Run the Risk (21 page)

“You mean the weeds,” she quipped, and pulled another.

“—when it’s necessary. But mostly I just laze around in the
sun, go swimming, row out the boat, that sort of thing.”

“Do you come here often?” If it was her place, she’d never want
to leave.

“A day here, a day there, and a couple of times a year I find a
week or more.” He bent, turned over a rock and watched a fat spider scurry away.
“I don’t want this to become a big responsibility, and that’s what it’d be if I
felt like I had to get here to water bushes or flowers, or trim the lawn.”

“I guess. But you could hire someone.” Since he
was
so well-off.

“Then others would know about it.”

And Logan wouldn’t have felt comfortable leaving her there.
Dash hadn’t complained, but she still felt she owed him an apology. “I’m sorry
that we intruded on your privacy.”

Standing in the shade of a shed, he looked around at the fallen
branches and twigs from tall trees, and at the rusted lock on the shed door.
“Don’t be. Logan knows he can count on me for…anything.” He checked the lock.
“Damn, I guess I do need to do a little maintenance work.”

“You have a lawnmower?”

“Push, yeah.” Using his wrist, he cleaned sweat off his
forehead. “The hill is too steep for a rider.”

“I’ll cut the grass.”

He paused. “You don’t need to do that—”

“I want to. I love the sun and the heat and the fresh air.”
Grudgingly, she confessed, “I’m a little bored, and I’m feeling sluggish. Since
I don’t have a suit for swimming, and Logan got his boxers in a bunch over the
idea of me skinny-dipping—”

“Would you have?” he interrupted her to ask. “I mean, without
Logan here to know you’re doing it?”

The grin came slow and easy. “You think I only did that to irk
him?”

“Yes.”

And he’d be right. “You’ve got me there. But if you tell him,
I’ll make you sorry.”

He joined her in grinning. “Why would I do that?”

“Logan is your brother.”

“That he is, and even though I love him, last night was mighty
entertaining.”

Entertaining? That hadn’t been her intent at all. But it was so
nice hearing Dash openly admit to loving Logan that she let it slide. “Most men
aren’t so honest with their feelings.”

“Men who aren’t wusses are.”

She laughed at that. “I’m not overly modest, you know, but I’m
not really someone who runs around in the buff, either.”

“You impressed me. It was a diabolical payback, the type only a
woman could connive.”

“I’m not sure I like the way you say that.” He made her sound
really vindictive and wicked. Was she? Okay, she
could
be. But Logan had it coming…didn’t he?

“I just meant that Logan’s too serious. I like it that you’re
keeping him on his toes.”

“Yeah, well, I’m still mad at him.” She went to the shed and
tugged at the flimsy lock. “You have a key?”

“Tucked out of sight on a hook inside the lazy-Susan cabinet.”
He crossed his arms. “Are you really that angry with him, even knowing why he
had to dupe you?” Understanding softened his tone. “Or is it that you’re still
hurt because you care about him, and you trusted him?”

Pepper took in his sincere gaze, the dark brown eyes so much
like Logan’s, the breadth of his shoulders and the way his biceps bunched with
his crossed arms. Beard shadow darkened his jaw and gave him an appealing,
rakish look, and that smile… He probably broke hearts on a regular basis.

“Did I grow horns or something?”

She shook her head with amusement. “I bet you have an easy time
of it with the ladies, don’t you?”

“Dodging the answer?”

“Just making an observation. And the answer is…both.”

He considered that before nodding and giving an answer of his
own. “Women aren’t too difficult once you understand them.”

“What’s there to understand?”

“Number one is that they’re different from men—more
tenderhearted, gentler and far more emotional.”

“That’s awfully sexist.” Was she being too emotional about
Logan’s ruse?

“But true all the same.” Dash winked. “Later, when it cools
down, we can work on cutting the grass if you really want to. For now, why don’t
we swim? There’s heavy-duty sunscreen inside, and you can borrow my drawstring
shorts and a T-shirt to use. I promise, no matter how awesome you look in the
getup, I’ll do my best not to notice.”

Such a charmer. “Okay, sure.” Maybe she could use the time with
him to dig into Logan’s psyche. No way did she want to be the overly emotional
one. “You’ll tell me more about Logan?”

He started them both back toward the house. “What did you want
to know?”

“Everything.” And to ensure he didn’t disagree, she said, “It’s
the least you can do to entertain me while I’m stranded here.”

