Page 26 of Mike

“I’ve got some of your story figured out,” Welker taunted, as everyone else listened. “The cameras are definitely federal issue.” He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting to see if she’d offer up anything else.

Instead, she pointed a finger at him. “Correct. And they need to go back up.” She surprised them all with her edict.

When Welker opened his mouth to rebut, she gave him an authoritative look and cut him off.

“If you want, I’ll give you—all of you— access to the camera feed so there’ll be more than just my eyes keeping watch.”

Welker’s orbs widened. “You’d do that?”

“Uh, duh,” she responded smartly. “Didn’t we just ascertain that this is about keeping your LT safe and above ground?”

“Okay. Okay,” Mike intervened before the two continued down a “who cares about Mike’s ass, most” road. “Now we all know that my ex wants me dead so she can collect, and that she and her boyfriend already succeeded in cutting my brake lines?—”

“Are you shitting me?” This time it was Cisco piping up.

That’s right. Mike hadn’t said anything about the current sabotage he’d uncovered before his tussle with Elle.

Cisco didn’t wait for an answer, but frowned and dropped to the ground, propelling himself under Mike’s truck.

“Fuck!”

They all heard that, loud and clear.

“Exactly,” Elle responded with a smirk as Cisco’s face became visible again. “So, you all agree we have a problem here. And depending on Mike’s response to what I ask him next, I have a plan.”

“Of course you do,” Mike responded wryly, then grumbled to Cisco. “I can easily fix the damage.” Although that wasn’t pertinent at the moment.

“Uh, huh. Because I’m that kind of girl.” She ignored his “fixing” comment, and tipped her head as if in challenge.

Was she bragging? Mike doubted it.

He waited for her next move, but he didn’t have to like or follow anything she proposed. He wasn’t sure he liked divulging anything more to the spitfire than she already knew. Still, he needed this problem of Melanie gone so he could concentrate on…

Yup. He really wanted to revisit the hot-as-hell kiss he’d shared with this paradox of a woman; see if she was just playing him, or if she’d shared the zinging electricity that had been lighting up Mike’s viscera since they’d meshed mouths.

He made up his mind, quickly. “Okay. Shoot. What’s your question?”

Elle didn’t waste a second. “How do you think the pernicious-pair knew about your will and your life insurance policies?” Before he could answer, she continued. “And here’s an even tougher one; how did they know where your truck would be this weekend? When I put my tracker in place, I checked, and there weren’t any others.”

Damn. All good queries, and Mike was afraid he knew the answers.

His voice, when it emerged, sounded rough. “I believe that… Shit. The kids still trust Mellie,” he began. “A few weeks ago, I found out they’d let her in the house to ‘collect a few more of her things’, even though she’d already taken everything that belonged to her. I’m assuming, now that I know what she’s been espousing, that she snuck into my office and went through my files. It wouldn’t have been hard to find my will or my policies.”

“That sucks,” Kyle growled.

“It does,” Mike agreed. “I didn’t think she had it in her, but I’ll make sure she knows she’s not welcome in my house again.” The next bit of info was more difficult to spit out. “I also think she’s probably been finessing the kids into revealing any plans I have to be away from the house. Like being here for drills this weekend.”

“That’s kind of what I figured,” Elle told him. “Which isn’t a dis to your kids, Mike. She is their mother.”

Why did Mike’s opinion of the woman suddenly rise to another level when she let his children off the hook? Well, hell. Because he loved his kids, and he loved him some empathy.

“But with your offspring being so trusting of her, my idea will definitely work,” she went on, “and we’ll catch the dirty-duo.”

“What do you have in mind?” Mike grunted.

“Okay.” She rubbed her hands together. “This is going to be as easy as luring rats to pizza.” She grinned. “Here it is. We plan a bogus, full day hike someplace nearby, and let your kids know well in advance. You make sure they’ve had a couple visits with her to fill her in, then, bam! Instead of hiking, we hide out and catch your ex and her booty-call in the act of desecrating your truck.”

Mike liked the idea…and he didn’t. If he caught the pair sabotaging his vehicle and pressed charges, then Mellie would most likely go to jail for a long time for attempted murder. How would that make him look in the eyes of his kids? That he’d put their mother behind bars? On a purely intellectual level they’d understand that Mellie had plotted to kill him, but on an emotional level, they’d be devastated if their mother was incarcerated.

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