He practically heard Rowdy gathering himself before he finally
said, “Morton tried blackmail.”
“Against who?”
“The traffickers. He said he had cops on his payroll, and on a
whim, he could bring the force of the law against anyone on his shit list.”
“Why would he do that?”
“He wanted his supply dirt cheap, but that was a no-go. He got
threatened in return, and he found out the trafficker has his own considerable
means of retribution. For a lot of people, that sheds suspicion on his timely
death.”
“It’d be good motivation to fake it.” If Andrews was believed
dead, the traffickers would forget about revenge—and then Andrews could strike
against them first.
“The theory is that Morton would get his shipment free, and
maybe even try to take over the business. The two were battling for the rights
to buy and sell women…” Rowdy sucked in several tight breaths. “Honest to God, I
might have to slug him a few more times.”
Recognizing that as less volatile bluster, Logan asked, “He’ll
live?”
“Unfortunately.”
It was easy enough to understand Rowdy’s rage. Any good man
would feel the same. Any man who’d ever loved a woman would be especially
outraged at the idea of trafficking.
Glancing over at Pepper, Logan found her on her knees, her
hands resting on her thighs, her blond hair curled down and around her breasts.
Jesus, she twisted him up inside.
He turned his back on her and dropped his voice. “You know I’m
not going to let anything happen to her, right?”
“So you’ve said.”
“You have my word.” He’d die before he let anyone, especially
anyone as corrupt as Morton Andrews or a flesh peddler, get anywhere near
Pepper.
“Some things are out of your control.”
“No, not this. Not ever.”
Rowdy took that in, then murmured, “I appreciate that.”
“The same goes for you, Rowdy.”
“Whoa. What the fuck does that mean?”
Turning back to Pepper, staring into her beautiful light brown
eyes, he said, “I don’t want there to be any fallback on you, either.”
“Forget that shit.” He snorted. “I don’t need a damned
babysitter. Just concentrate on keeping my sister in the clear.”
No, Rowdy didn’t need a babysitter—but he needed a friend. And
he needed a real life. “Everything your sister deserves, you deserve, as well.”
Before Rowdy could get insulted over a perceived slight on his ability, Logan
added, “Think how happy it’d make your sister to know you were safely settled
somewhere, with no reason to look over your shoulder.”
It amazed Logan, but big tears filled her eyes. They didn’t
fall. She didn’t sniff or make a big deal of the emotional vulnerability.
The tiniest, most endearing smile lifted the corners of her
mouth.
Logan knew he was in it for the long haul, and he knew how
important Rowdy was to her. But even if he’d never met Pepper, he’d feel the
same. Rowdy was a good man who’d never been given a break.
In another whisper, Rowdy said, “I hate it that she worries
about me.”
“Let’s stop giving her reason to, okay?” Logan walked over and
stroked Pepper’s hair. Before it all ended, he’d make it right for them
both.
“First things first. You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
Right. He had to determine if Andrews was dead or alive, and
now he had traffickers to deal with, as well. He needed to take Rowdy out of the
equation—which wouldn’t be easy while Rowdy kept a bludgeoned perp on hand.
Logan gave it quick thought and came up with a viable solution.
“Here’s what we’ll do.”
* * *
P
EPPER
LISTENED
as Logan made note of the information
against Morton. Not once did he question the facts Rowdy gave him.
He trusted her brother.
That made him smart and intuitive—on top of being hot in the
sack.
“Does he know who you are? Good. You haven’t used any names,
either, so he can’t connect any of us to this. Do you think you can leave him
tied up somewhere secure so no one else will find him? Not for good, but until
we give the cops an anonymous tip about where he’s at. No, not just any cop.
Reese.” Wonderfully naked, Logan continued to pace the limited space in the
bedroom. “I know how you feel about him, but he’s the only cop I trust to do
this. Once Reese takes the guy in, it shouldn’t be difficult to link him to the
dead trafficker, especially with the info we’ll share in the tip. That’ll give
us reason enough to hold him.”
A little awed, Pepper realized that Logan wanted to protect
Rowdy. Other than her, who had ever done that?
No one.
Her brother would be the first to say he didn’t need
protection. In fact, he’d deny it with his dying breath.
