Aching to Exhale (16 page)

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Rain and Tori's magnificent two-story house in front of the Lewis River rose out of the surrounding woods. Crystal stared up at the familiar porch, her mouth open, and her mind whirling. Nichols had ignored her for the last fifteen minutes as she peppered him with questions once she recognized where he was taking her.

"No way." She turned around and faced Nichols. "Take me back to the club."

"Can't do, darlin'." Nichols moved closer. "Prez gave strict order that I was to bring you here. Do you think I wanted to set foot in Bantorus territory? Hell no!"

If there was any hope she could outrun or fight to get away from him, it fled when she looked in his eyes. Steely blue eyes, almost gray, stared back at her intently. She might get fifty yards away from him, but he'd run her down with his truck or shot her with one of the pistols she knew he had on him. She recognized the resolve of following his president's orders, and for some reason Raul wanted her back with Rain.

He'd given her away again.

"Come with me, Crystal," Rain spoke behind her.

She whirled around. "Take me anywhere, but here. I don't care where. Even the bar will do, but I'm not staying in your house."

Rain had everything she wanted. A beautiful home, a loving spouse, a child to love.

She stepped back as Rain stalked toward her. Nickels blocked her retreat, and Rain grasped her elbow, drawing her toward the garage. She peered over her shoulder, pleading silently with Nickels to step in and demand that Rain let her go, but the old man squared his shoulders and watched her go farther away from him. Then Nichols turned and climbed into his truck and backed out of the driveway.

"Are you ready to listen to me and ride on the back of my bike, or do I have to strap you into one of the cages in the garage?" Rain pulled her around in front of him. "I'll tell you right now, Tori don't like the idea of you on my bike and neither do I, so give me one good reason why I shouldn't treat you like a citizen. It'll take twice as long to get where we're going in the cage."

Her head came back a few inches at the insult, and she steeled herself. "I can ride."

Damn him. He knew pissing her off would make her put up with him. At least on the back of his bike, Rain couldn't force her to hold up her side of the conversation, not that Rain ever talked much.

Honestly, how could she not see how totally asshole-ish he was before now? She almost felt sorry for Tori, if she wasn't jealous about everything the woman had handed to her in life.

Rain tossed her a helmet, forgoing one himself. She climbed on his motorcycle behind him and laid her hands on his shoulders. Rain's body quaked with unexpressed humor under her palms. She was being childish, but there was no way she'd wrap her arms around Rain with the chance of Tori watching from the house. She'd already encroached on Tori's property enough without adding fuel to the fire by touching her man.

Once they hit the main road heading out of town, she had no choice by to plaster herself against his back to stay seated. A sense of relief came when he pulled out on the interstate, going out of town. She closed her eyes and relaxed a smidgeon. He headed out of Bantorus territory and not in.

Mind numbed by the ride, Crystal slipped inside her head. She tried to imagine where Raul was on his trip to Arizona or if he'd ran into trouble. How would she go on if the cops arrested him? Would they believe he was a federal agent after being with the Lagsturns for almost a decade?

When she couldn't stay quiet any longer about needing to use the restroom, Rain pulled into a house on a crowded street. She'd lost direction after they flew by Tacoma and headed east. The moment the kickstand hit the ground, she slid off the back of the bike.

"Hang on," Rain said, getting off the bike.

She shifted from one foot to the other. "I really need to use the bathroom."

"Right." He grinned, and then grew serious. "This is where I end my part of Sanchez's plan. That means I have no control over what happens next, and that doesn't set right with me."

"I'm not following you," she said.

Rain gazed off into the distance. "This is serious, Crystal. I trust Raul. If he means anything to you, do what the others ask you to do."

"Who?"

Rain shook his head. "I don't know. I'm not involved in any of this. I'm clean. Now go to the front door, knock four times, and when the door opens, go inside."

She stepped forward and put her hand on his arm. "Stay, please."

The fear of what might happen inside the house and who waited for her overcame her street smarts of staying away from Tori's man. She blinked double time to keep the panic from showing.

"Can't." He stepped away. "Go now. For Raul, sweetheart."

