She looked beautiful. Gorgeous. His woman. He had never looked at another woman the way he did her. He made love to her because his body recognized hers and responded naturally to her. That was a gift. A priceless gift.
You can't look at me or take up for me if the cops arrest me. Walk away, Blythe. This is dangerous. He hoped she understood that he was working and they were all in jeopardy. He'd kill every single one of these men in front of all of Sea Haven if she was in danger and he'd go to prison happily to keep her safe.
She was with another woman, tall, slender, long glossy hair. She looked exotic with her skin and cat's eyes. He recognized her as Judith, the woman married to Stefan, from the photographs in Blythe's home.
The two women crossed the street, giving a wide berth to the bloody, groaning men on the ground. Immediately they both wrapped their arms around Inez and whispered to her. Tears swam in the older woman's eyes but she squared her shoulders. Viktor wanted to kick the living shit out of the man who hurt her. Instead, he carefully stepped back, holding his hands up and out to show they were empty as the sheriff's car screamed up.
"All of you, get your hands out away from your body. Let them do whatever they need to do. We can't afford jail right now," he whispered in a low, carrying tone. "Cooperate."
Jackson Deveau emerged from the sheriff's SUV, taking in the scene, and then his eyes jumped to the sidewalk, searching. Viktor followed his gaze, saw it rested on the older woman who had been inside the store. She stood on the sidewalk, her arm around the boy the Swords had shoved around. She nodded to Deveau, an almost imperceptible movement. That was interesting. She meant something to the sheriff. Viktor stored that information away like he did everything.
"What's going on here?" Jackson asked, surveying the six downed Swords and the five men with their hands in the air.
Viktor took a quick look at his brothers. Maybe they should have done a better job of letting the Sword brethren hit them. Deveau's eyes were sharp and he wouldn't miss the fact that they weren't torn up at all.
Several people began to talk at once, but it was Inez the sheriff listened to, Viktor noted. "Jackson, those men"--she indicated the ones lying moaning in the street--"came into my store, broke things, knocked things over and off the shelves and pushed Donny around and hurt him, then refused to pay. They threatened us, and yes, I want to press charges. If it wasn't for these men"--she marched right up to Viktor as if he was her friend--"they would have done a lot worse damage."
"You all right, Donny?" Deveau asked.
The boy nodded. "Fine. But I have to get inside and clean up the store." He stammered a little when he spoke.
"Not yet, we have to take pictures," Deveau said. "Inez, go stand on the sidewalk. I haven't searched any of these men."
The older woman hesitated but when the cop stared her down, she reluctantly obeyed him.
He turned his attention back to Viktor. "You armed?"
Viktor nodded. He was having real trouble not looking at his wife. He'd never once, in all the years he'd been undercover, had a moment of weakness, but she was right there, breathing the same air. His eyes kept straying toward her and he had to check himself. "Have a concealed weapons permit. All of us do. We have knives on our belts in plain sight as well. Didn't use them. Didn't use any weapon. And they swung first."
"Put your hands down," Jackson said with some disgust. "It seems I get to keep running into you. Does trouble just follow you around?" He held out his hand, and Viktor pulled out his wallet to show his license and concealed weapons permit.
"Nice paperwork." Sarcasm dripped.
The paperwork was impeccable. Viktor had done it himself. He flashed a taunting grin that he knew would earn him lots of questions, but that would work in his favor. He wanted the Swords in jail and calling their president to bail them out. He also wanted it reported that he'd clashed with the cops and they'd given him a hard time. He would be reporting to his own president after they took care of the problem lying in the streets.
More cop cars pulled up, uniformed officers emerging with guns drawn. Jackson pointed them toward the men lying on the ground. The leader of the Swords spat blood on the street and moaned loudly. Jackson handed Viktor his license and permit before bending down to pat down a member of Swords. He found several weapons on him and meticulously put them aside.
"I haven't searched the ones standing, but it looks as if they're the good guys in this," Jackson said.
Two of the officers grabbed Reaper roughly and tried to shove him toward the sidewalk. He resisted by simply not moving. At once the two got belligerent with him, taking him down hard to the street. Savage, Ice and Storm all made a move toward them, but Viktor got there first. Just as he caught one by the shoulder and spun him around, Deveau was there, between them.
"What the hell are you two doing? Did you not hear me? They prevented the ones on the ground from hurting anyone. At least treat them with respect."
The youngest officer flushed a dark red and mumbled an apology. The older one looked annoyed. Viktor reached down and offered Reaper his hand, pulling him to his feet. They walked together to the sidewalk. Reaper held up his hands for the search, but remained silent. Savage did the same. Ice and Storm both told their searching officers where their weapons were and that they had permits to carry.
An ambulance arrived, and the men in handcuffs were eventually taken away. Four to the hospital and the other two straight to jail. The jail was in Ukiah, some distance away. As soon as the other Swords members were fixed up they'd be transported as well. That gave Viktor a little time to set things in motion. They needed to find the camp where the Swords were staying and fix a little surprise for them. He wasn't about to have them breathing down his neck while he was trying to sort things out with Blythe.