But for so long now, he’d stood alone against the world, a
barrier between her and every bad thing that could ever have happened. He slept
around a lot, and even though she harassed him about it, she understood.
It was the only comfort he ever got.
More tears burned her eyes; her heartfelt sigh drew Logan’s
attention. Frowning in concentration, he listened to Rowdy while studying
her.
Her body, but also her face. Especially her eyes. She had the
feeling Logan wanted to decipher her, her moods and her vendetta against him
and…everything that concerned her. She hadn’t made it easy on him. But maybe
that should change.
By championing her brother, he’d just stolen a small piece of
her heart.
“Yeah,” Logan said while watching her. “Reese will have to take
him in, but Peterson will oversee things. No, she won’t have him killed.” He
rolled his eyes. “No, she won’t. Even if she was inclined to do that, and I’m
not convinced she would be, there are still too many loose ends for her to try
it.” He listened a moment, then shook his head. “
No,
you can’t just kill him yourself.”
That outrageous statement made her grin. So Rowdy blustered,
and Logan bought into it? Or was that just men being men, letting each other
save face?
Not that she cared much what happened to the snitch. He’d been
in on selling women, working with Morton, and he’d tried to gang up with others
to hurt her brother. Far as she was concerned, he had three major strikes
against him.
But as she’d told Logan, Rowdy wasn’t a murderer.
“Look at it this way. The guy will probably try to bargain, and
he’ll give up his boss.”
And women would be saved. Pepper softened more.
Rowdy must have agreed, because Logan nodded. “Fine. Leave him
hobbled until the morning. It’s no skin off my nose. I don’t give a damn if he
suffers a little. But, Rowdy, don’t do any serious damage to him. I mean
it.”
Again drawing Logan’s attention, Pepper moved to the top of the
bed and leaned against the headboard, getting comfortable. He evaluated her new
position with interest.
“Sure, you can call Reese yourself if that’s how you want to
handle it. Just know that I’ll be calling him, too.” He listened, shook his
head. “It’s not up for negotiation, so just deal with it.”
Two such controlling men, Pepper thought. Knowing they
respected each other left an unfamiliar tightness in her chest.
“Rowdy, before you go…” Logan hesitated, then said, “You did
good with this. Thank you.”
And there went the last of her reservations. Damn it. How could
she hold on to her hurt feelings still?
Logan closed the phone but didn’t join her on the bed.
Without righteousness to fuel her brazenness, she felt a little
shy. “You need to call Reese?”
“In a minute.” He folded his arms and regarded her. “Your
brother wants to talk to him first.”
More than a little aware of her own nakedness, she struggled
against the urge to get under the covers. “You’re okay with that?”
He shrugged. “If that makes Rowdy feel better about things,
then I don’t see the harm. They can figure out a good place to leave the snitch
before Reese picks him up.”
“You trust Reese, don’t you?” Just as he couldn’t discount her
brother’s misgivings, she couldn’t discount Logan’s judgment.
“Ultimately, I do, yes.”
“But you’re not willing to ignore Rowdy’s concern?”
“How could I? He knows what he’s doing.”
The space between them got to her, and she patted the mattress
beside her.
Gaze contemplative, Logan unfolded his arms and approached. He
stopped at the side of the bed. “I’d like for you to stay here with me. In the
bed.” He reached out and fingered a lock of her hair. “Sleep with me.”
Being truthful, she said, “I’m pretty zoned. I’m not sure I’ll
be up for anything other than sleeping.”
“I don’t need anything else.” He sat on the side of the bed and
cupped his hand around her skull. “I want to hold you, Pepper. All night. Not to
get too poetic, but I want to feel your heart beating, breathe in your scent
and…just touch you.”
Her heart melted.
Brushing his thumb over the corner of her mouth, he said, “Stay
here with me tonight.”
Something new and different and wonderful blossomed inside her.
She needed to lighten the mood or she’d soon be an emotional mess. “If I snore,
no complaining in the morning.”
Recognizing her acquiescence, his grin came slow and easy.
“Give me ten more minutes to make sure Rowdy and Reese have worked out the
details, and then we can make it an early night.”
