Crushing Beauty (Harbingers of Sorrow MC): Vegas Titans Series (7 page)

Jagger’s phone was going off again. He reached over, looked
at the number, and answered.

“Yeah… I’m in the middle of something… well; I’m going to
need you to take care of it… Listen if you can’t, then… hold on.” He smiled at
Britton. “I’m going to take this out in the living room. Is that okay?”

She nodded, and watched him as he confidently rose from the
bed and walked out of the room. He was used to being naked; it was second
nature to him but Britton suddenly felt very exposed lying there. She searched
her nightstand for something quick to slip on. She wanted to hear the rest of
that conversation. She wanted to know what needed to be taken care of. She
pulled a nighty over her head and slipped out of bed. She slowly snuck into the
hallway, hoping to overhear something before getting caught.

“Yes, it’s in my trunk. I’ll be there in half an hour.”

He hung up the phone and stopped pacing.

“Britton?”

She peeked out from behind the corner. “Hey, everything
okay?”

“Yeah, just a little business I need to attend to.”

“Oh, okay.”

“But wow, are you trying to entice me again?”

She hadn’t even noticed how revealing her nighty might be,
but she played along. “Maybe.”

“Wow, how I've missed you all these years.”

Her face softened. It still hurt her to hear that. She hated
being reminded of why they hadn’t seen each other for so long, but at least it
gave her some perspective. Keeping that fact in mind would never allow her to
fall back in love with him.

“I have to go out, but I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“I’m not working tonight.”

“Then I’ll see you here.”

“Jagger…”

“No, I’m not letting you get away that easily. And I have
something I want to show you, so I’ll be back. Eight o’clock.”

“I’ll be here.”

He stole a kiss and ran out of the door. She wanted to tail
him, find out where he was heading, bust him right then and there, but
something held her back. She would let him conduct his business tonight. She
had six hours until he’d be back. Although dreading it, she now had to head
into her office and debrief with David.

She closed the door to his office behind her and quickly
started talking before he could say anything.

“I am so sorry that I put you in that situation. He saw that
I had thirteen missed calls from you and then started hounding me for
information, asking whom I worked for. I panicked and told him you were my
boyfriend. David, I…I know I screwed up, but it all happened so quickly.”

“Sit down.”

Britton’s head started spiraling. Would she be thrown off
the case? Would they do that now, even though she was in with Jagger? Would she
be fired from the FBI for kissing her boss? How would she explain her actions
to Washington?

“Are you calmed down now?”

“Yes.”

“Great job, Britton. I’m very impressed.”

“What?”

“Day one of being in the high roller’s room and you are
already in with the suspect? How did you do it?”

“I actually fought with him at the casino, knowing that he
would follow me. And he did.” She left out the bit about the rough sex.

“And that’s why I put you on the case. No one else would
have known that about him. You understand why I asked you to do this now?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to your wrists?”

“Nothing.”

David felt a deep sense of failure overcome his body. She
was hurt and he couldn’t help her.

“Britton how did that happen to your wrists?”

“He tied me up.”

“What?”

“He thought I was hiding something, and he needed to make
sure he could trust me.”

“Are you defending him?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then tell me what happened.”

She didn’t want to tell David that she'd slept with Jagger. She
didn’t want him to judge her. But there was no way around it. Jagger was a
womanizer. She wouldn’t have been able to get into his life if she wasn’t
sleeping with him. It dawned on her briefly that David must have known that. She
took a deep breath.

“After I spoke with you, he found me and invited me up to
his room. I knew if I said ‘no’ then it would be over, and the years of work I
had done would have all been for naught. Afterwards, I… fell asleep. I hadn’t
slept in a few days; these dreams I’ve been having have been very vivid. I was
out cold. When I woke up, he was standing over me, and I was tied to the bed. When
I didn’t talk, he pulled the ropes tighter and started intimidating me.”

“Oh my God.”

“I kept my cover and managed to get him to follow me, so I
think I did a pretty good job.”

“No, no, you did. Britton, I am so sorry. I had no idea he
would do that to you.”

“He’s a little
harder
than I remember him being.”

“I’m going to pull the plug on this.”

“No.”

“Yes, I’m not having you continue this investigation.”

“He’s coming over tonight. I can’t just disappear.”

