Page 33 of Ice Cold Liar (Ice Breaker Cold Case #14)

Chapter Seventeen

Hunter and Eb had vanished. Drifted through the house like ghosts. She stood in the den, one hand gripping a gun and the other fisted around the keys Eb had given her. Henry sat on his haunches and stared up at her with his big, trusting eyes, waiting for a command.

She was supposed to run. Eb and Hunter were going to be the distraction. She’d sneak away. Take Eb’s precious Impala.

Meanwhile, Hunter and Eb would…what?

I’m the best assassin you’ll ever meet.

Her heart drummed far too hard and fast in her chest. The house had gone quiet around her.

She didn’t even think Hunter and Eb were in the house any longer.

They hadn’t gone out the front door, though, or the back.

Had they snuck out a window? Was there another exterior door somewhere in this maze of a house?

They’d left without making a sound. All she could hear beyond the house was the snarl of the motorcycles as they circled in.

Yes, she was supposed to run. To wait for the distraction and save herself while Hunter and Eb faced the danger.

I’m the best assassin you’ll ever meet.

She should have known she wasn’t falling for a hero. She never had gone for that type. Not once in her life.

The motorcycles spun in circles. The engines howled and growled, and the truck had come to a grinding halt. Some guy was hauling out gasoline canisters from the bed of the pickup.

Eb waited in the darkness and surveyed the scene. He recognized several of the men—mostly because he’d kicked the shit out of them once already. Obviously, they’d come back hungry for a rematch.

The pyro jumped out of the truck bed, with an orange gasoline canister in each massive fist. A big guy—the biggest fellow there. When he stalked through the heaving bikes, the headlights hit him. Shaved head. Face full of piercings. Hello, old friend.

Though, they weren’t actually friends. But that jerk had been the first to step up and fight Eb at the bar when he’d gone to collect the dog for Naomi. Probably meant the guy was next in line when it came to the pecking order for the gang. And without Ivan there…

The wannabe leader dropped the containers and let them fall at his feet. “Bring your ass out!” he bellowed as he glared at the house. “You’re gonna pay for what you did to Ivan! Get out, now! ”

Considering how much gasoline this gang had at the ready, it certainly looked as if they’d been responsible for the fire at Naomi’s place. So maybe Hunter’s theory was right. Maybe Ivan did set the fire. Someone saw him. After the fire was out at Naomi’s, the watcher went over for some payback.

The bikes spun around the big bruiser once more before lining up near him. They all faced the house. Bikes and dumbasses.

Really? They never—not for one second—considered that their prey might be behind them?

“Send out the woman!” From the wannabe leader. “We want her! Send her out first! ”

So he was delusional. Great to know.

The bikes started moving again. The gang members were shouting, blasting their voices and their bikes and wrecking the nicely landscaped yard.

One guy sped toward Eb’s hiding spot, then turned at the last moment.

His bike’s wheels slipped on the grass, and the rider had to grab the handlebars quickly to adjust and?—

Eb just tossed him right off the bike. Then he knocked the bastard out with two fast punches while the riderless bike careened away. Someone had a glass jaw—plus that someone had made the mistake of not wearing a helmet. Didn’t he know that was a fatal mistake? Such a poor life choice.

Another motorcycle crashed into a tree about fifteen feet away. A motorcycle without a rider. When Eb looked over that way, he saw that Hunter had just plucked the guy from the bike.

The crash into the tree had captured everyone’s attention. The other motorcycles stilled.

All eyes went to Hunter.

They haven’t even seen me. Because his attack had been one hell of a lot quieter than Hunter’s. The former Ranger had so much to learn.

“Whoops!” Hunter announced and his voice was happy. “Did I interrupt your party? My bad.”

The motorcycles immediately blasted toward him.

Hunter pulled out his gun.

So did Eb.

She was almost at the Impala when she heard the first gunshot ring out. Naomi flinched at the sound, and she dropped the keys. She kept the grip on the gun—win!—but the keys hit the ground. Immediately, she crouched to her knees and scooped them up.

Henry bumped into her, urging her forward.

Forward, yes, to the car. To escape. To drive away and not look back but…

Another gunshot blast rang out.

I’m the best assassin you’ll ever meet.

