No one said a word, and it finally pushed Remmy too far. “He’s stinking up the place.”
King’s black gaze, now a little glazed from alcohol, shifted to Worth. “Stop playing possum, you miserable, ungrateful shit.”
Worth groaned, but otherwise didn’t move. Almost as if he was afraid to, he refused to open his eyes.
“Want me to drag him outside?” Remmy asked.
“So you can run off?” King smirked. “No.” He nodded to another man. “Take him behind the shack and secure him somehow.”
Blank faced, the man repeated, “Secure him... But how? We don’t have any rope or anything.”
When King looked ready to explode, Remmy said, “Here.” He stripped off his T-shirt, then, using his teeth to start a tear, neatly ripped it into long strips. “Use this.” Deftly, he twisted the cotton material until it created a short rope. “Tie one around his hands, then use the length of the others to secure his hands to a tree or something.”
The guy nodded, grabbing the material and stuffing it into his pocket, then going to Worth in a rush. As soon as he moved him, Worth issued more groans, but he managed to get his feet under him and more or less stumbled out.
Remmy shook his head.
Disgruntled, King murmured, “Always so innovative. Never at a loss. If only all my men were as talented as you are.”
“They need training, that’s all.”
“You can’t teach common sense.”
Fair point. You also couldn’t expect excellence from two-bit thugs, but whatever. “Care to tell me your plan?”
King smiled. “I’m making it up as I go along.”
“Bullshit. You’re not a spur-of-the-moment type of villain.” Two of the men who’d gotten him here stared at him, appalled.
The man who’d hauled out Worth came hurrying back in. “A truck’s coming.”
Satisfaction put an unholy light in King’s eyes, making him look like the fucking devil. “Finish securing Worth, then hide in the trees.”
That left King and two of the morons he’d already tangled with in the room with Remmy. Even if he could eliminate them—and there was a good chance he could—there were two more outside, already stationed somewhere, and the third man who’d have to finish tying Worth first.
“I see the wheels turning,” King said. “I’d almost like you to try it, then I could order them to mow you down and damn the consequences.”
Remmy shook his head. “You want to go on being the boss, and that might jeopardize things. Danny is one thing. But Danny, Worth, me, Jodi... How many bodies are you going to pile up in one day and still expect to get away with it?”
Swirling the ice in his drink, King considered him, then gave a shrug. “Actually, Worth will live, but going forward, he’ll be more careful about crossing me. Danny was a liability and you know it. You...?” He swallowed the last of the drink and set the glass on the table. “You, I’m still hoping to keep. Consider this your final test. Fail it, and you’ll have the same fate as Danny. Help me eliminate the girl...?” He shrugged. “And we can continue to work together.”
A horn blared.
Remmy didn’t take his eyes off King. He wouldn’t make the first move.
Amused, King gestured for the man with the broken, swollen nose to step out. “See if she’s alone.”
In only ten seconds, he reported in a nasally whine, “She has a man with her.”
“Looks like you’ve been passed over, Remmy.”
“He’s a neighbor,” Remmy said, striding forward. “And he works for her.” What the fuck were they thinking?
“You understand I have two other men stationed in the trees.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Stomping halfway down the path, Remmy stalled and stared at Jodi. She stood in front of her truck, arms crossed as if she didn’t have a care. Beside her, looking like a fucking sentinel, Hunter watched him, his gaze a laser beam of rage.
“Why the fuck are you here?”
Behind him, the dude with the broken nose laughed. “Giggs was right. You’re whipped, man.”
Jodi stepped away from the truck, her expression serene, maybe a little belligerent. “Is that your handiwork?” she asked, gesturing at the guy’s mangled face.
Remmy flexed his hands. He’d tried...and it didn’t matter. He was aware of King striding out with gleeful anticipation, and there Jodi stood, far more innocent than he’d ever expected.
She glanced around. “Let’s see...” She pointed a finger at the different men, declaring, “Thug, thug...ah. That must be King.”
“It’s a setup,” Remmy muttered, his brain scrambling and coming up blank. There was nothing he could do to help her now. Most likely, they’d all three die.
“Remmy,” she said softly, “you actually believe I’d walk into a trap?”
“You have, damn it.”
She gave him a mocking smile, full of fondness. “Doofus. I set the traps, not the other way around.”
His aching heart slowed with comprehension, then shot into a frantic race. A trap. One she’d arranged? But how? He started to look around, but thought better of it. King had almost reached them and it’d be dumb for him to give anything away. “You better know what you’re doing.”
“She does,” Hunter assured him. Then he stared at the other men, and hilariously enough, they faltered.
Yeah, he got that. Hunter made a damned imposing figure. “You’re along for the ride?”
“I’m with her,” Hunter stated. “Always.”
Huh. Apparently, they were going the domestic route. Well, good for them—and no, that was not jealousy he felt. Hell, if he survived today, he would be officially unemployed and in massive legal trouble. He had bigger things to worry about than romance.
Softly, just to her, Remmy said, “I’m happy for you.”
She grinned, and it was such an evil, anticipatory Jodi-like grin, he actually grew hopeful. Maybe, with her cunning and a bit of luck, he’d get out of this alive, too. If he did, by God, he’d change his ways. He’d get legit...somehow.
And then, then he could rethink his whole life, maybe do something right, and possibly even consider...settling down.
* * *
AS JODI WALKED toward King, Hunter kept pace at her side. Without making it obvious, he took in everything—the trees, the shack, Remmy, King and his men. He knew her family was out there, and he trusted them. Overall.