Shane eyed her jaw, and his snapped shut. Swiveling to full height, he shot a punch to George’s face. A loud crack split the air. George went limp, and Matt let him fall to the ground. Shane instantly stomped on George’s hand. The sickening sound of knuckles breaking destroyed the silence. He moved for the other fingers.
“Wait.” Matt held up a hand.
Shane circled George like an eagle hungry to strike. “No. He hit her.”
“I know.” Nathan stepped between Shane and George, ignoring his brother’s warning growl. “We need answers, Shane.” He glanced at Josie, his gaze softening. “How badly are you hurt, sweetheart?”
She pushed to her feet. “I’m not. I’m fine.” Her jaw was on fire, and speaking forced tears to her eyes. She batted them back.
Nathan’s upper lip quirked. “Good on you.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why did he take you? Does he know about Shane?”
Josie frowned, rubbing her smarting fingertips together. Blood smeared. “No. His boss is the one who trashed our offices because they want some of my records.”
Shane frowned. “Which records?”
Josie shrugged, trying to catch her breath. “George wouldn’t say. It had to be in one of the four files I took home the other night. Those are the only files they couldn’t get at the office.”
George groaned, rolling to the side.
Shane reached for her wrists and turned her palms over. “What the hell happened to your hands?”
“I grabbed the tiles to block the door.” She bit her lip against tears. Now that the danger had passed, fear clutched her around the throat. No crying. She would not cry.
“Smart girl,” Shane murmured, his hands warm under hers. “You go with Mattie, angel. We’ll be along shortly.” He pushed her gently toward Matt, who put a reassuring arm around her shoulder.
“Oh but—” Reality crashed back. “Billy’s dead. I mean, his body is in the storage room.” Poor Billy.
Nathan raised an eyebrow and hustled through the hole in the wall, plunging back out after a couple moments. “Thirty-five to the head. Point-blank.”
Her knees quivered. George would definitely have killed her. “All four of the accounts I brought home with me were Billy’s clients first.” They were good clients. What did George hope to gain by obtaining their financial information? Or was he trying to cover up Billy’s mistakes? Had he stolen from the companies? If so, for whom?
Shane’s face turned to stone. “Well, then. We need to find out what this guy was looking for, don’t we?” Anticipation and deadly promise whispered through his deep tone. “Matt, please take my wife out of here. We’ll meet you shortly.”
Josie shivered. “No, Shane. I think we should call the police.”
The smile he flashed was one she’d never seen. Hard and dark. “We will. After I get the answers I need.” He nodded at Matt. “The police have seen both Nathan and me—let’s keep you out of this. Take her out of here.”
“I can figure it out from the paperwork—we don’t need this guy.” She struggled against Matt.
Shane shook his head. “No—we need the answers now.”
She faltered. “But, I mean, what if he won’t tell you?” Shane wouldn’t really kill George, would he?
Shane dropped the smile, sadness curling his lip. “He will. I promise.”
Matt tugged her toward the elevator, gently, but not giving an inch.
Josie stumbled, glancing back at her husband. “Do you know how to do this, Shane? I mean, interrogation.”
His eyes turned slate hard. “I know how to do this, angel.”
She faltered, pushing away from Matt.
Shane shifted his gaze to the man writhing on the floor. “Now, Matt.”
Without a word, Matt swung her up in muscular arms. The scent of man and spice surrounded her. She began to struggle even as he stalked to the far corner, his boots thumping on the tile. Her elbow shot tentatively into his gut, and she squirmed in his arms.
Matt tightened his hold and lowered his head. “Stop it. You’ll upset Shane if he thinks I’m hurting you.” He opened a door, stepping into a wide stairwell.
Frustration welled up. How could Shane just let his brother carry her off? Matt was seriously strong, and she couldn’t get free. “Let me go.”
“No.”
“Stop, Matt. Shane’s going to kill George.”
Matt shrugged. “I wouldn’t care if Shane killed the asshole who attacked you, sweetheart. But Shane told you he wouldn’t kill George. So he won’t.” Matt loped down flights of stairs until he kicked open an outside door. Wind whipped hard rain into them, and Matt hunched his body over her, giving shelter. Quick strides had them at her car, where he buckled her in before jumping into the driver’s seat and maneuvering out of the parking lot.
Matt drove quickly through town, taking an unfamiliar exit off the interstate. Businesses and then homes passed by until trees and fields filled the view. The rain slashed against the window of her Toyota, and Josie burrowed farther down in the passenger seat. “We shouldn’t have left Shane to torture that guy.”