by Lori Foster
Armie pressed in on Steve again. “Until Detective Riske gets here, how about you tell me why?”
Gaze darting everywhere, Steve shook his head. “Why what?”
“Why target Rissy? Why hire fake reporters to hassle her?” Armie shoved him hard into the pier. “Why set her up to be kidnapped right off the fucking street?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SEEING RISSY’S SHOCK, Armie told Cannon, “Hold him,” and he reached her in two strides.
“It was Steve?” She clutched at his arm, her gaze baffled. “All of it?”
Armie led Rissy a short distance away to the front of his truck. “It appears so. I’m sorry.”
In the faintest of whispers, she murmured, “Incredible,” and she buckled to sit against the fender. “I never thought...never even considered...” Her gaze locked with his. “He probably knew the passcode to my house. I mean...” She flushed and glared at Steve again. “He was in my house, standing there when I reset it after we came in.”
Armie bent to her ear. “Let me deal with this, okay? All I want is the truth and now might be my best shot.”
Briefly, she leaned into him. “Do what you have to do.”
So much faith in him. Armie smoothed her hair, then returned to Steve.
Rissy’s ex was starting to look a little green.
“Let’s hear it,” Armie said. “You have to have a reason.”
Steve gave a frantic shake of his head. “I didn’t do this.”
“Describe this.”
He seemed to have trouble finding the words, but finally he gestured at Merissa. “I never wanted her hurt.”
So the ramifications were starting to sink in on him? That suited Armie just fine. The bastard deserved to suffer the consequences of what he’d started—but Rissy didn’t deserve any of it. “So tell me, Steve. What did you want?”
“Nothing! I...” Again he tried to maneuver away.
Armie, Leese and Cannon made that impossible.
“All this time,” Armie said, his words bitter. “I thought the threats were about me.”
That seemed to push Steve over the edge. “They are about you. You’re nothing. Your own father admits you’re a filthy rapist!”
“Shut up!” Rissy started to rise.
She stopped when Armie landed a body shot on Steve, making him double over in pain. Hitting him seemed the expedient way to end that particular accusation, and appease Rissy so she wouldn’t get herself too riled.
“Thank you,” Rissy said.
“Welcome.” Whether Rissy or the putz realized it, Armie had pulled the punch. If he hadn’t, Steve would be curled on the ground with broken ribs.
Disgusted, Lea said, “I already explained to him that I made it all up. I was a jealous brat and I told lies. End of story.”
“I guess old Steve doesn’t like to listen.”
Arms folded around his guts, Steve wheezed. “How dare you step in behind me?”
Again Rissy rose to her feet. “He was before you, after you and during you, you ass!”
Leese chuckled. “Yeah, as her confidant, I can confirm that you,” he said to Steve, “were just her way of passing time until Armie wised up.”
Steve tried to lunge away.
Catching him by the front of his shirt, Armie slammed him to the post again.
And Steve’s cell phone rang.
Looking extra panicked, Steve started fighting. Armie put him in a headlock and nodded at Cannon.
Cannon took the phone from Steve’s pants pocket, glanced at the ID and put it on speaker.
Steve tried, but he couldn’t speak; he barely got out a gargling noise.
Voice bland, Cannon said, “Yeah?”
“You see her yet?” Without waiting for an answer, a man laughed. “We’ve played it your way with the robbery and the scare tactics. Now it’s going to be our way. Pay up, or next time it’ll be worse for her.” The call died.
His heartbeat exploding, Armie stared at Cannon.
Cannon looked just as shell-shocked as Armie felt.
With a shove, Armie released Steve—and at that moment, having his suspicions confirmed—Armie wasn’t sure what he would do.
Choosing that inauspicious moment to pull in, Logan spotted them and gave a two-second flash of his lights.
Clear warning, Armie supposed, that he was not to kill Steve.
God, he wanted to. But as Cannon had said, Steve had more questions to answer, and he had to be alive to do it.
