Dusted Star

by Avery Gale

  Lakyn nodded and after he was back on his feet, Juan noted Trac had moved closer and stood behind the sofa. He’d been listening, a frown on his face, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Juan gave a quick shake of his head. The two of them needed to formulate a strategy that would keep Lakyn in their lives even if it required them following her to New York. Juan believed with all his heart she wanted to stay, but beneath the very confident exterior the world saw when they looked at Lakyn Storm, there was a frightened woman named Lakyn Hicks who still felt very much alone.

  *

  Parker Andrews had been 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 sworn you’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 of the 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 official capacity. 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 James Cox’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 you on 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 out of 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 person of 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 the Feds—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 imposing men 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 end of 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 gossips would 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 were currently 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 her cheeks.

  “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 shook his head. For spooks, t
hey 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.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cooper watched Trac Hughes and Juan Rivera escort his kid sister out of the room, fighting the urge to tell them to keep their bloody paws to themselves. With a flash of insight, Cooper realized Lakyn was no longer a little girl. The white-hot lance of pain piercing his heart at the loss was sharper than the discomfort he felt at his sharp intake of breath. The fucker who broke his ribs would pay someday; the world was a big place, but hired thugs tended to show up time and again.

  “They’ll take good care of her. They’ve been looking for a woman to share for a long time.” Cooper turned to look at Kent West and cocked his brow.

  “Does everybody here share their women because I’ve never been very good at sharing my toys.” The flash of fire in Kent’s eyes told Cooper his words had hit their mark.

  “Our wife isn’t a toy although I’ll admit I like playing with her. When you meet her, you’ll do well to curb that attitude, or she’ll take you apart, and no one here will help you. She’ll also serve your manhood up to you on a silver platter if you make that insinuation about your sister. They’re friends, and Tobi protects her friends as fiercely as she does her family.”

  Cooper hadn’t met the infamous Tobi West, but he’d heard about her, and he looked forward to it. She’d befriended his sister without knowing Lakyn Hicks was also Lakyn Storm, and she hadn’t walked away when she’d learned her internet pal was, in fact, an international celebrity. Cooper had always been equally baffled by the number of people in Lakyn’s life who were there because she was famous as he was by those who walked away because she was too much trouble to be friends with.

  Leveling a look at Kent, he knew it was time to clear up the other man’s misunderstanding before things became any more strained between them.

  “I’m looking forward to meeting Tobi. I’ve heard a lot about her, and she has already earned my respect simply by befriending Lakyn. I assure you, I’ll never give her any cause to think I don’t respect her or my sister. Keep in mind, the woman who just walked out of this room holds my heart in the palm of her hand.” He ran his bruised fingers through his shaggy hair and sighed.

  “Knowing someone is targeting Lakyn because of me is tearing me apart with worry, and I’ll happily kill whoever is behind this and never lose a moments sleep over it.” It was the God’s honest truth. If he lived a hundred lifetimes, Cooper didn’t think he’d be able to make up for the things he’d done. It didn’t matter that he’d been acting in the name of justice or on the orders of the United States government—each of those acts was a mark against his soul.

  Kent nodded and smiled. “Tobi loves loud, and she loves large. She has a heart the size of Texas and is exactly what she appears to be—there is nothing remotely phony about her. But you don’t ever want to underestimate her ability to slice and dice you if she thinks you aren’t treating one of hers right. And just to be sure there are no questions, she considers everybody remotely associated with the club or our teams to be hers.

  “She has a vocabulary to rival a drunken sailor, but she’s never met a stranger. Tobi expects everyone she deals with to be as open and honest as she is, and remarkably, she’s always surprised when they aren’t. All of this leads us to be extremely protective of her, we don’t want someone diminishing her light. It’s also the reason we’ve known about their friendship for quite some time.

  “We knew your sister was on her way. What we didn’t know was she’d rented a piece of shit that would crap out on her up the road during a Texas dust storm. Of course, the other subs at the club will wax poetic about it being fate Juan and Trac found her, but I’m more inclined to chalk it up to them being lucky bastards.” Kyle rolled his eyes and Cooper had to laugh. Evidently, the boss wasn’t a big believer in romantic fate.

  “Hell, if they are men of integrity like you’ve assured me they are, maybe I’m the lucky one because it’s obvious her manager and I aren’t doing enough to keep her safe. Speaking of Reggie Parks, I need to call him. He’s been leaving me at least one panicked message every two hours for a fucking week. Hell, I talk to his pansy ass more often than I talk to Lakyn.” Cooper paused and shook his head. Looking out one of the floor-to-ceiling windows toward the club, he sighed before turning back to the men in the room.

