ROMAN (Lane Brothers Book 5) Read online

  Her image and the idea that we could get married and have a family like the rest of my brothers helps pull me back from the dark world I’ve entered.

  I also think about Clari and Miah’s adopted kid and Wyatt and Ellie’s new baby. I’ve heard that another Lane is on the way thanks to Miah’s love for his wife.

  I have yet to meet my nephews. But as much as I want to, their innocent lives remind me why it is so important for me to complete my mission.

  With Cleo waking and regaining enough strength to have ordered a hit on my family, and Lynn’s imminent arrival, I can’t walk away yet. There’s too much at stake.

  I’m so deep in thought that I almost miss the soft scrape of leather loafers out in the hall, and I only manage to retrieve my tools and roll beneath the desk when I hear the door open and voices muttering.

  “She’s gone, for God’s sake. What more do you want, Cleo? Lynn isn’t coming in and Paulie is under lock and key. We should focus on finding Lynn and leave Paulie to her own devices. The girl is no threat to us anymore!”

  I know that voice and I’m about ready to start cursing Jerry for his foolishness when I hear Cleo start screaming and the distinctive sound of glass shattering.

  “You think I care about Lynn and those stupid missile codes? Please, Jerry, I can have new missiles by next week and we all know it! I want that little traitor Paulette and I want to watch her suffer as she dies.”

  Cleo spent years blackmailing Paulie and threatening her nephew if the poor girl didn’t toe the line and run her drugs and money for her. The fact that Paulie gained the courage to remove Cleo from the picture while we all moved in is just…reasonable as far as I’m concerned.

  Now with Cleo awake and Paulie out of the council like I was hoping for, I have the rare opportunity to play a hand I’ve been keeping close to the vest for months.

  At least I would if the damn man would stop hamming it up like he’s auditioning for Broadway. Fucking Jerry. The man is a great asset to have since he’s Cleo’s brother and one of the few people the psychopath trusts, but to come to Paulie’s defence so vehemently isn’t a good idea. I’ll tell him so just as soon as I stop wanting to throttle him.

  “She tried to kill me!”

  Jerry sighs and I roll my eyes at his tone.

  “Cleo, dear, the tox reports confirmed that the toxin was only meant to keep you in an induced coma. The girl couldn’t kill a fly and you know it. Now stop being unreasonable and help me with Lynn, for God’s sake! The woman is a loose cannon, missile codes or not. She could blow the whole operation before we get everything in place.”

  The operation, as I’ve pieced together, is to set off a highly lethal biochemical gas at a public event and pin it on a black supremacist group that’s more about rallies and meetings than they are about anything else.

  In fact I’ve studied them extensively enough to know that all they are is a band of disgruntled people wanting to focus on equality and human rights in our country.

  The gas is the least of my worries, though, and something I’ve addressed with Jerry enough to understand that if we do not move quickly, we could have bombings and missile strikes of major cities on our hands.

  I need a handful of things now. The name of the secret council member. Lynn’s missile codes.

  And the ability to muzzle Cleo when the time comes.

  For that I need Jim Dobson on the scene, but no matter how much intel I get I still can’t get him to move in. I have the SEAL mole and Williams, so I’m clear on that end at least.

  Now I just have to get this wrapped up before someone really gets hurt. I have a bad feeling, and while I try to stay positive, I’ve learned to rely on my gut and I know what the feeling means.

  Something is going to go wrong.

  “Jerry, Lynn is coming back. She’s just trying to shake the tail the Lanes have on her is all.”

  That makes me smile because I can well imagine poor Jerry’s face right now. The man is terrified of his wife, and who can blame him? She shot him and left him for dead in her bid to kill Ellie, Wyatt’s wife.

  After that little fiasco, it was almost impossible for me to convince Jerry not to take his new family and run. I say almost because I did eventually manage to get his help, but the man is not happy about being back in the fold.

  Especially not with his psycho wife on the loose.

