My Addiction

by Cassie Ryan

  His first priority was to talk to his boss, Jason Tanner, and find out the latest details surrounding this case. Early this morning he had been given a clean, secure laptop with the case files and dossiers of all the suspects and innocents involved. Then he was sent to Los Angeles to establish his cover at The Dungeon.

  There had to be something extremely high priority going on elsewhere to have kept his boss from reading him in personally for his first case as a field agent. Dex had never known the man to put new agents in the field without doing exactly that. But Dex trusted him, and in the meantime, had no problem thinking on his feet.

  Tanner had requested a video call, so it was a good thing Dex had showered and changed out of his leathers and black, sleeveless T-shirt before leaving The Dungeon. He now wore slacks and a dress shirt. Not that his boss had any doubt what went on inside a BDSM club, but it still felt more professional to take a video call in normal attire.

  His body was still keyed up from his time with Kate, but addressing that would have to wait. Dex plugged the laptop into the docking station the setup team had installed. When the machine booted up, he entered his credentials, waiting for the secure connection to complete.

  In less than a minute, the large monitor flickered to life to show his boss, Jason Tanner, sitting in his home office back in Phoenix. Tanner’s family photos hung on the wall behind him, as well as some of his wife’s touches—mirrors, artsy abstract paintings, and framed awards.

  Jason’s hair was still dark, but now had a slight peppering of gray. Which made him look more his actual age of early to mid-forties than his dark hair combined with his normal baby face had. Tanner hated hearing it, so Dex didn’t mention it.

  Jason gestured toward the screen. “Dex. I wasn’t expecting you to be able to check in until tomorrow.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve established myself as a Dom at The Dungeon, and I’ve met Kathryne Fretwell and set her up as my sub. It’s a good start. Besides Miss Fretwell, I’ve already met one of the suspects, and one person of possible interest.”

  Tanner leaned forward in his chair. “I apologize for the quick read-in and insertion. Time was of the essence. That’s why I had Shapiro give you all the dossiers and run the highlights by you to get you started. I was tied up with something extremely high level that couldn’t wait, or I would’ve done it myself.”

  “No problem.” Dex bit back his impatience. He appreciated Jason thinking about his difficulties from the quickie intro to the case, but he was ready to move forward. “As I understand it, it’s my job to find out what Miss Fretwell knows, determine her involvement, if any, and see if I can uncover any other perpetrators or aspects of the case. Is there anything to add?”

  Tanner’s expression looked pinched, suggesting what he was about to say wasn’t pleasant. “Correct. A few things, but first, let me make sure we’ve covered all the bases. As Shapiro told you, we’ve picked up intel that there’s a plot to take out politicians who are blocking certain bills in Congress. To bribe, discredit, or even go so far as to kill them if the perpetrators can’t get what they want.”

  He paused for a moment. “The bills in question have last-minute provisions or circuitous wording that could allow money to be funneled to terrorist-leaning organizations. It’s nothing obvious, but our teams have traced the money, and can clearly see the dollar trail flowing into terrorist hands if those pieces of legislation pass.”

  Dex nodded, having heard that from his head analyst already. “Shapiro mentioned that some of the targets are refusing protection?”

  Tanner tapped his pencil against the yellow pad in front of him on his desk. “True. There are the main five who are at the top on the hit list, with at least a dozen more as secondary targets, or ‘bonus’ targets, as they were referred to in some of the transcripts.” He shook his head. “It’s a tough one. The top targets are high visibility, so it will be harder to protect them without tipping our hand. Four of the five have already flatly refused any security. There are another handful who are less than household names, but are even more resistant to any added security. We need to get this tied up fast.”

  Dex scowled. There was a lot at stake here. “I’m on it. By the way, I never got to ask Shapiro, which analysts are working on this with him?”

  “His team consists of Whitfill, Burgener, and Ripley.”

  All analysts Dex had worked with in the past and knew to be very good at what they did. “That’s a great team.”

  From his boss’s knowing smile, he already knew Dex would approve of the group. “I wanted to make sure your first time without training wheels set you up to succeed.”

  Dex ran a hand over his face. “I appreciate that, and also your confidence in me. I won’t let you down.”

  “I have no doubts in that area, Dexter. When I recruited you straight out of Arizona State, it was one of the best things I could have done for the bureau.” He pointed at Dex. “And for you. I’m afraid if I hadn’t snapped you up, you would be a beat cop right now instead of using that vast computer between your ears for the good of the nation.”

  Dex cocked his head to one side. Tanner was the only person besides his parents who got away with calling him Dexter. That was only because he respected the man so much. His boss didn’t often wax eloquent, so when he did, it always caught Dex off guard.

  “Don’t get me wrong, you would’ve made a great cop in any capacity, but you were one of the best analysts we had, anywhere, and I have no doubt you’ll distinguish yourself as a field agent as well.”

  Dex smiled at his boss’s compliment.

  “Now I just have to be extra careful you don’t steal my job out from under me.” Tanner winked at him.

  Dex laughed.

  “I wouldn’t laugh too hard at that. You could definitely be sitting in this chair when I move up the chain one of these days.”

