“I’m still not talkin’” the guy said. “I know my rights.”
“What’s your name?” Joe asked, his tone surprisingly calm.
The guy gave him a shit-eating grin.
Pushing out a sigh, Joe said, “Witt, pat him down and find his wallet.”
A menacing grin lifted the corner of Witt’s mouth, but he wasn’t overly rough as he felt the guy’s front and back pockets. Narrowing his eyes, Witt stood and turned to Joe. “No wallet. No phone. No keys. Nothing.”
The man’s grin spread.
Joe put his hands on his hips and studied the guy for several seconds, then shook his head and pulled out his phone.
“Who are you callin’?” I asked.
“The station. We need to haul him in and book him for attempted kidnapping and assault.” His gaze narrowed on my reddened arm. “To say nothing of the damage he caused in the diner.”
Holding Muffy with one hand, I grabbed his arm and tugged him backward a few steps before whispering, “You can’t arrest him, Joe. What if he knows?”
Joe’s face hardened. “He tried to kidnap you, Neely Kate. There’s no way in hell I’m lettin’ this guy go.”
My stomach churned, and I felt faint as panic swept through my head, but I knew he was right. I couldn’t let this guy go. What if he tried to hurt someone else?
My brother bent at his knees and looked into my eyes as he reached up and cupped my cheek. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Neely Kate.”
“You can’t promise that.” My voice shook. “No one can.”
“You have to trust me on this. Okay?”
My chin trembling, I nodded. “Okay.”
He stood upright and tugged me to his chest. “Thank you.”
Then he kissed the top of my head and placed his call.
Witt continued to glare at my would-be kidnapper, until Joe hung up. Then he said, “I’m taking Neely Kate home.”
“You can’t,” Joe said. “We need her statement.”
Witt shook his head in disgust, then turned his wrath on my brother. “How the hell did this happen?”
Joe didn’t answer, merely stood there with a guilty look in his eye.
“You were supposed to be watching her. Jed said you had it covered.”
“You talked to Jed?” I asked in surprise.
“Of course I talked to Jed!” he shouted. “You never bothered to call and let me know what was going on! I was here at Jed’s request waiting for the guy who was meetin’ Franken—or woulda met Franken if Franken… well.” Then he added in a defeated tone. “You should have called me, Neely Kate.”
“I…” I stammered. I pushed out a breath, then gave him an apologetic look. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
His anger returned. “That still doesn’t explain how she wandered in,” Witt said to my brother.
“Same reason as you.”
“I know that,” Witt said in disgust. “I’m talkin’ about leavin’ her out in the car alone. I saw her walk in and nearly lost my shit.”
Joe’s face reddened. “It wasn’t ideal, but I saw Brox Collard walk in and I didn’t want to lose him. Neely Kate stayed in the car with Muffy.”
“It’s not his fault, Witt,” I insisted. “I was adamant that we bring Muffy. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”
Witt didn’t look appeased, but he didn’t say anything either.
“Look, it is what it is,” Joe said with a defeated sigh. “There’s no goin’ back now.”
Witt glanced over his shoulder at my wannbe abductor, who was still sitting on the ground, watching us with an amused grin.
“What’s so funny, you son of a bitch?” Witt asked.
“You all have no idea what’s comin’.”
Joe took a couple of steps closer. “Then enlighten us.”
The guy laughed, and his gaze landed on me.
Witt moved in front of me, blocking the guy’s view of me. “What about her?”
“This is so much bigger than her, but she’s the key.”
“The key to what?” Joe asked, standing next to Witt and forming a wall between us.
His smug tone was back. “I’m not sayin’ another word.”
I could hear the faint sound of sirens, which meant we didn’t have much time. I set Muffy on the ground, then pushed through my cousin and my brother, stopping in front of the guy. I stared down at him in disgust. “Where were you plannin’ to take me?”
He winked. “Get these cuffs off me and I’ll show you.”
I tilted my head to the side, studying him for a second. “Joe, give me the handcuff key.”
“No fucking way,” he growled.
Witt said, “Give it to her.”
Joe swore under his breath, then said, “We’re not letting him go.”
“Don’t worry,” Witt said. “There’s no way in hell he’s gettin’ away,”
“We’re not shootin’ him either.”
I glanced over my shoulder and caught Joe’s eye. “Trust me.”
Joe pushed out another heavy sigh, then walked around the guy and uncuffed him. “If you think about boltin’, I’ll shoot you in the kneecap. You’ve been warned.”
The guy looked amused. “I thought you just said no one was shootin’ me.”
Joe narrowed his eyes with a glare as he stopped next to me. “Maybe I’m reservin’ that bit of fun for myself.”
I shot a glance toward Joe. “Now I need you to walk around the corner out of sight.”
“No. Way.”
“Joe,” I pleaded. “It’s safer for you this way.”
“I’m already in this deep,” he said, backing up several feet behind me. The sirens were growing louder. “I’m stayin’, but you better hurry.”
Nodding, I moved closer to the guy again, but still out of his reach. “Okay, I got you uncuffed. Now tell me where you were takin’ me.”
He grinned. “My offer to show you still stands.”
I crossed my arms, watching his body language so I’d be ready when he pounced, because I knew he would. I was counting on it. “See, this here’s what we call a compromise. I gave you something, now you give me somethin’.”
He licked his upper lip. “Oh, I wanna give you somethin’.”
Witt cursed behind me, but I held up a hand in warning.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Here’s what I think: You’re a lot of talk and you don’t know nothin’. You’re just some low-level pawn sent to get me, knowin’ you were expendable.”
His face reddened. “You don’t know shit.”
“And that’s where we’re alike,” I said. “Neither do you.”
His body tensed, and I knew he was close to springing into action.
“But that’s okay,” I said, dropping my arms to my side as I walked to his left side. “A big tough guy like you… you’ll do well in prison.” I leaned forward slightly. “Of course, you’ll have to switch from screwin’ girls to men, but I suspect this big tough-guy act is you just compensatin’ from stayin’ in the closet so long.”
He released a low growl, then launched himself at me, but I was ready. I slammed the heel of my palm into his throat. He fell to his knees, clutching his neck and gagging.
I moved to his left side again, just out of arm’s reach. “I really hated doin’ that because now you’re gonna have a hard time tellin’ me what I want to know.”
His teary gaze lifted to mine. Hate had replaced his amusement.
“You claim you’re in the know, so prove it. How do you know about me?”
“I don’t know nothing,” he croaked.
I lifted my shoulders into a nonchalant shrug. “I get it. They told you not to talk. I bet you think they’re gonna send a lawyer, but you know what I think? You’re doomed either way. If you really don’t know anything, they’ll let you rot. You’re a liability otherwise. But if you do know something, they’ll have you killed, because you, my friend, are goin’ to prison. There’s no gettin’ out of it. You tried to snatch me in front of a whole room full of people.”
“Your secret will get out,” he said, recovering his voice. “Everyone will know.”
I nearly showed a reaction to that. What did he know about my secret? But I played it like I was clueless. “Now I know you’re bluffin’,” I said, walking back in front of him. “You just said you didn’t know anything.”
“Maybe I know something after all.”
“I’m callin’ malarkey,” I said. “I was right about you bein’ expendable. You have to be if you’re stupid enough to try to grab me in a restaurant full of people.”