Page 92 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
Her gut twitched. Something wasn’t right. No one parked a boat in the shallows like that. First, it was illegal. Second, it could ground the boat. Third, why pull up close to their rental?
Her brain calculated the possibilities in seconds. Scotty might have brought help. But why? If he only wanted to talk to Tara and Robbie…
But maybe that wasn’t his plan at all. She started jogging as she ran back through what Scotty had said. He claimed to know the names of the Kellys’ dirty cops, but was that true? Why would they tell Scotty something like that? He was a low-end-of-the-chain money launderer.
And hadn’t Scotty mentioned the McLaren being in the driveway? If he’d been out front already, why approach Robbie all the way out here? And where was Janice Brewster? He’d said they’d been at the casino. Together.
All Scotty wanted was for things to go back to normal, he’d said. How would he react when he found out neither Tara nor the girls were here? Had he brought along help to ensure their cooperation?
Lily picked up her speed, sprinting, arms pumping. She told herself Robbie was a smart cop. He’d see the boat and wonder at its presence. But he was still going back to the house alone, and she couldn’t be sure Tyler and Sheila were there. If they entered through the back, the agents across the street wouldn’t even see them.
And wherewasthe guy in the boat?
She raced faster. Because when this much money was involved and people’s lives were at stake, there could be any number of outcomes.
Most of them were bad.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Robbie had never been moregrateful that Lily didn’t look like a Fed.
Scotty hadn’t once suspected she was anything but what he’d told him. As they walked back to the house, he thought about taking Scotty into custody before they reached the house. But with that loose track suit, he couldn’t be sure Scotty wasn’t carrying a gun. He forced himself not to look over his shoulder for Lily. She’d be racing back to the house along the street to collect Agents Johnson and Mather. Their team would converge on him and Scotty.
Playing the various outcomes and risks through his mind, the same way he would on any operation, he almost missed the abandoned speedboat bobbing in the shallows. He’d seen the hotshot driver wreaking havoc earlier as he’d run behind Lily. But where was he and why was the boat here?
Tension worked its way through him. Scotty had mentioned a friend earlier, one who’d told him about the Maryland casino. Had this guy been with him when Scotty had seen Tara’s posts? Scotty wasn’t known for his work ethic. Would he have brought someone along to try and intimidate him and Tara into playing ball?
He glanced at his brother-in-law. The piece of shit was sweating. Well, he should be. But would he really have thought he could convince Tara and Robbie to go along with his half-baked plan? Dipshit wasn’t the brightest bulb, but he’d managed to launder money under Tara’s nose for God knows how long.
Surely he had a backup plan. Robbie fisted his hands at his sides as they closed in on the house. Were Sheila and Tyler still out getting pizza? Scotty had said he’d seen the McLaren in the driveway.
In the driveway…
Why converge on him and Lily so far from the house? Was it to give the boat’s driver time to anchor and breach the house, lying in wait?
He couldn’t go inside with Scotty. Especially since he didn’t know whether or not he was armed. Lily wouldn’t like that he wasn’t waiting for her and the other agents, but he didn’t feel like he had a choice. One-on-one had better odds. They were out of view of the house, so he had to make a move now.
He pretended to stumble in the sand, grabbing Scotty’s arm as he started to go down, as if he were trying to catch himself. Scotty jerked in shock, but Robbie’s greater weight took the man off-balance as planned. Robbie sank one knee into the sand, using his force to take Scotty down hard on his side. Whipping him onto his stomach, Robbie pressed his other knee into the man’s back, ripping both arms up behind him. Sure enough, he felt the hard outline of a gun secured in the back of Scotty’s pants.
“You carrying?” He pressed his knee harder into Scotty’s back when the man struggled. “What were you planning, Scotty? To kill me and Tara if we didn’t go along?”
“Stop it! You’re hurting me.”
Robbie tightened his grip. “Keep your voice down. Because I know that boat didn’t just wash up onshore. You brought muscle, didn’t you? Answer me!”
“You said you’d listen!” Scotty cried. “I didn’t want it to go this way.”
“What way?” He loosened his grip just enough and peered over the man’s body until he could see Scotty’s face. “You’d better tell me. Because I know something you don’t. I’m here with the Feds. Tara and the girls are gone. Confess now and they might go easier on you.”
“Shit!” He started bucking. “But Billie and Tim—”
“Forget about them.” Robbie glanced up at the house to make certain they were alone. “That woman I was running with is a Fed, Scotty. Tell me what the plan is. Now!”
“Janice thought we needed a backup, so we brought a guy she knows from the casino.” He tried to buck out of Robbie’s hold. “In case you or Tara didn’t go for it.”
“Is Janice inside with the guy from the boat?” Robbie asked harshly. “Is he armed?”
“They’re both armed.” His features were clenched, face dripping with sweat. “Dammit, Robbie. You know me. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Especially with the girls around.”
