“Actually, I wasn’t really breaking in since I own the building.”
At Logan’s pause, Rowdy laughed.
“Yeah, you gotta wonder who the bigger fraud is, right? You undercover as a tenant, or me as an absentee property owner.”
“You own the building?”
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“I needed a safe place for Pepper. A place where I could touch base with her, where she could be easily overlooked.” Rowdy leaned forward. “But you can get that look out of your eyes. She’s long gone from there now, and she won’t be back.”
If Rowdy spoke the truth, he’d gone above and beyond to keep Pepper off the grid. “She’ll have to go back there eventually.”
“No.”
“She left with nothing. All of her belongings are still there.”
For a short beat of silence, Rowdy considered things, then he shrugged. “There’s nothing there that she needs, believe me. I didn’t count on someone like you tracking her down, but I didn’t leave it to chance, either.”
“Meaning?” In order to figure out where she might be now, Logan needed to learn more about how she and Rowdy had operated.
“I had contingency plans in place. Pepper has already covered her tracks.”
That sounded far too final, so Logan pressed him. “Your tracks, too?”
“Yeah, mine, too.” Slowly, Rowdy grinned. “I just thought of something.”
Hopefully a clue he could use. “Let’s hear it.”
Rowdy actually laughed. “I was staying at a dump motel for a few days, and I really did leave a naked woman in my bed.”
“Who?”
“I don’t remember her name, but she had a world-class rack.”
Logan’s temper ratcheted up another notch. This was the man closest to Pepper, and it made him sick. “I don’t give a shit about—”
“Odds are, Pepper went there first.”
It took all Logan’s concentration not to show his rage. “To cover your tracks?”
“That’s right.” He shook his head, still amused. “Pepper would have found her there, and knowing my sister, she probably tossed her out.”
An image Logan couldn’t quite fathom. “When the hell did she have time for a makeover?”
The humor fled Rowdy in a heartbeat. “What are you talking about?”
“She’s only had a few hours, and if she spent part of that time cleaning up your messes—” The ringing of Logan’s cell phone kept him from finishing that question.
“What do you mean, a makeover?”
It was curious how Rowdy’s tone dropped, how his entire demeanor darkened.
After giving him a long look, Logan glanced at the phone. A private call, without a number or name listed. The entire night had been filled with disturbances. He flipped open the phone. “Hello?”
“Did you tell him yet?”
Pepper. Hearing her voice reassured him. For this instant, at least, she was still safe. “Where are you?”
“None of your business. So did you tell him or not?”
“He’s been so talkative, I haven’t had a chance to say anything yet.”
Rowdy went perfectly still, listening in with interest.
“Yeah, right,” Pepper said. “So tell him now.”
“Soon.” She’d said she would check in. How often? If she called every half hour, he might be able to track her cell. “If you’d stop running off, I could tell you a few things that you might find interesting.” Like how he hadn’t been pretending to care about her, and he definitely hadn’t pretended to want her.
What he felt for her was as real as it could get, and it ate him up to think of her out on her own, playing hide-and-seek with a ruthless murderer like Morton Andrews.
“You want to talk about interesting tidbits, Logan? Here’s one for you—you arrested the wrong person.”
His heartbeat slowed. “That’s as confusing as your transformation. After all, he did break in.”
Rowdy sat forward. “Let me talk to her.”
Logan ignored him.
“My brother is a saint,” Pepper said. “Everything he’s done, he’s done for me. He’s protected me when no one else could. He’s cared for me when no one else did.”
That truth hurt. “Pepper…”
“I have to talk to her,” Rowdy insisted. He reached for the cell, but the restraints held him back. “Damn you!”
Logan stood to move out of range. “Come back to the station, honey. You can help me to figure this out.” And this time I won’t let you get away.
“She was here?” Rowdy came to his feet so fast, he half lifted the heavy table.
Reese stepped in, but Logan waved him back out. Reluctantly, Reese withdrew.
“In an hour I’ll call again. One hour, Logan, you got that?”
“Why an hour?” he asked her, hoping to keep her on the phone.
“Everything should be done by then. If you haven’t yet told Rowdy, I won’t call you again. And you’ll never get the answers you want.”
“Don’t let her hang up,” Rowdy shouted. He thrashed against the cuffs. “Pepper! Goddammit, Pepper, don’t you dare—”
“She’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“Hung up.” Closing the phone, Logan leaned on the table toward him. “You will stop shouting at her, do you understand me?”