“All right. But be prepared to dislike us both even more.
Overall we’ve led pampered lives filled with love and indulgence.” He smiled
while saying that. “Our mom is a natural-born coddler and our dad is a real
stand-up guy. Life has been good.”

Oddly enough, she was glad to hear it. “I don’t dislike either
of you.”

“No?” He looked pleased with her confession.

“No.” She wouldn’t wish her childhood on anyone. “I’ll treat
your story like a fairy tale.” And maybe it’d make it easier for her to sleep at
night.

That is, after she got a little more retribution with
Logan.

* * *

L
OGAN
FOUND
HER
in the rowboat, stretched out on her back across
one of the hard wooden seats, a floatation cushion under her head, her feet
hanging over the side. Dappled sunlight came through the tall trees shading the
lake. Rippling waves kept the boat rocking lazily, occasionally bumping the
dock.

She slept on.

The heat of the day had dried her hair after her swim, leaving
it in twisted hanks with a crooked part. A little too much sun kissed her nose
and the tops of her cheekbones. Wearing a pair of Dash’s shorts, cinched tight
around her hips, and one of his large T-shirts, she should have looked
silly.

Instead, she looked…relaxed. Happy. More at ease than he’d ever
seen her.

Finding her like this worked as a buffer against the futile
efforts of the day. He wouldn’t mind ending every shift this way—coming home to
find Pepper there, knowing she’d be his for the night—and longer.

Interviewing witnesses had proved a waste of time. He’d tried
to check out Andrews’s body, but the lieutenant had that locked up pretty tight.
He’d have drawn suspicion if he’d started poking around too much.

Hopefully Reese found out something more.

Sitting on the dock, Logan took off his shoes and socks, then
unbuttoned his shirt and rolled up his pant legs. A humid breeze licked over the
bared skin of his chest, ramping up his edgy need.

His gaze tracked over her body, from her breasts to her long
legs to her narrow feet.

“Thinking of joining me?”

His attention shot to her face. He found her watching him
through heavy eyes, a slight smile on her mouth.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s okay.” She stretched, and even in the absurd clothes,
she made his blood boil. “I’ve been napping too much today.”

Enjoying this mellow mood of hers, Logan smiled. “You needed to
catch up on your sleep.” God knew, they hadn’t gotten much rest yesterday.

“So do you.” She sat up yoga style and, shielding her face with
one hand, squinted up at him. “You get the rubbers?”

So bold, and so damned tempting. She left him savage with lust,
but it was the overwhelming emotion he found difficult to contain. “I got
everything on your list.”

“Good.” She looked around at the lake, at the sun now dropped
in the sky. “What time is it anyway?”

“A little after seven. I meant to be back here sooner,
but—”

“You have a job to do.” She reached out a hand to him, and when
he took it, she stepped from the boat and stood beside him. “Anything new to
share on Morton?”

Eye-level with her knees, he stirred more. It’d be so easy to
lean forward, to put his face against her warm thighs, breath in her scent, made
muskier by the hot sunshine. “Not a whole lot.”

“That’s too bad.” She touched his hair. “What about the rest of
your day?”

Did she actually want to talk about that with him? It’d be
unique for him to share his work with a woman, but then, Pepper was a unique
woman, and this situation involved her as much as—maybe more than—him. “I went
through a string of witnesses today.”

She tugged him to his feet. “Bet that was a waste of time, huh?
Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.”

“That’s about it.” When she started on the buckle to his belt,
his abdomen tightened. “Reese went to the hospital to talk to a few of Morton’s
guys who were injured, but they’re pretty dopey on pain meds.”

“They’ll live?” she asked without much concern. With his pants
now open, she abandoned them to strip his shirt off his shoulders.

“Yeah.” He helped her with the shirt, freeing his arms and
dropping it to the side. When she went back to his pants, he caught her wrists.
Not wanting to dissuade her but unsure how to continue, he asked, “What are we
doing here?”

“I thought maybe you’d like a quick swim to cool down.” She
pulled a hand free and smoothed it over his chest. “You’re a little sweaty.”

Only a swim? That was probably better than getting busy in the
water with his brother in the house, but still… “How could you sleep in this
heat?”

“I told you I like it.” She went back to his slacks, pushing
them down so that he could step out. Eyeing him in his boxers, she said, “I like
swimming even more, though. So what do you say?”

“Dash will have dinner ready in a few minutes.”

“Then we better get to it.” She held out the big T-shirt. “As
you see, I was a good girl and stayed covered up today.”

