Page 31 (1/2)

Bored, Keno said, "You realize I have better shit to do than watch you fret like an old lady"

Eyes narrowed, Steve turned to hi "If you hadn’t fucked up the robbery, she’d be with me now But he handed your ass to you" He slanted his attention to Boyd "To both of you And you were arhter would be there"

Keno took it one further, standing to face off with Steve "You fucked up, not us You said to spook the wo about a professional ass kicker playing her personal bodyguard"

"I didn’t know he’d be there, either" Steve ran a hand over his head, leaving his haira shit All he’d wanted was for Rissy to be robbed Everyone would know about it, of course, and that’d give him a viable reason to check on her He’d already learned that her rooone, so she’d be in her house, alone, vulnerable, shaken frounpoint And he’d have played her hero

Forshe’d come back to him But she didn’t and it still infuriated hiht of how she’d walked away He hadn’t loved her, but ood in bed, and out of bed she wasn’t too de She was independent rather than needy She could carry on an intelligent conversation And her brother was a local hero He’d figured onthe bitch eventually But when he’d been at his worst, beaten and hurting, she’d given him the boot

No one treated hi to finally decide he couldn’t just let it go He had to get even--so he’d instigated a sih about her branch that it was easy to plan Boyd and Keno were capable, but perhaps too ruthless

Though not ruthless enough to finish the job properly

Right now, Merissa should be welco him--and then the outcome of their relationship would be in his hands

Instead she ith Jacobson and it enraged him

"We were supposed to keep the cash," Boyd complained

Of course they were But they’d fucked that up, too

Boyd shrugged "Noe got jack shit"

With enough sense to know he didn’t want to get on Boyd or Keno’s bad side, Steve shook his head "I’ll pay you a grand each" He needed their silence and cooperation Especially now that shit had gone sideways

The thugs shared a look, and Keno turned cagey "Make it fifteen hundred apiece and we h his teeth, Steve said, "You’re the ones who left the money behind"

"So?" Keno narrowed his cold blue eyes "We put it on the line for you and things did not go as you claimed they would"

Shit "I don’t know if I can scrape up that ive me a few days to see" Steve had that and more, piece of cake But he wasn’t in theof his cell phone interrupted hilance at the screen told him it was the PI Did he have news on Jacobson already? Maybe the prick was et him tossed out of Merissa’s life real quick

After he answered the call, Steve realized the PI had so even better than a ro score

It’d be the perfect way to drive the fighter away froood

LEESE LEANED HIS elbows back on the counter at Rowdy’s bar It was crowded, as always on a Saturday night He saw uys from the rec center, but Ar, he sipped his drink and took in the different ladies glancing his way

Cannon joined hiht?" Cannon asked