Dagger (Montana Bounty Hunters Book 2) Read online

  “Cochise, cover the back door,” Fat Head said in her ear. “Jamie, we’ll flank the front porch.”

  “I’ll take a look inside as I make my way back,” Cochise said.

  Only the sound of breathing entered her ear for the next few minutes.

  “He’s in the shower,” Cochise said.

  A crash sounded.

  “Dammit. Flower pot,” Jamie muttered.

  Then barking chorused in the distance.

  “Didn’t see fucking dogs,” Cochise said.

  “Moving to a window,” came Dagger’s whisper. Then seconds later, “The friend’s standing in the living room. Not moving. Think he might know someone’s outside. Fuck, he’s moving toward the door.”

  “Get set, guys. He’s not the one we want.”

  Lacey had enough of listening from a distance. Things were heating up, and she couldn’t stand the suspense. She punched the ignition, rolled down the driver’s side window, and let the car roll slowly forward. She kept half of her attention on the road, the other on the house half-hidden by the trees. As she came nearer, the front porch came into view, as did the two figures, dressed in dark clothing, standing around the corners on either side of the house.

  The front door opened. The scary bald dude stood in the opening, his hand gripping the collar of a muscular, mixed-breed dog. His gaze swung left and right. Even from a distance, she could hear the dog barking.

  Afraid he’d release the animal and one of the hunters would be attacked, Lacey made sure her hair was still tucked up inside Dagger’s cap, so he wouldn’t recognize her, and rolled farther into view. She waved at the guy, who stood frowning on the porch, then nosed partway into the driveway, backed up, and then drove in the direction she’d come, hoping she’d provided enough of a distraction—and a reason for his dog to have barked.

  “What the fuck, Lacey?” Dagger whispered in her ear.

  “Quiet,” Jamie said softly. “Think that worked. Thanks, girl.”

  While everything grew quiet again, Lacey continued another hundred yards and parked on the side of the road. She popped the trunk and made her way behind the car. Inside, she found another flak jacket, took off her fluffy coat, and donned it, making a note to self that she’d need to get a much smaller size. Then she hunted inside Dagger’s bag for some kind of weapon she’d know how to use. The handgun under his seat was just too scary a thought. Her fingers closed around pepper spray. She’d had self-defense training with her sorority sisters and knew well how effective it could be.

  Then she shrugged back into her white fluffy jacket and made her way through the trees. At the edge of the clearing, she hunkered down, sure she blended better with the landscape than the rest of her team. They’d never know she was there.

  “He’s out of the shower,” Cochise said.

  Dagger hated waiting. The minutes crawled. All he wanted was one good reason to kick in the door and nail Butler’s ass to the ground. The sooner the better—before Lacey dreamed up some other way to give him a heart attack.

  And if she was going to pull a stunt like driving up to the house, why hadn’t she warned them, so they’d know it was friend not foe? Did her comms not work?

  A throat cleared.

  He frowned, recognizing the sound. Her comms did work. “Yes, Lacey…?”

  “Since he’s in the shower, wouldn’t this be one of those times when a more direct approach might work best?”

  “Like knock on the front door?” Jamie asked.

  “Yeah, his buddy might not want the drama you guys will bring.”

  “I vote for getting the friend’s permission to enter the premises.”

  Dagger made a face. The women were of one mind. He’d much rather find a reason to knock down the door rather than politely rap on it.

  “Might not work,” Lacey said, “unless he knew there’d be consequences if he didn’t let you in.”

  Jamie chuckled. “All right, Lacey, what do you suggest?”

  Dagger groaned. He was pretty sure they all knew what she was about to say, but he didn’t want common sense coming from her when he wanted her canned.

  “I could contact the sheriff. Have them send a squad car, no sirens. When Jasper looks out his front window and sees their car, you can tell him he’s facing charges for harboring our boy.”

  “What do the rest of you think?” Jamie said softly.

  “I’m all for ending this quicker. It’s fucking cold,” Cochise said.

