Poker Face Read online

  The door creaked open. Jasmine lay pretending to be asleep, her bindings still tied but looser than before. Liv was next to her, watching the van doors open through the edge of her vision.

  Then Liv heard a crash as Ryan shot a foot out and nailed whoever it was in the face. It was a guy, so hopefully Ross. Or Dane. Liv could take either one.

  Ryan used her hands and feet to get out of the truck, Liv hopping out right behind her. Jasmine struggled to sit up, but there she was, glaring at them from behind Liv and Ryan.

  Veronica was standing there, her eyes boring into them. Ryan was getting ready to face down with Dane, so that left Veronica for Liv. Not necessarily well trained in the subtle art of combat, Liv basically launched herself at Veronica and used her body weight to take her down.

  It worked a lot better than it should have, really. Maybe it helped that Veronica didn’t really put up a fight. She managed to roll her onto her side and pin her down. For all that Liv was non-violent, really, she didn’t mind leaving part of Veronica’s head in the dirt.

  Ryan was pinned against the truck, Dane’s hand around her throat. Words stuck in Liv’s throat. Could she help?

  Then a branch came out of nowhere and walloped Dane over the head, causing him to drop her. Ryan elbowed him hard in the back of the neck, and down he went.

  “Thanks,” Ryan said, looking at Jasmine. Liv stared at her too, surprised to see the formerly weak woman wielding a branch the size of a club. Jasmine was breathing hard, and Ryan eased her down to sit on the van floor before she turned to Liv.

  Liv could only guess how much that fight had taken out of Ryan, both emotionally and physically. That was a huge betrayal.

  “Here.” Ryan handed her Dane’s belt, so Liv could bind Veronica up like a Christmas turkey. Dane was cuffed with his own handcuffs.

  A shot rang out, startling both of them. Liv ducked, her heart racing, just in time to see a glimpse of Ross running into the trees.

  Now, Liv mostly lived her life not making stupid decisions. But the rage of him making a run for it was making her see red. He had screwed up so much in her life. He had almost killed her.

  She grabbed Dane’s gun from his holster and started racing after Ross, her vision tunneling to just the man in front of her. No matter how much she got scratched, how much she was poked at, she was going to get him.

  Trees passed her in a blur, and she hopped over a branch that nearly tripped her. The gun was still in her hand. Did she know how to use it? No. She was making a stupid decision, and she knew it.

  But she just knew that Ross couldn’t get away.

  “You wouldn’t shoot me.” She heard Ross’s voice come out easy, almost casual. He wasn’t running anymore, most likely. Either that or he could run and speak in normal tones.

  Liv didn't say anything, instead adjusting her trajectory to intersect with his. What she would do when she caught him, she wasn’t sure. But he couldn’t get away. Her pulse was pounding so loud in her ears that she couldn’t hear anything but the sound of the beats and his voice. The world had narrowed.

  Tunnel vision.

  “Am I there? Am I here?” Ross laughed.

  Liv forced herself to stop, to slow the beating of her heart for a few split seconds. She looked down at the gun and shook her head. She couldn’t shoot him, she knew that. But she dared not dispose of the gun and risk him finding it. He didn’t need two guns.

  No. But she wasn’t helpless. Liv turned and headed for the brush where she had last heard his voice. Ventriloquism most likely wasn’t part of his skill set. She couldn’t get too close because he was armed.

  Instead, using Jasmine as her inspiration, she grabbed a strong-looking yet flexible branch and pulled it back until she was hidden by the brush. Then Liv went silent and waited.

  “Where are you?” Ross’s voice was still mocking, but Liv could hear the barest hint of actual question in it. He didn’t know where she was. And she was going to use that to her advantage.

  She stood, silent, waiting. She could now hear the faint steps of his footfalls, the hint of his clothes as he brushed through some leaves. He was close, and she was going to get him.

  There he was.

  She let go of the tree branch, letting it snap him firmly in the chest with a loud thwack. Ross fell to the floor, apparently winded.

  “What next,” Liv muttered, heading straight for him and grabbing the gun out of his hand. Now she had both of them, and he had none. She hoped.

  A loud crushing in the underbrush sent Liv’s adrenaline skyrocketing. Had Dane escaped? Had something happened?

  “I radioed for help.” Ryan’s voice filled her with relief. “I found some zip ties on Veronica, let’s tie him up.”

  “I hit him with a tree.” Liv offered her the gun. Gingerly Ryan took it, then she placed it on the ground and went to bind Ross up. Liv looked at Ryan, and Ryan looked at Liv.

  “You scared me,” Ryan said softly. She pulled Liv close, ignoring their surroundings and the bound criminals.

