Crushing Beauty (Harbingers of Sorrow MC): Vegas Titans Series (10 page)

David was worried about Britton. She hadn’t really touched
base in much detail since she went deep undercover with Jagger. Her phone call
was very cryptic, asking him to meet her at their favorite brunch place. She
hung up quickly, without any information hinting at how her case was shaping
up. David had no idea what was in store for this meeting, but protecting her
was more important to him than knowing all the information.

He sat outside at their regular table, waiting for her
arrival. He pictured what she would be wearing, how her hair was styled. He
couldn’t wait for this operation to be over. Then, he could know she was safe,
and he wouldn’t be checking his phone every minute to make sure she wasn’t
somehow sending a distress signal. He cursed himself. Why had he pushed her to
cover this case? Why hadn’t he seen the danger he had put her in? He threw his
head back, tossing over the predicament of her situation.

He was in a daze, but quickly fell out of it when he caught
sight of his agent. He smiled, finally guaranteed that she was safe and
unharmed. Her hair was down, clinging to her shoulders, and the wind was
bouncing loose strands onto her cheeks. She was dressed comfortably. He hadn’t
seen her out of her suit jacket very often; he couldn’t help but stare at the
perfect body hiding underneath her snug t-shirt. Her dark washed jeans hugged
her curves, accentuating her slim hips. David couldn't stop thinking about
their kiss. Had it meant something more to her? Had she felt their connection
under her terrycloth robe?

Britton’s eyes widened and her lips curled down as she
approached him. What was she trying to tell him? Was there a reason he should
be on alert? She reached the table, and he stood to greet her. Standing beside
her was a giant of a man. If they had been friends, he would’ve joked that he
blocked out the sun. He squinted his eyes and peered up at the man’s face. He
looked somehow familiar. Then it hit him. She'd brought Jagger to their
meeting. Did Jagger know he was in the Bureau? What had she told him? He was
struck with horror. Had Britton turned sides? Did she fall for this man’s
spell?

“Hi David.” She hugged him close, ignoring Jagger’s obvious
grunt.

She hugged him. Okay, she was still playing the part of the
girlfriend.

“Who is your friend, hon?” He played along.

“David, this is Jagger. He’s umm…my…” She didn’t know how to
finish that statement. What exactly was he?

Jagger jumped in. “I’m her new boyfriend, so her old
boyfriend has to hit the road.”

“Excuse me?” David was not used to being talked to in such a
manner. “You can’t just come in here and take my girlfriend away from me.” Why
did he feel the need to stand up to this man? Britton was obviously convincing
enough for the operation.

“Can’t I?” Jagger stood up straighter, towering over David.

“Jagger I can handle this.” Britton jumped in, afraid of
what he might do.

“David, I haven’t been happy lately. You’re just not the man
I want to be with.”

David knew this was a line to strengthen her story, but the
words still stung. What if he really wasn’t the man she wanted to be with? What
if she was truly falling in love with the beast? He also hated that she was
separating him from the case. How was he supposed to protect her now?

“So you want to be with him?”

“I do.”

“Why?”

Jagger wanted this to end. “She just told you why. Now get the
fuck out of here.”

“David, I’m so sorry.” She hugged him again, and whispered
in his ear that she had everything under control.

Jagger began to pace. Why was she still hugging him? He
hated that David was still touching her. Why wouldn’t he get his filthy hands
off of his Britton? “Okay, I’m putting an end to this.” He pulled Britton out
of David’s embrace and dragged her away from the table.

David wanted to scream at him to get his hands off of her,
but he couldn’t ruin this for Britton. She was a good agent. She could take
care of herself. How many times would he have to remind himself of that?

He watched as Jagger walked her to the car and opened the
passenger side door for her. Upon closing the door, Jagger glanced back at
David, but his farewell glare was not a boasting one. It was, in fact, a
worried one. David could tell that Jagger feared Britton’s relationship with
him; it made him uneasy that she could be with someone else other than him. Little
did he know that David was only ever able to desire her touch. He was not privy
to her intimacy. That was currently reserved for only Jagger Stromm: the tall,
the striking, the childhood love, and the criminal. David couldn’t wait to take
him down.

They drove in silence; each one hoping the other would speak
first. Britton couldn’t handle the suspense any longer.

“Where are we going?”

“To my warehouse.”

“And what does this warehouse contain.”

“My family.”

What did that mean exactly? Did he mean his club house?

“Is there anything I should know about them?”

“I’ll let you make your own judgments.”

“Jagger, what is it exactly that you do?” She tried to sound
innocent, hoping her interest would make her seem naïve to his situation and
status.

He didn’t want to answer this question. He was hoping that
she'd already figured it out, and that a reveal to the inner workings of his business
would simply fill in some blanks. How was he supposed to tell her about
everything he ‘handled’?