As sincere as he could be, given he was already half hard,
Logan said, “Thank you.”

That made her grin. “I like your brother.”

Absurd jealousy stirred. “Meaning what?”

The grin turned into a laugh. “Meaning that, all in all, I had
a nice day.”

“I’m glad.” He’d have to talk more with Dash. He’d taken only a
cursory report before heading down to the lake to see her.

“You might want to take a nap yourself after dinner.” She went
on tiptoe to kiss him. “Now that we have the rubbers, I’m expecting to have an
even better night.”

She turned away and made a clean but shallow dive into the
water, proving that she’d already gauged the depth.

Logan stood there, sporting full wood and wishing he could
bypass everything else and go straight to bed with her.

Dash yelled down the hill, “Burgers in five minutes.”

Damn. Hoping the water would be cold enough, Logan dove in
behind her.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“E
VERYTHING
TASTES
BETTER
off a grill,” Pepper said as
she finished off her hamburger.

Dash agreed. “Doesn’t hurt to have that view, either.”

“Or the fresh air,” Logan said.

The setting sun sent a splash of crimson across the cloudless
sky, reflecting the rich colors on the surface of the placid lake.

Dash propped his feet on the railing, a Coke dripping
condensation onto his abs.

Pepper sprawled out in a lounge chair, still in the same
clothes she’d worn to swim. She looked so carefree that Logan wished he could
keep her there forever.

With him.

She swatted away a mosquito, took another drink of her cola,
and swiveled her head toward him. “So Reese isn’t joining us?”

“Not tonight, no.”

“I trust him more when I can see him.”

Dash gave a short laugh. “I’m guessing you and your brother
feel that way about everyone.”

“With good reason.”

Almost on cue, Logan’s cell phone buzzed.

“Speak of the devil?” Pepper asked.

Since the call came in on the cell phone Rowdy had given him,
Logan shrugged. “Reese or your brother. No one else has this number.”

As soon as he answered, Reese said, “What was all that with you
and Peterson today?”

They hadn’t had a chance to talk earlier, not at the station
with ears all around. And with Reese gone most of the day, they hadn’t even
passed each other that often.

“Hang on.” He covered the phone and said to Pepper, “I’ll just
be a minute.” He started to stand so he could seek some privacy.

Pepper waved him back. “I’m going to take a shower and wash the
lake water out of my hair.”

Dash stood, too. “You’ll have to make it fast if you hope to
have hot water.” He gave Logan a look and said, “Think I’ll put away the
dishes.”

Which was code, meaning he’d keep an eye on Pepper. Logan
appreciated his help—and resented it at the same time.

“Thanks. I’ll lend a hand in just a minute.”

“No rush.”

Standing so he could watch Pepper through the patio doors,
Logan said to Reese, “No idea what’s going on with her, but I have to admit, I
didn’t expect her to make you lead.” He’d been given carte blanche on the
specialized task force duties, and he
had
made
headway—though, of course, Peterson wasn’t entirely up to speed on
everything.

“Maybe she recognizes my superior sleuthing abilities.”

That obvious joke fell flat. “Or maybe she knows I’m in a
little deeper than I’m letting on.” He visually tracked Pepper’s every move as
she rummaged through the items he’d brought back. She went through the bags,
carried the shampoo, conditioner and lotion into the bathroom, and took the rest
to the bedroom.

“Or she hopes to pit us against each other. Who the hell
knows?”

Pepper came from the bedroom with clean clothes. She spoke to
Dash for a moment, then went into the bathroom and shut the door.

The small shower barely accommodated one person, so no way
could he join her—even if she’d invited him. But he could picture her naked,
wet…and he did.

“Don’t let her get to you,” Reese said, interrupting his
thoughts.

“Who?”

He made a sound of exasperation. “Peterson.” He muffled the
phone for a moment, then came back. “Sorry. Cash is underfoot.”

Without the view of Pepper to hold his attention, Logan walked
to the railing and stared out at the lake. “How’s the crazy lady who’s been
keeping him for you?”

“Never said she was crazy. And, in fact, she’s been incredible.
Cash is happy, I’m happy, and she’s available 24/7. So…if you need me, I’m
there. But if not, I figured I’d spend the night with Cash, then show up at work
early tomorrow, maybe throw Peterson off the scent a little.”

“We’re fine here. Don’t worry about that.” The lawn, though
more weeds than grass, was now evenly cut. He hadn’t even noticed before, not
when he’d been so intent on Pepper sleeping in the rowboat. “What now?”

