Being more social than Alice-something-or-other, the other
neighbors in the building greeted him. One hot blonde flirted, as she always
did, but Reese wasn’t dumb enough to bring trouble to where he lived.
Well, except for Cash.
The dog jumped up on an elderly neighbor who didn’t much
appreciate it. Before Reese could duly chastise him, Cash charged another dog,
only to run out of leash and nearly choke himself. He sniffed every blade of
grass, refusing to go, until Alice-something-or-other suddenly returned. Then
Cash chose to stare her in the eyes while doing his business.
Great.
Reese figured what the hell, and he stared at her, too.
Even with Cash involved in something so…un-smile-worthy, she
smiled at him.
Reese, she ignored, or at least, she tried to.
Screw that. “New dog,” Reese said to her.
“He cried all day while you were gone.” Direct and to the
point.
Great. Why waste time with pleasantries? “Sorry about that.
He’ll settle down.” I hope.
She nodded and continued on. Reese saw that she carried a bag
of jelly beans. Was that why she’d gone out? Just to get jelly beans? Huh.
Cash finished up and bounded after her, and wonder of wonders,
she stopped and knelt down to pet him.
Good dog,
Reese thought. “He
disturbed you?”
“I felt bad for him. He needs attention. He’s still a
puppy.”
“Yeah, see, the thing is, I sort of found him. Or rather, he
found me. I wasn’t really planning on having a dog, but—”
“It was kind of you to take him in.” She seated her narrow rump
on a concrete step and good old Cash practically crawled into her lap.
And, her smile soft and amused, she let him.
Who knew a dog had so many uses? Alice looked very peaceful
while loving on his dog. Her average brown hair fell forward, half hiding her
average face. She didn’t seem concerned with getting her beige slacks dirty or
getting dog hair on her green tank.
She set aside her purse and the candy and put all that extreme
focus on his dog.
So how did a stray accomplish what Reese couldn’t, in such a
short time?
Determined to find out, Reese started to sit beside her, but
his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, saw it was Logan and
groaned.
Alice glanced at him.
He handed her the leash. “You mind? Just for a sec.” Without
waiting for her reply, he turned his back on her, took a few steps away, and
answered the call.
“Make it fast,” Reese said. He didn’t want to be too rude to
the neighbor lady, now that Cash had finally managed to break the ice.
“He plans to break in to my place tonight.”
For the sake of privacy, Reese took a few more steps away,
dismissing the dog and Alice-something-or-other. Undercover operations were kept
tightly compartmentalized to avoid security leaks. No way in hell did he want a
civilian listening in. “Rowdy Yates?”
“None other.”
Unexpected. “You know this, how?”
A pause, and then Logan said, “Overheard her talking on the
phone with him.”
“She talked with him in front of you?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then how—”
“I listened through the wall. With an audio device.”
Damn it. Reese looked up at the blazing sun, now in shades of
red, pink and purple. Lately, the nights hadn’t been much cooler than the days.
“I’m betting you didn’t have a search warrant for that?”
“No.”
So he couldn’t mention it. It couldn’t come up, ever.
Again…great. “You tell the lieutenant?”
“Not yet. Only you.”
At least there was that. “Let’s keep it that way.”
“She expects me to keep her apprised.”
Yeah, Lieutenant Peterson liked to stay in the loop on
everything. She remained inflexible in her efforts toward a clean sweep of the
force, and grumbling from the ranks hadn’t swayed her off that course.
Reese was just as determined to keep her in the dark on this.
“I’ll take care of it then.” In his own way, in his own time, with everyone’s
best interests at heart. Logan wouldn’t like that, but that’s how it had to
be.
There was more at play than his need for justice and
revenge.
“I’m short on time anyway, so that works.”
Reese glanced back at his neighbor. She stood now, walking Cash
over to a shady spot in the grass. “If I’m on surveillance, then I can just
happen to catch Rowdy breaking in.” For Alice, Cash followed along politely.
Stupid dog. He shook his head and smiled.
He hoped Alice watched her step, because he hadn’t yet had a
chance to clean up any messes.
“That’s how I figured it,” Logan said. “No one needs to know I
overheard the details.”
Reese checked his watch. He felt the neighbor watching him with
curiosity.
Not the best time to finally show interest,
honey.
