Renegade

by Jeanne McDonald

  Sutcliffe walked around, meeting me at the door to shake my hand. The door closed and the huge smile that had been on Stuart’s pasty white face disappeared. “You’re late. Where the fuck is my car?”

  I furrowed my brow in confusion. “What?”

  “My fucking car, you asswipe. Where’s the goddamn Cuda?”

  Down in the basement.

  “I have two more weeks. But you’ll have it before then. We’re just waiting until the heat dies on the Ferrari.” I’d explained my methods to Sutcliffe from the beginning. I didn’t rush jobs. Rushing is how people got caught.

  Sutcliffe plopped down into the oversized chair behind his massive desk covered with more computer screens than I could count. “Wrong. You have less than forty-eight hours. I want the Cuda on the dock by midnight tomorrow night.”

  I eyed the chair in front of Sutcliffe’s desk, but I knew better than to sit without being offered. “Wait? What? No! We need time.”

  “Time’s up. You either have the car on the dock tomorrow night or you know what’ll happen.”

  Anger flared up inside of me, but I swallowed it down in a long, hard gulp. I had to remind myself that the nerdy exterior was nothing more than a façade. This man was a scary mother fucker and wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone. Including me.

  “I hired you for your reputation, Diamond. Don’t make me regret it.”

  Ugh. I hated that nickname. Klaus gave it to me when we first started boosting cars. He said it made me sound tough. I figured he gave it to me to remind me of Lucy and why I did what I did.

  I stared at the man. It wasn’t his ass on the line. It was mine.

  Sutcliffe leaned back, propping his hands behind his head. “As soon as I have confirmation the car is loaded at the docks, I’ll transfer the money to you.”

  I stood still and silent. So many things whirled around inside my head. I had to figure out how to take the Cuda without being caught, but more importantly I wanted to know…

  “Sir, may I ask you a question?”

  “What?”

  “Those men?”

  Sutcliffe’s face lit up. He wrung his hands as if he were concocting a major scheme. “What about them?”

  “I was just wondering what they’re doing here.”

  Sutcliffe’s face turned ice cold. “That’s none of your concern.”

  “I realize that, but…” I began to argue.

  “But nothing.” He messed with some paperwork on his desk. “I know about your scuffle with Ringo, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  I wasn’t, but okay.

  “You don’t have to worry about Ringo. He won’t interfere with your job. He has one of his own.”

  I shifted my weight, not liking the sound of that. “And the other guy?” Metallic liquid pooled on my tongue, making my already upset stomach roll.

  Sutcliffe dropped his arms and reached for a picture on his desk. “I told you, it’s none of your concern.” There was a finality to his tone that informed me not to press further.

  A little defeated, I took a step backward and thumbed toward the door. “I guess I’ll get out of here. I have some planning to do.”

  His eyes glued to the photograph; Sutcliffe let out a sigh. “Tomorrow night,” he reiterated.

  “Yes, sir,” I muttered, exiting the office and closing the door behind me. I barely noticed Honey calling after me as I dashed down the hall toward the elevators.

  I beat the hell out of the elevator button with my knuckle, muttering, “Open you son of a fucking bitch. Fucking open.”

  As if opening on my command, the chime sounded and the doors slid open, but not fast enough for me. I pushed myself between them and was pressing the close button before the doors were fully open.

  By now, asshat was more than likely gone. But I had to get to Lucy. As the doors to the elevator closed, I whipped my cellphone out of my pocket. I dialed Lucy’s number but got no reception. Frustrated, I punched out a text demanding she call me. I hadn’t felt this much anxiety since the day Reed beat my ass into the ground.

  The doors to the elevator opened at the parking garage. Still no reply from Lucy, though I realized the biggest reason was because the text didn’t go through until the doors opened.

  Damn Sutcliffe and his stupid security shit.

  I jammed my phone back into my pocket and headed toward my car. I had to get to Lucy. I had to tell her about that douchebag she thought hung the fucking moon.

  I rounded the corner and halted at the sight before me. There stood Ian, leaning against the hood of his car with Ringo picking at his nails right beside him.

