All the Way (31 page)

“Blake…” She took a deep breath and plunged ahead with her suspicion. “I think I overheard something important.”

“Back there?” He nodded behind him at The Full Throttle as they kept walking.

Layla repeated what she’d heard. Blake agreed it seemed like the out-of-state cop they mentioned could’ve been Jack. She added, “And they were gang members. Just like the ones from that small bar across the motel where we stayed. Where they almost fought you over that pool game you won.”

Blake stopped. His hand tightened over hers. “Did one of them recognize you?”

“No. I recognized him. I don’t think it was that same guy, but he wore an identical patch as the man from the pool game. A skull with vines wrapped around it.”

Blake nodded grimly. “Yep. Sounds like the same group. If that guy from the motel bar knew Rob, so would that man you overheard in the Full Throttle.” He exhaled gruffly. “I wish there hadn’t been a fight over that pool game. Then I could’ve gotten close to one of them. Maybe gotten more information to go on.”

“We could go back. I remember what he looked like.”

Blake shook his head. “Sorry, baby. They travel in packs. His pal who threatened me won’t be far away.”

“Well, what about the name he dropped? Johnny?”

A frown of contemplation pulled
at his features. “There might be something to that. Or it might’ve been Johnson’s code name. I’m not sure how to tell the difference.”

“The biker sounded like he was talking about two different people, the cop and then Johnny. It sounded like the cop was the facilitator. The other guy was just…” Layla snapped her fingers. “His go between. Blake—Johnny could be the passenger!”

“The guy with Johnson at the fairgrounds?” Blake rubbed his jaw, nodding. “You may be right. It’s definitely more than we had to go on before. Good job, baby.” He kissed her. “Now let’s duck into some of these beer joints and see what we can find out.”

However, he made her stay outside most of them. Too dangerous, he claimed.
So she paced. Bored.
Restless. Hot, even though the sun had set hours ago. And tired. When they’d brought their things back that afternoon to Frank’s shop, where they were staying upstairs, they’d tried to take a nap to catch up on a few hours of sleep.

Instead, they’d found other ways to keep themselves occupied. Sexy ways.

While she paced outside of the dimly lit bar Blake had disappeared into, the vision rose unbidden in her mind of him making good on his promise. To take her as he’d threatened to the first time they made love. Up against the wall. Her legs hooked around his waist as he ground into her with deep, penetrating thrusts. Their bodies striving toward climax, turning slick with perspiration, finally quivering with powerful release…

Layla shivered. Then she jumped as the door behind her slammed open.

“Man, must be something in the air tonight.” Blake took her hand and led her away quickly. “Barely got out before two guys went at each other.”

“Geez. Another bar fight?”

Blake shook his head as if he couldn’t understand it. “Men can be such idiots.”

“I know.”

“Hey.”

She giggled when he tweaked her under her ribs. She shoved his hand away and asked, “How many more places am I going to have to stand outside of tonight?”

“I think we’ve covered most of them. Those with the best potential, anyway.”

“So what now?”

“We wait it out.”

“That’s it?”

He sighed. “I don’t know what else to tell you, Layla. We’ve done what we can for today. We’ve covered a ton of ground. Let’s wait and see what comes of our efforts.”

Anxiety clawed through her. “But we only have two days left in Sturgis!”

He stared at a spot of artistic graffiti on the cracked sidewalk. His face looked drawn, as if he were personally bearing the weight of her disappointment. “I know.”

“Blake,” she murmured. Rising on her toes, she kissed his cheek. “You’ve been amazing. I’m sure some news will come after everything we’ve done. It has to, right?”

As they walked hand in hand through Sturgis’s nightlife, along streets crowded with a rowdy bunch of rebels having a blast, Layla kept thinking about the brawl Blake and Tanner had circumvented. Blake
had walked away without a scratch. Perhaps Jack hadn’t exaggerated entirely when he’d slapped Blake with false charges, saying Blake was a deadly weapon unto himself.

She’d avoided discussing that fiasco with Blake, but broached the subject now to reconstruct the truth from Jack’s lies. This seemed like the right time to put the issue to rest. She squeezed his hand. “Did you know the last argument that ended my relationship with Jack was about you?”

