Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“Probably,” Dad agreed. “But I need more than that for the prosecutor to file criminal charges. The only thing I can prove right now is that he acted unethically. That should get his license suspended.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s not enough for what he did.”
“Then we go at it from the other side.” Corbin leaned forward. “What would a convincing rollover call do to the nearest units?”
I sat up straighter, mentally shifting into dispatch mode. “It depends on which zone they’re in. Worst-case scenario, a rollover with possible serious injuries will pull the only car within miles. With the amount of land Dad’s deputies cover, one well-timed call to the wrong location will create maybe a ten- or fifteen-minute window of time where nobody is available to take another priority call in that sector.”
Dad nodded. “Some of my men drive a couple of hundred miles per shift with all the winding roads we patrol.”
“That changes the parameters.” Corbin pulled his laptop out of his bag and set it in front of him.
While he tapped away at his keyboard and bounced between files at a pace I couldn’t keep up with, my dad and I ate two of the sandwiches.
Corbin finally sat back. “There’s another case they interfered with. An older one. That makes it six across eighteen months of data. Calls with the same pattern of missing recordings, redirected units, and delayed response. They all overlap a small pool of rural patrol shifts and the vendor-support windows assigned to Stowe’s company.”
My dad’s expression tightened. “So we’re looking at deputies who regularly work those sectors and whoever’s been using Stowe’s credentials.”
“We’re closer,” I whispered.
Corbin squeezed my hand. “Just not quite there yet.”
16
CIPHER
Bex climbed onto the Harley behind me, slid both arms around my waist, and pressed the warm length of her body against my back before I’d finished settling the bike beneath us. Her thighs closed around my hips as I pulled away from the house, and every vibration traveling through the seat seemed designed to remind me how those same legs had locked around me in our bed over the past three nights. By the time we reached the first private gate, my cock was rock hard, and my concentration had divided between the winding road ahead and the memory of Bex beneath me, blond hair spread across our pillows while she took every hard thrust and cried my name.
I’d considered taking the SUV because the investigation had tightened enough that predictable movement remained a liability. Still, the route from our house to the compound never crossed public land, and every approach stayed beneath Black Crowns surveillance. More importantly, I wanted her on my bike, holding me with the unquestioning trust reserved for a man she knew would never let the machine—or anything else—hurt her. When she shifted closer on the final curve and her hand flattened beneath my cut, the satisfaction that drove through my chest was nearly as strong as the need grinding lower.
The clubhouse came into view beyond the controlled turn, bikes lined near the front and enough brothers moving through the yard to make the place feel active without becoming chaotic. Bex waited until I killed the engine before letting go and removing her helmet. I turned to help steady her as she climbed off the bike. When she was steady on her feet, I dismounted, then pulled her soft body into mine. I brushed a soft kiss over her lips and tucked her into my side.
The wicked smile curving her mouth told me she had noticed exactly how hard the ride had left me.
“You good?” I asked in a gravelly voice.
“Absolutely.” Her gaze dropped briefly toward the front of my jeans before returning to mine with far too much innocence. “You?”
“What do you think?” I deadpanned.
Bex’s smile widened, and she leaned into me when I kissed her. As much as I wanted to linger, I ended the kiss before church started without me. Then I kept my palm at the base of her spine while we entered the clubhouse.
Jacqueline was in the lounge near the windows, curled into one end of a leather couch with a folder of rehabilitation-barn designs open across her lap. Bex immediately crossed toward her, but my hand stayed around her waist until the last possible second, releasing only when Jacqueline stood to hug her. Stryker’s wife looked between us with eyes carrying enough satisfaction to make me wonder what private conversation the two women had already shared.
“I have church.” I hooked a finger beneath Bex’s chin and tipped her face up. “Be good.”
She arched one brow. “I’m always good.”
I grinned and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Don’t think good girls get off their man’s filthy mouth, baby. And you definitely come harder when I get dirty.”