Justice Divided (Cowboy Justice Association Book 10) Read online

  “What kind of business deals?”

  The young woman’s face turned red and she didn’t answer right away. Her friend Dani whispered something in her ear and Natalie shook her head, not liking what she was hearing.

  “I can see you don’t want to tell me about them, but it’s okay. Lyle doesn’t expect you to keep any secrets now. He needs you to be honest so we can find his killer.”

  A fresh spate of tears fell on Natalie’s face and she reached up to dash them away with her fingers. “You don’t understand. You couldn’t possibly understand.”

  Leaning forward, he gave her his most encouraging smile. He wanted to be as calm and confident as possible. “I’ve been in law enforcement for a long time, Ms. Denning. I’ve pretty much heard it all. I doubt you can shock me.”

  “Lyle owed money. Lots of money. And to dangerous people.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Logan had assured the young woman that he couldn’t be shocked and he wasn’t. However he was surprised. Not that Lyle owed money. Since Wade’s arrest, the Bryson family had plenty of cash flow issues. No, he was surprised to hear that Lyle owed money to people Natalie deemed dangerous. A straight arrow, Lyle was a rule follower and always had been. Hell, he didn’t even cross the street when the light said Do Not Walk.

  “Dangerous?” Drake had been quiet up to now but he’d be very interested in the criminal element in his town. “How do you mean…dangerous? Did you meet any of these people?”

  Sighing, Natalie’s shoulders slumped and Dani put her arm around her friend in support.

  “Yes, I’ve met them because I’m the one that introduced him. They’re my employers. Or…my ex-employers. I’m afraid to go to work. I take a few shifts a week as a waitress there.”

  If Logan hadn’t been paying attention before, she had all of it now. This was becoming quite the tale.

  “Where do you work?”

  “The nightclub out by the highway near Springwood. The Bell Tower. It’s just a part time thing. You know…for extra money.” She hesitated, her gaze skittering over to Drake and then back to Logan before continuing. “There’s more there than just a nightclub, though.”

  Drake’s jaw tightened and he nodded in agreement. “We’ve suspected for some time that illegal activity was going on there, Ms. Denning.”

  Raising an eyebrow, Logan gave his former deputy a questioning look. Illegal activity was rather vague.

  “Gambling, prostitution, and drugs,” Drake said with a grim smile. “The law enforcement trifecta. There’s probably some money laundering going on there, too. Tanner spoke about it at our last couple of meetings.”

  “I don’t know about any drugs or prostitution,” Natalie protested, indignation in her tone. “I’ve never seen any of that. I’ve only seen…the gambling room upstairs.”

  Natalie’s gaze had fallen to the floor and Dani was whispering urgently in her ear. The young woman kept shaking her head no.

  “You have to tell them,” the friend said, jumping up from the sofa. “They’ll find out eventually.”

  Sniffling, Natalie finally agreed. “It’s just…it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t introduced Lyle to my boss, none of this would have happened.”

  Logan was beginning to put the puzzle together in his brain, filling in the blanks with ideas of his own, but this young woman needed to confirm the story.

  “Lyle came to the nightclub,” Logan said. “He came to see you.”

  “Yes, he’d come and have a drink and we’d talk on my breaks.”

  “Then you introduced him to your manager. That’s a pretty normal thing to do.”

  Natalie dragged the back of her knuckles across her damp cheeks. “Cory, my boss, invited Lyle up to the gambling room.”

  Shit. Logan knew what was coming next.

  “Lyle lost money there, didn’t he? A lot of it.”

  She nodded, taking a shaky breath. “At first it wasn’t too bad. He’d win some and he’d lose some. But then it seemed to get worse and he’d come in several times a week and his losses kept piling up. You can’t owe people like Cory money and not pay it back.”

  No, you can’t. And Lyle should have known better.

  “And you think Cory shot Lyle because of the debt?”

  “I bet he had one of his goons do it. He wouldn’t do it himself.”