“Good for me.” He grinned down at her, though she noticed his eyes tightened at the corners.

“It started because I defended you the night Jack put you in cuffs on false charges.” She swallowed, remembering the fight that ensued. Jack had shown his violent side, and Layla knew she needed out. “He said something about breaking up a bar fight.”

Blake stiffened at her side. He opened the door of Frank’s shop, but once they entered he didn’t take her hand again. They climbed the stairs as he spoke.

“Johnson was desperate for any excuse to get me off his back. I’d reopened the case of my parents’ accident, but my witness backed down in the end and Johnson walked free.” Blake sighed. “So when he stumbled onto a bar fight, resembling what almost happened at The Full Throttle, he framed it. Making
it look like I’d started what turned into a bloody mess. My martial arts background almost gave him cause.”

“I didn’t believe him,” Layla said as Blake unlocked their bedroom door.

“Anything that comes out of Jack is either spun to his benefit or a boldfaced lie.”

As they stepped into their room, she replied, “I know that now. I guess I knew it then, too. Because after that fight our relationship was over.”

Blake locked the door and loomed over her, backing her toward the bed. “Can I tell you something else?”

“What?” she asked, breathless as the backs of her legs met the bed frame.

“Don’t ever bring up Johnson right before I make love to you, or I’ll be forced to give a performance that will burn away any memory you have of him in your bed.”
Territorial anger edged the words.

Desire rolled through her abdomen. “Is that a threat or a promise?”

“I can tell you…or I can show you.”

Eyes widening, she sat back on the mattress in answer. Tearing off his clothes, he came over her. He growled with possessive hunger
as his lips seized hers. He stripped her down, his mouth roving over her skin, claiming every part of her. Flipping her onto her stomach, he kissed the unexplored regions of her back.

He tasted the dip in her lower back, kissed the dimples at the base of her spine.
An arm slid under her waist and lifted her backside into the air. He spread her knees.

Layla gasped.

Blake flipped onto his back, wedged his shoulders between her legs and brought her down to his mouth. His tongue traced the outer lips of her sex. She inhaled sharply,
her elbows digging into the mattress as she scrunched the sheets in her hands.

A guy was supposed to go down on a girl, not…
up
. Right?

Then he licked.

Or not
.
“Blake,” she moaned.

All thought dissolved as his tongue glided between her folds. She reveled in the feeling of him tasting her in this new way. His tongue made luxurious sweeps over her wet, aching flesh, flicking the peak over and over. She liquefied under the acute ecstasy.

He made love to her with his mouth the way he made love to her with his body—thoroughly. A shattering orgasm built, first in quakes of pleasure, then thrashing waves, and finally a burst of white-hot heat that rocketed her into bliss.

When Blake slid out from between her legs, she collapsed onto the mattress, drugged with pleasure. She felt the slide of his body above her. He rolled on a condom, guided his cock to where she was wet and ready. He slid in to the hilt. Threading
their fingers, he took her from behind.

He surrounded her everywhere. Layla felt every band of muscle in his torso skim across her skin as he moved. His lips caressed her skin as he stroked inside her. The ends
of his hair swayed back and forth, feathering
across her back, a steady rhythm to his gliding thrusts. Mist formed on their skin. Their bodies skated across each other as Blake drove them toward a powerful climax.

His lips fastened on the back of her neck as his thrusts deepened, his fingers tightened, and they came at the same time.

They clung to each other, rocked together as wave after wave consumed them.
Their ragged breaths filled the quiet room. Light from a neon light flashed sporadically through the window, the pulsing light matching the pulse of him inside her until he was completely spent.

He trailed kisses along her shoulder, caressed her sides, her back.
He nuzzled the place below her ear. She felt so cared for. Surrounded by safety.

Sliding out, he disposed of the condom, returned to the bed, and gathered her against his chest. He kissed her, held her, and made her feel more adored than she had ever imagined possible.

I want to spend every day like this. As if I’d never left your arms the first time
.
I should have stayed with you, Blake
.

