Ruthless Bastard

by Kennedy, Stacey

  He pressed his lips down on the top of her head. “What’s that?”

  “I’m really happy you came home.”

  He closed his arms around her and shut his eyes, letting this warmth she offered fill the cold places inside him.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning, Rhett leaned against the steering wheel, looking at Kinsley through the passenger side window of his truck on Main Street. “I’ll text you later today when I’m ready to pick you up.”

  “That works.” She wrapped her scarf tighter against the chilly air, while big snowflakes fell from the dark sky. The day was dreary, and she’d rather still be in bed doing things with Rhett to make the windows steam. “Got any idea what time approximately?”

  “Give me until five tonight,” he said. “Boone texted this morning while you were in the shower that the lab’s results are in, so we’ll want to press ahead with the investigation.”

  Her investigation. She really couldn’t even believe it and didn’t want to think about all the stuff she needed to do to start rebuilding her bar. Last night had been a good night. Hell, a great night. She wasn’t exactly sure where this left them, but at least Rhett was not shutting her out. She figured that was a good start. “Okay.” She smiled and tapped the window. “I’ll see ya later then.”

  She felt every bit of his stare the entire time it took for her to reach Remy’s magic shop. Her hand wrapped around the cool brass handle and the sound of Rhett’s engine turning on filled the air behind her. His nightmare stayed heavily on her mind all through breakfast this morning. She’d begun to understand what Rhett had endured. In all honesty, she thought his bullet wound had left him broken. She thought he wanted to be back alongside his military brothers, and because he couldn’t, he was pissed off at the world. But now she knew just how horrible the things he’d seen and done were and how they haunted him, and he was struggling to readjust.

  Not really knowing how to help him, she opened the door to Remy’s shop, and was greeted by an overwhelming whiff of something spicy mixed with something sweet. The shop had cream-colored walls and gorgeous worn hardwood floors. Remy stood behind the black-painted counter, worrying her bottom lip. Leaning against that counter was Peyton smiling ear to ear. “Aren’t you two a stark contrast to each other,” Kinsley remarked. “One, happy as can be. The other, worried as hell.”

  Remy shrugged and said all too quickly, “How did last night go? I wanted to call but Asher told me to stay out of it.”

  Kinsley noted the dark circles under Remy’s eyes. “You should have just called, so you wouldn’t have spent the whole night worrying.” She strode toward a small circular table that had a new cream tester on it. “Everything…well, it went okay.”

  “Oh, no, you did sleep with him.”

  Kinsley whirled around with a dollop of the peppermint-scented cream on the tip of her finger. “Seriously?” She snorted a laugh. “How do you get that I slept with him out of what I just said?”

  Remy lifted her brows.

  Kinsley rolled her eyes. Remy knew her, sometimes even more than Kinsley knew herself. “Okay, fine, we slept together.”

  “Does that mean you’re together now?” Peyton asked, nearly bouncing on her feet.

  “No,” Kinsley said, rubbing her hands together. “It means we slept together again. That’s it.”

  Remy crossed her arms and frowned. “I still say this is a really bad idea. Someone is going to get hurt here, and I’m guessing that someone isn’t gonna be Rhett.”

  “Your concern is duly noted,” Kinsley said as she approached them, feeling a slight tingle as she rubbed the cream into her hands. She stopped in front of Remy and kissed her cheek. If Remy didn’t worry, she wouldn’t be Remy. But it wasn’t Kinsley’s place to tell them that she’d found Rhett in the shower. Or that when she saw him like that, her heart broke for him. Or that being close to him felt as natural as it did to breathe and there wasn’t a chance in hell that she wouldn’t be there for him. It wasn’t her truth to tell. And she couldn’t explain why she was so all in with a guy who could break her heart. She knew better. But she also couldn’t walk away. “Now, are we ready to go start tossing everything in the trash?”

  Yesterday Kinsley had arranged for a crew to come this morning and clear out all her beloved furniture that was smashed to pieces. She assumed today would be equivalent to getting her nose hairs plucked out one by one, but in order to move forward, she needed to start fresh. Once the insurance money came in, she wanted to get things rolling. The less time the bar was closed, the better.

