The Angel and the Outlaw

by Ingrid Weaver

  Cooper took a final look at the locked door at the top of the stairs, then sat sideways on the bottom step, propped one boot in front of him and banged the back of his head against the wall of the stairwell.

  Why the hell had he done that? He could have been wrong. Maybe he’d misread the fatigue on Hayley’s face. She might have wanted more than comfort. She might not have been as upset as he’d thought. There was always the possibility that she had changed her mind about him and had known what she was doing.

  Yeah, right. If he was going to start pretending, he could hope there was always the possibility that Sproule was going to decide to walk into the police station and make a full confession.

  But he’d never been big on make-believe. If he had pushed Hayley, he would have been taking advantage of her. She was vulnerable right now. She had also downed a double shot of whiskey with her cocoa. He’d wanted her to relax so she could get some rest. He hadn’t planned to get her drunk and seduce her with that kiss. He’d just needed to kiss her.

  Cooper banged his head against the wall again.

  “You okay, boss?”

  Cooper glanced up. Pete stood in the doorway to the back hall, his face creased with concern. “Yeah, never been better,” Cooper replied.

  “You look like hell. Is the shower in the loft broken?”

  He poked at a soot-ringed hole on the knee of his jeans. “Hayley’s upstairs. She needs to rest.” And she wouldn’t get much of that if either of them had an excuse to get naked. “I’ll finish cleaning myself up down here.”

  Pete hunkered down, bracing the knuckles of one hand between his knees as if he were taking his position on a line of scrimmage. “What do you want Ken and me to do?”

  “Just keep the place locked up.”

  “For how long?”

  Cooper thought about that. He couldn’t close down the Long Shot indefinitely. Not only couldn’t he afford it, he knew there were too many other people depending on the place for their livelihood. “Today at least. I need time to figure things out.”

  “We’re all behind you, Coop. Whatever you decide.”

  “Thanks, Pete. That’s good to know.” He rubbed his jaw. Beard stubble rasped under his palm. It surprised him to realize it was only one night’s growth. Somehow the time that had passed seemed longer. “How did things go with that kid yesterday?”

  “You mean Nina?”

  “Uh-huh. Did you get her home okay?”

  “I checked it out before I dropped her off. Her parents had thought she was at the library studying for an exam. They seemed genuine.”

  “What’s your take on it?”

  “They look like solid people. Nina was scrubbing her face like crazy trying to get rid of the makeup when we pulled into the driveway. I think she’s a good kid, but she’s in too much of a hurry to grow up and got in over her head.” His mouth thinned. “That cue ball she was with knew damn well she was underage.”

  “Have you seen any sign of Izzy?”

  “Who?”

  “The cue ball.”

  “No.”

  “Watch out for him. He was always mean when he got crossed.”

  “Will do.”

  “On second thought, there is something you can do for me, Pete.”

  “Name it.”

  “If we’re going to open the Long Shot tomorrow, we’ll need some more security. I want people we can trust.”

  “You thinking of getting the guys back together?”

  Cooper nodded. “Spread the word. I can’t pay up front but they’ll know I’m good for it.”

  Pete pushed off from the floor and straightened to his full height. “They’ll come, Coop. After what you did for them, they owe you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yeah.” Cooper glanced up the stairs, then thudded the back of his head against the wall again. “Keep me away from that damn door.”

  Chapter 9

  Darkness had fallen by the time Hayley awoke. She had slept almost twelve hours straight. For a few, luxurious minutes she lay where she was and marveled at that. In the seven and a half months since her brother had been killed, she hadn’t slept for more than a few hours at a time before she would startle awake with her heart pounding and her stomach in a knot. She napped when her body reached exhaustion, but the sleep was never deep or restful. Here in Cooper’s apartment, she felt restored. Strengthened. Safe.

  She sat up, pushing her hair off her face as she looked around. A dim glow came from the kitchen—the light over the stove was on—but the rest of the loft was lit only by the moonlight that streamed through the slats of the blinds. She saw at a glance that she was alone, yet Cooper’s presence still surrounded her. The macho furniture, the big windows, the clean gleam of the hardwood floor, the hint of his scent that clung to the blanket, all of it was like an embrace.

  She picked up the blanket and hugged it to her chest, pressing her face into the folds. She caught a whiff of smoke from her clothes and braced herself for the rush of loss.

  Yet it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. Cooper’s presence was in her memories, too. He had given her the comfort that she had needed, his support had blunted the nightmare, and his kiss…

  Oh, Lord. That kiss. She didn’t know how that had happened. It was a good thing he had stopped before it had gone any further. He must have realized she wasn’t thinking straight, that she wasn’t herself.

  Sure, you were. No one can fake feelings that strong.

  That’s what he had said after she had tried to shoot Oliver. He had seen her at her worst then, and he had stuck with her. He’d done it again last night. She pushed to her feet. For once, no dizziness accompanied the sudden movement. It had to be because of all the sleep.

  How long has it been…since you ate a good meal…slept the night…slept with a man…?

