he hadn’t noticed last night in the dim light of the bar or
his apartment—her in nothing but that cotton bathrobe and this punk in front of him. And it all totaled up to one big-ass question he had no right to ask.
“Yeah. Sure.” Billy looped the towel over his bare shoulder. “What brings you up here, cop?”
Hailey stepped between them, and Shane knew without even seeing her bruised face she was flashing Billy a warning. Smart girl. He was in no mood to play nice. ”Detective Maxwell came up to
ask me a few questions about the new hotel.”
Billy’s gaze snapped to her face. And no, Shane didn’t imagine it. The kid may be a fuckup, but he
was quick on the uptake. “You don’t say.”
“Why don’t you head down to the kitchen and check on that coffee,” Hailey said with way more enthusiasm than it needed. “I’ll finish up here while you’re gone.”
Billy nodded once, flicked a look at Shane, then took two steps back toward the bedroom door.
“Yeah. Lemme just grab my shirt.”
He was back in a flash, pulling a plain white tee over his head, flip-flops clacking against the soles
of his feet. “You guys want anything?”
“No, we’re good,” Hailey said quickly.
“Okay then. I’ll see ya.”
The door snapped shut, and silence settled over the room. Slowly, Hailey turned Shane’s way again.
Only this time she didn’t look shocked, like she had when Tony’d told her the news about her
cousin; she looked guilty.
No frickin’ way.
She bit the inside of her lip. Eyed him warily. Waited.
And though he knew it was the absolute wrong thing to say, he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
“Moving from one brother to the next?”
Surprise hit first, then fire flashed in her sapphire eyes before they narrowed. “Fuck you, Maxwell.”
Pow. Like he didn’t deserve that one? Yeah, he’d been the one to call things quits last night, but seriously…Billy Sullivan? Billy Sullivan?
He raked a hand through his hair and pushed that damn thought right out of his head. Who the hell
she screwed wasn’t his concern. But if the guy was using her as a punching bag, Christ Jake, that
was his business, big-time. “What happened to your face?”
She tipped her head and shot him a bored look. “I fell.”
“Bullshit. Either spill it or I’ll find someone who will.”
Her expression never wavered, but finally realizing he wasn’t backing down, she lifted a shoulder,
dropped it. “Which ones?”
Which ones? She was letting Sullivan beat on her? On a regular basis? Oh, man, the kid was dead
meat. And where was the spunky, I-don’t-take-crap-from-any-guy woman he’d met in the Keys?
She dropped her crossed arms. “Oh, please. I know what you’re thinking and that’s not it. Have you
talked to Lisa recently?”
He thought back to the last time his twin sister had called. “Last week.”
“Did she tell you what happened with Pete?”
Pete was Peter Kauffman. A friend to Lisa and Rafe, and Rafe’s business partner at the Odyssey
Gallery. Shane had met Kauffman in Florida as well. Smart. Quick. Everybody’s friend. The kind of
guy—in Shane’s mind—you seriously had to watch out for because you didn’t know what he’d do
next.
“About the trouble with his girlfriend?” Shane asked, remembering what Lisa had told him. A few
weeks ago Kauffman’s ex had been stalked by two guys linked to a terrorist faction in Egypt because of a scandal she’d witnessed. He didn’t know the details, only that there’d been a run-in in
New York, Kauffman and the girlfriend had gotten away, and the terrorist had been killed.
“Yeah.” Hailey pointed at her face. “Yellow bruises. I was helping Pete with some research. Kat’s
‘friends’ mistook me for Pete’s sister. I guess they thought I might be good bargaining material.”
His eyes widened. Holy shit. She’d been taken hostage. By a jihad terrorist. “What happened—”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I got
his apartment—her in nothing but that cotton bathrobe and this punk in front of him. And it all totaled up to one big-ass question he had no right to ask.
“Yeah. Sure.” Billy looped the towel over his bare shoulder. “What brings you up here, cop?”
Hailey stepped between them, and Shane knew without even seeing her bruised face she was flashing Billy a warning. Smart girl. He was in no mood to play nice. ”Detective Maxwell came up to
ask me a few questions about the new hotel.”
Billy’s gaze snapped to her face. And no, Shane didn’t imagine it. The kid may be a fuckup, but he
was quick on the uptake. “You don’t say.”
“Why don’t you head down to the kitchen and check on that coffee,” Hailey said with way more enthusiasm than it needed. “I’ll finish up here while you’re gone.”
Billy nodded once, flicked a look at Shane, then took two steps back toward the bedroom door.
“Yeah. Lemme just grab my shirt.”
He was back in a flash, pulling a plain white tee over his head, flip-flops clacking against the soles
of his feet. “You guys want anything?”
“No, we’re good,” Hailey said quickly.
“Okay then. I’ll see ya.”
The door snapped shut, and silence settled over the room. Slowly, Hailey turned Shane’s way again.
Only this time she didn’t look shocked, like she had when Tony’d told her the news about her
cousin; she looked guilty.
No frickin’ way.
She bit the inside of her lip. Eyed him warily. Waited.
And though he knew it was the absolute wrong thing to say, he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
“Moving from one brother to the next?”
Surprise hit first, then fire flashed in her sapphire eyes before they narrowed. “Fuck you, Maxwell.”
Pow. Like he didn’t deserve that one? Yeah, he’d been the one to call things quits last night, but seriously…Billy Sullivan? Billy Sullivan?
He raked a hand through his hair and pushed that damn thought right out of his head. Who the hell
she screwed wasn’t his concern. But if the guy was using her as a punching bag, Christ Jake, that
was his business, big-time. “What happened to your face?”
She tipped her head and shot him a bored look. “I fell.”
“Bullshit. Either spill it or I’ll find someone who will.”
Her expression never wavered, but finally realizing he wasn’t backing down, she lifted a shoulder,
dropped it. “Which ones?”
Which ones? She was letting Sullivan beat on her? On a regular basis? Oh, man, the kid was dead
meat. And where was the spunky, I-don’t-take-crap-from-any-guy woman he’d met in the Keys?
She dropped her crossed arms. “Oh, please. I know what you’re thinking and that’s not it. Have you
talked to Lisa recently?”
He thought back to the last time his twin sister had called. “Last week.”
“Did she tell you what happened with Pete?”
Pete was Peter Kauffman. A friend to Lisa and Rafe, and Rafe’s business partner at the Odyssey
Gallery. Shane had met Kauffman in Florida as well. Smart. Quick. Everybody’s friend. The kind of
guy—in Shane’s mind—you seriously had to watch out for because you didn’t know what he’d do
next.
“About the trouble with his girlfriend?” Shane asked, remembering what Lisa had told him. A few
weeks ago Kauffman’s ex had been stalked by two guys linked to a terrorist faction in Egypt because of a scandal she’d witnessed. He didn’t know the details, only that there’d been a run-in in
New York, Kauffman and the girlfriend had gotten away, and the terrorist had been killed.
“Yeah.” Hailey pointed at her face. “Yellow bruises. I was helping Pete with some research. Kat’s
‘friends’ mistook me for Pete’s sister. I guess they thought I might be good bargaining material.”
His eyes widened. Holy shit. She’d been taken hostage. By a jihad terrorist. “What happened—”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I got
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