Claiming Honor (Bad Boys of River City Book 3) (7 page)

"I thought he was a computer programmer? Does he specialize in something?"

I narrow my eyes. "Why are you so curious?"

He scowls. "Why wouldn’t I be?" he asks softly. He moves his hand and lightly squeezes the nape of my neck. The contact, so possessive, so alpha, makes me shiver. "I already told you that I want to know everything about you, that includes your employer. Besides, how do I know you're safe working with him with no information?"

"I don’t know much about what he does actually. He designs security systems but it might as well be Greek to me."

His fingers stroke the side of my neck. "And that Cusack guy is a rival?"

"I always assumed so. I don’t know their history but they definitely don’t like each other."

I want to drop this subject. Thankfully, the hostess announces our table is ready. Dinner is incredible. I'm not sure if the food is really that good or if I've finally relaxed enough to eat without feeling sick. Hunter seems to find it very amusing, but I'm enjoying this loosened up version of him too much to complain. He's sprawled back in his chair, one arm stretched out across the back off mine, playing with the hair he's tugged loose from the bun. Every now and then his fingers lightly stroke the nape of my neck, sending shivers through me. Damn, the man is compelling.

After we pay, Mercy and Faye decide to go dancing but I'm so stuffed there is no way I'm up for that. They head off with Lake and Ryder and the others decide to go back to the house. Hunter stops me outside, tugging me up against his chest.

"Sure you don’t want to go dancing with them?"

"No. I think I ate too much for that, " I joke.

He chuckles and lets me go, but keeps my hand. Instead of leading me back to the house, he navigates through the parking lot and heads down to the beach. Plenty of other couples have the same idea, but it's not crowded. I stop him long enough to slip off my sandals and then we kind of wander aimlessly. Neither of us speak but that's fine. The silence is companionable. Comfortable. Unfortunately, it isn’t too long before that old familiar feeling--like someone's watching me through binoculars--starts to seep in. He must sense my tension. How are we so in tune so quickly? So easily?

"What's wrong, baby?"

I start looking around but no one is paying the least bit of attention to us. I try to shrug it off.

"I guess I'm just paranoid. I suddenly feel…exposed."

He gives me a worried look and steers us back towards his house. I'm not sure I'm ready to rejoin the others.

"I'm probably imagining things, Hunter."

He shrugs. "I'm not taking any chances with your safety, sweetheart."

I don’t even try to argue with him. The back of my neck itches too much, though I start to relax once we're back on the sidewalk. When we walk into the house, I see everyone outside on the back patio. The dancing apparently didn’t go well. We join them, Hunter pulling me down to sit across his lap, but between the long day in the sun, the full dinner, and the walk on the beach I'm yawning in minutes. Hunter leans down to whisper in my ear.

"Ready to go to bed?"

His voice is so suggestive I know he doesn’t mean to sleep.

"I'll probably pass out before you can get my clothes off," I whisper back.

He chuckles. "Don’t worry, baby. I'll just wake you up early."

We go upstairs and as soon as we're alone, he starts pulling off clothes. Mine then his. I get into bed and he joins me, pulling me to lay across his chest. True to my word, my eyes close, and I start to drift off. His hands stroke my back slowly, smoothly.

"Go to sleep, sweetheart," he murmurs against my forehead. "I'll keep you safe."

Right now? That's all I need to know.

Chapter Nine

Wayne

This guy is a real bastard. I wouldn’t have come back to River City, in the middle of the damned night, except he offered me another ten grand. I need it because of his threat to tell Wallace I was the one who broke into Honor's house. It's too fucking late for that. She must have spotted me and told Hunter, since Phillips has people looking for me on Wallace's behalf in Montgomery. After I collect from the client, I'll kill him and drop him in the swamp for the gators. The douchbag deserves it. Then I'm grabbing my girl and getting the fuck out of this state. But what he's asking is gonna be much harder than the other break-in.

"How do you expect me to get past his security?"

He shrugs. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. There wasn’t anything useful on the hard drive. It must be on her laptop. I already told you the house is empty. I saw them myself in Destin a couple of hours ago."

Where he'd probably set up a nice little alibi for himself and left me out to dry. I should just go to Phillips and tell him everything. No, that won't work. He needs Wallace too much to let me escape, and there's no fucking way he won't kill me if he gets close enough. Best thing for me to do is finish and get out.

"Meet me back here when it's done."

"How do you expect me to let you know it's done?" I ask sarcastically. Dude won't give me a phone number, email, or address. He just smiles. Smug bastard.

"I'll know."

I wait until he gets in his car and pulls away from the abandoned warehouse he chose for this meeting. Then I snap a picture of his license plate. I'll send it to Phillips when I'm leaving town. First, I need to get this job done and I have an idea how to do that. Kylie Davis.

