Hot As Blazes (31 page)

“Christ, I hope so.” He dropped the mop into the empty bucket.

“How about my sister? Thought you guys would have stopped by.” He propped a hand on his gun holster.

He hesitated. “Didn’t want to intrude with you two trying to mend things.”

“Now that Nate’s gone, I might be able to win her back.” He let out a long breath.

“And I could use some fucking Valium.” Ray shoved his hands in his pockets. “I hate leaving Jo alone, especially at night. At least Craig’s there part of the time.”

“Personally, I don’t believe he’ll come back.”

“I’d be nice if the drug boys catch him. Better dead than in jail.” He’d definitely sleep better.

Bobby barked a hard laugh. “Boy, my woman would be ecstatic.”

“It’d make us all happy.” He tapped his foot on the bucket.

“Let’s get do dinner one evening. If Sarah sees you guys happy―”

“So, put the moves on Jo in front of her then?”

Bobby winked. “Couldn’t hurt.”

Christ, if only he could follow through. He dealt with impotency as a soldier. His fucking hand didn’t care, but it sucked when a beautiful woman lay ready and waiting for him.

Excited about the late night beach ride Ray had promised, Jo finished hanging the last cocktail glass. An early start to their memorial weekend.

Harley set the security system and locked the back door.

Outside, Ray sat behind the wheel of Craig’s red Jeep sans the hard top. In worn jeans and an old hoodie, he looked mildly sleepy and sexy as hell.

“Ray.” Harley threw up a hand.

“Thanks for giving Jo the weekend.”

“Thought you guys might want to escape for a day or two.”

She hopped into the shotgun position and pecked his cheek. “Hey, baby.”

He gave her a
you can do better look
.

Her fingers slid around the back of his neck to angle his mouth to hers. She ran her tongue over his lips before deepening the kiss.

“Where’s the Hummer?”

His dimpled grin kept her guessing.

“Enjoy a little wind in your hair.” Harley straddled his Fat Boy. He hit the key. Nothing.

Ray had already shoved the Jeep in gear when Jo put her hand over the shifter.

He tried the key again. The smell of gas filled the air. Fuel puddled below the bike.

“Need a ride?” Jo turned back to him.

“Do you mind?” He dismounted.

Ray nodded to the back.

Harley grabbed the roll bar, stepped onto the Jeep’s back tire and swung his bulk onto the backseat.

It was a typical spring night on OBX with a light offshore breeze hinting at rain. Ray idled the Jeep across the beach road taking a cross street to the by-pass.

They neared Harley’s sound-side neighborhood when he said, “Hey, Ray. I think we got company.”

She almost turned her head, but living with a cop had taught her better.

Ray arched a brow. “Yeah, I was thinking the same. They’ve been behind us since we left the bar. Let’s see how interested they are.” He cocked his head, passing Jo a wink. Without signaling, he downshifted and took the next right.

“Oh yeah, their curious,” Harley affirmed without looking.

Shit. Jo kept her gaze glued to the side view mirror.

Harley leaned forward. “We need a diversion―”

“I’m working on it.” Ray raised his voice over the wind.

She didn’t recognize the shiny black Lexus. Friend or foe, the police couldn’t protect her any better than the men next to her.

Ray wheeled left onto the beach road, floored the accelerator and barreled the Jeep north for Southern Shores nearly overdriving the headlights.

It struck her as odd that he would head toward a potential dead end. If it became a chase, the Lexus could tail them on the desolate two lane all the way to where the paved road ended at Corolla.

Gunshots pierced the humid night air.

Ping! A bullet ricocheted off the back.

“Christ!” Ray slammed the pedal to the floorboard. The truck shot up to eighty-five. “Get down!” He pushed Jo’s head between her knees. “Tell me you’re packing.” He yelled to Harley.

“Always.” He’d already crouched in the back.

More shots echoed behind them.

Harley returned fire.

“Reach under my seat, will you, Dahlin’?”

She fumbled with numb fingers for his gun. He never went anywhere without it anymore.

In the company of the two former soldiers, she couldn’t be more out of her league. Bile inched up the back of her throat as she passed him the weapon and checked the mirror again.

They met several cars and the shooters held their fire.

