Extreme Measures by Rachel Carrington Page B

divorce would make that much easier.
    He’d been a little surprised when her co-worker had filled him in on the end of his sister’s marriage. Matt and Erin had gone together like hot summers and cold beer. They were the last couple he ever expected to get divorced. He liked to think that maybe, just maybe, Erin hadn’t forgiven Matt for slapping the handcuffs on Stuart when he was at his lowest.
    He smirked. He liked the idea that he might be the cause of Erin’s divorce. The little bitch deserved everything he could give her and more. His fingers dug into the steering wheel as the anger swirled in his head like a heavy fog.
    She’d just walked away from him, kicked him when he was down. He’d needed her, needed some support, but Erin had been too good to forgive him, had even testified against him, and the judge had given him a life sentence because of it. After all, if a man’s family didn’t think he was any good, how was the state supposed to think so?
    Then Erin had turned her back on him the second he was shipped off to prison, wouldn’t even accept his letters, like she was too good to communicate with a prisoner. How could she have forgotten all those times he’d protected her in high school? Didn’t she remember Bud Nichols, the greasy old janitor who’d tried to cop a feel when she walked past the boiler room? Stuart had popped him a good one for that, and Bud had never tried anything like that again.
    No, all Erin could remember was him killing their parents, like they were perfect saints or something. They weren’t. Not even close. Both of them had kicked him out when they’d found out about his drug habit. They’d acted like he didn’t even exist. Erin hadn’t. She’d still talked to him even though Matt didn’t want her associating with a drug addict, him being FBI and all. Erin hadn’t cared, though. She’d still been there for him…until that night.
    His vision went blurry, and he rubbed his eyes to wipe away the cloudiness. How could she forget all those times he’d helped her?
    “Relax, will ya?” Arlin barked, rolling his small head on the rest to glare at Stuart. “You sound like a running bull.” He sat up a bit straighter, leaned in for a closer look. “You’re thinking about your sweet, little sister, aren’t you? Well, maybe Billy will do you a favor and finish her off himself. That way, you won’t even have to dirty your hands with another family member’s blood.” He cackled and closed his eyes with a snort.
    The gun beneath Stuart’s leg called to him, and he wanted so bad to pull it out and put a couple of rounds between Arlin’s eyes. Not yet, though. Not until he was with Erin. Once he’d gotten rid of Billy and Arlin, he could take his time with his sister. His slow, sweet time.
    A trio of patrol cars passed them on the left, and Stuart held his breath. Arlin had wanted to lay low again after the cop shooting, but Stuart was tired of waiting. He’d waited four long years for a chance to see Erin again, but now, as two more cars fell in behind the first three, he started to sweat.
    “Arlin, sit up. We might have a problem.”
     
    “Are you sure all of this is necessary?” Erin waited outside in the hallway while Matt scoped out the hotel room. “I doubt even my brother would know the exact room inside the exact hotel in Charleston, no matter how much of a mastermind he is. And from what I know about him, he’s not a computer genius so he’s not going to be able to hack into the hotel’s system.”
    When Matt didn’t immediately respond, she took a step closer to the door. “Hello? Are you even listening to me?” A door slammed behind her, and she jumped. She looked over her shoulder in time to see a young woman offer her an apologetic smile. Despite her heart’s rapid acceleration, Erin managed a nod in response.
    “You can come in now.” Matt appeared in the doorway much like he’d simply faded into view. She’d always hated that about him,