by Mia Dymond
Hell, no. He’d risk Allison’s wrath first. At least she didn’t have a weapon. He hoped.
The really scary thing was that she wouldn’t be mad. Sure, she’d rant and rave and cut him to his knees with her sass, but it would all be a cover for how much he hurt her. Even scarier, he actually gave a damn. For once in his life, he didn’t want to smooth things over just long enough to make a quick get-a-way, he wanted her to trust him. To love him.
Problem was, he figured that out entirely too late, after he broke the fragile emotion into thousands of pieces. He exhaled in frustration as he pulled in the parking lot and got out of his truck. Her family better appreciate his loyalty, because he had a feeling he may need their protection before this mess was over.
Luke’s hands began to sweat as he approached the clerk behind the front window and explained his presence. The officer stood and buzzed open the side door. “Come on back, Owens.”
He entered, surprised at the rapid pace of the procedure.
“Judge Moretti sent the release papers five minutes ago,” the policeman explained. “We just need your signature.”
Luke scribbled across the bottom of the page and then paid the bail before he followed the uniform to the holding cells. The back of his neck ached as he walked past each cell and strained to see the girls, ignoring half naked prostitutes and several rowdy drunks.
“Where are they?”
“Back here, in isolation.”
Luke winced. Isolation? What the hell had Allison done now? Preparing for battle, he gritted his teeth as the officer unlocked the door and motioned him inside. Disbelief separated his lips into a grin when he found both Lucy and Allison curled up in two chairs, eating pizza and watching television. Incarceration, Scarletti style.
“Luke!” Lucy jumped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck in near strangulation.
“Hey, Lucy,” he croaked.
Allison stood and untangled Lucy’s hands. “He can’t breathe, Luce.”
“Sorry.” Lucy stepped back and clasped her hands. “I’m just so glad to see you.”
He shifted his eyes to Allison and lifted an eyebrow. Are you? She answered his unspoken question by folding her arms under her breasts and giving a sly smile. He read the challenge in her expression: What do you think?
He did his best to ignore the rise in his body temperature and cleared his throat. “Are you two ready to go?”
“Yes!” Lucy shrieked as she headed out the door.
Luke chuckled and grabbed Lucy’s arm. “Slow down, Lucy, we’ll all go out together.”
He offered Allison a hand. She looked at it for a second then slipped hers inside and squeezed.
His conscious pinched him with every footstep as they followed the officer back through the holding area. Five minutes, max.
“Hey, what about us?”
He glanced at the shapely Amazon braced against the metal bars.
“If you get me out,” she taunted, “I’ll make it worth your while.”
He gave her a cocky grin. “Sorry, I’m all booked.”
“How about a threesome?”
“Isn’t there a back door?” Lucy mumbled.
Allison snickered behind him. “Bet you’ve never been propositioned from jail, huh?”
Ignoring Allison’s question, Luke tightened his hold and pulled her quickly down the hallway and out the door.
Lucy didn’t even look back as she headed straight out of the station. Four steps behind, Luke unarmed the truck and watched her throw open the door and lunge inside.
Once Lucy was safely behind the tinted windows, Luke backed Allison up against the truck and plastered his body to hers. She gave a breathy moan as he wound his fingers in her hair and lowered his lips to hers. Once she was in his arms with her mouth firmly pressed to his, he let his emotions free. Fear, anxiety, pride, and guilt flowed like a river through his kiss. Now if he could manage to actually tell her.
With one last stroke of his tongue along her bottom lip, he ended the kiss and prepared to make his confession. As he stepped back and pulled her coat closed, he witnessed a faint shudder cross her shoulders. He stood motionless for a moment, fighting the urge to call her bluff and demand she let down her guard and fall apart. Although it would never happen, he would be there to catch her. Just in case.
“Okay?”
She straightened her shoulders and braced one hip against the truck. “Of course. I knew you’d show up.”
“Why?”
“I paid you.”
Yeah, about that... “Allison, we need to talk.”
Her hazel eyes glittered in the cold night air as she glanced between his legs. “I don’t think you want to talk.”
He cursed his obvious reaction. “Seriously.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Not here.”
He took a moment to weigh his options. Part of him wanted to blurt the truth, but the other part of him knew better. She wouldn’t appreciate what he had to say and there wasn’t any way to gauge her reaction. A public tantrum would not help her case any and he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. For all he knew, she could jump in the truck and leave him standing in the parking lot until a black limo arrived to take him away. Better to tell her in the comfort of her own home where she couldn’t escape. The black limo still knew the address, but at least she’d have to listen.
He placed another kiss on her lips with the knowledge it very well could be the last. “Fine, but as soon as we get you home.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
As soon as Allison unlocked the front door of the house and eased open the door, she stepped to the side and pushed Luke behind her. Lucy barreled past them and climbed the stairs two at a time.
“Thanks again, Luke,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I’ll be in the shower.”
Allison shrugged and led the way inside. “Germophobic.”
He grabbed her and pulled her to him. “Do you need to shower?”
