by Tawny Weber
As soon as the words were out, something caught his eye. A large red four-wheel-drive truck all tricked out with shiny chrome was parked at the end of the alley. In the back were at least eight crates, just like the one he’d saw the other day.
Instincts humming, he memorized the license plate number. He knew there were weapons on those crates. And someone was cocky enough to leave them sitting there in the open like that. Hell, even if it were just bike parts, that’d be a pretty dumb move, leaving them out there for anyone to snag.
Which meant whoever it was had to be close by. Probably getting ready to leave. To deliver the guns. Hell, yeah. Excitement surged as Simon realized he could blow this case wide open.
He weighed the options. It’d be a bigger bust, a stronger one, if he could find out where they were taking the weapons. Who they were delivering them to. If he stowed away in that truck, he could find out. Or he could text Hunter and wait for orders. Or, preferably, do both.
Adrenaline zinging, he was ready to rock. He just had to get rid of Lilah.
He turned to ask her if she knew someone who drove a red diesel. As soon as he saw her, though, his jaw dropped and he forgot the question.
“What the hell?”
She was half-naked. Her jacket, shirt and boots were tossed aside so she stood there in unbuttoned jeans and a bra that was putting its elastic to the test.
“You seem to be missing some things,” he muttered, cringing as he heard a car engine. Dammit. He didn’t have time to play pawn in her one-upmanship game with Maya. He gave a quick look out the window again and saw that the truck hadn’t moved. Yet.
When he glanced back, she was five steps closer. How the hell did she move so fast in those gut-strangling jeans?
“Look,” he started. Then he stopped. What did he say? She knew damned well he wasn’t interested. So why was she half-naked?
“Why are you doing this?” he asked, actually curious beneath the cringing sort of horror. “Someone could come in at any moment.”
“That just adds a little extra spice to the fun,” she said, starting to dance, her arms waving in sinuous moves over her head as she undulated her hips. “I like the idea of getting caught. Of people watching. I like being…naughty.”
“That’s your idea of naughty?” He thought of Maya’s game of Simon Says. Now that was naughty. This? This was just… He eyed Lilah, noting the calculating look in her eyes and the way she kept shimmying in full view of the windows. Like she wanted to be seen. He glanced over his shoulder, noting the unimpeded view from Pandora’s café to Lilah’s almost-naked dance.
A dance that plenty of lunchtime patrons were privy to. Including, at any minute, Maya.
“Clever.” He had to hand it to her, if her goal was to stir up talk, or to piss off Maya, she was playing her hand well.
And she, and the resulting watching crowd, were making it impossible for him to sneak into the back of the truck. He was under orders not to break cover, so he couldn’t approach the driver publically. Frustration simmered in his gut. At this moment, all he could hope for was that someone saw who was driving.
“What’s the problem, big boy?” Lilah purred, doing a weird sort of shimmy all around him. For all her wiggling her silicon barely jiggled. “You’re not man enough to handle me?”
“More like not interested,” he told her, sidestepping her next shimmy to shift around her so he was closer to the door. “I’m involved, remember?”
“So what?”
“So? So are you, remember?” He pulled a face. “Don’t you think Tobias deserves some kind of loyalty?”
For just a second, her fake sexy look disappeared and a vicious glare took its place. Then she blinked and fluttered her lashes. “Tobias always gets exactly what he deserves. I’m sure he will this time, too. Right now it’s all about you and me, big boy.”
“I really wish you’d stop calling me big boy.”
“Why? Size problems?”
Did she really think that kind of dare was going to make him respond? Almost feeling sorry for her, he just shook his head. “Like I said, I’m involved with Maya. Exclusively.”
And he wanted to stay that way. Long after this case was closed, after he’d spilled his guts and shared the truth. Whether that was possible or not, he had no idea. But he was damned sure going to try.
And there was no way in hell he was going to let Lilah mess that up for him.
“Maya doesn’t have to know.”
Simon smirked. Right. Like everyone watching through the window wouldn’t be broadcasting a critique of this show through town faster than he could run from the building.
Impatient and tired of the game, Simon gestured toward her clothes. “Get dressed. I’m not interested, and neither are you.”
A loud roar filled the air. A diesel engine, Simon realized. A tiny smirk flashed on Lilah’s face, then she lifted her chin and put on an affronted look.
“You think you can reject me like this? I won’t have it. You don’t appreciate what I have to offer, then I’ll take it somewhere else.” She grabbed her jacket and slung it on, then snapped her boots up and stormed for the door.
“You just wait. I’ll get revenge for this, Simon. You think your relationship with Little Miss Perfect is so wonderful? Wait until I’m done with it.”
With that and a toss of her hair, she was gone.
God, he was an idiot. He’d thought the show was to cause trouble for him and to hurt Maya. But that was just a side benefit. Lilah’s way of giving one last swipe at Maya and causing as much trouble as she could for her and Tobias. The real reason, though, had been to keep him distracted, stuck here, so whoever was in the truck could get away.
“Shit.” He punched the wall, welcoming the stinging pain as he glared at the doorway where Lilah had stormed through.
