Pepper noticed the opened patio doors when she emerged. She
looked at the couch again, found it empty and smirked.
Still without jeans, she came to the table and dropped into a
chair. Head propped on a fist, she indicated the extra coffee mug. “Mine?”
Dash smiled at her. “Let me know if it’s okay.”
She sipped, sighed dramatically and said, “Perfection.
Thanks.”
Even after Dash nudged him, Logan couldn’t stop staring at her.
He hated it, the way she made him feel so fucking…lost. He was a man who liked
to act, not wallow in indecision and confusion. He knew right from wrong, and he
enforced it. He went after what he wanted, whether it was a woman or a criminal,
physical or emotional.
With Pepper, he didn’t have a clue what to do.
Reese came in, saw her at the table, and sidetracked to the
couch to get his pants. “Please tell me there’s coffee left.”
“Logan made a whole pot. Mugs are over the stove.” Dash nodded
toward the kitchen. “I can put on more after we go through it.”
“Thanks.” Reese folded his blankets and put those with his
pillow back in the closet before heading into the kitchen.
Pepper stared at the couch he’d just vacated, then turned to
Dash. “Make your bed already?”
“Uh…” He shrugged. “Yeah.”
She rolled her eyes at Logan. “I know you already did.”
“Yes. But don’t worry about—”
“Be right back.” She scraped back her chair and disappeared
into her room.
Reese came to the table with a cup of black coffee and a
package of cookies. Minutes later when Pepper returned, he silently offered them
to her.
She took two.
For some reason, even that turned him on. Shit. Logan turned to
look out the window. Thick fog lifted off the lake, visible through the gray
dawn. In another hour, the heat and humidity would be suffocating.
The table squeaked, and he turned to see Pepper carrying her
cookies and coffee out to the deck.
“If Rowdy calls,” he said to Dash and Reese, “let me know.” He
went after her.
Watching the sun creep over the hills, she sat on a dew-wet
bench and sipped her coffee. The sunrise cut through the fog with blinding
force, reflecting off the lake like colored glass.
Fuck it, Logan decided. He sat close beside her. “Did you get
any sleep?”
“Not really, no.” She sipped her coffee and, voice thick, said,
“I might take a nap on the dock today.”
“It’ll probably hit ninety.”
“I know.” As if a thousand conflicts didn’t exist between them,
she smiled. “I always loved being outside. Even when the heat would chase
everyone into the air-conditioning, I’d stay out and swim. Rowdy would harp at
me about too much sun. Every time I turned around, he was trying to drag me into
the shade. But it usually ended with him joining me.”
Not touching her cost Logan. It was like holding his breath or
going hungry. “He loves you a lot.”
Her gaze drifted off to the lake. “The sunrise on the river is
something to see, too. It colored our old rusted trailer and the carcasses of
abandoned cars until they almost looked pretty.” She closed her eyes and put her
face up to the sun. “That was the best time to fish—before anyone else got up.
Near shore, you could see to the bottom. I learned to clean and cook fish when I
was about seven.”
“That’s awfully young.”
She opened her eyes. “Sometimes we even had fish for
breakfast.”
Because she had nothing else? He couldn’t bear imagining her in
that type of poverty. The people he knew who lived on the river did so in
extravagant condos or ostentatious homes. “Rowdy taught you?”
“He taught me…everything.” She nibbled on a cookie. “He hasn’t
called?”
“Not yet, no. But it’s only seven.” How the hell had she
disguised that body? How had she hidden that face? Seeing her now, with the
morning sun in her eyes, she was the most beautiful woman he could imagine. “Try
not to worry. It really hasn’t been that long.”
“It’s weird,” she said. “But I think I’d know if he was hurt.
Or maybe I just tell myself that, so I don’t go nuts worrying.”
Almost on cue, the cell in the house rang. Pepper and Logan
both turned as Dash stepped out to hand Logan the phone. “It’s Rowdy.” And then
to Pepper, “He says he’s fine.”
Pepper let out a breath and nodded. “Of course he is. Thank
you.”
Dash didn’t intrude. He immediately went back inside but left
the patio door open to let in the cooler morning air.
Logan looked at Pepper, saw the anxiety she tried so hard to
veil and made up his mind. He handed the phone to her. “I’ll talk to him after
you.”
Something shifted in her expression—surprise, maybe gratitude,
although she didn’t thank him. She took the phone. “Hey, Rowdy.”
* * *
R
OWDY
SMILED
while keeping watch out the window. “You didn’t cut Logan’s
throat just to get the phone first, did you?”