  Liv kissed her, trying to apologize. She had scared herself, too. Had she actually been prepared to shoot Ross? She wasn’t normally a violent person.

  Angry sirens pierced the quiet of the clearing. “They’re here.” Ryan pulled back, but she took Liv’s hand and squeezed it.

  Liv helped her get Ross up, and walked him back to where Dane and Veronica were bound. Both were conscious now, but Veronica was crying while Dane just looked like stone.

  Chief O’Conner stood there, looking at Dane with a face like rock. “Want to explain why you’re tied like the other two?”

  Dane’s eyes flickered with something that may have been considered fear in anyone else. “I want a lawyer.”

  That was enough for the Chief. “Get them out of here,” he snarled.

  Liv stood at the side of the clearing, her arm around Ryan’s shoulders. Now that the adrenaline was starting to fade, exhaustion was setting in.

  “Dane killed Cairo,” Liv said, her words wooden. “She discovered who he was.”

  “Why Charles?” This was the Chief speaking, who had apparently overheard them. And who was apparently willing to trust her as a witness.

  “To cast more suspicion on Steven,” Liv said. “Ross and Dane needed a fall guy.” Her voice was bitter. “Ross was the actual killer.” She looked at Jasmine, who was getting attended by the paramedics first. “He killed Ashley and Dane dumped the body.” It had taken her a long time to put the pieces together, but she had.

  A pair of paramedics came over, their medical bags in their hands. It was only then that Liv realized she was covered in scrapes, with blood dotted on her body. She had been so hyped up that she hadn’t even noticed.

  “Charles knew what Cairo knew,” Ryan said. “He met Ross at the weekly poker nights and figured out there was something going on behind it, so Cairo trusted him.”

  “There’s something you need.” Liv looked at Ryan. “She has a flash drive.”

  Ryan nodded in agreement.

  Liv turned to face the Chief. “Cairo kept a record of the ring’s activity and roster on a flash drive. She was using that to blackmail them. It’s encrypted, so no information showed up on my computer. But it’s on there.”

  “How do you know all this?” The Chief frowned.

  Liv chuckled, then hissed as the paramedics wiped antiseptic over her wounds. “Ross talked while I was being held captive. And then talked some more. I think he wanted to unload.”

  “What about the settlement?” That was Ryan, now. She had missed most of the talking, so Liv had to fill in the blanks.

  “She’d gone back to playing poker in order to leave Steven, I think.” Liv pondered. “Ross left the specifics out, but she had to have a reason that she had that much cash, right?”

  Ryan nodded in agreement, even as her face said otherwise.

  To Liv’s surprise, the Chief let out a laugh. “They just have to talk, don’t they?”

  Liv turned to watch Jasmin
e being strapped to a gurney and placed into an ambulance. Jasmine smiled at both of them, but her eyes were distant. “Will she be okay?” Liv wasn’t certain she wanted to know the answer.

  “She’ll make it.” Ryan nodded. “She’s strong.”

  Liv agreed. She bowed her head. Then she lifted her head, alarm flooding through her. “I need to check on Gram – I’ve been gone so long, what if something’s happened? She’s supposed to come home soon, and I’m not there.” Panic flooded her. “And Mocha. Where is she? We have to find her.”

  “I’ll take you.” Ryan looked at the Chief.

  “Go,” he said, waving a hand. “I’ll send someone later to take your statements.”

  Liv grabbed Ryan’s hand and ran to her patrol car.

  31

  Epilogue - February

  Ryan pushed the door open, heading into what was formerly Liv’s house but was now theirs. The thought still sent shivers down Ryan’s spine. “You’re not supposed to be lifting more than ten pounds!” Liv’s voice rang from the kitchen.

  “You’re not the boss of me,” Gram retorted, even sassier post-surgery.

  Gram’s recovery had gone well and after a couple weeks of rehab, she had returned home. Ryan had offered to move in to provide support.

  It was a sham, and they both knew it. But Liv had wanted her there.

  “If you guys get into a fist-fight, I’ll have to arrest you,” Ryan called out.

  Liv huffed. She came out of the kitchen, giving Ryan a quick kiss. “She’d heal faster if she listened to the doctor’s orders.”

  Gram came out of the kitchen, her eyebrows raised. “Whippersnapper. I’m already back to normal!”

  “That’s your new favorite word, isn’t it?”

  “You bet.” Gram grinned. “Don’t you two have some work to be doing?”

  Ryan and Liv exchanged looks. They had started renovations on the house, melding a couple of the bedrooms to make a larger master bedroom. Or rather, they had hired someone to start it and tell them how to do it. That went much faster. They were also sectioning part of the house off to make Gram her own suite, kitchen and all.

