Missionary Position (Masters of the Prairie Winds Club Book 7)

by Avery Gale

  “I think we should look through Lawrence Emmons’ Bible again. I just can’t stop thinking about it and that usually means I’ve missed something important.” Fischer moved to the table where they’d left the things Mr. and Mrs. Emmons had sent to their daughter. Picking up the black leather book, Fischer was almost knocked off his feet by the negative energy surrounding what should have been a book filled with hope and joy. “Did you touch this when it arrived?” Peter moved quickly to his side—no doubt having heard the shaking in his voice.

  “No. One of the other’s put everything in here and I haven’t taken time to look through it. Why?” Fischer didn’t bother answering, he simply held the book out for his brother and watched as his eyes widened in surprise when he set the small book in his palm. “Holy shit. There was some serious shit going down when this was packed up. See what you can get while I call Kyle, this changes everything.” Fischer was grateful his brother’s team already understood Peter’s gift and respected it enough to take what he said seriously. So often people didn’t accept what they couldn’t see or feel themselves, so they didn’t take warnings seriously—warnings that could have easily saved them a lot of trouble.

  While Peter spoke with Kyle, Fischer took the Bible to the small sofa facing the fireplace at the other side of the office and focused his thoughts trying to center them on the book in his hands hoping to determine where Lawrence and Rita Emmons had been when they’d quickly packed the small box of valuables for their daughter. He hadn’t realized he was speaking aloud until he heard Lara’s soft voice relaying the information to Peter. When she started filling in the missing pieces of information, Fischer knew she’d figured out her parents’ last known location.

  “Bolivia,” she said simply, “they were in Bolivia, I can tell by your description. I don’t know why they were there…it’s not even on the same continent as the location they’d given me, but considering what I’ve learned about them recently, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “Are you sure? Fischer’s information was a little vague.” Peter’s comment didn’t offend him because it was the truth—even as he’d been relaying what he felt, it hadn’t seemed very clear.

  “Yes, you described La Paz perfectly as well as the Yungas Road, also known as the Road of Death. That thirty-eight miles traverses some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, but it also claims almost three hundred lives every year. I had to make that trip twice and I can tell you I have never been more terrified in my entire life. But to be honest, it was your description of the Saler de Uyuni Salt Flats that convinced me.” Fischer watched as her eyes became slightly unfocused as she let herself fall into what was obviously a far more pleasant memory.

  “There is no place else like it, it’s truly remarkable. Over four thousand square miles of salt flats and formations that make you feel as if you’re no longer on earth. There are areas so perfectly flat after a rain it’s like standing on a mirror your reflection is so crystal clear.” Fischer watched as her eyes cleared and he saw her hesitance before she proceeded, “If they were left out there, there really is little chance they made it out alive. I’ve heard a lot of stories about condemned people being left out in the midst of the flats to die. It’s not a pleasant way to go and I’m praying that isn’t what happened to them.” Pulling her into his arms, Fischer absorbed her shudder of fear before kissing the top of her sweetly scented hair.

  “Why would they have been there? Any ideas?” Fischer hadn’t directed his question to either Peter or Lara specifically and he wanted to laugh when they both answered at the same time.

  “Lithium.”

  Peter gestured for Lara to continue, but she simply shook her head so his brother explained, “The Bolivian government has closely guarded their mineral reserves because their culture is so important to them, and they know other countries would exploit their vast resources. And since they are sitting on almost fifty percent of the world’s lithium, they could easily call the shots setting up their own mining and refining facilities.”

  Lara nodded, “All of that is true, and since poverty and corruption are so closely linked it won’t come as a surprise to find out governments are still trying to buy their way in. I don’t know for sure, but I’d bet that is why we were stationed there several times over the years. I hate to think of that time in a negative context—because I have to tell you, Bolivia is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. The people are just as colorful as the goods they make, and the city of La Paz is breathtaking.”