  The theory made sense. Except…

  If this Cory killed Lyle he wasn’t ever getting the money back. Drake had to be thinking the same thing based on his dubious expression. Usually they broke both of your legs and threatened your family. Death was pretty final unless Cory had written off the debt, which would be insane because the Bryson’s might not have cash, but they did have assets. Equipment, land, real estate. There was money to be had if they were patient enough.

  “And you think you might be next?” Drake asked. “You think your life is in danger?”

  Natalie threw up her arms, two red flags coloring her otherwise pale face. “I’m practically a witness. I know that Cory has motive, so of course he’s going to come after me. I’m terrified to go to work or my own home.”

  Since Logan didn’t know if Cory had Lyle shot or not, he couldn’t make a determination as to whether Natalie Denning was in danger. It was a possibility that they needed to take into account.

  “Then you probably shouldn’t be posting photos of the two of you on social media or parking your car in front of the house,” Drake observed. “Maybe you really should go on a vacation.”

  Logan was already texting Jason to see if they could get one of the trainees out here to babysit the women until he’d closed this case. He didn’t want to take any chances and he absolutely didn’t want to send Natalie out of town. He was afraid he’d never see her again. He hadn’t confirmed her story and this could all be a load of horse shit. She might be guilty as hell despite all the angst and tears.

  Damn, I’m getting cynical in my old age.

  His phone dinged with a confirmation. The consulting firm would provide the two young women with protection. But not here. They’d go to a more secure location.

  “I’m talking with my partners about a safer option,” Logan replied. “But you’ll have to leave this house. Anyone can find you here.”

  Dani and Natalie exchanged a glance, and then Dani spoke. “I can’t leave my job, but I think Nat should go.”

  Logan already didn’t like it. “I can’t protect you here.”

  The young woman shrugged. “I know but I can’t lose my job.”

  Logan sighed and began tapping out a new text. This time to a friend. “Let me get in touch with Sheriff Tanner. Maybe he can have a patrol come by several times a day.”

  Just the mention of Tanner Marks had Dani smiling. “He’s such a good man. His wife is so pretty, too. And their little girl is adorable.”

  Amanda Marks was incredibly cute. She looked a lot like her mother Madison, thank heavens. Tanner wouldn’t be an attractive female.

  “We’ll work something out,” Logan promised. “In the meantime, I need to know every detail about Lyle’s gambling. What he liked to bet on, how much he lost. I also want everything you know about Cory and his business partners. Can you do that for me, Natalie?”

  “I can but I’m not sure that I know all that much.”

  “You know more than you think you do,” he assured her. “Sometimes the littlest thing is the most important.”

  Ava was going to be pissed as hell that she’d missed this. Maybe he should pick up dinner on his way home.

  On the bright side, Mary wasn’t their best suspect anymore.

  * * * *

  Ava hadn’t had a great day with her sister and her evening wasn’t getting any better. Her loving husband Logan had just informed her that she was sitting out another part of the investigation. Again. This was becoming a habit.

  “It’s too dangerous,” Logan said flatly, his lips in a firm line. She knew that look and it didn’t bode well for changing his mind. When Logan W
right decided something, it took damn near a zombie apocalypse to change his mind. “You could get hurt or killed. We don’t know what this Cory is up to yet. He could be a killer or just a small time thug, but either way you aren’t going to be there. You can wait in the police van across the street and listen in, but that’s as close as you’re getting.”

  He made a good argument and she couldn’t really refute any of it, but there was something he hadn’t considered.

  “Having a woman with you will make you seem much less of a threat,” Ava said. “You’ll be perceived as harmless. If you’re alone or with Tanner, they’ll be much more suspicious. Tanner, what do you think?”

  The subject of their discussion was sitting at their kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. Holding his hands up in a sign of surrender, he laughed. “Don’t drag me into a marital disagreement. I’m like Switzerland here. Completely neutral.”

  “You’d take Madison into an undercover operation?” Logan queried, his brows almost to his hairline. “I don’t believe that for a moment.”

