Page 118 of Caught in the Crossfire

“I have a prison record. I can’t carry a gun.”

He sneered. “See, Nicole? Look at how pathetic your boyfriend is. A real man would have stolen a gun or bought one off the street to protect you. Instead, he brought a pitiful knife to the party.” Fisher leaned down and nipped her ear, making Nicole flinch. “You deserve a real man, sweet cheeks, not a loser like Kincaid.”

“Hold, Mase,” Trent ordered.

“After I take care of him,” Fisher bragged, “I’ll use his knife to carve my name across your stomach.”

“What do you want, Fisher?” Mason inched closer. “Whatever it is, you can have it if you release Nicole and Dawn. They’re innocents in your game.”

“What do I want? You, dead. Creed, too.”

One slow step at a time, he walked closer. “Why? What did we do to you?” A few more feet was all he needed.

“That’s far enough,” his opponent snapped, taking the muzzle of the gun from Nicole’s head and pointing it at Mason.

He moved two steps closer and stopped. “Why do you want to kill Linc? He didn’t do anything to you.”

“He interfered with my plan. I had everything worked out until Creed stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong.”

“What plan?” Linc asked. “I protected the women. Protection is my job, Fisher.”

“The women saw too much.”

“When?” Mason asked.

“At Riva’s.”

And there it was. The hint that Fisher was responsible for Riva’s death. “You killed her, didn’t you?”

A sly smile curved his mouth. “Your wrench was the murder weapon. The cops think you killed Riva.”

“Why would I? I had no reason to kill her.”

The smile faded. “You were sleeping with her. No one takes what’s mine.”

Mason shook his head. “I love Nicole. I would never betray her with another woman.”

“Don’t lie to me, Kincaid. She mouthed off all over town about how wonderful you are, how considerate and gentle. She tried to end things with me to be with you.”

“You killed Riva, and when Nicole and Dawn drove to the house to drop off Cosmo, you panicked and fled, hurting Nicole in the process. You were afraid they’d eventually recognize you.”

Linc shook his head, his expression one of disgust. “They didn’t know anything. You’re an idiot, Fisher.”

“Shut up.” Fury flashed in his eyes. “Every word of disrespect from you will lead to more pain and suffering for your girlfriend.”

“Let her go, and I’ll submit to whatever punishment you want to dish out.”

“What about you, Kincaid? You willing to suffer for your woman?”

He nodded.

“Would you take a bullet for her?”

“In a heartbeat. Let her go. You’ve already hurt her. The women are no threat to you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. They definitely know too much now. This has never been about the women, you know. The target was you from the start.”

Mason froze. “Why?”

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