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I didn’t tell Donovan all the gory details about Dekes’s frenzied attack on me There was no point in it The detective would secretly think I’d gotten exactly what I’d deserved, and it would only make him worry that s were for Donovan, Callie didn’t deserve as going to happen to her at Dekes’s hands, and I wasn’t going to paint the detective a picture just to get back at hiht be a coldhearted bitch, but I tried to keep my pettiness in check Most of the time, anyway

"You know, Donovan, you look exceptionally well for aover to stand by my side

Sophia slipped into the room behind Owen, and Jo-Jo came in from the kitchen The tarven sisters sat down on one of the couches while Finn and Bria uns down by their sides

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Donovan snapped

"It means that you don’t have a mark on you, Detective," Owen said in a soft voice "Not a single scratch Soht back to protect the people that we love But sohtened until his lips were just a thin white slash against his bronze skin Oasn’t just talking about Callie, and we all knew it - especially Donovan

"I wasn’t there when it happened," Donovan ground out the words through clenched teeth "I got called out on a case thisVandalism and broken s at an empty vacation home on the other side of the island Now I knoas obviously a ruse to lure me away When I came back, the front door was kicked in, the house was a one She wasn’t in the house, she wasn’t at the restaurant, and she wasn’t answering her cell One of the neighbors finally toldCallie out of the house kicking and screa and shove her into the back of a black town car - and that Dekes got inside after her"

The detective’s hands curled into fists, and he glared at Owen, daring him to say another word Owen’s violet eyes narrowed in response, and his lips quirked up into a hard smile, a clear indication that he was ready to rumble I stepped in between the two men and held upa to help Callie, and we all know it Rescuing her is what’s really iht"

Donovan glared at Owen for several aze to ed "The usual Crowing about what a badass he was Threats of torture Soood ht, but Donovanhiht I saw a flicker of concern in his eyes, but his face hardened once ht," Bria said "Dekes has Callie We should be focusing on hoe’re going to get her back, not wasting ti to do anything," Donovan growled at her "Callie’s et her back on my own terms I don’t need your help, and I especially don’t want Gin’s so-called help You’re a detective, Coolidge You shouldto care about the lahenever it suits you"

Bria stiffened, and anger blazed in her blue eyes - er than I’d ever seen her show before, except maybe when she’d first realized that I was the Spider Her hand tightened around the gun that she was still holding, and I got the distinct i ger, and put a few bullets into Donovan’s chest Instead, she shoved her gun at Finn

"Hold this," she growled

Bria stalked around the couch and walked up until she was standing nose to chest with Donovan The detective glared down at her, still spoiling for a fight

"Callie ht be your fiancee, but she’s my friend," Bria spat out the words "She’s my best friend, and I love her like a sister Now she’s in the hands of a very bad et her back, you’re bitching atwith you?"

For the first time since he’d stormed into the beach house, uncertainty filled Donovan’s features, and soer in his eyes dimmed

"You’re a cop," he said "You should understand where I’et her temper under control "I do understand, and ree with you But Randall Dekes doesn’t play by the rules, and he couldn’t care less about the law So I say we forget the rules and do whatever we have to in order to rescue Callie before Dekes kills her"

Donovan shook his head "You know, you ht pretend to be a cop, but deep down, you’re no better than Gin is, always thinking thatsomeone is the only way to solve a problem"

"No," Bria snarled "My sister’s better than I a other than what she is, and she always does exactly what she says she will She’s better than you are too, even if you’re too much of a dumbass to realize it"

Surprised, I looked at s to me that Donovan had just spouted to her That I was knife-happy and preferred to kill people rather than actually find another, less violent way to deal with them Part of me knew that was true, that I did prefer to assassinate first and ask questions later That’s how Fletcher had trained me, and that’s what had helped me survive so many bad situations over the years But this was the first time I’d ever heard my sister defend me and my tactics, and I didn’t quite knohat to ue with Bria so whistle Startled, we all looked at the Goth dwarf, who pointed her finger at Jo-Jo

"Listen," Sophia rasped

"Enough," Jo-Jo said, a hint of steel ringing in her soft voice "That’s enough Every second that aste arguing is another one that Callie spends with Dekes And none of us want that, now, do we?"

The dwarf’s clear eyes moved from face to face, and one by one, we all shook our heads

"I didn’t think so," Jo-Jo said "Now, instead of arguing with each other, we are all going to sit down and talk about hoe can rescue that poor girl, calmly and rationally, with no more snotty comments or accusations Is that understood?"

We all lared at us all in turn before his gaze cut back to Jo-Jo He gave her the evil eye as well, but the dwarf stared right back at him, her perfectly sculpted eyebrows raised in a silent question Finally, Donovan sighed and gave in

"Yes, raciously accepting his reluctant acquiescence "Good Now let’s get started"

We all gru we sat down and got to work Finn fetched his briefcase from one of the bedroo up on Dekes Then he flipped on his laptop and started looking for anything that he’d ht help us rescue Callie