Author: Jaci Burton

“A few of the guys mentioned they’re going out tonight for a late ride,” Spence said, keeping an ever watchful eye out for whoever might be listening in. “It sounded a little suspicious to me.”

Diaz arched a brow. “In what way?”

“They were keeping it low key, like they didn’t want anyone to know about it. I just happened to overhear.”

“Okay. Who’s going?”

“Rex and a half dozen others.”

Diaz nodded. “What’s your plan?”

“I’m going to get into a fight with Steph and take off on my own right after these guys leave. It’s a good excuse for a solitary ride.”

“And you’re going to follow them.”

Spence nodded. “Discreetly, but yeah, that’s my plan.”

Diaz nodded. “You got a good reason to suspect them?”

Spence shrugged. “Right now I suspect everyone.”

“Agreed. Want me to go with you?”

Spence shook his head. “It’s better if I go off alone. It’ll just look like I’m letting off steam. I’ll make the fight with her pretty public.”

“Be careful. Take your phone and holler if you need backup.”

Jessie worried about Spence tracking the group by himself. But she had to trust that he’d be able to take care of himself if the need arose.

They hung out at the lodge for a bit after eating. Diaz nudged Jessie when Rex and a few others slipped out the door. Within a minute or so, she heard their bikes roaring to life. Diaz searched the crowd for Spence, who was already working on Stephanie. She was frowning, shaking her head, and the timbre of her voice rose with every sentence. It didn’t take long for their argument to grab everyone’s attention.

“I don’t need this shit. I’m out of here.” Spence threw his hands up in the air in disgust and turned, walking away.

Stephanie stomped after him. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

He stopped, pivoted, and even Jessie was taken aback at the venomous look on his face. “I don’t answer to you, Stephanie. Or to anyone else. I need a ride to clear my head so just back the fuck off.”

Spence stormed out, the door slamming behind him. Whoa. That was good. Jessie wanted to applaud his performance, because from the look of shock and utter fury on her face, Stephanie was pissed. She sniffed and turned on her heel, walking away.

Jessie turned to Diaz. “I’m worried about him.”

Diaz cupped her cheek and leaned in for a kiss, surprising her. “He’ll be fine. Spence knows how to take care of himself. In the meantime, we have our own reconnaissance to do, and the best way to do it is to split up and start asking questions about the RVs and trucks. I’m going to hit up Crush about the RVs—tell him you and I are looking for a new place and are thinking of buying an RV. Maybe he’ll hook me into the owners of the two that are parked outside.”

“Sounds good. I’ll go hunt down who owns those trailers.”

They went their separate ways to do some sleuthing. Jessie joined a group of women having a few drinks in one of the corners, figuring the best way to get information was to ask the ladies—typically, they would know everything about an organization like the Skulls.

She was right. Within an hour she knew the names of the owners of the four trailers and in fact had been talking to the wives of two of them. Of course then she’d had to endure open versus closed trailer discussions before the two women dragged their husbands over to meet Jessie. She asked them questions about trailer ownership, managing to tamp down her squealing excitement when they both invited Jessie and Diaz to visit their trailers tonight.

She nearly jumped out of her skin, her gaze searching the room for signs of Diaz. No time like the present to get their hands on two of the trailers for an impromptu inspection. But Diaz was nowhere in sight. Neither was Crush. Which is what she told the men, so they and their wives offered to show Jessie the trailers. She agreed and walked down the hill with them, chatting pleasantly about biking and road trips and which truck or SUV was well equipped to tow which trailers.

Not that what they talked about mattered. What was important was getting inside both trailers, even if it was just a cursory look. Pretty much empty except for bike, luggage, and tool storage. Her inspection didn’t turn up anything that looked like it could contain weapons storage, so she crossed both trailers off her list.

Partial mission accomplished. Two trailers down, two to go. She thanked the couples, who offered to show off the trailers to Diaz whenever he wanted to see them. Then she made her way back to the lodge to find Diaz.

Fortunately she only had to trek halfway up, because he was on his way toward their cabin.

“Where were you?” he asked.

She looked around to see if anyone was about. It appeared they were alone, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. She told him about seeing the two trailers, hoping he’d play along with the game of wanting to “buy” them. He nodded as they walked back to their cabin. Once inside with the door shut, she told him what she’d found.

“No false bottoms or walls?”

She shook her head. “Nothing that I could see. Both were solidly constructed and not expandable. There didn’t appear to be anyplace within either one where weapons could be stashed, at least not in the quantity that we’re talking about for this mission.”

“Okay. So that rules both of those trailers out.”

“What about the RVs?”

He slid out of his jacket and tossed it in a nearby chair. “I hung out with Crush for a while, talked to him about them. He took me over to one of the guys who owns the brown RV.”

Excitement rushed through her. She sat on the bed next to him, slipping off her jacket and tossing it over his. “Did you get inside?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Got the whole tour, inside and out.”

“And?”

