Mack stood in the shadows of a cold, dirty as fuck alley waiting for his perp to show for a deal that wasn’t going to go down the way Backer was hoping. In fact, there was no deal. Mack’s contact had set the thing up so the hunter could get his hands on his bounty, make a little cash and get back home to his warm, hopefully willing woman. He had some trouble not grinning to himself as he pictured Lucy standing over him in a rage when she realized who his ex-wife was. It was one of the most perfect moments he’d ever experienced. It took the bite out of his bitter divorce.

Not that Mack gave two shits about Daniella. He’d been telling the truth when he told Lucy he never loved the power-hungry bitch. What had hurt was that he never even got a chance to know his kid. Or make the decision to abort or keep it. He’d been cut out completely. The same as his mom had done time and again when he and Tawny were kids. He should have learned his lesson years earlier instead of letting himself be taken in again by another treacherous woman.

Yet, he wasn’t a stupid guy. He knew Lucy was different. Knew she wasn’t anything like his mother or his ex-wife; she was kind and giving. He knew she would never cheat on him or throw him over for money and power. Hell, if she’d wanted money she could have easily stayed in her brother-in-law’s mansion, put her feet up and enjoyed her year in the city in grand style. Instead, she wanted to get out there and explore the world, experience everything on her own. And he loved that about her. Despite her firecracker personality, which was, if he was being honest, a complete turn on. He was unlikely to ever become bored with his carefree, spirited little waitress. They just needed to find a way through her stubborn independence and his need to put her on lockdown and throw away the key.

Mack’s attention sharpened when he heard the clatter of shoes against pavement. Backer was striding toward him, his walk arrogant and sure. Mack cracked his neck to the side and eased the safety off his sidearm just in case. He’d never liked this particular perp. Wasn’t going to make anyone cry if Backer bit the big one tonight.

As soon as he was level with him, Mack stepped out from behind the dumpster and put the smaller man in a quick body lock, taking him down to the pavement with a knee in his back. The other man grunted and squealed and tried to wriggle free but couldn’t even manage to put up a decent fight. Mack sighed in disgust and told the guy why he was being apprehended. Due diligence was key.

“Man, fuck you,” Backer spat.

Mack shoved Backer into the sidewalk and stood with his foot on the man’s neck. He pulled his gun and trained on his forehead. As usual, the suspect was spouting off. Mack ignored him. He wanted to waste as little time as possible in that dirty alley. He was ready to get back to the warm female waiting for him at his place. It had been a long fucking time since he’d been excited by the thought of a woman in his home and he wasn’t about to let a perp keep him from the sexy Amish woman he had every intention of corrupting the hell out of.

And then the perp said something that caught his attention. “I’ll fucking kill everyone you know the second I get out, you motherfucking cop’s bitch.”

Mack glanced down dispassionately and ground his boot a little harder into the Backer’s neck. “Yeah? Keep talking Backer. I’ll make sure you get tossed in with the Delgado gang. I heard they’ve been feeling lonely for some fresh ass lately.”

The bond jumper spat blood and snarled, “You got a girlfriend, Hudson?” His eyes rolled up to Mack’s face. “Yeah, I know who you are, bounty hunter. You got a sweet thing waitin’ to serve you some pussy? You think you’re the only one can hunt? I’ll find your bitch and I’ll tear her a new asshole, how ‘bout?”

Mack fought to keep his expression neutral. This was business. Shit talk was part of apprehension. Criminals almost never came quiet. Now that Lucy was in his life he couldn’t let it bother him. But he also wouldn’t let the criminal underworld think they could touch what belonged to him. If that meant cutting a bloody path through the city to send a message, he damn certain would.

He did think it was fair to give the guy a warning though. “You’re going to want to stop talking now.”

Mack reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone with his free hand while keeping his gun trained on Backer’s head with the other. He flipped through the perp’s file just to make sure he was correct in his information while the guy kept up a steady stream of shit talk. Mack nodded, pleased at what he saw and put his phone back in his pocket.

“Must be hot, whatever piece you got going on,” the guy kept talking, ignoring Mack’s valuable advice. “Guy like you wouldn’t fuck just anything. I’ma take her and fuck every hole, then I’ma take her and pass her around the guys like the bitch she is until she knows nothing but cock. She’ll beg for it man. Maybe I’ll give her back, maybe not, but she’ll be ruined. How do you…”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Mack shot him in the head. He stepped off the body as Backer twitched for a few seconds and then settled. Mack took his phone back out and called Jane. She answered on the second ring.

“Backer was killed during apprehension,” Mack said, no inflection in his voice.

“What the fuck, Hudson!” she yelped. “You were supposed to take him alive.”

Mack grunted and leaned against the wall of the alley. “File says he’s a dangerous criminal and can be brought in dead or alive. I chose dead.”

“Dead means $5000 less,” Jane complained and huffed out an annoyed breath. She seemed to be even crankier pregnant than not pregnant and that was saying a lot considering Jane Sitnikov was a beast on most days. “Are you losing your touch? Do we need to get you a temporary partner during my absence to babysit you during apprehensions?”

Mack straightened and glared at the dead body. “Don’t even try it, partner, unless you want more dead bodies. This guy was shit-talking about your sister, threatening her and shit, so I shut him up, okay?”

She was silent for a moment, and then, “Did you make him suffer?”

Mack grinned into the phone. This is why he could always count on Jane to have his back. She might be tiny, but she was a blood-thirsty little hellion. “Didn’t have time. Guess I’ll have to torture him in hell when I get there.”

She snorted. “See you at supper Friday, asshole.”

She hung up on him.

Mack pocketed his phone and reached for the body. He would drop it off at the morgue, go fill out the paperwork, collect his bounty and head home to his woman. God, he liked the sound of that last part.