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And Lance is the head roach, who makes promises to a desperate teenager who only wants money so his mom can get chemo. Disgusted, Jace stood and went over to the window.
He went still.
Someone was outside, listening.
Jace slipped out the back door. With extreme stealth, he hugged the building, staying in the shadows until coming to the window over the sofa where he and Dylan had talked.
Though darkness shrouded the figure trying to peer past the partly closed curtains, he needed no light. He knew the slim curvature, every inch of the athletic frame he’d once held in his arms and made love to each night.
Kara.
Chapter 9
If blood could boil, hers was volcanic right now. Kara stood outside the white concrete, dilapidated building, trying to see inside. She’d gone to her shop, only to see four fast racing bikes speeding away on Cannon Avenue.
Inside the store, she found smashed glass display cases with missing watches and rings. But the safe yawned open, an empty cavity.
The Vandermeer jewels. All gone.
One of the bikes racing away was Dylan’s. The bike he adored and was paying off. He could pay it off a lot sooner now with the money he’d get from selling the stolen jewels.
She’d come here to the clubhouse, driven by fury, wanting to snatch Dylan away from here. Get him to confess what he’d done, get him away before the police nailed him.
This is what you get for trust. You felt bad for him, gave him a job and he stole from you.
She inched away from the window. How could Jace hang out with such a group of criminals? Kara partly understood Dylan’s reasons. He was desperate. How she wished she’d seen the signs earlier, had gotten him to open up to her. But she was too busy with her inventory, her sales.
You let your little brother down and now you are letting your cousin down.
As she headed toward the parking lot to call the police, two rough hands seized her by the waist, spun her around. Next thing, she was tossed to the ground, her cheek pressed against the cold, hard dirt.
She smelled spicy cologne, and it reminded her of those nights in Jace’s arms. Panic took hold and she struggled.
“Stop it,” a low voice hissed.
Jace. He grabbed her arms, immobilizing her as he pinned her, trapping her against his big, muscled body. Terror scrambled her thoughts. As she tried to scream, he clapped a hand over her mouth.
Then Jace spoke in a low, urgent whisper into her ear.
“I’m going to help you, Kara, but you have to trust I won’t hurt you. Please.”
She relaxed slightly but trembled inside with fury and anger at herself as well for dropping her guard.
“I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth now if you promise not to scream. Nod if you agree to what I say.”
Kara managed a nod, but as he removed his hand, she bit hard, tasting blood. He released a low curse, but sat back on his haunches, regarding her as she scrambled up against the wall.
“You son of a bitch, how dare you—”
“Keep your voice down. What the hell am I going to do with you? Do you know how dangerous and risky it is, sneaking around here, especially tonight?”
“You’d better release me and let me go, Jace.”
“So you can run straight to the cops? No.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Come with me. Upstairs. Let’s get you out of sight before anyone else spots you.”
As he led her around the building to the steps leading to the second floor, she began to shake. “No. Don’t do this. Let me go.”
He tweaked her nose the way he once did. It was a little reassuring, a reminder of their shared past. She drew in a breath. Jace might have broken her heart, but he’d never hurt her physically, or let anything happen to her.
