High-Sided (Armed & Dangerous #3)(55)

“I will.”

Logan was still by the door when I walked out. “Everything okay?”

I shook my head. “Far from it. She’s awake, but we need to talk to Gary.”

“Speaking of Gary, I never told you about Levi’s bike. I went to see it at his nephew’s shop.”

My heart stopped. “And?”

He pulled out his phone and showed me the pictures. I felt sick just looking at them, tears springing to my eyes. “I found a streak of red paint. I’m thinking it’s from the person who ran him off the road.”

Anger welled as I pictured the accident in my head. Shaking off the images, I wiped my eyes on my sleeve. “That’s like finding a needle in a haystack. There are too many red cars and motorcycles out there.”

He shrugged. “It’s still something. What all did Janie have to say?”

I looked right into his eyes. “That her brakes stopped working. Don’t know about you, but I don’t like the sound of that.”

Taking my hand, he led me down the hall to the elevator. “Me either. I’ll call Gary first thing in the morning.”





Logan


“So the brake lines weren’t cut? You sure?” I asked again, looking through the pictures. I did as I’d said and called Gary first thing the next morning. The police had done a thorough inspection of Janie’s car, and came to a conclusion I wasn’t expecting to hear.

“There was no sign of tampering,” Gary assured me. “The brake lines were rusted and gave out. It was only a matter of time. You can see that in the pictures.”

“But how can that be? She had a fairly new car. They wouldn’t have rusted this fast.”

Gary sighed. “Where you live it wouldn’t, but here with as much salt as we use during the winter, our cars don’t hold up as long.”

In Charlotte, we barely had snow, so we didn’t have to worry about salt damage. I couldn’t imagine Janie’s breaks giving out so fast. “Maybe, but I don’t think that’s it in this case.”

He chuckled. “Are you always this cynical? I guess you have to be in the FBI. Always thinking of possible scenarios.”

“You’re right. It’s hard to trust something if you don’t see the proof yourself.”

“It was a horrible accident, Logan. You have the pictures right in front of you. I’ll be by later to pick them up.”

Straightening the pictures, I placed them back in the file. “I’ll be here.” I hung up and stared at the folder. It just didn’t make sense. The good thing was, Janie was back at home and healing. My phone beeped and I glanced down at it.



Micah: Meet me in the woods.



Me: Be right there.



We’d been meeting in the woods behind my cabin to discuss the case. It was the only place we knew where no one would see us talking. For the past week, Micah had spent most of his time with Mark and Jacob, hoping they’d let something slip. Unfortunately, nothing had come of it. They hated me and some of the guys on the Bennett team, but that was as far as it went. Kassie swore up and down Micah was going to try and kill me. If she only knew.

I walked out to my backyard and into the woods. The sound of a dirt bike rumbled in the distance, then I saw him through the trees, headed my way. He stopped right in front of me and took off his helmet.

“It’s runnin’ better, don’t ya think?” he said.

I circled around his dirt bike and smiled. “That it is. You’ve been busy the last couple of weeks.”

Micah snorted. “Needed something to keep me entertained.” He’d bought a used dirt bike and spent the last several days fixing it up. It almost looked brand new.

“What about women? That always seemed to help you.”

His jaw tensed. “Not this time, bro. Right now, we have other problems.”

“What kind of problems?”

Hopping off his bike, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a crinkled piece of white paper. “Take a look. I found it on my doorstep.”

I opened the letter and read it. “Holy f*ck.”



Want to get rid of Chandler for good? Meet me at the diner at noon.



“Whoever it is knows where I’m staying. They’ve been watching me.”

I handed him the letter back. “They’re pretty bold if they want to meet you in public.”

His brows furrowed. “I was thinking the same thing. Either way, I’m gonna go. We have no choice.” He hopped back on his dirt bike. “Maybe we’re getting close to catching this f*cker. I’ll wear my wire so you can listen in.”

“Sounds good. I’m curious to hear how they want to get rid of me.” Being an agent had its risks. When I pursued a criminal, they were running from me and attacked when I got close. This was different. Whoever this person was wanted me out of the picture. They were deliberately going to come after me. Little did they know, I was more than ready.

“Me too. But at least you know you’re safe tonight. Give Kassidy a big kiss for me. It’ll be her birthday present.”

I shook my head. “She’d punch me in the face if she knew it was from you. Soon, she’ll realize you’re not so bad.”