Breathing His Air (9 page)

He squatted, putting himself at eye level with her. “I don’t trust Sanchez — that’s the leader of the Lagsturns — not to follow you wherever you go. Burning the cabin down was a direct threat to you. You’re going to have to trust me that I know who we’re dealing with and wait.”

“I can’t close my coffee shack. That’s my only source of income.”

He nodded. “We’ll work something out so you can keep working.”

“I don’t understand all this.” She leaned over and set her glass on the small end table. “Can you please tell me why someone would want to burn down the cabin I was staying in? I thought when you ran outside it was because of a brush fire, or someone lit the Dumpster on fire.”

His face went hard as granite. “I wish I knew.”

“You’re not sure it is the Lagsturns, are you?”

“No, but I’ll keep you safe.” He squeezed her nape. “We all will.”

She stood. “None of you have ever given it a thought that this problem is yours? That they burned down my cabin and ruined everything I owned because I have …
had
the end cabin and the easiest one to set on fire without getting caught? This might not have anything to do with me, but you. In that case, there’s no reason for me to stay.”

“I’d believe that if the Lagsturns played by the rules, but they don’t.” Rain stepped around the desk, opened the top drawer, and removed a set of keys. “Last year, it got personal. They used a woman to get to me, and it ended badly. I won’t let that happen with you.”

She stared at him. Tall, strong, rough, and unforgiving, he wasn’t talking about just an argument with another man. They were bikers. If she’d learned one thing since staying here it was you mess with one of them, they all were involved.

She’d stepped into the middle of a war.

Rain tossed the keys to Torque. “Pick up my car. It’s at Shift’s for an oil change. When you get back, I’ll take Tori home and get her settled. Make sure you talk to Bruce and Gladys later and fill them in on what’s happening. Someone will have to pick up my hours here. I’ll let you know when we’re situated enough to start coming in every day.”

“Got it, boss.” Torque turned to Tori. “Rain will take care of you.”

She sighed without answering. She’d be a lot more convinced of that if the Bantorus were a group of policemen or lawyers. No one could convince her hanging around was in her best interest.

“Do you want me to take her shopping tomorrow?” Taylor grinned. “You can trust me with your credit card, boss.”

Tori shook her head. “I’ll buy my own clothes, thank you very much.”

“Don’t blow a good thing, girlfriend. Rain’s loaded. Take him up on the offer.” Taylor rubbed her hands together, unashamed for her greediness.

“Loaded?” she whispered.

“He owns Cactus Cove, the Cozy Inn and Lounge, Shift’s Garage, that beautiful house in the woods. He practically owns all of — ”

“Enough, Taylor.” Rain shot her a stern look. “None of that’s important.”

“I think it is,” Tori said quietly. Before she could take the words back, she powered through. “That makes everything different.”

“Why?”

She chewed on her lip. He couldn’t be that dense. She owned a two-thousand-dollar truck, and she’d invested four thousand dollars into an old travel trailer to recreate it into a mobile coffee service. Most of that money came from working waitress jobs over the years while living in a low-income, pay-by-the-day, residential center or in her truck in store parking lots. It took everything she had to save up enough money to make her independent from anyone else. She would not depend on someone else for her livelihood.

Rain motioned for Taylor and Slade to leave. She watched them go, wondering what it was about this hard, compelling man that demanded authority and had everyone jumping to do whatever he said.

“Tori.” He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. “You’re safe with me.”

She wasn’t so sure. He represented everything she’d always tried to stay far away from. She also knew she didn’t have much choice, since she was standing in the only clothes she now owned, and there was no way she could hook up her shack to her truck and disappear without one of his buddies ratting her out.

“I have no choice but to trust you.” She inhaled deeply. “What do I do now?”

“When Torque returns with my car, I’ll take you home.” Rain kissed her forehead. “I’ll make it up to you.”

She frowned. “From what you’re telling me, it isn’t your fault … not really.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re my responsibility, and I don’t take this lightly.” He grabbed his jacket from the chair. “I will put a stop to it, though.”

The idea that he could get hurt or more deeply involved in his feud with the Lagsturns seemed counterproductive. “Why don’t you let the police handle it?” she asked.