  Peyton hooked her arm through Kinsley’s. “Yup. Totally ready.”

  Kinsley regarded her sister-in-law, who looked a little too perky this morning. “What’s up with you?”

  “With me?” Peyton asked with wide eyes, pointing to herself. “Nothing.”

  Liar. “Okay…sure,” Kinsley said, not believing that for a moment.

  “Let me just grab a few things,” Remy interjected, making her way around the counter. She quickly moved through the magic shop, picking up jars and incense and putting them all in a bag with the store’s logo on the front. “Ready.” She smiled more genuinely now. That was the good thing about Remy’s worrying; it was always short lived.

  Peyton kept hold of Kinsley’s arm as she led her out the door, past Uptown Girl. A gorgeous red lace nighty caught her eye. “Ooh, I might have to come shopping soon,” Kinsley said to Peyton.

  Peyton glanced at the nighty in the storefront and smirked. “Sure, just don’t tell Boone you’re coming here. He’ll probably have Rhett killed if he knows that you’re buying lingerie for him.”

  Kinsley laughed too, but Boone loved Rhett too much to do that. They all did. Except maybe Remy. Right now, she didn’t trust Rhett. At all. Not that Kinsley could blame her. Rhett slept with women and left them. That was his MO. Kinsley was well aware this could happen to her too. Even if she was pregnant with his baby, she knew that she still walked a thin line.

  When they drew closer to the bar, she noticed that the parking spaces in front were empty, except for the cruiser with the rookie inside keeping an eye on the bar—and her. She waved then sighed, reaching for the keys in her purse. “I thought the junk guys would be here by now.”

  “Weird,” Peyton said, her mouth twitching.

  Kinsley studied her. “You are acting weird.”

  “That’s insulting,” Peyton said, looking straight ahead with beaming eyes.

  Kinsley gave a sidelong glance at Remy, who shrugged and said, “I have no idea.”

  Peyton just smiled.

  Kinsley shook her head then used her keys to open the door. When she walked in, she was sure her eyes were betraying her. Yesterday, she’d left the bar in shambles. Today…

  “What…who…” She walked to the middle of the room, which had been cleaned from top to bottom, with new circular tables and wooden chairs. The glass on the floor was gone as was the broken mirror behind the brand-new bottles of wine and liquor, and the part of the bar where the warning had been etched into now had a thin piece of wood stained the same color as her bar nailed onto it. “I don’t understand what is happening.” She blinked, whirling around. “Did you do this?” she asked Peyton, now understanding the smirk.

  Peyton bounced on her toes; her hands clamped tight. “Rhett did this. Oh my God, it feels so good to say that aloud. I’ve been holding it in all morning, because Boone made me promise not to stay anything.”

  Kinsley blinked. Again. “Rhett did this?”

  “He sure did.” Peyton grinned. “Sweet, right? Even Boone was shocked when Rhett called to tell him the plan last night.”

  This didn’t make sense. Kinsley slowly shook her head, trying to knock some sense into it. She failed miserably. “But Rhett was with me last night.” She couldn’t exactly forget his incredible hard body against hers.

  Peyton stepped closer to one of the tables and rubbed her hand along it. “Boone said that he called in a couple of
old military buddies to get the job done. I guess one of them is a member of the legion or something, and they borrowed the tables and chairs from there.” She tapped the table with her knuckles. “It’s not like what it was, but it’ll work until you get your insurance money.”

  “I can’t believe he did this,” Kinsley admitted then looked at Remy. “Did you know?”

  Remy shook her head, looking shell-shocked. “No…No, I didn’t know. Okay, so this is incredibly unlike him.” She clamped her mouth shut, her eyes suddenly widening, and she exclaimed, “See, I told you that all the juju I sprayed Rhett with was going to bring positivity. Rhett would never have done this before. It’s remarkable.”

  Peyton rolled her eyes.

