and Four in the front.
They rode in silence for what seemed like hours before the vehicle finally came to a stop.
“Honey, we’re home,” Asher said.
“Fuck you,” Rocky groused.
Asher emitted a growl that might’ve sounded sexy if Felix wasn’t so scared. “Later, baby.”
They were yanked out of the van, marched across a gravel driveway, and led into a building of some sort. The goons cut the zip ties and shoved them down onto metal chairs. Felix massaged his tingling wrists to get the circulation flowing. Someone yanked off his hood without warning, and bright light blinded him. Felix blinked a few times, bringing the room into focus as his eyes adjusted. He took in the concrete floors, unfinished drywall, and sliding doors and realized they were in a garage or outbuilding. The four goons from outside the Spencers’ house stood in front of them again, but with one noticeable difference: they’d removed their ski masks.
Uh-oh. If the bad guys were showing their faces, then they weren’t worried about Felix, Jude, and Rocky talking later. There wouldn’t be a later.
“Oh, this can’t be good,” Jude whispered, echoing Felix’s thoughts.
The biggest, scariest-looking goon stepped forward. The man’s sweaty, coal black hair was plastered to his head and eyes as dark as midnight snapped with an intensity that stole Felix’s breath. A scraggly beard drew Felix’s attention to a firm mouth that slowly parted into a huge smile, showing perfect white teeth against a swarthy complexion. Big and Scary stopped in front of Rocky and squatted down until they were eye to eye.
“Hey, baby. Miss me?” he asked Rocky.
Baby?
Felix recognized his voice. It was the henchman that Rocky had called Asher.
Asher chuckled when Rocky didn’t answer him, then he leaned forward and kissed Rocky on the mouth.
“Baby?” Jude asked contemptuously. “Jacobs is dating one of Mercy’s men?”
Asher and Rocky continued staring at each other in silence for a few seconds before Asher slowly turned his head and looked at Jude. The outrage in the man’s eyes would’ve been hilarious if Felix hadn’t been on the verge of wetting himself.
“You think we’re Mercy’s men?” Asher asked.
“Aren’t you?” Felix and Jude asked at the same time.
Asher heaved a deep sigh and rose to his full height. Then as if on a director’s cue, all four men lifted their black tactical shirts high enough to show badges clipped to their belts. The silver star was universally recognized.
“You’re US Marshals?” Felix asked.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jude groused.
Felix turned to look at Rocky. “How do you figure into all of this?”
“Oh, this I can’t wait to hear,” Jude said.
Rocky turned solemn blue eyes on Felix. “Remember my Vegas problem?”
Vegas? Felix tried to remember a conversation they’d had about Vegas, but his brain had turned to sludge. Vegas? Oh. OH!
“This is your ex-husband?” Felix whispered while studying Big and Scary again. Physically, he could see where the man ticked all of Rocky’s boxes.
Asher broke eye contact with Felix to glare at Rocky. “Ex?” he asked, quirking a raven brow. “Is that what you’re telling people, Ford?”
Rocky heaved a deep sigh, then met Felix’s stare. “We’re still legally married.” He shifted his attention back to the bulky bear of a man standing too close for Felix’s comfort, regardless of the shiny star on his belt. “For now,” Rocky added for good measure.
“Are you planning on killing us?” Jude asked suddenly. “If so, I want to hear this story before I die.”
A ginger-haired marshal with a crooked smile and penetrating blue eyes smirked at Jude. “Killing idiot reporters and a private detective who happened to stumble into trouble is not in our job description.” Felix recognized the voice as belonging to Goon Two.
“We didn’t ask for your help,” Felix said.
A man with tawny hair the color of a lion’s mane and soulful brown eyes snorted and shook his head. “You would’ve been killed if we hadn’t.” Felix matched his voice to Goon Three.
That meant the marshal with white-blond hair and green eyes was Goon Four. “I don’t hear a thank you,” he said.
“Hold your breath while you wait,” Felix suggested. Blondie replied by flipping him off.
“Marshals don’t investigate crimes, and none of us are fugitives on your apprehension list.” Jude looked at Felix and Rocky. “Right?”
A man wearing pajamas, a robe, and a pair of slippers padded into the garage, holding a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in one hand and a spoon in the other. All the puzzle pieces clicked into place and the picture crystallized, reenergizing Felix’s tired