in, Pepper took in the sight of her brother in handcuffs. Logan was tall, her brother taller. But the brawny blond looming over Rowdy topped them all.

She reached out to steady herself- and grabbed hold of Logan.

Through his teeth, Logan told the ironman, "Get him out of here."

Confusion left her knees like noodles.

"Logan-" She didn't understand. A strange sickness expanded, making her stomach pitch, her heart thump heavily.

Logan drew her close to his side.

"Get your fucking hands off her." Her brother resisted, lunging for Logan.

"Wait..." She made to move toward him.

Logan pulled her back.

Rowdy's handsome face twisted as he stared at her with dogged insistence.

"This has nothing to do with you. Stay the hell out of it, do you understand me?"

He couldn't be serious. She tried to reach out to him.

Putting an arm around her, Logan locked her to his side. "Drag him if you have to, but I want him out of here.

Now. "

"Yes, sir," one of the uniformed officers said.

Sir? The awful, undeniable truth of the situation sank in and Pepper eased away from Logan. An invisible fist clamped around her throat. Her eyes burned, with anger and with hurt. "Who are you?"

Implacable will sharpened his gaze.

"Detective Logan Riske."

Detective? Fear kept her thoughts in a jumble. "You're a...a cop?"

Rowdy caused a ruckus, struggling on the stairs, making one cop stumble, another fall. "Stop talking to him!"

The big blond crossed his arms and stared at Logan. "You want to give some orders here, or am I taking over?"

Logan clamped a hand around her arm, drawing her away from the door and into the apartment. "Stay here. I'll be back up to talk to you as soon as I can."

When she didn't answer, he caught her chin.

"Do you hear me?"

She searched his face and hated what she saw. "You're arresting him?"

He remained cold, distant. "I'll explain everything later."

Like an explanation existed beyond the obvious? Her past had caught up to her. Logan either was or wasn't in league with Morton Andrews, but either way, it didn't much matter. Not when he exposed Rowdy, and by association, left her exposed, as well.

After all their years of caution, all they'd gone through to stay invisible and safe-she'd destroyed it all.

Thinking of how badly she'd been duped, she laughed, then quickly covered her mouth to muffle the near- hysterical sound. Tears tried to blur her vision, but she blinked them away.

Logan hesitated. "Pepper-"

"You know my name," she realized aloud. Oh, God, oh, God. "You know everything."

The other cop uncrossed his arms with a sigh. "Yeah, why don't I just go handle things? Looks like you have your hands full here."

After a last searching look, Pepper shoved past them both.

"Pepper!"

Holding her long skirt high above her knees, she went down the steps two at a time and hit the front door hard, flinging it open. She got into the yard in time to see one cop holding open the back door of an unmarked sedan. Another told Rowdy to get inside.

This couldn't be happening.

Horribly afraid that if they took him, she'd never see him again, she raced toward them. Were they legit cops?

Were they good cops?

She had so many reasons for doubt.

Logan called out to her again, but she ignored him. Later, she would have to deal with that, with how incredibly gullible she'd been, how easy she'd made it for him to get to her brother, to use her-in more ways than one.

For now, she needed to talk to her brother.

"Wait!" She got close, but one of the officers-how damn many were there, anyway?-stopped her when she was still several yards away.

Rowdy gave her his darkest, most imposing scowl. "Back inside. Now."

"I'm so sorry," she said, choking on the words, on her escalating fear and the awful, grinding shame. "I should have known. I should have listened to you."

"Say nothing, " he ordered again.

Oh, God. "I'm sorry..." She took a step toward him.

"Stay away from me, damn it."

No. No, he couldn't face this alone.

He couldn't do this to her.

He couldn't leave her.

"Please..."

"You know what to do, now do it."

"Get him in the car!" Logan grabbed her arm, and this time she couldn't shake him off.

Seeing that, Rowdy narrowed his eyes more-and continued to resist the efforts of the cops. Infusing his tone with iron, he ordered, "Tell me you understand."

"Shut him up," Logan barked.

The officer tried to stuff Rowdy into the car, but he shouldered the younger guy hard and sent him reeling. "Damn you, answer me!"

Two cops swarmed in on him, and still he fought.

Her heart broke into shattered pieces.

"I understand," she whispered. And then again, louder so that he could actually hear her, she shouted, "I understand!"

Rowdy wanted her to follow the fallback instructions. Did he honestly think she'd forgotten?

Of course he did, and with good reason. Because she had. For a little while there, with Logan, she'd forgotten...everything.

With her agreement out there, Rowdy stopped struggling. Rough hands pulled him around, someone knotted a fist in his hair. He got shoved into the car even though he'd stopped resisting.

Her brother was tough, one of the toughest men she knew. He will be okay.

Pepper had to keep telling herself that or she'd fall apart.

Now wasn't the time for excesses of emotion. She had to be strong, if not for herself, then for her brother.

All along her back, she felt the heat of Logan standing close behind her. He had used her. He had set her up. And she'd made it absurdly easy.

Yes, she remembered everything Rowdy had ever taught her. But this time, to atone for her guilt, she'd do what was best for him, instead of what was best for her.

The officers waited for instructions.

From Logan.

Burying deep the hurt, the fractured hope, the absurd injured feelings, Pepper turned to face him. She needed information. She needed Logan to go on thinking he had the upper hand.

Beyond him, the big blond said, "I grabbed you a shirt."

Staring at her, Logan nodded.

"Thanks, Reese." He took the dress shirt and pulled it on. As he buttoned it up, he said to Pepper, "I want you to wait in your apartment until I-"

"Go to hell."

He paused at her cold, flat tone, then nodded as if he simply accepted her reaction.

Almost as if he didn't care. But...of course he didn't. All of it was for show.

His friendly smiles, his caring, his sexual interest...

Her stomach cramped at the appalling reality: everything he'd said and done had only been meant to win her over.

God, she hated herself in that moment.

To two of the officers, Logan said coolly, without emotion, "Stay here with her. See that she's safe."

So he'd leave her with guard dogs?

Pepper smiled at Logan. Perfect.

It perplexed him and made him wary, just as she intended.

He studied her face, his gaze direct but guarded. "Your brother will be fine."

"He will be," she agreed. "No thanks to you." She'd see to Rowdy's safety.

She'd do what she should have done long ago. She'd been thinking about it for a while now. Logan's deception had only spurred her to act more quickly.

Thanks to him, the decision was no longer hers alone to make.

She looked past Logan to the other detective. "Reese?"

Logan frowned, but his buddy only arched an eyebrow. "Detective Bareden, Reese to my friends."

"Am I under arrest, Detective Bareden?"

"I can't imagine why you would be."

He deferred to Logan. "Care to chime in?"

Disgusted, Logan tucked in his shirt.

He looked a little mismatched in the button-up shirt and jeans, but then, he'd been a walking contradiction all along.

If only she'd grasped that sooner.

"I have no reason to arrest you. The men will stay to see to your safety until I can get back."

She ignored Logan and again spoke to Reese. "You're arresting my brother?"

Morbidly amused, Reese grinned at her. "Taking him in for questioning. For now."