226

“She doesn’t live here.” Lucas stood with his hands on his hips, glaring up at the dilapidated apartment building where Margot lived. “No way.”

I agreed. The building was old and in desperate need of repair, but more troubling was the neighborhood. While not the worst I’d encountered in my travels, it wasn’t an acceptable place for Margot to be living alone.

Three men leaned against the hood of a Mustang, eyeing us with cold stares. None of them seemed like the type I’d want near any woman, much less the one I loved.

Jaxon turned to face them, his expression turning darker. “You guys live here?”

“Who’s asking?” The man who stepped forward, clearly the leader, spat on the ground between him and Jaxon before pulling out a cigarette.

He’d picked the wrong day to test Jaxon. “Who the hell do you think is asking? Me, asshole. The guy standing here talking to you. Now, do you live here or not?”

Lucas sighed. “Here we go.”

The man sneered, yanking up his shirt to reveal a gun tucked in his waistband. “Watch your tone, man. You don’t know who I am, or you’d-”

Jaxon wasted no time. He grabbed the man by the throat with one hand and snatched the gun from his waistband with the other. “I don’t give a shit who you are, or why you’re hanging out here in the middle of the day with a gun. I’m looking for someone who lives here. Are you going to tell me, or do I need to throw you through that windshield?”

The two men behind him moved to draw their own weapons, but the sound of a gun being cocked behind them froze them in place.

“Gregsuggests you stay still.” Gregor, as usual, had appeared out of nowhere, holding two guns in each hand, a silent, intimidating presence.

“Well, this is going well,” I muttered, stepping forward and calmly disarming the two men behind the leader. Years of training in some dangerous corners of the world had taught me to break down their guns in less than thirty seconds. I left the disassembled parts, minus the clips, on the Mustang’s hood. “Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s de-escalate and get some answers.”

Lucas placed a hand on Jaxon’s shoulder. “Alright, Jack. Let him go.”

Jaxon complied, and the man gasped for air, adjusting his clothing as he tried to recover. I stepped up again. “We’re looking for a woman named Margot Lately.”

The leader frowned. “I don’t know any Margot.”

One of the others chimed in. “Nah, man. Margot. The redhead. Real pretty. Killer body.”

“Oh, shit. That’s her name?” The leader’s tone shifted, sensing Jaxon’s growing anger. “Yeah, we know her. She’s real nice. Lives on the third floor.”

“Is she home? She’s not answering the call button.” I clenched my fists, picturing these guys staring at Margot.

“Nah, man. She’s hardly been around. Why are you looking for her?” The leader glanced nervously at Gregor. “Is she in trouble? We could help you grab her for the right price.”

Gregor, already on edge, fired a round into the Mustang’s engine. His face was a mask of rage as he reacted faster than any of us. “You threatening Margot?”

“What the hell, man?! That’s my car!”

Lucas raised his hand to stop Gregand stepped forward, his voice cold and firm. “If you ever lay a hand on her, we’ll come back and tear you and your car apart. Got it?”

The men all nodded, their eyes wide with fear.

Lucas grabbed the leader’s face, squeezing hard. “Say it. Say you fucking understand.”

“Alright! We understand! We understand you!” The leader stammered, stumbling back as Lucas let go of him. He quickly straightened his jacket. “Fucking lunatics.”

I shrugged. “When the situation calls for it.”

Back in the SUV, with Gregdriving in a storm of fury, Lucas let out a string of curses that would’ve impressed even the saltiest sailor. “She’s not going back there.”

“Not a chance in hell.” Jaxon agreed, his tone grim.

“Did Gregtake care of them?” I asked, the silent question hanging in the air. Gregor’s resume as Lucas’s private chef was almost laughable considering his true skill set. The guy was like a teddy bear, but with a dark past of taking down bad guys—usually not in the most legal ways.

“No,” Lucas growled, his voice sharp. “Just… no.”

“Gregcould’ve taken care of them, no problem,” I said, trying to ease the tension.

“No, Gregor. Margot’s never going back there. They won’t get another chance to look at her, ever.” Lucas ran his hands down his face, clearly exhausted. “We’d better hope she gives us another shot after this disaster. If she says no, we’re going to have to explain why she needs to move.”

“Fine,” Gregsaid, sounding unfazed. “Gregmake them move to new state?”

I shot Lucas a sharp look. “Are you going to do something about that?”

Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he was about to snap. “I swear, I’ll have a stroke if we don’t find her soon.”

“If she’s not at home, she’s with her mom,” Jaxon said, leaning back in the seat, his head falling against it. “We’re all going to need therapy after this mess. Especially Mr. ‘Take Them Out’ in the driver’s seat.”

Greggrunted, his voice calm. “Gregfine.”