Chapter Nineteen #4
He had to stop trying to shoulder the burdens of things he couldn’t control.
The ranch already had a contingency plan in place for wildfire evacuations.
They’d have to adjust it slightly to include Jake and the goats, but he believed in his crew.
Cash realized he also needed to have faith in a universe or higher power that would help good triumph over evil.
He pulled himself together, turned off the shower, and dried off.
He pulled on a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved T-shirt and went to his office to avoid waking Nick.
Cash made a cup of herbal tea, curled into a corner of the sofa, and started scrolling through Mick and Quinton Carson’s social media posts.
When that triggered nothing, he started looking at their family members’ posts.
Quinton’s brothers had their accounts locked down pretty tight, but his father, Mick’s nephew, wasn’t worried much about privacy.
It looked like he put every thought out there for the world to see.
Cash slowly scrolled through the posts, going back farther than he had with Mick’s.
He stopped on a Father’s Day tribute from ten years ago.
It was a screenshot of an old photo from what looked like the late seventies or early eighties.
There were several generations of Carson males at what looked to be a family reunion or picnic at a lake.
The caption was a tribute to all the fathers in his family, and he waxed poetic about the fun times at the family cabin.
Several of the men posed with stringers of dead fish.
Cash sat up so fast he sloshed tea over the side of his mug.
That niggling notion tickling his brain transformed into a solid memory.
Mike had once told him how much he hated fishing.
The subject of hobbies had come up while the crew worked on Cash’s race car.
Someone had said they fished in their spare time.
Mike had piped in and said he loathed everything to do with fishing.
His parents forced him to go to the family’s cabin in Twin Lakes as a kid.
He didn’t start appreciating those outings until he was old enough to appreciate girls his age in bikinis.
He’d started calling it “Twin Peaks” from there on.
Bolting to his feet, Cash ran into his bedroom and woke Nick.
“Again, Saint?” He rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. “I just got Spiffy to fire on all cylinders again, and you’re going to wear him out.”
“I remembered something Mike told me years ago. I think I have a possible location for Mick and Quinton.”
Nick sat up and was immediately alert. Cash showed him the photo he’d found and repeated the Twin Lakes story.
“It might be nothing,” Cash said.
“Or it could mean everything.” Nick kissed Cash firmly on the mouth before dialing someone on his phone. “Hey, Burke,” he said. “Sorry to wake you. Cash remembered something Mike Carson told him.”
Cash listened to Nick’s side of the story, marveling that he’d called Burke first. “Twin Lakes is not his jurisdiction,” Cash said once Nick disconnected.
“No, it’s not, but Burke deserves the opportunity to take the lead and make the calls.” Nick tugged Cash onto the bed and rolled so he was spooning up behind him again.
“What are you doing?” Cash asked.
“Trying to get you to go back to sleep. You’ve done what you can. There’s no need for you to stay awake all night for something that could take hours or even days to develop. It’s time to let the professionals handle it.”
Cash suspected the last bit was for his benefit, but he fell for it anyway. Please don’t let it be days.
He woke sometime later to a trail of kisses along the back of his neck. “Do you know what day it is?” Nick whispered.
Cash arched his back and pressed his ass into Nick’s crotch.
He hadn’t stripped down when he returned to bed, so there were too many clothes between them.
“Mmmm. I’ve lost track of the days.” Cash reached behind him and stroked Nick’s cock.
“It’s bound to be a great day if I start off with this beast inside me. ”
Nick canted his hips to press harder against Cash’s palm. “Keep it up and you’ll distract me from my mission.”
Cash stilled and looked over his shoulder. “I thought I was the mission.”
Nick nipped the back of his neck. “Always, but there’s something I wanted to tell you first. Something exciting.”
Cash’s pulse leaped. “More exciting than sex with you?”
“Maybe just this once.”
Cash rolled over and stared into Nick’s smiling eyes. “I’ll play. What day is it?”
“Justice day.”
The air caught in Cash’s lungs. Was he dreaming? “Did they arrest Mick and Quinton already?” Cash looked at the clock and saw it was barely seven. He’d only been asleep for four hours. He’d hoped for a swift ending, but he didn’t dream it would happen that quick.
Nick’s mouth curved into a wry smile. “Yes, they were captured, but not because of any action we took. Our guys were still combing through the weeds and putting together a strategy when an eighty-year-old couple with a double-barrel shotgun and .357 Magnum made a citizen’s arrest around the time you figured out a possible location.
The Carsons broke into their bait and carryout store in Twin Lakes, not knowing the rear of the building was their residence.
Beavis and Butthead were so busy stuffing food into their bags they didn’t know they’d tripped a silent alarm until they heard the unmistakable sound of Ernest pumping his shot gun.
The alarm also rang to the sheriff’s department, who arrived minutes later to apprehend Mick and Quinton without resistance.
Rumors are swirling that Emma fired off a warning shot that landed inches from Mick’s feet after he took a step toward the door.
If that’s true, he probably really pissed his pants too. ”
“Sounds like something a coward like him would do.” Cash threw his arms around Nick and rolled him onto his back. “Is it really over?”
“Well, there’s jurisdictional fighting over who gets to charge the asshats first, so Burke hasn’t had the honor of transporting them back here. With the case Burke built against them, those assholes aren’t going anywhere for a very long time.”
“I’m so grateful.”
Tears of relief welled behind Cash’s closed eyelids. The extra security could leave, and the crew could get back to normal activities. Rueben could go on his date with Burke, and Keegan could heal.
“How grateful?” Nick asked.
Cash kissed him briefly and was going back for more when someone banged on the door.
“Cash! Nicky!” Rory yelled. “Wake up!”
Nick groaned. “Cockblocking brothers,” he whispered to Cash.
“I heard that,” Rory replied. “The Carsons got arrested in Lake County overnight. It’s all over the news.”
“We know,” Nicky called out.
“Get up. It’s time to celebrate.”
Nick slid his thigh between Cash’s legs. “I plan to do my celebrating right here. Scram!” Rory’s laughter echoed down the hallway as he retreated. Nick shook his head and smiled at Cash. “Where were we?”
“A show of gratitude.”
Then he took his time proving it with his hands, mouth, and dick.