  “Drive to that last intersection and call it in,” Jamie said. “Meet them there, so the cops understand they’re to come in quiet, and that they’re only here to provide support. This is our collar.”

  “Right. Woot!”

  Dagger heard footsteps. Had she been outside his car? A minute later his Challenger’s engine started.

  “She’ll be out of range of our comms in about twenty seconds,” Jamie said.

  The seconds passed in silence.

  “So, buddy…” Jamie said. “What’s your beef with this girl?”

  “She has no experience with the kinds of people we deal with.”

  “Uh-huh. And how’d we get here?” Jamie asked.

  He grimaced, knowing what he saw as faults might not be so glaring to the others. “She waltzed in looking like a cheerleader and gave Butler’s mama a facial. Mama gave up every girlfriend’s name she knew. And then she dressed in a freaking sleeve of a dress and bonded with his girlfriend over rotten exes.”

  Jamie’s quiet laughter gusted. “Sounds like she’d be an asset to the agency.”

  “Maybe she needs another partner,” came Cochise’s sly voice. “Someone who’ll appreciate how fast she thinks on her feet.”

  “Over my dead body. The only partner she gets is me.” Fuck, he’d said it.

  Jamie chuckled in his ear. Likely, Cochise was silently laughing his ass off.

  Maybe Lacey would change her mind about wanting to do this. He still had time to convince her. He pressed his lips together to keep from saying anything else stupid.

  Fifteen minutes passed, and then he heard footsteps approaching, crunching in the snow. He glanced toward the road, and his heart stopped. Lacey was walking up the drive, in full view of the house.

  “What are you doing?” he whispered.

  “I’ve got this,” she said, giving him a glare.

  “Let her play this one out,” Jamie said. “We’re her backup.”

  Dammit, how had Lacey managed to earn Jamie’s trust so quickly? But he guessed women had to stick together. With his heart thudding against his chest and his body tightening, ready to spring into action, he waited as she climbed onto the porch and softly knocked on the door.

  Watching from around the corner, he noted the door opening a crack, and then widening.

  Lacey pulled off the black cap covering her hair. “Remember me?” she whispered. She tilted her head toward the side. “Come out on the porch.”

  The big guy glanced behind him, and then scowling, stepped out beside her and closed the door behind him.

  Lacey stepped closer to the man, which had Dagger easing his Beretta from his holster. She angled her head toward the road. “Look at the edge of the trees,” she said. Then she gave a little wave. A black-and-white squad car eased from the edge of the trees then retreated into hiding.

  “You’re not a waitress.”

  “Nope. I’m here to bring your friend into custody.” The big guy jerked, but she reached out a hand to grip his forearm. “Since I know you have no clue he skipped his court date and he’s got a warrant for his arrest,” she said, her tone implying just the opposite, “I want to see you give a nod that it’s okay for us to enter your house and take him. Otherwise, those cops down there will think you’re knowingly harboring a fugitive…”

  The big guy’s jaw tightened. His glare got harder. His frown scarier. But he gave a quick dip of his head.

  “The dogs?” she asked softly.

  His mouth tightened. “Are in their crates
in the kitchen. I just fed them.”

  “Go, go, go!” Dagger said, then leapt onto the porch. He gave Lacey a pointed stare, promising retribution—later. “You two, get down to the road.”

  Lacey continued to grip the big guy’s arm and lead him down the driveway.

  With Jamie a step behind him, Dagger entered through the front door.

  “Coming in the back,” Cochise said softly.

  As he approached the bathroom door, he heard the hum of an electric razor. The dogs, likely getting their scent, began barking.

  With Jamie and him flanking both sides of the bathroom door, he reached out to rap against the wood.

  “Be out in a second,” came the muffled voice.

  He was done waiting on this bastard. Time to get the drop on this guy.

  Stepping in front of the door, he raised his foot. With a swift kick, he shattered the doorframe, and the door fell inward, knocking Butler to the ground.

  Dagger stepped on the door, squashing his target. “Let me see your hands!”