Such confidence. But…what if he’d been wrong? At last count, Hunter had said there were ten gang members out there. Ten against two. She hated those odds.

More than that, though, Naomi hated that Eb thought she’d run away without a backward glance and leave him.

Not happening.

She rose and rushed to the car. Hauled open the door. Henry immediately tried to jump inside. “No!” A sharp order.

His head swung toward her.

She bent and put her head against his. “Too dangerous,” she whispered. “I love you, and I need you to stay here, in this garage. Understand?” She lifted her head. The light from the Impala’s interior poured onto Henry.

He blinked up at her. Those sweet, trusting eyes.

“Stay here,” she ordered again. “I’ll be okay.”

Then she got in the car. Put the gun in the passenger seat. Cranked the engine.

And drove.

His goal wasn’t to kill. Not unless he had to do so. Eb already had enough blood on his hands, and he generally tended to avoid killing unless it was the only solution.

Wounding and incapacitating his prey? That worked for now.

He’d taken out three men. The first had been the idiot he’d knocked off the bike.

Two attackers had fired at him. Both dumbasses had missed because they couldn’t aim and ride their bikes at the same time. One had crashed on his own. Putting him out of commission had been easy after that because he’d barely been able to stand.

Eb had fired at the other one’s front tire. Sent him hurtling into the sky. Then the ground.

He was pretty sure Hunter had taken out about two guys, as well. Not that he was counting, but if he had been counting…

I’m winning.

Motorcycles howled around him.

“Eb!” Hunter shouted. A warning cry.

Like he needed the warning. He could hear the snarls and knew they’d all decided he was the main target. The bikes were coming at him but so was the big, wannabe boss. Swinging one of the gasoline containers right at Eb’s face.

Eb dodged. Turned out, it was easier than one might expect because a gasoline container made for a bulky-ass weapon. When the slugger came at him again, Eb caught the base of the container and shoved back. The tattooed, pierced attacker gave a shriek and let go. He also fell on his ass.

Eb had a gun aimed on the bastard two seconds later. “You’re gonna keep your ass right there,” he ordered. “And you’re going to tell me how the hell you found us!”

“You killed Ivan!” And the big bruiser ignored the gun and leapt at Eb.

Sonofabitch, the man packed quite a tackle.

Since Eb knew the dead couldn’t give good, quality answers, he didn’t shoot.

He went down beneath the big guy, kept the gun gripped with his right hand, and when the slugger pulled back to hit him, Eb reached up and ripped the piercing right out of the man’s nose.

Blood flew. The guy screeched in pain and lurched upward.

And Eb took the opportunity to put his gun to the guy’s chest. “I repeat, how did you find us?”

The man froze. Blood dripped from his nose.

The motorcycles roared around him. Their lights hit Eb. He didn’t look toward them. Hunter was out there, hopefully taking out more of those jerks.

But the biker before Eb grinned with grim intent. “They’re gonna tear you to shreds beneath their wheels.”

The bikes roared.

The man above Eb yanked out a knife. Dammit. Eb whipped his gun to the side and fired a hole right through the guy’s raised hand. The hand that had been clutching the knife. Then Eb rolled, jumped to his feet, took aim again?—

Motorcycles rushed right at him.

And so did…

His Impala. It surged from behind the house with a series of wild blares from its horn.

It bobbed and heaved— Dear God in heaven, my precious baby is bobbing and heaving— and barreled right at the men on bikes.

They scrambled. One raced down the driveway road and didn’t stop.

Another flew into the thick brush in an effort to get away from the Impala. A third…

The Impala hit the back of his motorcycle and sent both the bike and the driver hurtling into the air.

A fourth guy might have crashed into a bush. Eb stopped looking for him as the Impala screeched to a stop right in front of Eb and the biker who was clutching his bleeding hand and sobbing.

“Holy hell,” Hunter exclaimed with possible admiration as he stepped from the darkness. “Did I just see that?”

Steam came from the hood of his Impala. Eb was pretty sure he had to blink away tears. My baby is bobbing and heaving and…steaming?

The door flung open.

“It was more than ten, for the record,” Hunter announced. “That’s why it took me longer to get to your side. They kept coming and coming, like ants crawling out of a mound. I think we got swarmed by the whole gang.”