“He gave it to me.”
“Ah, did he now?” She sounded surprised and secretly pleased.
“Wising up, is he?”
“I don’t know.”
Yeah, he didn’t really know, either, but he was glad that she
stayed cautious. Logan might have good intentions, but in reality, the best
intentions could prove deadly.
As he looked on, officials went in and out of Checkers, a few
in plain clothes, others in uniforms. “I might have some good news.”
“I could use some.”
“I heard that Morton is dead.”
A long beat of silence preceded her soft exclamation of “Wow.”
And then: “So the bomb got him?”
“That’s what I’m told.” It had gotten a few other people, too,
but Rowdy didn’t want to go into that with Pepper just yet. “We might not have
to worry about him anymore, but until I figure out who detonated the bastard, I
want you to stay put, okay?”
“We can’t hide forever.”
“We can hide a little longer, though, so promise me.”
The smile sounded in her voice when she said, “Do what you need
to do, and then come get me. I’ll be here, I promise.”
“Thanks, hon.” Better to get this over with. “Now put Logan
on.”
“Love you.”
He knew it, but he never tired of hearing it. “Love you,
too.”
A few seconds later, Logan said, “Morton’s gone?”
So he picked right up on that? “That’s the word on the street.
Just dumb luck on his part, though. I don’t know who yet, but someone dropped a
shitty little homemade bomb into his office. Two inch pipe, gunpowder—and plenty
of sharp projectiles. And get this—I’m told it exploded in his face.”
Logan gave a low whistle. “That’d make a convenient mess.”
Exactly what he’d been thinking. “He died a couple hours after
getting to the hospital.”
“I’d rather have him rotting in jail.”
Rowdy didn’t care one way or the other, as long as the bastard
was gone.
But…death by bomb would work for him. Except that, with all of
Morton’s minions around, why would he get anywhere near a bomb? “Will you be
able to do your thing, check fingerprints, get a coroner’s statement or
something? I want it confirmed that it’s Morton.”
“The medical examiner’s office will want the coroner to send
the body for an autopsy. I’ll check on it first thing. Anything else?”
“Morton wasn’t the only one to die.”
There was a beat of silence, then Logan asked, “Who else?”
“No one innocent, so don’t worry about that. The short version
is that Morton was trying his hand at human trafficking. A rep was there to
cement the deal when shit went sideways. After the bomb, the guy fled the
building, and bit a sniper bullet on his way out the door.”
“So that guy dodged the bomb somehow, but died anyway?”
“The plot thickens, right?” Rowdy kept watch on the club while
making his way back to his car. “Reese still there?”
“He’s heading out today.”
“Will you be able to stay with Pepper?”
“I’ll have to leave for a while, but Dash will watch over
her.”
“You don’t leave until Reese is gone.” Rowdy got behind the
wheel and started the old sedan he’d kept hidden at the same place where he’d
stowed other necessities for Pepper. “And make damn sure Dash understands—”
“That you don’t trust Reese. I’ll tell him. But it’s not
necessary.”
“Gamble with your own life if you want, but not with my
sister’s.”
“I take it you do trust Dash?”
Other than Pepper, Rowdy didn’t completely trust anyone, but…
“He’s your brother.”
“And that says it all?”
“No, but being a brother myself, I assume he cares for you.”
Dysfunctional families existed, but in his gut, he sensed that Dash and Logan
were close.
“Yes.”
“And you care for her.” More volatile by the second, Rowdy
waited for confirmation.
He didn’t have to wait long.
With a gruff edge to his tone, Logan admitted, “I care.”
“Good.” Now that he was away from the club, Rowdy moved on to
other matters. “Speaking of my sister, how is she really?”
A long pause.
“I’m guessing she’s still there with you?” Listening in,
drawing conclusions and maybe mooning over Logan—though she’d never admit
it.
“No. She went in for more coffee.”
Ah. That made Rowdy smile. Pepper did love her coffee in the
morning. “Then why the suspense?”
As if goaded, Logan groused in reply, “You already know there
are personal issues between us.”
Personal? Rowdy winced. He really didn’t want to think about
that too much. “All right, I’ll let that one go.” After all, they had company in
the house, so he didn’t have to worry about Logan using her. “Just know that
she’s a lot more sensitive than you might imagine.”
“She hides it well,” Logan said, “but, yes, she’s plenty
sensitive.”
And if Pepper heard that, she’d annihilate them both. “I know
some people who were dealing with Morton on drugs and guns. I’m going to track
them down for a little chat.”