At Logan’s pause, Rowdy laughed.
“Yeah, you gotta wonder who the bigger fraud is, right? You undercover as a tenant, or me as an absentee property owner.”
“You own the building?”
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“I needed a safe place for Pepper. A place where I could touch base with her, where she could be easily overlooked.” Rowdy leaned forward. “But you can get that look out of your eyes. She’s long gone from there now, and she won’t be back.”
If Rowdy spoke the truth, he’d gone above and beyond to keep Pepper off the grid. “She’ll have to go back there eventually.”
“No.”
“She left with nothing. All of her belongings are still there.”
For a short beat of silence, Rowdy considered things, then he shrugged. “There’s nothing there that she needs, believe me. I didn’t count on someone like you tracking her down, but I didn’t leave it to chance, either.”
“Meaning?” In order to figure out where she might be now, Logan needed to learn more about how she and Rowdy had operated.
“I had contingency plans in place. Pepper has already covered her tracks.”
That sounded far too final, so Logan pressed him. “Your tracks, too?”
“Yeah, mine, too.” Slowly, Rowdy grinned. “I just thought of something.”
Hopefully a clue he could use. “Let’s hear it.”
Rowdy actually laughed. “I was staying at a dump motel for a few days, and I really did leave a naked woman in my bed.”
“Who?”
“I don’t remember her name, but she had a world-class rack.”
Logan’s temper ratcheted up another notch. This was the man closest to Pepper, and it made him sick. “I don’t give a shit about—”
“Odds are, Pepper went there first.”
It took all Logan’s concentration not to show his rage. “To cover your tracks?”
“That’s right.” He shook his head, still amused. “Pepper would have found her there, and knowing my sister, she probably tossed her out.”
An image Logan couldn’t quite fathom. “When the hell did she have time for a makeover?”
The humor fled Rowdy in a heartbeat. “What are you talking about?”
“She’s only had a few hours, and if she spent part of that time cleaning up your messes—” The ringing of Logan’s cell phone kept him from finishing that question.
“What do you mean, a makeover?”
It was curious how Rowdy’s tone dropped, how his entire demeanor darkened.
After giving him a long look, Logan glanced at the phone. A private call, without a number or name listed. The entire night had been filled with disturbances. He flipped open the phone. “Hello?”
“Did you tell him yet?”
Pepper. Hearing her voice reassured him. For this instant, at least, she was still safe. “Where are you?”
“None of your business. So did you tell him or not?”
“He’s been so talkative, I haven’t had a chance to say anything yet.”
Rowdy went perfectly still, listening in with interest.
“Yeah, right,” Pepper said. “So tell him now.”
“Soon.” She’d said she would check in. How often? If she called every half hour, he might be able to track her cell. “If you’d stop running off, I could tell you a few things that you might find interesting.” Like how he hadn’t been pretending to care about her, and he definitely hadn’t pretended to want her.
What he felt for her was as real as it could get, and it ate him up to think of her out on her own, playing hide-and-seek with a ruthless murderer like Morton Andrews.
“You want to talk about interesting tidbits, Logan? Here’s one for you—you arrested the wrong person.”
His heartbeat slowed. “That’s as confusing as your transformation. After all, he did break in.”
Rowdy sat forward. “Let me talk to her.”
Logan ignored him.
“My brother is a saint,” Pepper said. “Everything he’s done, he’s done for me. He’s protected me when no one else could. He’s cared for me when no one else did.”
That truth hurt. “Pepper…”
“I have to talk to her,” Rowdy insisted. He reached for the cell, but the restraints held him back. “Damn you!”
Logan stood to move out of range. “Come back to the station, honey. You can help me to figure this out.” And this time I won’t let you get away.
“She was here?” Rowdy came to his feet so fast, he half lifted the heavy table.
Reese stepped in, but Logan waved him back out. Reluctantly, Reese withdrew.
“In an hour I’ll call again. One hour, Logan, you got that?”
“Why an hour?” he asked her, hoping to keep her on the phone.
“Everything should be done by then. If you haven’t yet told Rowdy, I won’t call you again. And you’ll never get the answers you want.”
“Don’t let her hang up,” Rowdy shouted. He thrashed against the cuffs. “Pepper! Goddammit, Pepper, don’t you dare—”
“She’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“Hung up.” Closing the phone, Logan leaned on the table toward him. “You will stop shouting at her, do you understand me?”