She was the decoy. She was silicone deep in this mess. And she’d just kicked his ass, as far as the case was concerned. To say nothing of what she’d done to the possibility of saving his relationship with Maya once the diners broadcast the details of Lilah’s striptease.
Anger and frustration simmering at a low boil, Simon paced the cement floor and shoved his hands through his hair. Once again, he was torn between two priorities. Find Maya and try to mitigate the damage. Or bring Hunter up-to-date on the case.
Not ready to wiggle out from between the rock and the hard place, he decided to do both. Grabbing his phone to call Hunter, he headed for the door. Before he could punch a button—or escape—he heard someone coming down the hall.
Lilah, back for more? Fist clenched, he hoped so. He wanted the truth and she had it.
It wasn’t Lilah who stepped through the doorway, though.
Nope, coming in within seconds of his girlfriend storming out topless—the timing of which made it an almost sure-thing that he’d witnessed her departure—was Tobias Black.
“Hello, there,” Maya’s father greeted with a chilly sort of smile. “And what might you be doing here?”
“I’ve got to go,” Simon said impatiently. Torn, he hesitated for a second. Then he went with his gut. “Look, Lilah is trouble. She’s trying to cause problems, to hurt Maya. I don’t know if plays for you or not, but I figured you should know. Just in case you wanted to put your daughter’s needs first or something.”
Stepping way over the line there, Simon realized. But he didn’t care. Maya needed someone standing up for her.
Tobias gave him a long look. Face inscrutable, the older man glanced at the sweater still strewn across a bike fork, then looked back at Simon.
“Intriguing timing. You and my daughter… Are you planning to make this real?”
How much did Tobias know? Was he speaking as a father, or something else? Simon’s instincts screamed.
“Real?” Simon drew the word out, buying time as he tried to read Tobias’s expression. But the man hadn’t made it to the top of his game by giving anything away. “Is this your way of asking me what my intentions are toward Maya?
”
“Sure. Or you could take it as my way of checking on what was going on here?”
Simon’s gaze cut to the spot where Lilah had done her little striptease. Wincing, he looked out the window toward the café, wondering how many people were searching for Maya right that second.
“Nothing went on.”
“Let me give you a little piece of advice, son. Maya is a strong woman. She’s loyal and loving and clever.” Waiting for Simon’s nod, he continued, “But if you want a future with her—a real future—she needs to know how important she is to you. And you need to realize that she’ll forgive anything. As long as there’s love—and a heartfelt apology—that goes with your explanation.”
“Apologize?” It was like looking down the barrel of a gun without knowing whether it was loaded or not. Was he talking about Lilah’s striptease? Or were Simon’s instincts right and Tobias knew more than he should about why he and Maya were together? Or worse, about Simon’s real job? There were just so many ways for this to explode, it was impossible to know which direction to duck. But one thing was for sure… “You think an apology is going to be necessary? Won’t she be okay with a reasonable explanation?”
Tobias laughed in his face.
“Learn from my mistakes, son. That’s where I went wrong before. It didn’t matter what my explanation was. It didn’t matter that I was right, and completely justified and well-motivated in my choices. What mattered was that I never apologized. I expected Maya to accept—unconditionally accept—my explanation. But I forgot to apologize. And I lost her.”
For the first time since they met, Tobias looked old. Old and worn and sad.
“Just remember,” Tobias continued after clearing his throat, “your secrets aren’t so secret. And everything’s going to come to a head sooner than later. You’d best figure out your priorities, and decide how you’re going to handle the fallout.”
Simon felt like a man dancing on hot coals, not sure which way to run. Did he call Tobias’s bluff? Did he admit that he and Maya had just met a week ago? That the only reason she’d brought him was to save face with her slutty old school friend?
“Look,” he started, not quite sure where he was going but knowing he needed to do some damage control. Before he could say another word, though, there was a loud crash. The far wall shook, a moan echoing through the room. Another bang.
Exchanging shocked looks, the men ran for the door. Simon reached it first, shaking the locked knob.
“Key?” he demanded over his shoulder.
“Don’t have one. I didn’t even know that door locked,” Tobias said, his face drawn tight.
“What’s in here?” Simon asked. Then he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Stand back.”
With that warning, he grabbed his gun. He stepped backward, then rammed the door with his shoulder. Pain exploded, but the door didn’t budge. He slammed it again.
Wood cracked, sending splinters flying. The door flew open, smacking the wall and ricocheting back.
He rushed into the room, Tobias right on his heels.
A narrow bed and sink spanned the far wall, a set of lockers and a table were tucked under the small window. A door was ajar, muted light from the alley beyond shining through the dust motes.
Facedown on the floor, arm outstretched toward Simon’s feet, was a body. Blood oozed from a nasty gash on the back of the man’s head.
“Shit.” Tobias’s curse was low and furious. “That’s Jason. My manager. Is he…” His swallow was a loud click, then he sucked in a breath and tried again. “Is he dead?”
Simon hurried across the room. The wound was severe. There were scratches on his arms, too. Careful not to contaminate the scene, he crouched down and took the man’s wrist. He had a pulse. Faint, but steady.
“He’s alive.”
“Thank God.”