She walked her fingers up his shirt. “I thought you needed to talk.”
He opened his mouth and willed himself to speak, but his vocal cords wouldn’t cooperate.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. This whole case has me irritable.”
“Speaking of irritable, Detective Ramsey pulled a no-show at the jail.”
“His position is complicated.”
“How so?”
“Now that the Captain knows about the warrant, Ramsey will have to explain why he held onto it.”
“They’ll suspend him.”
“Probably.”
“Good thing I hired you.”
“You trust me, right?”
“Of course, why?”
“Sometimes my methods are questionable.”
“Yeah, yeah. James Bond was your hero. I remember.”
“No. I mean, sometimes I have to work a case from several different angles.”
“Luke, I could care less how you work the case, just get us out of this mess!”
“You mean that?”
She planted a soft kiss on his lips. “Yes.”
The stairs creaked as Lucy returned and grabbed her laptop from the coffee table.
Luke almost cursed out loud. Another interruption. Careful to control his reaction, he gave her a comforting smile. “Don’t worry, Lucy, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t go back to jail.”
“Thanks.” Her fingernails clicked against the keys of her computer. “I need your bank account number.”
“Why?”
“So we can transfer the bail money from our account to yours.”
“You don’t have to do that right now.”
Allison gave him a heated stare. “Oh, yes we do.”
“Maplewood Bank and Trust, account number 012345678910.”
Lucy and Allison raised an eyebrow in unison.
“Sure it is.” Allison laughed. “Now, give her the real number. I’m going to the kitchen to wash my hands and get s
omething to drink.”
“That really is my account number. I told them I wanted something easy to remember and that was available.”
“Okay,” Lucy said. “I’ll use it.”
Luke followed Allison into the kitchen, came up behind her and put his arms around her.
“Come on. Let’s go to my place so we can be alone,” he whispered against her neck.
“As wonderful as that sounds, I can’t leave Lucy alone. She had a very stressful evening. But you can stay here. We’ll go up to my room in a little while. We still have to figure a way out of this mess.”
He shifted. Just make a phone call. “Listen, Allison, I ...”
Lucy cleared her throat from the doorway. “Allison, come here. I need to show you something.” She cut her eyes at Luke. “Now.”
Luke’s heart stuttered. He’d waited too long. All he could do now was ride out the storm. He braced himself in the doorway and watched Allison follow Lucy back to the living room and peer over her shoulder at the computer screen.
“What?” Allison asked.
“Look at this.” Lucy pointed to the screen. “Someone authorized a transfer from our trust account to Luke’s account. Isn’t that the day you hired him?”
“Yes.”
Lucy glanced over her shoulder at Allison. “You wrote a check?”
“I paid cash.”
Lucy looked back at the computer screen. “There was also a cash withdrawal made a few hours ago.”
“Bail,” Allison said flatly.
“Did you give him the account number?”
“No.”
“Only one other person has access to this account, Allison.”
“Sergio.”
“I’m confused.” Lucy shut down the computer. “I thought you hired Luke.”
“I did, but apparently he doesn’t work for me.”
“Huh?”
Even though Allison had her back to him, Luke felt her anger close the distance. “He works for my family, Lucy.”
“I was going to tell you,” Luke mumbled from the doorway.
Allison swung around to face him with her fists clenched. “Tell me what exactly, Luke? That you manipulated me all along?”
“I haven’t manipulated you.”
“Oh no? Explain it then.”
“You’re right. Your family hired me to keep you occupied, but things changed. I know it looks bad, but—”
“Looks bad? It is bad. Worse than you thought.”
He clenched his muscles, ready to dodge her expert marksmanship. A wave of anger rolled across her face before her features softened and he witnessed her pain.
“Congratulations, sleeping with me was a big bonus,” she added.
“Allison—”
She held up a hand to silence him. “Stop. Just stop. Nothing you have to say to me will make this any better.”
The doorbell interrupted the tension. Lucy jumped up to answer.
Allison clenched her teeth. “The only reason I won’t throw you out is because Lucy’s life is at stake.”
Lucy threw open the door and Ramsey stepped just inside the doorway and glanced between all three of them. “What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing,” Lucy said quickly. “Why are you here?”
“I need to know what Luke found in Philadelphia.”
Allison crossed her arms. “You know Luke went to Philadelphia?”
“That’s part of what I needed to tell you,” Luke mumbled again.
“So spill,” Allison hissed.
“Danielle Webster was having an affair with Winslow.”
Lucy snorted. “Pervert.”
“True,” Luke agreed, “but that’s not all. She maintains Winslow tried to kill her to keep her quiet.”
Ramsey lifted an eyebrow. “Quiet about what?”
Luke steepled his fingers against his chin. “He told her about his partnership with Smallwood. His alibi is fake. He did check in at the conference, but didn’t stay. Danielle’s version places Winslow in a position to commit murder. I believe Winslow killed Smallwood, but I can’t prove it.”
Allison sneered. “I’ll get him to confess.”
