Chirp(91)

He patted her hand. “That won’t prove anything. Sooner or later we have to face her. I’ll be okay.”

“Then I’m going with you.”

“Dammit, Chirp.” Her expression told him there was no use in arguing, so he did the next best thing. “Okay, but you stay on the porch out of sight. I go in alone. Understand?”

She nodded.

He’d already played out the possibilities a hundred times in his head. Face-to-face meeting? Ambush? Gunfight? He’d tried to cover all the options and what action to take. The disadvantage between a personal and prison confrontation was not knowing your opponent. Inmates were all pretty much the same, with limited weapons, location, and opportunity. But a beautiful, evil, rich woman posed threats Rance could only imagine.

Palming his cell phone, he tapped the screen and dropped it back in his shirt pocket. He glanced over at his bride, then got out of the truck into the crisp October air and filled his lungs with oxygen and determination.

As he stepped onto the porch, his instincts kicked into high alert. Adrenaline coursed through his veins just as it had in prison when he’d sensed danger. Everything he’d learned from Chirp and Tom Fraser told him Marla was as lethal as any guy he’d encountered in the Big House. Even more, because according to the photos he’d seen online, she didn’t look dangerous. Just the opposite. The sort of woman most men wanted to get close to.

He grasped the knob, eased open the door with his foot, and took one step into the room. Marla sat on the sofa, making herself right at home. She was more beautiful than all those society page photos. Creamy skin and voluptuous curves. But there was something else about her more obvious. Cold, dead eyes.

Two men with bodies capable of bench pressing at least three hundred pounds stood behind her. They were dressed in jeans and T-shirts stretched tight over their bulging physiques, and an array of familiar tattoos snaked from beneath their sleeves, indicating they’d spent some time in the slammer.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of my house, off my property, and never look back.”

Marla sneered. “Not without Wren.”

The transformation from fake socialite to genuine bitch jolted Rance into defense mode. “I was going to ask how you got in, but I guess you’ve returned to your old skill set of picking locks.”

Despite her attempt to remain cool, Rance saw that his statement rattled her.

Marla fisted her hands like a street fighter. “You know nothing about me.”

He didn’t give her a chance to say more. “That’s where you’re wrong. I know every doctor, lawyer, Indian chief you have in your pocket. And for everyone who’ll do your bidding, I have two who will contest anything they say.”

“I don’t care about your threats. I came for Wren, and I’m not leaving without her. Where is she?” Marla craned her neck as if expecting her stepdaughter to appear.

Rance moved closer, keeping his eyes on the two goons who seemed rooted to the floor. “Apparently you didn’t get your invitation. Wren and I got married a few hours ago, so she’s not going anywhere with you—ever.”

Marla’s face lost all color. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s a done deal. She’s my wife. My responsibility. And no way in hell I’ll let you hurt her.”

Marla came to her feet. “I’ve heard enough!” She glared at the goons. “Kill him.”

The guy on the left jerked his head toward his boss. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No. There’s a bonus for whichever one of you shoots him.”

Chirp burst through the door. “No!”

Marla curled her lips into an evil grin. “Hello, Wren.”

Rance turned to face his wife. “Go back outside—please.”

The witch focused on Chirp. “Did you really marry this loser?”

“He’s not a loser.”

“Really? He’s a twenty-eight-year-old ex-con, and the last job he had was bartending. If you think he married you for anything other than your money, then you’re more delusional that I thought. Did you even have him sign a prenup?”

“No, but . . .”

“Of course you didn’t, which proves how easily influenced you are by the wrong people.”

Rance took two more steps closer to Marla. “She didn’t have to ask. I signed one. You’re still on the board for a few more weeks, so you’ll get your copy in the mail.” He advanced again.

Marla ignored him. “No worries. We’ll get the marriage annulled as soon as we get home.” She looked at the two steroid studs. “Frank, you take care of him, and, Tony, you get her.”

“Not a good idea,” Rance said to the brute.

“Nothing personal, man. But I’ve got a job to do.”

Frank rushed forward, and Rance landed a quick jab to the big guy’s windpipe. The hulk clutched his throat as he wheezed in pain. In the background, Chirp screamed. If there was one thing Rance knew how to do, it was fight dirty. A power kick to the man’s groin brought him to his knees with a shriek of agony. He curled into a ball on the floor, one hand grabbing his nuts, the other wrapped around his gullet. Rance hammered a fist to the back of Frank’s head and rendered him unconscious.

Then he turned his attention outside. Tony had Chirp around the waist, her hands flailing and feet kicking in midair as he struggled to put her in the SUV. “Let me go!”