Almost as if he didn’t care. But…of course he didn’t. All of it was for show. His friendly smiles, his caring, his sexual interest…
Her stomach cramped at the appalling reality: everything he’d said and done had only been meant to win her over.
God, she hated herself in that moment.
To two of the officers, Logan said coolly, without emotion, “Stay here with her. See that she’s safe.”
So he’d leave her with guard dogs? Pepper smiled at Logan. Perfect.
It perplexed him and made him wary, just as she intended.
He studied her face, his gaze direct but guarded. “Your brother will be fine.”
“He will be,” she agreed. “No thanks to you.” She’d see to Rowdy’s safety. She’d do what she should have done long ago. She’d been thinking about it for a while now. Logan’s deception had only spurred her to act more quickly. Thanks to him, the decision was no longer hers alone to make.
She looked past Logan to the other detective. “Reese?”
Logan frowned, but his buddy only arched an eyebrow. “Detective Bareden, Reese to my friends.”
“Am I under arrest, Detective Bareden?”
“I can’t imagine why you would be.” He deferred to Logan. “Care to chime in?”
Disgusted, Logan tucked in his shirt. He looked a little mismatched in the button-up shirt and jeans, but then, he’d been a walking contradiction all along.
If only she’d grasped that sooner.
“I have no reason to arrest you. The men will stay to see to your safety until I can get back.”
She ignored Logan and again spoke to Reese. “You’re arresting my brother?”
Morbidly amused, Reese grinned at her. “Taking him in for questioning. For now.”
“Questioning about what?”
Logan stepped in front of Reese. Teeth locked, he gritted out, “I will explain to you later.”
She leaned around him to see Reese. The blond sighed and shook his head as if exasperated with her.
She didn’t care what they thought. She couldn’t care. “Where are you taking him?”
Reese gave her the name of the police station—in the same area where Morton Andrews ran his damned club. Was that even legal? She didn’t know. And what did it matter when she couldn’t involve lawyers?
“When can I see him?”
Logan again blocked her view. “You want to talk to him, Pepper, you’ll go through me. Now if you’ll just—”
“You’re wasting that arrogance on me, Detective. I’m not impressed, I’m not intimidated, and I’m no longer trusting.”
His gaze sympathetic, Logan held silent.
She could take just about anything—except his pity. “You think you played me for a fool, don’t you?” She wrought a credible laugh. “You’re the fool. I only wish I could be around when you realize it.”
“You aren’t going anywhere.”
After everything that had just happened, did he honestly think he could stop her? “I’m going away from you.” She stepped around him and headed for her apartment. “For now, that’s more than enough.”
Logan said nothing, but she felt his gaze burning into her back as she retreated to her apartment.
She had a lot to do, a lot to accomplish tonight. She wouldn’t waste another single second on lost causes.
And whatever his real name might be, Detective Logan was most definitely a lost cause.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“GUESS YOU’RE IN THE doghouse,” Reese said to Logan. They rode in a car behind the sedan carrying Rowdy. Logan wasn’t ready yet to deal with him. He needed to tamp down his rage—and his conscience.
The look on Pepper’s face… God, it ate at him. “She’ll come around.” Somehow, he’d make it so.
“You think so, do you?” Reese followed the sedan closely. “She looked more pissed than hurt.”
Reese only thought that because he didn’t know her well. “She’s sweet and tenderhearted. She doesn’t belong in this mess.”
“She’s in it all the same.”
Thanks to him. “Quit needling me with the obvious, damn it.”
“Just saying.” Reese glanced at him. “You know, I can handle this shit with Yates, if you want to be with her.”
“No.” Difficult as it might be, he’d remember his priorities.
“The more time you give her, the less she’s going to want to hear you. Women have a way of working themselves into a lather over stuff, especially when embarrassed. I’d say using her to get her brother would qualify as an embarrassing situation.”
“Until I talk to Rowdy, until I get what I need, she’s not going to want to listen to anything I have to say.” She’d only want to follow Rowdy’s order—to be quiet, to shut him out.
Logan thought again of how the brother had shouted at her, his lack of gentleness with her. It infuriated him. “Once I have the info, I can reason with her, make her understand how important it is.”
Reese let that go to ask, “How long do you think you can hold him?”
“After catching him in my place? Long enough.” He hoped. “What did the lieutenant say?”
Reese squeezed the steering wheel. “I didn’t tell her yet.”
