Page 38 of Wild Card (Men of Action #4)

TALON

Un-fucking-believable.

I read the report on the screen again, ready to rip someone apart. Rage boils in my blood, racing through my veins with every beat of my heart. The words blur as red takes over my vision and I chuck the laptop across the room, hitting the wall with a crash.

“It was fucking peanut butter. The vet tested his stomach contents and reported the poison was likely in the peanut butter.”

“Goddamn,” Major hisses. “Didn’t see that coming.”

“Peanut butter supposed to mean something?” Finn asks

“Not long ago, Willow was in the hospital. They suspected allergic reaction.” Ace explains what happened, and with every word, my fury magnifies.

I swing around, scrubbing my hands through my hair. “I’m trained to identify threats and smoke them out. How the fuck did I miss this?”

We had no idea what happened to Wolf to put him in the condition he was in. There was still the possibility he got into something outside after the pest control service left.

Now that I know the cause, I’m not sure my control can last.

“Man, you gotta hold it together.” Robbie eyes me cautiously.

“Ember and Blaze were poisoned, and her house ransacked, then you talk to me about holding it together.”

“That woman in the kitchen has had enough for one day. The girls will only keep her occupied for so long before she’ll need you.”

I blow out a breath and drop my head back, knowing he’s right.

Not to mention, Bex and Chase will be here soon. After Major arrived and took Wolf to the vet clinic, we answered questions for over an hour.

Willow went through her house, reporting what was missing and describing the damage.

I made her leave to visit Wolf and let my guys do the rest of the sweep.

Then, I called Chase and explained she wasn’t going back anytime soon, if ever.

Once the vet confirmed Wolf would be fine and he’d need to stay overnight, I got her here. Jewls, Jay, and Rowan were waiting.

But the distraction won’t last long.

“Breaking it down, Willow gets sick, speculation it’s an allergic reaction to possibly peanut butter, but all tests prove negative.

She’s had no other reactions. Then today her house is robbed and her dog found in the same state as Willow.

Only this time, they identify the reason is actually peanut butter that was contaminated.

This just got a hell of a lot messier than a run-of-the-mill break-in. ”

The calmness in Finn’s tone ratchets up my already destructive irritation.

“You fucking think? There’s nothing run-of-the-mill about this.”

“Playing devil’s advocate here—let me throw out a setup. Perp breaks in, Wolf goes crazy, and the intruder lures him out of the room with the temptation of peanut butter, not knowing it’s tainted. Shuts the dog in the room, finishes the job, and leaves.”

“Don’t tell me you believe that shit you spouted.”

“Not what I believe, but thinking on the side of the law.”

“There are no coincidences here. It was personal. And my money is on the fucking sister.”

“You got anything to back that up?”

“She’s jobless, drowning in debt, and as of recently, single. That’s why the dickhead was at Willow’s today.”

“Joseph Wynn came over to tell her he broke off his engagement with her sister? Did he think she’d care?”

“He’s a sack of shit with an ego issue. One second with the guy and you know he regrets his decision. You also know he deserves what he got.”

“Back to the sister. You really take her for this?”

“My gut says yes.”

“Your gut is enough for me, but we have to color inside the lines of the law. What else you got? Because we have no signs of the sister at the house.”

“I fucking know this. What I don’t know is how she isn’t clocked on any of the videos. That bitch is a lot of things, but a ghost isn’t one of them.”

“If Rylee Richards did this, she’d have to know when Willow wasn’t home and plan. I read Willow’s statement. Run through the day with me again, from your point of view.”

Robbie’s one of the best in his field. Intelligence, security, high-stake situations, there’s a reason people hire Hayes Security.

His request is normal, but it still pisses me off.

“I left here for the station around six. She left soon after to take Wolf home. Security monitors show her leaving her home at seven-thirty. She met Bex and Lucas for coffee before work. Her grandma, Rosie, came over at one to let Wolf out and stayed for an hour. Back camera shows her talking to the neighbor for most of that time. Couple of notifications throughout the day from the system—pest control, lawn service, mailman, a few deliveries for neighbors—nothing out of the ordinary. At five-fifteen, the asshole rang her bell, didn’t get an answer, and waited around.

When she pulled into her spot, and I saw her reaction, I knew who he was and was already on the move.

“Got there, listened to his bullshit, and called him out. That’s when Lo realized Wolf wasn’t barking. We got into the house and you know the rest.”

“Any chance we can get our hands on that jar of peanut butter?”

“I think Willow threw away the jar the day she was released from the hospital,” I grind out, knowing our chance of testing it for evidence is probably gone. “It also means Rylee came prepared.”

“We didn’t itemize the pantry contents; I’ll go over and check,” Ace offers. “It’ll help a hell of a lot since there are no unusual fingerprints at her place.”