“Might take me an hour or more to get there.” He had his own
team on hold, ready to go at the drop of a dime. They were loyal to him, not to
the lieutenant, and not to Logan.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I don’t have an exact time,” Logan said, “but I have to be at
her place soon, so it won’t be until then.”
“Put it on hold for as long as you can. Maybe be out on the
balcony or something. Even after I get there, I’ll need time to set up. You can
do that?”
“No problem.”
Could it be true? Could Logan have really caught up with the
elusive Yates? Wondering at what cost, Reese asked, “What about the sister?”
Logan’s silence worried him more than anything.
Just to piss him off, Reese said, “Want me to have her cuffed,
too?”
“Don’t touch her.”
Well, well, well. That sentiment was clear enough. “She’s going
to be hurt, Logan. No way around it.”
“You think I don’t already know that?”
If only Logan had let it go. But he hadn’t—maybe because he
didn’t realize just how persuasive Morton Andrews could be. “I take it she
doesn’t yet know what motivates you?”
Logan laughed without humor. “No.”
It seemed believable to Reese that Logan no longer knew his
motives, either. “Well, don’t worry about it. She won’t be your problem after
tonight.” Or would she? By the day, it seemed problems were adding up. Reese
would have to deal with them before it all got insurmountable.
After an exaggerated silence, Reese prompted him. “Logan?”
“This is totally fucked, but…I like her.”
Oh, hell. “Come again?”
“I like her, damn it. She’s…not what I expected.”
No, she wouldn’t be. Alice gave Reese a look of impatience. He
shrugged at her. “How’s that?”
“She’s nice, Reese. An innocent stuck in the middle of this
mess.”
“Yeah, her situation is pretty tough. Can’t be helped, though,
right? Not with her brother still around.”
“It’s more than her being nice.”
Reese looked up at the sky but found no inspiration, so he just
waited.
Logan said, “I’m interested in her.”
That bald statement gave him pause. “As in helping her through
this, you mean? Making amends after you get Rowdy? Because you feel bad for
disrupting her life—”
“As a woman, damn it.”
“Bullshit.” His raised voice drew Alice’s sharpened attention.
Again Reese turned his back on her.
“I don’t believe it.” Guilt, okay, he got that. Logan was one
of the most honorable men he knew. It’s why he was so resolved to bring his
friend’s murderers to justice. But… “I’ve seen the pictures of her, remember.
She’s not your type.” He’d scoured the photos at Logan’s request and saw that
she was plain at best, damn near dumpy at worst.
Sounding defensive, Logan said, “She’s smart. And sweet.”
“So is my new dog, but that doesn’t mean—”
Logan all but snarled, “Fuck off, Reese.” And then more
quietly, “You don’t know her.”
He squeezed the phone and kept his tone low. “And you think you
do? Jesus man, you’re
undercover.
Any relationship
you think you have with her is a fucking sham.”
Ice filled Logan’s voice. “Get here as soon as you can. I’ll
stall her for an hour or so. Later.”
After Logan disconnected the call, Reese dropped his phone into
his pocket and turned back to Alice and Cash.
They sat beneath the only tree in the lot, trying to hog the
sliver of shade. Ready to get on his way, Reese strode across the grass to stand
over her.
As usual, she paid him no mind.
“You like my dog.”
“He’s beautiful.”
“Busy tonight?”
She blanched. Literally. Looking up at him with big dark eyes
and something that felt remarkably like fear, Alice-something-or-other tried to
speak, but nothing came out.
“Jesus.” Reese knelt down in front of her. “I wasn’t going to
proposition you. I just need someone to look after Cash.”
After a pregnant silence, color rushed back into her face. “Oh.
You mean your dog?”
“Yeah. I have a…an emergency. Gotta go back out and it might
take a while, so I was thinking—”
“Yes,” she blurted. Pushing back and away from him, she
scrambled up to her feet. “Yes, I’ll watch him for you.”
Odd. To the point of being weird. “Great.” Slowly, Reese
regained his own feet. “He’s not entirely housebroken yet, so… You want to watch
him at my place instead of yours?”
“Mine.”
What a relief—and yet, still annoying. “Then I’ll go get the
stuff I just bought for him.” He walked away from her, and he didn’t care if it
was rude or not. The dog, damn him, didn’t give a shit now that he had
Alice-something-or-other fawning all over him.