He grimaced. “Right.”

“What?” She stopped him from moving. “What do you have against asking for help and letting those who are supposed to keep peace do their job?”

“Nothing, except they have to follow the rules.” He flipped his jacket over his shoulder. “I don’t.”

His confession wasn’t what she wanted to hear. It was what she feared.

He led her out of the office and out the back door. Her gaze went straight to the smoldering mess where her cabin had once stood. He gave her shoulder a squeeze, and she looked to him. She hoped he was right, and she would be safe. If she let herself dwell on someone out there wanting to harm her, she’d fall apart.

“Here comes Torque,” he said.

She swiveled around.
No way.

A cherry red, old-style Corvette convertible, top down, sun reflecting on the chrome, purred into the parking lot. Aware of her jaw hanging loose, Tori closed her mouth. She thought she’d found out all of Rain’s secrets. Apparently not.

Afraid knowing anything more would freak her out, she decided to ignore the fact that he was richer than a normal man had a right to be and concentrate on what she could do next. In too deep and too traumatized over the fire to come up with a solution, she’d give herself until tomorrow to have a plan solidified.

Torque stepped out of the car and whistled. “Always a pleasure, man.”

Rain grinned and opened the passenger door. “Hop in, babe. Let’s go home.”

She slid into the white leather seat. As she checked the car out, he leaned in front of her, grabbed the seatbelt, and latched it around her.

“I could’ve done that myself.” She pressed her head against the seat.

“Yeah.” He chuckled, closing the door. “But why should you when I’m here to do it for you?”

She leaned against the headrest and refused to watch him walk in front of the car and get in beside her. Out of her element, she pushed away the rising panic. One more day, and she’d be on the road by herself in her beat-up old truck, the window down, the radio cranked, and on the lookout for a new place to set up shop.

Somewhere with no bikers and no bar.

Maybe a town that was famous for their casinos and nightlife. She glanced over at Rain. And no sexy man who hid his wealth behind a beat-up old leather jacket and tattoos, who tried to take care of her with the aggressiveness of a pit bull.

“Tori!” Taylor closed the back door and ran toward the car with a sack in her arms. When Taylor reached the Corvette, she put the sack behind Tori’s seat. “The girls and I went through our stuff we have in the back room. Nothing big, just some odds and ends. Lotion, makeup, hairbrush, girly products … seeing how Rain probably won’t have any of those lying around his house.”

“Thanks.” She held out her arms and hugged Taylor. “I appreciate all you’ve done. I just can’t believe this is happening. I don’t even know what I’ll need.”

Taylor nodded. “Rain will get you set up tomorrow. Tonight, don’t worry about anything. We’re all here to help. You’ll get back on your feet in no time.”

She blew Taylor a kiss, too choked up to say any more. The girls in the bar were one highlight of stopping in Pitnam. They accepted her, no questions asked.

Rain turned the car on. Taylor stood on the sidewalk and waved. Tori wiggled her fingers goodbye, not sure exactly where Rain’s house was located or where he was taking her. The only thing she could do was trust him, and common sense told her she needed to protect herself.

“Hey!” Taylor grinned before Rain could shift into first gear. “We threw a couple condoms in there too, just in case.”

“Oh, my God.” She was mortified.

Rain laughed, drove the car through the parking lot and out onto the street. She slunk down in her seat. She knew exactly what was going through Rain’s head, because it was going through hers too. She was going to kill Taylor tomorrow.

Chapter Eleven

Tori could handle losing her belongings in the fire. She could handle hearing Lagsturns had come after her because Rain claimed her as his own. She could even understand the reasoning behind the decision to have her hang around Pitnam longer because of Rain’s concerns. What she couldn’t handle was finding out that Rain lived in a freaking mansion overlooking the Lewis River in a house the likes of which she’d never seen before.

Talk about pegging him wrong. The Corvette she understood. He rode a motorcycle. It made complete sense that he’d socked all his money into a classic car. But the house? She had a feeling he was only letting her see the surface of the man named Rain.

