Run the Risk

“I’m guessing they grabbed him off the street,” Rowdy said, his expression dark, his hands fisted. “I was down on the main floor, and we had a crowd that night, so I didn’t see any of it. Pepper had cleaned that area earlier and was supposed to be working on the main floor with me. But she realized she’d left the keys to the storage room upstairs.”

Shit. Thinking of what she’d blundered into, what she’d seen, how close she’d been to danger, Logan went rigid.

Rowdy spoke in a quiet whisper that showed he felt the same as Logan. “She stayed hidden in the boardroom and kept quiet. But she could hear everything.”

“Jesus.”

Almost tortured, Rowdy looked away. “She said they dragged in your buddy. He’d already been worked over and was in a bad way, not really fighting back. Pepper heard Morton say that he’d use him as an example to others.”

Knowing what his friend had gone through, how he’d been beaten, Logan breathed deeper.

“The thing is…” Rowdy stared hard at Logan. “There were two other cops there. One of them fired the gun.”

Though Logan already knew how it had ended—with a bullet—knowing that Jack had died at the hand of a cop twisted him with rage.

“You know the cops?”

He shook his head. “You all look the same to me—self-righteous with a hard-on for exerting authority.”

Logan let that fly. “Male or female, black or white—”

“Men, white.” He shrugged. “At least, that’s what Pepper assumed from what she heard.”

“She came to you?”

“Not right away. She sat in that room for over an hour, afraid to move.” His mouth quirked in a sad smile. “She said she was afraid if they found her, they’d kill me, too.”

“They knew you were related?”

“No, but Pepper’s always been like that. A real mother hen. Protective.” Rowdy closed his eyes. “I try to keep her safe, but I’m all she has, and—”

“She loves you.”

Rowdy looked him in the eyes and said again, “I’m all she has.”

Sick, more scared for her than ever, Logan dropped back in his seat. “When did you find out?”

“We were swamped that night. I had six hours overtime. I could tell something was wrong, but I didn’t want to risk talking to her overlong, and whenever I did catch her to ask, she said she was fine.”

“If they’d caught her that night…”

“She didn’t know who to trust,” Rowdy explained. “She knew the cops were involved, so how could she go to them? She didn’t want them to just get away with it, so she tried talking to a reporter, but that idiot talked to the wrong person about his scoop—”

“A scoop he got from…Yates.” Not necessarily Rowdy Yates. Just a last name.

All this time, it was Pepper. And here he’d thought in the long run, he’d be helping her, freeing her from an inconsiderate brother.

Instead, he’d made her a target. Thanks to him, she was now in more danger than ever.

* * *

REESE PACED OUTSIDE the door. What the f**k? Logan had to be slipping to get in cahoots with Rowdy. Even now they sat together at the table in hushed conversation.

Sharing details.

Coming to conclusions.

Plotting…something.

Logan had actually locked him out!

Perturbed, Reese again looked in the small door window. The surveillance cameras were off. Neither man paid him any mind. What did it mean?

“Detective Bareden?”

Reese wanted to groan even as he turned to face Lieutenant Peterson. “Ma’am?”

Her gaze was sharp enough to slice through his usual disregard. She gestured at his stance outside the door. “Playing guard dog?”

Which would be better—to let her think that or to tell her the truth, that Logan had excluded him? Choosing to be noncommittal, he shrugged.

“I want to talk to Detective Riske.”

Reese smiled down at her—something he knew she disliked. She had the attitude of an Amazon but the stature of a runt, and it bothered her that he was so much bigger in every way. “I’m sure he’ll be right out.”

Her chin tucked in. “I’d like to talk to him now.”

Shit. Reese wanted to stall for Logan, to give him time to…what? Come to his senses and include him again?

Well, yeah.

“The thing is, Logan hasn’t really had a chance to talk to Yates uninterrupted.”

“Why not?”

“Because there have been…interruptions.” He gave her a “duh” look.

Exasperated, Peterson folded her arms and glared at him. “Your attitude is bordering on insubordination, Detective.” She gave him the look, the one that made most in the police force stop and reevaluate. “Maybe you need a little beach time to collect yourself.”

Reese rubbed the back of his neck. He got that Peterson had to be a strong woman. But did she also have to be such a pain in the ass?

He had no choice but to spit out a fact. “Rowdy’s sister came to visit.”

After a blank stare, she dropped her arms. “His sister?”

“Yeah. I take it they’re close. She’s the one Logan was schmoozing to get to Rowdy.”

“I know who she is, damn it!” She narrowed her eyes in thought. “Why did she come here?”