Reese used his cell to organize the stakeout while bounding up
the steps to his apartment. He took time to clean up Cash’s mess and change into
jeans and a black T-shirt before heading back out front in under ten minutes. He
handed a bag of Cash’s new belongings, including food, a chew toy and a blanket,
to Alice—who still stood out in the yard.
He thanked her, gave the dog a pat and the admonishment to be
good—yeah, right—and got on his way. No matter how tonight rolled out, it was
going to end up an apocalyptic mess. He felt it deep in his bones. Things were
about to implode—for good or bad, he didn’t yet know. Logan was getting in a
little too deep. Maybe he was discovering things better left undiscovered.
Reese would have to keep an eye on him.
And while he was on it, he’d keep an eye on Pepper Yates,
too.
CHAPTER TEN
I
T
WASN
’
T
EASY
, putting on a front and keeping Pepper in the
dark when every instinct Logan had urged him to protect her from what would
happen tonight.
What
he
would instigate.
Despite her brother’s orders, she seemed genuinely happy to see
him. Maybe a little more reserved than usual, but hard to tell when she was
always so introverted.
Except during sex.
He had planned to have her again, to seduce her in whatever way
necessary. But with it all going down tonight, Logan knew he couldn’t do that.
Not to her.
Not again.
To help keep things in check, he’d worn jeans and a T-shirt.
Not much in the way of barriers, but at least he wasn’t deliberately trying to
draw her in.
“Let’s go inside,” she suggested for the fifth time. “It’s hot
out here.”
Normally, Logan would follow her lead. Tonight, he continued to
lean against the railing, staring out at the colorful sky. He needed another
twenty minutes or so to ensure Reese was in position. Damned if he’d miss this
opportunity now that he finally had Rowdy taking the bait.
He hated putting Pepper in this position, caught between
following her brother’s orders and having to lie to him, but it couldn’t be
helped.
“Look at that sunset.” Only a shimmer of sun remained over the
horizon, but it left behind a colorful display that made even warehouses and
factories look good. “Amazing, isn’t it?”
She closed her eyes, uncaring about the beauty of nature when
duty to her brother weighed so heavily on her delicate shoulders. “Yes, very
pretty.”
Logan badly wanted to soothe her, to hold her close and promise
her it would be all right. But he’d lied to her enough already. “You feeling all
right?”
Her eyes snapped open, and she stared at him, flushed—maybe
with guilt.
But…maybe not.
Speculative, Logan surveyed her expression. He’d seen it
before, that heat in her beautiful eyes, in her cheeks. “Sue?”
“I’m…I’m fine.”
Turning, he leaned back on the railing, now watching her
instead of the sunset. “You know how you look?”
She shook her head.
“A little turned on.” And maybe that’d work to his advantage.
Would her physical desire help ease her past her hurt feelings once he took her
brother into custody?
She let out a breath, didn’t deny it and smoothed her hand over
the soft cotton of his T-shirt.
Logan felt the touch everywhere. Emotions clashed.
She had set the boundaries of no sex, but now she wanted to
lure him.
For her goddamned brother.
Covering her hand with his, Logan pulled her around beside him.
Much more of that, and he’d forget himself. At least her touch hadn’t been
against his bare skin.
But with Pepper, no amount of clothes would be enough
deterrent.
He’d thought on it long and hard, and while he still didn’t
know what it was about her specifically that pushed his buttons, it was a
reality all the same.
He wanted her. All the fucking time. More so every damned day.
Hoping he hid it, Logan smiled at her. “Relax, honey.”
She didn’t. If anything, she tensed up more. “Are you…punishing
me, Logan?” She kept her head down, her gaze avoiding his.
What was this about? Punishment? “I don’t know what you
mean.”
“Yes, you do. I put you off, and now you’re paying me back in
kind.”
His determination softened. “That’s what you think?” Yes, it
burned his ass that she’d bow to her brother’s instructions, but he couldn’t
bear seeing that particular look on her face.
To hell with it. He didn’t give a shit if Reese, Rowdy, or both
were watching.
“No.” Logan lifted her chin. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.”
He kissed her with pent-up frustration, tilting his head, sinking his tongue in
to play with hers, consuming her—and pushing himself dangerously close to the
point of no return.
