“Oh, he canhidestuff from me. But when I ask him point-blank, I know when he’s lying. Tonight, when I called to see how the meeting with Maxwell had gone, I knew immediately that something was wrong. I asked him bluntly if he’d hurt Maxwell. He admitted to drugging him and taking him somewhere. But he swore he didn’t do anything truly vicious.” He sighed. “I drove like a bat out of hell to get here. I’m lucky I didn’t wreck my car.”
“I think kidnapping and drugging a person is pretty vicious.”
He winced. “I’m sure Max is okay. Probably scared though. That’s why the sooner we get to him, the better, right?”
“I should throw you in jail for being an accessory,” I growled.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were full of pain. “Royce, Jesus, work with me here. We both want to protect the men we love.” Hisvoice was hoarse. “I like Max. I swear, I want him safe.”
“Then tell me where he is,” I hissed.
“Please, Royce. We can both get what we need if you’ll just be reasonable.”
I huffed. “By letting River walk free? No way.”
“Not free. Just with a lesser punishment. Of course he needs to be held accountable for his behavior. But he’s mentally ill. He’s paranoid and truly believes that Maxwell killed his sister through negligence. He’s not an evil man.”
“I don’t know, Lucas…”
He grabbed my arm. “I’m begging you to show mercy to River. He doesn’t deserve to go to prison for life.”
“If he doesn’t have a record, he might not do more than two to five years,” I rasped, tugging my arm free.
He shuddered. “Five years? God, that would destroy him.”
His pain bothered me, but mostly, I was worried for Max’s safety. “How do you know River hasn’t done something to Max since you talked on the phone?”
“Because I know River. I’m telling you he’s not going to actuallykillMaxwell. This whole thing is designed to get Maxwell to confess to negligence in Lucinda’s death.”
“Okay, but Max swears he isn’t negligent. So what happens when he doesn’t give River what he wants? River will probably take it further than he should. He could end up accidentally killing Max.” Fear spiked as I finished speaking. “I need to get to Max before River possibly injures him.”
“I’ll take you to where River has Max right now. He knows we’re coming.” He swallowed hard, eyes pleading. “I’m begging you though, when you arrest River, please charge him with the lesser crime. Let him get the psychological help he needs.Please.”
I’d seen plenty of people beg for leniency in my time, generally for themselves. I’d never witnessed anyone so willing to grovel for someone else. Lucas was one step away from falling to his knees and hugging my legs. While I wanted to strangle River, I’d always respected Lucas. I had to admit that if a decent man like Lucas felt that strongly for River, it did sway me a little.
“Take me to Max, and I’ll think about what you’ve said.”
He slumped, worry etched on his face. “Will you?”
“I said I’ll think about it. I can’t guarantee you a damn thing, Lucas,” I muttered. “This all depends on what River has done to Max.”
He nodded. “Okay, that’s fine. Just the fact that you’ll even consider the reduced charge.”
“You realize ultimately it’s up to the DA what River will be charged with.”
“I know. But I also know that a good word from you could influence what happens to River.” He sounded breathless.
I exhaled. “I can’t really think about anything but Max right now. We can talk later. I need to get to Max.”
“Right. I’ll lead the way.” He turned and trotted toward his car.
I watched him go, feeling sorry for him. Even if I arrested River for unlawful restraint, the road ahead was going to be painful for Lucas. He loved River, and River was going to suffer.
And if he’d actually hurt Max already, I’d see to it that River suffered unbearably.
Chapter Five
Maxwell
