Risk It All (Risqué #2) (27 page)

‘Yeah, but how many cops care about the middleman unless they can squeeze him? They’re into the big fish, not minnows like me. Any time I’ve come across a cop looking for information, I give it to him.’

‘And how many times has that happened?’ Colt asked.

‘I don’t give a fuck about that,’ Blaser said, holding a hand up to each of his brothers. ‘Yeah, you’re a fuck for letting me take the heat when some of it should’ve been yours. What I care about is Bri, and you’re gonna go up there and apologise to her, and if she doesn’t accept your apology then as far as I’m concerned you can stay the fuck away from me.’

‘Wait a minute,’ Ruger said, coming out of his seat. ‘You can’t disown me because of…’

‘Yeah, I can,’ Blaser said and from the way Ruger’s words trailed off, he was well aware of how awful what he’d got Bri mixed up in was.

Ruger considered this, and Colt too, the three men reflected for a good few minutes. ‘I’m gonna do you one better than that,’ Ruger said, retrieving his cell phone from his back pocket.

‘What are you going to do?’ Colt asked.

‘We’re gonna talk to Rushe.’

‘About what?’ Blaser asked. ‘Bri said all the fuckwits who were involved are dead.’

‘All the bad guys, yeah,’ Ruger said. ‘But not all the good guys.’

‘The good guys?’ Colt asked. ‘What do you think they’re going to do?’

‘Rushe will tell us how to get in touch with Jansen, he’s not on the force anymore.’

‘Like someone else I know,’ Blaser said, looking at Colt. ‘Do you all become disillusioned eventually?’

‘Most cops, yeah,’ Colt said. ‘Those of us who don’t quit just go through the motions until they can collect their pensions.’

‘As soon as he gets back to me I’ll track Jansen down,’ Ruger said. ‘He’ll tell us how those bastards died.’

‘What about Jansen’s girlfriend?’ Blaser asked. ‘Did she get out alive?’

‘We’ll find out.’

‘How long does it usually take Rushe to…?’ Colt’s words disappeared. Blaser was too caught up in trying to come up with a way to repay the debt he owed to this Jansen guy to pay attention to his brother’s distractions. ‘What is that banging?’

Blaser heard it too, a low thud, three times like… his head came up then he was on his feet. ‘Shit.’

‘What?’ Colt asked.

Blaser got to the front door and realised he wasn’t dressed. Rushing through to the bedroom he started to pull on his jeans. ‘It’s Bri, upstairs, she’s in trouble.’

Gary had come upstairs and into her apartment without any hesitation. His sense of propriety was no doubt bloated by his latest criminal act, and he would delight in telling Blaser that they were leaving the country to let him take the heat if the men came across each other. So he had nothing to fear in striding into her apartment.

Marshall was an unexpected addition to the visitor list, but if she’d worried that Gary would clam up in front of an audience, she would have been wrong. Gary had already told Marshall what was going on, so when she started to ask questions, Gary had gone through every detail of what had happened in Rafe’s apartment when Gary murdered him.

Her tears had dampened her cheeks, to see a man so animated while talking about the demise of another was disturbing, and the fact that it was her brother overwhelmed her. This was the same man who had refused to let her work in that seedy club, who had started his illegal activities just to support her. Now it was clear to her just how he revelled in being bad. Blaser had said that he wasn’t as turned on by being bad as he had been. But Gary had gone in the other direction, taking pure pleasure from watching the life slip away from another human being.

When Marshall came to hug her, she was too upset to be surprised by his compassion. It was nice to be comforted though she wished she could have Blaser here instead of Marshall. But knowing what her brother was capable of she didn’t want Gary to ever be in the same space as Blaser again.

In her living room, in Marshall’s arms, she tried to calm herself because she knew what was really going on here, and that involved Gary not being free in society until he was no longer a threat to it.

‘God, Bri, quit your bawling for chrissakes,’ Gary said. ‘I get it, you’re not into it, but I took care of business.’

‘She’s upset,’ Marshall said. ‘You’re talking about killing a guy. Why the fuck would you do that with your sister in the room?’

‘I need her to know that I can do it. I can look after her when we’re away from here. I’m the only guy she’ll ever need in her life. When we get to Mexico—‘

‘You’re not going to Mexico,’ Marshall said, still holding her in his arms.

Her body stiffened when he spoke and Gary’s prolonged silence made her stress level increase. ‘What the fuck you talking about, man?’ Gary said, following it with an awkward grunt of a laugh. ‘We’re leaving now, today, getting the fuck outta dodge.’

‘We’re not,’ Marshall said. He yanked on her, flipping her around so that her back was on his chest, exposing her to Gary, who was in the kitchen.

‘What’s…?’ Her question of what was going on died on her lips when she heard the hammer of a gun, then felt metal tangle in her hair.

‘What the fuck!’ Gary hollered and started to come toward them, but Marshall shook his head, which she felt by the movement of his jaw on her scalp.