As Ramsey turned to face her, the veins in his forehead pulsed. “NO! No way. It’s too dangerous. Besides, we still don’t have any evidence against him. There’s nothing else I can do.”
“What do you mean nothing else you can do?” Allison scoffed. “You’re a cop!”
“I turned in my badge.”
Allison rubbed her forehead. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Luke exhaled a long breath. “Hell Ramsey, go ahead and tell them.”
“Ramsey and I have been working together all along. I didn’t have a choice. I obstructed justice by not serving that warrant.”
“I see.” Allison’s chest heaved. “And why didn’t you, Detective?”
Luke’s chest tightened as he witnessed Ramsey’s patience snap. “Why? I was too busy lusting after my prime murder suspect. I let my emotions get in the way of my job. Good sense is pretty much up for grabs when your dick makes your decisions.”
Lucy stepped forward. “Well, let me just take any further decision out of your hands.” She flung open the front door. “Out. Both of you.”
As soon as Lucy slammed the door and threw the deadbolt, Allison spoke. “I’ll call Sergio.”
“No.”
Allison’s mouth dropped open. “Did you just say no?”
“We can take Winslow down ourselves. I want to be the one to put the asshole in his place.”
“Did you just say asshole?”
Somewhere in the depths of her mind, Allison heard a lion roar just before Lucy spoke again.
“Shut up, Allison, I have a plan.”
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Scar stretched his neck to peer into the living room from the kitchen and hoped objects did not fly through the air. This did not look good. With both girls in such distress, changes must be made to the plan. He must contact Carlos. But how? He had not yet mastered the task of using the telephone. He swished the air with his stub of a tail while he processed his options.
There was nothing he could do but wait until the two determined chipmunks decided what action to take. When they put their plan in action, they would deliver him to Carlos. Then he could begin damage control.
***
Luke stood on the porch and stared at the closed door, not quite sure if the last sixty seconds had been real or a twisted nightmare. The sour look on Ramsey’s face said it had been both. Then, to cement the reality, he heard the lock slide into place. He cursed under his breath. Of course she remembered to lock the door this time.
Ramsey shook his head. “What the hell just happened?”
“We just got kicked to the curb,” Luke reminded him.
Obviously ticked off by that observation, Ramsey snarled. “So we did. At least I made a rational decision.”
Luke tilted an eyebrow. “Don’t even try to make me believe that.” He turned and walked down the porch steps to his truck. “At least I barely knew Allison when I made the deal with her uncle.”
“You kept it from her.” Ramsey followed behind. “And from me.”
“Would you stab a Scarletti in the back?” Luke opened the driver’s door and slid behind the steering wheel.
Ramsey exhaled a loud breath. “Have I totally lost my mind?”
Luke started the engine. “Do you want my opinion, or is that a rhetorical question?”
“I guess I want to hear your opinion.”
“First of all, you ordered her not to do something. Big mistake. Second, lusting after my suspect and made the wrong choice, not so smart either.”
“I don’t need a recap, Owens.”
Luke chuckled and shifted the gearshift into drive. “Follow me.”
“Where?”
“For once in your life, Ramsey, kick suspicion in the ass and just do it.”
Luke pulled away from the curb and drove do
wn the street, not surprised when Ramsey followed. Once he rounded the corner, he parked in a vacant lot directly behind Lucy and Allison’s house. He was already out of his truck when Ramsey parked beside him.
Ramsey slammed his door. “Are we trespassing?”
“You’re not a cop anymore.” Luke pulled a square gadget out of his pocket and flipped a small switch on top. Several red lights blinked.
Ramsey frowned. “What is that thing?”
“Our ticket to forgiveness.”
Ramsey glared, obviously expecting more information.
“It’s a GPS unit,” Luke explained. “See these magnets? I’m gonna put one of these on each of their cars so I’ll know where they are when they get in trouble.”
“What do you mean when they get in trouble?”
Luke leaned back against the truck. “Lucy has been charged with murder. You know as well as I do neither Lucy nor Allison will let those charges stick.”
“They would have to break the law.”
Luke laughed. “Ramsey, at this point, those two women are not concerned about breaking the law.”
Ramsey ran a hand across the top of his head. “Call Allison’s uncle.”
Luke didn’t even hesitate to answer. “No way in hell.”
“Why not?” Ramsey shouted. “This whole damn fiasco could be history in a matter of hours.”
Luke grabbed the other man’s arm and glanced across the lot at the back of the girls’ house. “Would you shut up? I already went behind Allison’s back once. I won’t do it again. Just relax, everything will work out in due time.”
“She almost has to call for help now.”
Luke shook his head in denial and walked back to the house. “She won’t. That’s why we’re going to monitor them.” He walked to the detached garage beside the house.
Ramsey folded his arms across his chest and gestured at the double garage door. The one complete with a key pad bolted outside. “Both cars are parked in the garage, Owens.”
Luke gave him a yeah so? look.
“Without a security code you won’t get inside.”