A car slowed in front of us. On guard, I eased around Cam, protecting him, but it was just an idiot with a heavy foot.
We navigated onto an A-road that was moving faster than the motorway and settled into our pace before we spoke again.
Five minutes out. I tightened my grip on my handlebars, making the throttle my bitch. “We don’t know Jakov. How do you know he’s not going to use this against us?”
“I don’t.” Cam accelerated with me. “And maybe if it was just me and you in those images, I’d be more worried about it, but I told him about they had photos of youandLocke from that night we paid the dirty old bill.”
“Youwhat?”
“Hear me out.”
I couldn’t. We were running out of time.Three minutes out.“You fucking bastard.”
“Nash.”
“Fuckyou.”
“Listen to me?—”
I disconnected the radio, tossing every part of it that wasn’t wedged in my helmet onto the road with one hand, gunning my throttle with the other.
My hog was faster than Cam’s. Lighter. I blazed away from him, anger burning my heart.Rage. How fucking dare he? He could play fast and loose with his own freedom—with mine—as much as he fucking had to. But Locke’s? No fucking way. I’ddiebefore I let this shit touch him. Before I let this life take another fuckingsecondof his.
Fuck it. I’d kneel at Bear’s feet andconfessif that’s what it took. After I’d murdered Jakov to keep Locke safe.
Cam caught up with me. My bike was faster, but he was a better rider. Cleverer. He boxed me in, forcing me off the road and into a lay-by half a mile out from where we needed to be.
I skidded to a stop. Rolled off my hog and flew at him.
Ready for me, Cam let me barrel him into a nearby ditch, then flipped us, holding me down, every muscle strained tight as I fought him.
“Stop,” he growled from behind his helmet. “You think I’d throw him under the bus like that? You think I don’t love that loyal motherfucker as much as you do?”
“You don’t love him like I do. No one does. Only her—your fuckingsister. Do you have any fucking idea what it’ll do to her to lose us both?”
“She ain’t losing you. That’s the fucking point.” Cam ripped my helmet off and legit punched me in the face. Not a real hit, I’d have been dead. But with enough force to still me. “Jesus-fuck, stop acting like every other crazy fool we know andlistento me.”
Jaw throbbing, chest rising and collapsing like I’d run a fucking marathon, I watched Cam tug his helmet off. Saw the hurt in his dark gaze that I’d ever think he’d betray me like that. But the harder I fought to catch up with whatever he was thinking, the further behind I felt. “I don’t understand why you’d bring Locke into this. The feds never named him.”
“Not yet.” Cam eased his weight from me and scrubbed a hand through his beard. “But they will if they keep coming for us and we don’t give them what they want. Alexei’s right about that.”
“We can’t give them what they want.”
“I know.”
“And we didn’t.”
“Iknow.”
“So make it make sense!” The shout burst out of me. Then a growl so frustrated I tasted blood in my throat. “I can’t—thiscan’t happen to him. I have to keep him safe or I’ll fucking die. I swear to God.”
Cam let me rage. Then he placed a hand on my chest that I would’ve found soothing if I hadn’t been hopelessly addicted to Locke’s touch. To his big hands and deep voice. His warm skin. The devotion in his sea-green gaze whenever he set eyes on our woman.
Cam pressed down harder. “You ready to listen?”
Dazed, I nodded.
Cam snatched a breath. “I didn’t use Locke as bait. I’d never do that. But I’m not denying I knew Jakov would be more inclined to help me if Locke was involved, and I’m not sorry about that—because heisinvolved, and I’ll do anything to protect him.”