“After is fine for me, too.” River nodded soberly.
The minutes ticked by like hours. No one said much, just stared at the door, waiting.
Suddenly, Marlie and Dean entered the room. With one hand, he gripped her elbow. The other he’d wrapped around her waist.
When she caught sight of them, Marlie tried to dig in her heels, but Dean shoved her forward. Her ankles wobbled in her designer shoes.
“What the…?” Her eyes grew wide as she stared, slack-jawed, at the four of them. She pinned Dean with a hate-filled glare. “Why are they here?”
“After the shit you pulled, I figured they deserved to watch you go down.” Dean gave her a brittle smile.
Hammer stood, along with the rest of his family. “We weren’t going to miss this.”
She reared back, blinked, then seemed to notice River for the first time. “Rick?”
“River,” he corrected.
“What are you… Oh, my god. You’re a cop.”
The big guy laughed as he clutched Raine to his side and sauntered around the table to Marlie. Hammer and Liam followed.
“Nope.” River shook his head. “But I was horribly offended by the things you said about my sister.”
Raine looked up at her brother and smiled.
“Sister? She’s your…your fucking sister!” Marlie screeched, her stare darting manically between their faces.
Hammer enjoyed seeing the moment the bitch realized Raine and River had the same eyes. Obviously, she’d never noticed. And why would she? Marlie had treated his girl like dirt under her Prada stilettos.
Marlie’s face turned bright crimson. “You played me. You set me up! That’s entrapment.”
“Oh, no, baby,” River crooned in the same whiskey-smooth voice he’d used to seduce her. “You willingly confessed to everything. Thanks for a lousy time.”
“You…used me, too?” Marlie huffed.
“Yeah. Like a cheap roll of paper towels. You were the worst lay I ever had.”
“Bastard!” Indignant tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she struggled against Dean’s steely grip.
The cop simply grabbed her wrists, jerked them behind her back, slapped the cuffs on, and read the woman her rights. “You can’t safeword out of this.”
Marlie spat. “Let me go! This is a travesty. My parents are wealthy. I’m…I’m beautiful.”
Hammer had known the pretentious bitch was shallow, but her reckless stupidity floored him. How had he ever found her remotely attractive?
Raine gave Marlie a glacial laugh as she lurched forward.
“Wait a moment, love. I just need a word or two,” Liam whispered before inching closer to Marlie.
The slut’s eyes grew wide. She trembled in abject fear, just as she had the night she’d slapped Raine and Liam had unleashed his verbal fury on Marlie. Time hadn’t lessened her fear of the man—or his hatred for her.
Hammer watched panic play across Marlie’s face as Liam leaned in closer and closer.
“You can’t touch me.” She sent Dean a pleading stare. “Don’t let him touch me. He’s going to hurt me.”
Dean pretended not to hear as Liam settled his mouth in close to Marlie’s ear.
“The only thing that’s saving your life right now is this cop and those cuffs. You’ve done the unthinkable, twisted truth into lies to harm me and mine. I hope you meet with the same welcome my ex-wife did in prison.” Smile cold, Liam thrust his shoulders back and returned to Raine’s side.
“W-what happened to her?” Marlie paled, shaking uncontrollably.
“She got shanked in prison,” Dean replied. “She was a self-centered, pretentious bitch like you. She didn’t last long behind bars. Your chances don’t look good, either.”
“Oh, god! You can’t do this to me. I can’t go to prison.” Marlie shook her head wildly.
“You can,” Raine replied as she marched toward the evil snake, then drew back her hand. With all her might, she slapped Marlie across the face. “I’m looking forward to watching it.”
The woman reared back and gasped. “You bitch! That’s assault!”
Raine sent her a cold glare. “And you can’t do a thing about it.”
“Arrest her!” Marlie demanded.
“For what?” Dean asked.
“She hit me!”
“I didn’t see anything.” He shrugged.
“You liar. She assaulted me. You saw it—all of you.”
“Shut up before I tase you,” Dean warned.
Raine moved in with fire in her eyes and something on her mind. Hammer leaned in to hear because this ought to be good…
“How dare you try to send Macen to prison and tear our lives apart? Did you really think he could actually love you? Or did you just assume he’d be yours because you wanted him and you’ve never heard no your whole pampered, entitled life?” Raine shook her head. “Let me tell you, Nastysnatch, you were never special to him, just a convenient, easily forgettable sperm-whore. Hammer’s devotion, love, and desire? All mine. No man, especially one with such an amazing, loving heart, could feel a damn thing for a skanky piece of trash like you.”
“She’s right.” Despite his fury, Hammer controlled his voice carefully as he slid his arm around Raine’s soft body and pulled her close. He kept his stare locked on Marlie’s as he lifted Raine’s chin and pressed a reverent kiss to her lips. Never once had he shown Marlie any real affection; he’d merely fucked her.