“Everyone take a breath,” Logan ordered as he stepped from his car. Taking in the scene, he approached cautiously. His attention paused on Cannon. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“They’re assaulting me,” Steve complained while rubbing at his throat. “That’s what.”
Logan lifted a brow.
Armie ignored it and gave Steve a level look that shut him up.
There was a minute of Cannon and Leese both talking, and Steve rattling off excuses, before Logan got caught up.
He cuffed Steve, sat him in the back of his car, then returned. Hands in his pockets, his gaze repeatedly going to Merissa, Logan said, “Well, this is interesting.”
“If by interesting you mean totally fucked, yeah,” Armie agreed. “It’s interesting.”
“I found your dad.”
Armie did a double take.
“That’s where I had to go. Cannon told us about the threats and extortion, so we picked him up for questioning, but we won’t be able to hold him. Not unless we get proof that he, too, was involved. But I have an idea, a way to wrap it all up and get all our answers.”
“Okay.”
Cannon frowned. “You don’t know what the idea is, yet.”
It didn’t matter. If it settled things and made Merissa safe, Armie was all for it.
Logan took a minute to explain. “What do you think?”
Seeing Merissa, her face bruised but her shoulders straight with pride, he nodded. “I’m in. On one condition.”
Logan huffed a breath. “Let’s hear it.”
* * *
IN BED TOGETHER, Merissa’s sweet tush tucked against him as he spooned her, Armie asked again, “You’re comfortable?”
Sounding sleepy, she murmured, “Very,” and wiggled her ass against him. She had her injured arm over a pillow. After icing it and taking her prescribed pain meds, she was already able to use it more.
Kissing her temple, Armie thought of the lengths Steve had gone to just to hurt her—all out of some ridiculous power trip because of an inflated ego, and it enraged him all over again.
“Your fight is in a few days.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine.” Then he thought about that and added, “You’re going with me.”
“Okay.”
Her easy agreement took the wind from his sails. How he’d ever again let her out of his sight, he didn’t yet know.
“Armie?”
He kissed her temple again. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry.”
Going still, he asked, “For what?”
She carefully turned to face him. “All this time you thought it was your past causing problems, when really it was just my stupid ex.”
“That’s not your doing.”
“Just like ugly rumors aren’t your doing?”
The quiet of the room made the conversation feel more intimate. Now that he’d admitted what he felt, he felt it in spades. There were a few moments here and there when it choked him up, others when it made him smile. “I never wanted those rumors to hurt you.”
“They haven’t. Steve was the only one trying to hurt me. Steve and whoever he hired.”
“We’ll get them,” Armie promised her. With any luck, that’d happen tomorrow, early. He wanted her free from the threats.
“I know. I just want you to understand. I don’t ever again want you to use it as an excuse to put space between us.”
He opened a hand over her rear and snuggled he
r in closer. “My heart can’t take it when there’s space, so no worries.”
She stared into his eyes. “Will you marry me?”
The smile crept up on him until he laughed. “Yeah. I’ll marry you, Stretch.” He stole a quick kiss. “It’d be my honor.”
Finally she closed her eyes and got comfortable again. “We’ll figure out details after your fight.”
Armie had never really anticipated competing with the SBC. After he’d resigned himself to it, he’d ended up looking forward to it.
But now, with Rissy’s proposal and the promise of a future together, he couldn’t wait to get it over with.
* * *
AT THE PARK, in the shadows of predawn, he and Cannon held back. The air was cold, the ground damp and his mood heavy. He’d left Leese, Denver and Cherry at Rissy’s house with her, but he wanted to be with her.
Armie watched the surrounding area.
Cannon watched him. “You sure you want to do this to your dad?”
“For your sister?” Expression hard, he nodded. “Damn right.” He’d do anything for her, so setting up his old man wasn’t a hardship.
They hunkered together behind a row of scrubby bushes at the perimeter of the park, both of them dressed in dark clothes to help conceal them. Armie wondered if this was where Bray had hidden. It seemed likely.