“I will,” she found herself saying aloud before she could censor her words. “I will stay with you for as long as you’ll have me.”

Deep, even breaths were his only reply. Arms tight around her, he’d fallen asleep.

Turning
in his embrace, she gazed at him. She lightly kissed his cheeks, nose, eyelashes. A sleepy smile formed on his lips.

She dropped kisses over every beautiful angle and plane of his face, and watched the lines on his forehead smooth when sleep fully consumed him. Before any lingering fear in her heart could stop her, she whispered, “I love you.”

Instinctively, his hold tightened. Layla savored his scent, the feel of his body, his protective embrace, as she fell asleep in the arms of the man she loved.

*

Layla bolted upright in bed. Late morning sunlight pierced the room through slats in the blinds. There it was again—what sounded like a rubber mallet beating against their door. She threw the covers off, pulled on Blake’s T-shirt and answered it.

Tanner filled the doorway, smudges under his eyes, hair finger-combed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. A shiver of warning coasted down her spine.

“I have news.”

Layla swallowed. “It’s Robby, isn’t it?”

“Get my brother up. You both need to hear this,” Tanner said gravely.

“I’m up.” Blake’s voice came
from behind Layla as he
fastened the top button of his jeans. Tanner shut the door and came into the room. Blake offered, “Have a seat.”

Hoisting himself onto the wooden dresser, Tanner passed a glance between the two of them. “You
won’t
like what I’m about to say.”

“Go ahead.”
Layla braced herself.

“You may want to sit down.”

“Just tell me.” She felt Blake’s bare arms come around her waist from behind, offering his strength and support. Then she noticed a deep red smudge along Tanner’s neck and chin. She gasped. “Is that mark on your neck from the fight?”

He scraped the back of his hand under
his chin. The red came off on it. The corner of his mouth lifted. “I, uh, found myself a cowgirl. While I was out back of The Full Throttle, packing up the band equipment.” The hint of a smile left his face.
He frowned at Layla. “That’s when I saw your brother.”

“And?” Blake demanded.

Tanner ran both hands through his hair, his gaze trained on the floor. “Whatever he’s doing, it’s bad.
Worse than I thought.
I know the guy he was with.” He glanced over Layla’s head and met Blake’s eyes. “I remember him from my partying days, man. It’s Johnny Carlos.”

“Johnny?” Layla exclaimed. “That’s who those gang members were talking about at the bar. It could be Jack’s passenger—the missing link!”

Blake didn’t share her enthusiasm at the news. He went stone still.
“Let me guess,” he said in a raw whisper.
“The drug dealer.”

Eyes round with shock, Layla barged in, “He’s with a drug dealer? But that can’t be!” What trouble had her brother found now? She struggled for composure, but devastation surged through her, leaving her ravaged. “Are you sure it was my brother?” she asked Tanner, praying there was some mistake.

Tanner met her gaze, nodded. Two tears dropped onto her cheeks. Tanner saw them and his expression conveyed deep regret. “I’m sorry, Layla,” he murmured.

“I can’t believe this.” She wilted in Blake’s arms, and he led her to the bed, sat with her, holding her. “I tried so hard to give him everything he needed, so he’d stay off alcohol—now drugs—and out of trouble.”

As she tucked her hair behind her ears, she realized her hands were shaking and dropped them to her lap. She felt Blake’s lips press against her temple. “It’s not you.”

“Someone’s to blame. It has to be me.”

Tanner cut in. “Rob is responsible for his own choices.”

That wasn’t true. Not with a kid. One who’d grown up with a sister as a poor substitute for the loving parents she wished he could’ve had. “I’m responsible for him. I fail to see the separation. Robby is my responsibility and I let him down.”

“There is no blame, here,” Blake said with conviction. “What we have to do now is figure out a way to untangle him from this mess and get him back home in three days.”

“It seems hopeless,” she said in a watery whisper.

“It’s not hopeless. But it is dangerous.” Blake looked at his brother. “Any suggestions?”

“Sure, but you won’t like those either.”

“Spill it.”