Yeah, that worked for her. No reason to go face-to-face with
Dash after what he’d probably just heard. Besides, Logan looked as exhausted as
she felt. “Same here,” she said around a yawn. “Until then, why don’t you fill
me in on what Rowdy had to say.”
He did, and soon after that, they both fell asleep.
Logan forgot all about calling Reese.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
R
EESE
SAT
ON
HIS
COUCH
, his feet
propped on the coffee table, a can of beer at his elbow and his dog sprawled
over his lap. A sports program played on the TV, but he wasn’t really paying
attention.
Cash’s fur was sleek and soft—because Alice had given him a
bath and brushed him. For some absurd reason, that really got to him.
He could almost picture it, her gentleness, that soft way she
spoke…
Great. Instead of putting his brain power to the mystery
surrounding Morton Andrews, he was daydreaming about a woman’s voice.
Pathetic.
He looked down at the dog and found Cash looking back. That
made him grin. “You’re thinking of her, too, aren’t you?”
The dog’s tail started thumping in excitement. He lifted his
head in expectation.
“No, we can’t go bother her right now. But I know she likes you
a lot, too.” He tipped up his beer for a deep drink and muttered, “Me, she’s
keeping at a distance. I’m going to have to do something about that, but I don’t
want to screw up our arrangement with you.”
Cash’s eyebrows raised and lowered; he tipped his head.
Reese laughed. When his cell rang, the laugh almost changed to
a groan. Sitting forward, he snagged it off the end table. “I just got
comfortable, damn it.”
Assuming it must be Logan with another glitch, he answered.
But it wasn’t Logan, and it was a hell of a lot worse than he’d
expected.
He could only juggle the issues and players for so long before
everything crashed down around him.
And with every day, the crash seemed more imminent.
* * *
A
S
SOON
AS
L
OGAN
got to work the next day, Reese pulled him aside in
the hallway. He looked haggard, tired and itching for a fight.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
Logan studied Reese. “I take it you got the anonymous tip?”
“Not funny, damn it!” A uniformed cop glanced their way, and
Reese, with a strangled breath, tried to rein in his temper. “He’s here, but
Jesus, man, how do you expect me to fix this?”
Fix it? Is that what Reese thought? That he expected him to
find some magical solution to the mess? Not likely.
In fact, he’d already realized that he owed Reese an apology.
“I shouldn’t have pulled you into the middle of this.”
Reese drew back. “What?”
“I was trying to figure out how to keep Rowdy out of it and
still use the information we got. But I shouldn’t have put you in that position.
It’s not you—”
“Fuck that!” Reese crowded in close, nose to nose, eyes
burning. “I’m not talking about involving me, damn it. I’m your partner. I’ve
got your back, no matter what.”
Narrowing his eyes, Logan said softly, but with ultimate
command, “Step back.”
Reese heaved, searched his face, and then with another rank
curse, he turned away. Logan watched him rub his neck, saw his spiraling
frustration.
Something was going on with Reese, and he’d had enough of
subterfuge. “Now might be a good time to come clean.”
Reese laughed, turned to look at him, and laughed again. “You
know the guy was roughed up pretty bad. Broken nose, black eyes, even a damned
broken finger.”
Logan just waited.
“I had to turn him over to Peterson. She’s in there now, jawing
at him, stepping in where she doesn’t belong.”
Doesn’t belong? “She’s the lieutenant.”
“And it’s your case. But from the get-go, she’s been in it up
to her stubborn chin. Micro-managing, snooping—”
Snooping? “What the hell is wrong with you? Peterson wants to
clean up the corruption, that’s all. You know she’s always been a hands-on
lieutenant.” Her determination to stay involved and on the street hadn’t won her
any favors in the force, but she didn’t seem to care.
“No, Logan, it’s more than that.”
“You know that…how?”
“Detectives,” said a new, more feminine but no less strident
voice.
They both turned to see Lieutenant Peterson bearing down on
them. Logan nodded at her.
“How propitious to have you both here together.”
Logan checked his watch. “Only ten minutes early.”
Reese crossed his arms over his chest and dropped back
negligently against the wall. All signs of his agitation were now under wraps,
the cagey bastard.
Peterson looked between the two of them. “I got a description
of the man who worked over our prisoner. He sounds remarkably like Rowdy
Yates.”