“I saw the body.” Reese didn’t bother to disguise his disgust.
“The face was a mangled mess, jaw destroyed, one ear blown off, teeth missing.
There was too much blood in his hair for me to tell if the color was exact, but
definitely blond. The size, weight and bone structure seemed right.”

“You’re not convinced it’s him?” Did anyone really believe that
Andrews had died so easily?

“The thing is, the two bodyguards at the hospital? They’d been
drugged.”

Logan straightened. “Come again?”

“The bomb did some damage to them, but mostly they were out
because someone dosed them. I’m thinking they were props, like the wallet in the
pocket of the corpse.”

A corpse that could also be a prop.

Reese continued, “Didn’t you tell me once that Morton had a
scar on his shoulder?”

“Yes.” As a younger man, Andrews had done his own dirty
work—and hadn’t always gotten away intact.

“Well, the upper body is pretty singed and mangled.” Before
Logan made any mental leaps, Reese said, “And I never saw the scar firsthand,
but…I didn’t find anything like that on the body.”

So it was a stand-in. “He’s still out there.”

“
Maybe.
If it’s not Morton, well,
what will we do about it? That’s the riddle, yes?”

“Yeah.” Logan’s eyes burned from a combination of tiredness and
lake water. “Jesus, I want this over with.”

“Now more than ever, I suppose.”

“Meaning?”

“You have Pepper to consider, not just a need for
vengeance.”

“The way I see it, I have more reason for vengeance than ever
before.” Andrews had killed his friend Jack—but he’d also made Pepper’s life
miserable and continued to be a threat against her. “One way or another, I
wanted Andrews to pay. If he’s dead, okay. But even if he’s not, he’ll never get
near Pepper.”

“Speaking of finding Andrews…” Reese paused, and then asked,
“What’s Rowdy up to?”

Logan didn’t have to lie. “No idea, really. He’s following some
leads or something. That’s all I know.”

“What leads?”

“He said he has reliable contacts on the street—same as most
cops do.”

“Make no mistake, Logan—he is not a cop.”

“No.” But that made him no less reliable.

“It’s a little dangerous, isn’t it, letting him off the
leash?”

Logan snorted. Never had Rowdy Yates been leashed, definitely
not by him. “I have no choice but to trust him.” Same as he did Reese—with
limits on both of them.

Reese hesitated again. “If he turns up anything, you’ll let me
know?”

“First thing.” Logan was ready to disconnect the call when
Reese spoke once more.

“I almost hate to miss the show tonight. Hope Pepper takes it
easy on you—or not, depending on your preference for that sort of thing.”

The call disconnected in the middle of Logan’s heated reply. He
stalked into the house in time to hear Pepper squawk when the hot water ran
out.

Dash grinned. “I did tell her.”

Joining him in the kitchen, Logan said, “You two seem to be
getting along.” He picked up a dish towel and began drying the few plates and
utensils they’d used.

“She won me over,” Dash told him.

“So she didn’t give you a hard time?”

“A little maybe.” A crooked smile came and went. “She’s
genuine, you know? And funny, and not at all unreasonable.”

“To you.” With him…well, she had grounds to be difficult, so
he’d just accept it. For now.

“True.” Dash finished with the dishes. He dried his hands and
leaned back on the counter. “She’s also as sexy as a woman can be.”

“I know.”

“Killer legs.”

Logan tensed. “I know.”

“And the rest of her—”

Throwing the dish towel onto the rack, Logan considered
throttling his brother. “Do you have a point, Dash?”

“Yeah, I do.” Sincerity chased away the humor. “Pepper Yates is
a keeper.”

At that moment, the “keeper” shut off the shower. Logan knew
she’d emerge any minute. Freshly washed, soft and damp…maybe ready to torment
him some more.

In bed.

God, he hoped.

Dash gave his shoulder a shove. “Damn, Logan. You are so far
gone, it’s almost not funny.” But he laughed anyway. “On top of her other
qualities, she has the constitution of a bulldozer.”

Glad to give Dash a new focus, Logan asked, “How so?”

“She cut the grass. All of it,” he stressed. “And damn, but she
seemed to enjoy herself. I got her to put on sunscreen first, but she didn’t
have the right shoes.”

Logan scowled. “The hill…” Without care, someone could slip and
lose a foot.

“Yeah. Makes it treacherous. It was hot as hell this afternoon,
so I thought I’d have to insist. But she’s smart enough that before I could even
mention it, she put on her jeans and boots, and she got to it.”