She was part of my crowd in high school. Not because she comes from the same social circle but because she was drop dead gorgeous. Still is. And smart enough to use her looks to advantage. She married some old dude from Atlanta who croaked shortly after with no heirs and left her some money. Not the amount that makes you rich, but enough to get started if you know what you're doing. She came home and bought out the house cleaning service all the movers and shakers use. Then she bought more and more, spread into different kinds of businesses. She's building a nice little empire. But she has a weak spot and I know it. Cocaine is an expensive habit. She's an old friend so I let her slide on payments every now then. This time she's gonna have to pay in a different way.

She likes her coke but she isn't big on public partying so I go to her house. I'm not surprised to find her at home, lounging out back next to her pool. She gives me a friendly smile and stands up, coming over to give me a quick hug.

"I have your money," she says. Before she can turn to the back door though, I grab her hand, stopping her.

"I need something else, babe. We'll let the payment slide."

Now she looks nervous and hell, can't blame her, right?

"What do you need?"

I smile, turning on the charm. This is asking a hell of a favor. "A security code. For Hunter Wallace's house."

She gapes, her mouth falling open as she stares me. I can imagine what she's thinking. What she's feeling. But fuck, I'm not asking her to go in, am I? I gotta take that risk on my own.

"Come on, Kylie. No one will ever know," I wheedle. "It won't come back on you. And I can make your debt go away."

She can afford it. I have no doubt about that, but she's a business woman. Anytime she can walk away from a debt, she'll take it. It takes a few minutes but she finally agrees and gets me the five number code for Wallace's security system.

"Thanks, babe." I kiss her cheek and leave. I want to get this the fuck over with.

It's late and the only people who live near Wallace are Lake and Ryder. According to the client, they're all in Florida and I see no signs of anyone around. I'm surprised Wallace has left his little kingdom so unguarded, but it works for me so I ain't complaining. I pick the easiest lock--the sliding door on the back patio--and hurriedly enter the security code so no alarm goes off. Then I start searching. I find the laptop downstairs in the library. I pause before leaving the house, though. I don’t trust the client. I don’t know what he's after but maybe I need some leverage.

He says he'll meet me at the warehouse but how will he know I'm there? He's a computer geek. Is he tracking my phone? I have an old model and I've mostly kept it turned off the last few days. So does he have a tracker or some shit in my car? One thing is for sure. I need an advantage. I turn on the laptop. It opens right up, no password necessary, and I'm guessing that means no useful info on it. I scroll through her doc files anyway. Nothing catches my eye and the random docs I open seem to be about jewelry and her personal info. I shut it down, close it, and head out.

It only takes twenty minutes to get back to the empty warehouse and there's no sign of the client. I leave the computer on the passenger seat and get out. It's fucking creepy. I swear I feel eyes on me but the area isn’t lit well and I don’t see anyone in the shadows. When I hear footsteps behind me, I turn around.

"Dude. This is a fucked up place to meet," I say. Then I see the gun.

Well, mother fucker. Should have seen that coming. I feel the impact before I hear the sound, and I know it's too late to do a damned thing.

Chapter Ten

Hunter

We spent the morning on the beach, had an early lunch, then headed home. Lake and Mercy ride with us again, Honor sitting behind the passenger seat so every time I look in the rearview mirror I see her watching me. She's quiet, thoughtful, and I hope she isn’t trying to come up with a new list of reasons for why we shouldn’t be together. Despite the silence the drive goes quickly, which is good. I need to get her alone and find out what she's thinking. The sight that meets me on our arrival is less than reassuring, however. Three police cars, one unmarked. Fuck. Normally, the cops showing up doesn’t bother me, but now I her. I meet Honor's gaze in the mirror before I open the door. Her eyes are wide with fear and it gives me a bad taste in my mouth. This is probably nothing, but I might lose her over it anyway.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Everything's going to be okay."

She nods but I see her doubt. Her worry. We all get out and approach the cops. I'm surprised when Honor steps up next to me and slips her hand in mine. Neither detective misses it. Liam McCabe is an old friend. If he'd been able to warn me, he would have. He was also at Honor's house so he knows who she is. Frank Lucas is a different animal entirely. He's been trying to pin something on me for years. When Mercy moves up to my other side, I see something in his eyes for just a second. Fear. Lust. She sets her forearm on my shoulder and cocks her hip to the opposite side. Lucas gets a look on his face I can only describe as avaricious. It's gone in seconds.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" I ask.

"When was the last time you saw Wayne Cox, Wallace?" Lucas asks.

Honor stiffens at my side and I squeeze her hand. "Weeks ago, somewhere around town. I didn’t speak to him so it wasn’t worth remembering."

I shrug it off but I have bad feeling about this, especially when Lucas sneers.

"Where were you last night?"

