Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
The intruder gained a precious few seconds since Briggs had to dress in a hurry, but that didn’t help them much since the fence didn’t have any place to gain a foothold.
Briggs wasn’t sure how he’d made it over in the first place—assuming that’s how he’d gotten in the yard—but he could figure that out later.
Right now, he just wanted to make sure his babygirl was safe and that this guy learned a lesson so that he’d never be dumb enough to come back!
The guy had jumped up and managed to grab the black metal lattice that ran along the top and gave the fence an extra foot of height, but his feet kept struggling to find purchase on the smooth wood.
Briggs took hold of the back of his shirt and wrenched him to the ground.
“Hey! You can’t attack me! It’s illegal!”
Briggs rolled his eyes. “And it’s illegal to trespass, too, bud. Care to explain what you’re doing?” He scanned the man—who was a probably about ten inches over six feet and had a wiry frame—and didn’t see a camera on him or near him. “You’re not paparazzi.”
The guy huffed a little but shook his head and said. “I’m going to get up now. Is that okay?”
“Don’t make any sudden moves.”
“Easy, pal. I’m not carrying a gun.”
“Pal?”
The guy didn’t respond as he staggered to his feet.
“You’ve got ten seconds to tell me who you are and what you’re doing—”
“I’m a private investigator with a valid license issued by the State of California.”
“That doesn’t explain much. I’m waiting.”
The wiry man sighed and shifted on his feet, wincing a little.
Good, Briggs thought. I probably jolted him when I tossed him down. Ass.
“My name is Will Keaton. And I’m on retainer by a client who wanted to check in on Ms. Hartwell.”
Briggs was having a hard time keeping his temper in check.
Normally, he was an easygoing man. But not when the safety of Little Riley was concerned, apparently.
“I’m not a cop or a lawyer, but I know it’s illegal for someone—even a P.I.
—to trespass. You can observe from public places, like a street. But not on someone’s private property.”
Will started to speak but then just sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ll be sorrier when the cops get here.”
“Hey!”
Briggs spread his hands. “I’m not the one who broke the law.” He smirked. “Pal.”
The guy didn’t seem to find it funny.
“Briggs? Is everything okay?”
Turning, Briggs saw Riley hurrying toward them.
“Honey, I told you to stay in the house. Go. But yeah, everything is fine.”
This Will Keaton guy claimed to be a private investigator. And maybe he was. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.
While he had the man trapped, he might as well ask the burning question.
“Maybe I’ll tell the cops it was a false alarm if you tell me who you’re working for.”
Will shook his head. “That’s privileged information and violates professional ethics. I can’t divulge that.”
“Give me a break,” Briggs said. “Ethical investigators don’t break the law by perving out and watching people—”
“Hey! It’s not like that. I just got here!”
“Guess we’ll let the cops sort it out. You might just be some Peeping Tom for all I know.”
Riley gasped. “He works for Rita!”
“I thought I told you to go back into the house.”
She appeared remorseful but continued to walk closer. “I’ve seen him before. He’s one of her gophers.”
Will was obviously very offended. “Gopher? I’m a private investigator—”
“Licensed by the state of California,” Briggs finished for him. “Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. Well, we know who you’re working for. Now tell us why.”
The investigator just flared his nostrils.
“The cops will be here any minute, bro. It’s your call how this goes down.”
A look of resignation shaded Will’s face before he said, “She wants to make sure she’s not dating… you.”
“What?” Briggs asked.
“She wants her dating some famous guy. Particularly someone with a bad boy image or whatever. So, she had me snoop around to see if you two were in fact dating.”
“There are more of you, huh?”
The guy didn’t seem to like that Briggs had guessed that, but he nodded.
“Yeah, I saw two of your buddies back at the restaurant.” Briggs shook his head in disgust. “A word of advice: they stared. I’m not a private eye, but I’m guessing the goal is to blend in and not stand out like a sore thumb.”
“Look, can I go now? I told you what you want to know.”
Briggs looked at his-now-girlfriend. “Honey? Your call. This is your place.”
“Go,” she said. “But don’t ever let me find you spying on me again or I’ll turn you in. The statute of limitations gives me a while to report this.”
The guy looked relieved before quickly spinning around.
“Not over the fence,” she said. “The gate unlocks from the inside.”
He nodded. “I, uh, need to collect my ladder.” He jerked his head toward the fence.
So that’s how he’d made it over.
They watched him go and then once they were alone, Briggs said, “You better call off the cops. And by the way, next time I tell you to do something, you need to do it, little missy. I’m Daddy. You’re my Little. Got it?”
She smiled, and Briggs made a mental note that he’d have to tighten up and get a little stricter.
Because right now, that smile was so perfect and Riley was so adorable that there was no way he’d be able to discipline her.
Lord have mercy!