, not even her parents or any of the foster parents she’d had growing up, had declared they’d kill someone to keep her safe.

“Rain. Don’t go.” She wiggled off his lap and sat beside him on the couch, facing him. “Let the police find out who’s behind everything.”

“I want you to go up and change your clothes.” He pulled her to her feet. “I’ll leave a couple men in the house with you while I’m gone.”

“Honey?”

“No, babe. I won’t put up with anyone even looking at you wrong. Putting bullets in my house, scaring you half to death is way over the line. I won’t have that crap touching you.” He kissed her hard. “Go change. I’ll be back soon.”

Upstairs in the bedroom, the sound of motorcycles roared to life. The vibrations from their engines shook the floor and caused the helmet on the dresser to jiggle. She grabbed her clothes out of the closet and shut herself in the bathroom. In an attempt to distract herself from what Rain was doing, she took a quick shower.

Once she’d worked the snarls out of her hair and dressed, she walked downstairs. At the bottom of the steps, she paused. While she’d changed, Rain’s men had screwed pieces of plywood over the two windows framing both sides of the door and swept the floor of all glass.

She had no idea why the man named Sanchez wanted her away from Rain and Pitnam. This seemed much more than trying to get her away from Rain, or Crystal wanting him back. That much she knew. Something had to have happened before Crystal entered the picture. Whether it was all about territories or Sanchez bringing trouble to Pitnam, shooting at someone’s house seemed a little extreme. It seemed personal.

And it seemed aimed at her.

“Tori.” Torque strolled into the entryway. “Come into the living room away from the front door.”

She nodded and let him put his arm around her shoulders. It felt nice, having someone touching her, reassuring her she wasn’t alone. “Thanks for staying with me.”

“We’re family.” He passed her off to Jedman.

Jedman handed her a cup of hot chocolate. She tilted her head. Considering it was summertime, hotter than blazes today, and she and Rain had gone swimming in the river an hour ago to cool off, a hot drink seemed like an odd thing to hand her.

“Rain said you don’t like coffee, and he doesn’t have any tequila in the house.” Jedman scratched his chest. “Women are supposed to like chocolate when they’re stressed, right?”

She held the mug in one hand and reached over with the other one to squeeze his arm. “It’s perfect.”

That earned her a smile. She blew across the surface of the drink. The warmth and rich, sweet smell did make her feel better.

She tried to ignore what Rain was away doing. If she thought about him putting his life in danger for her, she’d lose it. Therefore, she sipped her hot chocolate, pretended to take interest in what Jedman and Torque were talking about on the other side of the room, and tried to ignore the way it was hard to breathe without Rain around.

Chapter Thirty

Outside the hotel, Rain pinned Sanchez to the wall. The Lagsturns were held back from coming to their leader’s aid by the riders of Bantorus. Rage surged through Rain’s veins, and he pressed his forearm into Sanchez’s neck.

“I gave you a chance.” Rain slugged him low in the stomach. “Gone too far. You want a war? You’ve got yourself a war.”

Sanchez struggled for breath. Rain pushed away from him. “I’m not stopping. You messed with the wrong man.”

Sanchez, doubled over at the waist, held his hand out and coughed. “I” — he coughed again — “haven’t done anything.”

“Bullshit.” Rain took one step and drop-kicked him. “I have a house riddled with bullet holes.”

On hands and knees, Sanchez pulled his head up and gazed directly at him. “It wasn’t” — he groaned — “me.”

“It comes back to you. A dirty trail can’t be erased.” Rain surged forward.

“Wait.” Sanchez pushed off the ground, his breath harsh and ragged.

“Give me one good reason not to beat the shit out of you before I let my men loose.” Rain pushed Sanchez’s shoulder. “Look around you. My men outnumber yours. You don’t stand a chance.”

“You putz.” Sanchez leaned against the wall to keep himself standing. “Do you see anyone fighting except you? Huh, amigo?”

Rain dared not turn away to find out if Sanchez spoke the truth. He’d presumed his men would have their hands full keeping the Lagsturns in one location and off him while he talked with their leader. The fact no one was fighting behind him came as a surprise.

“What are you saying?” He fisted his hands at his sides, ready to pounce if he didn’t like the answer he received.

Sanchez’s dark hair was spiked from the fight, his nose bled, and he spit blood from where Rain had punched him in the mouth. With his pretty looks gone, all Sanchez had left was the smooth talk he enjoyed giving. It’d take a miracle to convince him Sanchez wasn’t behind the latest hit against him.

“I’ve heard of your troubles.” Sanchez leaned his head against the building. “I’ve had my men watching.”

“And?” he said.

“It’s not coming from any of my men.” Sanchez stepped forward, swaying. “I’d stake my bike on it.”

A man’s motorcycle meant everything. It was like handing over his first-born child or giving his life for a life. Rain turned and peered out at his men. He raised his chin for them to stand down, but remain on guard.

He had no reason to believe Sanchez other than a belief that a man with no scruples, who allowed his men to transport drugs and steal other men’s women, would draw the line when it came to his motorcycle. Other people would probably call him crazy, but a man had to have one thing he held high above all else, and he’d admired Sanchez’s bike.

“Do you have an idea who’s coming after me?” Rain ran his arm across his mouth.

“No.” Sanchez groaned, holding his ribs. “I’ve listened and I’ve watched, but haven’t found anything.”

Rain walked away. Halfway to his bike, he turned. “Where’s Crystal staying?”

“Outside town.” Sanchez pointed to one of his men. “Layrd will take you. She belongs to one of my new riders now.”

“You allow that?” He was surprised Sanchez would keep Crystal in the Lagsturns after ridding himself of her.

Sanchez shrugged, causing him to clutch his side and groan. “I like to keep my enemies close, amigo.”