  Dex warmed again under the praise. One challenge at a time. Right now he needed to complete the case in front of him.

  Tanner gave a small smile. “All right. Enough of the touchy-feely stuff. Suffice it to say that I have every confidence in you. Now it’s time for you to prove me right.”

  Tanner leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on the desk in front of him.

  Dex watched on the monitor as his boss clenched his fingers into fists before loosening them again and starting over—something he often did when frustrated.

  “Now for the new details I received about twenty minutes ago.” He took a deep breath and rolled the pencil between his fingers, as if the simple action helped him order his thoughts.

  “There has also been an influx of cash to various banks around the country, and a lot of that cash is set up to flow to extremists who want to promote violence here in the States, or recruit our people. We’ve caught some of it, but I’m sure not all.”

  Dex’s blood chilled. “Is there any pattern to the deposits, from where the money is being spent or the types of institutions it’s flowing through?” Dex bit his tongue against listing even more possibilities, knowing the analysts on his team would have already covered all those bases.

  “We’re working it.” Tanner scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s odd amounts and circumstances. There were two last month, one in Pearland, Texas for one hundred and forty thousand dollars to one of the small banks in town. It went into a well-respected junior high principal’s account. After the bank tracked down the mistake, they realized that one digit was off on the account number.

  “Then on the first day of this month, there was a seventy-thousand-dollar deposit to a retired farmer’s account in Hillsboro, Ohio.”

  “Have they all been to small towns?” Dex interrupted.

  Tanner shook his head. “No, it varies, but so far there isn’t a pattern we can see to the amounts, the recipients, the towns, or anything else. Only two, like the principal in Pearland, have been reported by the recipient as a mistake. The rest were flagged by the bank, and that’s what gave us the heads-up.

&
nbsp; “But then those same or similar amounts were found in terrorist hands within a week or two. We are tracking down the hows and whys with mixed success, but we need to be able to anticipate and stop the transactions before they happen.”

  He shifted in his chair before running one hand through his hair, making the cowlick at his forehead stand up at an odd angle. “The retired farmer had a wife with stage-four cancer, and he was in danger of losing everything. He was barely keeping up with the costs to take care of her. We think he was paid handsomely to be a middleman, and all his wife’s bills were taken care of until the day she died, of somewhat mysterious circumstances, when she drowned in the toilet bowl in her hospital room.”

  Dex itched to get his hands on all the new information and see for himself if he could make any sense of it. But then he mentally reined himself in. He had trained for fieldwork because he wanted to broaden his horizons. Which meant he had to trust his team.

  Tanner continued. “From what we can put together, we think the bills being blocked in Congress with the bad amendments and the influx of cash are related somehow.”

  He studied Dex for a moment. “We aren’t sure how exactly she ties in yet, if at all, but Kathryne Fretwell is a common thread between several of the men we think are involved. That’s where you come in. Those men that she subs for are the ones either adding the so-called poison pills to the bills in question or paying handsomely for lobbyists who are new to the scene in Washington.”

  Dex frowned. “I thought lobbyists were generally people who were Washington insiders and then went on to get jobs in the private sector after they held elected office. But these people were unknowns?”

  “That’s the odd part. If they were established lobbyists, they wouldn’t raise anyone’s interest, but these people are brand new to the scene. No previous connections in politics at all, but somehow they are gaining access to lots of powerful politicians and Super PACs.”

  Dex sat back and propped his right ankle on his left knee. “I’m with you. I’ll find out what I can.”

  Tanner scrubbed a hand over his face again. “Shapiro mentioned that you looked like you had heard of The Dungeon before he said the name, and that you weren’t a fan. Has today updated that opinion any?”

  Dex sighed. He had heard about The Dungeon before Shapiro mentioned it, and most of it hadn’t been great. Poorly trained and disrespectful Doms. Subs who didn’t know what they were getting into, and didn’t understand they had any power during play sessions.

  He took a breath and blew it out slowly before answering. “Let’s just say it’s pretty much as I suspected.”

  Tanner’s expression pinched. “Is that going to make it more difficult for you to stay credible there?”

  Dex shook his head, remembering what he had wanted to bring up with Tanner. “Not at all, but I would like to see if a few Doms could be brought in from Club Desire.”

  Tanner frowned. “Why?”

  “It sounds like anytime a good Dom comes into The Dungeon, they get swamped with requests from subs. It would look very suspicious if I’m a visiting Dom here for an undetermined amount of time and I only spend my time with one sub. It might also bring resentment from the other Doms if I start absorbing most of the time with their favorite sub.”

  Tanner looked thoughtful.

  “I’ll get clearance to read them in. We’ve worked well with Club Desire and Brent Weston in the past. I’m assuming the men you’re suggesting would be discreet and have at least some idea what they are getting into in becoming a visiting Dom at another dungeon.”

  Dex stretched his neck from side to side to work out a few stiff muscles. “If you read Brent in and let him introduce the subject, I think that will be the best way to approach this. I would suggest Logan Fisher and Camren Hanson. I know there’s another town house near this one that the agency has set up where they could both stay, if it’s not being used right now. It would be too suspicious if they stayed with me.”