  “Goddamn, mother fuck!” I roared and took off in a mad run toward Ian. “How could you?” I balled up my fists, ready to lay the first punch when Ringo stepped in front of Ian.

  “It’s all right, Ringo,” Ian droned, patting the huge brute on his bulging bicep. “He can’t hurt me. Not without hurting himself.”

  I stared at Ian in disbelief. “I could kick your ass right here. Right now.”

  Ian tilted his head, lifting an eyebrow. “You could try.” He pushed off of the vehicle and sidestepped Ringo. “But you would fail.”

  “Fuck you, asshole.” I took another step toward Ian, my hands balled so tight it hurt. “What the fuck are you doing here? Does she know?”

  Ian tucked his hands into the pockets of his pressed khakis, as he started to circle around me. “Awe. How sweet. You’re concerned about her. Too bad she couldn’t give two fucks about you.”

  I stood still, knowing what this asshole was playing at, and I would not allow myself to be disoriented.

  “What are you going to do to her?”

  Ian stopped directly in front of me, pale eyes meeting dark. “Eventually, I’ll do what I’ve been hired to do. But for now, I’m enjoying playing with her. She is a sweet, little sex kitten, isn’t she?”

  The bottom of my stomach dropped. He couldn’t mean what I thought he meant. Ringo wasn’t on that pier that night by mistake. Lucy had been the target. Not me.

  “Why,” I managed, feeling as though all the life had been drained from me.

  A twisted laugh resounded from Ian’s chest. “Stupid cops should know never to mess with us.”

  “But you love her. I saw…I see it.”

  That wasn’t a lie. I’d seen it in his expression when he helped her into the car the night before. He cared for her. Deeply.

  Ian began to pace in front of me. “You see what I want you to see. I no more love her than I love you. And frankly, I loathe you. Since the day you crossed my path and fucked up all my plans, I’ve done nothing but plot how I’ll take you down.”

  My mouth felt sticky and dry. My chest constricted with confusion. “And how did I fuck up your plans? If you wanted to kill her, you’ve had ample chances to do so.”

  “It’s not as simple as that. Then again, a small-minded person such as yourself wouldn’t understand.”

  “Try me.” My tone dripped with sarcasm.

  Ian rushed his fingers through his hair, his jaw clenched tight. “I had it all planned out. She was such an easy target, mourning the loss of her innocence. All I had to do was make her trust me. It would’ve been simple had you not showed up on the pier that night.”

  I looked from Ian to Ringo, who stood beside his car, still picking at his cuticles to the point they were bleeding.

  “You were planning on having Ringo scare her and then you’d swoop in to rescue her.”

  Ian clapped. “Brilliant! You have half a brain, after all. And yes, that was my plan. When Sarah told us that Lucy went for a walk, I saw my way in. I had Ringo follow her and text me their location. I went in search of them, and what did I happen upon? You,” Ian spat. “You couldn’t leave well enough alone. No, you had to be a hero and steal my glory.” Ian shrugged. “It’s all right, though. I still shagged her.”

  “Is that a common practice for you? Fucking your targets?” I sneered, disgusted with the man bef
ore me.

  “Just enjoying the perks of the job, mate. She’s a bit of all right. Though, I must admit, it took you long enough to have a go at her.”

  I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. I tried to inhale, but the air wouldn’t fill my lungs. “Come again?”

  Ian barked in laughter. “What? You think I wouldn’t know. I just can’t believe it took you so long. I left town, giving you ample time to shag her brains out. But no, you tried to kiss her.” Ian cocked his head, the smirk on his face turning into a wicked grin.

  “How do you know about–”

  “I know a lot of things, Jude. It’s why I’m good at my job.”

  I tried to collect my thoughts. I blinked, my mind running in circles. “Right,” I managed. “So, why her? Because she’s getting close to finding out the truth about Sutcliffe?”

  Ian’s mouth jerked into a half smirk. “You really believe a miniscule little rookie could pin down the boss?”

  I should’ve known better. Sutcliffe was too smart to get caught by DCPD. “So, what are your plans for me now? Kill me?”

