Run the Risk

by Lori Foster

  “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.”

  *

  PEPPER 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—”

  “And you used that to your advantage!”

  He accepted that accusation. “Just as you’ve used it to your advantage since then.”

  “Complaining?” she asked with a sneer.

  Logan understood her. Whenever she worried, she got more sarcastic, almost as a cover to her real thoughts. “The sex is amazing, so, no, you won’t hear any complaints from me.”

  She narrowed her eyes.

  “But if I wanted only sex, I could have that without you.”

  She drew in a sharp breath.

  Rushing so that she wouldn’t misunderstand, he said, “I wanted shy, withdrawn Sue Meeks. I sure as hell want Pepper Yates. You’re stronger than I ever realized. More independent. Loyal and funny.”

  “I haven’t denied you, Logan. You don’t need to pour on the compliments.”

  “Only speaking the truth.” He desperately wanted her to understand. “The thing is, last night, holding you while you slept, waking with you tucked close this morning…that is and always will be special to me. I’ll never take it for granted.”

  Anger deflating, she eyed him. “Never?”

  Emotion left his voice gravelly. “Even before I saw the real you, I had regrets and reservations. I’d wanted Morton Andrews for so damned long. I wanted to avenge my friend Jack. That need drove me. Hell, it almost consumed me.” He glanced at her. “But then there was you, and I hated that you were involved…”

  “You involved me,” she whispered.

  “No, Andrews did that. But I brought it all back out in the open, and I’m sorry for that, too.” He pawed the steering wheel. “For a while there, I wished that I’d done things differently. The thing is…” He felt the beating of his own heart, and he sensed her suspended breathing. “Now I know you, Pepper, the real you, and I wouldn’t want to give that up, no matter what.”

  After a small eternity, she reached out a hand to him.

  Acceptance—of his explanation, or…of him? Praying for the latter, Logan squeezed her fingers. “I need you to trust me, honey,” he stated again.

  She gave one small nod. “Okay.”

  He was glad to have that settled, but he couldn’t relax yet. “We’re going to Reese’s apartment first.”

  Confused, she looked out the window. “I heard you tell my brother to meet us at Dash’s house.”

  “Yes, and we’ll get there eventually. But I want to double-check on things first, and if I’m not satisfied, I want a safe place to stash you until I can work it out. My house is probably being watched, so we’re going to Reese’s apartment.”

  “And my brother?”

  It wouldn’t be easy, because they both knew that, regardless of the danger involved, Rowdy would put his life on the line for her. Logan knew what Rowdy meant to her, and because he now accepted that he loved her, too, he wanted her happy.

  “You have my word, honey. I’ll do whatever I can to keep him safe.”

  More than a little displeased with his promise, she gave him a disgruntled frown, murmured an insincere “Thanks,” and looked away.

  *

  MORTON RAN A HAND over his new, darker hair, cut in a ridiculously shabby way. He didn’t like it; it made him look average, when he was anything but. The beard shadow, sunglasses and bulkier clothes helped conceal his identity.

  He missed his fine wardrobe, as he missed his caravan of cars and toadies. But it wouldn’t be for much longer. The cops thought him dead. Business associates discounted him as a continued threat.

  As always, he had the upper hand.

  He only had a few loose ends to tie up, and thanks to his plebian pretense, he’d have that handled very shortly.

  Sitting alone in a compact car under a shade tree, the irony struck him: so many masquerades at work. Rowdy Yates had dodged him by disguising his sister, and now he’d use that knowledge to kill them both.

  Rowdy had cost him a great deal, but today he would pay up—with nothing less than his life.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  ROWDY CHECKED HIS WATCH. Very shortly, Logan and Pepper would be at Dash’s home. He didn’t have much time, but before he allowed his sister to be taken into police custody—even for her own protection—he wanted to check out Reese Bareden. The easiest, most expedient way to do that was to go through his apartment.