Disappointed and frustrated over her lack of control in all this, she hurried along the walkway and stood in front of the door. She glanced over her shoulder, giving Rain one more chance to change his mind, but he remained sitting on his bike. She knocked against the wood four times.

It wasn't that she wanted to run away and be on her own. She actually wanted someone else to have her back and help if Garcia sent men after her. Walking into a stranger's house, not knowing if they were on Raul's side or Garcia had wormed his men into the plan scared her.

She'd met Garcia a few times, and each time she walked away knowing the man was a lot smarter than he let on. He was cold and calculating. Powerful men often came across as in control, until they snapped. She should know. Her father was the same way.

If someone got on her dad's bad side, he'd verbally kill the person or brainwash them into believing they were going to hell. She let her chin drop to her chest and closed her eyes for a moment. Well, at least announce your death on national television and make their life hell.

The door clicked and swung fully open. An arm reached out and yanked her inside before she had a chance to look at a face. She pulled her arm and stepped back, but the door slammed shut. She jerked her gaze to the person who'd grabbed her and covered her mouth, muffling her cry of relief.

"Shit woman, you look like you're about to bawl." Jolene wrapped her arms around Crystal. "You have to tell me why I was ushered to the damn city, ordered to stay put, and then Nichols strolls in, out of breath and refusing to talk. He won't even let me use the phone to call Duck to see what the hell is going on."

Crystal lifted her head and gazed over Jolene's shoulders. Nichols stood leaning against the entryway, arms crossed, left brow lifted. She kept her gaze on the old man and shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe you'd tell me."

Jolene blew out her lips. "Dammit. I bet we're in lockdown."

"I think so too." Crystal stepped farther into the room. "I really need to use the bathroom though. It was a long trip, and I drank two cups of coffee before I left."

"Top of the stairs, first door on your right." Nichols pointed. "Don't bother looking in the other rooms for a phone. I've disconnected them all."

She ignored the added information and headed straight to the bathroom. The only thing on her mind was finding relief. Then she'd figure out her next move. If Raul informed Nichols and Jolene about what was going on, maybe she could figure out a way to find out if Raul was okay and how the job was going. That alone gave her hope and thankful she wasn't alone.

Chapter Twenty

By the end of the day, it was clear Jolene had no idea why Duck sequestered her in lockdown with Nichols. Crystal stifled a yawn. The old man gave her nothing to hint that he knew what Raul was doing, except completing a job.

Nichols followed orders and took his position of keeping her in hiding to heart. There was nothing she could do to sway him from his post inside the house, but wait.

"I'm stuffed." Jolene plopped down on the corner of the couch and put her hands on her stomach. "I have to say that for a lockdown, the kitchen is stocked with some killer food. Besides the lack of company—not that you two aren't a barrel of laughs—this beats a lockdown at the club. At least we don't have to keep getting up to serve the men drinks like we normally do."

"No beer." Nichols scratched his chest. "No phones. No freedom. Damn old age. I should be riding with my brothers."

Crystal curled her legs up in the chair. "You could hook up one of the phones and call the club. Someone must be there that knows where the men are and how they're doing."

Nichols glared. "No pre-paid."

"Then call Theresa or Roxanne, and have one of them contact their man on the club's phones," Crystal said.

Nichols shook his head and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back to the chair. Crystal wrinkled her nose. Raul's choice of guard for her was spot on. Nichols was a stubborn man. She wasn't getting anywhere with him.

A banging came from the front of the house. Crystal jumped off the sofa. Nichols, for how slow he moved, beat her from the room, barring her way and holding his pistol in his hand.

He pushed her back and put his finger to his lips. "Stay."

She nodded.

Nichols worked his way to the door, staying away from the windows on both sides of the room. Crystal glanced at Jolene, who seemed unconcerned by the visitor. Jolene's laidback acceptance of their hostage state made Crystal more nervous. If Guillermo Garcia found her, she'd also put Jolene in danger too.

She turned around and motioned Jolene to follow her. Luckily, her friend never questioned her. In the kitchen, she whispered, "Listen, something's going on. I don't know what, but why are we the only ones here with Nichols?"

Jolene shrugged. "Club business."

