Page 26 of Covert Chaos

It was Bert. Freaking huge, scary mountain man.

My hairdryer wouldn’t make a dent in him.

How was he there? We'd seen only Emmeline in the boat, and I hadn't seen any additional truck or boat outside when we'd arrived.

My brain started working at top speed, trying to build the connections. He knew Rachel, right? Was he involved in the business, too? He was big enough to kill Charles and Beckwith and drag them around. He'd been happy to shut down the cops.

Where was Rachel?

I looked at Emmeline’s face again. She was still sweating, and she looked like she was going to pass out. Her hands were shaking, and her lips were almost gray. She was terrified.

What could make her look so scared? Simply being caught by me?

I wasn't that scary.

Especially because she would know I couldn’t stop her if she had Bert with her.

Was Bert the enemy? Was he forcing her do it?

I hated bullies with every fiber of my soul. Hated. Hated.Hated.

I didn't know who Bert was or what his agenda was, but anyone who terrified women was on my bad list.

Bert was still standing behind me, not making a move. He probably didn't want to kill me if he didn't have to, just like I'd expected. But he was ready to do what he had to do.

How did I make this end well?

He was right behind me. If I went for the hairdryer, I didn't think I could hit him before he'd have time to react. I didn’t have the space to swing. I did, however, have time for a low blow, right? Maybe.

I took a shaky breath, trying to stay calm. "It's no problem, Emmeline. I'll walk you to the boat. Let's go."

I took a step forward toward her, and I saw Bert move.

Fifteen

Iducked and swung my hairdryer.

I hit Bert in the crotch, and he went down with a noise that sounded like a dying werewolf.

King Tut let out a yowl and leapt in from the back room. He took a flying leap onto Bert as Hattie and Lucy charged in from the kitchen, waving a hairdryer and a lamp.

Emmeline dropped the box. "No!" She shouted. "No! They'll hurt Rachel! I have to bring this back!"

It was at that moment that I saw the lip tattoo on the side of her neck. It was the same one that Rachel had.

Matching tattoos.

Holy crap. Rachel and Emmeline were close enough that they had matching tattoos!

Was he using Rachel to make Emmeline steal from Hattie’s kitchen? The corkscrew, recipes, and whatever was in the box.

Oh, I didn't like that. Rachel might have been judgy of me, but threatening her to make Emmeline do things was no good.

Hattie and Lucy were already zip-tying Bert, and Beau hopped up, videoing, clearly just fine.

Emmeline went down on her knees. "No," she whispered. "I have to go back. We have to go back. She has Rachel."

"She? Who?"

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