In Too Deep (The Lovers Duet) (4 page)

AFTER THE PAINFUL goodbye between Linx and his sons, we grabbed our luggage and before hubby-dearest could lug all of it down the stairs, our driver was there to take us to LAX.

He’d called his brother, explained there was an emergency situation we had to take care of, and John had readily agreed to watch Brady and Jimi once Cassidy reached his home and dropped them off.

I couldn’t shake that feeling of dread, knowing I would be going back to the same place where all the shit had begun in the first place. The tri-cities area was supposed to permanently stay in my rear view and here I was going back yet again after having not yet been gone a full year.

This was one reunion I had no wish to make with people who made my skin crawl, and what was it with Dizzy? Why did he care about Trey so much we needed to see him before we could make the trip to Northern Ireland? It made no sense.

That train of thought followed me all the way to the airport, through baggage check and ticket retrieval, and on to the plane itself. I tried to think of all the reasons why he would give a shit and then the thought hit me like a brick upside the head.

Caitlin Cox.

The daughter Cillian shared with his soon-to-be-ex, Brianna. That kid didn’t look a damn thing like him but she did resemble a certain brother of mine who was crazy enough to fuck with another man’s old lady from a rival MC and get his ass beaten over it.

It was no secret Cillian’s ex-old lady had been pretty free with her love and she liked to fuck. Unfortunately, Cillian was always gone on the long runs and handled the big deals because he was VP and everyone knew Caitlin wasn’t his daughter but no one would openly talk about it.

There were rumors she might have belonged to one of his brothers but nothing concrete. I’d seen her around a couple times and there was something about her hazel-green eyes that reminded me of my mother…and Trey.

Both Tristan and I had inherited our striking blue eyes from our father while I had gotten my mother’s coloring while both my brothers were fair-skinned. They had the ability to tan but they would never get as dark as I did during the summer.

Maybe Dizzy thought he owed something to Caitlin and her biological father was better alive than dead. Though even that didn’t wash, not really. Cillian loved Caitlin with all his heart and even knowing what he knew, he was fiercely protective of her and would never allow another man to ever be called her father, whether she was of blood relation to him or not.

Linx grabbed my hand and startled me out of my contemplation. “You okay, babe? You been kinda quiet, and you know how much I’m worried about you. Everything cool?”

I swallowed hard as I turned to face his gorgeous blue eyes. “No, not really but I’m glad you’re here with me. To be honest, I don’t think I would have been able to get through this trip without you. You’re my rock…Linx. I may come off all tough and badass but only you know I am barely hangin’ on by a thread and the thought that something might have happened to Trey…it’s killing me inside and I honestly don’t know how much more I can take.”

I didn’t want the tears to come because I hated crying with a passion but I’d done my fair share over the past months and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders before he kissed my forehead.

“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. I’d rather take a bullet—”

“Don’t you dare fucking say that, Lennon.” I purposely used his Christian name knowing how much he hated it. “You’ve got two boys who can’t be raised by that money-grubbin’, gold diggin’ whore who is your ex-wife and it would absolutely kill me if I lost you. But what about
them
? They’d never know what an awesome father they had…how he was a genius with the bass and how giving, intelligent, and courageous he was as a human being. You’re
not
trash and you’re as worthy for me as any man ever created.”

The tears fell and my cheeks were warmed by the liquid only to be chilled by the temperature in the plane. “I don’t want you to meet the people I grew up with and who shaped my life because it’s not me. It never would have been me. I wasn’t built for that kind of life and to be honest, you remind me of my dad. Is it that hard to believe that you’re a wonderful and decent human being?

“People see tattoos and they think you’re some kind of thug but you’re not. You’ll always be my prince, Linx. Promise me you won’t ever change, not even after you see what I came from and who I
really
am.”

He kissed my lips this time and although I shouldn’t allowed him to, when his tongue swirled around mine, it was soul-consuming and I desperately wanted to join the mile high club just to know how it would feel to be made love to at this altitude with the man who’d stolen my heart like a gypsy in the night.

“What are you talking about? You came from a decent family—none of the club life is a representation of you.”

“But it is,” I whispered ever so softly. “I followed Trey around like a puppy and I got a little too comfortable with club life. I know it so well, I could easily be an old lady but instead, I fell for a rock star and in my book, being with you is even better.”

Linx smiled a lop-sided grin. “No, I’m the lucky one because I couldn’t imagine a life without you in it, Trista. You truly make me the person I am today and I love you so much, sometimes I don’t think I would be able to breathe if I lost you. I know there are dangerous days ahead…dark days ahead but I would venture through the gates of Hell just to be with you and believe me, neither one of us will rest until we’ve found your brother, I promise you that.”

