Sweet Seduction Shield(58)

"Harvey," Pierce said, standing immediately to face the man who glared at us with no small measure of shock.

"Jesus Christ, Pierce," the guy said. "You wanna completely ruin your career?"

Career? Oh God. This guy was a cop, another detective. I could see it now in the clothes he wore; casual, comfortable, but designed to blend in. A jacket over jeans, just like Pierce used, to hide the shape of his holstered gun. The set of his jaw let me know he was disappointed, the look in his eyes shouted his shock. He hadn't expected Pierce to get involved with a witness under his care, and I couldn't really blame him.

But I also had no idea how close he was to Ryan, whether he was friend enough to cover his faux pas or sink him in it.

"I'll, ah, go check on Daisy," I announced, thinking it better to leave the two men alone to battle it out.

"Yeah, I think you've done enough damage here for one day, Mrs Costello," the cop said. I didn't miss his obvious use of my married name, a name associated with a criminal.

But I didn't have time to argue or deflect, or even to just turn the other cheek and walk away, because Ryan launched himself across the space between them and landed an upper cut to the guy's jaw.

Chairs crashed and cupboards banged as the two of them went hell for leather at each other's throats. The women were the first to arrive, having been just in the other room talking quietly amongst themselves. I saw Eva grasp Daisy and swing her up into her arms and head off in the opposite direction, thankfully taking my impressionable daughter away from this scene. But Abi and Kelly had no problem launching into the thick of the action, trying to tear the two men apart.

In the chaos an elbow met Abi's nose. She'd gotten too close to the brawling men and suffered for it. Blood began to pour down her chin, as Kelly swore blue murder, demanding the men, "Act like adults and calm the fuck down!"

Then Ben stormed in, with Nick and Adam behind him. He saw the men still trying to deck each other, heard Kelly's admonishments, and then finally, as if in slow motion, he clocked his woman's bloody nose and face.

"Oh fuck no! Stone, Pierce! Quit fucking around!" Nick shouted, reaching out to stop Ben in his tracks, and being deflected easily with a shoulder shove.

Adam tried to get around a flailing Nick, but the two ended up just getting tangled, as Ben landed on Pierce and the other guy; Harvey Stone, I was thinking. And tore them apart, practically flinging them to opposite sides of the room.

"Who the fuck hit Abi?!" he shouted, and the room went deadly silent.

I'd made it to Abi's side, as had Genevieve, and we'd both pulled her back from the melee and were attempting to stem the flow of blood. Our movements ceased at the threatening tone in Ben's voice. All of us standing there and staring at the Māori warrior who loomed over everyone right then.

Neither Pierce nor Harvey answered, and truth is, I hadn't seen whose elbow had connected with Abi's face. But I sure as hell wasn't going to let Ryan get the blame for it.

"That other guy started it." I pointed directly at Harvey Stone, who cocked his head at me and just blinked. Then a small twitch of his lips, before his face went blank.

"Ah, are you OK, Abi?" Pierce asked, making me think he might have actually been the one who inadvertently caught Abi on the nose.

"I'll live," she mumbled, nasally.

"You two fuckers won't if you don't apologise right the fuck now!" Ben demanded.

"I'm really sorry," Harvey said, beating Pierce to the punch by a millisecond.

"Me too," Pierce added. "We hadn't realised you'd come in the room."

"No?" Ben asked, crossing his arms over his chest and staring the two men down. "So, what was so fuckin' important you had to act like cavemen and in the process hurt my woman?"

Again, no answer, just heads tipped down, eyes focused on the ground.

Ah, hell. These people obviously all knew each other, were probably normally good friends.

I sucked in a breath, and said softly, "Ah, that would be me."

Ben stared at me for a second and then huffed out a laugh.

"Fuck me," he muttered. Then as he walked over to check on Abi he added under his breath, "Here we fuckin' go again."

And I had no idea what he was talking about, but everyone else seemed to, because one by one they all began to laugh.

Including the guy who had started it; the detective called Harvey Stone.





Chapter 17


Not Even Glancing In My Direction Once

Tension still hung in the air, thick and oppressive, despite the laughter of only moments before. Harvey Stone stood, leaning against a bench, arms folded, hard look on his surfer boy face. I didn't know the man, but I got the impression that scowling was not a normal facial expression for him. With the sandy hair, tanned skin and ice blue eyes bracketed with laugh lines, I could picture more of a genial personality. But I might have been wrong.