Chapter Seventeen

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“Where the hell is he?” Leland shouted the moment he was out of his car. “Where is that worthless scumbag who married my daughter?”

Judging from those questions, Leland had expected to find Bodie here. Why? Caroline was about to demand that info, but Bodie stepped out from behind the sign. He still had her mother in a chokehold.

She tried not to look directly into her mother’s eyes. This ordeal was already impossible, but seeing the fear would only add another level to it. Not for fear for herself, either.

But for Caroline.

Her mother would do anything to keep her from dying, even if it meant letting Bodie kill her where she stood.

Caroline also saw Bodie lean his head slightly to the left, probably not enough to give Nash a clean shot, though. Bodie murmured something into a small communicator clipped to his collar.

So, he wasn’t working alone.

Then again, she hadn’t thought he would do this solo. He’d want to have someone to take care of Nash while he murdered her. But Caroline was going to do everything possible to make sure that didn’t happen.

While Bodie’s attention was on Leland, she glanced around, looking for Bodie’s accomplice. She didn’t spot anything or anyone suspicious, but there were several large boats in docks, and it was possible that someone was on one of them. Someone with a long-range rifle.

Jordana maybe?

“You stupid sonofabitch,” Leland barked, aiming the insult at Bodie. “Do you know what’ll happen if you kill Ruby Maverick?” He didn’t wait for Bodie to respond. “You’ll bring down the entire Maverick Ops’ team on your stupid head, that’s what. The entire team,” he shouted.

“If you want to live, get the hell out of here,” Bodie snapped. “This isn’t about you.”

“Not yet, it isn’t, but unlike you, I’m not an idiot. I know you’ll come after me so you can kill me and get my money. Well, it’s not going to happen.” Leland jabbed his index finger at Bodie. “Even if you manage to take me out, I changed my will. Jordana gets nothing.”

All of this seemed like such a mundane conversation, considering there was a knife being held to her mother’s throat, but Caroline welcomed it. As long as Leland kept Bodie’s attention, then that meant Nash and she could look for a way to get Ruby and themselves out of here alive.

“You’ve known where Bodie was this whole time, haven’t you?” Ruby asked Leland. “You knew and you didn’t tell the cops.”

Leland barely spared her a glance. “I’m trying to save my daughter, something I’m sure you understand.”

“And you did that by helping Bodie escape,” Ruby supplied. “Oh, he didn’t know it was you, of course. You covered that up by hiring one of his former inmates. Barney Coltrain. Probably bribed the nurse, too, to take that throat punch. Then, I’m guessing you had a tracker either on the escape vehicle or something Barney gave Bodie. Like a phone.”

Bingo.

Ruby had nailed it. Caroline could tell from Leland’s expression. The man didn’t deny any of it.

But Bodie had a reaction.

His face went hard with rage, and he moved fast. He hurled the knife at Leland, and it sliced right into his chest. In the same motion, Bodie whipped out another knife, this one identical to the other. Ruby moved, trying to get away, but Bodie put the knife to her throat again.

And this time, he cut her.

Caroline gasped as the blood started to ooze down her mother’s throat.

“Bodie didn’t hit the carotid artery,” Nash told her when she started to run to her mother. “He knows if he kills Ruby that he loses his human shield. Then, I kill the chickenshit coward where he stands.”

Caroline forced those words to sink in. Forced herself to look at her mother. And she saw the slight shake of her head that Ruby gave her. A signal for her not to charge forward and try to help. It would be too dangerous of a move. Dangerous for her mother, for Nash, and for her.

And now, they had another big issue to deal with.

Leland was on the ground, his hands clutched around the hilt of the now bloody knife. He was alive, but Caroline didn’t know for how long.

She wanted to use Oz to call for an ambulance, but that could be a dangerous move as well since Bodie might have his accomplice shoot the EMTs. Heck, Bodie might give the same order when Slade arrived so she prayed he took precautions.

Nash moved slightly, edging in front of Caroline. He probably wanted to make sure she stayed put.

“That’s right,” Bodie threw out there. “Put a leash on her, brother. Don’t let her fight her own fight.” He looked at Caroline and flashed her an oily smile. “Don’t you want to have a go at me, darlin’?”

“I do,” she admitted. “I want you dead.”

Bodie cackled with laughter. “Sure you do. Well then, come on. Give it your best shot. Just me and you like it was in your dorm room. And if Nash decides to interfere, then I’ve got someone waiting to shoot him. I’m thinking a neck shot would work. Oh, the blood would spew just like it did when I shot Barney Coltrain.”

Bodie glanced in the direction of the boats. Just a glance, but Nash must have seen it, too.

“Eddie’s there,” Nash remarked. “Not Jordana, though since you wouldn’t have wanted to risk her to hear you call her a lap dog. Especially since she’s more like a meal ticket.”

Bodie’s grin confirmed exactly that. “Eddie’s a better choice for this op. He’s a damn good shot, and he’ll start firing on my say so.” He moved his mouth to the communicator.

Maybe to give that go-ahead.

Once that was done, Eddie would start shooting and might indeed manage to kill them. Yes, they had on protective gear—her more than Nash—but she didn’t want to risk it. She had to think of something now. She did.

But Nash beat her to it.

“You actually trust Eddie, a man who had an affair with your wife?” Nash threw out there.

Bodie’s grin froze in place, and the cocky expression melted away. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Ah, there it was. That barely controlled rage.

Caroline had gotten a full dose of that when he had attacked her. It was a risk to unleash it again, but anything they did was a risk, and she only hoped if Bodie completely lost it, that her mother could somehow manage to get out of the way. Ruby might not be in her prime any longer, but Caroline suspected she could deliver some blows if she got the chance.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Bodie repeated.

“I’m talking about Jordana and Eddie having an affair. There’s proof,” Nash tacked onto that. “Want to see a picture that Maverick Ops uncovered? It’s a really…revealing photo.”

“It’ll be Photoshopped,” Bodie snarled, his words snapping out like gunshots. “A fake. Something you put together to rattle me and make me go after Eddie instead of Caroline.”

“It’s not, a fake” Leland managed to say. His voice was coated with pain, but he managed to sit up. Managed to dole out a sick smile to Bodie. “I’ve seen the photo myself. Jordana doesn’t love you. You’re like her version of slumming with the pool boy, asshole. You’re her lap dog, and she played you.”

Caroline doubted that last part was true. She’d seen Jordana’s reaction to Bodie, and the woman seemed to love him. Or at least thought she did anyway. Leland might know that, too, but he’d probably wanted to fight back the only way he could.

With his words.

Those words seemed to sap Leland though of what was left of his energy. And his fight. He dropped his head back down on the ground. Caroline didn’t know how much time he had, but he needed medical help right away. That wasn’t going to happen though until they dealt with Bodie.

“Ask Eddie,” Nash pressed. “Ask him why he betrayed you by screwing around with your wife.”

The rage skyrocketed in Bodie’s eyes, and Caroline could see the debate Bodie was having with himself. “Enough of this,” he yelled. “The cavalry will be here soon to try to help you. It’s now or never, Caroline. Step up and take your punishment or Eddie—”

Bodie stopped. Just stopped. And he abruptly shifted his attention to his communicator. It was as if he couldn’t focus on what he was doing until he got something else out of the way.

“Did you fuck her, Eddie? Did you?” Bodie shouted.

Caroline couldn’t hear Eddie’s response, but whatever it was, it clearly didn’t please Bodie.

“You limp dick sonofabitch,” Bodie snarled into the communicator. “You are a dead man.”

That threat had barely left his mouth.

When the gunshots started.