“Good idea,” Odin rumbled. “Let’s go, Ali.”
She didn’t go. “I need to speak with you, Ramsey. There are some facts that I think you need to be aware of.”
He didn’t even look mildly curious. “I’m generally aware of most facts.”
How wonderful for you. “You’re not aware of this, and you’re not aware of what Jinx has been risking.”
His eyelids flickered. His expression didn’t change, but she suddenly felt the sharp surge of his attention.
That did it. Now he’ll talk to me.
“Odin, don’t take it personally, but keep your ass out here,” Ramsey directed. “As for you…” He pointed at her. “Five minutes. That’s all you get.”
“Thanks ever so much for the gracious invitation,” Ali murmured as she hurried forward and entered the bar.
“It wasn’t gracious.”
“I know.”
***
“Well?” Landon pushed. “Do we have a deal?”
“This is bullshit!” War burst out before Jinx could say a word. “You don’t threaten Jinx. And you don’t blackmail him.”
Landon rocked forward. “Blackmail is an ugly word.”
“Yeah, and it’s an ugly deed,” War charged. “So how about you stop that shit and get out of my place?”
Jinx’s phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. Just in case it was about Ali or it was Ali texting him—
But the text wasn’t from Ali. It was from Ramsey.
Why the hell is your girlfriend at my bar?
Jinx stared at the text. Shook his head.
“No?” Landon said, sounding stunned. “You’re telling me that we have no deal, Jinx? You’re really going to let you brother be thrown to the wolves…or, in this case, thrown into a prison cell for the rest of his life? You’re going to do that when you have the power to save him?”
To save Ramsey, all Jinx had to do was put Ali at risk.
He looked up at Landon. Landon had pulled out his phone.
“I can make one phone call to protect him,” Landon promised him. “All you have to do is say the word.”
Jinx swallowed. “This Cyrus…you want him that badly?”
“So badly that I would give your brother a deal? Yes. Though, please note, it’s not that I want him.” His face darkened. “I’m following orders from above. This is above my pay grade, and—look, it’s not personal. I like Ali. I want her safe, too, and believe me, I will do everything I can to help her. But we need to spring this trap. She’s our best bet of catching Cyrus.” His fingers slid over the surface of his phone. “Do we have a deal?”
***
“Are you as bad as they say?”
The bar seemed big, cavernous, without any of the usual people inside. Ali sat on a stool while Ramsey stood near her. His arms were folded over his chest, and he certainly looked less than pleased to see her.
“Worse,” he assured her. “I’m much, much worse than everyone says.”
She considered the situation. “If that’s the case, then why is Jinx working so hard to save you?”
His expression didn’t change, but she could almost feel his surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“You may think Jinx turned his back on you, but he didn’t. He’s always fought for you. Maybe you need to cut him some slack and stop being such an asshole.” Because she didn’t like that this guy was hurting Jinx. Family or not, he needed to get his act together.
Ramsey squinted at her. “Did you come here today just so you could tell me—to my face—that I’m an asshole?”
She tapped her chin. “That is one of the reasons. You’ve hurt Jinx. It’s not fair for you to do that.”
Now he appeared almost…fascinated. “Do tell me more.”
Her lips thinned. She couldn’t tell Ramsey that Jinx had taken plenty of those dangerous cases for him. That story wasn’t hers to share. But she could say… “Jinx is one of the best men I’ve ever met. I’ve never seen him turn his back on anyone. He fights hard, and he doesn’t give up on the people who matter to him.”
“Um…” He turned his back and took a few steps away from her. “If that’s the case, then why didn’t you go to him when your little problem first developed?”
Her chest squeezed. “What do you know what about my problem?”
“I know it impacts my brother, so I did some digging. Asked around in the right places, or, in the wrong ones, as it were.” He looked back at her. “It would be helpful if you stopped pretending with me. I know you’re a very intelligent woman. You’d have to be in order for the government to make deals so that your crimes vanished. They wanted you very badly, didn’t they?”
She licked her lips. This is another reason why I came here. “Fine. I’ll stop pretending.” She jumped off the stool. She didn’t want to waste her five minutes. “I figured that once you knew Jinx was working with me—and once you learned about the sabotage of his motorcycle—that you’d get involved. I knew you would research me, turn up my past, and then I knew you’d also start digging to see just who had dared to threaten your brother.” She bit her lip and couldn’t help but glance around. “Speaking of threats to your brother, what happened to the kid who had the empty gun?”
“He’s been handled.” Clipped. Cold.
She bounded toward him. Grabbed his arm and spun him fully toward her. “You didn’t kill him!”
He looked down at her hand. “Does it matter?”
“Yes! It matters! It matters a whole lot, and you know it! He was just like you and Jinx. Just like—” She stopped before she said me.
“I don’t remember Jinx ever pulling a gun on anyone at that age.” He was still staring at her hand. “He was the one who went off to be all he could be. Wanted to save the world.”
“He wanted to save you.” He still does.
Ramsey’s gaze rose to her face.
“You’re the one who left him,” she added.
“Because I wanted to save him.” Soft.
She let him go. “And the reason you still push him away?”
His lips pulled down. “Not much has changed since those days. My reason is the same.” He looked at his wrist. At a watch that wasn’t there. “I’m sure five minutes have passed. I’ve learned nothing important or new from this conversation.”
She wasn’t leaving. “You dug into my past because you’re worried about Jinx. You also immediately sent word through your contacts to learn about who might be targeting Jinx because he’s helping me.”
He neither confirmed nor denied her suspicions.
Whatever. She didn’t need his response—she knew this was all true. “I want to know what you’ve learned about the stalker.”
“It’s only been a few hours. How could I have learned a lot by now? You overestimate my skills.”
Fine. Maybe he didn’t have new info…yet. “When you get intel, I want you to share it with me. And with Jinx. This guy that we’re after—he’s not your typical criminal.”