When Hunter stepped into the squad room, the entire place erupted in cheers. By now, everyone had heard about his bust. They’d been after the Larsons for a long time, after all. His discovery was what they’d been searching for—the evidence to get an unbreakable conviction.
“We finally got them!” more than one officer exclaimed. Fist bumps and high fives made Hunter smile. Despite his lingering pain that Mae had clearly never been the person he’d believed her to be, shutting down those awful grandsons of hers had long been a dream. Now that dream had finally come true. Assuming they’d been rounded up. He wouldn’t put it past the sneaky bastards to have fled to Canada, letting their grandmother take all the heat for their actions.
“Are the Larson twins in custody yet?” he asked, crossing his fingers. When informed they were already being processed down at the jail, he grinned and gave the thumbs-up sign. He continued to smile until he remembered Mae would be there with them. While the thought of the older woman being locked up among hardened criminals disturbed him, he knew she had to make restitution for what she’d done. Of course, the entire family would probably bond out before they went to trial. The twins kept on retainer several expensive attorneys who were no doubt working hard behind the scenes to make sure they weren’t held too long. He hoped they weren’t immediately successful. He wouldn’t put it past the twins to simply disappear.
Once all the celebratory comments had died down, Hunter turned to make his way to his own desk and begin the arduous paperwork such a bust required. When he was halfway there, the chief stuck his head out and called Hunter to his office.
“Take a seat.”
A cold chill settled over him. He made no move to sit. “Don’t tell me something went wrong with the Larson bust,” he began.
“It’s not that.” Chief Colton gave him a long, considering look. “There’s been another attempt on Layla Colton,” he said.
Hunter froze. “What? When? I just saw her this morning.” Heart pounding, he gripped the edge of the door frame so hard his knuckles turned white. “Is she—”
Chief Colton held up his hand, interrupting. “Sit down. She’s fine.”
Legs weak, Hunter dropped into a chair. “What happened?”
“She was walking one of the police dog trainees. Some idiot tried to jump her from behind a tree. The dog took care of him.” He shook his head. “What kind of idiot tries to attack a woman when she’s accompanied by an eighty-plus-pound German shepherd?”
He had a point.
“Even stranger, it’s the same guy who claimed he witnessed Demi killing Xavier Wesley.”
“Paulie Gaines?” Stunned, Hunter leaned forward. The small-time drug dealer with a long rap sheet had been considered a barely credible witness at best. “This could be huge. Do we have him in custody? If so, I’d like first crack at him.”
The chief tilted his head and studied him. “I don’t think that’s wise. This is personal for you. I’ll have someone else question him.”
About to protest, Hunter realized the other man was right. Any attempt on Layla Colton was personal as hell. “Of course, I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation in any way. But I’d like to at least sit in and observe.”
“Behind the glass. Lucas Gage is in charge of this one.” Judging from the set of Chief Colton’s jaw and his no-nonsense, take-it-or-leave-it tone, that was as good as it was going to get. Lucas was a deputized bounty hunter for the RRPD and had gone after Paulie Gaines in the past, so they had something of a connection.
“I’ll take it,” Hunter responded. “Behind the glass.”
“Then you’d better head down to interrogation room three. He’s in there now, and Lucas is about to start questioning him.”
“Thanks.” Hunter took off. He arrived just as Gage took a seat across from the suspect. Paulie looked about the same as he had the last time Hunter had seen him. Permanently red eyes, with his face riddled by bloody marks where he’d picked at it, marking him as a tweaker—in other words, a meth addict. He wore a green sweatshirt with the hood pulled up.
Following standard procedure, Lucas asked Paulie to state his name, age and address. Instead, Paulie jumped to his feet. “Let me out of here,” he demanded. “You got nothin’ on me.”
Lucas motioned him back to the chair. “Sit. Because you’re wrong. Not only is the woman you attacked able to identify you, but a trained police dog took a chunk out of your leg. Let me tell you, our dogs don’t do something like that unless they have good reason. Do you follow?”
