Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(52)

Zara pushed her door open. “I’ll have Brock bring me home.”

“I don’t think so.” Ryker didn’t like the itch between his shoulder blades one bit. He exited the truck and shut his door. “Your firm is about to hire me on this whether they like it or not.” Even if Brock refused to hire Lost Bastards, Ryker was going to figure out what the hell was going on. . . especially since Zara was now in the thick of it.

He took her arm and led her up the driveway and to the front door. Protecting her was becoming a full-time job. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.

She stumbled, and he righted her. “You shouldn’t be here, considering you hit Jay yesterday,” she hissed under her breath.

It did complicate things. “If Jay wants to out me, then he will out you, and we’ll go forward with wife-beating allegations.” Pentley was the most likely suspect in his wife’s murder anyway. Ryker rapped on the door.

Footsteps sounded, and Brock Hurst yanked the extra-tall wooden door open. He wore dark jeans, a polo shirt, and a dusting of whiskers along his chin. He paused. “Ryker.”

Ryker nodded. “You need me on this case. I’m making an exception to our caseload to take it.”

Brock frowned and scrubbed a hand through his already ruffled hair. “We’ll ask the client, but I have to admit, I would like a private investigator on the inquiry. The police detective doesn’t seem to like Jay much.”

“That’s because Jay’s an asshole,” Ryker said evenly. “But I’ll find out the truth about what happened.”

Brock seemed to consider the situation, his gaze sharp. “I’ll need Jay’s okay on it, but I really don’t think he killed her. So we’ll end up hiring you.”

“Why don’t you think he did it?” Ryker asked. Brock was a smart guy and wouldn’t be easily fooled.

Brock looked over his shoulder. “Get Jay to hire you, and then we can talk without violating privilege.”

Zara put a hand on Ryker’s arm, her voice soft. “This is a bad idea.”

Yeah, more than likely. Ryker planted his palm over hers and walked inside, pretty much forcing her into the opulent vestibule. She was nuts if she thought he’d let her work a murder case without him, especially since she had been in contact with the victim. A lot. Now he wondered again about Zara’s malfunctioning brakes.

It was a nice place. A three-story chandelier cast light all around them while a living room with a stunning view of the faraway mountains awaited.

Pentley was seated on a couch, wearing slippers, thick gray sweats, and a matching T-shirt, his hair mussed and scruff covering his jaw. He looked up and focused bloodshot eyes. “What the hell?”

Brock hurried around a leather chair to sit next to Pentley. “This is Ryker, our investigator. He’s the best, Jay. Finds leads where nobody else can, and he’s able to keep quiet when necessary. We need him on this.”

Ryker kept amusement off his face.

Jay absently rubbed the left side of his rib cage, which no doubt still smarted. “Not a chance.”

A man, around forty or so, sat in an overflowing leather chair beside Pentley’s, a blue ski jacket over his broad frame, a notebook in his hand. Shrewd brown eyes studied them all. He rubbed a hand through his thick brown hair. “Now that your lawyer, your paralegal, and your investigator are here, Mayor Pentley, you need to answer my questions.”

Pentley glared at Zara and then Ryker before turning to Brock. “I said no.”

Brock frowned. “Why not?”

Pentley opened his mouth and then shut it again, his gaze on the detective’s tapping pen. “I didn’t have anything to do with Julie’s death, and I won’t act like I did.”

“Yet you won’t talk to me without your attorney present,” the detective said quietly.

Jay clasped his hands together in his lap. “Because I’m not stupid.”

“That remains to be seen,” the detective replied.

Ryker fought a grin. The cop really didn’t like the mayor, now, did he? “In or out, Mayor? I will find out what happened to your wife.” Yeah, it may have sounded like a threat, but if Jay caught the undercurrent not to mess with Zara, it was worth it. Either way, Ryker was investigating the issue.

Pentley cut him a harsh look, obviously ready to tell his attorney everything about their skirmish. But if he did, he’d have to go into what a wife-beating scum he was, and, boy, would that make him look guilty. Finally, he snarled. “Fine. I’ll hire your little firm to investigate Julie’s death, but I’m telling you, I have no clue who would’ve wanted her dead.” He flashed his political smile. “Except for Zara here. I mean, Julie broke us up. Right, sweetheart?”

Irritation clawed through Ryker, and he lifted his chin.

The detective studied Zara. “Is that true?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. Jay and I briefly dated, and we broke up long before Julie ended up dating the egomaniac. Which, considering they’re in the middle of a contentious divorce, didn’t turn out very well.”

“Contentious?” the detective asked.

Brock shot Zara a hard look. “Julie was mentally unstable and addicted to drugs, and Jay was trying to get her help. It’s that simple.”

“Nothing is ever that simple,” the detective countered.