"I know, but why the seclusion?" She moistened her lips, determined to find out exactly what Jolene knew about the situation by following Raul's made-up story for her. "The guys are out on a job. We've always stayed at the club before when they rode out. Not to mention, I was supposed to go to my friend's house, and instead I'm brought here. You don't find that strange?"

Jolene peeked around Crystal's shoulders and then whispered, "We need to listen to the old man. Duck said something bad was going down and right now, I figure him and Raul took us away from everyone else for a reason. You're the president's old lady. Maybe I'm here to keep you sane. It's not my position to question an order."

"Okay, okay," Crystal muttered.

"Girls?" Nichols called from the other room.

Crystal hurried out of the kitchen and back into the living room. Another man she didn't recognize stood beside Nichols. She stopped, staying on the other side of the room.

"You're going with Curt," Nichols said, hitching his thumb in the other man's direction. "Jolene stays here."

"Oh, shit," Jolene whispered behind Crystal. "Maybe we should try and call Duck or Raul."

The tall, heavily muscled stranger held himself erect, stiff, and uncomfortable. He met her gaze and held her attention, speaking volumes. He'd come here for her.

She'd bet her and Raul's room at the club that the guy wasn't a biker. He held himself back, letting Nichols make the introduction. If Raul sent a club member or a charter member from a brothering club, they'd take her and not ask permission. They certainly wouldn't stand at attention.

"It's okay." Crystal turned to Jolene, hugged her, and smiled. "I'll see you back at the club."

"But, shouldn't we—"

"Nah. Raul told me he might send me somewhere else. I'll go with this guy and see what's up." She stepped away and crossed the room.

She had no plans to go far without any answers. If there was one thing she'd learned while living with the Lagsturns, she recognized a narc when she spotted one. This guy was certifiably a snitch, probably of the federal government kind.

She leaned in and kissed Nichol's cheek. "Ease up on Jolene. She's starting to freak."

Nichols sniffed loudly in answer. Crystal patted his barrel chest on her way toward the door. Her new escort followed right behind her.

Maybe she was wrong, and she was walking away with the enemy. She opened the door, and strolled outside. She'd made bad decisions before, but she promised Raul she'd be cooperative. He was a federal agent, and she trusted him completely. She had to put his safety first, and not worry if the world found out that Chrissy Donaldson was still alive.

Inside a black sedan, Curt shoved the key in the ignition and relaxed against the seat without turning on the engine. "Ms. Rose, there's nothing to worry about. Arrangements have been made for you and in less than twenty-four hours, you'll be reunited with Agent Sanchez."

She bit the inside of her lip. Even after hearing the truth from Raul, it was hard to accept that the man she loved worked for the government. She only saw Raul as the biker she'd fallen in love with, but the last few days she'd caught glimpses of a man who believed in justice. Whether he resorted to his own kind of justice or followed the law—she had no idea.

"Has he contacted you?" she asked.

"Yes." Curt started the car and put the gear in reverse. When he pulled away from the house, he continued. "I'm under strict orders to stay with you until he can make contact again. You have nothing to fear, and are under the protection of the United States—"

"How is he?" She leaned forward against her seatbelt. "I mean, is he okay?"

The serious lines on the thirty-something year old man's face softened. "He's fine, ma'am."

She blew out her breath and sat back.
Good.

Curt's arrival wasn't about Raul being in trouble. If Raul wanted her to stay with a Fed until he showed up, she could do that. Curt knew nothing about her real identity. Raul had promised he'd keep her secret. She was no longer the young girl who should live in fear alone.

Her hair was lighter— thanks to a three-dollar bottle of highlights and her bathroom mirror. She'd also filled out from the boyish gangly teenager to a woman who could afford to lose ten pounds, mostly from her breasts and ass area. She gazed down at her hands. She seldom noticed the changes over the years.

Her hands were her mother's hands. She'd often study her mom's manners in church, how her mother would link her fingers and place her clasped hands on her lap, never fiddling with her dress or picking at her nails. She fisted her hands. Unable to achieve the well held together emotionless woman act the way her mom did in public, she at least appeared more mature and in control now.