He hesitated as though weighing the options, then nodded. “We stage our own version of a drug deal. That way we’re in control.
Get Rob away from the gang. Then hightail it out of Sturgis and pray they have no long-range weapons.”

“Weapons?”
She looked up, startled.

“It’s like any gang, baby,” Blake explained, “they keep track of their own.
Anything suspicious and they deal with it however they see fit. Sometimes lethally.”

“I’ll be the bait,” Tanner said without hesitation.
“Johnny knows me. From a few years back, granted, but I won’t be a stranger. That way the deal won’t look staged.”

“Forget it.” The handsome face Layla knew by heart hardened beyond recognition.
“You’d have to slit my throat before I let you walk back to that life.”

“It’ll be a fake deal.”

Blake refused.
“I won’t take that chance.”

“It was like four years ago, man,” Tanner said.
“Ancient history.”

“Addictions are never ancient or history. Besides,” Blake muttered, “you’re forgetting one thing. Jack is somehow involved in all this too. Before we do anything, we’ve got to factor him into this equation.”

Tanner stared. “Are you for real? Since when do you give a rat’s ass about Johnson?”

“Since Jack tried to barter with Layla. If she went to Sturgis
with him, he’d take her right to her brother. If she stayed with me, Jack threatened Rob’s record. Swore he’d be in a position to change the course of the kid’s life. Working with a drug dealer on some undercover op—one who’s selling to the gang Rob is in—could ruin Rob’s future.”

“Do you think Carlos is working
with
Johnson…legit?
Undercover for the police?” Tanner asked.

“No.” Blake ran a hand down his face, let go of Layla, and began pacing. “Otherwise Johnson wouldn’t have acted so seedy when Munson questioned him. Instead Jack took off. Like a guy who was afraid of getting caught and held up for questioning.”

“Then what should we do?” Layla broke in.

“Find Rob first,” Blake answered.

“How?”

Tanner scratched his jaw. “You know, Blake, you could always call Will.”

With a nod, Blake rummaged through his duffel and pulled out a fresh T-shirt. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

Layla looked between the two men. “Who’s Will?”

Blake’s voice sounded muffled inside the shirt as he fitted it over his head. “My friend, the undercover officer who got Rob interested in the grownup version of cops and robbers.”

Layla said tightly, “Only this isn’t a game. If this
friend
of yours pulled Robby into this mess, then he should get him out, too!”

Blake tucked his shirt into his jeans. “We don’t know anything for sure. Before I talk to Will, I want to check something downstairs.”

Tapping her foot impatiently, Layla demanded, “Shouldn’t we be out pounding the pavement, checking with all the people we spoke to yesterday?”

Blake nodded. “We will. But if Rob hasn’t been communicating by phone—since he
won’t take
anyone’s calls—I want to see if he’s kept in touch another way.”

“Such as?”

“Digitally.”

“Oh.” She looked at him strangely, until the light dawned. “
Ohh
… Hey, that’s a great idea!”

“Let’s hope.”

Blake and Tanner headed downstairs. Layla dressed and met them in the empty store, outside the shop’s office. Frank swiveled in his chair to face them.

“What are you all doing up at the ass crack of dawn?”

“Frank,” Blake said, ignoring the question, “can we use your Internet connection on the store computer?”

“Sure. Why?”

“I need to borrow it for a minute.”

“Hey, man. Help yourself.”

Blake barely waited for the affirmation before rushing up to the desk.
“Thanks.”

Frank’s eyes widened. He rolled his chair out of Blake’s way. Then he stood and ambled out of the office. “I’ll just go…do somethin’ else.”

Blake fiddled with the mouse and keyboard. He asked her, “You and your brother use the same site to get online and check e-mail, right?”

“Yes, we share a computer and have our email accounts at the same company.”

“And you both have the password to log on?”

“Sure, but of course he has a different password than me.”

“That’s okay. I think I can figure it out, as long as you have his account name.”

Layla led him through the preliminaries, until they had to type in the password. She blew a strand of hair off her forehead. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

“I might.” He tried several. Each denied him access.