Driving skill and well versed with the road and its winding turns, Ray kept the sedan at a fair distance. As soon as they were alone on the highway again, the gunners in the Lexus unloaded again.

As bullets whizzed by, Ray and Harley acted as a team. Odd but relieving.

Shots dinged off the rear bumper. Jo tensed, praying neither man took a hit.

Harley squeezed off several shots, spider webbing the windshield. “Drive through that, motherfucker!”

* * * *

Ray needed to lose the Lexus before they reached the road through Duck. He rehearsed his plan while navigating the Jeep at breakneck speeds. At least the Jeep cornered better than his Hummer.

The parking lot came into view.

“Hang on!” He power-braked with his foot still on the gas and wound the steering wheel hard to the right. The Jeep skidded as he downshifted and accelerated the 4x4 through the empty lot.

The headlights flicked over the dune then into pitch black. He punched the four-wheel on the fly button and shifted again. The truck bounced then landed solidly. In the rearview mirror, a rooster tail of sand sprayed higher than Harley’s head.

Steering for the shoreline, he increased speed, pushing the SUV’s speedometer past fifty miles per hour, praying no one was walking on the beach at the late hour. He hadn’t known it was low tide, but was glad for the slight edge.

Harley checked behind them. “You’re one driving SOB, Ray.” He pounded his shoulder.

Adrenaline sang through Ray like a wild fire.

Jo let go of the roll bar and plugged in her phone into the stereo.

He glanced over briefly. The glowing screen highlighted her face. Her narrow gaze and the slight curve of her mouth shot pure lust straight to his dick. He passed her an
I want you too
wink.

“Time for some driving music.” She giggled, apparently on a high as well.

As he drove along the shore, the booming bass line of Velvet Revolver’s
She Builds Quick Machines
pounded from the truck’s mega speakers. The vehicle proved worthy of the song’s title as it covered wet sand at NASCAR speed through a black abyss.

His throbbing hard-on pressed against the zipper of his jeans thrilled him as much as outrunning their pursuers. He doubted she could tell in dim lighting. He took her hand and covered his lap.

She acknowledged his desire with playful squeeze and jacked the stereo’s volume higher.

In the backseat, Harley whooped and hollered like a drunken sailor.

After several miles and a few songs, Ray eased off the gas. Cappy had taught him to drive the beach and he knew this part well. It’d take them a while to get to the Carova Volunteer Station, which was only accessible by four-wheel drive, but it would be deserted at this time of night. Plus their pursuers would never think of looking there. He needed to get word to Bobby as soon as possible.

A little over an hour later, the headlights reflected against the mile marker he sought. He downshifted, never letting off the accelerator. They hit the sandy ramp and landed onto pavement.

“Where are we going?” Jo asked.

“You’ll see.” He glanced to her and winked.

A couple of minutes later, he turned into the driveway of a volunteer fire dept. After shoving the Jeep into neutral, he hit the e-brake and swung from the truck. He punched in a code on the main door’s keypad and disappeared inside.

The large bay doors rolled up in slow motion. Inside, the fire apparatuses gleamed under the Jeep’s headlights. Ray hoped the volunteers didn’t get a call while they camped out for the night.

Back in the driver’s seat, he squealed the tires to a stop within inches of the ladder truck. “Welcome home.”

Rolling steel slammed shut, entombing them from the outside world.

“Been here before, have you?” Harley climbed from the Jeep.

“Good thing they haven’t changed the code.” He held his hand out for Jo. “Lucky we were in Craig’s ride. We wouldn’t have been able to lose them in my truck. I think we’re safe for the night.”

* * * *

Jo accepted his hand and leaned against him once on her feet. His warmth reminded her the night was real although it could have passed for an action flick.

Ray led them to the kitchen.

Harley whipped out his cigar torch. “Leave the fluorescents off.”

Ray opened the oven door for light. Searching through the cabinets, he found a candle.

“What do you know?” Ray eyed him as he lit the candle.

“How about some coffee first?” He flicked the lighter closed.

Jo loaded the coffee maker while the men disappeared for the men’s room.

She should’ve been scared during the chase, but the sexy man behind the wheel handled the Jeep like he was born for it. He must have the night vision of a cat the way he took out Vic on the beach and outdrove the headlights along the beach at incredible speed. With the excitement still singing through her blood, she realized she was total an adrenaline junkie.

