Page 37 of The Reluctant Siren
Dave had dark hair that needed a cut and eyes that were toosmall for his face. He was roughly six foot and leanly corded with muscle. Shemight be able to take him. She knew some nasty tricks, but she would have toget close. She wished she could see the asshole behind her.
“You, too, Master J,” Dave said with a chuckle. “Put thatgun down or we’ll kill the women. I’m going to assume you got a thing goingwith the PI? Yeah, we figured out you’re a PI after you talked to that traitorthere in the girls’ room. You know we have computers, too, Harlow Dawson. Itwasn’t hard to figure out your name after we knew your occupation.”
Shit. Yep, she had fucked this up on every single level. Shedeserved the lecture. Of course, peace was good, too. That rose bush waslooking better and better.
“Stop it,” Jensen said, putting the gun down. “You are notgoing to die and leave me here. Let’s go somewhere and talk because in a fewminutes the cops are going to be here. I saw someone looking out their window.You’re right in the light, Dave. Whoever that was almost certainly saw yourgun.”
Dave’s expression went dark, and his eyes narrowed. “Then Ishould get my job done. Jack, take out the traitor. I’ll take care of MissDawson, and then we’ll haul Jensen back. He’s got some questions to answer.”
She heard Jenson curse and then the sound of a ping in theair. This Jack person wasn’t the idiot Dave was. He had a suppressor on hisgun. She looked to Miranda, terrified at what she would see.
Miranda’s eyes were wide, her mouth open. But she seemedwhole.
“What the hell?” Jensen moved to get his gun back in hand.
That was when she realized Dave was the one with a neat holein his head.
She turned and then she was the one gaping. “Jack?”
Her cousin Jack O’Malley stood there and gave her a wink.“Hey, there, cos. You wrecked a six-month undercover op. Tell that asshole toput the gun down. I’m a fed, Jensen. And I’m damn near thirty years old, so youcan stop calling me kid. Though I know I look good for my age. Hell, I lookgood for all the ages.”
“What the fuck, Jack? You couldn’t call?” Harlow asked.
And then Jack’s eyes narrowed as he watched Jensen. “Damnit, man. I am not joking. Don’t do it.”
Jensen was moving, an unholy gleam in his eyes. For a momentshe thought he was about to try to kill her cousin.
Then she realized there was another man in the scenario.
Niall jogged up, his face pale. “Harlow, are you…”
Jensen stood there looking slightly psychotic. It wasstupidly sexy on him. “Niall?”
“You know my boyfriend?” A nasty feeling was taking root inher gut because she already knew the answer to the question.
He held his hands up. “She doesn’t know anything, Jensen.Don’t fucking blame her.”
Jensen attacked her boyfriend, fists flying in bothdirections.
Jack sighed and moved beside her. “We’re going to get a hellof a lecture from your daddy, you know that, right?”
She felt her heart constrict. Well, at least she knew howJensen was so up to date on her life. And why Niall wouldn’t sleep with her. Hewasn’t interested in her. He was saving her for his friend.
“Yeah,” she replied and thought about killing them both.
* * * *
The big blond asshole slapped the top of his deskagain, laughter booming from him. “And then he attacked Harlow’s new guy, whois his best friend, who’s also supposed to be spying on her? In the middle ofthe murder?”
“Ian.” The woman with the strawberry-colored hair shot herhusband a glare.
The man who’d been introduced as Ian Taggart simplycontinued to bust a gut. Not that he had much of one. Jensen would bet the guywas older than he looked, but he kept it tight.
As tight as Jensen wanted to wrap his hands around hisformer best friend’s throat. Until Niall was blue and that poacher was fuckingdead.
Niall sat in a chair on the other side of the office lookingsullen and only slightly damaged. He had to admit Niall knew how to block apunch.
Harlow wasn’t looking at either of them. She’d been silent,and the only reason she’d gotten into the car with them was the cops werecoming.
