Dark Redemption

by Barron, Melinda

  “The uniforms won’t be happy to see me here,” he said as he shook Chad’s hand. “Give me a rundown on what happened. Did anyone threaten to kill anyone?”

  “Nope, just kick some ass,” Chad said. “And it came from both of them.”

  “What were they fighting about?” Vince asked.

  “I’m not really sure,” Chad said. “It seemed to be something about money. Ryan said something about a restraining order to keep him out of the bank.”

  “Interesting,” Vince said. “Well, I’m going to talk to the officers and then I’ll be back.”

  The crowd had thinned out, with only the men who had worked to break up the fight staying. They left one by one until only Chad was left. Vince came over and shook his hand, and kissed Sloan on the cheek. “Don’t get into any more fights, Chad.”

  “I didn’t throw one punch,” Chad said.

  “That’s a good thing, because the one who was fighting with your new friend, his name is Sean Bolton. Well, he seems like the litigious type. I’m pretty sure he’ll be filing suit against Halor. Be careful. I’ll see y’all again.”

  After Vince left, Ryan came over. “I’m sorry you had to get involved in this. May I buy the two of you dinner to say thank you for your help?”

  Sloan wanted to say no, but she kept her mouth closed, waiting until Chad made the decision for them.

  “Sure,” Chad said. “We were going to talk to you about other things, too, so this will give us a chance to do that.”

  They loaded Ryan’s furniture into his trailer, and agreed to meet at a Mexican restaurant not far from where they were now. Once they were inside they ordered margaritas and several servings of fajitas. Once the waitress had delivered the drinks, Chad picked his up.

  “You start this all by telling us who that guy was, and what that was all about,” Chad said.

  “As I said before I’m sorry you had to be involved,” Ryan said. “That was Sean Bolton. I’ve had problems with him at the bank where I work.”

  “What sort of problems?” Sloan asked. “He’s not a bank robber or anything, is he?”

  Ryan snorted. “No, he is accusing us of robbing him. I don’t really want to go into the particulars of it, because that’s probably not a good thing. But suffice it to say he’s having financial troubles and he’s blaming the bank. He just happened to see me in my stall while he was looking around.”

  “That stinks,” Chad said. “Is this the first time he’s thrown punches?”

  The waitress arrived with their order, and the next few moments were silent as they fixed their fajitas and started to eat. When they’d finished their first round and before they started on the second, Chad held up a finger.

  “You talked to my friend Vince, the detective?”

  “I did,” Ryan said.

  “He said this Sean guy could be dangerous. What do you think?”

  “Well, this was the first time he’s thrown a punch.” Ryan took a bite from his fajita. After he’d swallowed he said, “Let’s change the subject. Tell me about you two. How long have you been married?”

  “Six years,” Chad said. “But we were together four years before that. We took our time in making in legal. What about you, are you married?”

  “Divorced,” Ryan said. “My wife and I gave it a good shot, but we just weren’t a good fit, really. We were married for ten years.”

  “Do you have kids?” Sloan asked.

  “Two, twin boys,” he said, his voice heavy with sadness. “My ex lives with them in New York with her new husband. I get to see them maybe six times a year. It’s sad, but I know I did what was best for them when I told her she could move. The best thing, to me, was staying friends with her. That means we all get along and my boys learn that if things don’t work out you don’t have to be an ass to your ex.”

  “That’s very admirable,” Sloan said.

  “You have kids?” Ryan asked.

  “No,” Chad said.

  Sloan didn’t add to his statement, and she was pretty sure the tone of his voice showed Ryan not to push the issue. Sloan was happy he didn’t. They’d tried, but they’d never been able to conceive, and they took it as a sign from above that it wasn’t meant to be.

  When they were done with their meal, Chad ordered a round of flan for the table. When the waitress had cleared their plates, and while they waited for dessert, Chad leaned forward.

  “My wife is concerned that you pegged our situation so easily.”

  Sloan playfully slapped at Chad’s arm.