  “Fine, but if that idiot leads them straight to us all, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Oh and do me a favor. Muzzle that dog of yours. What Dyson did to Huley and his lover is just plain wrong and you know it.”

  That sends a shiver straight down my spine and I shudder. I’ve seen a lot of gruesome acts in this world, and you’d think I was immune to horror by now, but even I lost my lunch after seeing the results of that torture session.

  Dyson really is an animal, and it horrifies me to think of what the man is capable of.

  “They were stealing from us. They knew the risks.”

  Jesus, this woman is one cold-hearted old crone. I can’t imagine what poor Paulie must have felt for years being under her thumb. Even Ronny, a cousin by marriage and someone we all thought was involved in this mess, is terrified of her. She and her boyfriend, Bronx, are hidden at the Lane estate and refusing to leave.

  I can’t blame the woman, not after some of the information I’ve collected and the things Dyson bragged about doing. If I had the choice right now, I’d grab my own woman and run as far and fast as I could to protect her.

  “Cleo, just…tone it down is all I’m saying, girl. We’re so close now. We can’t afford to be caught because you’re on some vendetta path here. Talk to Dyson, and for God’s sake, get Lynn’s missile odes. What you do to the woman after isn’t my concern, but we need those codes.”

  I hear a huff and grimace at Cleo’s shrill laugh.

  “You’re still scared of Lynnie? Look at the way you’re shaking, Jerry. Are you still upset she tried to shoot you, brother? Relax, we’ve spoken and she’s willing to forgive you for the shit you pulled with Ellie.”

  “Forgive me? The woman almost cost us everything when she went off the rails, Cleo. I had to work fast and convince them all that I’m innocent before they started piecing it all together. She’s a Goddamned liability and you know it. And if you keep going after Paulette so recklessly—”

  “I am in charge here. Me! And don’t you forget it, brother of mine. If I want Paulette Hayes’s head on a platter, that is exactly what I’ll get. Now stop whining and tell me where we are with the Dobson girl.”

  Mel.

  I feel my blood start boiling at just the mention of my baby, and I have to keep reminding myself that Jerry would never let them know about the cabin in the woods where my girl is currently hiding.

  She’s safe from these vultures and I can’t begin to think about her being alone out there while Cleo is looking for her or I’ll go crazy.

  “She’s disappeared, Cleo. I told you that. We’ve searched everywhere for Mel Dobson. The chief must have gotten her out from under Roman and hidden her before we killed him.”

  “You sure we can trust the little shit? He’s one of them—”

  “He’s been involved in this with me since almost the beginning. How do you think I got those AI assholes off our asses in the first place? Roman took care of that for us.”

  I resist the urge to snort and listen as Jerry starts playing his part to perfection. I gain respect for the man as I hear him tell her about my gambling problem and how I squandered my trust fund.

  According to what I put on paper, I’m penniless and on the verge of being disowned by George if I don’t clean my act up. It’s all bullshit, of course, but I’ll sing that tune as loud and long as necessary if it keeps my head intact.

  Just a little longer, I keep reminding myself as the conversation turns to Ronny and her disappearance while Cleo bemoans the fact that Lane security has tripled and the women are all untouchable at this point.

  By the time I hear them l
eave, still arguing about Paulie, I feel like I’ve aged ten years. That’s what being in the presence of pure evil will do to you, and I hate feeling this dirty and unworthy all the time.

  I need to talk to my baby girl just once, just long enough to hear her voice and remind myself of why I can’t fail.

  The problem with being away from her for so long without knowing that she’s still safe is that the fool woman could decide to come out of hiding and go home at any moment.

  That’s bad for a lot of reasons, namely the fact that I don’t want her knowing about her father yet. Mel loved her dad, and it would kill her to find that he died so brutally.

  I swore to Mel that I’d protect the chief and make sure he came out of this with a plea bargain and a suspended sentence for all the help he’s given me.

  I failed her, but by God I will not fail her again. She will stay hidden no matter what happens, even if something should go wrong and I die in this terrible place.