Robbie crosses his arms and glares at me sharply. “Finn has a point, albeit a stretch, but it is possible this was a random break-in. Willow didn’t dispose of the peanut butter, and the robber didn’t count on the dog. They used it as a distraction, having no idea it was poisoned.”

“This was no coincidence,” I repeat. “That was a huge fucking stretch.”

“Or,” he goes on, “this was personal as you suspect. Don’t know Rylee Richards but heard enough to know she’s irrational. Sounds like a spoiled little rich girl who had no qualms about fucking her sister’s man. But is she smart enough to pull this off? You got a profile?”

“Spoiled is an understatement.” I give him the rundown on Rylee, including what Willow and Chase have shared. “And she’s recently had a shitload of bad luck.”

Robbie’s eyes light with approval. “You have something to do with her losing her job and the rest?”

I shrug indifferently.

“Well, I have it on good authority that she showed at Clyde’s after the salon incident. Wanted to special order some high-dollar bridesmaid shit. Cruz and Ember politely declined her business. Somehow, word got out, and she was turned away from most reputable places in the city.”

For the first time in hours, I crack a smile. “Funny how that happens.”

“Now we need to figure out what provoked her today,” Finn chimes in. “She doesn’t strike me as a mastermind. Spiking the peanut butter for Willow happened a while ago.”

“Jealousy and insanity,” Ford adds his two cents.

“Wynn dropped her and she got desperate,” I state, my mind slapping it all together.

“We need to talk to Sterling and Chase. Last I heard, Rylee was expecting her dad to help her out of the community service. He was coping with his obligation to both his daughters and carries a lot of guilt. Betting Rylee’s asked for money recently.

If he refused, that could have set her off. ”

“Sounds like a classic case of misplaced anger.” Ace locks eyes with me. “You gonna tell Willow this?”

“At some point. She’s been looking forward to tomorrow night’s party for weeks. Rylee doesn’t get to ruin it. I need answers from her dad to proceed.”

“Hayes Security is on this.” The authority in Robbie’s statement is matter-of-fact.

“I’m not standing down.”

“Not asking you to. But you’re in a uniform and your girlfriend’s at the center of an open case now. You want to take her down, you have to ride the line. We don’t. Our methods are much more productive without boundaries.”

It makes sense. Being a part of the Hayes Security team as a contractor last year was a sightline into the world of how the man operates. “I want in the loop.”

“You will be, but you’ll be free and clear of any gray area that could potentially affect your future. Take it from me, I’ve been there.”

“Fuck.” His words slice like a knife.

Willow and Chase may have cut Rylee out of their life, but she’s still their sister. Willow is a permanent part of my life. He’s offering me the chance to distance myself and stay clean of possibly throwing Rylee in jail.

“This fucking kills.” I nod my agreement reluctantly.

Finn steps to the corner, making a call, while Ford, Ace, and Major silently communicate their thoughts.

No one wants to back off.

“How do you want to play this?” My stomach twists, knowing I’m no longer in control.

“My guess is, if they haven’t already, the brother and dad will suspect Rylee, too. With recent events, she’s a livewire. It’s important we don’t tip her off. Can’t tell you men what to do, but the less we talk, the better. A few days is all we need.”

Reading between the lines—keep our shit tight.

Finn rejoins us with a sly grin. “Like feeding candy to a baby.”

Robbie returns the smile, shaking his head. “Knew that.”

“What’s up?” I glance between them.

“Max is in. I’ll get the tracking system in play tomorrow and we’re up,” Finn answers.

“Max is in San Diego on special assignment.”

“He’s also found himself with a lot of downtime. He’s been bugging me for something to fill his lulls.”

“That man needs to find a woman.”

“Kinda hard to do when your only relationship is a commitment to the Marines.” Robbie chuckles. “Be glad when he’s ready to get out and come back.”

“Any chance that’s happening soon?”

“Yeah, Finn and I think he’s ready. We’ll dig when he’s here for the wedding.”

“Glad to have him here.” Ford’s comment hangs in the air.

The sensor on the table rings, and the monitor shows Sterling speeding up the road.

“Looks like your future father-in-law is in a hurry.” Major’s amusement is clear as we watch Sterling slam to a stop, exit his car, and bolt up the steps.

He was in Knoxville when Willow called him earlier and has been blowing up my phone wanting updates. His lethal expression softens when the front door opens and Willow falls into his arms.

“I need to get out there.”

“We’ll follow your lead on the conversation,” Robbie advises.

I blow out a breath, going against everything in me, but know it’s for the best until Max gets back to us. “I’ll keep conversation to the basics?—”

I’m cut off by the door smashing open. Sterling’s standing there, his body language harsh, his face hard as stone, and his stormy eyes finding mine.

The mood in the room intensifies.

“What the fuck did my youngest daughter do?”

Willow and the women pile in behind him.

Well, shit . So much for keeping things under wraps.