  Ian laughed. “No. I have no plans to kill you. At least not for the moment. You have a job to finish first.”

  “You don’t scare me.”

  “I should. Because I wasn’t lying. Once my job with Lucy is complete, I’m coming for you.”

  Ian glanced down at his watch. “Actually, I’m already late to our date. Lucy’s waiting for me at the restaurant for lunch.”

  “You know I’m going to tell her,” I seethed.

  Ian shrugged. “Go ahead. Try. She won’t believe you. You left her when she needed you the most. You abandoned her, and she’ll never forgive you for that, mate.” Ian stepped forward, tracing the scar above my eyebrow with the tip of his finger. “I must be going.” He patted my cheek hard, almost to the point of a slap. Ian looked over his shoulder to Ringo. “Handle him, and don’t leave until you’ve heard from me.”

  Ringo pulled the meaty finger from his mouth, grinning. “Yes, sir, boss.” Ringo grabbed me by the scruff of the shirt. “Let’s have a chat, shall we?”

  “Oh, look. He speaks!” I goaded.

  Ringo tightened his grip around my collar, giving me a tug back.

  “Gentle, Ringo. We don’t want to hurt him, yet. He still has a job to do,” Ian instructed, pulling a set of keys from his pocket. “Have fun. You two know I will.”

  More now than ever, I hated Ian. Not for merely being a lying douchebag, but for betraying the woman we…I loved. Lucy deserved better than that. She deserved better than us both. And I was determined to expose Ian for the coward he was.

  “You can let go of me,” I croaked, hearing the sound of a car door slamming shut and an engine coming to life.

  “Not until the boss says so,” Ringo grunted.

  “Do you always do everything he says?”

  Ringo said nothing.

  I heard tires squealing against the concrete of the garage, as a lime green Cuda rounded the corner in a flash.

  Inappropriate laughter bubbled in my throat as I watched the Cuda drive off. It was as if the universe was smiling upon me. Not only would I stop the motherfucker from harming my girl, but I’d steal his goddamn car for all the pain he’d caused.

  Win-fucking-win.

  “Everything okay?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I stared at the text from Jude that arrived shortly after his attempt to call me. It wasn’t like him to call and his text was rather cryptic.

  I turned my phone over, deciding he could wait a little longer. I wasn’t about to excuse myself from my lunch for him to attempt some sort of apology to get back into my good graces.

  “Yeah. Everything’s fine.” I grabbed a chip from the basket and dipped it into the salsa bowl. “So, you found nothing at all on the tapes or in the logs?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary.” I popped the chip in my mouth. “And I got the coroner’s report this morning. They claim it’s suicide.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t believe that.”

  Sarah shrugged, grabbing for a chip. “Neither can I, but there’s nothing we can do. Jane Asher committed suicide.” Her tone was definitive.

  The warmth of someone’s breath on the back of my neck startled me. A silky-smooth voice whispered in my ear, “Miss me?”

  I lifted my eyes to find Ian standing over me, wearing that sexy smile that always made my heart melt. “Now why would I miss you?” I teased.

  Ian grabbed his chest, acting as though he’d been stabbed. “You wound me, love.”

  I reached for his hand and pulled him back to me. He leaned in, allowing me to draw him in for a kiss. “And you’re a drama king.”

  Ian chuckled against my lips. “But I got what I wanted.”

  Something was off. Strange. Different. With Ian. Or was it with me?

  It was with me. It had to be. Knowing Jane killed herself changed things in my head. I couldn’t understand why.

  In true fashion, I plastered on a smile and pushed aside my feelings.

  Ian tilted his head, eyeing Sarah, as he pulled the chair out and took a seat next to me. “So, what are we talking about?”

  “Nothing. Just work stuff,” I answered when Sarah said nothing.

  When Sarah asked me to lunch, I told her I had plans with Ian. She invited herself to come along and now she was acting rude. I didn’t get this woman at all.

  Ian nodded, giving me a facetious smile. “Brilliant.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, typing out a message. The soft woosh tone of a sent message filled the air as Ian tapped the screen. He winked at me as he put the phone away. “So,” he grabbed the menu resting on the table in front of him and began browsing, “what’s good here?”