  It had been noble of Cooper to stay with her after the fire, just as it had been chivalrous of him to walk away and let her rest. There was a good character underneath his tough shell. He would deny it, of course, but his actions continued to prove otherwise.

  Yet she couldn’t let herself read more into this situation than there was. She was here because she and Cooper had a common goal, that was all. Yes, there was a strong physical attraction between them, but it was irrelevant. Once Sproule was in jail, their alliance would be over. She exhaled hard and headed for the shower.

  Forty minutes later, she pushed open the swinging door at the back of the Long Shot’s main room. The lights at the front of the room were dim. The square bar in the center of the floor was deserted and the chairs stacked upside down on the tables. The only illumination came from an oblong metal-shaded lamp that hung from two chains above the middle of the three pool tables.

  Cooper was bending over the table, his left arm extended in front of him and his fingers braced on the cloth to guide the end of his cue. Against the backdrop of the darkened room, his tall, rangy body was dramatically outlined.

  He looked up as she entered, but he didn’t change his position. He studied her carefully, his gaze missing nothing. “You’re looking good, Hayley.”

  She brushed self-consciously at a fold of her dress. She had found it on a hanger in the bathroom, the sales tag still attached to the label. The fabric was soft, cream-colored knit jersey cut in a simple short-sleeved style that skimmed her hips and ended in a flare above her knees. It was a size smaller than the rest of her too-large wardrobe, so it fit perfectly. So did the bra and panties that had been hooked on the hanger with it.

  Cooper had guessed her size with disconcerting accuracy, right down to her cup size. It shouldn’t surprise her. She already knew he was an observant man. “Please thank your friend for picking out the clothes,” she said, walking toward the table. “I’ll pay her back.”

  “I already did.”

  “Then I’ll pay you back.”

  “Forget it. I’m enjoying the view.” He moved his right arm forward sharp
ly in a burst of controlled power. The white cue ball thunked against a colored ball, knocking it into a corner pocket. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine, thanks. I can’t believe I slept so long.”

  “You needed it. You have for a long time.”

  “But what about you?”

  He shifted a few steps toward her to line up another shot and bent over the cushion. “I slept on the couch in my office after I cleaned up.”

  She watched him as he stretched over the cue. Yes, he had cleaned up, all right. The soot that had streaked his face was gone. His jaw was smooth from a fresh shave. His hair shone cleanly, the singed ends at the edge of his forehead hardly visible where they blended into the rest.

  He was wearing a plain white T-shirt. It tightened over his biceps and his shoulders, hugging the long line of his back. His jeans pulled taut over his buttocks, outlining the subtle shift of his body as he made his shot. Another ball rattled into a pocket.

  Hayley started, amazed to realize that a stab of sexual awareness had accompanied the noise. Cooper handled the pool cue with the same graceful ease that he did everything else. His sure movements, his deliberation, the strength evident in his control made the way he played almost sensual.

  “Are you hungry?”

  She lifted her gaze to his face. He was regarding her levelly. She had a feeling that he knew exactly where she had been looking. She also suspected there was a subtext to his question. “No, I’m fine. I made a sandwich before I came downstairs. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “As long as you’re staying with me, I expect you to help yourself to anything you want.”

  Yes, there was definitely an offer in that suggestion. She could feel his gaze on her mouth. Her lips tingled.

  The lines beside his eyes deepened with the start of a smile. “I’d be happy to oblige,” he added.

  Hayley looked around the room. The space was designed to hold a crowd. Being here alone with Cooper made her more conscious of him than ever. She grasped for a neutral topic. “You didn’t open the bar tonight.”

  “That’s right.”

  “I hope that wasn’t because I’m here.”

  “I needed to wait for reinforcements.” He tapped the cue against his leg, then moved to the other side of the table. “Pete Wyzowski, my manager, used to work with me in the old days.”

  “The old days…”

  “Before I went to prison, when I was still a thief. So did Ken. They’re rounding up the rest of the guys we used to run with. Not all of them went legit like we did, but they know the ground rules at the Long Shot, so they won’t bring their business here. They’ll provide security so I can open the place tomorrow.”

  “Oh. That sounds…like a good idea.”

  “It’s the best way to handle Sproule. He’s not afraid of the law, but he’s going to think twice about going up against those men. They know how to handle trouble. No one’s going to get past them once we open.”

  She glanced at the shadows around them. “What about now?”

  “I had an advantage when I renovated this building. I’ve broken into enough places to know what will keep people out.” He nodded toward the long, narrow windows at the front of the room. “The Plexiglass in the windows is shatterproof and the doors are reinforced with steel. Everything’s wired to an alarm system. Once I throw the locks, the Long Shot’s as good as a fortress.”

  She rubbed her hands over her arms. She’d never thought she would be in a position to be thankful that Cooper had been a criminal and still had his old connections, but in this case, she was. The idea of relying on men who weren’t completely “legit” to guard against another criminal made practical sense, regardless of any question of right or wrong.

  Besides, Cooper had warned her at the start of their partnership that once he brought her in with him, she would be all the way in. “I’m sorry that I ruined your plan to work with Oliver,” she said.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not sorry that my stand is out in the open.” He studied the table for a while before he leaned over and hit the cue ball. It bounced off the side rail and smacked into two other balls, sending both to opposite pockets. “Now I won’t have to put up with seeing scum like Izzy in this place again.”

