In Too Deep (The Lovers Duet) (13 page)

LINX AWOKE BEFORE Trista and took a long hot shower. He dressed in a pair of slightly baggy jeans and black wife beater. He packed a duffel bag with only the basics and walked downstairs to deposit his bag next to the others lined up by the door, and proceeded to have a traditional Irish breakfast cooked by Bronaugh and some of the other old ladies on kitchen duty.

Ronan and Quinn were already seated along with Dizzy and Cillian.

“Remember, boys, this is just a smash and grab job. Do what you have to do and get the fuck out. Hardy will have your back the whole way. He’s a hot head—like this stubborn, son of a bitch, Cillian—but he would never leave anyone behind and he’s loyal to a fault. Bring my boy home safely and that means no mistakes. I expect you all to pull up when you get back. I don’t want none of youse in a body bag, you hear?”

Linx dug into his plate of beans and sausages. “What will we do about the elephant in the room? I still haven’t told Trista who she heard was shot over the phone and the pain is so raw for Trey, he probably is barely holding on to his grief…and his sanity.”

“Keri was collateral damage.” Cillian finished up his food and threw his napkin on his plate as Gisela walked over and grabbed the empty dish before she headed back into the kitchen. “I’m not sayin’ he didn’t have feelings for her but she was a pussy-eatin’ porn star. Surely he shouldn’t be
that
broken up about her death and he was sloppy to have brought her along in the first place. He had to know what would go down after he shot and nearly killed Brooklyn.”

Ronan set his fork down and cleaned his mouth. “So, what’re ya tryin’ to say, brother? He should have known the White Knights would follow his ass all the way to Northern Ireland for retribution? It’s unheard of and we both know it.”

“Nel is half-Irish for fuck’s sake.” Dizzy chewed on a piece of sausage before he continued. “He’s got contacts over there…fuckin’ half kraut Protestant son of a bitch. Him and all his ‘white power’ eejits
don’t
think. Their brains been fried by too much dirty pussy and that nasty ass meth they cook. All he could think about was getting’ revenge on what happened to his nephew and Keri was caught in the crossfire.

“He’s a lot o’ things but the man’s not stupid. He knew if he killed Trey, I would have made it my business to fuckin’ destroy his club and Aztecas Infierno are dyin’ to take over all that juicy bit of territory they control with their shitty, brain-eatin’ product. I feel bad she got a bullet to the head but it was better it be her than my own flesh and blood.”

“You plan on tellin’ Nel that?” an Irish-accented female voice inquired coldly. Bronaugh rarely spoke about Club business unless she had something important to say. “Keri wasn’t supposed to die. For God’s sake, she was a fuckin’ Decker and that piece of shit’s niece. Brooklyn is gonna be more of a son of a bitch now than ever. His own men killed his sister and they didn’t even know it. How the fook did he get twisted up in that family anyhow and didn’t he know who Keri really was?”

“Nah, can’t blame that shit on Trey, Mam.” Cillian sat back and drained his glass of milk. Keri was raised by her mother and she took her away when she left the club. Brooklyn knew he had a sister and eventually, he found out it was Keri but she had to go anyway. How long would it have been before they came back, claimed her as their own and picked her for everything Trey ever told her?”

“He wouldn’t have told her shit.” Quinn’s cold blue eyes scanned the table and Linx stared at him intensely.

“How are you so sure?”

“Because, I know Trey and he didn’t do pillow talk with Keri. He loved her but he never trusted her. I think we are makin’ a mountain out of a motherfuckin’ molehill. Trey is gonna be traumatized because he watched his old lady die but it isn’t the end of the world for him. He can get another old lady and now that he’s with the club where he should have always been, he’ll be all right. We all know that so why are we thinkin’ so hard on this one?”

“Hardy.” Cillian flexed his hands before he balled them into fists and straightened them out on the dark oak table. “Yeah, I know he’s my uncle and we’re the same age but…do you plan to usurp me and replace him as VP of the Club?”

“No. Not until I hand over the gavel to you. Hardy will be your VP. Until then, he will be my confidant. Trey is Sergeant-at-Arms and he will continue to be one here at the Saints like he was with the Bastards but I would never not pass the gavel to my oldest.” Dizzy stood and stared down at Cillian. “We may not see eye-to-eye all the time but you have the right old lady and she can handle this lifestyle. Gisela may be an attorney and Jackson’s daughter but she is familiar with the thug life and beneath her pristine appearance and soft demeanor, she’s your mother all over again. She’ll help you with those two children and you make sure you don’t neglect any of your children.

