“No, he wouldn’t. He wants what he sees as justice, and that wouldn’t include killing you. If you were in that building, he’d save you.”

Skeeter snorted. “Not likely.”

“He would.” But when that didn’t sway him, I said, “Then do it for me.”

He studied my face, a hard look in his eyes. “Anything I want for six months.”

“As the Lady in Black.”

A wicked gleam filled his eyes. “You’re more like me than them, you know.”

I gasped. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re right. Deveraux and Simmons each have their own code of ethics, but you and me . . .” He grinned, pulling me closer. “We realize there are a lot more gray areas than black and white.”

I shook my head. I wasn’t sure I liked what he was implying.

“I’ll go find him, but you stay out here. If I catch you in there, I’m going to drag you out, throw you in the back of my car, and leave him to burn.”

I had no doubt he meant it. “Okay.”

His eyes searched mine. “Six months, Lady. You give me six months?”

“Yes.”

“Where is he?”

“Go through the back door. He’s in the room directly across.”

He pulled out his phone and took several steps away from me to make a call, but he spoke so low I couldn’t hear him. When he hung up, he pointed to his car. “Wait there.” Then he strode to the back door and disappeared inside.

Cal got out of the car and cast a perplexed look in my direction, but otherwise ignored me as I paced back and forth, fighting off tears. A good minute passed, and there wasn’t any sign of either of them as I began to hear sirens in the distance. Thick black smoke poured out of the vents in the roof, and my hysteria started to win out. But seconds later, the back door flung open, and three figures stumbled out. Two of the men were Skeeter and Jed, and they were dragging an unconscious Mason.

They continued to half-carry him away from the building and dropped him onto a strip of grass. I tumbled to my knees next to him and picked up his wrist, gasping with relief when his pulse thrummed against my fingertips.

I looked up at both men and forced out through my tears, “Thank you.”

The sirens were closer, and Skeeter jerked on Jed’s arm. “Let’s go.”

Jed hesitated, then climbed into the car after Skeeter. As they sped away, Mason started to cough.

“Mason?”

He looked up at me and sat up, releasing a groan and holding the side of his head as he pulled me to his chest. “Rose? Thank God.” He lost his breath with a new round of coughing. “I was terrified he’d killed you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“What were you doing here?” I heard the anger in his voice, but he held me tight. “Joe told me he was putting you in protective custody.”

“There was no way I was hanging around with the deputy from hell, so I escaped.” Then I gushed out, “I found your cell phone number in Dolly Parton’s box, and I couldn’t figure out why she would have it, and Neely Kate confessed she heard a rumor that you were accepting a bribe and had a big meeting tonight, and then you said you wanted to take me away tomorrow . . . I thought you might be taking a bribe, Mason, although for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how you could be involved in such a thing. It didn’t matter, Mason. I couldn’t let you go through with such a thing.” He gave me a blank look, and I worried his new head injury had addled his brain. “I was trying to stop you from taking a bribe. I tried to reach you all day.”

“I wasn’t taking a bribe, Rose. I was trying to get solid evidence on him to bring bribery charges against him.”

“But Joe . . .”

“Joe knew all about it. I was supposed to meet the owner somewhere else, but one of his men brought me here. Joe’s men were set up at the other place, and Mick’s guy lost them. Only we didn’t know the owner was Mick until I met him face to face tonight.”

“So did someone really try to kill you? Or was that part of the cover story?”

“Yes, but my best guess is that it was Mick.”

“He said it wasn’t.”

“Mick Gentry’s a liar as well as a thief and a murderer.”

“And he’s missing again,” Joe said, walking over to us. He glared down at me. “What the hell are you doing here?”

I cringed. “Looking for Dolly Parton.”

“At a strip club?” he shouted.

I gave him a sheepish shrug. “It was the last place she was seen.”

Mason climbed to his feet and pulled me up with him. “You’re certain Gentry got away?”

“Unfortunately, I have two witnesses who saw him run out the front door. What happened?”

“Nikko. Gentry’s men had him all along. They tortured him into admitting his arrangement with me. They killed him.”

“Damn it.” Joe put his hands on his hips and shook his head in disgust and disappointment.

“They’d just told me when one of the bouncers dragged Rose into the room. They planned to take us both out back, but a fight broke out in the other room. The manager and his goon knocked me out. That last thing I remember was hitting the floor as Lowry was pulling Rose to the back door.” Mason glanced down at me. “How’d you get away from Lowry?” He looked over his shoulder, grimacing. “And is that him dead by the back door?”