Page 78 of The Reluctant Siren
“No, he wasn’t trying to prove that. He was trying to getclose because justice was never enough for Jensen. Revenge was what he wanted.He wanted…wants to be the one to pull the trigger.” Harlow was on her feetagain, this time pacing as she spoke. “Is the real reason you didn’t mentionthis because you want to see what the lawyer says or because you think there’sstill a chance you can get back in?”
“Harlow, be quiet for a minute,” Jensen said softly.
“No. I’m not going to be quiet.” Her arms crossed under herbreasts. “You’re thinking about it, aren’t you? You want to go back. All ofthis has been one long play to soften me up so I talk to my cousin and see ifyou can get back to the Hamilton investigation because you were close, weren’tyou?”
Jensen stood, a deep frown on his face. “Niall, I think youshould get Harlow inside.”
“You were going to do it.” Harlow didn’t seem to care thatJensen had gone super serious. She was pissed and not giving an inch. “You weregoing to walk right up to the man and pull the trigger and damn theconsequences. You were going to kill him, and it didn’t matter that you hadpeople who cared about you, people who would be devastated that you died.People who couldn’t stand the thought of living the rest of their lives withoutyou.”
Niall gasped because that was the moment he saw Jensen’shands go up and the red dot painted on his chest.
“Baby girl, I’m so happy you said that,” a deep voice said,and Chase Dawson peeled from the shadows and placed a pistol to the base ofJensen’s head. “Because that’s exactly how I feel about you, and I’m not goingto let this two-bit asshole criminal cost you everything. Jack, I have him. Youcan come in. Jensen Wiley, I think you’re about to find out you’re underarrest.”
Niall stood and realized his best friend was about to getarrested by their future father-in-law.
* * * *
Harlow stared at her father in the moonlight. “Whatare you doing? Jensen, get over here. He is not going to arrest you.”
“I’m not. Jack is,” Dad said as though that was a completelyreasonable thing to say. As though it was perfectly normal for him to sneak upon her boyfriend and put a gun to the back of his head while her cousin held asniper rifle on him. He was in all black. A dramatic uniform for a dramaticman.
Also, hypocrite. “You were going to snipe him? Are you evenkidding me right now?”
Her father was paranoid about a couple of things. Germs.Public food. Hospitals. Strangely, rural strip clubs. She did not ask aboutthat. But the thing he was really freaked out about? Getting sniped. How manyarguments had she listened to about perfectly nice windows being turned into akilling zone?
“I didn’t know if that one would be in on it. I needed Jackto cover my back, and I thought the best way would be him on the roof. If theroof holds him. I think this place should be condemned.” Dad nodded towardNiall. “You should keep your distance, Griffen. I’m still not certain you don’thave something to do with this.”
“Harlow, have I ever told you that your dad is a nut bag?”Jack jogged in, carrying a rifle. “Could we stand down, Chase? I told you Ineed to talk to him. I didn’t say I was going to throw him on the ground andarrest him.”
“No. You said you have proof that he’s been paid over amillion dollars by Hamilton,” Dad said.
The whole night seemed to still.
“What?” Harlow asked, the words shocking her. She was pissedat Jensen, but not for a second did she believe he would take a million dollarsfrom Hamilton. No way. Unless he thought it was a way to get closer to him.
But he said he was rethinking his plans, that he had startedto wonder if this is what his brother would have wanted.
Would he say all of that so he could soften her up? So shewould talk to Jack and maybe find a way to fix the situation she’d gotten himinto?
“I would like to point out that I wanted to talk to thethree of you on the phone, but when you fled you didn’t exactly leave a numberfor me to use,” Jack explained in his slow Texas accent. “Hence, I had toconnect with everyone’s favorite crazy-ass uncle here. Also, you should knowhe’s pissed off Big Tag, or at least he will when Big Tag finds out he hackedhis system to turn on your tracker. Now I did make use of that, but I wouldprefer that we don’t mention it because I would like to stay on the big guy’sgood side. I’ve heard he sends his daughters out when he’s pissed at a man, andI personally am going to need my balls later in life. It would be a damn shamenot to pass on these genes of mine.”
“I told you that tracker was going to get us in trouble,”Jensen said under his breath.
“That tracker is the only reason you’re still alive,asshole,” Dad shot back.
Which made no sense whatsoever. “If I didn’t have thetracker, we would still be talking this out without my father here threateningto kill my boyfriend.”
Dad frowned but that gun didn’t move. He was older but hekept in excellent shape, so he could hold that gun up all night long. “He isnot your boyfriend. He’s the guy who kidnapped you.”
Niall raised a hand. “Actually, Mr. Dawson, I was the onewho drove the car.”
Her father was so obnoxious. “No one kidnapped me. Andyou’re probably right about the boyfriend part. I was using that word to spareyour sensitive ears. So let’s be honest. He’s the guy I’m currently screwing ona nightly basis. So is Niall. Dad, I get it. You’re scared. Okay. I’ll give yousome grace on that, but you are not arresting Jensen.”
“I would like to talk about that million dollars,” Jensensaid haltingly, his hands still up. “Because the last time I checked I was downto four hundred fifty-two dollars and twenty-nine cents. It was definitely nota million. I would not be living in that cramped apartment if I had a milliondollars.”
“A little more,” Jack said with a yawn. “It’s one point twomillion, and from what I can tell it was transferred to your account in thelast couple of days. I might have mentioned this to your dad. It’s incrediblyshady timing for a large transfer of funds. I’m sure Hamilton intended to sendsome hacker in to make it look better, or this was going to be a payoff soJensen here doesn’t go to the cops, but either way we do have to talk about it.I came because Chase wouldn’t let me come alone, and he wouldn’t give me theaddress. He’s a big old pain in my ass.”
“And you’re playing fast and loose with the law, Jack. Youknow you should arrest him and bring him in for questioning,” her dad argued.