She pulled back, but not far. In a broken whisper, she said,
“
Now
can we go inside? Please?”
He had to remember that this was a game, her brother’s game.
She was only a player.
Keeping her close, Logan looped his arms around her. She was
tall, but so slender. Soft and warm. “Tell me what you want first.”
“You.”
Damn, but that fired his blood. He stared at her mouth, then
down over her body. “That’s a mighty quick turnaround.”
“Quick?” She stared at him. “It’s been days.”
True enough. Knowing she still had to hide from him, Logan
whispered, “All right. Tell me how you want me.”
Beneath the cotton material of her blouse, her chest expanded
with a deep breath. A pulse raced in her pale throat. Her eyelashes
fluttered.
So turned on and so damned appealing.
She glanced around the area, at his empty balcony, the sparse
traffic, the few disinterested pedestrians across the street. Sounding
scandalized, she whispered, “Out here?”
“No one’s listening to us.” At least, he didn’t think anyone
could hear them. But it was feasible her brother had set up an audio device,
same as Logan had done. There were gadgets that amplified sound across space;
Rowdy could be in a building across the street and still hear them.
That possibility disturbed him. “There’s only you and me, Sue.”
Logan watched her. “Right?”
“Yes, but…” Stepping away from him, she smoothed a nervous hand
over the material of her skirt. “You know I like…the dark.”
“So that I can’t see you, I know.” And sooner or later, he’d
find out why. He leaned on the railing, pretending an ease he didn’t feel. “But
you can still talk to me. You can still give me that.”
The way she lifted her chin surprised him. “Okay.” She licked
her bottom lip. “I want to pull your jeans down to your knees, then sit on your
lap.”
The visual nearly leveled Logan. He could so easily picture how
it’d be. Straightening from the railing, he said, “Facing me?”
“Yes.”
He fingered a fold in her skirt. “With this bunched up around
your hips?”
Her breathing deepened. “Yes.”
“Your thighs wide open around me. No panties.” He’d finally be
able to see her legs, maybe stroke her thighs, her hips. He felt the start of
wood and didn’t care. Stepping closer, he whispered, “And me deep inside
you?”
A soft sound of excitement parted her lips, and she nodded.
“Yes.”
He kissed her again. Gentler this time, with apology—although
she wouldn’t know that.
Hugging her close, her head to his shoulder, he wrapped his
arms around her. “I would never want to punish you for doing what you thought
best, Sue.”
“Okay, well then, we could—”
He cut her off. “It’s for that reason, your insistence that we
cool things, that I’d rather we hold off for a while.”
At
least until after your brother is arrested so I can get answers out of
him.
“I want you to be sure—”
“I am,” she rushed to say.
“Shh. I don’t want you to have regrets.”
More
regrets…because he knew she’d be racked with shame after
tonight.
Stillness settled over her. Did she fear he’d caught on to her?
He didn’t want her distressed. He didn’t want her hurt ever again.
“I care about you.”
Believe it, please,
even after I crush you.
Surely enough time had passed for Reese to
get everything in place. “Let’s go in. We’ll watch a movie, talk, and afterward,
if you feel the same, then believe me, I’m game.”
He saw that she wanted to argue, but mostly she wanted him off
the balcony.
Conflicting emotions passed over her features—worry, shame,
need…and finally an expression of iron will. “Okay.”
So often she took him by surprise. That particular look was a
new one for her. He imagined it took a lot of strength to have survived the
harsh life she’d led with Rowdy Yates, to do the things her brother coerced her
into doing.
Like deceiving him.
Logan’s reasons for going after Rowdy added up by the
second.
“I won’t change my mind,” Pepper assured him.
Forcing a smile, Logan said, “I’m glad.” He hoped she felt the
same in the morning, but he didn’t kid himself. It was going to take a lot of
finesse on his part to appease her after all his deceptions.
No matter how long it took, he wouldn’t give up on her.
* * *
W
ATCHING
L
OGAN
LEAD
his sister into the apartment left Rowdy incandescent with fury. That was no
friendly peck he’d just witnessed. For a heart-stopping moment, he feared Logan
would take Pepper right there on the goddamned balcony.
Son-of-a-bitch.
Rowdy almost threw the binoculars, but instead, he tossed them
through the driver’s side window and into the front seat of his car.