It didn’t surprise Logan that Pepper enjoyed working outside.
Soon he’d be able to jog with her, and maybe that’d help her to burn off excess
energy.

Unless they could burn it off tonight in bed, instead.

“It wasn’t easy, but halfway through, I talked her into taking
a break. We drank iced tea, took another dip in the lake, and then…” He
shrugged. “She wanted to finish cutting. I felt like a damned slug, sitting
around watching her. And I did promise you I’d keep an eye on her, so I ended up
pulling weeds.”

It was Logan’s turn to grin. “I thought you wanted to leave the
place untouched so it wouldn’t become a chore.”

“Yeah, I did. But she outmaneuvered me on that. I swear, I was
ready to call it quits long before she was. If I’m not careful, she’ll have me
relocating wildflowers with her tomorrow.”

Logan pictured that, grinned again—and Pepper emerged. She paid
the brothers no mind as she went out to the deck to comb her still wet hair.

Definitely sexy, as Dash had claimed. With her ruse as a
wallflower no longer necessary, she had a way of walking, of infusing just the
right amount of swagger and sway to her hips. Thanks to the chill water of the
shower, her stiffened nipples showed beneath the soft cotton of a clean
T-shirt.

Logan drew in a breath—and realized that Dash was staring after
her, too.

He gave him a shove.

Unfazed, Dash saluted him. “I think I’ll kick back in front of
the boob tube.”

They got crap reception and didn’t have cable, but Dash kept a
store of DVD movies in a cabinet under the television.

Seeing his brother settle in on the couch, Logan said, “Keep an
eye out while I get my own shower.” A cold shower, which he needed. He stuck his
head out the door to speak with Pepper. “I’m going to wash up, too. I shouldn’t
be long.”

“Good.” She kept her back to him while dragging a wide-toothed
comb through her long blond hair. It was still so hot that it wouldn’t take long
for it to dry. “Make it quick, though. I feel like turning in early
tonight.”

With him? She was so unpredictable, he couldn’t be sure. He
hated to give his lust free rein on assumptions, when this could be more of her
torment. “Pepper…”

Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a sultry stare. “Keep
the condoms someplace handy.”

And just that easily, she got him semi-hard. Maybe tonight he
could convince her to spend the night in his room. He wanted to take as much
time with her as he could, while he could.

And with any luck, it’d be enough.

* * *

R
OWDY
SAT
TOWARD
the back of the bar. While waiting for his
contact to join him, he watched for trouble, and he watched for the petite
waitress. He saw stacked women, lush women, blondes and brunettes, but he didn’t
see the hot little redhead.

Had she quit? Changed her hours?

No, he wouldn’t accept that. Eventually, he’d see her
again.

His attention shifted to five men who’d just entered, their
gazes searching the crowd. They wore jackets—likely to conceal their guns.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Rowdy knew they were looking for
him. It was a hazard of asking questions.

Snitches weren’t loyal. Most were just plain desperate.

When he’d asked specific questions, he’d known that others
would come after him, curious as to who had been curious, and why. It was almost
funny—but not quite.

Slipping out of his chair, Rowdy stuck to the darkest shadows
and moved along the wall to the hallway that led to back rooms—the kitchen,
bathrooms, perhaps an office.

It pissed him off that he had to go without new info. The men’s
arrival here meant he’d gotten too close with his questions today, and someone
had noticed.

One guy, even two or three, he’d have taken his chances in the
hopes of uncovering something important. But going up against five trained thugs
would be suicide.

He started for the bathrooms but changed his mind at the last
minute. Instead, he veered off to swinging metal doors that opened into the
bustling kitchen. He pushed through—and almost ran into his little redhead.

Juggling a tray of drinks, she pulled back, and he stepped
forward, taking them both out of view of the customer seating.

An automatic apology tripped from her soft mouth.

Until she saw him—and went mute.

One emotion after another shadowed her beautiful blue
eyes—surprise, delight, suspicion and then reproach. “You can’t be back
here.”

Rowdy couldn’t believe his bad luck at finally seeing her again
at such an ill-fated time. Knowing what he wanted to do, and what he had to do,
he weighed his options.

“This tray isn’t getting any lighter.”

As spirited as ever. He chewed his upper lip in indecision but
didn’t really put up much of a fight. “I was hoping to see you again.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

Cutthroat thugs searched the premises for him, and if they
found him, it wouldn’t be polite conversation on their minds. But he grinned all
the same. “We have unfinished business, you and I.”