‘Stay there!’ Marshall said. ‘I’ll put a bullet in her, I swear I will.’

‘You won’t fucking dare, you bastard! You hurt her and I’ll—‘

‘I’m not gonna hurt her, not if you do what I tell you.’

‘You fucking asshole! What the fuck is this! You’re a bastard, I swear to fucking god…’ Gary’s rant went on and on, he began to pace then put his fist through the drywall.

Gary was losing it, he wasn’t going to be rational enough to help her. Here she was, being held hostage by one of Gary’s oldest friends. ‘Is this because of Rafe?’ she asked, trying to help herself while Gary stood fuming.

‘Rafe? No, who gives a fuck about his shit? This is because of your boyfriend.’

‘Blaser?’ she asked, trying to fathom why Marshall would be connected to Blaser.

‘Keeping him out of jail is my boss’ goal and if your brother fucks off out of the country, that’s not gonna happen, is it?’

‘Your boss?’ Gary screamed. ‘You’re my boy! How the fuck could you go Judas on my ass! You fucking mother fucking—‘

‘Blaser won’t go to jail,’ she said.

Talking kept Marshall from shooting, but there was one other way she could get help. The cops would be on their way, but she knew they wouldn’t get here in time. Lifting her foot, she pushed back in a deliberate stumble, except when she brought her foot back onto the rug she slammed it down. Stamping on the floor she prayed that Blaser wasn’t out at one of his various jobs.

‘Yeah, he will,’ Marshall said. ‘The cops turned over his place last night and Gary’s gun was there, the gun that killed Rafe, Blaser will go down unless your brother turns himself in.’

‘You want him to turn himself in,’ she said. Gary sent out another stream of curses, giving her the cover to stamp again.

Wriggling in Marshall’s arms she tried to get free, but his arm was around her shoulders, keeping her pinned to his torso and with the gun so embedded in her locks she didn’t want to take the risk of startling him. But while he and Gary argued, she stamped again.

Closing her eyes she sent out useless psychic messages to Blaser, he obviously wasn’t home. At least that was what she thought until the door burst open. Marshall spun toward it, but it was Ruger who came in with his own gun drawn. She didn’t even know that he was in town, or that he had a gun. But there he was filling her doorframe, silhouetted by the gleam of dazzling daylight emanating from behind him, his height made him seem almost superhuman.

‘Let her go,’ Ruger demanded. Both hands were on the pistol he aimed at Marshall, but her position kept Marshall protected.

‘I’m helping you,’ Marshall called out. ‘I’m making sure your brother doesn’t go to jail. We get Gary to turn himself in and—‘

‘You let Bri go and I don’t give a fuck what you boys do to each other,’ Ruger said. ‘Let her walk.’

‘I can’t,’ Marshall spat out. ‘I have to get Gary back where he belongs. Getting him out was a mistake, he’s fucked up royally and we can’t let Blaser take the fall.’

‘He won’t,’ Colt said, coming up behind Ruger. Inching his little brother forward, he edged around him but stayed out of the line of fire. ‘We’ll get him a lawyer, a good one, and we all know the truth, we all know that he didn’t do anything wrong. You better put that gun down before Blaser gets up the stairs or he will be going to jail for murder, yours.’

‘Bri!’ This voice was Blaser’s, he muscled through his brothers without thought for where the guns were or that he could be walking into danger. ‘You put the fucking gun down, Marshall or I’ll rip your fucking lungs out.’

‘It’s Gary, we need to get him to confess to the cops,’ Marshall said. ‘We need to, or you’ll be charged!’

‘Protecting me,’ Blaser snarled. ‘Sweet, but unnecessary. I doubt your motives are altruistic.’

She hadn’t seen Blaser this angry, this was raw, primal rage. His clenched jaw and tapered eyes were focused on one thing, the man holding her hostage.

‘Blase,’ she sobbed out. ‘Blase, I’m sorry, I love you.’

His vision shifted around the room in a swift, calculated fashion that assessed the situation. Diverting himself from Marshall he took two long strides and landed a punch on Gary that sent him to the floor. While Gary was dazed, Blaser rolled him onto his front. Colt appeared beside him and while Blaser knelt on Gary’s back to keep him restrained, Colt tied a length of disconnected electrical wire around his wrists then wound it down around his ankles. Gary was swearing again, but Colt and Blaser shared a look then Blaser got up, leaving Colt to hold Gary down.

Ruger hadn’t let his gun waver from Marshall throughout. ‘There, you got what you wanted,’ Ruger said. ‘You put the gun away and let her go.’

Marshall hesitated and as much as she wanted to be free, she couldn’t blame him for being reluctant in the face of this rage he was surrounded by. The three Warners weren’t a force anyone would want to mess with.

‘I… I was trying to help you out,’ Marshall said.

‘Help me?’ Blaser asked and came to them.