  Ryan chuckled. “I could see it by the way you looked at each other,” he said. “I’ve been a Dom since my early twenties, and I’ve learned to see things for what they are.”

  “Oh good heavens, I wonder who else knows,” Sloan said.

  “Who cares?” Chad said. “Are you ashamed of serving me?”

  “Of course not,” Sloan said. “It’s just when strangers notice…” She fingered the choker on her neck.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Ryan said.

  “So where do you play?” Chad asked. “I mean, do you have a sub?”

  “Not right now,” Ryan responded. “My last lady friend wanted to get married, and I wasn’t ready for that. I’ve been divorced for three years, but it just didn’t seem right.”

  The waitress delivered the flan. As they ate, Chad said, “So how do you find subs?”

  “Well, it’s not easy,” Ryan said. “Every few months I go up to a club in Denver and find a sub who wants to play, someone who is not looking for a permanent relationship. Physically it’s nice, but emotionally it’s not.”

  “I can imagine,” Chad said. “There is nothing like that around here.”

  “You’re right, there’s not,” Ryan said. “It would be interesting to have one.”

  “It would,” Chad said. “So, let’s change the subject to the chairs. I really like the chair you were selling, but I think it might be a little too large for our playroom. How about you design one for us? A little bit smaller, but not much, and then a second one for my babe.”

  “I can do that,” Ryan said. “I live in Eastside. How about I make a few sketches and the two of you come and have dinner at my house on Friday evening, and we’ll take a look at them, and see what we can come up with. Tell me what you want the chair for, mostly.”

  “I want a spanking chair,” Chad said, and Sloan felt herself blush. “And one that I can bind her to that won’t stretch her limbs too much.”

  “I know just where to start,” Ryan said. “I’ll see you Friday, say around seven.” He rattled off an address, and then he and Chad traded phone numbers.

  Something told Sloan that Ryan Halor was going to be a large part of their lives for a while.

  Chapter 2

  It was a busy week in the Gates household. They were both coming and going at odd hours, her to the bookstore and him to the house showings and closings, that they barely had time to take meals together.

  Chad had closings on four houses that he’d sold, and while Sloan tried not to worry about what would happen on Friday evening when they had dinner with Ryan Halor, it weighed on her quite a bit. She wasn’t sure if Chad thought about it at all, although they hadn’t scened at all this week.

  They’d had sex, and he’d given her a half-hearted spanking on Wednesday night, but she could tell his heart wasn’t in it; but she didn’t question him. For one thing it wasn’t her place to decide what they did, or when they did it. For another it was not unlike Chad to keep to himself sometimes. It wasn’t uncommon for him to think about something over and over until he came to a decision, and he didn’t talk about it while he was stewing over whatever it was; he kept things to himself.

  As she shelved books Friday morning she wondered what it was that had taken over his mind this time. She thought it probably had something to do with the man they’d met, and were supposed to have dinner with that evening.

  Ryan Halor seemed charismatic, but she worried about the events tha
t had taken place at the flea market. Since she didn’t know either man it was difficult to know whom to trust in the situation. Was Ryan the good guy, or the bad guy? You never really knew until you actually got to know someone. And, truthfully, did you ever really know someone?

  It had been quite some time since she’d met anyone new, and the only person she’d allowed to come into her life, and stay in her life, other than friends she’d grown up with, was Chad. She didn’t even totally trust his friends, like Vince and Knox. They were nice men, truthfully, but the only one she really trusted was her husband.

  Learning to trust him, and what he wanted out of their relationship, was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to deal with. She was concerned about the things that Chad had said at the flea market, about her being attracted to Ryan. There was a part of her that wondered if what he’d been pondering had to do with that conversation, and what would happen tonight, or in the near future.

  She stood and wiped her hands on her jeans and when she turned around she ran straight into Vince. She laughed nervously and took a few steps back.

  “This is a surprise,” she said. “What’s going on?”