  Slowly, Butler reached out beyond the edges of the door. He kept them in sight as Dagger stepped to the side and flipped up the door to lean against the bathtub.

  Butler’s skin was still damp, and he wore a towel around his hips. His nose was bleeding.

  “We’re Fugitive Recovery Agents, Jason,” Jamie said, “and we’re taking you to the jail in Kalispell.”

  Butler’s mouth thinned, but he kept still as Jamie rolled him to his back and cuffed him. Dagger withdrew from the bathroom.

  Cochise was in the hallway. The other man nodded toward the front door. “Better make sure your partner’s alright.”

  Dagger didn’t bother to correct him. He marched out of the house and stomped halfway down the driveway to where Lacey and Jasper stood, along with a deputy, who was laughing at something Lacey said. His shoulders tightened.

  When he came alongside the group, he gave Lacey a hard stare. “You and me—we’re out of here.”

  Her eyes widened, but she flashed a quick smile to the other two men. “Deputy, thanks for your help.” She cupped the ear with the comms. “Jamie, be sure to get that box with Jason-Jethro’s weapons. Looks like Dagger and I are leaving.” She turned to Jasper and patted his arm. “You did the right thing.”

  “He looks pissed,” Jasper said, his gaze slipping to Dagger and his frown deepening.

  “He doesn’t get that we have a connection,” she said, grinning. “You did the right thing.”

  Dagger rolled his eyes as he moved farther away. Of course, she had the badass biker wrapped around her little finger.

  Walking back to his vehicle, he recounted all the reasons why he ought to turn her over his knee and give her the spanking she deserved. She’d put herself in danger approaching the house. In the fucking line of fire, if Jasper or Butler had half a mind to resist. She acted so calm, so fucking in charge, his head felt ready to explode. She had no clue how damn dangerous the situation had been—how many ways things could have gone wrong.

  But rather than rail at her now, he knew the only way to keep her from planting her feet and getting all stubborn about what he was going to say was to get his own anger under control. He’d lay out his argument in a calm, logical fashion. When he was done, she’d be disappointed, but she’d understand how badly she’d misread the situation.

  Approaching Jasper’s door wasn’t the same thing as facing Butler’s mama or his girlfriend. She couldn’t always talk her way out of a tight place. Someday, she’d be too confident, and some asshole would draw on her. Dagger couldn’t let that happen. Not ever.

  Now, that he was back in her life, he’d keep her safe from her own bad decisions.

  He’d reached the car. Turning to glance back, he saw her trailing behind him, taking her sweet time. Her expression was guarded. Her blue eyes wide. Lord, even with her makeup nearly rubbed away and her hair looking less than perfect, she was fucking beautiful. No wonder the cop had nearly drooled all over her and Jasper had been so ready to do her bidding.

  Her pretty, fluffy innocence was a magnet for male appreciation. He drew a deep breath. “Get in the car. We’re going home.”

  Chapter 8

  Later that night after showering, Lacey moved slowly around her apartment, putting it to rights. It felt as though a lifetime had passed since she’d plucked her iPhone from its stand in front of her vanity where she’d been filming her latest video blog and rushed to the window to see what was happening in her driveway.

  Yesterday, she’d been a girl out of work, who’d been plugging desperately away at her side gig, hoping to cobble together enough funds from viewers ready to buy the cosmetics she had to sell on commission. Enough to cover at least part of what she owed to the landlord.

  Today, she knew she’d only been fooling herself. All of her frenetic activities, the makeovers and blogs, the constant haunting of online job recruiting sites, had simply been ways to keep her mind so busy she didn’t have time to think about the bigger picture. She’d needed a job, but she’d really wanted a purpose. Something she could be proud of. A career that was exciting and fulfilling.

  After listening to Dagger chastise her for nearly the entire drive back from Libby, she was feeling a little disenchanted. He’d rained all over her little parade. No way in hell was he accepting her as his partner.

  Her phone chimed, and she lifted it to read the screen, only to wrinkle her nose. Fuck, she didn’t need this now. Hitting the button to accept the call, she sighed. “Hi, daddy.”

