“Bouncer.” Rowdy shifted to the side of Logan. “I saw a ton of people come and go. I remember many of the regulars. Maybe with some pics…” He looked at her mouth, then back up to her eyes, and he smiled again. “Who knows? Something might click.”
Her compressed lips softened, but she said nothing. After a start, she turned to Logan with renewed purpose. “His sister was here?”
Both Logan and Rowdy went still; neither of them looked at Reese.
“She was,” Logan finally said. “Briefly. When I told her I wanted to interrogate him before she could see him, she bounced.”
“Where did she go?”
“No idea,” he said with feigned disinterest. “Probably back to her apartment. Why?” Logan stared at her. “Did you want me to pick her up?”
The lieutenant waved that off. “No, no need for that. I’m sure she’s been through enough tonight.” She emphasized that with a frown at Rowdy. “Actually, I prefer you treat her with utmost respect and care. The last thing we need is for her to lawyer up.”
“She wouldn’t,” Rowdy stated. “Too costly, and there’s no reason, right, since I’m not under arrest?”
“And since he’s cooperating,” Reese added.
“Make sure.” The lieutenant encompassed them all in that order. “I do not want the press to get hold of this, not unless we get something concrete to go on.”
Rowdy let out a breath.
“I’m sure you understand the importance of keeping those under investigation in the dark as long as possible.”
“Absolutely.” Logan waited.
Still not satisfied, the lieutenant asked, “Does anyone else know he was here?”
“The three of us,” Logan told her. “That’s it.”
She scowled at Reese.
“Hey,” Reese said. “I can keep a secret.”
There were obvious bad feelings between the lieutenant and Detective Bareden. Later, Rowdy thought, he’d ask Logan about it. But for now—
“The night isn’t getting any younger,” Logan said abruptly. “Hell, morning will be rolling around soon. I’d like to get going. So if there’s nothing else…?”
The lieutenant opened the door and gestured for them to go. Reese headed out, then Rowdy. Before Logan could clear the doorway, she caught his arm.
“If Andrews has even a clue that we’re onto something, it could mean another death. Yours,” she said. And then with a look at Rowdy, “Or his.”
Or his sister’s, Rowdy thought, but he tried to keep his expression impassive.
“Keep him, and his sister, under wraps,” the lieutenant ordered. “Understand?”
Logan nodded. “Will do.”
She sent another frown toward Reese. “You better know what you’re doing, Logan. All this coming and going, dead ends and loose ends. You’ve had enough time. Wrap it up, and let’s move on.” And with that, she walked past them all.
Alone in relative privacy, Reese turned to Logan. “So what’s it to be? Leave me in the dark, or let me help?”
Rowdy knew how he’d prefer to leave it: trust as few people as possible.
When Logan’s phone rang, they all froze. Rowdy held his breath, but as soon as Logan answered the call, he knew it was Pepper.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AFTER ENDING THE CALL, Morton placed the phone on his desk and turned to pace the small confines of his office space. Even at this ungodly hour, the club remained in full swing, both the first and second floor crowded with men anxious to spend their money.
He expected his guest to show up any minute now. New ventures would have been cemented. More money made. More power acquired.
He did not need this new problem. And that’s what it was: a grade A, supernova problem. “Motherfucker.” Snatching the phone back up, he hurled it into a wall, narrowly missing one of his bodyguards.
The outburst did little to vent his rage but caused quite a reaction as others jumped, yelped and flinched. He paid no attention to them. They were disposable grunts, there to serve him, to protect him.
The idiots had failed.
But they weren’t the only ones.
Rowdy Yates was alive and in police custody. That meant the cop had failed him, too.
Glancing around at the bodyguards who, through orders, had a certain look—a look that mirrored his own—Morton knew what he had to do now. It was inconvenient but not as much so as prison. He’d handle this as he handled everything else.
He would destroy the problem, bury it and move on.
* * *
LOGAN STARTED everyone walking again while saying, “Pepper. Where are you?”
She ignored the question to say, “I’m really burning up the phone lines tonight, right?” She laughed, but he heard the strain and what sounded like fear. “I’m going to keep this really short and sweet, so pay attention. I’m going to the club.”
“No, don’t do that.”
“Too late. If you want Andrews, get your behind over here and you can catch him in the act. Rowdy can tell you how to get in. But no fanfare, Logan. Do not send in your police buddies, or you could get me killed.”
