Page 4 of Ice Cold Liar (Ice Breaker Cold Case #14)

Oh, wait, had she been serious? “You’re five-foot-five.

He has to clock in at six-three.” Because he and Ivan had been eye-to-eye.

“Pretty sure he could bench press you with one arm. And one of you will stand zero chance against him and his crew. So I don’t know who the hell this Henry is…

” Probably a new lover, when Hudson is cold in the ground.

“But he’s trouble. You need to forget him.

If he’s cast his lot in with Ivan’s crew, you don’t want that kind of trouble in your life.

” Naomi had plenty of trouble to handle on her own without adding bonus content to the mix.

“I’m not leaving Henry. I think he’s in that bar. Probably in Ivan’s back office.”

What, was Henry like…Ivan’s accountant or something? Might make sense. A good accountant could make dirty money vanish?—

“If he’s not in the back office, then Ivan must have him stashed at his home.” She shimmied around him. Yanked open the door to her truck and hauled out a bat. A baseball bat.

He blinked at her. “Uh, slugger? Just what are you planning to do with that?” And, yes, this makes you seem extra murdery, sweetheart.

“Whatever needs doing.”

He raised his eyebrows. “A little birdie told me that the DA only recently decided to drop the charges against you.” He paused. “You really think going into a bar, swinging a bat, won’t make the DA rethink his idea that you’re innocent?”

She dropped the top of the bat to touch the ground. “First, the DA doesn’t think I’m innocent.”

Neither do I.

“He just doesn’t have enough evidence to prove I’m guilty.”

That’s why I’m here. I’m looking for evidence to lock you away.

“But I don’t think he’ll really care if I break a few doors at Ivan’s place. Not like the DA and Ivan have some fantastic relationship.” She lifted the bat. Moved to stroll right past him.

Sighing, Eb wrenched the bat from her and tossed it into the bed of the truck. When the bat hit, it made a loud clang.

Her hands immediately went to her hips. “Why the hell did you do that?”

“To save your life.” The same reason he picked her up—yet again—even as she squealed in outrage, and he dumped her in the driver’s seat of the truck.

“Forget the new boyfriend. Get your—” Homicidal.

Nope, can’t say that. Can’t say…Get your homicidal ass back home.

So he settled for, “Get your gorgeous ass back home.” He stood right next to the driver’s seat, with the open door at his side.

She grabbed the steering wheel, but turned her head toward him. “What new boyfriend?”

“Henry.” A disgusted shake of his head. “Lady, you have enough problems without worrying about some dumb asshole?—”

“Henry is not my boyfriend. He’s my dog. ”

Her what?

“Ivan stole him while I was being held in jail. You know, back when the DA thought it would be super fun to lock me away for ages even though I’d been convicted of zero crimes.

I was being held for murdering my husband, held without bond, even though I told everyone who would listen that I wasn’t guilty.

” She sucked in a deep, shuddering breath.

“A neighbor was supposed to be watching Henry. Ivan stole my dog.”

“Get a new dog. You’ll stay alive that way.” He started to back up.

Her hand flew out. Curled around his wrist. “Please.” Her voice broke.

Something in him seemed to break, too. Wait. What the fuck is happening?

“I love that dog,” she said, and damn if it didn’t sound like the woman—the same woman who’d been ready to go swinging with a bat a few moments ago—was about to cry.

She hadn’t cried at her husband’s gravesite, but she was on the verge of tears over a dog.

“I need him. I-I can’t explain but just, dammit…

that dog is mine. Mine. I have to get Henry back. ”

She let go of his wrist and dashed a hand across her face. The interior light was on in the truck, shining brightly down on her, and Eb realized she was dashing away actual tears.

Now she cried. Now. Outside of a bar. Over a dog. Check.

He whistled. Okay, maybe she was the best actress he’d ever seen.

Maybe this could explain why the DA had caved and dropped those charges.