“Meet someplace neutral. Don’t get drawn into a trap by going
to—”
“Save the advice, Logan. This isn’t my first rodeo.” In many
ways, he and Logan were alike—both take-charge and proactive. “I’ll let you know
if I find out anything.”
“Fine, but remember that you’re to touch base with me before
acting.”
Yeah, right. He’d been on his own far too long to start asking
permission before doing what he considered right. “If possible—maybe.” Rowdy
disconnected the call before Logan could get up in arms about that.
He didn’t bother to tell Logan that after he talked to his
sources, he intended to do a little investigation into Lieutenant Peterson
and
Detective Reese Bareden.
For the foreseeable future, they were both on his do-not-trust
list. Until he felt confident that they were honorable, he’d keep digging for
the truth.
Someone was running a game; eventually, he’d find out who, and
then he’d handle it. It was time to put the past to rest—once and for all.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
T
HE
SECOND
HE
STEPPED
back into the house, Logan zeroed in on
Pepper in the kitchen talking with Dash. By the concentrated look on her face
and the pained look on Dash’s, he knew she was interrogating his brother.
It made Logan nuts that she wore only that damned revealing,
sexy T-shirt—but he could just imagine how it’d go over if he tried to dictate
modesty to her.
He thought of himself as a perceptive man, but she’d really
pulled one over on him. He’d bought her shy maiden act hook, line and sinker.
Hell, he’d fallen for the shy maiden.
But this persona, the independent and volatile hellcat…yeah,
that was even more tempting. With her body, face and “screw you” attitude,
Pepper Yates personified every male fantasy. She was a woman comfortable in her
own skin, a woman unconcerned with decorum.
His brother and Reese were both honorable guys. That didn’t
stop them from being affected by her in-your-face sex appeal, but it did stop
them from acting on it.
Speaking of affected…
The chillier morning air left her nipples pebble-hard,
noticeable beneath the soft cotton tee. Dash went nearly cross-eyed with the
effort to keep from eyeballing her body.
Reese, being less discerning, didn’t bother with any effort: he
openly studied her chest and her every on-display curve.
Not that Pepper seemed to care, or even notice. Her dislike and
mistrust of Reese was even more pronounced than Rowdy’s.
How could he dismiss that? They weren’t fools; they’d survived
by being sharp, by noticing things that others might not.
Logan set his coffee cup on the table. “Dash?”
Grateful for an excuse to escape, Dash pulled his attention
away from Pepper. “Yeah?”
“I need you for a minute.”
“Yeah, sure thing, Logan. No problem.” After one last unwilling
peek at Pepper, Dash skirted her and the table and came to Logan with a mixed
expression of relief and guilt. “What’s up?”
“In private.” Logan caught Reese’s eye, and Reese, the ass,
said, “Never fear. I’m nothing if not vigilant. Not that I expect her to attempt
an escape in that getup.” He smiled. “At the very least, she’d need…shoes.”
That set off Pepper enough that she left them all, going into
the bathroom and shutting the door.
As if that had been his end goal all along, Reese smiled with
satisfaction and lifted his coffee cup in a salute. “There you go.”
Logan couldn’t really say anything to Reese without Pepper
overhearing, but he shared a look of warning. “I’ll be ready to get out of here
in ten minutes.”
“Good.” Reese ran a palm along his jaw. “I need to go to my
apartment to shave and change clothes before heading into the station.”
Knowing his brother would follow, Logan went into his bedroom.
The walls here were sturdy, but still he kept his voice low. “I don’t know how
long I’ll be gone today, but don’t let her out of your sight.”
“God Almighty, Logan, that’s going to be tough.” One hand in
his hair, Dash dropped to sit on the bed. He pinned Logan with a desperate look.
“What if she skinny-dips again? In broad daylight? I already saw too much last
night, you know, even when I was trying not to, but—”
“You looked?”
Dash grinned. “It was shadowy, but you know how it is. A naked
woman just sort of draws my eye.”
Damn it. His Lothario brother would have to learn to avert his
gaze. “I’ll talk to her before I leave.”
Dash gave a mocking laugh. “Yeah, right, good luck with
that.”
“I don’t need luck. I need leverage—and I have it.” He had to
make sure Dash understood. “Pepper is unpredictable. Everything I thought I
knew—”
“Yeah. From what Reese said, she did a major about-face on you,
huh?”
“Not entirely.” There were many facets to Pepper Yates.