  Peter decided to give Micah a head’s up, but planned to wait until they met with everyone at Dark Desires to let the rest of the team in on what they’d discovered. It didn’t take them long to dress and get on the road and Fischer was glad the penthouse was close to the club. Within the hour they were all seated around the large table in the conference room and Lara was recounting every detail she could remember about their time in Bolivia.

  Fischer was amazed at the wealth of knowledge among the team members and when they’d done a conference call with Jen McCall, he’d seen why the Wests’ had recruited her. Jen’s knowledge of the political climate in Central and South America was astonishing. Peter explained to both he and Lara that Jen had worked for the State Department and was stationed in Costa Rica for a time, but she’d been trained to work in several nations, Bolivia among them. The instant rapport between Lara and Jen was a pleasure to see, and since he’d met Sam and Sage McCall when they’d been on Peter’s SEAL team, he felt like he knew them as well.

  The decision was made to wait for Micah Drake to work his computer magic before making any moves to find her parents. Fischer knew Lara wasn’t expecting anything good to come of their research and after hearing Jen McCall’s description of the political climate in the area, he was inclined to agree. The chances of the Emmons escaping the area—if their real purpose for being there was uncovered—was practically nonexistent. Unfortunately, they’d also need to confer with Eric Roberts because it was technically still an ongoing investigation. Sighing to himself, Fischer didn’t want the man anywhere near Lara, he’d had his chance and blown it hurting her deeply in the process. But the bigger issue was, Fischer had heard the man’s thoughts and knew how much he regretted what had happened between them—and he knew how much Roberts wanted a second chance.

  Watching Fischer escort Lara out of the room was torture. Peter could almost see the waves of sadness coming from her, hell, they reminded him far too much of the waves of heat shimmering over the streets during the heat of summer—and they were about as discouraging. Once she was out of ear shot, Jen spoke quietly, “I have to tell you, this is a clusterfuck in the making guys. You can’t go all commando and waltz into Bolivia demanding answers. They’ll just drop you over the edge of some mountain highway and be done with it. They are protecting billions of dollars and people are killed every day for far less.”

  Peter listened as various members of the team expressed their agreement before Jen zeroed in on him, “If the Emmons were left out in the Saler de Uyuni Salt Flats, their only option would be to make the one hundred plus mile trek across the Atacama high desert. Keep in mind that is one of the driest places on earth. It’s a brutal area and there aren’t a lot of seaports that would offer the type of transportation the Emmons would need to escape. But that does gives us another place to look. The government of Peru is more cooperative so if they made it to the coast, we’ll probably be able to track them.”

  Jen paused for a moment and Peter could almost hear her internal battle. Without being physically close to her, she was very difficult to read and it was also obvious the little imp had learned some blocking tricks from her friends at Prairie Winds. This time when Jen started speaking, her voice was filled with compassion, “I think Lara already sees how this is likely going to end, but the very worst thing you can do is risk your lives to prove her right.” He must have looked puzzled because she smiled, “The risk is two-fold. First of all, I’d be very worried abou
t anyone going into this area right now—it’s a hot spot. You and I both know the CIA doesn’t have agents in the area just for grins and giggles, between the Bolivian’s lithium reserves and the sodium nitrate cache in the Atacama, the place is a warmongers wet dream. The CIA wants to monitor who’s interested in all those wonderful explosive components and they aren’t particularly interested in helping the Bolivians. You would probably end up facing a fate similar to the Emmons’ and Lara doesn’t need to lose you, too.”

  “Okay, you said it was a two-fold issue, what’s your other point?” Peter wasn’t saying he completely agreed with Jen, but she had made some valid points. It seemed foolish to endanger the men on the Prairie Winds’ team just to prove the obvious. And if the Emmons worked for Uncle Sam, let the damned CIA go in and pull their people out.

