Page 66 of Bad Boy in Her Bed

She sat in the chair Birch was in yesterday.Her fingers grazed the armrests in a futile attempt to feel remnants of his warmth.“Why is that?Is Drayson moving already?”

Nodding, he sat in his chair and pulled up a series of images on his computer screen.“He was shuffling boxes out through the back door until someone in a black SUV stopped by around two this morning.A few words were exchanged that we couldn’t pick up, and the car left.Drayson followed shortly after with the boxes, went straight to Mr.Baker’s home, and unloaded them into the treed area bumping up against the shed.”Turning the screen away from her, he sat back.“He arrived back at Serpent’s Tongue twenty minutes ago, presumably to open the shop.My team is split between the two locations of interest.If luck will have it, Mr.Baker should be out in a few hours.”

Frowning, she ran through the expected outcomes.“That asshole tried to shift all the evidence directly onto Birch.Has Puller been notified?”

“Of course.You were next on my list to call.”

Making herself comfortable, she drummed her fingers on the armrest.“Would you mind if I waited it out in here?”

Clearing his throat, Fogerty shrugged.“Fine by me.Help yourself to the coffee in reception.Might be a few bagels left over unless Klaussen stopped by on his way to the tattoo shop.”

Taking him up on the offer, she wandered back down the hall, fighting to stay away from the door she knew led to the cells where Birch sat waiting for her to fulfill her promise.

*

The sound ofa ruckus coming down the hall set Birch’s senses on high alert.Ryder’s voice was crystal clear over the clanging and stomping footsteps.

This was it.

All he had to do was be convincing enough to make Ryder believe their deal was in play.Once he gave the signal, the deputies would haul him out under the guise of being taken to state, buying them a little more time to ensure all their ducks were in a row before Ryder realized he’d been crossed.

It was all part of the plan, part of the deal he signed yesterday.The cops needed time to gather the physical evidence and get Ryder off the street before he realized Birch hadn’t taken the fall as intended.Whatever his business partner was into went further than Trevor Drayson and the local police department, but just how far it went was kept from him and Jocelyn.

He didn’t give a rat’s ass where it went, as long as it slammed into a closed door where he was concerned.

There was already talk of deals with Ryder, ways to get him to roll on his own contacts.Birch’s lawyer added in the signing over of Ryder’s portion of Serpent’s Tongue, and hinted Birch’s incidental involvement may not end any time soon if future operations required him.It would be a long, messy few months dealing with the fallout, but it beat spending the next decade in prison.

The cell door next to him slid open.Ryder resisted, the flash of panic in his eyes understandable.

Too bad the bastard didn’t keep that feeling in mind when he decided to deal drugs out of the back of their shop.

With a shove, the cops ensured Ryder was far enough inside for the bars to seal shut.

He stayed motionless on his cot, waiting for his business partner to notice him.It took a few minutes for Ryder to see him past the red haze clouding his furious eyes.

“Slap on the wrist,” he reminded the traitor.“I warned you they would probably book you.Just sit here, shut your mouth, and wait it out.You know how this shit works.”

Ryder ran his hand over his face.“Yeah.Yeah, okay.”Pacing the floor like a caged bear, he breathed deep and let out a strangled laugh.“Holy fuck, I forgot how fucking small these are.Good thing it’s not for long.”

“Yup.Sucks for me, doesn’t it?”

The words slipped out, the bitterness in them ringing true.

For all Ryder knew, these cells would be Birch’s life for the next decade, paying a price for a crime he sure as hell didn’t commit.

Again.

Ryder stilled.“You better be holding up your end.You don’t know who you’re messing with if you fuck me over.”

“Do I look like a free man to you?”he demanded, stretching his arms out.“Last I heard, I’m being moved upstate for holding.Good fucking times, right?Remember those cells?Top-notch luxury there.”His voice was raising, all the pent-up rage he’d been holding tight unleashing as he rushed the bars between them and slammed his hand against the cold metal, growling low.“This is on you.”

He met Ryder’s eyes for a split second and turned away, giving the signal with the flick of his ring finger.

*

Jocelyn looked atthe clock in Fogerty’s office for the hundredth time.

Twenty-four hours, thirty-seven minutes.

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