Xavier

 

When his phone beeped at him the next morning, Xavier pulled himself out of a sleep so deep he wondered if he had been drugged. With a grin, he realized it was only the natural drug of the most amazing sex he’d ever had. When Kenzie had agreed to come back to his place, he had expected to have to work a little harder to get her into bed. But there was an undeniable passion in her eyes, and he knew it was reflected in his own. And he hadn’t been disappointed by the hotness of her body once he’d finally gotten to see her in her naked glory. When they had finished, he had told himself he would wake her up in an hour to do it all over again. Apparently, his body hadn’t felt it was necessary, since he didn’t wake up until almost noon.

 

Rolling over, he found that the bed next to him was empty. He sighed with pleasure as he hauled himself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. She was perfect enough with that body, that smile, and the things she wanted to do to him in bed, but it was even better if she wasn’t the kind to stick around and insist that they have coffee together in the morning. Kenzie hadn’t wanted to stick around to talk about what their lovemaking had “meant” or how they “felt” about each other. It saved him from having to lie about being busy and find a way to get rid of her.

 

Except that he really was busy that day. He showered, grabbed a quick breakfast, and fired up his Harley in less than half an hour. It was going to be hard to concentrate on his work, since the images of Kenzie’s naked body both on top of and under his were still very clear in his mind, but he had an important job to do.

 

The sun warmed his back and the wind rippled through his hair as he dodged traffic and threaded his way toward the industrial sector of town. Crocodile was waiting for him at the docks, along with a few other members who had been chosen for this mission. “There you are. For a second, I thought you might be skipping out on us.”

 

Xavier scanned the water for the boat that would be pulling in any minute. Everything seemed to be normal. “Are you kidding me? This is one of the biggest deals we’ve had in a long time, and I’m sure as hell not going to miss out on business we stole from the Labriolas. Those fuckers think they run this town, and I’m sick of it.”

 

“The truck is all ready to go. Wrench is driving, and Spider and Slime will keep up the flank. I figure you and I will be in the lead.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” Xavier said, nodding his approval. They’d already had things set up to run smoothly, but it was nice to see his plans carried out in real life. He noticed movement on the water. “There’s the boat now.”

 

More than a dozen crates marked as motorcycle parts were quickly offloaded from the boat and into the truck. Hardly a word was exchanged between the bikers and the drug runners, because there was no need. The bikers and the men on the boat all carried weapons, and they all knew how this could go down if someone didn’t cooperate. A briefcase full of cash was handed over, and the Reapers fired up their engines.

 

Xavier led the way. He checked his mirror a couple of times, feeling confident when he saw the old black truck right on their tail. It wasn’t far to the warehouse the Reaper’s Hearts owned, where they would repackage the drugs and sell them at a significant profit. He had plenty of plans for that money, and he knew the president would be pleased. It hadn’t even been difficult to convince the runners to work with him instead of Labriola. Xavier had offered a small percentage over the original price, and there were no further questions after that.

 

But when he next checked his mirror, he saw something that made his heart drop. A black SUV swung out onto the road behind the last two bikers. There was always a chance that it was an innocent citizen, but Xavier highly doubted it. Someone had given them up, or else the mob had better surveillance than the Reapers imagined. The vehicle rode too closely behind them, and the windows were tinted to match the paint. He threw a signal with his fingers up into the air, one they had practiced well before the mission. It was a sign for them to ride fast, ride close, and follow him even if he veered from the planned route. They had to get this shipment back to the warehouse, where reinforcements would be waiting for them.

 

Xavier dodged onto a side road without signaling, the truck bumping along after them and the motorcycles close behind. The crack of a gun sounded behind him, and he felt the bullet whiz past his ear. The family was after him and the drugs, but maybe that would at least keep the rest of his men safe. He tucked himself a little lower on the bike to reduce his profile.

 

He hit another side road, counting on Croc’s quick reflexes not to get in his way. The truck fishtailed as it swerved around the corner, but it stayed on track. There was a good reason Wrench had been chosen to drive. Xavier reached down with one hand to loosen his pistol in his holster, but he knew he would have little chance to shoot it. The Labriolas already had the advantage of being behind them, and if he pulled over it would give them a chance to get out of their vehicle and take them down in less than a minute. If they had been traveling only on their bikes, they could have gotten away easily. The truck and the shipment were holding them back, yet they were the most important part of this mission.

 

No, his best bet was just to get back to the warehouse as quickly as possible. Several more shots cracked through the air, and he cursed at the situation. He heard the roar of his own engine as he made the last turn and pushed his bike to the limit. They were almost there. But the sound of squealing brakes and crunching metal made a wave of doom crash over him.

 

The other Reapers had heard them coming, and the overhead door had been opened. He zipped inside, followed almost immediately by the truck, just as the other members closed in on the SUV. It turned tail and zoomed away, the mobsters knowing they were outnumbered now. Several bullets pinged against the reinforced glass of the back windows. Crocodile pulled into the building, but there was no sign of Spider or Slime.

 

Xavier cast an inquiring look at Croc, and he shook his head sadly. “Ran them right off the damn road. They’re gone.”

 

“Fuck!” His voice echoed in the big building. “Take half the guards with you. Retrieve their bodies and their bikes so we can give them the burial they deserve. The rest of us will stay here and work on this.” But Xavier could no longer think about what a big deal they had done or be happy that they had gotten it back to the warehouse. It had cost them two lives, and they weren’t the first ones to be lost during dealings with the Labriolas. “Those fuckers are going to pay.”