Slowly, Paulie nodded. At any moment, Hunter expected him to demand an attorney. But Paulie was either too cocky or too stupid, because he smirked at Lucas and then sat back down.
“I wanna make a deal.”
Even Lucas blinked at that. “What kind of a deal?” he asked.
“I know stuff,” Paulie boasted. “I can give you information in exchange for you dropping all my charges.”
“That’s now how this works,” Lucas replied. “First, how do I even know your information is accurate, never mind useful? And second, we can maybe discuss reducing the charges, not dropping them.”
Silence while Paulie digested this unwanted information. “Oh, yeah? Well, how about this? People have paid me to say and do things.” And then he sat back and crossed his arms, clearly pleased with himself.
As ambiguous as that statement might be, Hunter hoped Lucas realized the potential and pursued further.
“Paid you to do things?” Lucas frowned. “You mean like work? At a job?”
“No, man. Other things.”
Now Lucas pushed to his feet. Hands flat on the table, he leaned over the smaller man. “Back in January you claimed you saw Demi Colton shoot Bo Gage dead. Then you claimed you saw her shoot Xavier Wesley. Are those among the things?”
With a defiant smile, Paulie shrugged. “Could be. But you’ll have to make it worth my while if you want me to say anything else.”
“Oh, yeah?” Lucas snarled. “Bo Gage was family. So help me, if you lied about what you saw and who you say you saw kill him, you’d better speak up right now. Or things are going to get a hell of a lot worse for you.”
Judging from the way Paulie appeared to shrink back into his hoodie, he believed every word. Hunter had to hand it to Lucas. That was the mark of a good interrogator.
“Well?” Lucas demanded when Paulie didn’t speak. “Did you really see Demi Colton shoot Bo?”
Slowly, Paulie shook his head. “No.”
Damn. Hunter had to give Lucas credit. There went the basis of the hunt for Demi. Yet Lucas remained professional, his stone face giving nothing away.
“Then why’d you say you did?”
“Money, dude. I got paid five large to say that.” Paulie’s dreamy smile told them exactly what he’d done with his payment.
“By who?”
“Dunno.”
Hunter could imagine how Lucas must be grinding his teeth. The frustration was mutual.
“What do you mean, you don’t know? How were you paid?” Lucas asked.
“Cash. A bag full of it. I talked to the guy on the phone—no idea how he got my number. Once I’d done what he wanted, he sent a bag full of money by some courier service. It was cool. I signed for it and everything.”
Hunter could see Lucas making notes. Another lead—a damn good one, in fact. It could be entirely possible that the actual Groom Killer had hired Paulie to frame Demi. Meanwhile, Paulie appeared to have no idea of the impact of what he’d done.
On top of that, Lucas still hadn’t gotten to Paulie’s attack on Layla.
“You’re in a lot of trouble, you know,” Lucas informed the younger man. “Lying about a shooting is bad enough, and I can promise you we’ll come back to that. But I also want to know why you attacked Layla Colton.”
Paulie made a face. “Isn’t it obvious? Duh. More money. Even though she had that stupid dog with her, it’s worth it for another five grand.”
At this, Lucas sat up straighter. “The same person who asked you to lie about witnessing a murder wanted you to jump Layla?”
Another half-hearted shrug. “I guess. Yeah, I mean it was the same deal. I got a phone call, told what I needed to do and promised payment. Only I ain’t gotten my money yet, on account of being arrested.” He glared at Lucas, as if to say he felt it was the other man’s fault.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Hunter rapped three times on the window, one of the signals RRPD used to let an interrogator know someone wanted to share information.
Lucas glanced at the mirrored glass and nodded. After ordering Paulie to sit tight, he popped around the corner into the viewing room.
“Hunter.” Lucas shook his head. “Did you hear that? Sorry about Layla. I know you and she are—”
“Friends,” Hunter interjected. “And thanks. She’s actually been attacked several times, so I’d be interested to know if Paulie was behind all of them.”
“I can sure ask.”