  Kinsley laughed softly. Letting Remy believe her magic had caused Rhett’s kindness wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything. “This is just…” Kinsley circled around, taking it all in. She wouldn’t need to close. The bar could stay open. She wouldn’t lose any money. Her throat tightened and her chin quivered…“Oh, no.” She burst into tears.

  Remy was there in a second, as was Peyton.

  “Probably not the reaction anyone expected,” Peyton said, rubbing Kinsley’s back in big circles. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m just happy. This is”—Kinsley wiped her tears—“so sweet of him. I can’t believe he arranged all this.”

  “I, for one, think all this is good for him,” Peyton said. “Rhett needs structure, and he needs someone to care about more than himself. He’s doing the right thing. Boone was all smiles when he told me. I guess the guys had been working all night, and just left an hour or so ago.”

  “Unbelievable,” Kinsley said. She turned to Remy. “Maybe your love potion is finally working.” Not that Kinsley believed in that, but if she could make Remy feel good, she would.

  Remy hesitated, considering. “Maybe, but I always assumed it didn’t work because Rhett was closed off.”

  “You did a love potion on Rhett?” Peyton asked with a burst of laughter.

  “In high school,” Kinsley explained. “We tried three times to no avail.” And just to make Remy feel like her magic had all the strength in the world, she added, “Maybe now it’s working.”

  “Maybe.” Remy smiled sweetly, linking her arms with Kinsley.

  Kinsley swiped at the dampness on her face and drew in a deep breath. “Well, now we need a new plan since we’re not spending any time cleaning up this place. What do you want to do?”

  Remy raised her hand. “I vote we celebrate with chocolate cake.”

  “It’s nine o’clock in the morning,” Peyton said.

  “Chocolate. Cake. Peyton,” Remy said slowly.

  Kinsley smiled. “She’s right. I can’t drink wine. Chocolate cake it is.”

  * * *

  I can’t believe you fixed the bar for me. Thank you doesn’t seem hardly enough but thank you.

  Rhett embraced the warmth in his chest as he stared down at his phone and read the text from Kinsley. Good. He’d made her happy, which was a step in the right direction. Determined to get his day started, he shoved his phone into the pocket of his jeans and set to making himself a coffee in the break room. Lee Matthews, his old military buddy, now owned a construction company, and Rhett paid for the labor of Matthews’s guys for the work done last night to get Kinsley’s bar back up and running until the insurance money came in. The less time she was closed, the better.

  “Dalton’s here.”

  Rhett glanced over his shoulder to find Asher standing in the doorway. The heady amusement in his friend’s eyes interested him. “Did the boys have any trouble getting him to come in?” They’d sent a couple of squad cars up to Whitby Falls, and along with their police department, they’d gone to ask Dalton to come in for a chat.

  “Cameron took a good hit from one of the bikers,” said Asher with a grin, “but from what I hear, Cameron responded quick enough that I have no doubt that guy regrets the punch.”

  “Damn. Would’ve liked to see that.” Cameron was a rookie, but he also had a black belt in jiu-jitsu.

  Rhett poured himself a cup of steaming hot coffee, getting his thoughts together. He was determined to get some answers from Dalton. The timing of the bikers coming to Kinsley’s bar and then the break-in was a little too coincidental for Rhett’s liking. “All right, let’s see what this prick has to say.” Mug in hand, he followed Asher out of the break room. He stopped by his office and grabbed the file folder off his desk before continuing on to the interrogation room down the hall.

  Just before Rhett entered the room, the chief called his name. Both men turned and waited for Hank to reach them.

  “Meet me in there,” Asher said before he strode into the interrogation room.

  Rhett nodded, watching the door shut before facing Hank.

  There was a softness in Hank’s eyes. He placed a hand on Rhett’s shoulder and held his gaze. “Good man.” Without another word, he walked away.

  Rhett released the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, pleased he’d gotten something right when it came to Kinsley.

  He entered the interrogation room, finding Dalton sitting at the metal table, arms crossed, looking bored. In the corner of the room, a video camera would tape this interview, and Boone sat behind the two-way mirror watching the conversation from another angle. Rhett wouldn’t take chances. He wanted all eyes on Dalton now. He took a seat across from Dalton and set his coffee down, regarding the arrogant tilt to Dalton’s head, the half smile.