“When someone is in trouble, I help him or her out.”

“And what does being ‘in trouble’ involve?”

“You certainly ask a lot of questions.”

“You certainly are vague for someone with so much
authority.”

“So you know I have authority.”

“Well, I assumed as much. You don’t handle my stubbornness
very well.”

“And yet you continue to test me.” He laughed, happy that
she had caught onto his role.

“I just have no idea what I’m about to walk into.”

“Do you think I’d put you in harm’s way?”

She didn’t answer, still haunted by her wrists, ankles,
upper arms, and bruised back, “It just takes awhile for me to trust people.” It
was the truth, even if she didn’t tell him that he was the root of that
distrust. He placed his sprawling palm on the nape of her neck.

“It takes me a while too.” He looked at her, catching her
stare. “And because of that, please forgive me.”

She cocked her head, unsure of what he was apologizing for. She
saw the pain filling his eyes, and felt his hand tighten around her neck. Her
vision blurred and her body caved under his grip.

Blackness.

Britton heard a strange crackled sound, and then a pungent
smell entered her sinuses. She opened her eyes as Jagger took a step back. She
instinctively prepared to swing at him, realizing that she was tied down to the
arms of a chair.

“Seriously?” She cried, in utter disbelief. Did he really
not trust her that much? Then again, technically he shouldn’t trust her. With
that thought, she froze. He knew about the mission. He knew she was an agent. She
would surely be dead in a matter of minutes. “Jagger…”

He took a step back, revealing a slight grin. “Is it wrong
how much I like to see you tied up?”

Was he joking? Was this really a laughing matter? How long
had he known? She wanted to ask each question before she was undeniably
tortured. Would he be doing the torturing? He knelt down in front of her.

“Sorry for the safety measures.” He began to untie her wrists.
“I couldn’t show you the directions here until I knew what your reaction would
be to this place. And I assumed you’d swing at me, so luckily I carry around
rope, just in case.”

It had nothing to do with the FBI; this was all just Jagger
being unsure of her reaction. How much more effort would she have to put in? She
had already held her tongue during too many instances.

“You could have blindfolded me.” She snapped.

Jagger took in her beautiful face, currently puffed with
anger. “I could have, but I…” he stuttered. “Well, I knew if you were
conscious, you could talk me out of keeping my warehouse location a secret.”

Britton did enjoy the strange hold she held over him. Yet that
still wasn’t enough. She looked around, piecing together her location. They
were in an office. It was small and cold, but still an office. The desk was
cramped with papers and date books, a calculator, a paper shredder, and…a
handgun. It was small, and although she could only see a small piece of it, she
would bet money it was a .32 caliber. She planned a number of ways to rapidly
grab the pistol if the situation called for it.

Britton prayed that situation would never come to fruition. Still
fairly new to the Bureau, she had never shot a gun outside of the shooting
range. She really didn’t want her first bullet in the field to be directed at
Jagger. She closed her eyes tightly for a brief second; she didn’t want any
bullets aimed at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, just…guns scare me.”

“Oh.” He grabbed the piece off the table and shoved it into
a drawer. “It’s just for safety. I don’t even use it.”

She wasn’t sure how much of that was the truth, but she
nodded her head in acceptance. “So why are we in an office?”

“This is my office. I just thought you’d be most comfortable
waking up in here.”

“Well, aren’t you thoughtful?” She teased, forcing him to
chuckle in response.

“Here, I want you to meet my family.”

He pulled her up out of the chair. Her knees wobbled: still
weak from her state of unconsciousness.

“Do you need me to carry you?”

“I can do it. My legs are still tingling, that’s all.”

“Here, wrap your arm around my waist for support.”

He guided her hand to his opposite hip, curling her fingers
around his oblique. He flexed at her touch, feeling a spark at her fingertips. Jagger
slid his hand across her shoulders and grasped her upper arm. He slowly walked
her out of the office door, keeping an eye on her steps to make sure she was
steady enough to walk on her own. He led her to another door; this one was very
sizeable and needed to be slid on the track to open.

“Are you okay to stand on your own?”

“Yes.”

He let go of her, and pulled on the door. The room was
enormous. There were couches, full cars and car parts, a television set, a pool
table, a kitchen, and a very familiar face. She stared at him, unable to
comprehend what she was seeing. Who was this man? He looked like he was about
her age, maybe a little younger. He had dark wavy hair, an olive complexion,
and giant black eyes. He turned, hearing their arrival, and locked his gaze
with Britton. His smile took over his entire face, and he began to move in her
direction. Then it hit her. Britton’s knees wobbled, and Jagger caught her
before she collapsed. How could this be? Why hadn’t Jagger said anything?