She stood next to the rock fireplace in the living room, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the raging river that seemed to sweep under the second story but was at least fifty feet away from the house. Rain had driven around the house, showing her the outside, and she’d taken in the natural rural landscape in awe.

The hundred-foot fir trees, the large, rounded boulders, and the fast-flowing river were too much to take in all at once. She’d walked into the house and was surprised when the door shut, the musical background of water, breeze, and birds shutting off. Reality slammed into her.

Living in hotels, rental cabins, and even in her truck for the last six years hadn’t given her time to explore the less populated countryside. She ran her hand along the bare hearth, marveling at the craftsmanship Rain informed her came from using natural byproducts of the area.

This cozy home gave her a different picture than believing he lived in the cabin behind Cactus Cove. While he drove his Corvette out of town, he’d filled her in on his life. He not only owned Cactus Cove, but Shift’s garage, the Cozy Inn and Lounge, and twenty acres of prime forestry land that his primary house sat on.

She could handle trouble coming to her through Rain making that ridiculous statement claiming her as his woman. She’d taken care of herself since she was sixteen years old, and had seen worse things. But living here wasn’t going to work. It brought up too many emotions she kept carefully hidden. The house represented family, safety, and shelter. It’d make her weak and throw her off guard.

She wasn’t a “real home” kind of woman. Especially in a home that was bigger than anything she’d ever seen, and she’d probably get lost inside trying to find the bathroom. She cupped her elbows in her hands and walked to the window. Tomorrow, she’d let Rain drive her to the Shack for work and when he wasn’t looking, she’d hook up the mobile to her truck and hit the highway.

“Babe?”

She shivered. Not from having to face Rain, but because she was going to face Rain. Whatever she felt about the biker-turned-millionaire, she needed to nip it in the bud. Her fascination and attraction to him needed to die a swift death.

“Yeah?” She stayed in the living room.

“Come here.”

She gazed up the sweeping staircase. The peeled and polished logs highlighted the extra-wide steps and tan runner. She glanced around the foyer as she put her foot on the step, unsure if she climbed to the second level of the house if she’d find her way back to the front door. The place was amazing and intimidating, much like the man who lived there.

It scared her how easily she’d let him take care of her. How she’d leaned into him as he’d held her shoulders. How, in the car, he’d reached for her hand, and she’d held on for the security he offered the whole ride to his house. She never relied on anyone, and because she did with Rain, it worried her.

“Babe.”

She flinched. “Coming.”

Brandishing the thoughts from her head, she hurried up the steps and followed the hallway. “Where are you?”

“Here. Uh, third door on the left.”

A large sleigh bed sat in the middle of the room. She stood in the doorway and took in the rumpled comforter, the throw pillows. A pile of dirty jeans lay in front of what she suspected was the bathroom door. Leather chaps were draped over a recliner in the corner of the room.

Rain picked up the pile of dirty clothes and carried them through the open door at the side of the room. She stepped forward and peeked inside. He returned, blocking her view, but not before she confirmed it was the bathroom.

“Tomorrow, we’ll shop for clothes.” He opened the dresser drawer. “You can wear this tonight.”

She stared at the black T-shirt he removed from the drawer and handed her. “Uh, okay.”

A humorous noise came from deep in his throat, and his eyes warmed. “I put clean sheets and pillowcases on the bed.”

Her gaze swung to the side. “Isn’t that your bed?”

“Yeah.” He strode across to the other side of the room, opened a different door, and disappeared inside. “Taylor’s on your job.”

She walked to the doorway. “What did you say?”

“Taylor.” He removed a sack off the top shelf of his walk-in closet, dug inside, and held out a brand new toothbrush. “She’ll run the Shack for a couple days.”

“No.”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Rain, you can’t take over my business.” She scooted out of his way when he moved. “I need to make money.”

“I got you covered.” He sat down in the recliner, pulled up the leg of his jeans, and started unlacing his black biker boots.

“I don’t understand what that means when you say it.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, and then hopped off when she realized she was sitting on Rain’s bed. “I had my purse with me when the fire happened, and I still have my bank card. If you’ll drive me into work, I’ll pick up a few outfits to tide me over until I can afford more.”