I leaned toward him and we were so close, I could almost feel our lips touching yet again. “I want him back alive, goddamn it. I couldn’t take the alternative and that is what drives me so bat shit crazy at times…what if he isn’t alive? It was hard enough losing Tristan and my parents but I
can’t
lose Trey too. I don’t know if I could deal and you didn’t sign up for this kind of shit.”

Linx grabbed my left hand and held it up in front of me. “Yes, I did. When I made you my wife, I said for richer or poorer, through sickness and in health…till death do us apart, and I meant it. Trista, if Trey—God forbid—is dead, then we will deal with it and I’ll support you when you can’t stand.

“I’ll catch you when you fall and most of all, I’ll be here for you because you are the woman I love and adore with all my heart. Never have I felt so strongly for another person and I know for a fact I never will. You’re my alpha and omega…my ending and my beginning. Everything beautiful and pure and true—outside of Brady and Jimi—has happened because I met you. And I don’t plan on that changin’ any time soon.”

I buried my head in his warm embrace and held on tight; to be honest, I didn’t want to let go because I was afraid if I did, my world of security and happiness would disappear before my very eyes.

Chapter Four

LINX DIDN’T KNOW exactly what to expect but the tall, lightly tanned biker who met them at the airport wasn’t it. He gathered the luggage he and Trista had brought along as the man approached them with stealth. He couldn’t have been more than thirty with piercing blue eyes and a physique that probably made most heterosexual women swoon.

“Trista,” he acknowledged with an air of someone who knew her though Linx doubted they knew each other well.

“Cillian,” she responded before she turned toward him. “This is Lennon Carter, my husband.”

Cillian strolled closer and sized Linx up and down. “The bassist for Winter’s Regret. I thought you were built more. Looks can be deceiving on the telly. You’re downright slight in build but tall so that had to be to your advantage when you were a scruffy little thing in South Boston.”

Linx stared him down. “You could say that.”

“Well, follow me, lady and rock star. The Prez doesn’t like to be kept waiting and everyone is antsy because we’re on lockdown due to those WK pricks.”

“Is there still fallout from what Trey did to Brooklyn?” Trista wondered as they began to walk toward a black Ford F-150 parked illegally in the Loading Zone.

“Yes and no,” he replied in a non-committal voice. “It’s got more to do with the AIs pushing into their territory. They’re flooding the WKs meth markets with cheap heroin and cocaine. Doesn’t matter the shit is low-grade…the meth addicts are switchin’ up and they’re losing money. We protect Aztecas Infierno so we become a target too.”

Linx stared at his wife as she looked away and turned toward the setting sun as soon as they stepped outside.

He was slightly concerned when Trista immediately got into the backseat while he climbed in the front. Cillian took the luggage from him, pulled down a section of the backseats and loaded them next to her.

This whole situation made him feel as uneasy as his wife; the anxiety emanating from her was palpable and she breathed deeply, trying to control a panic attack that was on the verge of overwhelming her.

Linx turned toward Trista and watched as she popped a Xanax and dry swallowed it followed by popping a piece of gum in her mouth.

Cillian pulled out of the airport and didn’t bother to make small talk until they reached the highway. “It’s not a good idea to get on my da’s bad side so when you bring up the situation with Trey, keep your old lady in line.”

“I can’t control Trista.” He smiled at the thought though it would be fun to try, even if she ended up knocking him out. “Listen, it took everything in my power to get her to come back in the first place. It was never part of her plan to see this place any time soon and the fact that we are here instead of searching for Trey is pissin’ her the fuck off. If your father was smart, he’d keep that in mind when he spoke to us.”

“Why are we here?” Trista sighed deeply and although the Xanax should have helped calm her down, Linx could tell she was more hyped up than ever. “How does your father fit in the position of caring about whether my brother lives or dies? Shouldn’t we be talking to Jonesy. Trey is Sergeant-at-Arms and a member of the Bastards.”

“Not anymore.” Cillian didn’t elaborate and Linx tried to keep his mouth from flying open.

“What are you talking about? It’s unprecedented for a member to leave a club. A charter—yeah, especially if the biker has been nomad for a while—but not your fucking club. You live and die by your club. I don’t believe it for a second. And how could Jonesy allow something like that to happen?”

“He didn’t have much of a choice when my father pulled out a Trump card he’s been holding up his sleeve. It was a fair trade. We had another guy…lied about his heritage to get in. Turns out he doesn’t have a drop of Emerald Isle blood. He was recently made a member—Jonesy took the deal.”