Last night, while Rissy had soaked in the tub, he’d called his dad at the motel where Logan had initially found him. Sure enough, he’d returned to the same place after he’d been released from questioning.
It had been easy to convince Mac that he was now willing to pay for information. Disgruntled that the cops had been “hassling” him, Mac was more than ready to take a payday and get out of town.
Armie had haggled with him, offering five hundred instead of the grand his father had requested. To Mac, that only made the deal more legit. If Armie had just agreed, Mac would have gotten suspicious.
He was to meet Armie at the park. Mac had complained about the ungodly hour, but he knew Armie jogged so that added to the plausibility.
Unfortunately for Mac, Steve had also been coerced to call Keno and Boyd back. They, too, would be meeting at the park, thinking Steve would pay up.
Steve hadn’t acted out of any concern for Rissy’s well-being. He was already caught and his options were to lend a hand, or go down for attempted murder.
Logan was none too happy that Armie had insisted on being present, and that Cannon had backed him up. If they didn’t know him so well, he probably would have refused them. Luckily for Armie, Cannon was a hard man to deny—especially when he’d previously been helpful to the cops.
When Mac pulled up in his battered sedan, Armie tensed with disgust and other more anomalous feelings that he didn’t want to dissect. This was the man who’d fathered him, then despised him. It wasn’t natural, but he’d learned to live with it.
Cannon nudged his shoulder, his way of reminding Armie that he wasn’t alone.
Mac sat in his car for the longest time before finally getting out, hands on his hips, and looking around the area. Failing to see Armie, he checked his cell phone.
He was heading back to his car when, as if on cue, Keno and Boyd arrived. Irate, they got out of their own rusted junker and approached Mac with animosity.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Mac demanded.
“I was going to ask you that,” Boyd said.
Keno laughed. “If you’re thinking of cutting in on our deal, the opportunity has passed.”
Mac backed up a step. Voice lowered, brows bunched together, he snarled, “You miserable fucks. Did you hurt that girl?”
Armie went alert. Huh. So his dad hadn’t been in on that?
“She’s alive,” Keno said. “The little bitch had another fighter trailing her. Guess your boy isn’t the only one tappin’ that.”
Mac went shifty-eyed. “You made a grab for her?”
“That’s how we’re getting paid,” Boyd bragged. “Steve wanted her hassled, but he doesn’t actually want her dead.”
“Guess he has a heart after all,” Keno added.
Mac watched them both with disgust. “I understand losing your temper, that shit happens. But only a coward would attack a woman.”
“Like your son?”
“Told you that was a bunch of lies. Armie wouldn’t do that.”
“Maybe he learned from his old man.”
“I got drunk and out of control.” Mac shrugged. “Totally different. The women were nothing, easy lays, but even then, Armie tried to defend them.”
“And you were willing to use him to get your payday anyway?”
Mac shrugged. “He can afford it.” And then, with what almost sounded like pride, he said, “He’s done all right for himself.”
“If you say so.” Keno sneered. “I figure I’ll like him better dead.”
Eyes narrowing, Mac sucked a tooth, then hitched his chin. “That’s what you’re planning?”
“Smug bastard has it coming. I owe it to him for the way he botched our robbery.”
Mac chuckled. “Kicked your ass good, didn’t he?”
Keno wasn’t amused.
“He disarmed you, right? Then whipped your ass?” Mac whistled. “Bet you wore those bruises for a while, didn’t you?”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“So if you can’t take him head-on,” Mac pressed, “what’s the plan?”
Keno flashed an evil smile. “Let’s just say he won’t feel any pain.”
“Ah. Gonna ambush him then?”
“Something like that.”
Nodding, Mac seemed to consider it—then he withdrew a small black revolver from his jacket pocket. “Sorry, but I don’t think I can let you do that.”
“Jesus.” Boyd scrambled back.