“Thank you.” Hunter exhaled. “But that’s actually not all of what I wanted to talk to you about. Paulie claims he only knows this guy by his voice. Would you mind playing a recording for him and seeing if it’s the same guy?”
“Sure.” Lucas appeared intrigued. “Who do you have in mind?”
“Devlin Harrington,” Hunter replied. “And since we just arrested him on something else and are waiting for the warrant to go through so we can search his office, I just happen to have a recording of him on the phone. Let me go get it from my desk.”
Lucas nodded. Hunter wondered briefly why the other officer didn’t appear surprised, but figured maybe he hadn’t been the only one who’d thought something was off with Devlin.
After jogging to his desk and back, he found Lucas still waiting. “It’s good to let the little bastard cool his heels.” He jerked his head toward Paulie. “You know, I really wondered why someone was trying to harm Layla. She isn’t a threat to anyone. But when you throw Devlin Harrington into the mix, it all starts to make sense.”
Hunter nodded. “Right? Clearly, Devlin doesn’t want her marrying his father.”
“But what about the rest of it? Why would Devlin want to frame Demi Colton as the Groom Killer?”
Handing Lucas the thumb drive for him to insert into a small audio player, Hunter grimaced. “Guess we’d better not get ahead of ourselves. First, we’ve got to make sure it actually was Devlin calling Paulie and giving him orders. Once we know that for sure, then we can speculate as to motive.”
Lucas nodded and carried the audio player back into the interrogation room. The rest of Hunter’s thoughts went unsaid. There could only be one reason, and both men knew it. If Devlin Harrington wanted everyone to think the Groom Killer was Demi, it would be because he wanted to hide the true murderer from the authorities. Which meant Hunter’s suspicions had been right all along.
Turning to watch, Hunter listened as Lucas asked Paulie to listen and tell him if the voice on the recording was the same as the one who’d hired him.
When Paulie said yes without hesitation, Hunter silently fist-bumped the air. Finally. Now if they could get Paulie to admit to breaking into Layla’s house and also stealing her car, they were golden.
Trusting that Lucas would make sure Paulie was questioned and charged for all crimes, as well as making sure they got his sworn statement, Hunter rushed off to see if it was too late to amend the search warrant request from the judge. If the original request citing purchasing stolen goods hadn’t been enough, Paulie’s statement was sure to be.
The sound of the garage door opening made Layla sit up. She must have fallen asleep, despite her phone’s constant vibrating. Anticipating her father’s reaction when he learned about Hamlin, she’d put the ringer on Silent.
As if on cue, it vibrated again. She shook her head.
No way was she dealing with her father right now.
Goose jumped down and ran to the kitchen so she could greet Hunter the instant he came inside.
Swinging her legs over the side of the couch, Layla stretched. She felt stiff and sore and figured she probably would have a few bruises. But she considered herself lucky it hadn’t been worse. She didn’t know how she’d cope with broken bones or something like that right now.
The instant the door opened, Goose began wiggling, simultaneously spinning in circles. Hunter crooned a greeting to his dog, bending down to fuss over her. When his eyes found Layla, her entire body tightened.
“Are you okay?” Hunter asked.
She wanted to shout out her news that she’d broken the engagement to Hamlin, but she didn’t. They needed to deal with one thing at a time.
“Yes,” she answered softly. “I’m really thankful for Elsie. She’s the dog I was walking. She took the guy down.”
“Yeah.” His voice sounded rough. “We have your attacker in custody. I watched his interrogation.”
“Did he say why he wanted to hurt me? I have no clue why I keep getting attacked.”
Hunter nodded, crossing the room to sit beside her on the couch. “Devlin Harrington is behind all of this. Apparently he really doesn’t want you marrying Hamlin.”
Though shocked, she wasn’t surprised. Her phone buzzed again. When she made no move to pick it up, Hunter eyed her. “Are you going to get that?”
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s only my father, freaking out. As a matter of fact, now might be the perfect time to tell you my news. I broke off the engagement. I’m not going to marry that man after all.”
He didn’t move. “Because of Devlin?”
