PLAYED - A BRITISH BAD BOY ROMANCE (45 page)

That hardly surprised me. It was practically required
reading for opportunistic capitalists everywhere. What I
was
surprised by was how every book in Nathan’s tremendous
collection seemed worn enough to have been read through at least once. I hadn’t
pegged him for a reader, and I’d certainly never seen him pining for books in
the times we’d spent together.
 
He
didn’t seem like he had the patience.

I turned as he closed the doors behind us and crossed
the room to the small seating area near to the fireplace. “Have a seat,
detective
.
If you’re here for business instead of pleasure, we might as well get
comfortable.”

As he draped himself lazily across a tufted leather
settee, I sunk into one of the high-backed armchairs across from him. I felt
like royalty just sitting there, but Nathan didn’t seem to share my perception.
He lounged like a bored lion, his muscular limbs dangling almost petulantly off
the edges of his seat.

“If you’re not
here to fuck, you’re here about Peter Wallace, aren’t you?”

“I am,” I
admitted. “His trial’s coming up soon, you know.”

“I’m aware,” he answered in a tone that was half a
sigh, half a groan. “I watch the news. I hear the prosecution’s built a decent
case this time around, too.”

“
Decent
isn’t going to cut it,” I interrupted,
“and you know that. This is
Peter Wallace
we’re talking about—the same
guy who’s weaseled his way out of prison a dozen times before. And he’ll do it
again, unless someone could, say, provide testimony about the particulars of
his business in our fair city.”

Despite the oppressive heat lurking just outside, I
felt a distinct chill in the air. It was blowing in gusts from Nathan’s side of
the room and got stronger with every mention of Peter Wallace’s name. I almost
wanted him to turn on the fireplace just to drive it out.

“Sounds like you know a lot about this guy,” he said
at last, though he was staring at his bookshelves and not at me. “If you do,
then you know what he does to witnesses who agree to testify.”

I nodded solemnly. “I do. And I also know what he does
to witnesses who don’t. Last I checked the only difference is how pretty the
corpse looks.”

Nathan went quiet, his eyes finally meeting mine. I
scooted to the edge of my chair, holding his gaze. “I expect we’ll keep this
talk off the record for now?”

“I understand your concerns, Mr. Hale,” I replied,
trying to keep my mind off the dark little desires that kept bubbling up inside
me.

“Off the record, you’re right. Wallace is not a man to
be trifled with. He’s got connections. He’s got ways of making everybody
miserable. But that all stops if we put him behind bars, and I’m afraid the
only way for us to do that is with your help.”

“And what do I get in return?” he asked me, raising an
eyebrow that made it clear he was being coy. As I gave him the death stare, he
sat up straighter, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “I mean, sure,
there’s some satisfaction in watching this guy get put behind bars for the rest
of his life. And from what I understand, he deserves it. It’s not like I don’t
want to have a hand in putting him there. But you have to understand,
detective
—the price I’d pay for that… it
could be steep. What guarantee can the police offer me that
I’m
not going to end up in one of those
shipping containers?”

I frowned. I didn’t think we’d released that detail
yet, but men as powerful and rich as Nathan had a way of getting information.
Some jaded beat cop had probably forked it over for a small fee. I counted my
blessings that at least the culprit hadn’t talked to the media—as far as I
knew, anyway.

“You don’t have any family, no wife, no real
girlfriend,
” I said, watching as he
grimaced, “so there’s only you we’ve got to worry about. We’ll move you to a
safe house, someplace that Wallace’s men won’t be looking for you.”

Nathan shook
his head. “I’m staying here.”

“You can’t. This place—well, I’m sorry to say it, but
compared to the rest of the city, it stands out like a sore thumb. Your address
isn’t exactly private information these days, either. I’m pretty sure half the
population’s been to one of your parties, which means if the mob is looking for
you, you’re making yourself damn easy for them to find. And if they do…”

I trailed off, hoping Nathan’s imagination would fill
in the blanks. He stood up, turned his back on me, and visited the bar at the
far end of the room, prying a tumbler from the other side along with a bottle
of what looked like whiskey.

“This is my home,” he said as if I’d somehow
forgotten. “But I’m not going to pretend like Wallace’s men don’t scare me,
because they do. I’m not the fighter type. I guess you’d call me more of a
lover.”

Although he wasn’t facing me, I distinctly detected
the smirk in his tone when he said that last bit. A moment later, he cast a
glance at me over his shoulder as if to confirm I understood what he was
implying. I shook my head, and he continued:

“But that being said, I’m not about to let some IRA
rejects run me out of my home. There are some things a man just can’t abide,
and for me, turning tail and running is one of them. So if we’re going to do
this, detective, then we’re going to do it my way. The city can spare some
officers to guard my home, I’m sure, and if not, there’s always private
security—”

I held up my hand, signaling for him to stop talking.
He frowned and opened his mouth to speak again, but I gestured more firmly this
time, settling my gaze on the floor as I listened hard to the silent, empty
house.

It wasn’t so silent anymore. There were footsteps
downstairs, heavy and deliberate. I closed my eyes and focused, trying to
ascertain how many there were.

Two… three…
four… five…

There were five men downstairs. I was sure of it. I
finally looked back up at Nathan and whispered:

“Were you
expecting any company?”

He shook his head, flattening his lips into a thin,
grim line as I stood and slipped my sidearm out of its holster.