“Really?” Reese smirked. “Tall, blond and muscular could
describe a lot of men.”
Since that also included Reese, Logan had nothing to add.
The lieutenant waited, then said flatly, “Morton isn’t
dead.”
“No?” Logan didn’t even bother trying to look surprised. “Did
that come from the perp or through the coroner’s report?”
“Both, actually.”
Shit. Reese didn’t change expressions or posture, so Logan
asked, “Do we know the deets on the corpse?”
“One of his lackeys.” She waved that off. “No doubt Morton
hired him because he had the same body type and hair color.”
“Bleached blond?” Reese asked.
She shrugged. “It’s possible Morton had him bleach his hair. At
this point, we don’t know, and it doesn’t matter anyway.”
To carry on his part, Logan asked, “Did you get any good info
from the guy Reese brought in?” The sooner he could get out of the office, the
better. He needed Andrews removed as a threat. He needed—
“Actually, yes.” She rubbed her face tiredly, then dropped her
hands. “The apartment building burned to the ground.”
Plots and plans stalled as Logan assimilated what she’d said.
It wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting. “What apartment building? When?”
The lieutenant slanted a guarded look at Reese, but since he
didn’t budge and continued to look neutral, she turned back to Logan. “The
apartment building where you stayed while cozying up to Pepper Yates.”
The slow burn of red-hot rage coursed through him. If he hadn’t
gotten Pepper out of there…
“The apartment building,” Peterson stressed, “where we assumed
we’d find a lead. The apartment building that, according to you, gave us nothing
viable to work with.”
“When?” Reese demanded.
At the same time, Logan said, “Was anyone hurt?”
“I got the call while I was in interrogation. Likely arson. The
place was torched pretty good. Gutted. A total loss.”
It was difficult for Logan to get around the idea that Pepper
had lived there, and whoever set the place ablaze apparently wanted her dead. He
tried to think of who else might have been in the four-unit building.
“We didn’t find any bodies inside.” Before his relief could
sink in, Peterson said, “Have you located Rowdy and Pepper?”
Logan shook his head, but to help cover that lie, he said,
“Given the fire, I’ll make it a priority.”
“You do that. Both of you.”
Reese went very still beside him, his expression enigmatic.
“You think one of them set the fire?” Logan hadn’t even
considered that. He knew Pepper hadn’t left the cabin, but Rowdy…damn, he just
didn’t know. “Why would they?”
“Perhaps to destroy evidence.” She gave him a sideways look.
“You hadn’t yet cleared out your belongings?”
“No.” He’d been too busy hustling Pepper’s sweet behind out of
the line of fire. “I didn’t have that much there. A few clothes, bedding…enough
stuff to make it look like I lived there.”
“Were you still seeing Ms. Yates?”
She sounded merely curious, so Logan replied with equal
nonchalance. “I haven’t been back to the apartment at all.” His thoughts jumped
ahead. He needed to get hold of Rowdy first thing, then check with Dash to
ensure nothing had happened at the lake.
“So you didn’t lose anything valuable?” the lieutenant
asked.
“Not really, no.” What had Pepper left behind? She was too
smart to get tripped up by loose ends—but not everyone would know that. Had the
fire been an attempt to hurt her, or to remove a trail?
“First a bomb at the club, a dead body double, now a fire and a
task force that’s turned up nothing at all.” The lieutenant shook her head.
“Explaining this and the department’s involvement is getting more and more
complicated by the minute. The very least we can do is get the Yates siblings
back in here.”
“I’ll get right on it,” Logan promised.
“Understand, Logan, I want them in here before the end of the
day. No more delays. Even if they know nothing about the fire, they could be in
danger. We’ll offer them protection. Keep them safe.” She glanced at Reese.
“From everyone.”
Reese took an aggressive stance—but Logan put up a hand,
stalling any arguments from him.
Complacent, the lieutenant said, “I don’t care how you
accomplish it, but I want them here, where I can talk to them. Understood?”
“Loud and clear,” Reese said.
The second Peterson walked away, Reese dropped back against the
wall. “What now?”
Logan struggled with himself, undecided.