She shot a look up at Jagger, and he responded with a
stunted smile. He wished he could read her mind; know exactly what she was
thinking in that moment. Was she angry? Happy? Confused?

“Sis!” Dominic threw his arms around her, squeezing her
tightly.

“Dom? How can this be?”

“Jagger didn’t tell you I worked for him?”

“No. No he didn’t.” She uncomfortably laughed through her
words.

“Nice. I love surprises.”

He was such a happy kid, and she was relieved to see that
her leaving didn’t take that joy away from him. She broke out of her trance
with the sound of Jagger clapping.

“Hey everyone, I’d like you to meet Britton.” He pushed her
forward slightly. The crowd erupted into cheers, everyone stepped up to greet
her with hugs.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

“We’ve heard so much about you.”

“You’re even more beautiful than Jagger described you.”

“You’re Dom’s big sister? Was he always this optimistic?”

“We thought Jagger was just making you up!”

As she made her way through the crowd, she was overcome with
the love they all shared. The guys at the Bureau were nice, but they all had
families to go back to at the end of the day. These people worked with their
family. They were a single being made up of twenty or so people. With each hug,
she felt her heart grow warmer. She even encountered a handful of women.

“I’m actually happy you snagged Jagger so long ago. If he
had been on the market, I wouldn’t have ever gotten any work done!” Said one
biker chick, who seemed to be the youngest of the group.

“One day I hope I find someone who loves me as much as
Jagger loves you.”

“You guys would have the most beautiful children.”

Britton was overwhelmed. Love? Children? How long had Jagger
been telling his club about her? How did he know she would eventually find her
way back to him?

“Okay, my turn.” Dominic stole his sister away from the
adoring crowd and led her to a bright yellow couch in the corner. “It’s time to
catch up.”

“Dom, what? How?” She couldn’t form complete sentences.

“How did I end up here?”

She nodded her head, still shocked at the sight of him.

“Well, let’s see. After you left, mom and dad started to
come home even less, and with me being the oldest, I had to take care of
everyone. I mean, the money you sent really helped, but I couldn’t hide it from
them forever. Once they got a hold of it, I needed to find another source of
income.”

He continued on, describing the job he'd gotten at Mike’s
Auto Shop. “Only being seventeen, they didn’t pay me as much as the other
mechanics. I asked my boss about a raise, and instead he introduced me to the
illegal chop shop he was running. It was fine for a while, but by that point,
Mom and Dad had completely run out and we started getting eviction notices. So
I got nervous and desperate, slipped up, and was arrested. Jagger was the one
who bailed me out of jail.

“Jagger?”

“Yeah, and he’s been taking care of me ever since.”

“But what about the others?”

“Lucy, Danny, Carlos, and Rebecca?”

Britton caught her breath. She hadn’t heard those names in
so long. She had tried to push her past out of her mind since she left eight
years ago, but what about her siblings? They had done nothing wrong. They were
innocent kids, and she abandoned them. “Yeah.” She squeaked out, fearing his
response.

“They’re all out of here. Lucy writes for a magazine in New
York, Danny owns a coffee shop in Louisiana, Carlos is a pre-med major in
Philadelphia, and Rebecca is in her first year of college in Washington D.C.”

“She’s in D.C.?”

“Yeah, she was planning on finding you. I guess I know now
why she didn’t, but she’s in school to be a social worker. She lived with me
until she left for college.”

“But how?”

“What do you mean? Jagger pays me well. I could support her
until she left.”

“Did you pay for all of their colleges?”

He laughed. “He doesn’t pay me that well! No. Jagger did. He
didn’t tell you any of this?”

“No.”

Britton sunk down further into the couch. How did she have
no idea any of this was going on? Why had he paid for all of her siblings'
college educations? She felt weak and confused. She looked around and caught
Jagger’s eye. She shot him a questioning glance, and he shrugged in return. He
had to have known that Dom would tell her everything, but why hadn’t he? He
would’ve had a much easier time winning her over had he started out with that
bit of information. Then again, it might seem like he was buying her love. Britton
couldn’t stop playing out the scenarios in her head.

“You doing okay?” Dom asked.

“Um, it’s just a lot to take in.”

“I’m sorry, I thought you knew all of this. How long have you
been back?”

“Three years.”

Dominic sat back. “Oh.”

“I’ve just been busy.”

“You’ve been busy for three years? Did you not even wonder
about us?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like, Brit?”

She couldn’t stop the tears from forming. He was right. She
had abandoned her family in the worst possible situation. It was Jagger who
came to the rescue. He had made sure her siblings had the life they deserved,
and she had spent the last ten years focusing on nothing but her hatred of him.
How could she have been so wrong? “I was… scared.” She moaned.