  “What’s this I hear about you going after some felon in Libby?”

  His shout hurt her ear, so she tapped the speaker icon and laid the phone on the arm of the chair in front of the bay window. Sliding into the seat, she took a deep breath. “How the hell did you hear about that?”

  “I have eyes and ears everywhere, little girl. Nothing escapes my attention. So, when the sheriff over in Libby said my daughter was looking for backup for some arrest, can you imagine what went through my mind?”

  That your precious reputation was being smeared? “I was on the job.”

  “What goddamn job would that be?”

  His shout made her jump, but she wasn’t fifteen years old anymore, and he wasn’t holding a job over her head anymore. He’d had her fired from the courthouse when she’d gone against his wishes. “I’m in training to be a bounty hunter.” Not an outright lie, although she had no clue what the status of her employment was. But she had been part of the team that brought a felon into custody.

  “A bounty hunter? Are you out of your mind?”

  “If you recall, I needed work. I have bills to pay. My life to get on track. I have to take care of myself now, or so you told me in no uncertain terms when I broke it off with Leland.”

  He sputtered in her ear, but then went silent. “No child of mine is doing that kind of work.”

  “Why’s that, daddy? Is it not good enough?” She didn’t care that her tone was snide rather than respectful as he always expected. He’d landed her in this fix. All because he’d been upset she hadn’t settled on his choice of husband.

  “Damn right, it’s not good enough. I’m a judge! What the hell are people going to think?”

  “I can make this easier for you. I can change my name.”

  “Changing your name won’t keep the stain of what you’re doing with your life from me and your mother.”

  Lord, she was tired of being the black sheep. Always the disappointment. She’d lived in his shadow for so many years… “You’d never guess who I was working with. Do you remember Dagger Renfrew?”

  The line went silent.

  “And you’d never guess what he told me. Why is it you never said he’d tried to call me when he left for boot camp?”

  “Dagger Renfrew!”

  She could well imagine how red his face was right now. How his thick eyebrows were drawing into a formidable frown—one that made most folks, even the lawyers in his courtroom, quake. “Yeah. He’s
a bounty hunter. My new partner. We’ve had plenty of time to catch up on old times.”

  “You’re going to regret this. You should have married Leland. You’d have led a respectable life.”

  I’d have died of boredom. “I didn’t love him,” she said, the same reason she’d given her father when she’d faced him across the desk in his den at home.

  “Love doesn’t have a damn thing to do with us.”

  “And don’t I know it.” She ended the call and drew another deep breath. The next breath came easier. Her tension receded, and she smiled. Her daddy was a blustery, mean old fool. Her mother was a bigger idiot for standing by his side and obeying his every command. Well, they deserved each other. They never should have had a kid. Children weren’t meant to be stifled and molded, never allowed their own opinions. If ever she had a child…

  She closed her eyes, feeling suddenly a little weepy. The past couple of days had been hard—a rollercoaster ride of heightened tension and excitement, followed by lulls filled with quiet anger and disappointment.

  Her disappointment centered around the fact her youthful dreams had been stolen.

  A knock sounded at her door, and she swished aside her curtains to see a familiar car parked in her driveway. Her heart beat faster, and she pushed up from her chair. She raised a hand to her hair and wished she’d had time to blow-dry it and maybe put on a bit of face paint as armor. She didn’t like facing Dagger without the extra confidence looking perfect provided.

  She swung open the door to find Dagger standing on her stoop dressed in jeans and a dark jacket, his hands in his pockets. He’d showered, but he hadn’t shaved. The dark bristles on his chin and cheeks made her want to rub her hand over their stiffness.

  “Hi.” It was the best she could manage for a greeting because she couldn’t breathe.

  He remained silent, his green gaze locking with hers.

  Remembering her manners, she cleared her throat and swept a hand toward her living room. “Would you like to come in?” She stepped to the side and waited as he moved inside, sucking the oxygen from the room.