The wild ride must have stirred something in Ray also. Stoked and horny as hell to boot, she’d love to take another ride on him.

Upon their return, she filled three coffee cups.

“Who were those guys?” Ray lasered Harley with cold, blue eyes across the kitchen table.

“Local drug dealers that Nate rolled on.” Harley leaned back in his seat and took a swig of coffee.

“How do you know?” Ray rubbed his temple.

He set down his cup. “I put them onto him.”

“What?” Ray sprang from his seat and loomed over the table.

“You know them?” A wave of nausea made her gag.

“Just business, Jo. I lure the bad guys to trust me then set them up for the DEA. It was just a job. I didn’t know who Nate was at the time.” He shrugged.

A large vein pulsed in Ray’s neck. “You used Jo as bait!” He lunged for the SEAL, collaring him by the throat. Coffee flew in all directions.

“No!” He held Ray with bulging forearms. “To lure them to the source. It was meant to take the heat off of Jo.”

Ray shook his head and let go. Pacing like a large cat, he clenched and unclenched his fists. “Christ. So now, they’re after you. I hate the way you always play people. I’m going to the office and turn on the police scanner, to see if there’s any talk about gunfire or the Lexus.”

Cold seeped into Jo’s bones. It took all her effort to keep her teeth from chattering. At least her stomach had quit swimming.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hug or bust the sneaky bastard in the nose. He raised a dark brow at her as she turned and followed Ray.

While the Hemanus cooled off, she walked through the quiet station to the Jeep. She grabbed her backpack then climbed on top of the engine. Needing to connect the dots, she sprawled on the layers of fire hose. Her temporary bed smelled a little smoky, but was comfy enough. She plugged in her ear buds and tried to relax while listening to music on her phone.

Vic had hired Nate to make it look like she was dealing. Harley’s DEA friends had already red flagged her when she stopped in for beer. He convinced his buddies she was clean, so Nate changed his tactics and began sending suspicious e-mails from Bobby’s account using Sarah’s computer.

An easy double fuck. He set up the partner he was embezzling from
and
the surfer felon’s brother. Sarah and her law enforcement lover were perfect scapegoats to satisfy Vic, and hurt three instead of one. Nate thought he’d doubled down. Make his business partner look like the criminal and the embezzler. And skim money off of Vic by fucking Bobby, Sarah, and her.

Unfortunately for Nate, Vic got snuffed. Probably before final payoff, leaving him short except for the blackmail drugs. Nate then passed fake ecstasy, kept the real shit, and took off. Now Harley’s contacts were after him. The missing piece was how Vic and Nate were connected from opposite coasts.

Good thing Ray insisted on picking her up or she and Harley would probably both be dead. Bobby and she had lost their beloved home. Sarah bordered on bankruptcy and Harley was added to a hit list of local drug kingpins. She should be worried, but Ray had physically saved her twice and healed her heart.

She sat up and dumped her backpack looking for her hoodie to use as a pillow. Might as well try to get some sleep. The pharmacy bag caught her attention. Inside, the forgotten tube of lube and box of condoms she’d bought when she replaced her birth control pills after the fire.

Maybe her purchase hadn’t been a waste after all. A little naughty might be the trick. She missed being with him. She found her hoodie and lay back down. The shuffle play on her phone filled her ears with songs about sex, making it difficult to fall asleep.

A shadow filled her vision.

After listening to the police band for a few minutes, Ray gave up. There was no chatter about the Lexus. He sent a text to Bobby with the make, model and the license plate number Harley remembered. He should’ve had Jo call nine-one-one, but amid the spray of bullets, his only thoughts were to get them as far away as possible. After losing them on the beach, he formed a plan where they’d be safe for the night.

Bobby quickly responded to his message. A few minutes later, an All-Points Bulletin came over the radio. Reassured, Ray went to search for Jo. The lingering adrenaline had his body tightening with desire. His hands still quivered from the hormone and the rush. Maybe his cock would fire up again.

A couple of skylights in the ceiling passed enough light for navigation through the bay. An illumination of a LED screen glowed above the engine. He climbed on the back.