“Think I’m done with you threatenin’ me, bro,” Ryker growled.

“Got two boys, a woman, a dog and nearly three months ago I took three bullets because of this shit,” Layne said softly and Ryker’s brows went up. “Yeah, you heard about it. Two and two are makin’ four and I mean that for both of us. Now, you think I’m gonna go through that again, put my boys and woman through that again, you think wrong. I’ll do what I gotta do to prevent that. So, boilin’ that down, big man, I’m not makin’ threats.”

Ryker stared at him. Layne sat back, grabbed his coffee off the desk and took a sip.

When he put the coffee back to his desk, Ryker spoke.

“One thing,” he said.

“Yeah?” Layne asked when he said no more.

“Cosgrove better be into her. This is just a mission and he leaves her crushed –”

Layne interrupted him and fought back a grin. He couldn’t have been sure Ryker was doing what he was doing for Alexis rather than the best head he ever had that he got from her Mom. Now he knew this was for Alexis. He also knew what kind of man Ryker was.

“My boys understand there’s no collateral damage. They’ll have briefed Seth. Jasper would have found another way to steer her clear if he thought Seth wasn’t into her. That means Seth is into her.”

“He better be,” Ryker returned.

“Relax, brother, he is.”

Ryker glared at him some more. Then he nodded.

Then Layne said, “You got just about enough time to get a coffee from Mimi before Colt gets here.”

“Don’t drink that fancy-ass shit,” Ryker stated.

Layne took another sip.

“You’re missin’ out,” he muttered after his sip.

Ryker looked at Blondie. “Fuck me, bro, a badass who drinks sissy coffee and owns a yellow lab.” His eyes came back to Layne, his attitude shut down and he grinned his ugly grin. “Gotta say, impressed you could pull that off.”

Layne put his cup down and pulled his phone out of his pocket, suggesting, “Maybe you should get Alexis a puppy.”

Ryker sat back and stretched his legs out in front of him, still grinning, the showdown was over, Layne was again his bud and Layne relaxed in his chair.

“They already got three cats and two hamsters. Don’t need no dog,” Ryker told him.

Layne flipped his phone open, scrolled down to Devin, hit go and looked at Ryker, muttering, “Your call.”

“What?” Devin answered in his ear.

“Give me Marissa Gibbon’s cell number,” Layne replied.

“Why?” Devin barked.

“Just do it, old man, I’ll brief you later,” Layne told him.

Devin sighed then gave him the number that Layne wrote down on a legal pad on his desk.

“Boys are with Gabby for the week and I’m at Roc’s the next two nights,” Layne told his friend.

“I’ll inform the President,” Devin replied then disconnected.

Layne grinned at his desk then punched Marissa Gibbon’s number in his phone.

“Marissa Gibbons?” Ryker asked as Layne’s thumb hit the buttons.

“I’ll tell you later,” Layne murmured and put his phone to his ear.

* * *

“This is the last time we meet,” Layne said to Colt who was sitting by Ryker in his office, his fingers toying with the flash drive with Gaines’s pictures that Layne gave him. “If they haven’t already, Rutledge, Gaines and the woman are gonna start bein’ more vigilant and they don’t need to see you comin’ and goin’ from my office.”

Colt nodded and leaned forward. “Copy that but I gotta know, man, why am I here and Merry isn’t?”

“Merry and I got family issues,” Layne answered, Colt’s brows went up and Layne felt Ryker’s gaze grow intense.

“Rocky?” Colt asked.

“Yep,” Layne answered.

“Somethin’ I can do?” Colt offered.

“Can you pry Merry or Dave’s heads outta their asses?”

Colt smiled. “Probably not.”

“Then no, there’s nothin’ you can do,” Layne answered.

Colt leaned back but kept Layne’s gaze. “We’re goin’ hard means you’re swingin’ your ass back out there again.”

“Had the head’s up to beat all head’s up on that, brother, this time, also got backup,” Layne replied, jerking his head to Ryker.

Colt didn’t even look at Ryker. Colt was undecided about how he felt about Ryker.

Therefore he said, “Stay sharp.”

Then he stood, glanced through Ryker and walked out the door.

Layne stood too, picking his keys up from the desk, he walked to his storage room, Blondie following him.

“You think he’s gonna be able to keep his shit quiet?” Ryker asked Layne’s back as Layne unlocked the storage room door.

“You live in this ‘burg,” Layne said by way of response.

Ryker didn’t like that response and told him. “Was that an answer?”