“I don’t entirely trust her, you know that,” Reese said. “But
Peterson is right. The cabin would be secure unless anyone digs into your family
history—but that’s something another cop can do. Then it’s easy enough to find
out about your brother, and a property search will—”
“Disclose the cabin.” Logan tensed even more. “The fact that
her building burned down means someone knows she was living there.”
“Could be a fluke, a coincidence,” Reese said, “but neither of
us is going to buy that. They’re onto you, or Rowdy and Pepper…” He shrugged.
“Possibly both. I know you weren’t followed—”
“Even the best cop can trip up, so, no, we don’t know that for
a fact.” Awful possibilities chewed on Logan’s already churning discontent.
“Andrews is sick enough on his own, but this just jumped to a whole new level.
With organized traffickers involved now, too, I think we’re better to trust our
luck here, at the station, than someplace remote.”
Reese gave a nod of agreement. “Sucks, but there it is. What
can I do to help?”
“I’m going to get Pepper myself.” No way in hell would he trust
that to anyone else.
Reese caught his arm. “Understand something, Logan. I’m here, I
have your back.”
But Logan knew that Reese was still hiding something. “Meaning
what?”
Reese narrowed his eyes. “You can trust me, damn it.”
Logan gave a tight smile. “I know.”
“Then no more surprises. If you have Rowdy digging around, tell
me.”
“Rowdy is his own man, checking things his own way.”
“That’s not smart.”
Logan disagreed. With so many unknowns, he liked having Rowdy
on the outside. But for Reese’s benefit, he conceded the point. “Maybe not,
though I’m not sure it matters much at this point. I’m bringing Pepper in, and
if I can, I’ll round up Rowdy, as well. In the meantime, see if you can get
anything useful out of our prisoner.”
Relenting, Reese nodded. “I’ll let you know.”
* * *
P
EPPER
REMAINED
SILENT
on the drive
in. Logan didn’t like it, but he knew she was worried with the sudden change of
plans. Until she reached her brother, he didn’t expect her to relax much. Rowdy
had promised to meet him at Dash’s home so they could all go to the station
together, but Pepper didn’t know about his detour.
Dash followed behind as a precaution. No, he wasn’t a cop, but
he was a cop’s brother and loyal enough to do whatever had to be done.
It made Logan edgy, having Dash and Pepper in potential
danger.
And Rowdy…he’d agreed to come in, but Logan knew him well
enough now to pick up on his suspicion. He had a distinct feeling that Rowdy
would make his own detours before meeting with them at Dash’s.
“Pepper?”
Keeping her gaze out the window, she said, “Hmm?”
He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “I wanted to give
you more time, but unfortunately, time’s a commodity I just don’t have now.”
She turned to look at him. “What do you mean?”
“You’re going to have to trust me.”
Silence fell. The only sounds inside the truck were of the
passing traffic and the air conditioner blowing. Logan didn’t break the quiet;
at this point, what could he say?
He felt the scrutiny of her light brown eyes as she studied
him. Tension escalated until he thought he might snap.
“It’s not easy,” she finally said.
Not easy—but not impossible.
Logan
saw promise in her words. “I know.”
She half turned in the seat toward him. “You made me feel like
a stupid fool.”
His guts clenched in remorse. “That was never my intent.”
“No, your intent was to use me however you wanted so that you
could get your hands on my brother.”
There’d be no point in denying it; never again would he lie to
her. “Yes.” With one clarification. “That was before I really knew you,
though.”
“You knew me when you had Rowdy arrested.”
He wouldn’t let her get away with that accusation. “I knew Sue
Meeks, an uptight, mousy neighbor who liked sex.”
“You knew that wasn’t my real name!”
“Names have nothing to do with it. Sure, I realized you were
Pepper Yates using an alias, but I didn’t know
you.
Parts of you, yes. Important parts.” She wouldn’t like it, but he spoke the
truth anyway. “Like your vulnerability.”
“You’re deluded,” she said with a lack of steam.
“At first I was determined to get closer just so I could find
Rowdy. You’re right about that. But after we talked a few times, I felt equally
drawn to you, and…sympathetic.”
“You—”
“It was tricky,” he interrupted, “how you handled it, how you
handled
me.
But you’re a natural-born
sensualist—”