“Yes you can. We have a safe house. We can transfer you to
another branch.”

“No. If I were any of the other guys here, you would tell
them to straighten their bra straps and get back out there. Well, my bra straps
are straight and you cannot pull this case from me.”

“Britton, if you get hurt, it’s on me.”

“It’s on me. And I won’t. I have him exactly where I want
him. I can do this, David.”

He paused, fighting his feelings to hold her and protect
her. He hated himself for putting her in danger, but she was an agent, and she
was right. He had to let her finish out the case.

“Okay, you win.”

“Thank you.”

“Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“Of course.”

She shook his hand and walked out the door. He remembered
the feel of terrycloth between his fingers from their embrace earlier that day.
He remembered the touch of her lips to his and the sweetness of her breath. He
wanted to go undercover with her. He wanted to play the part of her boyfriend. That
way, he could protect her from Jagger Stromm. He ran out of his office after
her.

“Britton!”

“Yes?” She turned to him.

“Why don’t I stop by tonight? He already thinks I’m your
boyfriend. It would make sense.”

“He’s so jealous. You don’t want that.”

“I do.”

“Well, I don't want that David...” she paused, she had hurt
him with that. “I don’t actually know what he’s capable of. Please, just give
me some time alone with him.”

“How about I call you, maybe around eight-thirty? Then
you’ll be able to let me know if you’re in trouble.”

“I can handle that.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll talk to you tonight.”

“Good luck, Britton.” He forced a smile.

“Thanks David.”

She turned and walked out the door. He still didn’t feel
great about this plan of action, but he knew she had it under control. Britton
was a good agent. He would have to trust her.

Jagger drove down the long gravel road leading to the
warehouse. He passed by two sets of guards, all of whom nodded at his return. He
was their leader, their father. Without him, they would be lost. As he closed
in on the warehouse, he found himself wishing that he had made a different life
for himself. For the first time in ten years, he wished his fortune had come
from something he could share with the world; something he’d be proud to share
with Britton.

Britton. Jagger thought about how crazy life could be. He
didn’t know what he could’ve done to deserve her returning to him, but he was
sure he wouldn’t let himself mess it up this time. The final gates opened, and
he rolled up to the home of the Harbingers of Sorrow MC.

He peeled back the sliding door to reveal a lone man tied to
a chair. His head was hanging to the side. Jagger slowly strode up to him and
picked up his chin.

“Where are my drugs motherfucker?”

The captive had been beaten so badly he could barely speak. “The
shipment was confiscated by...the FBI at the airstrip.” the man managed, not
without difficulty.

“Did they tie it back to you?”

“No.”

“Did they tie it back to me?”

“No.”

“What’s your plan?”

“One of my guys works for the DEA. He’s already in the
process of getting it back to me.”

“So you have it under control?”

“Yes sir.”

“Is this going to happen again?”

“No sir.”

“Great. Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you a
nice wad of cash to hand to your friend at the DEA for all his troubles. Then
I’m going to give you one of your AR-15's. You get me my drugs, and you’ll get
the other nine. Does that sound like a good plan?”

“Yes sir.”

“Perfect. Now, I’m going to untie you, and you are going to
sit here and collect yourself. Then I’m going to send in Dominic to handle the
rest of the exchange.”

Jagger untied him and threw the ropes to the ground. They
were the same type of ropes he always used, the type he used to tie up Britton
the night before. He shook the thought from his head. Today was a good day. He
had started fresh with her. He was winning her back. And business was good. Jagger
closed the door behind him and immediately ran into Dominic, his second in
command.

“Did you rough him up Jagger?” Dom asked casually.

Jagger didn't meet his gaze. “I did what I needed to do.”

“Come on, boss, you’re not getting soft on us, are you?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll never see that day, Dom. Do me a
favor?”

“Anything.”

“Give this guy ten grand and one of his guns.”

“What? Why?”

“It’ll keep him accountable. Carrot on a stick.”

“Okay. Where you running off to?”

“Funny story, I’m going to see Britton.”

“Britton? What?”

“Yeah, did you know your sister was back?”

