Hard to Handle (Caine Cousins #2)(42)

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For bein’ my friend.”

Friend.

Right.

He didn’t bother to tell her that being her friend was only the beginning.





17


__________


“Jesus Christ,” Wolfe groaned roughly.

Reagan knew just how he felt.

Every damn time they heard Amy’s story, it was as horrific as the first time.

“Son of a bitch,” Gage growled, pushing open the screen door and stepping outside.

Reagan didn’t move from her spot beside Amy; she didn’t let go of the woman’s hand. She hated that Amy had to continue to go through this over and over. It was bullshit and they all knew it. What they should’ve been doing was getting that bastard to show his face. Get him to come out on the Caine property, where they could rightfully take care of him once and for all.

Except that wasn’t the right thing to do, even if it was what everyone was thinking.

This bastard was crazy.

“And the night the detective came out?” Madison inquired, still all business. “She was in a fatal crash?”

“That’s correct,” Rhys told her, his gaze set somewhere outside through the large pane window. Reagan figured he was trying to erase the mental images now swarming his head, the hell Amy had been through at the hands of a madman.

“And someone tried to break into Amy’s house,” Lynx noted. “Reagan was there. Alone.”

Yeah, she tried not to think about that one. Every time she did, she wondered what would’ve happened if that asshole had come into the house. She would’ve shot first and asked questions later, she knew that much. That was what her daddy had taught her to do. If they came into the house uninvited, they knew the consequences.

However, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t have to deal with the repercussions of her actions. Protecting herself was one thing; the thought of actually shooting someone was entirely different. And not something she wanted to dwell on.

“And then the bar?” Madison continued to watch Rhys. “Do you have any leads on that one?”

Rhys raised an eyebrow and pinned her with an angry glare.

“You know assumptions won’t hold up in court,” she stated in that business-like tone she’d held on to since she’d arrived.

“No, they won’t.” Rhys dropped his eyes to the floor. “And no, we don’t have any solid evidence that leads back to him. We have ruled out other suspects though.”

“Other suspects?” Reagan asked, curious as to who they thought would do something so vile.

Rhys nodded. “Dean brought in Billy and the guy from the bar. His name’s Tommy.”

Reagan shook her head in disbelief. Sure, she might’ve considered the guy from the bar had locked them inside, but not once had she thought he had blown up the bar. And Billy… He was an asshole but not a murderer.

“Oh, come on,” she said, letting her disbelief ring through. “I turned him down. I’m not exactly worth killing over.”

Reagan watched her brother, noticed the way his eyes darted over to Lynx. She peered up to see him staring at her. The look on his face said she was way off base on that one.

Waving him off, Reagan leaned forward, releasing Amy’s hand for the first time. “So what now? You know the story. This guy should be spendin’ the rest of his life in prison with a cell mate named Bubba.”

“It seems clear to me that this guy is workin’ alone. He’s not gonna hire someone to do his dirty work,” Madison stated. “Which means we’re gonna have to get him to show his hand.”

“And how do you propose we do that?”

Madison cocked one eyebrow at Rhys, then smiled. “Without you here.”

“What?” Rhys frowned.

“You’re the sheriff,” she stated. “And although the plan is to get this guy arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder, I can’t promise you it’ll be aboveboard all the way.”

Lynx grinned. “I like this woman already.”

The screen door opened and Gage stepped inside. Travis instantly moved toward him and Reagan watched as the two men shared a moment. It was clear by their simple body language that they loved each other. In fact, it was so powerful Reagan had to look away.

“I just got off the phone with RT,” Gage announced. “Sniper 1 Security will be sendin’ someone down to Houston to keep an eye on this guy. At least we’ll know where he is for the time being.” Gage peered at Amy. “It won’t make this any better yet. But it’ll at least give us time to put a plan together.”

Amy nodded.

Reagan had to wonder why they hadn’t done that in the first place.

“And again, it’s important that the Adorite name get around,” Travis clarified. “They believe that this will draw him out, make him curious.”

Everyone seemed to be tossing that one around mentally, trying to figure out how it would work. Reagan had never heard of the Adorites, or the Southern Boy Mafia. She wasn’t sure how it was supposed to lure the police chief out of his jurisdiction. But what did she know.

“What if it simply stalls him out?” Lynx questioned. “If he thinks somethin’s goin’ on, he’ll lie low for a while. How does that help us?”