Chapter Four
Jagger
The past had a way of roaring into town when least expected, that was for damn sure. Bailey Gregory sat in Sparky’s office staring at me with that sexy smirk I remembered from a few years ago.
At first, I wasn’t sure if he even recognized me from our one brief encounter at the governor’s lake house in the Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest. It had been a wild ride that weekend.
The door to the lake house swung open, and I, along with the other five members of the governor’s protection team, drew our service weapons. Thank heaven we didn’t immediately shoot.
“Guys, it’s okay. This is my older brother, Bailey, who isn’t supposed to be here.”
The tension between the two men—and the governor’s guest—had all of us averting our eyes in confusion. The governor’s friend, who was a last-minute addition to the trip, appeared ready to shit himself.
Our lieutenant holstered his weapon, so we all followed his lead. “Master Sergeant, it’s good to see you again,” our boss said as he extended his hand to the handsome man standing in the doorway, looking seven shades of pissed off.
Master Sergeant Gregory shook Lieutenant Rupert’s hand and stepped out of the way so the governor and his guest could enter the residence.
“Guys, give us a minute, please.” The governor nodded to the team before going inside and closing the door.
We stepped off the porch and walked to the vehicles to get our bags. The governor had several small cabins around the perimeter of the large house, which was where we’d be staying while we were there.
“What’s the deal?” Rick Carroll asked. He was my partner on this team, though he’d only come onto the team a month prior.
I’d only been on the team for six months myself, and it was the first time I’d been along when the governor went to the lake house.
“No idea. It’s the first time I’ve been here. As Rupert always says, everything we encounter is on a need-to-know basis. I guess this qualifies.”
A while later, the governor’s brother came out the side door with a beer and walked down to a covered swing that overlooked Angel Lake in the distance.
He sat there alone for a while, and after I settled into the cabin with Rick, I strolled down there to join him.
Rick and I had the overnight watch, so I’d need some sleep soon, but something about Bailey Gregory got under my skin.
“Mind a little company?”
Bailey turned toward me and grinned. “Not a bit. Which one are you?”
“Sergeant Jagger Hansen. I’m one of the members of your brother’s protection team, but I guess you figured that out.” My face heated immediately at the sound of my stupid babbling. I never babbled.
“Man, watching my brother must be the most boring job in the world—or it was until this latest shitstorm. Do you know how long Thomas has been friends with that guy?” Bailey finished his beer and put the empty bottle on the concrete slab where the swing was mounted.
I’d heard things about the governor being more than friends with someone, but I hadn’t witnessed it during my shifts.
After watching the governor flirt with the guy, I guessed the rumors might be true.
I’d never say anything to sully the man’s reputation, but I felt bad for Mrs. Gregory.
She was a nice woman who always tried to feed us when we were on duty.
“No, sir. Even if I did, we don’t discuss the governor’s personal life.” It was part of being assigned to the governor’s team. We never discussed the personal lives of our protectees. Plain and simple.
“I respect that. So, you from Nevada?”
“Yeah. Born and raised in Reno. After I graduated from high school, I went to the police academy and became a patrol officer in Reno for fifteen years. Got a job with the Nevada State Patrol five years ago and was recently given a promotion and offered a position with the governor’s team. You?”
“I, uh, just got out of the military. I was a member of the infantry combat team. Finally decided it was time to become a civilian again. I’m considering becoming a PI. Not that it would be that new to me. So, you’ve moved to Carson City?”
We chatted for another hour about growing up in the Wild West, law enforcement versus the military, and nothing of much importance. It was the best two hours of my life.
Fast forward to the next morning, which was the last time I saw Bailey Gregory. He was riding off on a Harley Fatboy with his middle finger in the air as his brother and Boyd Newton stared from the front porch of the house.
Present
Until he walked into the waiting area at the Clark County Detention Center and took my breath, I had no hope of seeing Bailey again.
Due to my abrupt departure from the governor’s security team and my resignation from the highway patrol, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t see anyone in the Gregory family again.
Now, my head was filled with a million questions, though there was one thing I knew for sure. Bailey had said, “I will catch the son of a bitch, and I’ll kill him when I do,” and that was a problem.