It was seven fifty-nine when he pulled into her driveway. She
peered out of the window as she heard the engine die down. He had brought his
motorcycle. She knew he was the president of a motorcycle gang, but hadn’t
actually pictured him riding one—in high school he was still a prospect and hadn't
had enough clout with the gang to buy one yet. She always thought they were
impractical and dangerous, but the moment she saw him step off of his bike, the
words ‘impractical’ and ‘dangerous’ were such a turn on.

She had prepared for him. She was wearing a tight black
dress with a slit that crept impossibly too far up her right thigh. She'd never
worn the dress, having only bought it as a present to herself for becoming an
agent, but she never actually found the time to go out to celebrate. She had
dreams of wearing it undercover, perhaps at a cocktail party where she would be
secretly sneaking information out of a Russian spy, but a rendezvous with a
former and current lover in the comfort of her own home would have to do.

She opened the door before he had a chance to knock.

“You’re punctual.”

“I would never keep you waiting.” He teased.

Except when I was passed out on the side of the road
,
she wanted to say, but decided to hold close to her resentment for the evening.

“I’ll remember that.” She chose instead.

He took a second to take her in. He still couldn’t get over
how breathtaking she was. He could stare at her all day long and never tire,
but tonight, he wanted to show her something.

“You look… wow.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She was flirting with him but she clearly hadn’t done this
in so long. Jagger normally would've been suspicious but how could he not trust
that face? It was the face of an angel. His angel. His Britton. There was so
much he wanted to tell her, so much he wanted to know about her. He wanted to
be caught up on all ten years of her life that he had missed out on. They sat,
staring at each other.

“So college, what was that like?”

“Interesting.”

“That’s all you’re going to give an old high school drop-out?”

“Um, well, I had a few friends, went to a few parties, but
for the most part, I studied.”

“What did you study?”

She had a double major in political science and criminal
justice. She decided to leave the criminal justice degree out of the
conversation.”

“Political science. That’s why I went to Washington.”

“Did you want to be a senator or something?”

“No, I just was interested in how our government works.” She
laughed.

He cringed when he heard the word ‘government.’ He tried not
to get involved with anything that could out him as a criminal. His suspicions rose
again, but he suppressed them.

“You were the smartest person I knew. I really thought when
you got out that you would stay out.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. And I really wanted to, but this
stupid town drew me back.”

It felt good to talk to him. She never talked to anyone
these days. The few friends she made in college she'd lost touch with when she
joined the Bureau. Still, no one knew her like he did. They shared so much of
their childhood, she found it difficult not to confess everything to him—he already
knew everything there was to know about her.

“I’m happy this town sucked you back in.”

She smiled, but under that smile thought of how betrayed he
would feel once she arrested him. “My freshman year, my roommate was a crazy
partier, and she dragged me to this frat party during finals week…”

She continued to rattle on about the beer pong games and
alcohol, and the sheer number of people that could fit into that house. She
told him about getting lost on her way back to her dorm and thinking that she
was being followed by the stop sign. They laughed so hard she forgot that she
was undercover. She felt as though she was with her best friend in the whole
world, the only person who knew all her secrets.

Jagger loved her stories. He found himself wishing that he
could have been there. He wanted to watch her grow into the woman who was
sitting in front of him. He wanted to stop that stop sign from chasing her. He
pictured himself in all her stories: where he would be, what he’d be doing. He
imagined them both living on the east coast, away from everything, away from
the families they had left behind. But he knew deep down that he never could've
lived in that world.

“… And then I punched him, clear across the face. He had a
black eye and a broken nose, but he wouldn’t admit to anyone that I had done
it. I don’t even remember the story he told people, but he never came near me
again.”

Jagger laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes. She
was enticing and exotic, and now he knew that she could take care of herself. Maybe
he could let her in? Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if she met his new
family.

He cupped her cheek with his hand and took a breath. Her
phone began to ring. It was eight thirty.

“I’m sorry, it’s David. I need to answer this.”

Jagger stood up. For a brief moment he had forgotten about
David. He forgot that this obstacle now stood in the way of his long lost love.
He would have to take care of David. He would have to get rid of him once and
for all. Britton would understand.

“David, hey…yeah, I’m fine, I had a nice day off. Right…no,
I’m just going to stay in tonight…you don’t need to come over…”

Jagger began to pace. This man wanted to come over and be
with Britton the way that he had been with Britton earlier that day, the way he
was planning on being with Britton again that night. This was not acceptable. It
took everything he had not to grab the phone out of her hand and threaten him.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”

Britton hung up the phone. He was glaring at her.