Did you pull the teary routine with him, too?

Turn on the grieving widow waterworks and the DA thought the jury would never convict you based on the circumstantial evidence he had?

“I will do anything to get my dog back. Break some bikes? Fine. Done. Pound a bat into a door in order to make those jerks pay attention to me? Done. ”

She could not be serious. “You’re gonna die for your dog? Is that on your to-do list?”

“I don’t plan on dying.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “I want my dog back. He’s all I have.” Her head bowed forward.

Shit. “You’re seriously doing all of this…for a dog?” He could not quite wrap his mind around what was happening. Too surreal.

Her head whipped toward him. “He’s a special dog, all right? I just want my dog back. And I will do anything, I—” She stopped. Her hand flew out and curled around his wrist once more. “You know Ivan.”

Not really. Knew of him. They were not buddies.

“You probably read his CIA file or something like that. You can convince him to give me back my dog.” Now she jumped from the truck. Her body brushed against Eb’s because he sure as hell wasn’t about to retreat. “If you can get my dog back, I would be so grateful to you!”

Just how grateful?

She’d already said that she’d do anything…

He stared down at her.

“Please.” She bit her lip. Then, “Please, I am begging here, Eb. I get that you don’t like me. But that dog is special. I need him. And if he stays with Ivan—look, I think Ivan only took Henry to hurt me.”

“And Ivan wants to hurt you because…?”

“The same reason all of Hudson’s friends want to hurt me. Because they think I killed him.” She swallowed. “Isn’t that why you want to hurt me?”

His gut tightened. “What in the hell makes you think I’m here to hurt you? Told you, I was just meeting with Ivan to close out old business with the agency…” Total lie. He was there to obliterate her world.

Her eyes were big and deep. Those eyes would suck in a normal man. Convince him that she was weak and innocent. In need of protection. The princess who needed some kind of knight to ride fast to the rescue.

Screw that knight bullshit. He was more of a destroyer than a savior. She’d learn that, eventually.

Besides, she was no innocent princess. If this was the fairytale, she’d be the villain. The wicked witch who poisoned her own true love—or rather, stabbed him right in the heart.

If she’d ever even loved Hudson. Eb doubted that she had. With Hudson’s death, she’d inherited all his assets.

So why the hell is she driving that old pickup truck?

“If you aren’t here to hurt me, then help me. I will owe you.”

He’d wanted an opportunity to get close to her. Earning her trust would be paramount in this game. Eb just hadn’t expected the opportunity to be handed to him on a silver platter. But, then again, his twin Jake had always said that Eb was the lucky one.

“I’ll help,” he said, making the words sound grudging. He put away his gun. For the moment. “But you have to do exactly what I say, understand?”

She threw herself at him. Curled her arms around him and wrapped him up in that sultry scent of hers. “Thank you!”

He should not—a thousand times, should not —have responded physically to her, but he did.

The dark truth was that he’d always responded physically to her.

Even when she’d been walking down the aisle to marry his friend, his dumb dick had been saluting her.

He’d even entertained a fast and wrong fantasy about stealing his friend’s girl. Running with her from that chapel.

But he hadn’t moved from his position. Hadn’t said a word when the officiant had asked if anyone objected to the wedding. He’d stood in silence.

I lusted after my friend’s bride.

And now I’m going to wreck her world.

His hands slowly closed around her. She was warm and soft against him. Deceptively delicate. No wonder she’d been able to slip past Hudson’s guard. She didn’t look like a killer.

His head moved near her right ear. “You have to get back in that truck, and you have to go home.”

She stiffened against him. Began to pull back.

He kept his grip on her because he wasn’t done.

“That gang will erupt if they see you again. So do what I say. My plan, my rules. You get in the truck. You go home. I’ll get the dog.

” How the hell was he gonna pull off that magic trick?

Eb didn’t know yet. But he’d always been pretty good at figuring shit out in the heat of the moment.