Sensitive, as Rowdy claimed. Also proud and independent. Cautious out of
necessity, but also bighearted.
Deep down, he believed her to be the same person he’d connected
with. And there had been a definite connection. He realized it, and sooner or
later she would, too.
“Be as nice as you can be, but if that doesn’t work, if she
tries to leave or get out of your sight…” Logan hated to think it, much less say
it, but he had no choice. “Do what you have to do.”
That stalled Dash. “You mean…like
restrain
her?”
Logan pulled on his shirt. “
Without
hurting her.” If only he could stay…
“Damn, make this a little more challenging, why don’t you?”
Temper breaking, Logan barked, “Can you do it or not?”
“Yeah, I can. Somehow I’ll figure it out.” Dash stretched as if
he didn’t have a care. “You don’t actually think she’ll try to run off, do you?
I mean, where would she go? On foot, it’d take her over an hour just to get to
town.”
Logan found his shoes and sat beside Dash to pull them on. He
had one irrefutable fact on his side. “She’s here because this is where her
brother wants her to be.”
“You’re saying for him, she’ll stay put?”
Praying he was right, Logan gave one firm nod. “But keep an eye
on her just to be extra safe.”
“Got it covered. Anything else?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck but couldn’t put it off
any longer. “Rowdy doesn’t trust Reese. I promised him that I wouldn’t leave
Pepper alone with him, so—”
“Fuck me sideways.” Incredulous, Dash half turned to glare at
Logan. “Let me get this straight. While you’re gone for this indeterminate
amount of time today, I might have to wrangle with a naked woman—”
“No!”
“—while fending off a partner you’ve trusted for years?” Dash
lifted a brow. “Am I to make sure I don’t hurt Reese, either?”
Rather than let Dash continue annoying him, Logan took the
question seriously. They
had
been friends for years,
and it felt traitorous, but Rowdy’s concern chipped away at his trust in Reese.
“I can’t see it happening, but if he gets out of line, then do whatever you have
to.”
Mimicking Logan’s mood, Dash sobered. “C’mon, Logan. You don’t
seriously think Reese would hurt her?”
“No.” He didn’t want to think it. “But I can’t ignore Rowdy’s
gut feeling, either. He says Reese is hiding something.” And given Rowdy’s
street smarts, he had to respect his instincts.
Dash waited.
“The more I think about it, the more I…agree. Until I know
what’s going on, I’m not taking any chances.”
Done dressing, he stuffed his wallet into his pocket, grabbed
up his keys and left the bedroom.
Pepper came out of her room at almost the same time. Tendrils
of damp hair clung to her face, so she must’ve washed up.
She looked at him and lifted her chin. “I used your mouthwash,
but I need a toothbrush.”
That stalled Logan.
Dash moved around them, opened the hall closet, and offered a
new-in-the-package toothbrush. “Here you go.”
She accepted it with an offhand “Thanks,” then thrust a paper
toward Logan. “I have a list.”
“A list?” He looked at the paper.
“Of things that I need you to pick up for me.” She leaned
against the hallway wall, arms crossed, watching him.
Condoms were listed as number one.
So she hadn’t changed her mind about that? She waited for his
reaction.
He nodded and went back to the list.
Bathing suit, size six; a certain type of lotion, shampoo and
conditioner; sunglasses; running shoes…
Dash started to look over his shoulder, so Logan folded the
note and put it in his pocket. “If you think of anything else, call me on the
cell Rowdy gave me. You have the number.”
“How long will you be?”
“Let’s talk about that.” To Reese, who still waited in the
kitchen, he said, “Give us just a minute.” He took Pepper’s hand and urged her
out the side door toward the truck.
As soon as they were out of sight of the others, she pulled
away.
“Pepper.” With a hand on her shoulder, Logan stopped her from
stalking ahead of him. She could and would be as pissed as she wanted, but he
wouldn’t let her take any risks. “It could be late before I get back.”
Something close to uncertainty passed over her features. “But
you will be back?”
Oh, God, what did she think? That he’d leave her? “As soon as
humanly possible.” With condoms on her list, could she have any doubt about
that? “How long it takes will depend on what’s happening at work. You know about
Morton, so you can imagine all the follow-up I’ll have.” Like seeing the body
himself, to determine if it was in fact Morton Andrews. He’d studied that scum
for so long, he knew every tattoo, every scar and flaw on his body.
Andrews could maybe fool others, but he wouldn’t fool
Logan.
“You have other cases?”