On the one hand, he wanted to take Logan apart for daring to
get so familiar.
On the other…he had grudging optimism that maybe his sister had
found something real. He hoped he wouldn’t discover anything incriminating in
Logan’s apartment. He hoped his sister wasn’t being used.
But he didn’t trust hope and never had. Long ago he’d learned
that was a fool’s game.
He hadn’t survived by being a fool.
Leaving his locked car in the designated spot down the street
from the apartment building, he put on his hat and started walking. Tension
crawled into every muscle until he couldn’t ignore it.
Something felt off. Wrong, in a big way.
If it wasn’t for Pepper, he’d go with his gut and put off this
little search for another night. But even as he scanned the area, studying every
shadow and leaving his senses open to all threats, Rowdy had to face the fact
that Pepper was in her apartment—with Logan Stark—because that’s what he’d asked
her to do.
He owed her closure on this. Asking her to go through it all
again at a later date would be grossly unfair.
Pausing in the building across from the apartment, he watched
the facade, the light coming from Pepper’s sliding doors, the dark beyond
Logan’s. The fine hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end. Two young ladies
came down the walkway, talking quietly, laughing. They paused when they saw him.
One smiled, the other gave him a blatant once-over.
In no mood for feminine attention, Rowdy nodded. “Ladies.” They
strode on but not without a few glances back at him.
Several cars drove past, then a bus. He continued to wait,
every few seconds checking the lights and shadows, looking for anything that
didn’t belong. The sun sank completely and streetlamps flickered on.
It was almost too still.
But if he delayed any longer, he ran the risk of Logan
returning to his apartment.
Mind made up, Rowdy crossed the street. Not in a rush, but not
with any real caution, either. He needed to blend in. Just a passerby. Nothing
more, and nothing less.
Both Pepper and Logan had apartments on the second floor, side
by side. He’d placed Pepper in that particular apartment because a large tree
that grew too close to the building made it possible to sneak out the small
bathroom window if it became necessary.
It also made it possible for Rowdy to sneak in undetected.
Sure, he had a key…but going in the front door would leave him
too exposed. If anyone saw him, he could be recognized—as Pepper’s brother.
Never would he risk that.
Reaching Logan’s window could get dicey, but he’d figure it
out.
By design, the security lights didn’t reach the side yard, and
the tree helped to conceal his movements as he climbed. Years ago, when he and
Pepper had been river rats, they’d climb trees all the time. Sometimes, in
summer weather, he’d tie a rope up high and they’d swing out to drop into the
cold river water.
Other times, they’d sit up in a tree for hours, and he’d talk
with her, keeping her out of the trailer when their mom or dad had drunk too
much. Usually his folks just got stupid with drink.
But occasionally they had gotten mean.
Shaking off those disturbing memories, Rowdy ventured out onto
a sturdy branch. Like riding a bike, it was a learned trait, once ingrained,
never forgotten. It took some maneuvering, but he jimmied open the window. Even
more difficult was fitting his frame through the opening. Pepper with her
narrower shoulders and hips wouldn’t have the same difficulty.
After dropping into the dark room, he paused to listen. He
heard nothing, so he left his hat on the bathroom counter and pulled out the
penlight to start his inspection. He checked the medicine cabinet. Any
prescribed meds would have a name on the label—but he found none, just the usual
OTC stuff, enough to look as though Logan truly lived there. A razor, a
toothbrush…okay, so the guy had settled in long-term. That proved nothing.
Rowdy crept through the apartment. Because he’d lived on the
edge, he knew how to cover his tracks. Without a trace of his presence, he went
through the bedroom and back out again. No drawers were left askew, not even a
shift in the blankets on the unmade bed.
He didn’t find anything.
Both relieved and frustrated, he saved the living room for
last. Standing in the middle of the floor, he looked around, orienting himself
to the shadows, the placement of furniture and lamps. He could hear noise from
Pepper’s apartment next door—the sound of the television, occasional
conversation.
The closet held nothing out of the ordinary. That in itself was
a little strange. Most people stored stuff in the closets. There was no box of
photos, no unused sports equipment. Nothing much at all, other than a
lightweight jacket and a spare pair of sneakers.
Disturbed by that, Rowdy opened up the desk. Typical bills,
checkbook, mail. All the props necessary to pull off a cover—or to actually
occupy a place.