Still, he had to be careful. The cops would look at him first if something happened to the group. He bet that all of the Swords members had records. The moment their names were run, it was going to come out that they were in the territory of another club without their colors. That wasn't going to go over well and could start a war Evan didn't want. His idea had been to slip the members of his club into the area, hiding them at a campground and staying low-key. Then they'd lure the sheriff to them, and Evan would kill him. Viktor was unaware how Evan thought he'd get his hands on Deveau's wife.
He stood on the sidewalk, waiting to be questioned while the cops and ambulances took the six members of the Sword club away. The older woman marched up to him along with the boy. Up close he could see the kid was probably more like twenty or so. To his absolute dismay, the boy had hero worship in his eyes.
"Thank you," Inez said firmly.
Viktor shrugged. At least the Swords were gone and no one would observe the old lady walking up to him unafraid. He liked her. There was something indomitable about her. Her body was thin and fragile-looking, but her shoulders were straight and she walked with her head up.
"I was very afraid for Donny. He doesn't understand when others bully him, and it was a nice thing for you to do."
Nice thing for him to do. He would have beaten those men to death with his bare hands. He wasn't nice. Nothing about him was nice. What the hell was he trying to do, thinking he could live with people like this woman? His gaze drifted from her face to Blythe. His Blythe. His woman.
She made his heart go crazy and his body as hard as a rock. The things he wanted--no, needed to do to her. She saw him now, the real Viktor. Not just that outer shell where he could be a chameleon and look like others around him. He didn't play in their world. He walked in it, but he saw things they didn't see.
"I'm Inez Nelson, and this is Donny Ruttermyer. Donny helps out at the store and keeps an eye on it for me at night."
What the hell? Why would she tell him that? He couldn't keep his gaze from straying to Blythe. She stood on the sidewalk, trying not to look at him, but she was. Sneaking little glances his way. For a moment their eyes met and the need in him was so terrible he thought he
might just push past the woman, walk right up to her, toss her over his shoulder and carry her off.
She'd fight him, but he would win. All he had to do was kiss her. She melted when he kissed her whether she wanted to or not. Her body recognized his the same way his did hers. Damn it all to hell, he wanted her. He couldn't be this close to his own wife and not be with her. It wasn't as fortuitous as he thought it was, his job bringing him there. Already she thought he was just there for work, not for her. Now, how the hell could he ignore her?
He forced himself to look at the kid, trying not to see the eagerness there. He couldn't be mean the way he should, pushing the kid away from him.
"They get out of jail, ma'am, they may come back in the middle of the night and retaliate against you. They won't try to get at me, but they might try to torch your store or hurt the boy--Donny." He gave the kid that much. The moment he said his name, Donny beamed at him, an angelic smile.
"I take care of Miss Inez and Miss Donna," Donny explained, pointing across the street to one of the shops. Above it was obviously a studio apartment.
Great. If the Sword members came back and torched the store, the kid would run out to stop them and get himself killed. He looked directly at the boy. "If they come back, you do not go outside. You call the cops and the fire department if it's needed, but whatever you do, don't go outside to confront them."
Viktor switched his gaze to Inez. "Ma'am, you've got to make that very clear to him. It wouldn't be a good thing if they got ahold of him."
He'd seen what the Swords were capable of doing to children, innocent little boys and girls. It wouldn't matter in the least, age, sex, or whether or not they had disabilities. The Swords didn't see them as human, only whether or not they could make money off of them. There were monsters in the world, and he knew the biggest of them was coming to Sea Haven.
"I'll make it clear. Thank you again. Jackson is glowering at me. I'm probably holding them up."
More likely Jackson didn't want her talking to him. Because he was perverse like that, he stopped her leaving. "The sheriff related to you? Or to the boy?"
Her eyes sharpened. There was nothing stupid about her. She might have aged, but her mind was still working very well. "Jackson is just a friend. He helps Donny out now and then."
Her voice had cooled. Good. She at least recognized that she was talking to the devil. He nodded. "They saw that. Him looking at you and the boy to make certain you were all right. If they want revenge, they can get it easily on all three of you by coming after you." He kept his voice low. "Make certain the cop warns you when they make bail. After that, you and the kid need to lie low until you know for certain they're out of this town." One more reason to make certain none of them returned.
Inez nodded and slipped her arm around Donny. "You know, this is a good town. Lots of tourists, but the people here stick together. You'd like it here."
He shook his head. What the fuck was wrong with her? With people? He knew what he looked like. He knew what he was, pure killer, was plain to see. Still, she was all but inviting him to stay. He glanced helplessly at Reaper. The man shrugged. He didn't understand it either. Reaper's gaze moved behind him, alerting him to the fact that Deveau was coming to question him. The sheriff was light on his feet. Even knowing he was coming, Viktor still couldn't hear him.
He nodded to the woman because clearly something was expected of him, and then he turned to face the sheriff and the questions all of them would be asked.
12
BLYTHE knew Viktor was in her house when she came in from running. There was no motorcycle to give him away, but then there hadn't been the last time he'd been there. She even looked this time, trying to discover his hiding place, her heart pounding in anticipation--and fear--because she didn't want to forgive him. She didn't. That was the sad truth. A part of her had needed to blame him for setting the terrible chain of events in motion.
