“Tell that bitch I’ll kill her before she ever receives a dime,” he growled as he rose from his seat. Snatching my shoulder, he spun me around. My dress strap ripping was loud in my ear.
My heartbeat pounded, and my body tensed. “Expect my testimony about the death threats in your divorce hearing. Your wife will get full custody of little Matt and Joey.”
“You bitch.” His fingers dug deeper into my shoulder, and his strike came quick and fast as he backhanded me across the cheek, making my cheekbones feel like they’d exploded. His rings cut my lip, and everyone in the restaurant paused, unmoving, as if not believing what they were witnessing. No one came to my aid.
“I guess your temper is why she’s divorcing you?” I said, spitting blood from my lip. “Touch me again, and your wife won’t have to worry about divorcing you. She’ll get everything when you’re dead. You understand?” I leaned into him and lifted my knee hard and fast into his family jewels, inflicting some deserved pain.
He dropped to his knees, cupping his crotch as I grabbed a napkin from the bar and blotted the blood pooling on my face while glancing around the ceiling. I grinned as I turned back to Tanner as he was trying to stand. “You’re over.” Before I could gesture to the cameras, Tanner pulled a gun and had his finger on the trigger.
I lifted my hands in the air. “You don’t want to shoot. You’ll do hard time for murder.”
A snarl registered on his face as his eyes narrowed. He’d cocked the trigger when a mountain of muscles flashed by, pushing me out of the way as he tackled Tanner to the ground.
We all landed in a hot mess on the ground. My dress officially was ruined from the sticky goo on the floor.
Muscles met my gaze. The soda drinker pulled Tanner’s hands behind his back. “FBI, and you’re under arrest.”
“FBI?” I questioned as he put the metal bracelets on Tanner. Had they had this guy under surveillance for more dirt?
“FBI?” Tanner asked. “Why the hell are you guys involved in a civil dispute? I haven’t done anything.”
Several men rushedinto the restaurant. Most wearing bulletproof vests with FBI inscribed across the chests. A tall guy with balding hair had his hand resting on his gun. “What the hell did you do?”
“I served attorney papers,” I answered.
“Not you,” he growled and jabbed his finger toward a barstool.
Another officer guided me to the stool to sit.
“He hit her, Campbell,” the mountain of muscles answered, passing the weatherman off to another agent.
Tanner’s arrest would make the evening news. Too bad he wouldn’t be wouldn’t be following up with the weather forecast.
“And she fought back,” Campbell answered. “Murray, you shouldhave just broken it up and escorted him out. But no… you just had to break your cover and be a savior.”
“Uh… I didn’t need a savior, but thanks for trying, Murray, is it?” I said from the barstool.
They both glared at me. I had that effect on some people.
“You most likely scared Miss. Bennett’s accomplice away.”
“Wait, what?” I asked as I hopped off the barstool. How had I turned into the criminal and part of an FBI sting?
Campbell pointed to the seat I’d vacated. “You sit. I’ll deal with you in a minute.”
I was in the twilight zone. I fired off a text to my sister Gwen.The FBI is about to arrest me. Can you do your thing?
I started to sing my revised Christmas jingle again.
Twenty-one subpoenas served.
Ten bail jumpers found.
Six death threats.
And one… ruined FBI sting…
I dunked my scratchynapkin in a tallglass of water and dabbed at my bloody lip. The abrasivescratches on my arm stung. My favorite dress was torn at the shoulder strap.
Campbell stepped around my sexy-soda-drinking-linebacker and grabbed my phone before dangling a pair of handcuffs in front of me.
I held out my wrists and smiled. “You should think twice about this.”
“Yeah, and why is that?” Campbell asked.
“Because I’m the victim here, and you’ll get some bad press.”
“I’m not worried about bad press,” he said while he tightened the cuffs on my wrist.
“You might not be worried about the press, but you should be concernedthat I had time to text my sister.” I grinned even brighter as he yanked me off the barstool and escorted me out with Agent Murray following behind.