“I’m not a spring chicken yet I’m still young enough I want to enjoy the years I got left. I’m tired of the Club, of being in charge. Hardy will be a great asset to the Club and havin’ Linx on board just makes sure we aren’t allowin’ traitors into our Club that will turn on us. We already have the DEA on our asses and we know they have an infiltrator right now. Ronan, you watch that old lady of yours because the moment she has enough to go to her bosses, she’s a dead bitch.”

Linx didn’t show any emotion as he finished his breakfast and stood. “Listen, I need to tell Trista goodbye and I’m ready to head out—”

“You have an old lady to watch too.” He turned to look at Dizzy who glared at him with cold blue eyes. “Her father was an FBI agent. How do we know her parents and brother are dead? Has she ever tried to pick your brain?”

“About what? She would rather cut out her own tongue before she would betray a Club. Trista was devastated when she found out Trey had left the Bastards because she’s always been close to Jonesy. She didn’t know anything about her parents or what they did…as far as she was concerned, they were your accountants and nothing else.”

“Why don’t you just ask me yourself, Dizzy?” The voice was definitely feminine and distinctly Trista’s as she walked into the dining room.

“Oh, believe me, lass, I plan to pick your brain while your hubby rescues your brother and my son. Until then, why don’t you see your man off and then we can talk afterwards.”

He stared at them all except Cillian who wouldn’t be going anywhere except to drop them off at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. “Good luck, boys, take care of yourselves and I expect every fookin’ one of youse to come back home in one piece. If not, I will personally hunt your asses down in Hell and beat the livin’ shit outta ya when I get there.”

Quinn smirked while Ronan remained stoic and calm. Linx stood and walked over to Trista. She looked so young and innocent, certainly nothing like the sexy fucking bitch she played in the bedroom. Her blue eyes were cold yet determined before they softened and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“I’m gonna miss you so much. It was supposed to be you and me—remember? We were gonna go to Belfast and bring my brother back but then all this shit went down and now, everything’s changed. I still want to go with you and I know it was never in the cards but it still feels so fuckin’ unfair.”

Linx wrapped an arm around her neck before he whispered in her ear, “Life is unfair, baby, but I promise you this: I won’t leave you here all alone and I will be back. Do you believe me?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

They stared one another down before a smile formed on her gorgeous lips and she hit him hard on his back, causing him wince. He’d had plenty of tattoos done but the Saints tattoo was still healing and although it was a slight annoyance most of the time, her hand across still-healing skin was a motherfucker.

“I’ll walk you out to the truck.”

He didn’t argue with her as they continued outside in silence. He grabbed his duffel bag and loaded it into the truck. Ronan and Quinn were still saying their goodbyes to their old ladies while Cillian held Gisela closely and kissed the side of her face.

“I’m not going to say anything to make this any more difficult than it has to be. I will miss you like mad and just get your ass back here pronto so we can go home, okay?”

Linx turned toward her after he’d thrown his duffel bag into the truck. “You know I’ll do that so no tears, okay? I love you and we will see each other soon. Stay outta trouble and don’t you dare let that son of a bitch get to you, all right? He’s not worth one rise in your blood pressure, you hear me. That piece of shit means nothing to you and don’t risk what we have because you can’t seem to control your temper. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.” She leaned over and kissed him on the lips before he grabbed her by the neck with an unknown possession inside of him and his mouth opened, silently commanding hers to do the same as their tongues touched and he felt the kiss all the way down to the tip of his toes and the edge of his cock. This woman was everything he’d always wanted and although their love affair was far from the usual shit, he would never stop loving her.

Trista ended the kiss reluctantly before she nipped at his bottom lip with her teeth. “I love you so much it hurts and I can’t wait to see you so you can set my pussy on fire yet again when you return.”

“I’m definitely looking forward to that.”

“So am I.”

They smiled at one another before he reluctantly let her go, walked over to the truck and got into the back seat with Quinn while Ronan rode shotgun and Cillian started the engine to the Ford F-150.

The last memory of that day was watching Trista, a look of acceptance, love and contemplative revenge as her brows furrowed and she blocked the sun with one hand before she waved at him.

He was going to miss her more than he ever anticipated and the thought alone made his heart ache, his cock twitch and his head hurt. This mission couldn’t end soon enough.

Chapter Eleven