Talon (Uncompromising #1)(34)

“Like the Marines trained you for Force Recon, like a dead wife left you millions, like a cast-off orphan who came from a dust bowl took down the head of a cartel with nothing but his active duty buddy and a blunt object.”

I didn’t blink. I didn’t even breathe. “That’s quite a story.”

“It’s no story,” he said confidently.

Alarm tightened my muscles. “You might wanna rethink your payroll, seems someone has more imagination than brains.” How the fuck did he find all that out?

“You saying it’s not true?”

“I’m sayin’ rumors like that can get a man killed.” I scrambled, trying to figure out how he knew about Maldonado’s cousin. Candle wasn’t someone who used the term blunt object. Police reports used that.

The slow nod was back. “I like you.”

“Not gonna jerk off with you, I got enough friends.” Autopsy reports also used that term. It was the only two solid connections I could make to his choice of words. But neither of those reports connected me or Blaze to the murder, so where the fuck had he gotten his information?

“Understood.” Candle crossed his arms. “Business is business.”

“Then get to it.” Jesus Christ, I’d underestimated him.

“I can handle that little problem of yours.”

I waited because I knew there was more.

“But it’s gonna cost you.”

“I don’t pay for favors.” Or murders of assholes in jail. The death penalty wasn’t on my short list.

“Me neither. A favor is a favor. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”

Fuck. “What do you want?”

“I want you to understand if I do this, you’ll owe me.”

“So you said.” Instinct told me to walk away while I still had the chance.

“You sure you wanna owe me that kind of favor?”

Fuck. I knew what he was offering. He’d eliminate my problem then I’d have to eliminate his, no matter what. Goddamn it.

I pulled my phone out, dialed, and held it to my ear. My gaze on Candle, I waited as André’s phone went to his full mailbox. I hung up and dialed Blaze. It went straight to voice mail. I hung up.

André had come to me for a reason. I knew the drill. They could legally go after Maldonado, but finding the trail was the only way to a conviction. That’d take weeks, if not months. In the meantime, the hit was still out there and Layna’s life was at risk. Blaze and André could protect her but a determined hired gun wasn’t an obstacle you overcame.

The best way to eliminate the threat was to take out the source. Dead source meant no payout. No payout, no hit.

Motherfucker.

If the situation were reversed, Blaze would do it for me, no question. But this wasn’t just about Blaze. It was about his wife, who was alive and breathing and who looked so much like my dead wife that I wasn’t going to let Blaze know what that felt like.

“Do it,” I said.

“It’ll happen tomorrow morning. You want confirmation?”

If I said yes, I was saying I didn’t trust him. If I said no, I was a fucking fool. “Yeah, call my cell. And make sure he suffers.”

A smile spread across Candle’s face. “You are one sick bastard.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“Truth.” He held his hand out.

We shook.

Candle grinned and got on his bike. “Welcome to my world.” He revved the engine, inclined his head and took off.

I walked to the Challenger, got in and ran my hands through my hair. My pulse racing, my stomach tight, I told myself I didn’t just get in over my head.

But fuck.

Fuck.

I slammed my hand against the steering wheel.

Who the hell was I kidding? I’d just gotten in bed with the goddamn devil. Fuckfuckfuck. Out of my hands now, no control over it. I only knew one thing. Siren was done with these assholes, right fucking now.

I drove home, went upstairs and straight to the couch.

Honey-blonde hair, big innocent eyes, she was so damn beautiful, my chest hurt. And when she silently stared up at me without an ounce of resentment in her expression for what I’d said to her earlier, my conscience hurt.

Adrenaline pounding, blood rushing, I held my hand out.

No hesitation, she took it.

I pulled her to her feet and cupped her face. “You’re never going back to that kind of a life. Carter, Candle, none of it.” She was too pure. She didn’t deserve that. Not her.

Alarm spread across her face. “You don’t understand.”

I let out a low growl. “I’m not playin’.”

“I can’t…” She sucked in a breath. “I’m always going to be tied to him as long as—”