“Usually, but not right now.” It was a sore subject for her,
but that didn’t change the facts. “My work against Morton took precedence. As
the lead on a small task force, I’ll be able to dedicate my time to that.”
She nodded in understanding. “I’m glad Morton’s gone, but now
we need to know who’s responsible.”
If
Morton was gone. He’d have it
confirmed beyond Rowdy’s street sources. “I’ll be looking into it, and so will
your brother. We’ll get it sorted out.”
“Okay then.” She hugged her arms around herself. “You don’t
need to worry about me, you know. I can entertain myself while you’re gone.”
A perfect opening. He tipped up her chin so he could snag her
gaze. “It’s how you entertain yourself that concerns me.”
Immediately, she dropped her arms and copped an attitude. “Is
that so?”
Even smug, she looked so beautiful to him. Logan stepped a
little closer to her and said succinctly, “No skinny-dipping.”
“Until you get back with a swimsuit—”
“You’ll swim in shorts and a T-shirt, minimum.”
Her anger flared. “You don’t—”
“And,”
he said, interrupting her,
“you won’t even think about giving Dash a hard time. Don’t let his attitude fool
you. He can be ruthless, and he will be if you test him.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Spell it out for me, Detective. What
exactly will your baby brother do if I don’t toe the line?”
“You don’t have to toe the line. You have to be reasonable.”
She started to debate the point, but Logan spoke over her. “I know you’re
furious with me.”
And hurt,
but he wouldn’t say
that. “I understand.”
“You do, huh?”
“You’re entitled. No problem.” More gently, he added, “I hope
we can eventually work through that—”
She snorted.
Locking his back teeth, Logan sought long-lost patience. “You
need to understand that my brother is just helping out. He’s not me, Pepper.
It’s unfair to put him in the middle by deliberately making him uncomfortable.
And if you push too much, if you deliberately provoke him, you’ll find that he’s
more than capable.”
Logan realized that he could be blowing his chance at a repeat
performance in the sack. But this was important, so he’d do it anyway.
“News flash, Detective. I’ve been dealing with the king of
difficult brothers for most of my life. Dash doesn’t scare me.”
A smile almost got him. “I know.” Before she knew his intent,
he stroked her jaw. “But you’ll behave all the same.”
“Or what?”
“Or I won’t keep you in touch with your brother.”
That took her back a step.
His hand fell. Her expression was so wounded, so accusing, that
it cut him. “No, honey, I’m not saying I’d let your brother be hurt.”
“Ha!”
“But he’ll be checking in often.” He searched her face. “To
me.”
Realization dawned in her expressive eyes. “And you’ll withhold
info from me if I’m not playing nice?”
Spelled out, it sounded even worse. “Something like that.”
“Jerk.”
“I know.” God, what he’d give if things could be different.
“Look at it this way. You need to be here—”
“Where would I go, Logan?” Arms spread wide, she turned a
circle. “We’re in the middle of freaking nowhere!”
“True. But it hasn’t escaped my notice just how ingenious you
and your brother can be.”
That flash-fire temper of hers faded until her mouth quirked.
“Oh, my God, you think I’m Houdini? You think I can somehow arrange for an
airlift? What am I, a damned ninja?”
“No, but you are incredibly sexy, and you’re out for
payback—”
“Get over yourself!”
“And that’s fine,” he continued. “Heap all the anger on me that
you want. I deserve it.”
“Something we agree on.”
His own temper edged up there. “Dash does not.”
Reese stuck his head out the door. “Can you two resolve the
most immediate issues so that we can get on the road?”
“You’re leaving now,” Pepper said. “
Both
of you.” And then lower, to Logan, “Don’t sweat it, Detective.
Baby brother will be safe from my evil clutches.”
She started to storm off, but Logan stopped her again, this
time with a single, soft apology. “I’m sorry.”
She stopped, faltering a moment, her back still to him.
Logan moved closer. “I’m going to keep saying it until you
believe it.”
“Damn it,”
she muttered low. She
breathed harder, then suddenly turned around and grabbed his face.
Her kiss was so hot and deep that he almost forgot where they
were and that he was about to leave.
Slowly she eased away. “Oh, I believe it, Logan,” she said
against his mouth. “But it doesn’t matter enough. Yet.”
He watched her walk away, her ass looking very fine beneath the
T-shirt, her shoulders back with stubborn pride. It took Reese snagging his arm
and drawing him away to finally get him to the truck. He turned to watch as Dash
held the door open for Pepper, then waved them off and followed her in.
With no reason left for lingering, he got behind the wheel and
turned the truck around to leave.