Page 83 of Dangerous Liaisons

Chapter Sixty-One

Jesse dove for Lanton. She grabbed his wrist and twisted. The PPK clattered to the concrete floor. He dropped to his knees, howling with pain.

“Murderer,” she ground out, and pivoted left, elbow poised for a strike.

He surprised her by blocking the blow. Jesse side-kicked his jaw, then lunged for the PPK. She rolled and came up kneeling, weapon aimed, finger tight on the trigger.

Lanton stared up at her.

“Get up, mother fucker!” she shouted.

Memory of Green Team lying on the ground like a pile of garbage filled her mind’s eye. He slaughtered them, ambushed Martinez—stole the contents of her safety deposit box—and shot Cole! The gun trembled in her grasp. She tightened her trigger finger a hair. Wait! She had to get Lanton to confess. What about Cole? She had to check Cole. But she’d promised—

Lanton struggled to his knees. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and he spat out a tooth. No, a crown, she realized when it skittered to a stop in a ray of sunlight. Dust motes settled on the prize.

She took a step backward and glanced through the broken window at Cole. He laid in a crumpled heap among glass and tangled window blinds. Blood soaked the front of his white shirt and cream-colored suit coat just under his breastbone. He’d always been a good actor. He must be acting now. Her gaze caught on the Glock lying on the ground where he’d dropped it. All that firepower and no bullets. Jesse rose, backed up, and kicked it through the open office door to where he lay, then motioned at Lanton with the PPK.

“Get up.”

He wiped blood from his chin. She tracked his chest with the gun as he reached for the tank lip and pulled himself to his feet. He was probably decked out with enough body armor to survive a jousting match, but that couldn’t stop her from breaking his neck.

“It’s over,” he said, wiping his chin again.

Jesse advanced, keeping him covered. Glass crunched underfoot. Anger sent red flashes through her head.

“Damn right it’s over.” She gripped the PPK in both hands, locked her arms, forefinger tight on the trigger.

Lanton gave a derisive laugh. “You can’t shoot an unarmed man. That would make you a murderer like Perez.”

Jesse rushed forward. His eyes widened. She seized his shirt collar and drove him against the vat, the PPK jammed into the soft flesh beneath his jaw.

“I can shoot you and make it look like you and Perez shot each other.”

“With my own gun?” Lanton glanced down at her waistband.

“You’re thinking about the Beretta. Go for it.”

Lanton’s eyes jerked back up to hers. She pulled the Beretta free and shoved it into the other side of his face, while stuffing the PPK into her waistband. A blank would blast a nice burn-hole under his chin. The pain would be excruciating.

This was one helluva deviation from the plan. She’d promised to get him talking. How long could she let Cole lie there? Tom hadn’t busted up the party yet. He was supposed to wait until she or Cole gave him the go ahead to enter. How far would he let her go?

Jesse jammed the Beretta into Lanton’s crotch. “You fucked me good. I can make sure you can’t fuck another woman ever again.”

“Shooting me won’t get you off the hook—or get your sister’s trust fund back,” he said.

His eyes weren’t dilated anymore. He was one cool son-of-a-bitch.

“What are you going to do?” he asked. “Call the authorities? So I shot a known drug lord. You’re still a traitor, and I won’t be around to clear your record. You need me.”

She barked a harsh laugh. “Even you can’t give me back my life. I got nothing. I’ve—” She shook her head, feeling like a junkie trying to clear the dope from her brain. “I’m gonna taste your blood when you go.” She leaned into him. “Time to pay the piper.”

“Wait!” he shouted. “I can give you the final piece of the puzzle.”

Jesse stared, nonplussed. “There’s more?”

He lifted a sleeve to his mouth and dabbed at the blood. “Don’t underestimate me. You know the little girl you’re so concerned about?” he asked.

“You fucking son-of-a-bitch, I’ll—”

“She was never missing,” he interrupted. “I have proof.” He paused. “She’s my daughter.”