Blaser snatched Marshall’s gun hand and twisted his wrist back to make the gun fall away. Marshall hadn’t put up any fight or made any more threats, so he had to know that the game was over. But she didn’t care, she fell into Blaser and as she sobbed, he stroked her hair and turned her away from Marshall.

Someone threw a punch and a body fell to the ground, she peeked to see Ruger at their side and Marshall on the floor. ‘He thinks he can help you by threatening a Warner?’ Ruger said to Blaser. ‘Wish we had some time to teach him a lesson.’

Sirens wailed into the parking lot, but Hoburn was already up and in the doorway with what she assumed was his own surveillance crew behind him. His gun was out, but it was obsolete. The men they wanted were incapacitated. Colt still sat on Gary and Ruger got ahold of Marshall to haul him up to his feet.

‘Plenty of trash for you to pick up today,’ Ruger said, handing Marshall over to Hoburn’s men who pinned him to the wall and patted him down before cuffing him.

‘How did you get here so fast?’ Blaser asked him. ‘How could you possibly have known that—‘

‘We’re just that good,’ Hoburn said. ‘We know where the party is.’

‘Bri!’

She twisted out of Blaser’s arms to see her brother being cuffed by police who freed him from the makeshift restraints to cart him out. He kept calling for her, but her mouth was sealed. She couldn’t reassure him because his confession was on tape and had been heard by Hoburn and his men. She was grateful that Hoburn didn’t advertise her compliance now. Gary would find out that she had betrayed him, there was no way to conceal it. But she would at least like the chance to tell him herself, in private.

Her apartment was swarming with cops and it would take time for everyone to give their statements; though it was all on tape so there was no way to spin what had gone on here. She just wished that she knew herself what Marshall’s motivation was and who his boss was.

All of the tenants were out of their apartments as the cops pulled out of the parking lot. Anyone who had heard anything gave a statement. Risqué should have been open by now, but Blaser hadn’t brought that up. The three brothers and Dax were together at the bottom of the stairs talking while everyone else shared their experiences with each other. Bri was a bit away from that group unable to focus on another intense discussion at this time.

‘Are you ok?’ Ivy asked, coming over to Bri, who could only sigh.

‘Yeah,’ Bri said. ‘I mean I’ll have to talk to Gary, and he might never forgive me for…’

‘You let the cops into your place?’

‘He wanted me to leave with him,’ Bri said. ‘He thought we could have a new life in Mexico, but Blaser would have been blamed for Rafe’s murder. I could never have lived with myself if I knew the truth and an innocent man was convicted.’

‘Especially since that man is your lover,’ Ivy said.

‘Yeah,’ Bri exhaled.

The last of the police disappeared from the property and people began to drift back inside. Now that the drama was over it was time to get to work, which anyone who was present would be late for by now.

A long shining limo came into the parking lot and stopped, causing anyone who was still here to freeze also. Such a glamorous car wasn’t the norm for around here, and they all waited to see who would exit. All except the group of four men still huddled behind her and Ivy, they were still ensconced in their discussion.

The driver got out to come to the back of the car and open the door, but it still took several seconds for anyone to emerge. The man must like to make an entrance, he got out and stood tall, wearing wraparound shades and a tailored suit, he was just as out of place as the car.

Whispers started again, as the man scanned the gang of people who were staring back. If no one recognised him, then Bri wondered why he was here. Ivy’s frozen form shifted and her arm swept around to fumble for Dax. When her palm came into contact with his abs, she patted him, without taking her eyes away from the man next to the limo for a second.

‘Who is that?’ Bri asked, turning in time to see Ivy twisting to look at her husband. He was staring at the same man who had caught Ivy’s eye. All signs of emotion left his expression and were gripped by solemn resignation. That tell vanished too, his eyes cooled and his form became solid.

Ivy’s hand brushed his, but Dax didn’t acknowledge it. He moved through the two women with the suited man in his sights.

‘Who is that?’ Bri asked again.

‘That,’ Ivy said, watching her husband traverse the parking lot. ‘Is his brother.’

‘Doll?’

Dax’s brother left Bri’s thoughts when Blaser called on her, he touched her shoulder and guided her around. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked him.

‘Inside.’

By the time they got inside Colt and Ruger were already there, Blaser closed the door behind them. ‘Thank you,’ she said to all of the men. ‘For upstairs and… everything.’

‘You talked to Hoburn last night,’ Colt said. Given his connections to the station it was no surprise that he knew the truth.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I told Blase that I made a deal with them. After I left the club, I went to Gary’s place and he told me what happened with Rafe. I knew that the gun Gary had left here was the murder weapon and I wasn’t going to let Blaser go down for a murder he didn’t commit. So I went to Hoburn and told him everything I knew. Gary thought I was going to go on the run with him, he was coming here to pick me up. Except Hoburn came to my place this morning and his men set up recording equipment to capture Gary’s confession. Everything that happened was caught on tape. Gary doesn’t know, I’ll have to… I’ll have to go in and talk to him.’