“I’m not telling you shit,” he said.
“We’ll see about that.”
Marco opened drawers and cabinets until he discovered some zip ties stashed with the trash bags under the sink. He handed them to me. When I approached Daniels, he tried to stand, but I shoved him back into the chair. He fought my hold on his wrists until Marco yelled, “Enough.”
Marco raised his gun, and Daniels gave in and let me bind his wrists. I secured his ankles to the chair legs with two more ties and gave him a slow once-over. He was breathing hard and his eyes were wide. He looked incredibly fuckable. “I like you like that.”
I really wanted a repeat of the other night, but I’d have to get rid of Marco first.
“You didn’t tell me you knew this asshole,” Marco said.
“I didn’t know I did until I looked out the window. He never gave me his name.”
“So how do you know him?”
I smiled at Daniels. “He followed me last night. He’s a curious little bastard.”
“You know what they say about curiosity,” Marco said.
“Everything you told me was a lie, wasn’t it?” Daniels asked, looking at Marco.
“You already knew that.”
He grunted. “Yeah, I did. I should’ve known you’d come for me.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re obviously overworked.”
Confusion showed on his face. “What?”
“You’re working a case that’s not yours on top of your own, and you look like you haven’t slept in days. I wonder why that is?”
He snarled at me.
“You need to give yourself a break. Drop the case against my cousin.”
“Like you just said, it’s not my case therefore it’s not my call.”
“Then why are you investigating?” Marco asked.
“Because the case was supposed to be mine.” He looked surprised, like he hadn’t meant to tell us that.
“You don’t trust Murphy with the investigation,” Marco said. It wasn’t a question.
“I don’t. He’s just looking for an easy answer. I’m looking for justice for Lily.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So you’re the type that likes to be a hero?”
He gave me a dark look, and it made me shiver. I wanted that anger turned toward me. I was primed for a rough, angry fuck, but I also needed more answers.
“It’s not about fucking heroics. I want to find the person who killed her.”
“And you don’t think Sean Murphy will do that?” I asked.
Daniels shook his head. “He doesn’t care about the girl. He only cares about closing another case.”
“But you care?”
“Yes.” I believed him, and fuck if it didn’t make me respect him. I didn’t need that complication.
“You’re going to tell me everything you know about this case.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not.”
“Do you understand the position you’re in?” I waved my gun to illustrate my point.
The bastard looked me up and down, heat in his gaze. “Yeah, I do.”
“Are you fucking challenging me?”
“Are you up for it?”
“Don’t forget the picture I’ve got on my phone. You wouldn’t want me showing that around, would you?”
“What happened last night?” Marco was watching me with an odd expression.
“Nothing.”
He rolled his eyes. “Right.”
I needed him out of there. Fast. “I’ve got this under control. You can go.”
“And face Lucien’s wrath if something happens to you?”
“As far as Lucien’s concerned, you were never here. That goes for Angelo too. There shouldn’t be any witnesses to what’s about to happen.”
Marco glanced from Daniels to me. “Are you sure you know what the fuck you’re doing?”
I gave Daniels a grin that probably looked evil to Marco but no doubt turned the kinky bastard on. “Very sure.”
Marco threw up his arms. “Fine. It’s your funeral.”
When the door at the back of the house closed behind him, I put my gun back in my shoulder holster and waited a few seconds. The silence grew heavy as I looked Daniels over. Finally, I heard the distant hum of a motorcycle’s engine. Marco wasn’t planning to listen in.
I met Daniels’s eyes. “Do you think my cousin killed her?”
“There’s evidence that puts him at the scene around the time she died.”
I shook my head. “That’s not what I asked.”
“He’s a suspect. I haven’t made any conclusions.”
“Am I a suspect?”
He tilted his head, studying me. “Are you the killer?”
“No. Neither is Lucien. You’re going to make the charges against him go away.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me like you threatened to last night?”
I shrugged. “That’s one option. I have several you’d enjoy even less.”
The motherfucker just smiled. “You’re not going to kill me.”
He was right, but I didn’t like that he knew that. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” His blue eyes were warmer now. The heat of his gaze warmed me, and my cock swelled. How was I supposed to concentrate around this bastard?
“Shooting you here would be messy, and it would create a lot of hassle for my cousin. He doesn’t need that right now, so I might be willing to make a bargain.” I dropped my gaze to his crotch, studying the bulge there. Jesus, I loved that he was getting off on this.