Naomi’s head popped over the open door. “You good?” she called out.

Good had nothing to do with how he felt.

Steam still rose from the hood of his Impala.

And the prick with the bleeding hand and nose had suddenly stopped moaning.

Probably because he’d seen Naomi, too. The guy used his uninjured hand to reach for the knife he’d lost earlier—when Eb had shot a hole through his hand.

The prick was intent on hurting Naomi. So Eb stomped his injured, heavily bleeding hand.

The creep’s pain-filled howl filled the night.

Then Eb stomped on the other hand.

“Savage,” Hunter rasped.

Oh, he could show the guy savage. But first… “Naomi, I told you to leave.”

She slammed the door. Rushed toward him. Almost seemed to be about to hug him, but then she stopped and put her hands behind her back. “Pretty sure we covered that I had a distinct inability to follow orders?—”

Henry bounded from the back of the house. Of course, Henry bounded out. He raced forward. Went right to Naomi’s side. His tail thumped as he sniffed her, and, satisfied, he proceeded to plop down beside her.

“Henry! You were supposed to stay!” Naomi cried out.

So they both had that problem with following orders. Interesting.

“Do not! ” Naomi suddenly snapped as if she’d read his mind. “I am not your pet to stay where you command.” She scratched Henry beneath his ears. “And Henry is my famil y!” She slid her hand beneath his collar. Tickled him with her fingers. “I told him to stay back because I wanted him safe.”

“Imagine that. Giving an order because you want someone to be safe. Earth-shattering idea.”

She’d crouched to pet the dog, and she glared up at him. “Sue me for saving you.”

Saving him? Saving ? —

“We have an easy dozen gang members who are down but not out completely,” Hunter informed them before Eb could choke out a response. “The lover’s quarrel can wait. We need to know exactly how they found us. Now.”

Eb was still stomping both of the big guy’s hands. He also had his gun aimed at the man’s forehead.

Huh, maybe his current pose was the reason Naomi hadn’t gone through with the hug he was sure she’d intended.

She came back to save me.

That meant she didn’t hate him, right? She’d driven his car at gang members who’d been intent on running him over. That had to be a positive sign. If she’d hated him, surely, she would have just let the guys roll forward and crush him beneath the wheels of their bikes. Correction, try to crush him.

Eb could have handled them, of course. But, it was still sweet that she cared.

“Who’s a good boy?” Naomi questioned in her sugary-sweet voice. Her fingers fluttered under Henry’s collar once more.

“You told him to stay somewhere, and he didn’t,” Eb pointed out. “That’s hardly a good?—”

“Oh, no.” Horror sharpened her voice.

He tensed. “Naomi?”

Her hand lifted. There was something small and white in her hand. His eyes narrowed as he struggled to see it better in the darkness.

She turned the object over in her fingers. “I think it’s one of those tracking tags. It was tucked under his collar.”

Hunter took it from her. “Hell. It was probably on the dog when you took him from Ivan’s place.”

Laughter boomed.

Eb glared down at the jerk who’d been leading the attack party.

“Always knew…knew exactly where she was…part of his plan…”

Ivan’s twisted plan to make Naomi pay. “Ivan set the fire at her house.”

The bastard flashed a killer grin at him.

Eb stomped down harder on the hand with the giant hole in it.

This time, the guy didn’t laugh. He screamed.

“Let’s try again,” Eb said. “ Who set the fire? ”

“I did!” A shout. Spittle flew from his mouth.

“I set it because he told me to do it! Ivan wanted her to suffer for what she’d done to his partner.

So suffer, she fucking will! You stopped the fire before, but I’ll make sure she burns.

Sooner or later, those flames will get her.

Ivan told me—said that fire was perfect for her!

Hudson told him about how she’d almost burned as a kid, and it would be a fitting end for her.

” His gaze jumped to Naomi. “You don’t screw over our gang and get away! We will end you!”

No, they wouldn’t. Eb would make certain of that. He eased off the prick’s hands. Stepped to the side.

The fool lunged up.

Eb kicked the bastard in the jaw. His prey crumpled, head sagging, body slack.

You come for her, and I will end you.