  “We have a situation,” he said. “I’ve been looking for your husband. Do you know where he is?”

  “Showing houses, I’m sure,” she said. “He’s in and out of the office all day, and I haven’t heard from him. Is something wrong?”

  “Did you hear about the fire last night?”

  Sloan frowned. “What sort of fire?”

  “House fire, out in the south valley,” he said. “Two dead people.”

  “Yuck,” she said. “But I don’t know what that has to do with us.”

  “One of the victims is Sean Bolton.”

  At first the name didn’t mean anything to her, and then she gasped. “The man who was fighting with Ryan Halor at the flea market?”

  “One and the same,” he said. “Chad told me the two of you were having dinner with him tonight, and I wanted to talk with him before you went to his house.”

  “Trying to warn us off?” Sloan asked.

  “No, I just want to talk to the two of you before you go over there,” Vince said. “But, now that you say warn off, there is every possibility that your new friend might not be available for dinner tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, this isn’t under my jurisdiction,” Vince said. “The county called us because Sean Bolton’s name popped up in the reports when they put him into the system. They called the uniformed officer, who called me. He knew you guys were my friends. I’m sure they will want to talk to you.”

  “I’m about ready to take my break,” Sloan said. “There’s a coffee shop two doors down. I’ll meet you there in about five minutes. Chad might answer my call more than he might yours. No offense.”

  “None taken,” Vince said with a laugh. “I’ll see you there.”

  Sloan found her supervisor, but before she could say she was taking a break, Katrina said, “Who’s the hunk?”

  “A friend of Chad’s,” Sloan said. “Want me to give him your number?”

  “I have a date tonight with a guy I met at through a friend,” she said. “If it doesn’t work out, then yeah.”

  Sloan made a mental note to tell Vince about Katrina. She headed toward the café; phone in hand ready to call her husband. She stopped before going inside and dialed. When his voicemail answered immediately she left a detailed message, telling him what Vince had told her.

  “We’re at Cups,” she said. “If you can get here within the next thirty minutes, do so. If not, you need to call Vince. He wants to talk to you.”

  She went inside the coffee shop and found Vince seated at a table with a cup of coffee for him, and a big glass of iced tea for her. It didn’t surprise her that the detective noticed that’s what she drank when they all ate together. After all, he wasn’t a detective for nothing.

  “Thanks,” she said as she sat down. “I only have about fifteen minutes for my break.” She relayed the message to him that she’d left for Chad.

  “I’ll wait for him,” he said. “Tell me what you know about this Ryan Halor.”

  “Nothing,” she said. She related their encounter with the banker/carpenter.

  “Well, I’m not on the case, but it does have me worried because two of my friends are involved.”

  “Thank you,” Sloan said. “Chad seems to like this guy. I don’t take to people so easily, as you know.”

  Vince chuckled. “Yeah, I think it was four years before you began to trust me with your secrets, like helping you set up Chad’s birthday party that year.”

  Sloan took a sip from her tea. He knew her story, about how she’d met Chad and how he saved her. He was a nice guy. She wished he could find a sub to meet his needs. She knew he’d been looking.

  “This looks cozy.” She turned her head toward her husband’s voice and smiled. “Good thing I trust you both.”

  Chad sat down and he kissed her gently.

  “You got here fast,” she said.

  “I wasn’t far away, showing a house,” he said. “The woman wasn’t interested in it. Too many stairs, she said, so it’s back to the drawing board. Now, tell me what happened, Vince.”

  “The sheriff’s department said the neighbors reported a huge fight last night between Bolton and a woman, possibly his wife. They think she’s the second victim, but the bodies are so badly burned it will take a while to positively identify them, if at all. But neither Bolton nor his wife, who works at a convenience store, has been seen. So it’s a good bet they’re the bodies in the house.”

  “Is Ryan their number one suspect?” Chad asked.

  “Well, they did have a pretty public fight on Saturday.”

