Page 53 of Between Brothers

He’d made a believer out of me, but I still wasn’t sure how far I should trust him.

Chapter Twenty

Ride or What

Kingston

I checked myself as I dismounted, running my hand down the front of my cut and over the forty-five I was concealing beneath it. Roy had the girl; all I had to do was knock off Paxton.

I opened the screen door like I lived there. A smile was already resting on my lips as I entered with a hint of swagger in my step, closing the heavy door behind me.

“Oh, Roy wanted that open to ventilate.” Rigs giggled, sauntering toward me.

“I bet he did,” I grunted, glancing back at the entrance.

The fucking dumbass would have alerted the entire neighborhood to the situation at hand. He either wanted to get caught, or he had no intention of ever getting on board.

“Everything okay, baby?” Rigs asked, pressing her chest against me, and reaching for my neck.

I snagged her wrist before she could touch me and stared down at her like her next few words had better be the answer I was looking for, “Did you get everything draped and taped?”

“Of course, just like Roy said.”

“Everything? I don’t want to have to pay for damages.” I could see that the room I was standing in was covered well enough, but I didn’t know where Paxton was currently painting.

“It is, I promise.” She stretched to her tip toes, and presented her lips for a kiss.

“We’ll see.” I tried to sound as unconvinced as possible. I kept her wrist in hand, sliding my fingers to tangle with hers and nodding for her to lead the way, “Take me to him.”

She laughed like it was some kind of game, a broad, toothy smile flashing at me, before she led our conjoined hands over her shoulder. I allowed her embellished familiarity for the moment. Even if we both knew I hated when she acted this way.

I’d warned her to knock it off enough times.

Maybe today would be the day she finally heard me.

She slapped open the plastic-curtained-off section of a bedroom entrance and I discreetly pulled the revolver. She didn’t notice, and curled into my chest somewhat as she announced, “Lookie who decided to join us, Pacman.”

“Hey, brother,” Pacman warmly greeted me even before he’d committed to turning our way.

He barely even had a chance to register what he was seeing when he finally did face us. I I slid my thumb over the hammer and squeezed the trigger just as his eyes flashed.

Rigs jerked her hand back and got out half a scream before I caught her in the jaw with a backhand.

She was sobbing before she hit the floor, and scrambling the minute her ass landed. I raised the forty-five and cocked the hammer again, “You know, there are a couple of ways this could end, Rigs.”

She quit her incessant bleating, and began to heave, her shoulders coming protectively toward her jaw when her back met the wall.

“Stop it, you’re boring me and I’m kind of on a high right now, love. You understand?”

The light in her pretty eyes went dim, though they widened and leaked with copious tears.

“Focus. I need you to focus, or I’m gonna run out of patience. I shot him as you were reaching for me. Which means we probably both have enough GSR on us to keep a jury guessing. Nobody saw me enter. At best, you prepped the murder scene for me…” I paused and glanced around at all her perfect draping.

She choked on a sob, and began to gasp.

“Rigs…”

“What are you saying, King? I won’t tell. I swear to God, I was never here,” she whined, her voice caving at the end.