She repeated his attempts aloud. “Disturbed…Saliva…Korn—what’s that about?”

“The names of his favorite bands.”

“What happened to Nickelback?”

“That was last year.” He typed in a few more without success.

“I try to keep up with my brother’s life. I really do. But this is pathetic. I wouldn’t know his password if it smacked me upside the head.”

“Ah, good one, baby.” He typed in GODSMACK. “Bingo.”

“Well, his e-mails were safe from me,” she muttered.

“Now I see why…”
Blake kept his face carefully blank.

He felt Layla lean toward him, peering over his shoulder. “Did you find something helpful?”

He quickly closed the window. “I don’t know.”
He stared meaningfully at Tanner. “I think I need to make a phone call.”

“Blake, what’s going on? What did you see?”

“I don’t know yet, baby. I’m about to find out.”

With an agitated movement, she swiped the back of her hand across her forehead. “Geez, it’s hot out today.” Then she leveled a look at Blake. “Did you find something your friend
Will
would know about?”

“No. Maybe. I told you, I don’t know. I need to make some calls before I can answer your question.”

“Blake,” she warned, “don’t leave me out of this.”

His smile felt stiff on his face. “No way, baby. We’re in this together.”
He firmly guided her toward where Tanner stood,
shoulder against the doorjamb. Blake said to his brother, “Do me a favor. Take care of Layla while I check on something.”

His brother peered at him, an eyebrow arched. “What kind of time do you need?”

“Half an hour. We’ll meet back at the shop.” He sent a nod to Tanner, silent code for,
Cover me. I’ve got business to take care of
.

Tanner gave him a two-finger salute, and Blake knew it was handled.

Then Blake thought of one more thing. “While I’m gone, stop by the general store for suntan lotion. I don’t want my girlfriend burned to a crisp.”

Layla’s back straightened beneath his palm. He looked down and discovered round blue eyes staring up at him. His chest squeezed at the emotion he saw swirling in them. Then he realized what he’d said, the endearment he’d ached to use with this woman if only he’d had a second chance with her.

Here was his second chance.

And if he didn’t want to blow it, he’d better be honest with her. He would be, he promised silently. After he talked to Will and figured out what the hell was going on.

Leaning down, he kissed her. A kiss he hoped would melt away any lingering uncertainty inside her. His arms wound around her waist.

“Ahem.” Tanner cleared his throat from the doorway.

More than anything Blake wanted to stay right where he was. He wanted hold Layla and reassure her until she understood how much he needed her, and her trust.

But time was against them. He broke off the kiss. “It’s her fault,” he said reasonably, handing her over to his brother. “She has that effect on me.”

Tanner rolled his eyes. “Spare me the details.” Then, just to rattle Blake, Tanner draped his arm around Layla’s shoulder and guided her out the shop’s front door. “So, about that suntan lotion…think you’ll need some help putting it on?”

Casually, Tanner glanced back over his should. Blake sent him a deadly glare. He tipped his head back and laughed. He dropped his arm.

Smart man
, Blake thought. Then he snorted. “‘
Wise Guy’ is more like it,” he muttered.

No doubt Tanner was just trying to take the edge off, ribbing Blake into momentarily forgetting the dire situation they faced.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

Stalking toward the nearest phone booth, Blake shut himself inside. He didn’t want to make a scene in public or have anyone overhear him. He scrolled through the archive of numbers in his cell phone, found the one he wanted, and hit send.

A distracted voice answered.

Blake gripped the sun-warmed metal casing of the payphone to maintain control. Through clenched teeth, he said, “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t reach through this phone and rip you a new one.”

“Uh…because I already have a hole there. And it’s really bad for the rap sheet to assault an officer of the law. What’s up, Desanto?”

“You, Will. At the top of my list of the biggest idiots. What the hell were you thinking, giving a kid the green light to work undercover?”

“Okay, run that by me again—slower this time.”

Blake gnashed his teeth. “Layla’s little brother, Rob Farrell, is running with a motorcycle gang in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Something big is about to go down. We believe it might be a major drug deal. And we think Rob is going to get caught smack in the middle of it.”