I'm suddenly damned glad I agreed to the beach trip. "Destin." I look around at my men and the women with us. "And I have plenty of witnesses."

"Who'll all lie for you I'm sure."

I won't assume all of them will but I don’t deny it. "What's this about?"

"What about you, Miss Monroe? When was the last time you saw Cox?"

I really don’t like where this is going.

"Just get to the point, Lucas."

He glares but thankfully Liam steps in before I give into the urge to beat him into the ground.

"Cox was found murdered this morning in the river warehouse district."

The hits just keep on coming. I can feel Honor's shock. She's trembling but she grips my hand harder instead of pulling away.

"When?" Grace asks. "You have the reports my sister has made, which is no doubt why you're here."

"Early this morning between midnight and four."

"I already told you we weren't here," I say again.

"You expect me to take your word for it?"

He's just got to be an douchebag. He's been after me for years. No matter how hard he tries, he never gets close to anything. Hell, Lynn is ten times smarter and she couldn’t get anywhere with that shit.

"Ryder, get him the GPS report from the cars from yesterday morning until now." I reach behind me for my wallet and all the cops tense. "Credit card receipts for last night?"

Liam nods. "Go ahead."

I get gas, restaurant, and convenience store receipts and hand them to him.

"We'll have to verify you used these and not someone else," Lucas says, sarcastically.

One day I'm gonna punch this smug asshole. I clench my jaw, remind myself I don’t want to spend the night in jail for assaulting an officer. "Fine."

"We have more questions, Wallace." He signals to two of the officers. "Downtown. McCabe, you take him in. I'll finish here."

The officers approach and one holds his handcuffs out. Christ. It's not like I haven’t been cuffed and taken in for questioning before but the last thing I need is for Honor to see it. I let her hand go, cup her face, and tilt it up to meet my gaze.

"Don’t worry. I'll be home soon." I turn to Ryder. "Call Sam."

"One thing," Liam says before they take me away. He approaches and shows me a piece of paper with my address and security code on it. "Is this your home security code?"

Fuck. How the hell did Cox get that? "Yeah."

"Can Ryder and Honor do an inventory?"

"They can." I look at Lucas. "You don't have my permission to enter my house. You can wait out here. Mercy?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you stick around?"

"Absolutely," she says. She knows I'm counting on her to distract Lucas. I'd bet money he's a client--or more likely wants to be--given the way he looked at her earlier.

I watch Honor as they pull my hands behind my back. Rougher than necessary of course, I'm not resisting, but assholes will be assholes. She looks scared, stricken, and I hate that it's because of me that fear is there. I'm forced to look away when they turn me to the car, but I look at her again once I'm locked inside. Seconds later, Liam takes the front passenger seat and another officer young officer I know from the gym, Trey Felder slides behind the wheel. As we pull away I watch Honor until she is gone from sight and we're on the main road. Liam turns around in his seat.

" It looks like a robbery. His phone, wallet, and drugs were missing. Cox was shot in the chest and the head, probably closer to two in the morning than midnight."

That's good for me. "We were all in bed by then. The car GPS will show none of us left. Not to mention the traffic cameras."

There's no way I could have made the trip to River City without being recorded. He nods. "We'll get all that if we need it. What I'd like to know is how he got your security code. Maybe he was looking for something at Honor's and didn’t find it. The rest could have been camouflage."

I've already come to that conclusion myself. What the hell does she have?

"Someone approached her at the restaurant last night. Neil Cusack. She said he's a rival of her boss. I didn’t like the way he looked at her."

Liam wrote it down. "I'll check him out. Anything else?"

I glance at our driver and Liam laughs. "You've met my brother-in-law?" he asks. He shrugs. "You can trust him."

I'm not giving away anything so I let that slide.

"Tell Ryder or Lake to get all the codes changed ASAP." I'm sure they're already on it, but just in case. "And they should stay at the house with Honor tonight. Hell, maybe everyone should stay there tonight."

Liam nods. "I probably don’t have to tell them that but I'll pass it on."

"Discretely."

He grins. "No other way."

His phone buzzes and he glances at it, snorts. "You're lawyer is waiting for us and raising hell."

For what I pay Sam, he better be. He meets us in the lobby. He looks like a Southern gentlemen, through and through, but he's a bulldog when it comes to his clients. And he's well compensated for the privilege.

"Are you charging Mr. Wallace?"

"Not at this time," Liam says.

"Get the handcuffs off then and let's get this over with."

Liam's captain steps through the secured door and nods. He looks grim and I have to confess to a little bit of satisfaction. The great thing about Sam is no one wants to piss him off, especially if they're going to have to come up against him court. Frank Lucas has made it a point to be a pain in my ass for years now but has never turned up anything incriminating, much less resembling real evidence. It wouldn’t be the first time my lawyers have made formal complaints. I'm only indulging this bullshit for Honor's sake. I need to find out what happened to Cox and if it puts her in more or less danger. It sure as fuck doesn’t seem like a simple stalking case now does it?