“Not at all.” She let herself smile, hoping he could see the hope in her gaze. “Because I don’t love him. I’m done trying to live my life for my father.”
He gazed at her, searching her face. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent.” Taking a deep breath, she decided to tell him the rest. “There’s one more reason I broke off the engagement. I can’t marry Hamlin because of you. You’ve made me realize that I want—”
Reaching for her, he didn’t even let her finish. Covering her mouth with his, he showed her how he felt with a deep, sensual kiss that rocked her to the core.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathing hard. Hope bloomed inside her, along with a desire so tender the depth of it brought tears to her eyes.
“I want you,” he told her. “And now that you’re free, you get to choose.”
“That’s easy. I choose you.” She ran her hands up his strong biceps, leaning in just enough to lay her hand tenderly alongside his cheek. Though she didn’t say the rest out loud, she knew that from this day forward, she would always choose him. Someday, maybe she could tell him that.
Hunter didn’t move, though a muscle worked in his jaw. His gaze had darkened. She couldn’t tell if her words or actions had moved him or not. Either way, her entire body ached for him.
Trembling, she touched her mouth to the hollow just below his throat, where she could see his pulse beating strong and steady. “I want you, Hunter Black. Right here, right now.”
“Damn,” he groaned. Fascinated, she watched as he relaxed his apparently ironclad self-control. “You have no idea what you do to me, Layla.” And he proceeded to use his hands and his mouth to show her exactly what he meant.
Later, still wrapped in each other’s arms, Hunter simply held her. With her head on his chest, Layla thought if there really was a heaven, this had to be it. Goose, who’d fallen asleep on the armchair, woke and jumped down, whining softly, nudging Hunter’s bare foot as she demanded her dinner.
With a husky laugh, he grabbed his boxer shorts and stepped into them. Tucking the throw blanket around Layla, he headed into the kitchen to take care of feeding his dog. Sated, warm and comfortable, Layla snuggled under the blanket and let herself doze.
A sharp rapping on the front door startled her, making her jump. Whoever it was continued to pound the door, not letting up. Goose ran in, growling and barking, turning circles in front of the door.
Hunter rushed into the room, frowning. “What the...” He looked out the peephole and recoiled. “It’s your father.”
“No way. He’s out of town.” Fenwick Colton didn’t take no for an answer. Since she hadn’t been taking his calls, had he decided to simply fly back home show up and try to force her to see reason?
“Don’t answer it,” she started to tell him, but then changed her mind. “Wait. Just a second.” More pounding, as if he beat on the door long enough he thought it would magically open.
She snatched up her bra and panties and put them on. Hunter grabbed his jeans and shirt and did the same. Once she’d shimmied into her leggings and buttoned her flannel shirt, she took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Go ahead and let him in.”
The second Hunter unlocked the door, Fenwick burst through. His mottled complexion and furious gaze attested to his mood. “I knew I’d find you here,” he shouted.
Hunter cleared his throat. “I suggest you lower you voice.”
Ignoring him, Fenwick advanced on his daughter. “What the hell where you thinking?” he yelled.
Hunter grabbed the older man’s arm and spun him around. “I said lower. Your. Damn. Voice. My house, my rules.”
Clearly not sure how to respond, Fenwick blinked. “All right,” he said, his tone normal. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to my daughter. Alone.”
“He stays,” Layla interjected. “Hunter can hear whatever you have to say.”
Fenwick swallowed, clearly biting back a retort. “This is family business, Layla. And this man, whatever he may be to you, is not family.”
“He stays or you go.” Layla gave a shrug, hoping her father couldn’t tell how fast her heart was pounding. To go from making love with Hunter to having to defend her life choices to an infuriated parent—talk about ruining what had been an amazing day.
“Fine.” Fenwick glared at Hunter before returning his furious gaze to his daughter. “I got a call from Hamlin Harrington. He says you broke off the engagement.”
“That’s right,” Layla replied, amazed at how calm she sounded. “What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were in Jamaica for the holiday weekend.”