“What?”

“You will not see him tomorrow.”

“Excuse me?”

“I will not allow you to.”

“Jagger, he’s my boyfriend. Are you forgetting this?”

“Then you break up with him.”

“No.”

“But…”

He was stunned. He still didn’t understand anyone saying
‘no’ to him. She stood up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She needed
an excuse to keep David around, so that if she were caught with him, she
wouldn’t look suspicious.

“Hey, look at me. Twenty-four hours ago, you didn’t even
know I was living in this city. A lot has happened, and I think we both need
time to comprehend it. I’m not going to break up with my boyfriend of four
years just yet. I’m not saying I won’t eventually, but you need to give me some
time.”

She was surprised at how calm and believable she was. She
hated lying to him, but it felt good to know that she could.

“Okay, but you can’t sleep with him.”

“Jagger…”

His heart sank. Why was she arguing with him about this? He
knew from her reactions to his touch that there was no way her boyfriend was
able to satisfy her the way he could.

“Britton, this is not a request, this is a demand.” He had
to put his foot down; he would not have it any other way.

“Okay,” she agreed, “I can do that.”

He smiled at her, but his heart still felt heavy. He held
her close in his embrace.

“I want to take you somewhere. Will you go with me?”

Was this it? Was he taking her to meet his gang? Would she
be let into his secrets this quickly? Maybe she was underestimating herself. Apparently
she was a very talented undercover agent.

“Where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

She smiled at him. “Okay.”

“And although I love this dress, I’m going to suggest that
you change into something a little more comfortable.”

That was intriguing. Why did Jagger want her to change out
of her LBD stunner? Maybe he didn’t want anyone else seeing her in such a revealing
dress? He didn’t hide his jealousy well, after all.

Britton escaped into her bedroom and found a pair of jeans
and a t-shirt. She threw her hair back into a messy bun and slipped into a pair
of sneakers. She had already hooked him with the dress. Now it was time to test
out the ‘dressed down’ look. She entered back into the living room.

“Even like this, you are the most beautiful woman I have
ever seen.”

Even if it was a line, it made her giddy with delight. She
missed being looked at the way he looked at her. She missed feeling wanted. She
felt like a teenager with butterflies in her stomach. She moved into him and
happily kissed him to thank him for the compliment. He clung to her and refused
to break from her lips. He wanted her. He wanted all of her. He grabbed her
thighs and pulled her in as he deepened the kiss. She accepted gratefully and
pushed him toward the couch. They toppled down together and began to chuckle.

“Did you think I was kidding? I actually do want to take you
somewhere.”

“Now?”

“Well, now I want to do this first.” He seized her hips and
pulled her closer.

She leaned in to kiss him and stalled. She needed him to
take her to his gang. She needed to know his secrets. Why was she the one
instigating this embrace? She had to get control over her emotions. Britton let
out a small breath and planted a simple kiss on his lips.

“Okay, we can go, but we should return to this exact spot
later.”

“Deal.” He loved this side of her. It reminded him of the
time…he stopped. He'd tried so hard to get that night out of his head. It was
the worst night of his life. Why had she not brought it up? Why was he the only
one harping on it?

He led her to the doorway.

“Ever been on a motorcycle? Or would you rather take your
car?”

Her head started spinning. She forgot that she would need to
get in a car with him. The last time she was in a car with him, she ended up
alone in the hospital. She wasn’t ready for that to happen again. Jagger saw
the color leave her face.

“Britton, are you okay?”

She took two deep breaths and looked directly in his eyes. He
saw the child in her. He saw the five year old who had just lost her brother. He
saw the eight year old who had to steal food to feed her siblings, because her
parents hadn’t come home for a week. He saw the twelve year old who had run to
him because her parent’s drunken friend had tried to take advantage of her. And
he saw the sixteen year old, who he'd left on the street, wet and bleeding and alone.
In that moment he hated himself. He hated the person he was, and he hated the
person he had become.

Her eyes rolled back and her knees gave out. She collapsed
into his outstretched arms. She wasn’t ready for this.