Dusted Star

*

Parker Andrews hadbeen in law enforcement since graduating from the police academy when he’d barely been old enough to hold a job. If you had asked him two hours ago, he’d have swornyou’d be hard pressed to surprise him, but the man fidgeting in his chair on the other side of the interrogation room glass had shocked the hell out of him.

James Cox walked into the station an hour ago, seeking protection from the men he was supposed to be working for, two local businessmen. The story he’d told was so far-fetched, Parker had been tempted to remand him for a psych evaluation,but if by any chance Cox was telling the truth, he’d be a sitting duck at the hospital. Christ, what a cluster fuck.

Picking up his phone, it didn’t take him long to locate the phone number he sought. The local men he needed to call were friends of his and had been since they’d all been in elementary school. As the local Chief of Police, Parker knew the call had to be made, but as a member ofthe Prairie Winds Club, he knew the accusation was as absurd as the day was long. Sighing, Parker pressed the speed dial, knowing he wouldn’t have to wait long for an answer.

“Hey, Parker, I hope this means we’ll be seeing you tonight or better yet, you’ve found the asshole who tried to throw Lakyn into the rocks.”

Yeah, I found him alright. Fuck.

“Unfortunately, I’m calling in an officialcapacity. I had a man walk into the station this afternoon, seeking protection from you and your brother, among others he is convinced pose a threat to him.” The silence that followed was only broken by the sound Parker recognized as booted feet hitting a wood floor. Obviously, Kyle West had been leaned back in the massive office chair he loved so much with his feet propped up on his enormous desk.Everyone who knew Kyle knew the man was all business once his boots hit the floor. It didn’t matter if he was wearing the combat boots he used for training or his beloved cowboy boots, the result was the same.

“Talk to me.”

Parker wasn’t put off by Kyle’s curt response. Hell, their straightforward communication style was just one of the many things Parker admired about both Kent and Kyle West.They were former Navy SEALs, contract operatives who often worked for governments, and sexual Dominants who owned one of the most popular and well-respected kink clubs in the country. Parker had known Kent and Kyle West for almost their entire lives and had never known either man to be anything but honest—and he didn’t expect today to be any different.

Parker gave Kyle a quick run-down of JamesCox’s claims and the colorful tale he’d told anyone and everyone since he’d walked into the station. Parker could tell Kyle had moved into a smaller room, and he couldn’t help wondering what was going on at The Club that would prompt the owner to leave his own office—he didn’t have to wonder long.

“I’ve moved to the control room and have my brother, Jax, and Micah here as well. I’m putting youon speaker phone and would like you to repeat what you just told me for their benefit.”

Parker obliged and wasn’t surprised to hear sounds of disbelief on the other end. He could hear fingers pounding on a keyboard, and since they were in Micah Drake’s domain, he wondered exactly what one of the world’s best hackers was checking. Parker admired Micah’s skills, but he usually tried to stay outof the loop when it came to the Prairie Winds Chief of Security’s activities.Plausible deniability. Several seconds passed before Parker heard murmurs on the other end.

“You already know we’ve been looking for this guy. His name is on the boat rental contract, and even though that doesn’t necessarily mean he was driving the boat responsible for Lakyn Hicks’accident,it does make him a personof interest in a battery investigation.”

Kyle was right, but it was Parker’s investigation and not the responsibility of the Prairie Winds team. His friend had walked a fine line with his response, and Parker had to admire Kyle’s ability to blow PCBS up his ass, the man could play the game with the best of them. But pushing politically correct bullshit at Parker wasn’t going to help when theFeds—who were probably already on their way—pulled this guy out of Parker’s jurisdiction.

God damn it to hell, this was shaping up to be a cluster fuck and a half. Parker couldn’t remember the last time his job posed such a stark conflict between duty and what he believed was the right thing to do. He’d thought about having Kent and Kyle come into his office for the interview, but the two imposingmen would attract a lot of attention traipsing through the small police station, and Parker wouldn’t have a chance in hell of keeping a lid on this thing if that happened.

Letting out a deep sigh, Parker ran his hand through his short, blonde hair. Damn it, he could feel the beginnings of a headache building behind his eyes. James Cox was smart, he’d walked in the door shortly before the endof normal business hours. He probably assumed he’d bought himself an overnight stay in a fucking five-star hotel, but Parker wasn’t driving him to Austin.

“I’m going to call Chet and see if he and Maude have room for Cox tonight. As soon as I get him settled, I’m coming out to talk to you. I don’t need you two walking in here this late, I don’t even want to think about what the local gossipswould concoct, and quite frankly I don’t want to be on Lilly’s shit list.” He heard low chuckles on the other end of the line before disconnecting the call. Looking up, he saw Brinn and Dan standing in his open door.

Dan Deal was a local psychologist and fellow Dom. They were both members of the Prairie Winds Club and had been sharing women for several years. Brinn Peters was the woman they werecurrently topping. They both hoped the relationship would develop into something long-term, but they were taking it slow. An engineer who’d been transferred to Texas by her firm, she’d previously been a member of Mountain Mastery in Montana, but it hadn’t been without some controversy.

His friends moved into the room, with Brinn moving around his desk to give him a hug.

“You look beat, Parker.Are you okay?” Pressing a kiss to her silky chestnut hair, he looked over her head to see Dan studying him carefully. There would be no hiding his frustration from either of them, but Dan would be keenly aware there was a problem—the man was nothing if not damned good at his job.

“It’s better now, baby. Thanks for the hug. Even though I always love them, this one was particularly well-timed.”Fuck me, I’d forgotten we’d promised to take our woman out to eat before heading to the club.

“I need to make a couple of calls and arrange a transport, then I’ll be ready to go, but I’m going to need to spend some time with the Wests when we get to Prairie Winds. Promise me you won’t have too much fun before I join you.” Kissing the tip of her nose, he was pleased to see a pink blush color hercheeks.

“You two head on to the restaurant, I’ll be there soon. This shouldn’t take long.” Giving Brinn a lingering kiss, he hoped it conveyed his regret at the change in their plans as well as enough heat to let her know he’d make it up to her later. After she and Dan left, he picked up the phone and called Chet Ferguson.

As a former Marine, Chet would understand the complexities of the situation,and the older man wouldn’t let Cox bullshit him. Chet would see through him without batting an eye. Within minutes, he had a room secured. Two of his best officers had Cox loaded in the back of an unmarked car inside the secured garage away from any prying eyes and were already headed out via the alley exit.

Heading to his car, Parker noted a black sedan parked halfway down the block and shookhis head. For spooks, they weren’t doing a very good job concealing themselves or their obvious interest in what was happening at the local police station. Why did it seem an odd coincidence that Cameron Barnes moves to their quiet community and all hell breaks loose?

Fuck, I’m getting too old for this shit.