“I’ll bring him to you. Then you pay me back. Deal?”

He heard the whisper of her breath. A second or two later, he felt the movement of her head as she nodded.

Slowly—more reluctantly than he should have—Eb released her.

“What does the payback entail?” she asked.

“Does it matter?”

Naomi’s head tilted to the side. “Perhaps.”

“We’ll start by saying that you let me crash at your place.

Staying in a guest room at your place will be better than me having to find a hotel room for the night.

” I need to get in your house. I need to search every inch of the property.

I need to be close so that I can learn your secrets and catch you when you slip up.

Because, sooner or later, she would slip up.

Criminals always did.

Laughter sputtered from her. The sound was warm and rich, and it caught him completely off guard.

“You have clearly never seen my place if you think it’s better than a hotel room.

Not in its current state, it’s certainly not better.

Despite the dreams I once had. But, sure, I’ll be happy to give you a place to crash.

” She brought her hand up between them. “You give me back my dog, and I’ll give you a crash spot.

Plus, whatever else you add to our deal later. ”

He closed his hand around hers. “No more questions?” He didn’t buy that. “What if I want things you’re not prepared to give?”

“Just what sort of things would you mean?” Her hand was soft against his.

I want everything you have. All that you are. “I want the truth.” Shit. Clusterfuck. He had not meant to make that stark statement.

“The truth about what?” Careful, now. She began to tug her hand back.

He let her go. “The truth about you. The truth about Hudson.” A pause. “I want you to help me find your husband’s killer.”

She backed away fast and rammed into the side of the truck. “ What?”

“You’re not guilty. That’s what you’ve been claiming all along, right?”

“I’ve been saying that, yes.” Slightly breathless.

“Then I’m offering you a team-up. After I finish my business with Ivan, you and I will find the real killer. Because what I want—most of all—is to make certain the killer is captured.” He nodded. “Deal?”

The silence ticked past.

“ You think I’m innocent?” Naomi finally asked, voice husky.

“Aren’t you?”

She rocked forward. “Get my dog, and we have a deal.”

Hell, yes. “Get that ass into the truck, get out of here, and then we have a deal.”

She climbed back into the truck. Slammed the door. Cranked the engine. Well, on the third, sputtering try, Naomi cranked the engine. Only instead of driving away, she lowered the window. “I have a confession.”

Already? Damn. He’d expected more resistance. Eb put his forearm on the side of the door. Leaned in toward her.

“I always thought you were far too damn sexy, Ebenezer Jones.”

What. The. Fuck?

“And I always wondered…what would have happened if I met you before Hudson? Just how different would my life have been?”

Shock froze him.

“Better step back,” she advised, voice sugary sweet. “I’d hate to run over your foot on my way out of here.”

He stepped back.

She rattled off an address. Not like he needed it. He had her address saved on his phone. Imprinted on his brain.

“See you soon,” his prey told him. All merry and bright. Like they were planning to meet up for tea or some shit. All signs of tears were gone.

In silence, Eb watched her drive away.

I always wondered…what would have happened if I met you before Hudson? Just how different would my life have been?

How different would his own life have been?

Would he be the dead one lying in a cold grave?

Eb waited until her taillights vanished, then he turned and stared at the rundown bar. After a moment, he squared his shoulders and headed for the entrance.

He wondered how many bastards he’d have to fight in order to get back one dog for a lady who looked like pure temptation but had a heart of absolute ice.

Naomi waited until she rounded the curve and…

She hit the brakes. Then whipped that truck around.

Ebenezer Jones, I don’t trust you for a second.

What did he think? That she’d been born yesterday? Hell, no, she wasn’t just going to drive away like a good little girl while he took care of business.

She’d tried to be good. Too many times. That routine didn’t work for her.

These days, she didn’t take orders from anyone.

And she was getting her damn dog back.

Eb could be the distraction in the front of the bar.

She’d sneak in the back.

Game. On.