  “Tequila,” Sarah grumbled. “Lots of tequila.”

  “I meant food.”

  “Oh!” Sarah shrugged. “More tequila for me, then. Who’d you text just now?”

  “Sarah?” I hissed.

  Ian placed his hand over mine, still holding the menu in his other. “It’s all right, love. I texted Logan to tell him I was having lunch with two lovely ladies and he’d be a fool to not accompany us.”

  That caused Sarah to straighten up. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  Ian dropped the menu on the table and nodded toward the server who’d been patiently waiting for him to decide. “Not to worry. Logan is held up with our acquisition manager at the present. Something showed up unexpectedly in one of the accounts that needed to be attended to.”

  Sarah stopped chewing. “He’s handling it, though, right?”

  My gaze bounced between the two of them, entirely confused by their exchange.

  Beside me, I could feel Ian stiffen. “Absolutely. Logan is the best.”

  Sarah released a heavy breath, shoved a chip in her mouth.

  A weird sort of silence fell over the table. All that could be heard was Sarah’s crunching on a chip.

  “Well, this isn’t awkward at all.” I finally broke the silence.

  No one responded.

  “Is there something I’m missing?” I asked.

  Enough was enough. These two knew each other somehow. I just didn’t know the extent of their connection.

  The darkness tickled the back of my mind, reminding me it was still there. It was always there, ready to takeover. Right now, I had the unnerving feeling that the two people I trusted as much as any Baxter were lying to me. I didn’t like feeling this way one bit.

  Neither of them was talking. They refused to speak, leaving me with only my assumptions.

  “How the hell do you two know each other?”

  “We met at the bar, Diamond. You were there.”

  I shook my head. “No. I felt it that night, too. But more so now. How do you know one another? No more secrets.”

  “Ah, bugger,” Ian hissed.

  I cocked my head to the side, caught off guard by his expression. “What’s wrong?” Before Ian could answer, som
eone I never expected to see at that moment slammed his fists down on the table. “Jude?”

  “Hey there, Luce.” Jude smirked, grabbing the vacant chair next to Sarah. He flipped it around and straddled the seat, resting his chin on his crossed arms. With a wink in my direction, Jude diverted his attention to Ian. “Bet you’re surprised to see me here.”

  Ian scratched below his nose, glaring at Jude. “To say the least.”

  “What are you doing here, Jude?” I questioned. I flipped my phone over and found about twenty missed calls and texts had arrived from Jude, all demanding I call him. “And how’d you find me?”

  Jude never took his eyes from Ian. “You know, your boy Ringo is quite the talker once you get him going.” The corner of Jude’s mouth twitched into a smirk.

  “Who’s Ringo?” I asked, feeling extremely confused.

  A strange exchange of glances passed between Sarah and Ian.

  “Right?” Jude tsked. “She doesn’t know about Ringo, does she?” Jude grabbed what he assumed to be Ian’s beer and took a swig from it. He swallowed hard and released a satisfied sigh. Jude twisted the bottle around, glancing at the label. “I mean she knows but she doesn’t.” He looked down at the beer bottle. “Hmm. I would’ve taken you for an import guy,” he mused, placing the drink back on the table.

  “Who’s Ringo?” I asked again, a little annoyed at what was happening.

  “I have no idea,” Ian stated, his nose flaring. “It seems your friend is a little jealous of our time together.”

  Jude dropped his head back and laughed. “Jealous? Please. You know she thinks of me when she fucks you.”

  My eyes grew wide. My mouth grew dry. Fury boiled beneath my skin. I couldn’t believe any of this was happening. “I don’t know what you think gives you the right to say something like that…”

  Ian straightened up in his chair, his fists balled on the table top so tight his knuckles started to turn white.

  Jude tilted his head to the side, scrutinizing Ian. “Interesting,” he mused.

  “Buddy, you need to leave before I arrest you,” Sarah threatened.

  “On what grounds?” Jude asked, not taking his eyes off Ian.

  “On the grounds that you’re pissing me the fuck off.”