So was he, and everyone else. But at least now Dylan was close to being safe. “You got it.”
“Dylan, thank you. Remember, we’re family...”
“And family does for family. Got it. Thanks, coz.”
He hung up.
Kara turned the cell phone over in her hands. “I’m so worried about him, Jace. What if the bikers find him before we do?”
He reached over, squeezed her hand. “You have to trust that won’t happen, babe. Dylan’s evaded them so far. Even evaded us. He’s smart. It runs in the family.”
She glanced at him. “Smart, huh?”
“Who else could take a business and turn it into a success?” He consulted his phone. “We need to find a place to stop for the night and rest.”
They stopped at a fast-food restaurant near Tennessee for a quick dinner. By the time Jace drove them to a nondescript motel near the main road, he was exhausted and Kara looked ready to drop from stress.
He let her use the bathroom first to shower, his imagination going haywire at the sounds of the water running. By the time it was his turn, he was no longer exhausted, only tense and wired at spending yet another night with her.
Kara slid beneath the covers and seemed to be asleep. He finally emerged from the bathroom and saw she’d placed her suitcase on the other bed.
Well, he could handle this. Jace climbed into bed with her.
Jace sighed as Kara snuggled up against him, closing her eyes with a smile. Damn, this was tough, feeling her soft, sweet body lying next to him. Old habits died hard. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, pull her close, start those long kisses she loved. Finish with both of them naked, panting and worn out from the good loving.
He couldn’t afford distractions. Jace slipped out of her grasp and curled up on the other bed with her suitcase for company instead of Kara herself.
But it was a long time before he slept.
Chapter 15
They met Dylan at the campsite as planned the next afternoon, and never had she seen her cousin more scared.
Or relieved.
Dylan had cut his shoulder-length hair and dyed it blond. He looked much younger than his years, and vulnerable.
Jace treated him with courtesy but remained firm. Her ex in action seemed a totally different man from the casual biker who had given the impression of insouciant living and partying. He took Dylan formally into custody, read him his rights and called to have his motorcycle picked up and stored in a local impound lot, giving Kara the information to retrieve it later. Dylan handed Kara the rest of the jewelry, which she combined with the diamond necklace. Kara dropped the bag into her purse.
Nothing carefree about him now, Jace was all seriousness as they drove, Dylan riding quietly in the back. She had trouble reconciling the tough FBI agent with the biker who called her “babe.” Maybe that was part of his persona, and what made him blend so well.
“Jace, you’re headed the wrong way. Atlanta is southeast, not southwest.”
“We’re not going to Atlanta.” He turned off the road and headed for the interstate. “I’m headed to the FBI field office where my boss is working this case.”
“Rafael. Rafe. He’s your boss. Your real boss.”
“Boss and friend. Team leader.”
She wondered about that. “You’ve known him a long time?”
He nodded.
“How hard was it to go this deep undercover with the gang?” she asked.
Jace’s jaw tightened. “Can’t really talk about it.”
“I understand. It’s got to be like living two lives—your real life with the FBI and the life with the motorcycle gang, and then the lives start to blend and intertwine until you aren’t certain which one is real and which is not.”
He threw her a quick, startled glance, telling her more than words.
“It is, but I’m not into the lifestyle of OMGs, Kara.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“OMG is an acronym for Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, such as the Devil’s Patrol.” Jace switched lanes and accelerated. “I love riding a bike, and enjoy the company of other bikers, but partying and girls, and the drinking and drugs and certainly the outlaw lifestyle aren’t me. Never were.”
“You seem quite certain.”
“Hell, yeah, I’m certain. I saw what it did to others.”
Judging from the tautness of his jaw and the cheek tic, Jace didn’t like the conversation. Now or ever. If she had a hope of pulling him from his dark place, she had to try.
“Level with me, Jace. I told you the truth about my family and what happened. Is your father the reason you never wanted me to know about your parents or any of your family?”
For a few moments they rode in silence. Kara held her breath. Maybe she’d pushed him too hard. Then he released a heavy sigh.
“Yeah. Basically it.” He glanced into the rearview mirror. “I’ll tell you more later. Promise. But business first.”