Layne opened the door and turned to Ryker. “This is a small town but shit goes down in a small town just like in the big cities. It might not be as relentless, but people steal, people deal, people rape, people beat their wives and kids. Colt and his woman caught the attention of a sick fuck who obsessed on both of them since high school and ended up hackin’ through people in four states. He took that guy down and saved three lives. He knows his shit. I think he can keep our investigation of a dirty cop quiet.”

Ryker nodded.

Layne walked into the storage closet, turned on the light and started sorting through his collection of bugs while Blondie sniffed the corners.

* * *

“Have you seen this fuckin’ guy?” Devin asked in his ear.

Layne was standing outside Conesco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, his dog sitting next to him, breathing heavy, her tongue hanging out, her nose pointing in the direction of anyone who walked by. He was leaning against his truck which was parked three cars down from a yellow Corvette.

“You can trust him,” Layne told Devin, referring to Ryker.

Layne had talked to Ryker and given him the equipment. Then he’d called Devin and briefed him about what he was going to be doing that day. He had not, however, shared much about who he was doing it with.

“This is a delicate operation and this guy is a fuckin’ bull, as big as one and I bet he snorts like one too. He has no idea what he’s doin’. And, I’ll repeat, he’s a fuckin’ bull. I’d rather go in alone than go in with this guy takin’ my back,” Dev replied.

“You can trust him,” Layne repeated.

“He’s gonna blow the whole thing. It’s impossible for this guy to be invisible.”

“The Brendel has twenty-four seven security, guards patrolling, cameras and he managed to surveil the place for seventeen hours without raisin’ alarms. I think you’re good,” Layne assured.

“I work alone” Devin returned.

“So do I but twice I trusted him and twice he’s not let me down.”

“I don’t like it,” Dev clipped.

“I don’t care. He’s takin’ your back.”

“Boy –”

Layne pulled out the heavy artillery. “His woman’s girl is a favorite of Gaines’s.”

Devin was silent.

Layne kept going. “I want ears in there and I want them in there today. Plant the bugs, get me a goddamned print for them both, get anything else you can get and get the fuck out. He’ll cover you however he’s gotta do that but trust me, old man, he’ll do it.”

There was a moment of silence then, “He doesn’t, you get the blame,” Devin returned then disconnected.

Layne flipped his phone shut and leaned to the side to give Blondie’s head a rub as he shoved it in his pocket.

He was waiting for Marissa Gibbons to finish Pacemate practice. She told him to meet her there. He didn’t like it, it was too open. He didn’t want people to see them together the day after people could have seen her walk out of his office. But she wasn’t going to miss practice and he didn’t have time to wait, so he was meeting her there. Tonight, he’d tell Rocky about her. He’d wanted to avoid doing that, for Roc and for Marissa, but now he had no choice. If Astley hadn’t called off the dogs, that asshole would use anything to get back in with Roc and Layne had to head him off.

The girls came out, all wearing varying degrees of tight workout gear but Marissa came out scanning for him. She saw him, said something to her girls then broke off as the rest of them eyed him. When Blondie saw Marissa was on approach, she got up to all fours and her body went in full wag.

“Cute dog,” Marissa remarked when she arrived, bending to give Blondie a rubdown.

Layne didn’t reply. He kept his gaze to her girls who were finding reasons to hang so they could watch Marissa with who they wrongly assumed was Astley’s replacement.

“Get them to go,” Layne ordered and Marissa straightened.

“What?” she asked.

“Your friends. Get them to go. Now.”

“They’ll eventually –” she started and Layne’s eyes sliced to her.

“I told you over the phone the shit I gotta talk to you about is important. But it’s shit you do not want them to hear. Get them to go.”

“We’ll get in your truck,” she suggested.

“Woman, your ass is not in my truck,” Layne returned, “ever.”

Her head tilted to the side and she smiled at him. Flirting. Fuck.

It didn’t take much to make her want to wander off her chosen path.

“Why?” she asked.

“Do not play with me,” he whispered his warning. “I am not a man who likes to be played. Get… them… to… go.”

She stared at him, she read him then she nodded and turned to her girls, “See you guys later!” she shouted.

The women went from curious to confused as Marissa didn’t get in his truck, didn’t touch Layne, Layne didn’t touch her and she hinted that they should take off. All of them were used to a lot more attention, the kind they wanted and getting it exactly when they wanted it. This confusion turned to concern and they didn’t move.