We follow the captain into his office and I'm thrown back in time almost fifteen years. My mother was River City's first madam, but she only kept one client to herself. My father, Malcolm James. The richest man in town and very unhappily married. He wasn’t much of a presence in mine or Mercy's life, but when I got arrested for boosting a car I didn’t know who else to call. He got me out of it, in this very office with a different captain, but made it damned clear me and Mercy were on own. I made fucking sure to be more careful going on. To make my own way without any help from dear old dad. To make and protect my own family. Shit. This is probably the kind of crap Honor needs to know. Touchy feely has never been my thing, though. But hell, I left her alone with Mercy, Lake, and Ryder and those three know all my secrets.

Fuck. She's got to be freaking out. I'll be lucky if she doesn’t try to sneak away--or flat out run--after this. I feel a moment a panic, my heart racing and palms sweating. Is it the situation here? Murder suspect and being in this office again? Or the possibility of losing the woman I love? Wait. Check that shit. Am I really go there? Well, why the hell not? She makes me crazy. Ties me knots. She also makes me laugh. Turns me on. Relaxes me when I'm not worried about stalkers or my competitors coming after her.

Everyone is sitting down and I realize they're staring at me. Fucked if I care. "Let's get this over with. I need to get home."

I glare at Liam. He's supposed to keep this kind of shit off my back but I realize he didn’t have much choice, so that isn’t fair. I should have seen this coming. I don’t know how but I'll be damned if I blame any of my men for something they had no control over.

"We need an accounting of your whereabouts from yesterday evening until we met this afternoon," Liam says.

"Why?" Sam asks. "From what you're telling me, Cox wasn’t found on Hunter's property and there's no trace evidence to link him to Hunter."

The captain looks a little surprised at this news and Liam has his poker face on. I'm not sure if he's Sam's source or if Sam knows someone in the crime lab. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.

"He was found outside a warehouse that Mr. Wallace owns, with his address and security code on him. The lab report is only a preliminary at this point. We have to ask these questions."

It's no secret how I feel about Honor, so they all assume I'd hire out to take care of a threat to her. They don’t know me nearly as well as they think they do. I'll be handling that shit personally. As soon as I find out who's behind all this, he's a dead man, and I sure as fuck won't be caught. Now, I just need to get back to her. I give them an account as bad I can. It's not like I was keeping a fucking hour by hour log.

It doesn’t take too long and Sam gives me a ride home. He's quiet a long time and I can practically hear him thinking. We pull up and he stops me before I can get out.

"I need you to be honest with me, Hunter. If you did this, we can justify it. The woman you love, the woman you're going to marry right? She was threatened. We can work with that."

Gotta love lawyers. They always have an angle. "I didn’t do it and I didn’t hire anyone to do it. That's the God's honest truth, Sam."

He nods but I'm not sure he really believes me. "Okay. We'll talk more tomorrow." He stops me when I'm stepping out though. "Hunter. I might have done the same thing. I would have wanted to for sure."

I laugh and climb out. What else can I do?

Honor

I watch them put handcuffs on Hunter and it's like watching my worst nightmare come to life. I'm surrounded by people. People I know care about me. But the most important one is put in the back of a squad car and driven away.

"He probably won't be more than a couple hours," Lynn says a little cynically. "He's got a damned good lawyer."

The other cop, the asshole Frank Lucas approaches. "I need to know if the house was entered and if anything was taken," he says.

He is so smug, so condescending, I want to smack him. Thankfully, Ryder steps in. He moves to my side, his hand gripping my elbow and turning me to the house.

"We'll have a look inside, detective."

Lucas shrugs and falls in step with us. "No reason I can't join you. The owner isn’t here after all, to oversee things and I am an officer of the law."

Mercy blocks him, however. "My brother told you before you had him dragged off that you aren’t welcome inside. Since he and Honor haven’t gotten married yet, I guess that leaves me as the next of kin and the person you have to deal with. You step one foot in this house without a court order and I will sue the fuck out of you. You weren’t called. We didn’t ask you to respond to a break-in and we have no indication one actually occurred. So you need to get the fuck off of our property."

"It's not yours. There is no our here." He sweeps his arm out to include all the houses on the street. "It all belongs to Hunter Wallace."

He narrows his eyes but Mercy just smirks.

"You should recheck the property records. You'll find it's owned by a corporation," she says helpfully. "That my brother and I own jointly."

I have to bite back a laugh because the look on this asshole's face is just fucking priceless. And okay, I never intended on being the local crime boss's girlfriend but apparently I am so I step up.