“You’re hardly in a position to stop me.” And, oh, did Korbin ever intend to ruin it.
“Aren’t I? You’d rather go to prison for something you didn’t do?”
“You’ve got that confused, Damen.”
“Do I?”
“Yeah.” He bent to bring his head close. “I’m not the one who’s going to prison. You are. Trouble is I need a little more time to ensure that.”
“It won’t be long before the cops get here. I told them about your friendship with Chavis.”
“Good. Because you’re going to need them.”
“I’m going to need the cops?” Damen outright laughed, a deep, robust sound that ricocheted off the walls.
“Savanna?” Korbin said. “I need you to wait in the backroom. Or outside in the truck. Whichever you prefer.”
“Wh—why?”
“Because I don’t want you to see this.”
Damen’s smile vanished. He was beginning to recall Korbin’s reputation. This was why no one went up against him, why no one tried to make him do things against his will. Damen should have remembered that. He should have considered the possibility that he’d find himself on the receiving end of Korbin’s brand of justice.
“What are you going to do?” Savanna asked. She was a strong, brave woman, but she wasn’t accustomed to violence.
“Give us some time alone together, Savanna.” His calm tone was both reassuring and a warning.
Savanna looked from Damen to Korbin. “I’ll be in the truck.”
* * *
Savanna started toward the truck, a thousand questions going through her mind. Who was Collette? Who was Bear? And what was Korbin doing in that cabin right now?
The only reason she didn’t drive away was because that man had shot at her. Well, and she didn’t have the keys, either. Still punchy and dazed over how close she’d come to dying, she couldn’t think straight. What was the right thing to do? Damen had set Korbin up in a hit-and-run accident. What had happened with that? Had someone died? And what’s with the woman, Collette? She’d been trying to escape Damen and Korbin had tried to save her.
Everything she’d heard painted Korbin as a hero. He’d jumped between her and Damen when he’d shot at her. He’d saved her. Again.
About fifteen minutes later, Korbin emerged, striding calmly toward the truck as though he’d just left a hair appointment instead of a man tied up. When he climbed into the truck and handed her the keys, Savanna had regained some of her aplomb.
“Is he dead?”
“No. But he’ll be in the hospital for a few days.”
Just the right amount of time he needed? He’d beaten the man so severely that he’d be taken to the hospital. That’s what the police would find when they arrived to look for Korbin. Damen. Beaten to a bloody pulp.
“Where are we going?” She wasn’t even sure she was going anywhere with him.
“Denver. I have a friend who can help us.”