Shrugging, he said, “Nothing that I could see, at least on the surface. It’s not like I could do a thorough inspection with Crush and Nate standing there. But nothing appeared out of the ordinary.”

“Too bad.” That was disappointing. Finding a cache of weapons would end this mission on a high note, meaning they could wrap up before they got involved in anything dangerous. Then again, maybe there weren’t any weapons. As she unzipped her boots, her gaze flitted to Diaz. “Are you sure we’re on the right track here?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Are we certain that the Skulls are the ones providing illegal arms to the survivalist group?”

“Yes.”

No hesitation. Okay, then. “And are we sure that they have the weapons on them right now?”

“You mean at the lodge here? No. That we’re not sure of. They could have a stash somewhere else that they plan to dig up before they make contact. That’s why it was important for us to get in with this gang. Now it’s our job to stay tight with them and watch their every move.”

“We’re not exactly watching from in here, are we?” she asked.

“Not yet. But we will be.”

“Really. And how are you going to manage that?”

“Grab a blanket and come with me.”

This was work related? Cool. If it required a blanket and Diaz, she was game.

He led her out the back door and around the wraparound porch. There was a two-person rocking chair situated in a perfect spot, tucked in the corner of the side of the cabin, with a great view both coming and going from the road. You could see all the way up to the lodge, and farther down the road past their cabin. Since no one could get anywhere behind them, this was the best vantage point for simply sitting and . . . watching.

In other words, excellent surveillance location.

“Come on,” he said, taking a seat and holding the blanket out for her.

Now that it was dark, it was really getting cold outside. She grabbed the other seat and snuggled up close to Diaz. He pulled the thick blanket over both of them, tucking it in around her shoulders. Between the cover and his body heat, she was more than comfortable.

No one was wandering about down by their cabin, but there were several gang members hanging around outside the lodge at the top of the hill. A few lights were on at some of the cabins, others had gone dark.

They rocked together in silence for a while, both of them keeping watch on the bikers, the road, anything that looked suspicious. Jessie laid her head on Diaz’s shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her, playing with her hair.

It was comfortable, warm, and the way he touched her made her feel safe. She wanted this to last forever.

Why couldn’t it last forever? Why did relationships have to be so complicated? What was it about Diaz that made him hold back?

“Diaz . . .”

“Shhh. Don’t talk.” He turned, tipped her chin back with his fingers, and pressed his mouth to hers. His lips were soft as they brushed back and forth, and she lost her train of thought, lost everything but the desire for this moment to hang suspended forever. That cold chill she’d felt earlier dissolved into liquid warmth as he gathered her into his arms, pulling her across his lap and sliding his arms tightly around her. She moaned, her mouth opened, and he slid his tongue inside, claiming possession of hers with soft, velvet strokes that made her quiver inside.

He tugged at the zipper of her jacket, drew it down, slid his hand inside to cup her breast. Her heart pounded against his palm as he gently squeezed and cupped her, teased her already-distended nipple with his thumb.

“I thought we were doing surveillance.” Her words were breathless, her thoughts scattered like the leaves tossed by the wind.

“I’m watching. You focus on what I’m doing.”

“That’s my problem,” she said, gasping when he rolled her nipple between his fingers. “It’s all I’m focusing on.”

“Ah, Jess, I need to fuck you.”

His words conjured up wicked things in her mind. She drew closer to him, kissed the corner of his mouth. Didn’t he know she’d give him anything, anytime? “Yes.”

He sucked in a harsh breath, lifted her off his lap, and stood her up. “Hold the blanket in front of you.”

She stood between his legs, her back to him. He reached around and slid the button open on her jeans, then drew the zipper down. Her legs felt wobbly as he tugged her pants down her hips, then over her thighs, bringing her panties with them until they rested at her knees. Moisture spilled between her legs, her clit quivering with anticipation.

Hurry. This was so naughty, so exciting, right out here where someone could see. Did she care? Oh, hell no.

She felt him lift against her, heard his zipper, the tearing of the condom packet.

“Come here, baby.”

Then warm hands on the bare skin of her hips, pulling her down onto his lap.

It wasn’t the easiest position, but she didn’t mind. She wanted his cock inside her, felt the tip nestling against her pussy lips. He guided her because she couldn’t see, drawing her down over his cock, lifting his hips to impale her. She bit down on her lip to keep from crying out as the thick heat of his shaft thrust inside her until she was sitting on his thighs, his cock embedded deep within her.

It felt so damn good she wanted to cry. She pulsed around him and started to rock, back and forth, her clit rubbing his legs.

“That’s it, fuck me just like that,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around her to pull her back against him. The other hand slid up under her shirt and found her breasts, teasing her nipples until she couldn’t hold back the moans of delight that escaped.

“Yes. Fuck me, Diaz, fuck me.” Now she didn’t care who heard her or who knew what they were doing. She wanted only the orgasm she craved, the one that hovered so close as he thrust upward, then retreated, only to bury his cock deep within her again. Every time he moved, her clit dragged against him, doubling the sweet pleasure until she had to hold on to the chair for support.