  “I can understand that. The Long Shot is more than just a business to you, isn’t it?”

  He took a square of chalk and rubbed it over the tip of his cue. “Like I told you, it’s the first decent thing I’ve had in my life.”

  “Why a bar, Cooper?”

  “What?”

  She leaned her hip against the pool table next to the one he was using. “When you got the loan from Tony, why did you decide to open a bar instead of some other kind of business?”

  The chalk squeaked. He set it down and studied the cue. “We used to move around a lot when I was a kid. Either the landlord would kick us out for not paying the rent or we’d skip before it was due. I was always big for my age, so when I was thirteen I started hanging out in a bar down the street from one of the places and when we moved, I kept going back. It was…familiar.”

  Hayley had taken the stability of her family home for granted. Even though she hadn’t lived there for ten years, she felt the loss of the house deeply. How much worse would it have been never to have had that security?

  The image of a thirteen-year-old seeking the familiarity of a bar because his home kept changing was heartbreaking. Added to that were the details Cooper had told her the other day, of how his mother had left them and his father had had a series of girlfriends. Not only had the place he’d lived changed, so had the people he’d lived with.

  Yet Cooper had spoken with no trace of self-pity in his voice. To him, the rootless childhood he had described was all he had ever known. “The bar was like a home to you,” she said.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” He twirled the cue across the tips of his fingers. “I used to earn extra money by hustling pool.”

  “You’re very good.”

  He shrugged and rested the butt of the cue on the toe of his boot. “Not good enough to make a living at it. Sometimes the guy who owned the place would give me a few bucks for helping him out. That’s how I got to know about running a bar, so when Tony offered me his deal, I figured I could do the same thing.”

  “You’ve done well. Have you had any business training?”

  “I finished my high-school diploma when I was in the pen, then took some correspondence courses after that, but I’m still lousy with numbers. I hate the paperwork.”

  “If you like, I could help you with your books while I’m here. It would make me feel better if I could make a contribution to earn my keep.”

  He considered that for a while. “Sure. I’d like that.”

  “Are you going to tell Tony what happened last night?”

  “I already called him. He wasn’t pleased.”

  “He’s not going to, uh, send someone from Payback to collect from you, is he?”

  “Not yet. As long as I’m still working on bringing Sproule to justice, Tony’s going to give me more time to repay my debt.”

  “Then we should be planning a new strategy.”

  “I know what I’m going to do next, but you might not like it.” He stretched into position for a shot and braced his hand on the cloth. Instead of striking the cue ball, he gave it a gentle tap that made it nudge the next ball like a kiss. It hovered on the lip of the pocket, hanging suspended for a moment before it tipped inside.

  Hayley felt another sexual jolt. She folded her hands over her stomach and tried to ignore it. “What won’t I like?”

  “I’m going to meet with Sproule tomorrow night.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Are you crazy? He almost killed us.”

  “I’ll take precautions.”

  “What could you possibly hope to accomplish?”

  “For one thing, he’ll know for sure you’re with me.” He extended his arm, preparing for his next shot.

  Hayley walked arou
nd the table and snatched up the cue ball before he could hit it. “You’ve already made that clear. You don’t have to endanger yourself.”

  He frowned and looked at her hand. “He also owes me money for that load of televisions.”

  “Surely you don’t expect him to honor his word.”

  “No, but he’ll see it as a weakness if I let it slide.”

  “How will this get us any closer to putting him in jail?” she asked.

  “It’s going to throw him off balance. He’s not accustomed to anyone standing up against him.”

  “I did. It didn’t get me anywhere.”

  “Uh-huh, but he thought you were alone.” He took her hand, curling his fingers around hers where she held the ball. “Do you remember what I told you about Sproule when we met? I said he owns this town.”

  “That’s right.”

  “He doesn’t own me. He doesn’t own the Long Shot or any of the people who work here. His hold over his men isn’t perfect—Izzy’s stealing drugs from him. I was going about it all wrong.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I had thought the best way to nail Sproule was to join him. It isn’t. I’m going to fight him, Hayley.”

  “How?”

  “By getting in his face. By taking a stand in the open.”

  “I thought we had.”

  “It’s not just Sproule who needs to know. I want everyone in town to know. Watch,” he said. He eased the cue ball from her fingers and rolled it across the table. It struck the balls that remained, scattering them in a chain reaction that ended with one ball dropping into a corner pocket. “Sometimes all it takes is the right nudge to get things moving.”

  “By nudge, you mean…”

  “Showing Latchford that Sproule doesn’t own everyone. He’s not as powerful as they think he is. They have an alternative.”

  She considered that. “I see where you’re going with this. You want to make it possible for other people to come forward.”

  “That’s the idea. We’ll keep looking for hard evidence to put Sproule away ourselves. I’ll find you another computer to use, and I’ll get more information by calling in some favors and keeping a close eye on Sproule’s activities. But we can’t be the only ones who want to see his hold on the town end.”