And he was a member of Bounty.
“Apparently, he’s some older guy who lives in Aurora,” she continued.
Fuck.
Bounty ran in Aurora.
This was not a coincidence.
He didn’t share he knew about Benson. That might not be wise to keep it from Rebel, but he had to talk to his dad about this info before he got Rebel riled up about it.
Instead, he asked, “How do they know it’s not Benson?”
She shifted back to the counter to push down on the press. “He says he has an alibi. But since that alibi is someone Hank and Eddie don’t trust, they’re not buying it. Unfortunately, although they have both men’s DNA in her place, it’s known they were both seeing her and whoever raped her that night used a condom,” She gestured to the press. “You take cream or sugar?”
“Black,” he stated. “Now, babe, you know that Harrietta is Chew’s old lady.”
She nodded, pouring his coffee. “She comes around. She’s in with Valenzuela. Working both angles. Something I now don’t understand, considering you told me Valenzuela killed her daughter.”
Rush didn’t understand that either.
And he didn’t like it.
Rebel kept talking.
“Unless she doesn’t know that.”
Rush figured of all the players in this fucked-up game, Harrietta knew everything.
Rebel kept sharing.
“He’s paying her to do whatever it is he wants done because he isn’t a fan of Arthur’s either, but I’m getting he likes to play with his prey. I overheard some shit. Made an approach. Shared her old man was stepping out on her with Diane. She didn’t seem surprised. She also didn’t seem surprised he’s wanted in connection with her murder. But she’s also not feeling the love, and I felt that before I mentioned the murder. And this might be why she’s in with Valenzuela. Because by her not feeling the love, I mean she really doesn’t feel the love. So she said she’ll get him to admit it, confess, on tape, so I can give it to Hank and Eddie. And that’s why I think it’s Lannigan.”
She took the steel thing out of her tea, grabbed both the cups, and walked to him.
She offered him his coffee.
He took it, asking, “Why did you get in with Valenzuela?”
She shrugged, blew into her tea, and answered, “His name was in the file I read. I knew he was the man behind the porn and the man behind the drugs, the root of all evil that befell Diane, so he was my first target. It was just luck Harrietta was coming around and Valenzuela mentioned Lannigan’s name. I thought I’d hit the lottery.”
She took a sip.
Rush did not.
“You didn’t, sweetheart, you know that, right? This shit is all tangled and it’s totally fucked up. You stepped into a vipers’ den that also has a pissed-off lion.”
“If she gets me that confession on tape, I’ll Indiana Jones and Gladiator that crap until I can spring free.”
“This isn’t a movie.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot worse seeing a real-life person, one you know and love, with her neck broken. Have you ever seen that, Rush? It’s not a good look. Valentino won’t be asking his models to take that off for the ad campaign for his spring line.”
“Babe,” he said low. “I thought we were going to strategize your way out.”
“We are. I can get free from Valenzuela, and Harrietta can still get me that confession. He doesn’t know anything about that.”
Rush wasn’t so sure.
“How long you been workin’ this?” he asked.
She shut up and sipped tea.
He set his coffee aside. “How long, Rebel?”
She swallowed and demanded, “That Hawk guy’s file on me didn’t include that info?”
“Five months, he thinks.”
“Hmm . . .”
“It’s been longer,” he muttered, watching her closely.
She sipped more tea, aiming her eyes anywhere but him.
It had been longer.
“Babe.”
She took the cup from her mouth, swallowed and asked, “What?”
“This woman is stringing you along. She’s also tellin’ the cops, and Chaos, that she has no clue where Chew is.”
Her face lost some color. “What?”
“We think he’s bailed.”
Her eyes got big and her voice got louder on her repeat of, “What?”
“He’s wanted in connection with six murders, he has four cops working those cases, and except for Reb getting dead, there’s been no sign of him in Denver for months.”
She set her cup beside his on the counter, stared at it, then yelled, “Goddamn it!”
“Rebel,” he called.
She turned to him, eyes flashing.
And there was his firebrand.
“That bitch has been playing me,” she snapped.
“You give her money?”
She closed her mouth.
“Fuckin’ shit,” he hissed.