Intellectually she knew that wasn't fair, nor was he any guiltier than she was. Her mother was solely to blame for her actions, but he hadn't been there when she needed him so desperately. Now he was . . . different. Scary. She didn't want to think that, but he was. She was torn between wanting to take him to bed and then kick him out--or just kick him out, which was much, much safer.
She'd known he'd come. She hadn't been able to stop herself from looking at him no matter how she tried to be strong. He'd been like a primitive savage, conquering an enemy. It had been a brutal display, but she couldn't take her eyes from him. Weirdly, sexual hunger had coursed through her body, bringing her alive. There was no way to sublimate it, even with running--which she'd been doing for five long years.
She went straight to the kitchen and poured water into a glass, drinking it down while she thought about what she was going to do. When she looked up from the sink, he was there, leaning one hip against the counter, looking even more gorgeous and dangerous than she remembered. He'd always done that--come into whatever room she was in, looking lazy and casual, when he wasn't at all.
"You've been gone."
She couldn't read his tone or his expression. She downed the rest of the water and filled her glass again. "I went to see your girl, Darby. It was an interesting meeting."
His eyes lit up. "Thank you, Blythe. Is she okay? Does she have a good family?"
She shook her head slowly. "No. She's in a state-run facility on lockdown at the moment. I produced papers stating I was a relative, a cousin."
Viktor straightened abruptly, going from lazy to a threat in a matter of a single heartbeat. "Damn it. I had a bad feeling."
She didn't want to see his expression, the one that told him he was genuinely worried about the girl. His strange feelings had always been right. She'd learned that over time. She believed he had a gift, mostly because she believed in them. His was very strong.
"Well, you were right. She has two sisters. One, Zoe, was there, in that horrible place you took her out of, and the other, Emily, is in a foster home. Darby wanted to stay with her younger sister, Zoe, because her sister was so traumatized, but they wouldn't let her. She reacted like any sister might under the circumstances, but they locked her up."
Viktor turned away from her, swearing viciously. She winced at his language, but deep down she felt the same way. She couldn't exactly fault him for caring about the girl. "I saw what they did to Zoe," he all but spat. "How old can she be? Eleven? Twelve?"
Blythe nodded slowly, aching for him. Aching for all the things he'd seen and been put through in his life--things that woke him in the middle of the night. She couldn't make it better for him.
"Darby's highly intelligent, loves her sisters and thinks you can walk on water." She sent him a brief smile, trying to soothe him. "I didn't tell her any different. She's headstrong. A fighter. She'll cause trouble there and will run away the first chance she gets in order to try to get to her sisters, especially Zoe. She's so afraid for her. She hadn't spoken a single word even after the police got there. Darby kept her from looking at the dead bodies, but they'd had time with her. They beat her and repeatedly raped her. Darby had broken ribs from trying to stop them. She'd been raped first by all of the men there, as an 'example.'"
"It wasn't an example."
There was so much rage in his voice that the walls and floor felt as if they shook with it, trying to contain it. She glanced at him sharply. He really couldn't take the things he saw. The things he was expected to participate in being a member of that particular club, yet he'd stayed with them for five years. She needed to understand why. She needed to understand him.
"I know," she admitted, still trying to soothe him. It had been hell to listen to the things Darby had told her. The way the Swords had beaten and raped young girls with no regard for them at all. She couldn't imagine what it would be to actually witness it.
"So what's the plan?"
Of course he would ask that, put it on her shoulders. He'd known if she went there and met Darby, heard her story firsthand, she couldn't w
alk away.
"I filed papers stating that as their only living relative, the three girls should come live with us on the farm. What else could I do? You knew that too. You knew if I met her, I'd have to help her."
He ignored that. "Is the paperwork going to stand up to scrutiny?"
"I don't know. I wasn't the one handling that. In all honesty, I expect the cops to show up at my door any minute to tell me they're taking me to jail for lying so much. Lev did the paperwork for me. I was lucky that Darby was curious enough to lie as well and say she had a cousin, because of course they asked her."
"Three of them? All girls? That's harsh."
"I said we were a couple, Viktor, but I'm not saying that to you. I don't know if I can do what you want me to."
"Baby." He whispered it. "I want to come home."
She shook her head. "You're a nomad. You take off when you feel like it. You have this club. This huge family. You made your choice, Viktor, and it wasn't me."
"It was always you, Blythe. From the moment I met you, it was always you. I brought my family home so you can work your magic on them. They need you. I need you. It's time you let me back in."
She shook her head again, and then took a step back, putting more distance between them. She even held up her hand as if that could ward him off. "Don't. Don't push this right now. I don't know you. At. All. You ride in here looking scary and you say you're here to do a job, not to be with me, and yet you expect me to just take you back as if everything that happened, didn't. It did happen, and I don't know how to forgive you. I know that makes me a terrible person, but I don't know how."
"Blythe. I want to come home." His voice was low and persuasive.
She felt the notes caressing her skin, sending fingers of desire trailing down her spine. She kept her gaze glued to the kitchen table because if she looked at him she might be lost.