  “No, I wouldn’t,” the older lawman conceded with a grin. “But what we do shouldn’t have any bearing on what you do. Switzerland, remember?”

  “But don’t you think having a woman there will make them less suspicious?” Ava argued. “I can be useful in this investigation.”

  Her handsome husband scowled at her statement. “You are useful. But you don’t go in the field. End of story. Decision made. You are right, though, we would be perceived as less of a threat with a woman. That’s why I’ve asked Jason to send Kim. She and I can pretend to be a couple. Obviously Tanner can’t go in there. They know he’s the sheriff.”

  Kim. Logan and Kim were going to pretend to be a couple. She didn’t like the sound of that at all. In fact, how many times had they already done that? They were spending far too much time together and now good ol’ Kim was coming to save the day. As if there were no females for hundreds of miles around Corville. Logan had to import his lovely partner.

  “You’re bringing Kim in.”

  “She’s a trained law enforcement officer,” Logan pointed out. “It only makes sense. I’m not going to send my wife and mother of my children into an unknown situation. Not going to happen, babe.”

  Kim was trained and could handle herself. She and Logan had far more in common than Ava and Logan did.

  My husband is not cheating on me. He loves me and the children. He loves his family.

  It didn’t make Ava feel any better. Logan might not be sleeping with the beautiful and talented Kim but he was spending more time with her than his wife. Ava was beginning to get the sad feeling that perhaps he preferred it that way. Maybe…just maybe…Kim was more fun.

  Ava decided then and there to remind her husband just how much fun she could be. She’d do it tonight.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tanner had left for home and the twins were put to bed. Peace and quiet reigned in a household that was usually loud and boisterous. It was a welcome respite at the end of the day.

  Ava was still smarting from Logan’s rejection earlier. He was a protective man so she wasn’t in the least surprised that he’d said no to her helping, but she’d held onto a glimmer of hope. She wanted to be helpful with more than just dusty boxes of paper. She wanted to be a part of her husband’s life. If he wouldn’t come home and spend more time, then by God, she’d go to him.

  She’d darn well refresh his memory about how enjoyable it was to spend time at home while she was at it. He’d become far too used to traveling, spending time with his team. That team got more of Logan’s attention than she and the children did. Tonight she was going to do something about that.

  Ava had taken a shower, shaved her legs and armpits, and rubbed a fragrant body lotion into her skin. She thought about the subtle approach but sometimes a woman simply had to say what she wanted and go for it. Besides, Logan was a straightforward man and he appreciated it when she didn’t pussyfoot around a subject.

  Pardon the pun.

  Wrapping a towel around her naked body, she padded into the office where her absolutely gorgeous husband was poring over a stack of files. His blond hair had a few strands of gray now and there were more lines around his blue eyes but he was still the most spectacularly handsome man she’d ever known.

  Time to quit, babe. I have plans.

  He didn’t turn around when she entered so she shut and locked the door behind her, a smile of pure glee on her face. This was going to be fun.

  “Logan, can you look at something for me?”

  “Uh sure, babe. Let me just mark where I left off. And by the way, you owe me a backrub, lasagna, and some chocolate mousse. The autopsy came back and the shooter was standing down the path.” He turned just as she dropped her towel. It fell into a pool at her feet. Completely unimportant and unneeded. “What–”

  His mouth fell open and then turned into a big, wolfish smile.

  “I could look at you all day, babe. But I’d rather touch you. Get that gorgeous ass over here.”

  She couldn’t think of one reason not to do just that.

  “You sweet talker,” she giggled, pressing herself against his fully clothed form and pulling his head down for a kiss. “How about a ride, cowboy? Fast and hard, just like you like it.”

  Ava liked it that way, too. His roughened hands slid down her body, sending the most erotic signals to her brain. Standing on tiptoe, her tongue snaked out to taste the salty tang of his skin as she pressed her lips to the hollow of his throat and breathed in his delicious scent.

  If they could bottle that, every guy would get laid.

