Ruthless Bastard (Dangerous Love 3)

Rhett thrust his fingers through his hair. “The force…the warning…fuck, it does make sense.” But now that he knew the answer, he realized the danger. “If this gang is infiltrating Maine, expanding across state lines, it’s powerful.”

Boone sighed his frustration. He rubbed his face. “Fuck, I’d rather it be King. At least I’d know what we were up against.”

Rhett felt things he couldn’t explain even to himself. He’d faced threats before and he’d hunted high-valued targets. And he’d bring hellfire down on this gang for touching Kinsley.

The door opened then, and Asher walked into the room, a frown marring his face. “Well, that was quite a lot to take in.”

“No shit,” Boone grumbled. “But at least we’ve got a way to move forward now.”

Asher gestured toward the interrogation room. “What do you want to do about him?”

Rhett glanced at Bernie, still weeping, and for the first time in his life, he understood the man in a way he never thought he would. What would Rhett do to protect his child? Things far worse than what Bernie had done. “Cut him loose.”

Boone and Asher balked at him.

“The guilt over what happened to Kinsley will be a punishment that far exceeds not coming to us,” Rhett said. “And as for Josh, bring him in. Let’s press him about the Wild Dogs location.” Someone needed to answer for what had happened to her. First, Josh. Then these Wild Dogs. Rhett wouldn’t stop hunting until Kinsley, their child, and her bar were safe. “And let’s put some surveillance on Merlots in case those bastards come back.”

“Good plan, but…ah…” Boone cocked his head. “Excuse me, but who are you and what have you done with the cutthroat Rhett we know, who would never let Bernie walk?”

“Don’t blame me, blame your sister’s influence.” Rhett spun on his heel and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Asher called.

Rhett swung the door open. “To learn all I can about these fuckers before I hunt them down.”

Chapter 14

The next morning, while sitting in her father’s old Ford truck as he drove, Kinsley took her phone out of her purse and texted Rhett: I’ve got a midwife appointment this morning. Sorry, I forgot to tell you before you left. Don’t worry about coming to this one, but if you want to next time, it’s at 197 Cherry Hill Lane. She hit Send and shoved her phone back into the purse on her lap. The plan this morning had been to meet up with her staff and go over closing the bar until all this got resolved, only she’d suddenly remembered about the appointment. The fact that she’d forgotten only told her that maybe she wasn’t dealing with all of this well; maybe she was feeling a bit more lost than what she’d thought.

“Ready?” Dad asked after he’d parked the truck at the curb.

“Ready.” She noted the tight lines around Dad’s eyes. “Okay, what gives? Something is definitely wrong. Out with it.”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Kinsley frowned, releasing the door handle. “Dad. What is it?”

Dad sighed and turned to face her. “The boys went to bring in Josh?”

“And?”

“He’s gone,” Dad explained.

“Gone where?”

“He drained his bank account and left,” Dad said solemnly. “First, to even think that Bernie’s family could have any hand in this, to now knowing that Josh is on the run. It’s just…”

Dad had updated her on all the gritty details about Josh’s involvement earlier this morning. “Terrible,” she offered.

Dad nodded. “Very terrible.” He blew out a long, deep breath then opened the door. “All right, kid, let’s go see about some good news.”

Kinsley let go of every other thought too. She couldn’t control this situation, and she had enough on her plate; she didn’t need to add worrying about Bernie and his family to it. When this was all over, she’d go and talk to the poor man. He had to feel terrible, and she truly liked him. Josh, on the other hand. Well, she hoped the guys got those cold cuffs on him sooner rather than later.

She hurried out to greet the blisteringly cold day with dark, gloomy skies hovering overhead. She didn’t remember Rhett leaving last night after she’d obviously fallen asleep, but neither he nor Boone was at the lake house when she’d woken up. It wasn’t until just before Kinsley was in the shower that she remembered her midwife appointment this morning.

Dad followed her up the steps of the old two-story stone house that had been converted into an office space a few years back. The town had marked the house as a historic site, and the property was dripping with old charm. She yanked the door handle hard, then shut it quickly after she and her dad hurried through. God, it wasn’t even December yet and the winter was already cruel. She didn’t want to think about how January would be.

She unzipped her boots, leaving them at the front door, and hung up her coat, as did her father. She led the way into the waiting room on the left, likely once a living room when the Phillips family, the original owners, built the house. The seats in the waiting room were all empty as Dad took the one next to the lit gas fireplace.