  “Well, more importantly, if we don’t send a team in there, she’ll get to hold onto her hope—and right now that’s all she has left. Let it fade slowly over time, it will be far less painful that way, if you know what I mean.” This time, Jen’s advice made perfect sense, but he would have assumed the opposite if he’d had to guess. Maybe it was just him, but not knowing would make him crazy. When she laughed he realized he’d been shaking his head. “Don’t you shake your head at me, Peter Weston, and I don’t need to be an empath to know what you’re thinking. Sure, for a Dom, not knowing is tantamount to not being in control, but there are times when not knowing is a reprieve—it means you have time to process a loss over time rather than when you are feeling the most vulnerable.”

  After saying their goodbyes, Peter looked around the table and saw nothing but compassion from his teammates. Nobody said anything for several seconds, and it was Kyle West who finally broke the silence, “If any of you repeat this I swear I’ll fire your ass—no questions asked—but what Jen said makes sense and I wouldn’t have thought about it. If you stop thinking like a soldier and a Dom, it’s easier to see.” Shaking his head at the blank looks he was getting around the table, he finally rolled his eyes, “Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, you guys, try to see this from your woman’s point of view. I’ll tell you what, how about I get my mom to explain it to you all?” Peter swore every man at the table, including Kent, paled.

  Lilly West was a force of nature that no Special Forces operative in the world would take on willingly. Hell, she’d blown up a boat on the river behind the club awhile back with a rifle shot that took out the motor before ripping into the explosives on board. She’d been the one to make sure her sons met Tobi and the two women were as close as any mother and daughter Peter had ever seen. Lilly also had a complete lock on the whole spine of steel southern woman personality even though her heart was pure gold, and nobody Peter knew would willingly cross her.

  Once Kyle had issued the challenge of bringing in Lilly, the conversation had quickly returned to Jen’s points and they’d all agreed to table the discussion until they knew more about what they were facing. And Kyle reluctantly agreed to face off with Eric Roberts since leaving it to Peter seemed like taking the short road to needing bail money.

  By the time Peter made his way down to the club’s main room, the edgier members of Dark Desires were out in full force and there was an undercurrent of energy so tightly strung he found himself wondering if he wasn’t projecting his own tension onto those around him. Kent stepped up beside him and asked, “Is it just me or do you get the sense this crowd is a lot more on-the-cusp than our membership at Prairie Winds?”

  Kyle stepped up to them shaking his head, “I was down here late last night and a couple of the scenes scared the hell out of me, and I didn’t even think that was possible at this point. I think it’s safe to say Cam was far more comfortable with the darker side of BDSM than what we have at Prairie Winds.” Peter had been working at Dark Desires for several months and he still wasn’t at ease with it, and he doubted he ever would be.

  Peter and Fischer had already been talking to the Wests about tightening up the screening process during membership renewals, hopefully they’d be able to shift the climate of the club environment in a more moderate direction going into the future. Peter knew the changes they hoped to see wouldn’t happen overnight and it would likely cost them a few of their long-term members. But everyone agreed the changes to the overall vibe of the club would eventually make it more comfortable for kinksters from a wider range of age groups. One of the things members of Prairie Winds repeatedly noted as a selling point was the mentorship opportunities they found in the more diverse membership at Prairie Winds. The younger members appreciated the chance to learn from those who had been in the lifestyle for decades and older members enjoyed helping others find the sexual fulfillment that had often been missing from their lives.

  Kyle leaned forward trying to keep his voice from carrying despite the pounding music pulsing from large speakers mounted around the room. “The contents of the safe deposit box have been moved.” Peter must have looked surprised because Kyle laughed, “And that look is exactly why we did the switch so quickly, we knew no one would be expecting it.”

  Kent snorted a laugh, “Yeah, and nobody paid a bit of attention to a middle-aged granny wearing orthopedic shoes carrying a monster handbag waltzing into the bank to put new “goodies” into her “safe box” either. Well, she didn’t go unnoticed—it’s more like she flew in screeching like a banshee right under their radar.”

  “Tobi?”

