No Escape From War (Trouble for Hire #1) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,62

place?”

Only every single day.

“It’s because he thinks if he lets it crack, people won’t like what he has inside. Personally, I like War just as he is. Arrogant bastard. Sneaky PI. Growling bar owner. True-as-hell friend.”

She pulled the ice cream from Odin. “I happen to like him just fine that way, too.”

Odin’s harsh expression relaxed. “That’s good to know.”

Chapter Seventeen

“Show me the evidence,” War demanded as he stalked into Gary’s office. Gary’s PI business was located in a nest of office spaces on a narrow, two-lane road. The building was brown and flat, and the sign outside of Gary’s business had faded over time. Strom Securities and Investigation.

Gary glanced up as he turned on a lamp that sat on his desk. “Where’s Rose?”

Safe. “She stayed with Odin. No sense wasting her time if you don’t have the real deal for me.”

Gary’s lips pursed. “I do think we should cover my fee before I show you what I have.”

You’re an asshat. “I think you should show me what you have before I lose what little patience I have remaining.”

He sniffed. “You’re kind of like a bull, aren’t you? Charging at everything in your line of sight.”

“Gary, when I charge at you, you’ll know it.” He kept his arms loose at his sides.

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Gary mumbled. He moved to the side and slid a key into the lock on his tall filing cabinet. The cabinet drawer let out a loud screech as he pulled it open, and then Gary snagged a manila file. He stared down at the file and slowly exhaled. “I wasn’t one hundred percent honest with you.”

“I am shocked.” Not even a little bit.

Gary peered up at him. “I did see Billy tailing her. But I wasn’t supposed to be getting pics of him, so I didn’t worry about the guy. I focused on my target.”

“You focused on Rose.”

“Um.” He gripped the file too tightly. “Since you came without her, this probably will work out better.”

War’s stomach twisted. “What’s in the damn file?”

Gary dropped the file onto his desk. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

That twisting in his stomach got worse. He didn’t like Gary’s satisfied tone. The guy’s eyes were all gleamy. Like a cat that ate a big-ass canary. War strode forward and flipped open the file. And he saw—

“She’s not the perfect princess. But I figured you knew that after you got the first photo.”

War’s fingers shoved through the pictures before him.

“What I don’t get…why did you take her back? Did she say that she’d changed? Because she hasn’t.”

The photos were all of Rose.

Rose. Rose dancing with some blond asshole. Rose kissing him.

Rose with her arms wrapped around a dark-haired bastard. The man was pressing his mouth to her throat.

Rose…slipping off her shirt as some guy stood—

Carefully, War slid the pictures back inside the file. He shut the file. Tapped his fingers on top of it.

“Maybe you don’t feel like protecting her any longer,” Gary said, oozing sympathy. “Maybe you want to tell that bitch to hit the road—”

“Don’t call her a bitch. Ever.” His fingers stopped tapping. His head tilted to the left. “Gary, why do you have a death wish?”

“What?”

“You bring me to this piss-hole of an office under false pretenses and then you show me your bullshit pictures?” Rage burned, but his control was in place. Locked down tight.

“They’re not bullshit! I took those pictures of Rose—hell, one of them was taken just last week. Not like she’s been sitting at home being bored like your sad ass—”

He lunged for Gary.

And Gary—that sonofabitch—swung a freaking gun up at him.

Are you shitting me right now? War grabbed Gary’s wrist and slammed it back into the filing cabinet. He kept slamming it even as Gary howled, but War didn’t stop, not until the gun hit the floor.

“Not loaded!” Gary screamed. “It was not freaking loaded! I was just trying to stop you from—”

War drove his fist into Gary’s jaw. Gary’s head flew back. The SOB must have a glass jaw because his eyes rolled back, and his body slumped.

War let him fall. Then he bent and picked up the gun. Checked it. “Want kind of idiot points an empty gun at someone?”

Gary let out a long, ragged groan.

“Answer me!”

Gary blinked groggily. His hand rose and slid along the edge of his face. “You broke my jaw.”

“No, I didn’t. But I am tempted as hell.” He put the gun on the desk and hauled Gary to his feet. “What kind of game are you