Kaleidoscope (Colorado Mountain #6)(111)

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” McFarland snapped.

“You know exactly what I’m talkin’ about and you got three seconds to produce it,” Deck returned.

McFarland leaned toward him. “You can’t break into my house and threaten me.”

“I can. I did. You don’t give me what’s mine, I’ll do more. You do not want to know what more I can do but I’ll give you a teaser. You will never get another job. You will never have another credit card. You’ll never own another car. You’ll never lay another woman. You’ll never find another house. You’ll never have another friend. You will be alone, broke and broken and you’ll wish like all f**k you handed over right now what you took from me.”

“Jesus, you’re whacked,” McFarland whispered, staring up at Deck.

“I’m a man who does not like his house violated and his things stolen. Now you got three.”

“You can’t do all that shit,” McFarland retorted.

“Your ass landed in jail ’cause I got deputized and put you there. Task force investigating for six months, I had you there within days. So you’re wrong. I can do all that shit. And trust me, you don’t want to test that. Now, that’s one.”

McFarland’s eyes got big and he murmured, “That’s impossible.”

“County records will show the sheriff had a subcontract. That subcontract was me. Now, that’s two.”

“Sheriff departments don’t subcontract,” he spat.

“They did with me, and, just sayin’, I nailed you and I also got Prosky. Your boss is going down.” He leaned forward. “Now that’s three.”

He was bluffing about Prosky, trying to rattle McFarland.

It was a good bluff.

Not surprisingly, considering he was a f**king moron, McFarland gave it away. His Adam’s apple bobbed and his eyes widened before going shifty.

They still had nothing on him, but now Deck knew the boss of that crew was Prosky.

“Give it to me, I’ll make certain no one knows you ratted out Prosky,” Deck told him.

“I didn’t rat out Jon!” McFarland cried and there it was, panic and proof.

Prosky was the leader.

“He’ll think you did, you don’t give it to me,” Deck said.

McFarland shook his head. “You can’t do that, man.”

Deck’s brows went up. “You took something that means something to me, broke into my house and took it, and you think I can’t f**k with you?”

“It’s just a f**kin’ kaleidoscope.” McFarland was now jittery.

There it was.

Motherf*cker.

“Emme gave it to me and I want it back,” Deck returned and McFarland’s body stilled, his lip curled and his eyes narrowed on Deck.

“I know. Followed her to your place, she didn’t lock the door, got in behind her, wanted to know why she was all fired up to jump straight to you after she got shot of me.” His sneer deepened before he finished, “Nice pool, man.”

Deck stared at him, wondering where Buford was during this scenario.

But he knew.

Buford was on the scent of strawberries.

“Saw her clutchin’ it to her chest like it was her baby,” McFarland went on. “So, yeah. I know it meant something to Emme. An Emme you f**kin’ stole from me.”

Deck said nothing. Deck was dealing with this man following his woman, entering his home when Emme was there, and the knowledge that Emme, feeling betrayed by him, held the piece of art she gave him to her chest when she packed her shit and left his house.

But McFarland was still jittery.

“Dude, you cannot tell Jon I ratted him out. You can’t tell any of them that shit. They’re totally pissed about the ring—”

“You need to stop talking,” Deck rumbled.

McFarland took a good look at his face and snapped his mouth shut.

Deck took a breath in through his nose.

Then he ordered, “Right now, get me what you took from me.”

He immediately started looking even more jittery.

Fuck.

“I can’t,” McFarland whispered, and Deck had a feeling he knew why.

Pain seared through his chest.

His voice was low and dangerous when he asked, “Why?”

McFarland took a cautious step back before he answered, “I buried it at the bottom of your trash.”

Deck sucked in another breath, this one sharper, and McFarland took another step back.

That bin had been wheeled out five times since the kaleidoscope went missing.

It was gone.

Just turn the dial.

His eyes focused sharply on McFarland.

“Every day,” Deck whispered, “for the rest of your life, you will remember putting that kaleidoscope in the trash.”

McFarland carefully threw his hands out to the sides. “I didn’t know it was that big of a deal. It’s just a bunch of glass.”

“You knew,” Deck replied.

“I—”

“Shut up, now, or I’ll give you something else to remember.”

McFarland snapped his mouth shut.

Deck stared at him and he did this a long time, utilizing everything he had to stop himself from pounding the shit out of that… f*cking… *.