Run the Risk

Fix it? Is that what Reese thought? That he expected him to find some magical solution to the mess? Not likely.

In fact, he’d already realized that he owed Reese an apology. “I shouldn’t have pulled you into the middle of this.”

Reese drew back. “What?”

“I was trying to figure out how to keep Rowdy out of it and still use the information we got. But I shouldn’t have put you in that position. It’s not you—”

“Fuck that!” Reese crowded in close, nose to nose, eyes burning. “I’m not talking about involving me, damn it. I’m your partner. I’ve got your back, no matter what.”

Narrowing his eyes, Logan said softly, but with ultimate command, “Step back.”

Reese heaved, searched his face, and then with another rank curse, he turned away. Logan watched him rub his neck, saw his spiraling frustration.

Something was going on with Reese, and he’d had enough of subterfuge. “Now might be a good time to come clean.”

Reese laughed, turned to look at him, and laughed again. “You know the guy was roughed up pretty bad. Broken nose, black eyes, even a damned broken finger.”

Logan just waited.

“I had to turn him over to Peterson. She’s in there now, jawing at him, stepping in where she doesn’t belong.”

Doesn’t belong? “She’s the lieutenant.”

“And it’s your case. But from the get-go, she’s been in it up to her stubborn chin. Micro-managing, snooping—”

Snooping? “What the hell is wrong with you? Peterson wants to clean up the corruption, that’s all. You know she’s always been a hands-on lieutenant.” Her determination to stay involved and on the street hadn’t won her any favors in the force, but she didn’t seem to care.

“No, Logan, it’s more than that.”

“You know that…how?”

“Detectives,” said a new, more feminine but no less strident voice.

They both turned to see Lieutenant Peterson bearing down on them. Logan nodded at her.

“How propitious to have you both here together.”

Logan checked his watch. “Only ten minutes early.”

Reese crossed his arms over his chest and dropped back negligently against the wall. All signs of his agitation were now under wraps, the cagey bastard.

Peterson looked between the two of them. “I got a description of the man who worked over our prisoner. He sounds remarkably like Rowdy Yates.”

“Really?” Reese smirked. “Tall, blond and muscular could describe a lot of men.”

Since that also included Reese, Logan had nothing to add.

The lieutenant waited, then said flatly, “Morton isn’t dead.”

“No?” Logan didn’t even bother trying to look surprised. “Did that come from the perp or through the coroner’s report?”

“Both, actually.”

Shit. Reese didn’t change expressions or posture, so Logan asked, “Do we know the deets on the corpse?”

“One of his lackeys.” She waved that off. “No doubt Morton hired him because he had the same body type and hair color.”

“Bleached blond?” Reese asked.

She shrugged. “It’s possible Morton had him bleach his hair. At this point, we don’t know, and it doesn’t matter anyway.”

To carry on his part, Logan asked, “Did you get any good info from the guy Reese brought in?” The sooner he could get out of the office, the better. He needed Andrews removed as a threat. He needed—

“Actually, yes.” She rubbed her face tiredly, then dropped her hands. “The apartment building burned to the ground.”

Plots and plans stalled as Logan assimilated what she’d said. It wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting. “What apartment building? When?”

The lieutenant slanted a guarded look at Reese, but since he didn’t budge and continued to look neutral, she turned back to Logan. “The apartment building where you stayed while cozying up to Pepper Yates.”

The slow burn of red-hot rage coursed through him. If he hadn’t gotten Pepper out of there…

“The apartment building,” Peterson stressed, “where we assumed we’d find a lead. The apartment building that, according to you, gave us nothing viable to work with.”

“When?” Reese demanded.

At the same time, Logan said, “Was anyone hurt?”

“I got the call while I was in interrogation. Likely arson. The place was torched pretty good. Gutted. A total loss.”

It was difficult for Logan to get around the idea that Pepper had lived there, and whoever set the place ablaze apparently wanted her dead. He tried to think of who else might have been in the four-unit building.

“We didn’t find any bodies inside.” Before his relief could sink in, Peterson said, “Have you located Rowdy and Pepper?”

Logan shook his head, but to help cover that lie, he said, “Given the fire, I’ll make it a priority.”

“You do that. Both of you.”

Reese went very still beside him, his expression enigmatic.

“You think one of them set the fire?” Logan hadn’t even considered that. He knew Pepper hadn’t left the cabin, but Rowdy…damn, he just didn’t know. “Why would they?”

“Perhaps to destroy evidence.” She gave him a sideways look. “You hadn’t yet cleared out your belongings?”