  On his way into the building he passed a woman heading out with a dog. Giving away nothing of his purpose, he nodded at her, but she avoided his gaze, edging away with a tight hold on the dog’s leash. Rowdy glanced back and saw her heading for the sidewalk.

  Dismissing her from his mind, he went up to Reese’s apartment. There were two doors on that floor, but he saw no one, so he got out his tools to pick the lock.

  “You’d think a cop would know better,” Rowdy whispered as the lock easily gave way. After checking one more time for curious spectators, he slipped into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

  Detective Bareden was an orderly guy. That made it easier. He went to the desk and laptop first. He wasn’t a computer expert, and Bareden had a lot of his online files password protected. But he still found plenty.

  On him. On Pepper.

  And on Lieutenant Peterson.

  “Huh.” Strange. Why all the curiosity about his lieutenant?

  Every cop he’d ever known kept a hard copy of his records. Since he couldn’t quickly access the computer files, he’d look for the paper trail and hope for the best. Rowdy checked the desk drawers but found only the usual inside. It appeared Bareden had a healthy savings account, plenty in his checking, organized receipts.

  Nothing that Rowdy could use.

  He left the desk and went into the bedroom. He checked both nightstands without much success and then, on sudden inspiration, removed the drawers to look behind and under them.

  That’s where he found the file—taped inside the nightstand behind the drawer. He flipped it open, skimmed it quickly, and then not so quickly.

  Sitting on the side of the bed, the file open on his lap, he read over the lieutenant’s history on the force, her rise in the ranks and her efforts to clean up corruption.

  He also read other, more interesting accounts. Four in total. It looked pretty damning.

  It was not what he’d expected.

  The front door opened and closed. On alert, Rowdy considered the window, or maybe the closet—

  As if he’d expected to find Rowdy there, Detective Reese Bareden strode in. He was armed but had left his gun in his shoulder holster.

  He came right into the bedroom, right up to Rowdy. “Is there a good reason why I shouldn’t beat you into the ground?”

  Whoa. That calm was a surprise. Rowdy took his measure, felt no real sens
e of menace and shrugged. “Might not be as easy as you expect.”

  “The way I feel right now, I wouldn’t want it to be easy.” But he rubbed his face as if merely disgusted. “What are you doing here, Rowdy?”

  “You know the answer to that already.”

  “Right. When it comes to your sister, you don’t take chances.”

  Despite Reese’s lack of real aggression, it seemed prudent to get to his feet. “I thought you were at the station.”

  “And so you felt free to let yourself into my apartment?”

  “Something like that.”

  He shook his head and propped his shoulder on the wall in his typical stance. “Alice called me.”

  Alice? Who the hell was…the lady with the dog. Damn it. She hadn’t looked concerned. In fact, Rowdy wasn’t at all sure she’d even noticed him. “She’s a neighbor?”

  He nodded. “She was taking my dog out for a walk, saw you, and became apprehensive.”

  Reese had a dog? He hadn’t counted on that, either. “She must be a suspicious sort then, because I gave her no reason.”

  As if that bothered Reese, he murmured, “Yes, she is. Very much so.” To clear away that thought, he shook his head. “Luckily for you, she gave me a detailed description of the intruder—otherwise you might have found yourself staring down the barrel of my weapon.”

  So Reese had known it was him? “And…what? You don’t mind me visiting?”

  “You have reason to be extra cautious.” Reese loosened his tie and opened the top button of his shirt. “And unlike you, I’m not nearly so mistrustful.”

  Rowdy held up the file. “I’d say that’s debatable.”

  “You read it?”

  “The gist of it, yeah.” Puzzle pieces came together. “Logan doesn’t know?”

  Reese worked his jaw. “I won’t demolish a reputation lightly. I wanted solid proof before saying anything. A few secretive visits are nothing more than circumstantial evidence.”

  Suddenly Lieutenant Peterson stepped into the room, her gun already drawn. “Would one of you care to tell me what’s going on here?”

  Shit. “Dude, you need an alarm system.”

  “Apparently so.” Reese glanced at the lieutenant’s gun.