  “Dammit, Lane,” I hiss beneath my breath, sliding out from under the desk and grabbing my stuff. “You stay away from her till it’s over.”

  The temptation to call her is strong right now. I hated having to dismiss her calls, and I hate it even more that she could be afraid and thinking that I no longer care enough to look out for her. I know Mel. She would already have started cursing me to hell and back and doubting my commitment to her.

  Hell, she’s probably on the same train as my brothers, wondering if I’m a willing participant in this racket.

  I don’t relish her thinking poorly of me, but if she hates me and stays away, she’ll stay alive. That’s all I want at the moment.

  I’ll get her back after it’s all done and ensure that she never has a reason to doubt me again.

  Chapter Four

  Melissa

  Getting off of the Lane estate was not easy by anyone’s standards, considering the million and one guards patrolling the place like cyborgs on the hunt.

  I wouldn’t have even made it down the central staircase if not for Tracy, Jace’s wife. For whatever reason, the woman decided to sneak around in the middle of the freaking night and help me. I am grateful that she did. She caught me on my third foray in as many nights and did me a solid by pointing out a weakness in the perimeter. I got to of there so fast that I left marks on the grass.

  The only deal I had to make with her was to promise that I had a decent plan in mind and would stay safe and keep the baby growing inside me safe as well.

  I promised her without batting an eyelash, because I do have a plan—a good one that I know will work.

  I have no intentions of dying anytime soon.

  I intend to get to Roman so I can kick his dumb ass, and then I intend to have my kid and the white picket fence that women all secretly want but won’t admit to.

  So here I am now, right where I belong and where I know those crazy-ass extremists will see me, and I feel safer now than I did locked behind the walls of the Lane estate.

  I’m back at the bar I’ve been working at for three years, surrounded by some of the roughest people in the area. It’s the one place where I feel protected because I know that no one can touch me here, not with Will Sparrow and his crew of bikers keeping things safe.

  Here I am one of them, and they’d kill anyone who even dared to take a step in my direction.

  This place is also one of the best gossip mills in the state. I’ll find the information I’m after, especially while working the bar. I already know a shitload from just three hours of work (thanks to my old boss, Milton, letting me come back), and that’s just from dropping a few muttered hints and seeming put out because my boyfriend disappeared and left me.

  For instance, I know that everyone is whispering about Ronny’s disappearance and wondering if she finally got the message that her aunt Cleo is batshit crazy.

  If people only knew that the little blonde is safe and sound on the Lane lands, cuddling up with her beefy boyfriend… They’d never believe the woman capable of loving another human being.

  I saw her, though, and it was disgustingly sweet.

  Another thing I learned is that Will and his crew aren’t too enthused that Cleo and her people are trying to take over the town. Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t give a shit that they’re running around planning attacks on the unsuspecting citizens of our fair country. Will is the kind of man who believes in free enterprise and letting the “pigs” earn their wages. But he is pissed that they set up shop in what he considers his territory. From what his VP Little Lonnie was saying earlier, they’re about ready to take out the Patriots for daring to claim territory that isn’t theirs to claim.

  I’d be ecstatic if they did take out the Patriots. In fact, I could kick myself for not thinking about playing this angle sooner. The only problem is that Will doesn’t play favorites. If he thinks Roman is one of them, he won’t hesitate to take him out along with the other filth.

  I can’t have that, at least not yet. I need to see Roman and make sure he’s still the same man I fell in love with before I make my next move, which is giving Will the file that Daddy was compiling before he died.

  It gives a few hints at some of their safe houses and even names Cleo and her mysterious secret partner whom no one knows about. I have that now that I managed to escape the Lane brothers and retrieve it from Daddy’s safe without interruption.

  What I need now is for Roman to answer his Goddamned phone before I turn the stuff I have over to Will to take care of. Roman will be pissed that I’m bringing outsiders into the mix, but I don’t care.

