Outlaw Justice (Decorah Security Series, Book #13): A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novella by REBECCA YORK Read Free Book Online Page B

anyone?”
    Leah glanced at Steve, and he shook his head. “No. There was nobody I could call. Then I got scared, and I was hoping you could help me.”
    “Of course. You should come to my house.”
    “No. I don’t think that’s safe. I think he has people looking for me.”
    “Leah.”
    “I know I sound paranoid, but I can’t help it,” she answered, considering telling Candy about the police showing up. But she knew that would only lead to a bunch of questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. “Do you remember my seventeenth birthday—with my parents?”
    “Yes, of course it was . . .”
    Leah cut her off before she could name the restaurant. “Don’t say it. I can meet you there.”
    “Okay, good.”
    “How soon can you get there?” Leah asked.
    “I’m at the DC house. I can be there in a couple of hours.”
    “Okay. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
    She hung up and looked at Steve. “Was that okay?”
    “Perfect, and we have time to get over there and make sure you’re not gonna get trapped.”
    “It’s Candy.”
    “I’m not taking any chances.”
    She took in the set of his jaw and wondered what he was planning, and wondered even more when they drove to an area that was more run down than Pig Town. As she looked around, she saw men standing on street corners making furtive transactions.
    “They’re selling drugs?”
    “Yeah.”
    When Steve turned onto a narrow street that was little more than an alley, she gave him a questioning look.
    “I need to make a stop.”
    “For what?”
    “A weapon.”
    He pulled up in front of a shop with three gold balls painted over the door and a wide variety of merchandise displayed on shelves in the window—everything from what looked like diamond rings to Crock-pots and power tools.
    “A pawn shop?”
    “Yeah.” He hesitated, “I’d like to leave you in the car again, but this isn’t the greatest neighborhood.”
    “I noticed.”
    They both got out and walked quickly into the shop, which was packed with more of the items displayed in the window.
    A short dark man with a fringe of hair at the sides of his head and a shiny bald scalp covering the rest looked up and focused on Steve.
    “Outlaw?”
    “Uh huh.”
    “What you doin’ back in town? You come over to the dark side?”
    “I’m in private security now, Davie, and I need a piece.”
    The guy cocked his head to the side. “You ain’t got one?”
    “I do, but it’s at home. Long story.”
    “You want something that can’t be traced?”
    “Right,” Steve agreed. The two men walked over to a case against the wall and entered into a complex negotiation that Leah couldn’t follow. But fifteen minutes later Steve had a handgun, a box of ammunition, and a light jacket.
    “Aren’t you supposed to have a background check and a license?”
    “Yup.”
    “But you didn’t.”
    Steve shrugged as he tossed the jacket in the backseat. “In for a penny, in for a pound.”
    She kept her gaze on him. “What was that business about a piece that couldn’t be traced?”
    “Davie thinks I’m into something illegal.”
    “And you are.”
    “We’re going to come out smelling like orange blossoms.”
    “Oh sure. Now you’ve got the cops after you—and you’re carrying an illegal gun. How much did it cost?”
    “You don’t want to know.”
    He used the GPS to navigate to the vicinity of the restaurant and drove around the area. It was much like what she remembered from the birthday visit, with Baltimore row houses plus restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and small retail stores. But now there seemed to be as many Latino businesses as Greek. There was also a lot of new residential construction.
    “Looks like a thriving neighborhood,” Steve commented.
    “Yes. It’s hard to imagine you’re going to need a gun here.”
    “Better safe than sorry.”
    He drove past the restaurant, which was on a corner, then found a parking place a few doors down.
    “Unfortunately, you have to go