After giving Reese a long look, Logan put his head back. Shit. It needed only this. “She’s going to be pissed.”
Her stomach cramped at the appalling reality: everything he’d said and done had only been meant to win her over.
God, she hated herself in that moment.
To two of the officers, Logan said coolly, without emotion, “Stay here with her. See that she’s safe.”
So he’d leave her with guard dogs? Pepper smiled at Logan. Perfect.
It perplexed him and made him wary, just as she intended.
He studied her face, his gaze direct but guarded. “Your brother will be fine.”
“He will be,” she agreed. “No thanks to you.” She’d see to Rowdy’s safety. She’d do what she should have done long ago. She’d been thinking about it for a while now. Logan’s deception had only spurred her to act more quickly. Thanks to him, the decision was no longer hers alone to make.
She looked past Logan to the other detective. “Reese?”
Logan frowned, but his buddy only arched an eyebrow. “Detective Bareden, Reese to my friends.”
“Am I under arrest, Detective Bareden?”
“I can’t imagine why you would be.” He deferred to Logan. “Care to chime in?”
Disgusted, Logan tucked in his shirt. He looked a little mismatched in the button-up shirt and jeans, but then, he’d been a walking contradiction all along.
If only she’d grasped that sooner.
“I have no reason to arrest you. The men will stay to see to your safety until I can get back.”
She ignored Logan and again spoke to Reese. “You’re arresting my brother?”
Morbidly amused, Reese grinned at her. “Taking him in for questioning. For now.”
“Questioning about what?”
Logan stepped in front of Reese. Teeth locked, he gritted out, “I will explain to you later.”
She leaned around him to see Reese. The blond sighed and shook his head as if exasperated with her.
She didn’t care what they thought. She couldn’t care. “Where are you taking him?”
Reese gave her the name of the police station—in the same area where Morton Andrews ran his damned club. Was that even legal? She didn’t know. And what did it matter when she couldn’t involve lawyers?
“When can I see him?”
Logan again blocked her view. “You want to talk to him, Pepper, you’ll go through me. Now if you’ll just—”
“You’re wasting that arrogance on me, Detective. I’m not impressed, I’m not intimidated, and I’m no longer trusting.”
His gaze sympathetic, Logan held silent.
She could take just about anything—except his pity. “You think you played me for a fool, don’t you?” She wrought a credible laugh. “You’re the fool. I only wish I could be around when you realize it.”
“You aren’t going anywhere.”
After everything that had just happened, did he honestly think he could stop her? “I’m going away from you.” She stepped around him and headed for her apartment. “For now, that’s more than enough.”
Logan said nothing, but she felt his gaze burning into her back as she retreated to her apartment.
She had a lot to do, a lot to accomplish tonight. She wouldn’t waste another single second on lost causes.
And whatever his real name might be, Detective Logan was most definitely a lost cause.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“GUESS YOU’RE IN THE doghouse,” Reese said to Logan. They rode in a car behind the sedan carrying Rowdy. Logan wasn’t ready yet to deal with him. He needed to tamp down his rage—and his conscience.
The look on Pepper’s face… God, it ate at him. “She’ll come around.” Somehow, he’d make it so.
“You think so, do you?” Reese followed the sedan closely. “She looked more pissed than hurt.”
Reese only thought that because he didn’t know her well. “She’s sweet and tenderhearted. She doesn’t belong in this mess.”
“She’s in it all the same.”
Thanks to him. “Quit needling me with the obvious, damn it.”
“Just saying.” Reese glanced at him. “You know, I can handle this shit with Yates, if you want to be with her.”
“No.” Difficult as it might be, he’d remember his priorities.
“The more time you give her, the less she’s going to want to hear you. Women have a way of working themselves into a lather over stuff, especially when embarrassed. I’d say using her to get her brother would qualify as an embarrassing situation.”
“Until I talk to Rowdy, until I get what I need, she’s not going to want to listen to anything I have to say.” She’d only want to follow Rowdy’s order—to be quiet, to shut him out.
Logan thought again of how the brother had shouted at her, his lack of gentleness with her. It infuriated him. “Once I have the info, I can reason with her, make her understand how important it is.”
Reese let that go to ask, “How long do you think you can hold him?”
“After catching him in my place? Long enough.” He hoped. “What did the lieutenant say?”
Reese squeezed the steering wheel. “I didn’t tell her yet.”
After giving Reese a long look, Logan put his head back. Shit. It needed only this. “She’s going to be pissed.”
