“Or,” Reyes said, his thoughts scrambling ahead, “she already knows he didn’t die, and that’s why she’s worried for you. Whoever knows her might be exposed to his vengeance. Worse, anyone she cares about could be used against her.”
Kennedy blinked at him. “I’m not worried about me.”
He gave her a level look. “No reason you should be since I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He’d kill Golly and all his cronies before he’d let them lay a finger on Kennedy.
She started pacing. “I need to copy that photo so I can ask Jodi if it’s him.”
“Done. I’ll take care of it.”
Staring at him, her jaw loosened. “It can’t be that easy. I got the feeling that Crosby suspects your whole family. He even made a veiled accusation about your father.”
Ice skated down Reyes’s spine. His voice lowered to a rough growl. “What did he say?”
“Just something vague really, but it was how he said it.”
“Tell me.”
She licked her lips, thinking. “Madison was trying to engage him in small talk. I think she was flirting.”
“Doesn’t sound like my sister.” What the hell could Madison be up to? “She pays no attention to men.”
“Well, she’s been paying a lot of interested attention to Crosby.”
Probably Madison’s way of softening the guy up, taking him off guard, getting him to say too much. “How did that lead to my father?”
“Madison wanted him to tell her more about himself, about the task force or something like that. He said he wasn’t on a task force, that his interest in Golly was personal. Instead of going into it, he wanted to hear more about her, you and Cade and your father, too. Something about your father being the head of it all.”
Son of a bitch. “I should have killed him,” he snarled. Still might.
Exasperated, Kennedy demanded, “Do you, or do you not, trust your sister?”
“Do.” But she’d been flirting?
“And you don’t indiscriminately kill men for asking questions, especially police officers.”
No, but he could start. When she glared at him, he confirmed, “No, I don’t.”
“Madison isn’t worried about him. When she saw him on the security cam, she recognized him. She opened the door and let him in without a qualm. I just... I don’t know him, and I didn’t think you’d want him here.” She shrugged helplessly. “So I texted you.”
“Hey.” Reyes drew her against his chest. God, it felt good to hold her. On the drive back, he’d been running on a potent combo of instinct and adrenaline, anger and worry, unable to consider the possibilities of an intruder. “You did the right thing, babe. Anytime something feels off, even a little, I want you to let me know.”
She dropped her forehead against him. “I’ve been here nearly a month, Reyes. This can’t go on indefinitely.”
His first impulse was to ask, Why not? He bit back that automatic response real fast. Why not? There were a million reasons, number one being that he didn’t want a significant other. He liked his life of kicking ass when necessary, indulging in sex without emotional constraints, and fulfilling his father’s edicts efficiently while never allowing the grisly details of the enterprise to overtake him.
“Shush.” Holding Kennedy’s shoulders, he stepped back and bent his knees to look into her pretty blue eyes. “You can’t talk about leaving when we finally have something to go on. First thing we’ll do is reach out to Jodi. I’ll get that image from the cop, then we’ll meet with her somewhere safe where I can control things.”
“Jodi will never agree to meet with you.”
“So we’ll keep that part from her. Cade can be backup.” Madison would, of course, provide necessary surveillance and digital security. “It’ll be safe.” Come hell or high water, he wouldn’t let her be hurt. Not ever again.
Undecided, Kennedy visibly shored up her courage. “All right. But first you need that image. I won’t upset Jodi without something concrete to show her.”
Reyes cupped a hand to her cheek. “I don’t want you to worry.”
“Even you, Reyes McKenzie, don’t get everything you want.”
He grinned at her retreating back as she left the room. No, he wouldn’t get everything. Pretty sure he might get Kennedy, though, at least long enough for them both to have a really good time.
Today, right now, that felt like enough.
* * *
DEL DIDN’T LIKE hiring others to do the dirty work, not when it was usually his favorite part. Imagining Kennedy’s expression when he got his hands on her... It was all he’d had to think about lately, so yeah, he’d like to be there, up-front and real fucking personal.
Instead, he was stuck waiting with Mr. Butt-ugly, who kept grinning without saying anything.
Fucker got weirder by the day.
“Look, there’s no reason to keep paying punks to handle things I could handle myself.”
“Is that so?” Golly asked, still rocking, still smiling. “You’re familiar with murder?”
“I don’t want to murder Kennedy.” Not right off, not after all this trouble. For a day or two he wanted her alive and kicking—then he’d gladly snuff her.
“You think he’d just let you take her?” Shaking his head, Golly said, “Don’t be stupid. That one won’t die easily. It’ll take having more than one shooter on him, and even if they fail, I have two others in a truck, ready to ambush them on the road.”
“Jesus, how many people are we paying?”
“Enough to get the job done.”
Del really didn’t like him. Worse, he sort of feared him—and that feeling grew more unsettling every day that he was stuck in Golly’s company, witnessing his unhinged behavior.
There was no way of knowing when the prick might snap and kill everyone in sight.
The rocking abruptly stopped. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even be close to getting your hands on that woman. I’m the one who knew to follow Jodi. I’m the one who discovered she was friends with Kennedy. The only reason you’re involved at all is because I want Jodi to see what happened to her so-called friend. I want her to know what you’re going to do to that bitch.”
For about the hundredth time, Del regretted ever meeting the whack job, and he really wished he hadn’t agreed to partner up with him.