  Dex sifted through information inside his head, looking for any holes or possible problems. “It’s common knowledge within the lifestyle that at least Logan and I are closely tied to Club Desire, but that we’ve both been at several other clubs as well. Camren is from back East, so he’s not as well known in the lifestyle.”

  He glanced up to read Tanner’s expression, but the man was making notes on the pad in front of him on the desk.

  “Ask the analysts to figure out a good common thread that would get all three of us out here at the same time. Possibly even to help Ed Ralston beef up The Dungeon. There were signs of disrepair in a few places, although not obvious to casual observers. So The Dungeon may be losing money. That could be a good cover story to bring in new Doms to help turn the place around, even if they are only temporary.”

  Tanner nodded, taking a few more notes. “Good thoughts. I’ll contact Shapiro as soon as I hang up with you, and call Brent Weston after that.”

  Dex smiled, glad Tanner had been open to his suggestion about bringing in Logan and Camren. It would make everything a lot smoother from his perspective. As would having Brent in the know. “Brent will be a big asset on this,” he observed aloud.

  “It’s too bad he already has two careers. He would make a great agent.” Tanner laughed. “The chain of command was pissed at the time, but a few years ago when Brent waded in and saved your ass on the Fletcher Heights op, he brought himself to the attention of the higher-ups. They’ve watched him ever since, and he’s been deemed a definite asset.”

  He narrowed his eyes and pinned Dex with his intense gaze. “You know…the op you weren’t even supposed to be on, if I remember correctly?” His voice lowered dangerously, and Dex winced.

  He had nearly been fired over that incident, and later worried it might affect his chances of becoming a field agent. Tanner had saved his ass in both cases.

  “What are your initial thoughts about Miss Fretwell?”

  The memory of Kate’s sparkling green eyes flashed across his mind. “She’s smart, ambitious, and independent.” Dex left out attractive, responsive to his touch, and sexy as hell. “She also has some terrific self-defense skills.” He laughed, but didn’t elaborate. “I’ve already gotten close. Now that I have the new information, I can hone in to find out if she’s involved or not.”

  Tanner studied Dex, as if he were an open book. The man knew him well. “You like her.”

  Dex nodded. “She’s not what I expected after Shapiro told me she was a sub to several of the rich and famous. Granted, she has been, but I have a hard time seeing her willingly involved in something like this. But it’s just as hard for me to see her unwittingly involved.”

  Tanner’s expression remained unchanged, not giving Dex any clues as to what his boss was thinking.

  Jason cracked his knuckles, the pops sounding loud over their video connection. “Understood. I have confidence that you’ll get to the bottom of this, and sort it out quickly. Time is of the essence.”

  Tanner pinned Dex with an intense look. “With any other agent I would leave much more time for them to get caught up, but I know that computer of a brain you have will have retained every word for later retrieval.” He tapped his temple with his index finger.

  Dex shook his head. He’d tried to tell Jason several times he didn’t have an eidetic memory, or photographic memory, as the man still insisted on calling it. Details had always fascinated Dex, so he tended to soak them up more easily than most people. But if he were ever pressed to reproduce an entire page of information he’d been shown, he’d be screwed.

  The important details stuck with him, but the rest seemed to leave only enough of an impression to help him solve problems and correctly read situations, which was fine with him.

  “Jason.” Dex met Tanner’s gaze squarely. “Thanks for going to bat for me on this. I won’t let you down.”

  Tanner smiled. “I know. Now get out there and save the world.”

  Chapter 7

  Kate winced at the soun
d of the dreaded ring tone that heralded a call from her father. The conversation was always the same, and it left her feeling drained and angry. She had been dodging his calls for a week, and a small niggle of guilt had begun to accost her. If her mother were still alive, she would be horrified at what the relationship between father and daughter had become.

  For that reason, Kate reached for her cell, still remembering the discussion she and Dex had in the VIP lounge about their respective parents.

  At the thought of Dex, the stings and aches left in her body from the amazing scene they’d played together reminded her of the intense pleasure he had repeatedly plunged her into.

  Another ring pulled her back to the impending discussion. It was already almost eleven p.m., so her father was probably trying for a time he thought she would most likely be home and willing to answer. She had always been a night owl.

  After taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer for patience, she picked up her phone and touched the screen to answer. She tried for a neutral, casual tone to start the inevitable. “Hello.”

  “Kathryne,” came her father’s clipped reply.

  She clenched her jaw until it ached. She hated to be called Kathryne, and he damn well knew it. No doubt he did it to set her on edge.

  “Dad.” She bit her tongue against reminding him she was an adult and could choose what name to go by. After all, his name was Richard, but for some reason still unknown to her, he went by Dick. It had become something of a joke to everyone who knew him since he seemed to revel in living up to that moniker.

  He cleared his throat, and she heard him take a deep breath and blow it out. A sign he was angry and trying to contain his temper. It was no surprise when he snapped, “Why haven’t you returned my calls? I’ve been leaving messages for well over a week.”

  She took a sip of Diet Pepsi and tried to ignore the acidic comments that popped into her mind. “It’s only been a week, Dad, and I’ve been busy working. You should know all about that.”