“I was.” He grimaced and gave a dramatic sigh. “But I had to cut my trip short after you told Hamlin you weren’t going to marry him. You know how badly Colton Energy needs that money.”
“I guess you’ll have to figure out another way to get it. You can’t just auction me off like a prizewinning heifer.”
Recoiling, Fenwick actually appeared hurt. “I would never do that.”
“Yet you did.” Amazingly, her confidence returned. Not in tiny bits, either, but in a huge rush. Due, no doubt, to actually knowing she was in the right. What kind of parent would ask such a thing of their daughter?
Her father opened and then closed his mouth. Scratching the back of his neck, he glanced at Hunter. “What about you?” he asked. “Do you have something to say? Otherwise, why don’t you give us a little privacy?”
Shaking his head, Hunter looked past him. When his gaze found Layla’s, she smiled. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’ll be fine. This shouldn’t take long.”
Hunter nodded. He located his boots and socks and sat down in the chair to pull them on. Then he whistled to Goose. “Let’s go outside,” he told his dog. Goose chuffed happily.
The instant the back door closed behind them, her father dropped all pretense of civility. “Layla, I’ve been trying to be supportive. I granted you unplanned vacation days, didn’t say anything when you shacked up with the cop. But I cannot let you throw away your future with Hamlin Harrington. Do you not understand how rich and powerful you will be?”
“That’s not the point,” she explained with exaggerated patience. “He doesn’t love me and I don’t love him. If there actually is a better reason not to marry, then I sure as heck don’t know it.”
“Love?” Fenwick repeated, his eyes bulging. “You’re ruining everything over love? I know you’re young, but true love doesn’t really exist.”
“Yes, it does.” Thinking of Hunter and how he made her feel, she smiled. “I’m sad that you’ve apparently never experienced it.”
“That is not the point.” He stamped one foot, a childish display of frustration. “We have an agreement, Hamlin and I. I can’t go back on my word.”
She eyed him in disbelief. “Dad, this isn’t about you.”
“Oh, no? When it’s my company that’s going to go down the tubes, I think it is. I raised you better than that. We Coltons don’t go back on our word. The three of us—me, you and Hamlin—entered into a business agreement. While it was only verbal, you gave your word. You have to marry Hamlin.”
The desperation in her father’s voice failed to move her. “I’m sorry, but this is going around and around in circles. I don’t know how else to make you understand. But please, listen to me. I broke off the engagement. It’s over. It’s final. There’s nothing you can say to make me change my mind.”
The back door opened, and Hunter and Goose came back inside. Goose ran over to Layla, wagging her tail furiously. “There’s my girl,” Layla crooned. “She’s such a good dog.”
When she looked up, she was surprised to see an expression of distaste on her father’s aristocratic face. When he noticed her looking, he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “You know I’m not a fan of animals. That was your mother’s thing.”
Though she nodded, Layla’s gaze slid past him to Hunter. His large size and muscular physique made the room seem smaller. And while she’d never been one to care much about things like physical beauty, something about Hunter struck her dumb. She looked at him, aware her heart shone in her eyes, glad she’d found him. Right now, she might not know for sure where this thing between them might lead, but that was okay. It made her happy, brought her passion and peace and contentment. A good start, for sure.
“Are you effing kidding me?” Fenwick snorted. “Is that what all this is about? You and K9 Cop here are having a fling?”
Layla opened her mouth, but before she could respond, her father continued.
“So what?” he sneered. “The two of you go ahead and get it out of your system. I see no reason why you can’t go through with the marriage to Hamlin once you’ve finished. He won’t care. He’s already made it clear that he has no expectations of faithfulness since he has no intentions of being faithful himself.”
Layla didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “I meant what I said. I won’t be marrying him. Not ever.”
“But—”
Hunter stepped forward, the swift movement cutting off Fenwick midsentence. “Mr. Mayor, I think it’s time for you to go.” He opened the door and waited.
Fenwick spun to face him, fists raised. For one heart-stopping moment, Layla thought he meant to actually fight Hunter.
Instead he spun on his heel and left without another word.