  Will and his guys may just appear to be a crew of misfit bikers, but these men are organized and ruthless, as well as determined to keep their patch of “land” safe from other parties. I know they’ll at least put a dent in the Patriots while the Lanes move in.

  If nothing else, I’ll have a way to get to Roman, and that’s all I’m looking for right now. I need to see him, hear him…something.

  I’ve lived with this dark cloud over my head for years now, and I just want it gone so that I can have my life and my family in a safe environment. I refuse to give birth to my baby while cowering in some backwoods cabin. Meanwhile, the father of my child runs around thinking he’s some super hero.

  Super hero my ass! He’s already dropped the ball once in the form of Daddy dying, and I refuse to let him disappoint me again. Not when the last promise he made was that he’d stay alive.

  “Yo, Mel, get me a beer and some food, would ya, doll?” Little Lon yells from his place at the end of the bar.

  I hop to it and place his order at the rinky-dink kitchen window before making my way to him with a cool one and a smile that I have to force.

  “Here you go, Lon. So, how are things with Lettie and the kids?”

  Small talk. My least favorite thing.

  “Good. Vella is doing some dance class recital or some shit, and Kim wants a new drum set. They’re driving their mama nuts, but I thank God I ain’t home long enough to have to actually say no to my little princesses.” He laughs, taking a healthy swig of his beer before turning to me. “I’m mighty sorry to hear your old man took off on ya, Mel.”

  I snort at that and roll my eyes because the fool is grinning so wide, I can see his tonsils. He’s still convinced Will and I would make a great couple. While I can’t disagree that we’re similar and both hot enough to make great babies, I’ve never seen the man as anything more than a friend.

  “No you aren’t. You still think I need to give your fearless leader a shot,” I gripe, squinting into the dark interior of the bar as I hear the door open and a chorus of grumbles.

  “Oh shit.”

  Lon raises a brow at my muttered curse and turns just as Miah and Jared Lane come sidling up to the bar, followed by a scowling Jace and an even angrier Tracy.

  “You want me to get rid of the money, little darlin’?” Lon asks sweetly and I resist the urge to roll my eyes at the man.

  It’s no secret that the Lanes a
re badasses and Lon will likely get his kindly ass kicked all over the place before these men let anyone stand between them and their prey.

  I gulp a little when they take a seat right in front of me and just sit, glaring holes through my skull as I crack a few beers and plonk them down with a frown.

  “Chill, Lon, I’m fine. I may need some privacy, though,” I say when it looks like he’s getting comfortable enough to stay for the whole confrontation.

  “Mel—”

  “Now, Lonnie. We have some shit to discuss and I’m not feeling too great about having my ex’s family here as it is. Skedaddle, man. I’ll be fine.”

  The other patrons are all watching the scene as if it’s the event of the year, and I can almost hear their pitying thoughts as they pretend to turn away and mind their own business.

  All I am right now is the poor chick from the wrong side of the tracks who got her ass dumped by one of the rich boys.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask through gritted teeth when Lon finally gets the message and ambles off towards the pool tables.

  Jared stares at me while Miah shakes his head and sighs.

  “I could ask you the same thing, Mellie.”

  Oh Lord in heaven, give me some of the patience you neglected to hand out at birth.

  “I’m working, asshat. What the hell does it look like I’m doing? Contrary to what you may believe, I am no one’s charity case and I will not be sponging off you rich dudes because your brother decided to knock me up and pull a runner.”

  Sorry, Roman, I think silently when the other patrons just grin and throw me understanding looks.

  Miah’s scowl deepens and I can practically feel the anger radiating from Jared at the slur I just cast out.

  “Mel—”

  “Stop. Just stop it,” I say so only they can hear me. “You’re making things harder for me than they already are, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t. If they all think I’m in with you Lanes, I won’t get a scrap of information out of a soul in these parts and you know it.”

  I know that they think they’re doing me a favor by showing up here, but we adhere to class rules in this place. The Lanes are rich punks and the rest of us are family.