Page 31 of Her Protector Daddies

“Come on, Matt,” I scoffed. “We’re your last and only friends; after all, Marcus has done a runner and left you here. Taken all that money, and all that shit, and gone into the wind leaving you to take the fall for it.

“Bullshit,” Matt yelled with more energy than I’d expected, given his condition. “This is too big. He’d never leave. Never!”

“So you do know Marcus?” Irritation gave way to anger, and I surged forward, grabbing Matt by the scruff of the neck and forcing his head down onto the table.

“You better start talking, you little rat, because your time is short and I don’t take kindly to spineless men who put innocent people in dangerous situations,” I growled low in his ear as Selena flashed into my mind.

“What—get off me, man!” Matt tried to feebly push me off, but he had no leverage from this angle.

“What was the money for? Did you steal it because you could? Are you that fucking stupid, huh? You know where Marcus is, don’t you? You must do, I bet he’s sitting pretty waiting for you to turn up but you won’t because?—!”

I didn’t have a chance to finish my sentence as Tyler swiftly intervened and dragged me away from Matt, leaving the scumbag panting for air.

“Calm down, Bailey,” he snapped. “What the hell are you doing?”

Keeping me pinned by the lapels of my leather jacket, my reflexive urge to push Tyler away died quickly and I blew out a harsh breath. It did nothing to calm the anger raging inside me.

“He knows something and he’s not fucking telling us,” I hissed.

“Of course, he’s not,” Tyler remarked, still not releasing me. “They never do!”

“Marcus is fucking scum. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that I used to admire the guy, that he’s shackled up with slimy rats like this fucker, or that he’s happily putting his daughter in harm's way over some fucking money.”

“Strong words for a woman you’ve just met.” Tyler’s eyes darted over my face, then he finally released me and stepped back obviously satisfied that I wasn’t going to do anything else.

“So what if she’s under my skin?” I replied, smoothing my jacket down. “Least I didn’t fuck her.”

Tyler’s cheeks immediately flushed pink. “Huh? How did you…?”

“Jay texted me when I was driving over, said you broke first. Hey, I don’t blame you,” I chuckled softly, happy for a momentary distraction. “She’s hot.”

Tyler rolled his eyes.

“So’s your fucking temper, so, reign it in, okay?”

“Fine.”

Swapping places, Tyler moved to tend to Matt while I paced into the lounge. Everything about this case felt like we were balancing on a razor’s edge, and having finally gotten close to someone who might have information but unable to get access was infuriating.

Criminals always protected each other, but Matt’s reaction to fearing Marcus skipped town without him was interesting.

What did he mean that it was too big?

The ambulance arrived a minute later and Matt looked smug as he was loaded into the gurney and strapped into place.

“Don’t look so proud of yourself,” I snapped as Tyler and I helped to wheel him outside. “You’re going to answer all my questions the second a doctor gives you the all-clear, understand? I don’t care if I have to camp out in your room all week.”

“You’re fucking crazy,” Matt slurred. “Soon as I tell them you put hands on me, you’ll be the one answering the questions.”

“I don’t know,” Tyler piped up immediately. “I think your injuries and blood loss were causing hallucinations.”

“What the fuck, that’s so?—!”

In an explosion of screaming metal and loud bangs, a van suddenly crashed into the side of the ambulance, and a hail of gunfire erupted up and down the street.

All aimed right at us.

12

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