  “Oh yeah, and she had a great time with that little escapade too, we’re going to have a hell of a time keeping her out of team meetings now.” Kyle rolled his eyes and laughed. Everyone on the Prairie Winds team knew how badly Tobi West wanted to be included, but she wasn’t a trained soldier and neither of her husbands had any intention of letting her out of their sight long enough for her to actually work an op. The work they did as contract operatives was dangerous—often involving covert infiltration into depths of hell no one should be exposed to. And if there was one thing Tobi West was not—it was covert. The petite but curvy blonde was a firecracker—she’d be a far better distraction than operator.

  Lara looked up just in time to brace herself as Tobi West barreled into her. For such a petite woman Tobi was a steamroller with a rib crushing hug, but it always made Lara smile. “Hey, girlfriend, I didn’t think you were ever going to get here.”

  “I know, both of my Masters were already here, but Barfing Barbie held us up.” Lara looked up to see Gracie slowly making her way toward them.

  “Does she actually look sort of green or is it just me?” Lara had always wanted children someday, but she might need to rethink that plan if this was the way things went.

  “Well, I can tell by that ‘scared spitless’ look on your face I should probably lie, but some rat-fink bast…ille would just tell my Masters and then I’d get spanked—hmmm come to think of it, that sounds like a mighty fine plan.” Lara laughed as Tobi seemed to be having a conversation with herself about whether or not to lie about something that was already frighteningly obvious.

  Gracie stepped up and nudged Tobi aside, “Move your blooming ass, loaded person has the right of way.” God Lara loved these two women and their antics were just what she’d needed.

  Tobi moved over and shook her head, “Good grief, she drove a truck for some farmer for extra money almost ten years ago and learned that nonsense…and I’m still hearing it, where’s the justice in that?” This time Lara laughed out loud, which earned her more than one glare from nearby Doms. Tobi leaned close and whispered, “Damn, girl, keep it down or I won’t have time to gossip before our Doms show up acting all incensed at our lack of decorum.” Rolling her eyes in typical Tobi West fashion, she giggled and bounced from foot to foot. “I got to play dress up today and work an op—oh dangling Dalmatian doodads, I really do like saying that. Worked an op—yep, that sounds wicked.”

  “Oh for cripes sake, just tell her because I see our Doms stomping this way. Damn the grapevine in a kink club is faster than the speed of light, I swear NASA really nee
ds to sit up and take note.”

  Lara listened as Tobi rattled off how she’d gone in to the bank and cleaned out the safe deposit box, turning everything over to Lara’s grandfather who had planned to secure the contents out of Eric Roberts’ reach. Tobi had rattled the story off quickly, but not fast enough.

  “Kitten? What did I tell you about speaking publically about Prairie Winds business? I swear you couldn’t keep a secret if your life depended on it.”

  “I most certainly can keep a secret—I do it all the time. I haven’t said a single thing about your mom’s blood pressure.” Kyle spun Tobi around so she was facing him so quickly Lara wondered if her friend was dizzy. “Shizzle. See what you made me do? Boy, oh boy, Lilly is gonna be pissed at me and it’s all your fault.”

  “Be careful, my love, because you are jumping into the deep end here.”

  Lara watched as Kyle deliberately stepped closer to Tobi so when she unconsciously took a step back her shoulders rested against Kent West’s black leather vest. “And you’ve tied a lot of weight around your pretty little neck, sweetness. Might want to spill it because my brother and I can be ruthless when we want information.” Even from the side, Lara saw a shiver race up Tobi’s spine just before the corners of her mouth turned up and Kyle scowled at her.

  “I don’t know what just went through your mind, Tobi West, but you’d better think about it very carefully. Consider where you are and who you are with—do you really want to push both of your Doms? The owners of this club? The men whose reputation you will be tarnishing if you don’t behave?” Kyle’s voice had gotten softer as he’d been speaking and the quieter he spoke the more threatening he sounded.