  “Very true,” Chad said. “Well, I’m going to give him a call right now, to see what he can add to the conversation.”

  Chad pulled out his phone, and after a few seconds he said, “Immediate voice mail.” He waited a beat. “Ryan, it’s Chad. Give me a call.” He clicked the phone off. “I hope he has a good alibi.”

  “You’re not his alibi, right?” Vince asked.

  “Not even close,” Chad said. “We are going to have dinner with him tonight.”

  “Be careful,” Vince said. “You don’t know whether this guy is a good guy, or a bad guy.”

  “My instincts say good,” Chad said. “But if you hear anything else about it please let me know.”

  “I will.” Vince drained the rest of his coffee as if it were at room temperature. He leaned over and kissed Sloan on the cheek, and then said goodbye and left.

  “What should we do?” she asked.

  “We keep our plans,” Chad said. “If anything the dinner conversation might be more interesting than ones we’ve had in the past. I’m sure he has quite a story to tell us after today.”

  * * *

  “I hope you guys like steak,” Ryan said as he opened the door. Sloan stepped inside after Chad indicated she should precede him. “I forgot to ask if anyone was a vegetarian.”

  “We’re omnivores,” Chad said. “We eat anything.”

  They all laughed and Ryan led them through the house onto a bricked patio. Sloan surveyed it with approval. There was a table and chairs to seat four, and a great number of plants, both green and flowering. The table and the grill were under a wooden awning.

  “I’m smelling something besides steak,” Chad said.

  Sloan sniffed the air and groaned as hunger spread through her. “Smells to me like bacon.”

  “Grilled jalapeno poppers,” Ryan said. “I’ve also got potatoes and corn on the grill. The poppers are just about ready, and we can talk and eat while everything else cooks. There are beers, soft drinks, and water in the fridge.” He pointed to the house. “Help yourselves and come on back.”

  “Sit down, babe, and I’ll get them,” Chad said. Sloan took a seat at the table. Moments later Chad was back with two beers, and Ryan set a plate heaping with jalap
eno poppers on the table. When both men were seated everyone picked up a beer and they clinked their bottles.”

  “Here’s to dinner,” Chad said. “I wish you would have let us bring something.”

  “I like to cook,” Ryan said. He filled three plates with poppers and passed them around.

  Sloan took a bite and groaned. “Delicious.”

  “Glad you like them,” Ryan said after he ate a whole one as if it were a piece of candy. “Now, let’s talk about today. Did the cops get a hold of you?”

  “Not the ones investigating the deaths,” Chad said. “My friend Vince came by, though, wanting to know if we’d talked to you.”

  “The cops don’t have much to go on, and they were not happy that I had the week off and spent it in Denver with my kids,” he said. “I didn’t get back until two hours ago, but they called me while I was in Denver.”

  “You have a great alibi,” Sloan said. “That’s good.”

  “I feel bad for Bolton and his wife,” Ryan said. “He was a very unhappy man.”

  “Can I ask about the issue at the bank, or is that confidential?” Chad took a bite from his popper.

  “Well, I’m pretty sure the cops are going to tell the press, so it’s okay, I guess,” he said. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear him screaming about it on Saturday. He was upset because we turned down his loan. He had defaulted on one with us three years ago, and he blamed it all on us.”

  “How was it your fault?” Sloan asked.

  Ryan got up and went to the grill. He lifted the lid and turned the steaks. “Medium-rare? Or medium?”

  “Medium,” Alex said, right before Chad said medium-rare for him.

  “Bolton opened a micro-brewery years ago,” Ryan said. “At first it went well, but then it just sort of tanked. We’re not sure what happened. We extended the loan and refinanced. Finally we had no choice.”

  He didn’t have to explain what he meant, and Sloan felt sorry for both Bolton and Ryan. She could hear the distress in his voice.

  “He lost everything,” he said. “He’s been trying to rebuild, but it’s not working—wasn’t working—out for him. He blamed us for calling in his loan on the brewery.”