Hard Rock Stepbrothers The Complete Series by Anita Lawless Read Free Book Online Page A

his arms to offer that hug. She practically ran into his embrace and clutched him tight for a moment. Then she pulled away, eyes shining with unshed tears. He knew Sally wouldn’t cry in front of him. She had a rule about that. She always cried alone. He’d told her she didn’t have to be so tough when she confessed that one. She’d told him it wasn’t a matter of being tough. She just hated people seeing her cry.
    “He knows,” she said. “He wants me in the office in half an hour.”
    Hunter wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “You can ride with me.”
    “Then he’s gonna know we’re in on this together, or he’ll at least suspect something.” She looked up at him. “I can’t let you take the fall for this just cause of me.”
    He squeezed her shoulder, pulling her close to his side for a hug. “We’re friends, Rollins. It’s what friends do. Now how do you want your bacon?”
    ***
    They arrived at the station a little before seven-thirty. When Hunter walked in with Sally, Chief Pritchard was waiting outside his office door, arms crossed over his chest. He was just over forty but his hair had gone completely gray by the time he was thirty-two. Paired with his ice-blue eyes, it gave him a shrewd look that always made Hunter think of a calculating wolf. Always assessing the situation, always on guard, always ready for action.
    Hunter had seen the man tear the hide off of more than one patrol cop in his two years on the force. One poor passive bastard quit after a particularly nasty chew out that left him bawling in front of all his fellow officers.
    Pritchard had a minor pot belly going on, thanks to middle age. His thin shoulders were slumped from one too many hours poring over office work, but the man was still as sharp as they came.
    “Fayette, you can join Rollins in my office, too,” he said when they drew within a foot of him.
    Hunter’s stomach churned with sour bile, but he simply nodded and followed his partner. The sound of the door softly clicking shut behind them was like a knell of doom.
    Silence reigned as the chief walked around his desk. He barely glanced at them as he issued a curt command, “Sit down.”
    He pulled a manila folder from a top drawer in his sparse, modern desk. Sally’s eyes widened as she glanced at Hunter. His stomach churned as he glanced back, but he bluffed aloof calm. He avoided looking at the folder the chief pushed toward them. Sally avoided focusing on it too, he noted.
    “First question: Were you both in on this?” The chief’s mouth became a thin, white line as his penetrating gaze darted between them.
    Sally spoke first. “With all due respect, sir … both in on what?”
    Chief Pritchard gave her a disapproving “don’t bullshit me” sneer.
    She blinked, kept up the innocent look. Hunter wanted to smile in admiration of her cool bluff, but that would blow their cover.
    The Chief smiled then, possibly in a bit of admiration himself. “Okay, if that’s the way you wanna play it.” He opened his desk drawer again and pulled out another folder. “These are the fingerprint results from a house deed that mysteriously showed up on the seat of my car this morning. A small bag of coke was sitting on top of it.”
    Hunter wanted to swallow, wanted to grip his chair until his knuckles turned white, but he didn’t.
    The chief removed a paper from the second folder, and he did so with agonizing slowness. He continued. “You were good, Rollins. Real good. I’ll give you that. Only one fingerprint on a corner of the deed. One little fuck up gave you away.”
    Hunter watched her swallow hard, squirm just a bit in her seat. “How’d you find out it was me?”
    Now the chief gave the wolf smile. He tented his fingers beneath his chin. “When I couldn’t find the print in our records, I ran your file. Got a match.” Then he turned that icy gaze on Hunter. “And you were in on this with her, Fayette?”
    He nodded as his throat tightened. “Yes,