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“He told me to meet him here at nine,” Cora said.
“Is that so?” The woman bristled and started coming toward Cora. If she’d have been a cat, she’d have laid her ears back. “You think you can just waltz your skanky ass in here like—”
“Mabel,” a gravelly voice said from a narrow hall. “Let her be. She’s telling the truth.”
Mabel eased off the pedal, but she was still idling, ready to charge.
An old, barrel-stout man with a white beard approached Cora. He was wearing dirty jeans and a weathered leather jacket. “Didn’t think you were going to come, little filly.”
Liam felt her stiffen beside him. “It’s Cora McLeod.OfficerMcLeod,” she said.
The atmosphere in the room shifted. Mabel wasn’t the only one laying her ears back now.
“McLeod,” Eli said, amused at Cora’s correction. “I don’t recall saying you could bring the pigs.”
“This is Liam O’Connor, my partner,” she said stiffly. “And Magnus is a just a friend. They’ll wait at the bar while we talk.”
Eli squinted at Liam and Magnus with obvious suspicion. To Cora, he said, “I’ll give you ten minutes, but your phone stays with them. Nothing gets recorded, you got me?”
Cora nodded and handed her phone to Liam. He slid it into his back pocket.
“I’ll be quick,” she whispered.
Eli jerked his head to a door in the back. “Let’s go. And talk fast, McLeod. I don’t got all night to do charity work.”
“Wait.” Liam grabbed her sleeve. “I don’t like you going into that back room with him alone. Tell him to talk to you somewhere I can see you.”
“Just try not to get into trouble out here, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She tugged her wrist free and walked away.
20
“Your man did a mighty fine favor for me this week,” Eli said as he shut the door behind Cora. They were standing in what appeared to be a makeshift office, but the room was small enough to be a broom or supply closet. She eyed Eli as he gave her a lascivious once-over, and barely refrained from rolling her eyes. For some reason, Eli hadn’t gotten the memo that he was a foul, misogynistic creep who was old enough to be her father. Or maybe even her grandfather. What was it about some men that made them believe they were a prize stallion, even when they’d been put out to pasture long ago and looked destined for the glue factory? She would never understand it, but that kind of confidence—as ill placed as it was—never ceased to amaze her.
He eased his girth past Cora and walked over to the desk, leaning against it. Cora didn’t mind the close quarters because she was confident in her ability to overpower the shmuck, if it came down to it, but he reeked of cigarettes and body odor, which was one thing her self-defense skills couldn’t fight against.
“Finn is not my man. He’s just a friend,” Cora said, crossing her arms. “And I’m glad to hear you were happy with whatever favor he provided.” She wasn’t about to let Eli know she was aware of his underground fighting operation.
Eli smirked. “Honey, if you had any idea what that man did, you’d realize he’s more than just a friend.”
“I have some information that may be useful to you,” Cora said, changing the subject. The sooner they talked, the sooner she could get out of there and breathe fresh air again. “But first, I want to know when your money was stolen. How? Where? Anything you can tell me.”
Eli’s gaze slithered down her body. “What do I get in return for telling you club business?”
“You already got it from Finn,” Cora snapped. “That’s all you’re getting. That was the deal.”
“No, no, no,” Eli said with a chuckle, inching closer. Cora had to fight to stand her ground. She knew backing away would be useless, since there was only about a foot of space between her and the door. “That’s not how this works. It’s a big, bad world, filly. Nobody gets something for nothing.”
Cripes, was this man kidding right now? Did he honestly think she’d be game?
He licked his lips, his bowlful-of-jelly belly getting closer by the second.
Nope. He wasn’t kidding. Street Thug Santa was creeping on her. Cora’s stomach lurched with revulsion. “You have awiferight outside that door.”
He made a dismissive sound, like it didn’t matter. “Mabel knows me.”
“How very unfortunate for her,” Cora said through gritted teeth. She planted her feet and lifted both hands in an easy, open stance, ready for whatever he tried to pull. Then she gave him her cold, police-officer stare, the one she reserved for the more obtuse criminals who never failed to underestimate her. “Let me make myself very clear. If you try to lay even one fingertip on me right now, I will snap your wrist, break your nose and kick your carcass to the floor in under five seconds. I know it’s hard for you to grasp the fact that a woman like me could move a mountain like you, but I promise you, I can. It comes with the job territory. So what’s it going to be, Mr. Shelton? Do you want to cooperate, or do you want to spend the night at the hospital?”
Eli blinked, then let out a bark of laughter. “Hot damn, you are a feisty piece. No wonder Finn’s so taken with you.”