Going with his gut feelings, Rain hopped on his bike and motioned for his men to follow as he rode behind the roughneck named Layrd heading toward I-5. He wouldn’t let Crystal contacting Tori behind his back go without punishment. That shit wasn’t going to fly, and Crystal needed to know he’d cause a world full of hurt if she upset Tori again.

Five minutes later, he pulled into a cheap, one-story motel, used by prostitutes and truckers. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Crystal had gotten what she deserved.

The light shone through the threadbare curtains, and shadows moved inside. Layrd banged his fist on room C. Rain stood back, letting Layrd set up the meeting.

The door opened. A man with dirty blond hair, sporting a few days’ worth of whiskers, about Rain’s own height of six feet, two inches blocked the entranced. “Yeah?”

“Prez says Crystal is to talk with Brookshire,” Layrd said.

Rain studied the guy. “Get her.”

Skinny and edgy, the man couldn’t stand still. Crystal’s man had a hard time keeping his lip from curling in disgust or impatience. Rain summed him up quickly. Another tweaker.

Crystal had regressed even farther than he’d imagined, hooking up with this guy.

“Crystal,” the guy yelled.

He stood outside the open door and viewed Crystal as she came out of the bathroom. She turned to the man. “I told you I wasn’t going out tonight, Ethan.”

“You’ve got company, bitch,” Ethan said.

Crystal turned her head, spotted Rain, and failed to hide her surprise. She hurried to the door.

“Rain. What are you doing here?” She gazed past him at all the bikers lining the parking lot. “Hey, I’m out of your territory. You can’t kick me out. I have every right to be here the same as you.”

“You contacted my woman.”

Crystal shrank back. “She tried to run me down in the parking lot.”

“Next time, I’ll tell her to not miss.” Rain lowered his voice. “What we had is over, and the only thing we had was sex. You gave good head, but you’re a dead woman in bed. It’d be no loss if you hightail it out of town. Next time I hear you’ve even shown your face in town, I’ll be back, and you won’t like what happens. You hear?”

“I’m with someone else now — you can’t order me around.” Crystal grasped the doorknob.

“Leave Tori alone. Don’t look at her, don’t talk to her, don’t even fucking breathe the same air as her.”

She glanced behind her, looking for help. Her man stayed out of sight. Rain shook his head. “I mean it, Crystal. Get your shit together and leave.”

She nodded. “We got plans to leave in two days. You’ll have no trouble from me.”

“Make sure you keep your word.” He strode away, nodded at Laryd, and then looked to his men. “Split up. Five with me — the rest of you are on guard through the night. We’ll meet in the morning.”

He took the half-hour ride home to clear his head. Tori deserved to have him sane and in control, and he was feeling anything but on top of his game. If Sanchez wasn’t behind the trouble, he had no idea who would target Tori or him. In the meantime, he’d hold tight to her and not take a chance on putting her out there where something could happen.

When Rain arrived home, Torque stood at the door, waiting for him. “Boss?”

He shook his head. “Dead end.”

“Shit.” Torque lowered his voice. “Any leads?”

“Could be anyone.” He shrugged off his jacket. “Where’s Tori?”

“Asleep on the couch. She’s beat, and barely hanging on.” Torque laid his hand on his shoulder. “She’s hard on you, my brother.”

“I know.” He swallowed hard. “You and Jedman stay here tonight. Take turns watching and get a few hours of sleep. I’m taking Tori up to the bedroom. She needs to sleep, and I want to lay down with her to make sure she rests.”

“Got it.” Torque motioned Jedman to the front door.

Rain walked into the living room and stopped at the end of the couch. Warmth flooded his chest, and the tightness that always came over his heart appeared. He rubbed his chest.

Curled on her side, her head propped on the arm of the couch, Tori lay sleeping, the blanket he’d covered her with earlier wrapped around her shoulders, her bare legs bent underneath her. Even in sleep, her eyelids fluttered, and he knew her dreams troubled her.

She’d gone through hell growing up, and still fought the past. He clenched his teeth. Now she was dealing with more shit being here with him.

He’d send her away for her own good, but he was selfish, and he didn’t trust that the trouble they were going through wouldn’t follow her. He had to figure out who wanted to harm her before it damaged her more. If he failed, she’d stay closed off from loving life again, and he wanted her to continue telling him what was inside her head.

He slid his hands underneath her legs and picked her up into his arms. She stirred, opening her eyes. He kissed her forehead. “It’s okay. I’m taking you to bed.”

She yawned, laying her head on his shoulder. “Did you find out what’s going on?”

“We’ll talk in the morning.” He climbed the steps. “Tonight, we sleep.”

“Don’t leave me again,” she mumbled.

He laid her down, not worrying about her clothes or his. Joining her on the bed, he curled his body around her and tucked her close. “Ain’t going nowhere, babe. Told you that.”

“Okay.” She relaxed. “Love you.”

“Love you too, babe.” He kissed her head and stared into the darkness.

Tomorrow he’d check in with Jim and see if his investigation had brought up any information Rain could use to end this shit. He tucked the blanket around Tori. His hands ached, and he knew that they’d soon grow stiff from the beating he’d given Sanchez. But he couldn’t make himself leave Tori to ice them down.

Chapter Thirty-One

Tori reached under the counter in the Shack, extracted the bank pouch she kept her change in, and replaced the ten and twenty-dollar bills in the cash register with ones. She wouldn’t be surprised if all Rain’s men who’d came to buy coffee had walked straight to Cactus Cove and dumped the coffee down the drain.

Poor guys.

She had a sneaky suspicion Rain kept them coming around to the open window and ordering coffee so she would continue to have protection during the morning hours. There was no way they could drink that much coffee without skipping across the parking lot.