  It felt incredibly naughty to be completely naked when he was fully dressed, but those clothes needed to come off. Her hands went to his waist and she popped open each button on his fly, rubbing her palm against his growing erection.

  Logan groaned in anticipation when she fell to her knees and pulled him free from the denim and cotton boxers. He was long and thick in her hand, and the coil in her lower belly tightened as she traced a blue vein with her fingers. Bending her head, she followed that same path with her tongue while her fingers massaged the root. His balls had pulled up close to his body and if she kept up what she was doing he was going to explode soon.

  Logan must have known that as well because she found herself lifted off her knees by two strong hands under her arms. He placed her on the desk, knocking the papers to the floor in his haste. Her ass hit the cool wood and it sent a shiver to her toes. She loved it when he was like this…as if they were the only two people left on this earth and he absolutely had to have her.

  Shoving his jeans down slightly, Logan didn’t waste any time. Positioning himself between her outspread thighs, he thrust in to the hilt with one stroke. They both cried out at the sensation, although it was muffled as their lips were locked together in a soul-searing kiss. His tongue imitated in her mouth what his cock was doing just a few feet below and she had to hold on for dear life, her fingers curling into his muscled shoulders.

  He showed her no mercy, pounding into her as if she was sending him off to war and this might be the last time they were ever together. The veins in his neck were on display and his teeth were gritted together. He was trying to hold back so she could catch up.

  The temperature in the room had soared and their skin was covered in a sheen of sweat. The only sounds were Logan’s grunts, Ava’s pants, and the vulgar slap of flesh on flesh. They were going at each other like animals, her fingernails scoring his back as she begged him to fuck her harder and faster. Anything. Just make her come.

  The desk rattled on its legs and the lamp on the corner fell to the floor with a crash that neither of them even acknowledged. Logan nipped at that spot on her neck, sending a shot of electricity through her body and straight to her clit.

  “Time to come, baby. You can do it. Come for me.”

  Her back arched and her head fell back, begging for more of his mouth. He gave it to her, his lips and teeth worry
ing at a rose-tipped nipple and that sent her off into space. She whirled around among the stars and clouds before eventually coming back to earth. At some point Logan had gone over as well, thrusting into her one last time and staying there. His chest was damp where she pressed her cheek as they crumpled from the desk to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs.

  Eventually Logan stretched out on the cold hardwood and tucked Ava into his side. She stroked his stubbled jaw, content to just be here with him. They didn’t need words to express what they both felt.

  Their bodies cooled though, and the floor wasn’t the most comfortable place for afterglow. Ava sat up and stretched her arms over her head, and then rubbed at her lower back.

  “I think we might be getting too old for stuff like this.”

  “No way,” Logan denied, sitting up but then groaning when his own back made a cracking noise. “Shit, maybe I am getting old.”

  Her palm cupped his jaw, turning his face toward her so she could look into his eyes.

  “I can’t wait to grow old with you.”

  Leaning down, he pressed his nose to hers. “And I can’t wait to grow old with you either. We’ll be two old wrinkled crime busters, sitting on the front porch in our rocking chairs and yelling at kids to get off our lawn.”

  It sounded like heaven as long as she was with him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ava helped Logan straighten his tie, brushing his hands away so she could do it herself. He was hopeless when it came to tying a Windsor knot. She wasn’t in the greatest of moods but she was determined not to let it show.

  Kim was here. Along with Tanner, of course.

  Tonight was the night that Logan and Kim were going to the nightclub, pretending to be a couple. Ava would sit in the police car with Tanner listening in.

  The whole idea was for the pretend couple to look prosperous, as if they had money to burn. Or in this case, gamble. Logan was dressed in his best suit and tie while Kim looked amazing in a tight red dress that clung to every curve. She’d definitely have plenty of male attention tonight, which was the plan. According to Natalie Denning, Cory had an eye for the ladies. Fancied himself something of a player. If Logan couldn’t get him to talk, perhaps Kim could.