I smirked at his cocky attitude. “Naw, you’re not gonna kill him, Bailey. How would your arrest play out with Thomas’s administration? I know you don’t want your brother to bear the brunt of your transgressions, so what are you gonna do?”
Bailey met my gaze. “I guess we’ll both see, won’t we?” He stood from his chair, adjusting his shorts while his eyes studied Sparky behind his desk.
My boss looked at me. “Take Bailey to wherever he’s staying.”
Sparky then turned to Bailey. “You do not run out on me. You stay away from Boyd Newton too. If I lose my twenty grand, I’ll take it out of your hide. Do you understand?” The man had that intimidating glare down cold.
When I glanced at Bailey, I saw a mischievous smirk that let me know Bailey wasn’t going to listen to anyone but himself. It must be a family trait.
I pulled into the parking lot of a really shitty hotel two blocks from The Strip. “This is where you chose to stay?”
Bailey laughed. “What can I say? I’m a baller on a budget.
This is personal, and if I get my way with Boyd Newton, nothing can lead back to Thomas.
After Boyd Newton is dead, I’ll quietly slip into the night and become a trout farmer in…
wherever trout farms exist. If Boyd goes to the press and tells the story of his affair with my married brother, Thomas’s career is over. ”
That was no lie. “You have a look on your faced that tells me you’re dead serious. What if there’s another way to get rid of Boyd Newton?”
“How?”
I was flying by the seat of my pants, but Bailey Gregory rotting in a prison cell for the rest of his life didn’t sit well with me.
“Investigate the drug angle. I checked into Boyd Newton’s background after that weekend, before I quit working for the highway patrol.
Newton has been arrested more than once for drug possession with the intent to distribute Schedule I and II narcotics.
The cases were over the last month and were dropped by the LVPD.
He was never charged with any crimes. Do you believe your brother had anything to do with the cases being dropped? ”
“How old were the arrests? Thomas claims he’s only been seeing the guy since September of 2024.
They met at a DNC fundraiser and began seeing each other shortly after that.
Last month, Thomas received the first threat of blackmail if he didn’t give someone a million dollars, though my brother claims not many people knew about them.
Everyone in his security team knew, and that’s part of what worries me.
“You left because of the affair, didn’t you? How do I know you’re not behind the blackmail threats?” Bailey stared at me, waiting for a response.
“I have no judgment on the governor’s sex life as long as he doesn’t have sex on my desk. The governor’s security team is vetted very carefully. If there were any red flags in their background, they wouldn’t be protecting the governor of Nevada.” At least I hoped not.
Bailey nodded. “It was only last week that I followed Thomas to the drop spot and caught Newton—or a guy I believed to be Newton—red-handed, picking up the duffel in Carriage Square Park. I beat the shit out of him and got the money back for my brother, but Newton got away. Hell, I can’t be sure it was Newton because the working over I gave him couldn’t have healed that fast. When I saw him last night, he didn’t have a mark on him.
” The frustration in his voice was evident.
I had a fantastic resource just a few desks away from mine in the swamp, and I still had friends on the force in Reno and with the highway patrol.
“I could check into things for you. Hardy, Sparky’s son, is a wiz with technology.
He can find out… Well, I don’t ask questions when he provides background info to help us track someone who fled to avoid a court appearance.
The kid is good at what he does, plus I still have contacts in law enforcement.
It seems we need to find Newton and figure out what the hell he’s doing. ”
Bailey sat in the truck. “I parked my bike at the Intercontinental Casino. I wouldn’t park a covered wagon here. This place is shady as hell.”
He opened the door and stepped out before turning to look at me. He still had some white grease paint on his face and traces of the clown makeup. He hadn’t had a shower yet, but he was still easy on the eyes.
“I’ve got a spare bedroom, a hot shower, and a cold six-pack of Bud in my fridge. If you let me help you out with this mess, you can get back home faster. I’m sure someone’s waiting for you.” Fishing for info? Yeah, I wasn’t above it.
I glanced at Bailey to see him smirking. “Gimme ten to get my shit and check out. Your assumption has a lengthy explanation that will require something more than beer. I’ve got whiskey in my room.”