“You can say that again.”
“Baby, so far, everyone thought you were playin’ this smart. Or as smart as someone like you could play it.”
“I have been,” she spat.
“Not if you gave Harrietta Turnbull money,” he told her.
“Except for that,” she shot back. “I didn’t think she was a woman of God, but I swear, Rush, she gave no indication she felt anything for that man but pure hatred. I think she hates him even more than me.”
“She can hate him and bleed anyone dry who wants to take him down until she feels she’s pushed that as far as it’ll go, and then she’ll sell him to the highest bidder.”
“Which would be Chaos,” she stated.
“I don’t know. He did Valenzuela dirty and the man is pissed. He’s been fucking with Chaos for years. Chew maneuvered him out, set up his own player in Valenzuela’s business as a takeover, that player being Harrietta’s daughter, but Chew was being his usual fucking stupid and didn’t make sure that out meant out. So Valenzuela came back, and did it pissed enough to offer to ally with Chaos to see the end of him. Valenzuela is also loaded. If it comes to a bidding war, we might be outbid. And that can’t happen because Chew should pay by rotting while breathing, not doing it dead and in an unmarked grave therefore it’d be painless.”
“Word on that,” she bit out.
“Well, fuck, honey, we agree on something.”
She glared at him.
He wished like fuck this was not a totally inappropriate time to kiss her.
Unfortunately, it was.
“Are you gonna drink your coffee? Because that’s a shit-hot roast, it costs some cabbage, and it’d suck I have to pour it down the drain.”
He narrowed his eyes on her. “How much you been giving Turnbull?”
“Too much,” she snapped.
“You hurting?”
“No, ’cause, you see, directing porn pays well,” she forced out like it tasted bad. “The thing is, I refuse to use any of that money except to give some of it to Harrietta, and since I haven’t had any paying gigs where the money isn’t dirty for six months, the gold in my coffers is running low.”
“We gotta get you out,” he growled.
“I gotta find Harrietta and slap some sense into the bitch to get her to get a fuckin’ move on with this shit,” she countered.
“Rebel, first, Chew might be in Mexico by now. And second, and more importantly, she can’t know you had any conversations with me or anyone Chaos,” he warned. “Chew used to be Chaos. He renounced the Club. It’s a long-ass story, but all this shit cycles around to him having some vendetta against my brothers, thankfully screwing that pooch, but directly and indirectly landing dead bodies all over the place that continue to drag Chaos in.”
Her pretty blue eyes got big as he talked and her voice was shrill when she asked, “That fuck used to be Chaos?”
“Sweetheart,” he murmured soothingly, smoothing a hand over her hip.
“How deep are you boys in this?” she demanded to know.
“Deeper than you. Deeper than Diane. Maybe even deeper than Harrietta.”
“Explain that.”
“I can’t. I can just tell you we’re diggin’ ourselves out and that’d be a whole lot easier if we didn’t have to worry about a beautiful redhead starring in an unfilmed snuff movie along the way. Or worse, knowing Valenzuela and how much he digs money no matter how he can make it, a filmed one.”
Her lips twisted on an, “Ugh.”
He lifted his brows. “No shit?”
“I’m not gonna star in a snuff film, Rush.”
“Let’s make sure of that, yeah?”
She gave him a glare then a demand in the form of, “You’re not drinking your coffee.”
He left his hand on her hip and used his other one to nab the mug and take a sip.
She was right. Whatever that roast was, it was shit hot.
He used his hand on her hip to pull her closer and he was pretty fucking pleased she didn’t fight it.
“You’re right, babe. This coffee is fuckin’ great.”
Her hand landed on his chest telling him she was close as she was going to get.
But she left it on his chest.
“I know.”
“Now about us connecting,” he muttered into his mug before taking another sip, but his eyes were on her.
“You can’t jump from snuff films to us connecting, stud.”
He dropped the mug, swallowed and grinned.
Then he asked, “What’s with ‘stud?’”
“My original thought was ‘stud muffin,’” she shared. “I shortened it.”
“Obliged.”
“Alternate was ‘dreamboat,’ but at the time I nicknamed you, I felt the need to sound badass.”