  “I can’t believe she got out of the car. What the hell was she thinking walking down the highway alone, let alone in those conditions? Fuck me, she’s been scaring the hell out of me since she learned to walk.”

  When the other men looked surprised he knew the details, Cooper gave them a pointed look. They’d evidently forgotten Cameron Barnes was still unofficially on Uncle Sam’s payroll and Cooper’s mentor. Cam’s continuing role with the agency wasn’t public knowledge, but Cooper was certain the Wests were aware of the connection.

  Cooper had often likened a career in the CIA to joining a gang, the damned organization was as close to blood in and blood out as you could get in a government entity. Having a stellar military record was the fastest track to covert work, and that meant having an impressive number of kills. No one was naïve enough to believe getting out was easy—Cameron Barnes was a great example. The bottom line was if you lived long enough to be good, you were too valuable to let go.

  *

  Kyle watched Cooper closely as his mind seemed to wander. It was always a sure sign a spook was ready to drop in his tracks when he wasn’t completely focused on the conversation and aware of the location of everyone in the damned building was at any given moment. Hell, at any given moment, Cam could give you a detailed account of the location of people Kyle didn’t know were in the club which was damned humbling for a former SEAL.

  It was time to stop wondering where the other man’s mind had gone and make sure he got some much-needed rest. Kyle was anxious to talk to Cooper about joining the Prairie Winds Team, but that discussion could wait. This was the time to step up and help out a fellow SEAL; because everyone who’d ever served on the teams knew there was never anything former about a U.S. Navy SEAL.

  “Head on upstairs and get some rest. I’ll call Lakyn’s manager and find out what’s so important he’s blowing up your phone.” He already suspected what the man was concerned about, but he didn’t want to mention it to Cooper until he had spoken with Parks personally. The Prairie Winds team had been checking on the man since they’d learned Lakyn was on her way to Texas. None of them had been able to figure out why she hadn’t gone to Parks when she’d realized she was in trouble.

  The attempted snatch and grab off the street should have sent her running to the only man she seemed to have any significant rapport with aside from Cooper, but it hadn’t. Granted, Reggie Parks interest in Lakyn was financial rather than personal—the man’s sexual preference probably one of the biggest reasons Cooper had approved him. And if there was one thing they’d learned from monitoring Reggie Parks’ communication, he was money driven. It appeared the only thing the man feared more than being poor was Cooper Hicks. Kyle understood Cooper’s desire to protect his sister, but he’d made a critical mistake—he’d entrusted her wellbeing to a man who saw her as an asset rather than a bright young woman with much more to offer than her beautiful face. People motivated solely by money never saw anything in others outside of their earning potential.

  Fifteen minutes later, Kyle leaned back in his chair and looked pointedly at his brother who’d listened to the call but hadn’t participated. “I can’t believe her manager is responsible for the attempted kidnapping. If she’d reported it to the police, the FBI would lock him up without blinking.” Kyle agreed with Kent’s assessment, but he was undecided about whether it would have been necessary.

  “I think he’s an idiot to try it because Cooper is
n’t going to take the news well. As far as the authorities, they’d probably assume it was a publicity stunt and brush the whole thing aside.”

  “Or whoever put those sophisticated listening devices in her apartment would have taken over the case, and Parks would have vanished into thin air.” Kent wasn’t a big fan of the Agency, and even though he didn’t publicly denounce it, he didn’t make any effort to hide his disdain from Kyle.

  “Listen, you and I both know that technology isn’t available on the open market yet. Hell, the only reason we have it is because Micah has the patent.” Chuckling, Kent shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “Uncle Sam and all his fellow world leaders need to thank their lucky stars Micah Drake works on the side of good rather than evil.” Kyle rolled his eyes and propped his booted feet on the corner of his desk.

  “There has to be more to this than eavesdropping in hopes of hearing some juicy gossip about the latest fashion trend.”

  “Well, since every one of the operatives I’ve ever met who works for them dress like a fucking fashion model, we probably shouldn’t discount the idea entirely.” Kyle knew his sarcasm wasn’t wasted when Kent rolled his eyes to the heavens and groaned.

  “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, brother.”

  “True, but it’s the only form I’ve always been assured you’d understand, and old habits die hard.” Kyle laughed and ducked as a cork coaster flew over his head. “I think we should draw straws to decide who tells Cooper.” Kyle doubted it would work, but it was worth a try. Sometimes childhood games were closer to the surface than they should be.

  “Fuck you. You’re the one who volunteered to call, you want the glory, you gotta eat some dirt, brother.” Kent wasn’t about to tell Lakyn’s brother the man he’d trusted with her safety had sent her running halfway across the country in fear for her safety. Hell, Parker Andrews is right, plausible deniability is the best game in town.