“I didn’t call
for backup,” I told him.

Then, holding up my hand again to signal Nathan to
wait, I readied myself for the worst and approached the study doors.

I listened carefully. I could hear them talking on the
first floor. They all seemed to still be centered in the atrium. I wet my lips,
surrendering to the pulse of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I hadn’t come here prepared for a fight. Not a
firefight, anyway. But that was the thing about being a cop: whether you knew
it or not, your life was always on the line.

Stay,
I mouthed to Nathan, hoping to get my point across. I
couldn’t have him in the crossfire. If things went south, then it was best he
was out of harm’s way. I might need a clear shot.

He sipped his whiskey like the sounds downstairs were
nothing, but I could see his hand was shaking. His emerald eyes stayed trained
on me as I quietly opened the door and slipped out into the hall.

Outside of the study, I could hear their voices much
more clearly. They weren’t being subtle in the least. Were they hoping to flush
Nathan out?

If so, that probably meant they’d come prepared to
subdue him. I hoped to God that they hadn’t considered the possibility that
Nathan owned a gun.

There was a lilting brogue that might have been
charming under any other circumstances coming from the stairs. “Oi, make sure
you get the rugs and the drapes. Don’t leave any room untouched.” I took that
to mean he was the leader, and most likely the one I should be speaking with.

Nathan’s mansion wasn’t exactly easy to get to. Though
it was still within the city limits, it toed the line. It’d take backup ten,
fifteen minutes to get out here in full force. I didn’t have that kind of time.
I’d have to negotiate.

I stopped at the end of the hall leading to the rail.
Through it, I could see the man on the stairs. He was wearing a black t-shirt
and jeans with a pair of scuffed-up work boots, but I didn’t see any weapons on
him.

As I surveyed the rest of his crew, I didn’t spot any
on them, either. That was good. That meant that these were just thugs hired to
beat a little sense into Nathan.

Or, judging by the gas cans they were carrying, burn
down his house.

Maybe both.

I came around the corner fast, gun drawn, and aimed at
the one on the stairs, their blue-eyed leader with a pathetically stereotypical
Celtic band tattooed on his bicep.

“Police,” I said, breathing evenly to steady my gun.
It was easy to let nerves and adrenaline get the better of you, no matter how
experienced you were. “Drop the gas. Now.”

The other four paused, glancing at their ringleader,
who regarded me with one of the coldest stares I’d ever suffered. Then he
shrugged his massive shoulders and set the can down on the stair beside him,
holding up his hands, his palms facing out.

“We don’t want any trouble, miss,” he said, his voice
low and gravelly and filled with dark promises. Despite his hulking frame,
there was something distinctly serpentine about him. “Just came to have a
little chat with Mr. Hale, is all.” He looked past me and down the hall. “Is he
in?”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m
Detective
Williams,” I
replied. I wasn’t about to give up any more information than I had to. “And
you’re trespassing on private property.”

“Well, I’m Francis O’Rourke, and the garden door was
wide open,” he insisted, those glacial eyes sending icicles straight into my
core. “Figured we’d come in and see if our
friend
was about. Ask him.
He’ll tell you.”

There was no way I was bringing Nathan out here. We’d
be swarmed in seconds. A cool bead of sweat raced down my spine. I was glad
that I was sweating in places this guy couldn’t see. I didn’t want him to think
I was nervous.

But somehow, I got the impression that he already
knew. I felt like he could smell it on me, like his crooked grin mocked the
blood rushing in my ears. This was a bad situation. There was no denying that.
But there was also no reason to add any fuel to the fire.

So to speak.

“I know who you are,” I said, keeping an even tone.
“You’re Peter Wallace’s men. And I doubt, given Mr. Hale’s sizable estate, that
you’re carrying those gas cans in here to help ease the burden of his fuel
costs.”

Not a single one of them uttered a word. I had their
attention, though. That had to count for something. There was no way these guys
were going to let me arrest them without a fight, and I wasn’t ready to die
protecting Nathan’s pompous ass. Rules be damned.

I continued: “I’m giving you a chance to walk away.
Get out of here and don’t come back. Tell whoever Wallace’s right hand man is
to back off, or…”

“Or
what
?” O’Rourke sneered, eyeing me
defiantly. “You’ve got no backup, girl. You’re all alone here with me and my
boys. Sure, you might be able to take out a few of us, but not all. I’m willing
to bet that you miss at least once, and that’s all it’ll take.”

“And then you’ll go away for killing a cop. You know
what they do to cop killers on the inside?”

He smirked and glanced down at the gas can near his
feet. “Nothing, Detective. Not a damn thing if they never find the body.”

I clenched my jaw. This was not going well. “You’re
threatening me? I’m giving you fair warning. Leave now, before things get
ugly.”

“And I’ll say it again,” he replied, taking one step
up toward me. “Or
what
?”

“Or,” Nathan said, coming out behind me with his drink
still in his hand, “she’ll shoot that gas can at your feet and ruin your whole
day.”

That seemed to give O’Rourke pause. I could
practically hear the gears turning in his head as he glanced down at the can.

“You’re
bluffing,” he said.

Nathan shrugged. “All it takes is a spark, and you’ve
already soaked half the first floor. I’m willing to bet that from this angle,
the shot will knock the can backward down the staircase, torching every single
one of you before you can even think to run.”