But with Jodi’s life? He wasn’t yet willing to go that far.
Jodi was. She trusted them with herself, and with him. To Hunter, that counted for a lot.
“That’s far enough,” Remmy said, his gaze piercing. Lower, he muttered, “Whatever your plan is, don’t push it.”
“So, Danny was correct all along.” King stepped up behind him. “You do have feelings for her, don’t you?”
Amazingly enough, Remmy flushed.
Not in this lifetime, Hunter thought. He watched Remmy’s gaze lock on Jodi as he tried to convey some silent meaning.
“Don’t do it,” Hunter warned. If the other man attempted to play hero now, he was liable to screw up everything.
King smirked at Remmy. “Planning to sacrifice yourself for her?”
“Aw,” Jodi mocked. “That’s sweet.”
Hunter appreciated her bravado, but at the same time, he saw Remmy slip two fingers into his pocket, and he knew without a doubt that he had a weapon. “Not necessary,” Hunter stated again.
King, who was oblivious to the moves Remmy made, announced, “My men have you surrounded. Make a single move and they’ll kill that one first.” He nodded at Hunter. “And then this backstabber.” He leered at Jodi. “You, I think I’ll save for later.”
“Eww, no.” Jodi pretended to gag.
King’s expression hardened. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
“I don’t think so. You see, we went through my house and found some interesting stuff.”
That, at least, gave King pause.
“In the attic space—above a special closet—we found six hardware buckets.”
“Bitch,” King snarled, his whole body shaking with menace.
“Even though I scrubbed that house top to bottom, I didn’t run into it at first because that’s the closet I use to store my weapons. It was locked up nice and tight, so even if you or your buffoons had managed to break into my house without me killing you, you wouldn’t have gotten into that closet, not unless you removed the hinges.” Her lip curled. “Wanna know what was in the buckets?”
While King fumed, Remmy said, “I sure as hell do.”
“I know you’re enjoying yourself,” Hunter remarked. He could see it in her eyes and in the line of her posture. He hated to spoil her fun, but Parrish had been clear on his instructions and the timeline. “How about we wrap it up here?”
Jodi nodded. “We found buckets full of cash, over two hundred thousand dollars.”
Staring disbelievingly at King, Remmy whistled. “You hid cash in her house?”
“Also, four TEC-9 semiautomatic pistols. We were careful not to touch those, so fingerprints can be recovered. Best of all, three wallets—containing IDs for missing men.” Jodi smiled. “Now, why do I assume those missing men are dead, and that their deaths will somehow be traced back to you?”
“You won’t be able to prove any of it—especially once you’re dead.”
“Ah, well, you’re going to be disappointed on that. Men are already going through your house. By the way, they found another six hundred thousand in your safe, along with heroin and fentanyl.” Her lips curled. “And one more wallet. Surprise, surprise. Another dead man.”
King lunged for her.
Several things happened at once. In a blur of motion, Remmy withdrew the knife and stabbed King hard in the groin, causing him to scream out in pain. Hunter fired his gun, hitting King in the shoulder and narrowly missing Remmy, who swiftly turned with King’s body held in front of him, as if for cover.
Okay, so Remmy was fast, Hunter would give him that. A knife in the privates was also a hell of a way to halt an attack. He almost winced.
None of that made him good enough for Jodi.
“Relax,” Jodi told him. “If anyone else dares to take aim, they’ll be shot.”
Clearly not trusting her, Remmy maneuvered so that he and King both protected Jodi. Over his shoulder, he snapped at Hunter, “Get her out of here!”
Another shot. Then one more. Remmy looked around wildly as King began to slump, his legs giving out from his injuries.
“He’s stealing your thunder,” Hunter said to Jodi, and got a grin from her in return. He realized she was enjoying herself. God help him, that only made him love her more.
“It’s okay, Remmy.” Jodi started to pat his shoulder.
No way. Snagging a hand in the waistband of her jeans, Hunter drew her back. “I don’t think so.” She could be as cocky as she wanted, but she would not start touching other men right now.
Giving in on that point, she grinned again, then said to Remmy, “Those shots you heard? That means two of King’s men are now disabled. He’s already bleeding to death, so I think you can let him go.”
Remmy cursed low.
“We have it covered,” Hunter assured him. “Seriously, he’s dead weight. Drop him.”
“What the hell,” Remmy breathed, seeing the last two men discard their weapons and lock their hands behind their necks. “Who did you bring along? Federal marshals?”
“You only need to know that she’s protected.”
King sought lost reserves and started to struggle, so Remmy spun him around and punched him in the chin. He staggered, then fell back unconscious.
“That wasn’t necessary.” Hunter stepped forward, flipped the man over and secured nylon cuffs on his wrists.
“It made me feel better.” Remmy stared at King with hatred. “He killed Danny Giggs, and Worth is beat all to hell and back, tied up behind the shack. He’s going to need an ambulance, I think.”
Only seconds later, sirens sounded, and Remmy turned to stare at Jodi in awe. “Are you responsible for those, too?”
“She’s responsible,” Hunter said, “for you getting a second chance. Don’t blow it or I’ll personally make you pay.”
“Hey,” Jodi protested. “That was my line.”
Remmy looked at them both like they were nuts.
Prodding him forward—away from Jodi—Hunter handed him more restraints. “You can help me secure them.” After Jodi had convinced Parrish that Remmy was a decent guy who’d gotten in over his head, they’d worked out the plans. Jodi got to have her input, and part of that was offering Remmy an opportunity to do the right thing.
Hunter trusted Remmy only because Jodi did, but he still wouldn’t leave the two of them alone.