Ruthless Bastard (Dangerous Love 3)

Asher sighed. “That’s not hard at all.”

Rhett nodded, knowing their lead was a terrible one. “If there’s another biker gang in town, there will be unrest in Whitby Falls. I’ll call Anderson”—a homicide detective Rhett knew well—“and see if I can go up tomorrow to revisit some recent cases. There might be a connection there that will give us one of these guys.”

Boone nodded and rose. “Want me to come with you?”

Rhett shook his head. “Stay here. Close.” To Kinsley. Keep her safe.

Boone gave him a look of understanding and tapped the door frame. “Call if you need me. Asher, you’re with me. Let’s dig into seeing if there’ve been similar break-ins close by.”

“Keep us in the loop of anything you find,” Asher said, then followed Boone out of Rhett’s office.

Rhett turned back to his monitor and the man with the tattoo. The gesture that man had made of cutting his neck with his knife had never left Rhett’s mind. The warning there was clear. Rhett reciprocated with his own warning now to Dalton, and no doubt that warning would spread throughout Maine. Touch Kinsley and his child, and there was nowhere they could hide that Rhett wouldn’t find them.

Chapter 9

“What was up with Detective Hard Ass yesterday?” Benji asked by way of greeting as he strode out from the back room. “I thought his glare was gonna burn me alive.”

Kinsley finished cutting up the limes for the busy night ahead. The last customer had left five minutes ago, but soon, the bar would be full again, all to watch the folk singer who hailed from New York City. “Oh, I’m just pregnant with his baby, so he’s getting…moody.”

Benji froze mid-step. He blinked and then slowly lowered his foot to the ground, his mouth wide open.

Kinsley burst out laughing. “I’m surprised you hadn’t heard already. Mary Jane overheard me talking to Remy about it yesterday at the market. I thought for sure everyone would know by now.”

“No, man, I hadn’t heard.” Benji glanced at her belly before his gaze lifted again. “Pregnant, whoa.” He blinked again. “So, are you two a thing now?”

“Lord, no,” she replied with a dry laugh. “He only found out the other day.”

Benji shook his head, obviously clearing the shock away, then approached her. “Well, he’s certainly handling the news well, and stepping up, considering he fixed your bar last night.”

“He’s an incredible guy. I’m just glad everyone’s finally seeing it,” was her carefully worded reply.

Benji chuckled softly. “An incredible guy is not exactly how I think anyone in town would describe Rhett.”

Playboy. Tough. Those probably sounded right to everyone in town. “Yeah, but you don’t know him like I do,” she replied.

Benji kept quiet after that, and she grabbed the rag from the sink to wipe up the condensation left from the last customer’s beer. The bar wasn’t hers anymore, or at least it didn’t feel like hers, but soon, once her insurance claim was processed, she could get decorating. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner about the baby,” she said to Benji, suddenly feeling terrible about that. “It’s just been a whirlwind.”

“Hey, no worries, Kins, this had to be a mega shock.” Benji dropped his backpack under the bar then enveloped her in one of his warm hugs. “Are you happy?”

“Happy and scared,” she admitted, leaning into his comforting embrace. “And everything in between that.”

His hug barely lasted three seconds. It didn’t take much to realize he feared Rhett walking through the door and seeing them again. Oh, the power Rhett had. Kinsey was sure he’d find Benji’s reaction amusing.

Benji organized the liquor bottles in the way he preferred them, switching out an empty bottle of vodka for a new one. “I guess that explains why you haven’t been working as many late shifts.”

She nodded then took her purse out of the drawer. She’d already grabbed her winter coat from the back, and quickly slid into it. Outside, the sun was already setting, the long dark nights of winter ahead. She wrapped her scarf around her neck. “I just can’t do it anymore. I’m so tired all the time.”

“Well, that’s what you’ve got me and Lola for,” Benji said, giving her a nudge toward the door. “Go rest. I’ve got everything here for the night.”

She let him lead her around the bar but paused before leaving. “If anyone comes in tonight who feels off to you or anything, call Boone. He wants us to keep an eye on the customers.”

“Sure, no problem.” Benji pointed at the door. “Goodbye, Kinsley.”

She blew him a kiss then left through the front door. Many nights, she’d seen people come into the bar and take for granted the good people in their lives. Once, she’d overheard one man boast about his wife at home with their kids, when he came in every night to the bar after work. That mistake wouldn’t be one she made. She knew how good she had it, and that’s why she didn’t have lingering trauma where her mother was concerned. She’d spent ten years in therapy after her mom left. The good was all she wanted in her life, and everyone in her life brought something wonderful to it.

When she stepped out, the cold night and a dark sky of sparkling stars greeted her. She drew in the brisk air. With all the cloudy days lately, she hadn’t seen the stars in a while. Those little twinkling lights often reminded her of how small she was, and how life could sometimes be full of magic. She reached into her purse for her cell phone, discovering that Rhett was twenty minutes late in picking her up.

The rookie, Cameron, sat in his cruiser. He was the youngest rookie on the force, only twenty-one. Cute, too, with his all-American blond hair and blue-eyed good looks. Kinsley approached him, and after he rolled down the passenger side window, she said, “I’m going to go meet Rhett at the station.”