His heart lodged in his throat. While he walked fast toward the lot where he’d parked, he infused as much calm into his tone as he could drum up. “Listen to me, honey. Your brother—”
“If they hear you coming, I’m screwed. So seriously, Logan. If you don’t want me dead—”
Her compressed lips softened, but she said nothing. After a start, she turned to Logan with renewed purpose. “His sister was here?”
Both Logan and Rowdy went still; neither of them looked at Reese.
“She was,” Logan finally said. “Briefly. When I told her I wanted to interrogate him before she could see him, she bounced.”
“Where did she go?”
“No idea,” he said with feigned disinterest. “Probably back to her apartment. Why?” Logan stared at her. “Did you want me to pick her up?”
The lieutenant waved that off. “No, no need for that. I’m sure she’s been through enough tonight.” She emphasized that with a frown at Rowdy. “Actually, I prefer you treat her with utmost respect and care. The last thing we need is for her to lawyer up.”
“She wouldn’t,” Rowdy stated. “Too costly, and there’s no reason, right, since I’m not under arrest?”
“And since he’s cooperating,” Reese added.
“Make sure.” The lieutenant encompassed them all in that order. “I do not want the press to get hold of this, not unless we get something concrete to go on.”
Rowdy let out a breath.
“I’m sure you understand the importance of keeping those under investigation in the dark as long as possible.”
“Absolutely.” Logan waited.
Still not satisfied, the lieutenant asked, “Does anyone else know he was here?”
“The three of us,” Logan told her. “That’s it.”
She scowled at Reese.
“Hey,” Reese said. “I can keep a secret.”
There were obvious bad feelings between the lieutenant and Detective Bareden. Later, Rowdy thought, he’d ask Logan about it. But for now—
“The night isn’t getting any younger,” Logan said abruptly. “Hell, morning will be rolling around soon. I’d like to get going. So if there’s nothing else…?”
The lieutenant opened the door and gestured for them to go. Reese headed out, then Rowdy. Before Logan could clear the doorway, she caught his arm.
“If Andrews has even a clue that we’re onto something, it could mean another death. Yours,” she said. And then with a look at Rowdy, “Or his.”
Or his sister’s, Rowdy thought, but he tried to keep his expression impassive.
“Keep him, and his sister, under wraps,” the lieutenant ordered. “Understand?”
Logan nodded. “Will do.”
She sent another frown toward Reese. “You better know what you’re doing, Logan. All this coming and going, dead ends and loose ends. You’ve had enough time. Wrap it up, and let’s move on.” And with that, she walked past them all.
Alone in relative privacy, Reese turned to Logan. “So what’s it to be? Leave me in the dark, or let me help?”
Rowdy knew how he’d prefer to leave it: trust as few people as possible.
When Logan’s phone rang, they all froze. Rowdy held his breath, but as soon as Logan answered the call, he knew it was Pepper.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AFTER ENDING THE CALL, Morton placed the phone on his desk and turned to pace the small confines of his office space. Even at this ungodly hour, the club remained in full swing, both the first and second floor crowded with men anxious to spend their money.
He expected his guest to show up any minute now. New ventures would have been cemented. More money made. More power acquired.
He did not need this new problem. And that’s what it was: a grade A, supernova problem. “Motherfucker.” Snatching the phone back up, he hurled it into a wall, narrowly missing one of his bodyguards.
The outburst did little to vent his rage but caused quite a reaction as others jumped, yelped and flinched. He paid no attention to them. They were disposable grunts, there to serve him, to protect him.
The idiots had failed.
But they weren’t the only ones.
Rowdy Yates was alive and in police custody. That meant the cop had failed him, too.
Glancing around at the bodyguards who, through orders, had a certain look—a look that mirrored his own—Morton knew what he had to do now. It was inconvenient but not as much so as prison. He’d handle this as he handled everything else.
He would destroy the problem, bury it and move on.
* * *
LOGAN STARTED everyone walking again while saying, “Pepper. Where are you?”
She ignored the question to say, “I’m really burning up the phone lines tonight, right?” She laughed, but he heard the strain and what sounded like fear. “I’m going to keep this really short and sweet, so pay attention. I’m going to the club.”
“No, don’t do that.”
“Too late. If you want Andrews, get your behind over here and you can catch him in the act. Rowdy can tell you how to get in. But no fanfare, Logan. Do not send in your police buddies, or you could get me killed.”
His heart lodged in his throat. While he walked fast toward the lot where he’d parked, he infused as much calm into his tone as he could drum up. “Listen to me, honey. Your brother—”
“If they hear you coming, I’m screwed. So seriously, Logan. If you don’t want me dead—”