  “You go watch your shows,” Ryan said. “Liv and I will cook dinner.”

  Gram sighed, as if she was the most dramatic human in the world. Of her many personality quirks, that was Ryan’s favorite. Had Gram been like that before the tumor? She would never know, but Ryan loved her as if she was her own grandparent.

  “How was your day?” Liv asked, looking at Ryan with the smile in her eyes that sent Ryan’s stomach tumbling.

  Ryan turned her face away from Liv, distracting herself with giving Mocha scratches behind her ears. She had been found diligently sitting in front of Liv’s campaign, unhurt but now howling at everyone she didn’t know. “I saw Ruby and the kids.” Ryan’s face tensed, and so did the rest of her. Dane’s wife had filed for divorce after his arrest, and now Ruby was raising two children under four on her own. Ryan and the other honest police officers did what they could.

  “I’d like to meet her sometime,” Liv said.

  Ryan looked at her, startled. “I’d like that.” It was one of the first times Liv had expressed interest into truly coming into Ryan’s world and stepping outside of her family’s bubble.

  “I heard Veronica was sentenced today?” That wasn’t really a question, coming from Liv. Certainly someone had told her at the café.

  “Fifteen years to life,” Ryan confirmed. “Life without parole for both Dane and Ross, most likely. Their convictions will take a while longer.”

  “What a waste of life.” Liv looked out the window, her eyes sad. “Did they find the drug runner?” Mocha wandered over to her next, butting her leg with her head.

  “Caught him last week trying to flee the country. He’ll be arraigned next.”

  Liv shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe the entirety of what had happened.

  Ryan couldn’t blame her. Her words were quite true. In Ross’s drive for money, he’d destroyed several families. Cairo’s was irreparably damaged, her mother’s only comfort being the proceeds of Cairo’s poker career.

  What little good that did.

  Steven was losing business, his life falling apart after the accusations. Even the conviction of someone else for the crimes did little to quiet the town’s gossip, especially since rumors were still flying that he was tied to the ring one way or another.

  The DEA had a task force working on rounding up Ross’s associates in Boren and he was watched round-the-clock in jail to ensure that he didn’t escape. They’d found his real identity, Ian Edgett, a former drug kingpin on the east coast who’d fled prosecution.

  “I’ve got to open tomorrow.” Liv stifled a yawn.

  “I have an overnight shift tomorrow.” Ryan grinned. Their jobs often kept them working opposite shifts, but all it did was make them cherish the time they had together more.

  “Too bad the coffee shop isn’t twenty four seven.” Liv wasn’t actually that sorry, but it was a nice thought.

  “But once you’re done, you’re done.” Ryan gave her a kiss. “And there are plenty of other perks of having a barista for a girlfriend.” She grinned. “The free coffee, for example.”

  Liv nudged her with her hip, grinning. “I’d go bankrupt in a week if I gave you free coffee every time you wanted it.”

  “I don’t drink that much.” Ryan looked offended.

  Liv snorted.

  “I love you,” Ryan said, the words softening her. She really did. She had always loved Liv, that much was true.

  “I love you too.” Liv kissed her, their eyes closing.

  No matter what had happened, they would have each other. Forever and always.

  Liv’s eyes opened, then narrowed. Ryan looked at her, a sexy look on her face.

  “Does that mean Gram gets to keep Mocha in her rooms now?”

  Gram cackled from the living room. “You betcha!”

  THE END

  Hi Reader!

  Book 5! It feels like a milestone, and I hope readers enjoy it as much as I did! I really enjoy writing romantic suspense and enjoy the challenge of twining the romance and the mystery together so that you get an equal bit of both. I also hope no one ever gets a look at my google history! Hah! Occupational hazard, for sure. Whether you’re a repeat reader or someone new to my work, I am really grateful that you took time out of your busy day to read my book! It would mean a lot to me if you could take a minute and leave a review of Poker Face on Amazon, or even Goodreads. Reviews make a big difference in the success of independent authors like me, and I really want to know what my readers think and what they would like to see more of! If you’d like to read more of my work, here are quick links:

  Shattered Hearts

  . Falling For You

  I Spy

  Necessary Sacrifice

  If you want to see sneak peeks into my books and into my life, please follow me at facebook.com/noellewintersbooks (I post photos of both Mocha and her little “sister” Chai!). Each new book will be released at 3.99 for the first 24 hours and I send out a special notification to my mailing list/FB page! If you would like to be notified when a book is freshly released, please please please sign up for my newsletter here:

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  I hope you are well, dear reader, and I hope to see you again soon!

  Noelle

 

 

 
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