Simon always did when he was lucky enough to come across a body that survived.
“I need you to get your son. Quickly and quietly. I don’t have his direct number and he’s going to need to get here fast. You can get him faster than if I call 911.”
“Someone is going to pay for this.”
Simon glanced up at Tobias’s vow. The older man might be green around the gills, but mostly he looked pissed.
“Yep. Someone will. But first we need the sheriff. You get him.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, preparing to send a coded text. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
MAYA WALKED ALONG THE sidewalk toward the sheriff’s office lost in thought. Her gait was quick, almost jerky, reflecting the nerves duking it out in her stomach.
She blamed her dad. He’d asked her to meet him after breakfast, then had confused her and made her cry by apologizing. Tobias Black had apologized. That’s all it’d taken to melt the last few thin threads of anger she’d been holding on to. What was left?
She had to wait and see.
Which is exactly what she’d said to her dad before she’d left to meet Simon.
Simon. But the last thing she wanted to add was more confusion to her already overstressed emotions. She needed a minute—or a few dozen of them—to figure out what she felt. What she wanted.
And how better to do that than with someone who’d already dealt with the drama of dad and the craziness of falling in love. With a deep breath, she pushed the door of the jail open and strode in.
“Caleb?” she yelled. “It’s your fault I’m here so you have to do your big brother thing and help me fix this mess.”
She stopped so fast, she almost fell on her face. Shock and embarrassment heated her cheeks as she sucked in a breath and tried to decide if she should turn around and leave, or bluff it out.
“Maya,” Caleb said quietly, his tone formal. But his eyes danced with amusement, obviously enjoying her discomfort with brotherly glee. “Can I help you?”
Eyes wide, she glanced at the man sitting across from her brother. Bluff it was.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” In for a penny, in for a pound, if she was going to bluff she was going to do it in style. So she crossed the room, putting just a hint of swing in her hips, and held out her hand. “Hello. I’m Maya. We met last night. You’re apparently friends with my boyfriend.”
“Hunter.” The hand that engulfed hers was hard and sure, just as the man’s face was. Just this side of pretty, he had an intensity that made Maya shiver. Maybe it was being at the jail, or something about this man, but all of her instincts screamed run. And the only thing that sent that cry through her was a cop. She heard his phone buzz in his pocket, but he ignored it. Instead he kept those dark eyes on her. Judging.
“I know you went to college with Caleb, but what do you do now?” she questioned.
“I’m in securities.”
Another form of cop.
“Okay,” she murmured, suddenly even more uncomfortable. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave her brother a long look. “Caleb, we need to talk. When will you have a moment?”
His amusement gave away to a slight frown as he inspected her face for some sign of what she wanted. Or more likely, for how much she knew.
Before he could answer, though, the door swung open. Maya shot Caleb a quick glance, noting he looked just as shocked as she felt.
“Dad?” they said together.
Tobias gave his children a nod of acknowledgement, but addressed Hunter directly.
“We’ve got a problem.”
13
HORRIFIED, MAYA WRAPPED her arms wrapped around her middle and watched the EMTs load her father’s manager into the back of an ambulance.
Someone had tried to kill Jason Raines. She remembered him from school. He was Caleb’s age, had spent time hanging with her brother from time to time. Conceited, charming and funny, he’d been a nice guy.
And now he’d had his head bashed in.
“He should be okay,” she heard Caleb say. The words were hazy, though, as if coming from a long distance.
And then there was Simon.
Looking more comfortable and at ease than she’d ever seen him, he was huddled up with that Hunter guy. Despite being dressed in jeans and jackets, the two of them had an official air that was unmistakable. A red haze of fury fogged her eyes, pushing its way through the misery. Just what, officially, was Simon?
Caleb joined them, and after a quick argument between him and Hunter, he gave Simon a viscous glare. His gaze cut to Maya, meeting her eyes for a brief second. That look sent her stomach tumbling into her toes and her heart racing. Something was wrong.
“You okay, Pumpkin?”
Her eyes met her father’s worried gaze. Without thinking, she burrowed into his waiting arms.
“I didn’t realize you knew Jason that well,” he said.
“I didn’t.”
“Then why…” His words trailed off as his gaze landed on the three men huddled together.
“Ahh. I take it you’ve met Mr. Hunter?”
“Caleb said they were roommates in college. He left out the rest of what they are.”
“Your brother was recruited by the DEA during college. I suppose there were other recruiters visiting his dorm room,” Tobias mused.
Something in his voice had Maya lifting her head from the comforting curve of his shoulder to look into his face. “You know what Hunter does?”
Tobias smiled.
“Well?” she prodded.
“This is neither the time, nor the place. Nor, actually, is it my information to share.”
She watched Simon take charge of the conversation. Hunter was nodding. Caleb, though still looking furious, finally threw his hands in the air in agreement.
Whatever Hunter did, Simon did, too.
And she was sure what Hunter wasn’t, was an investment broker.
Which meant Simon had lied to her.
Had used her.
But why?
He glanced over, his gaze flashing from her to her father, then back. His expression didn’t change, but she saw something in his eyes, even from this distance.