Keno stood his ground. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Takin’ out the trash.” Mac’s arm remained steady, his finger on the trigger, his gaze unflinching. “I figure Armie was willing to pay to keep his girl safe. He’ll probably double it once he knows I’ve gotten rid of you for good.”
“I’ll cut you in,” Keno offered.
“That would work.” Mac slowly nodded, then grinned. “Except he’s my son. I might threaten and bully him every now and then, but doesn’t mean I’ll let you do the same.”
Damn it, Armie felt Cannon grinning. Low, he said, “Not funny.”
“Course not,” Cannon agreed, still looking amused.
“Where the hell is Logan?”
Little by little, Boyd and Keno were spreading out. If Mac didn’t get control quick, he’d lose the advantage.
“Patience,” Cannon said.
“He’s going to shoot that idiot.”
“That’s on him,” Cannon argued. “Stick with the plan.”
As he rose, Armie murmured, “Sorry, I can’t.” With as much sarcasm as he could muster, he said louder, “Hell, Dad, I didn’t know you cared.”
After his initial surprise and a flash of anger, Mac shrugged. “What kind of dad would I be if I didn’t put him down for threatening you?”
“Thing is,” Armie said, “I don’t need you to. It’ll be my pleasure to crush him, believe me.”
“There are two of them,” Mac said.
“Doesn’t matter.” He kept his gaze on Keno, but said to his dad, “Put the gun away.”
“Think I’ll wait on that.” Mac shifted the gun to Boyd. “Get to it already.”
Trying to get the advantage of surprise, Keno attacked.
Armie waited, then double underhooked him, catching both of his arms under Keno’s. He let Keno’s momentum take him off balance, and easily threw him to the ground.
He didn’t wait for Keno to get up.
Instead he dropped a big hit to Keno’s jaw, then started landing knees to his ribs, mixed with more punches to his face and body. He thought of Rissy and rage kept him going, each strike harder than the one before it.
A second later, wit
h a flash of lights and sirens, Logan’s men closed in. Cannon was already there beside Armie, pulling him back.
“I want to kill him,” Armie growled.
Close to him, Cannon said, “I know. Me, too. But we have to let Logan do his thing.”
It gave Armie great satisfaction when Boyd tried to run and subsequently got hit with a Taser. Seeing him twitching on the ground was a pleasure.
Mac, not being an idiot, put his gun on the ground with alacrity and interlocked his hands behind his head.
Deadpan, Cannon asked, “Been arrested before?”
Watching Armie, Mac just shrugged. “You set me up, son.”
“Yeah,” Armie said while fishing out his wallet. “I did.”
As his arms were wrenched down and his wrists put in cuffs, Mac grinned. “You’re fast.”
“That’s what they tell me.” Armie took out the five hundred he’d promised his dad and stuffed it into the breast pocket of his shirt.
Because that wasn’t part of the plan, Cannon scowled over it, but he didn’t say anything.
Without a word, Armie walked away.
As he was being led to a cruiser, Mac yelled to him, “Did that include a bonus for saving your ass, too?”
Armie didn’t look back. Here on out, he was only looking forward.
* * *
CANNON SAW ARMIE LEAVING, knew he wouldn’t go far, but figured he’d want a few moments alone. Hurting for his friend, he walked over to Mr. Jacobson. There were five cops on the scene, including Logan, who had just approached.
“Where’s Armie?”
Cannon tipped his head in the direction Armie had gone.
Grim, Logan looked after him. “We got plenty, I’m sure. But I don’t want him to take off yet.”
“He won’t.” Cannon indicated Mac. “Mind if I have a word with him?”
“One minute.” Logan squeezed Cannon’s shoulder and went back to Keno and Boyd.
“What do you want now?” Mac asked, obnoxious to the bitter end.
Cannon stared at him, and more than anything he just felt pity. “You threw away everything.”
Mac narrowed his eyes. “Pretty sure he didn’t miss me.”
“You never gave him anything to miss.” Bracing a hand on the roof of the squad car, Cannon stared down at Mac. “Who misses abuse? Neglect?”