  Rhett could have been Dalton. When he returned from the Army, a shell of what he had once been, he had Boone and Asher. A soldier always needed camaraderie, and Rhett found that in his childhood friends. Dalton found that in a motorcycle gang. Rhett owed much to Boone and Asher, who’d pulled him away from the darkness that shadowed his life in that first year after he came home. They had forced him to come out, even when he didn’t want to. They made him attend family dinners when all he’d wanted to do was hide in a bar and drink into the pain.

  Rhett finally cleared his throat and opened the file. “I don’t want you here, and you don’t want to be here,” he said to Dalton. “Answer my questions truthfully and we can both be spared wasting our time.”

  Dalton’s mouth twitched. “Ah, and here I thought you liked me, West.”

  Rhett flipped through the file, pulling out the photograph of Kinsley’s bar in shambles. “The night you showed up at Whiskey Blues, the bar was ransacked and destroyed.” He flipped the photograph around and slid it across the table to Dalton. “Are your guys responsible for this?”

  Dalton examined the photograph and snorted. “Not our style,” he said.

  Truth. When the Red Dragons committed crimes, they didn’t hide their faces. They were smart, lethal, and did not fear the law, and usually the younger generation took on the guilt for any crimes as an initiation into the gang. But that was not why Rhett had brought Dalton into the station today. He doubted the Red Dragons were behind the break-in, but after years of honing his skills to read people to keep his brothers safe in the war, he was using Dalton as a stepping-stone to find out evidence he wouldn’t otherwise discover. “Have you heard of any new gangs coming into the area?”

  “You’d know that better than I would,” Dalton said.

  Asher asked, “You’re dodging the question, which leads us to believe that there is another group in town.”

  Dalton’s gaze cut to Asher. “Didn’t say that, did I?”

  Rhett clenched his jaw in frustration and turned back to his file to pull out the photograph of the perpetrators. He slid that to Dalton. “Recognize anyone?”

  Dalton’s eyes breezily scanned the photograph. Until suddenly his gaze stopped, narrowing slightly, his mouth twitching. “Nah, I’ve never met any of them.” He leaned away, shoving the photograph back toward Rhett.

  “Bullshit,” Rhett said, pointing to the man whom Dalton seemed to recognize. “You know him, tell me who he is.”

  Dalton’
s gaze flicked back to photo before lifting to Rhett again. “I already told you, West, I don’t know who that is.” He rose in one fluid movement, an arrogant prick as always. “And since you’ve got no reason to hold me here, I’m leaving. Unless I need to call my lawyer.”

  Rhett bit back a curse. They couldn’t force Dalton to talk, no matter that Rhett wanted to do just that, by any means necessary. For now, he’d tread lightly. Besides, he had enough to go on to get the ball rolling. He took the photograph and slid it back into the file. “Cut him loose,” he said to Asher.

  Dalton’s brows shot up. “That was very anticlimactic, West. After our last time together, I thought you’d come at me a little harder.” A quick, dark grin crossed his face. “It must be that sexy little brunette that gets you up all fired up.”

  “She does get me worked up,” Rhett said calmly, even as tension roared through him. He pressed his knuckles against the metal table and leaned in. “She’s pregnant with my child.”

  Dalton’s smile widened. “Is she now?”

  Bored of this game, Rhett said, “If you’ve got a hand in this, I’ll find out, but let me make this clear to you. No one comes near her, and if you know who’s responsible for this”—he allowed every ounce of darkness that had once lived in his soul to show on his face—“tell them to run.”

  Dalton’s entire demeanor changed. What once was playful was now serious, and he looked Rhett directly in the eyes. “The Red Dragons have no interest in your woman or her bar.”

  Rhett hesitated, scooping up the file, playing those words over. Dalton’s answer had been specific. A bit too specific. “Keep it that way,” Rhett said, turning away.

  His hand reached the door handle as Asher said, “All right, Dalton, we’re done here.”