Chapter 15
BEX
Iwoke up tangled with Corbin, one of his arms draped over my waist and my leg tucked between his thighs. Having his muscular body wrapped around me felt so good, I just lay there and listened to his steady breathing for a while.
When I finally shifted, his arm tightened. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Maybe a shower, but I’m in no rush,” I murmured.
“Good.” He pulled me closer and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Like waking up with you in my arms.”
“I like it too.” I twisted in his hold to grin at him. “Except I’m sticky.”
His lips curved into a smirk. “My fault.”
“Yeah, it is.” I brushed my lips against his bristly jaw. “And totally worth it, but I definitely need a shower.”
“Go ahead, baby.”
I wagged my brows. “Wanna join me?”
“Not this morning.” He cupped my pussy. “You’ve gotta be sore, and I won’t be able to resist your sweet body with hot water dripping between your perfect tits.”
I knew he was right, but I was still a little disappointed. “I’m going to claim a rain check, and soon.”
“Agreed.”
He finally loosened his hold enough for me to slide out of bed. I felt his eyes on me the entire way to the bathroom.
The hot water felt especially good since I ached in places I didn’t think possible, so I took my time. When I came back out wrapped in a towel, the bed was empty. So I pulled on one of his T-shirts and a pair of sleep shorts, then went in search of him.
Corbin was already showered and dressed, and two plates sat on the island, filled with eggs, toast, and bacon. Next to one of them was a mug of coffee fixed the way I liked it.
He glanced over when he heard me. “Eat up, baby. We need to head to Black Castle soon.”
I slid onto the stool and wrapped my hands around the warm mug. “I could get used to this.”
“You should. That’s my plan.”
He slid onto the stool next to me, watching while I took the first bite.
“Good?”
“Very.” I arched a brow at him. “You going to stare at me the whole time I eat?”
“Can you blame me?” His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “You look good in my kitchen.”
Heat crawled up my neck, but I didn’t look away. “And you look sexy when you cook for me.”
“I think you’re mistaken.” I was confused until he added, “I always look sexy.”
I giggled. “Yeah, you do.”
After we finished breakfast, Corbin took both plates to the sink and rinsed them. While he put them in the dishwasher, I did the same with our mugs.
Then he tipped his head to the side. “Get dressed, baby. We’re due at Black Castle in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.” I gave him a quick kiss before heading into the bedroom.
After pulling on jeans and a soft top, I met him in the kitchen again.
He checked the cameras on his phone, then opened the door and guided me into the garage.
We took his SUV because it was safer than his motorcycle.
Another reason for this mess to end soon.
Because I would have preferred to be wrapped around him on the back of it again.
The drive to the western edge of Sable Canyon didn’t take too long, and then we were pulling into the restricted entrance.
Black Castle’s headquarters were modern—with lots of glass and dark steel—and heavily fortified.
The only reason I was allowed inside was because I was with Corbin, and even though I’d been cleared, I still had to go through a thorough security screening before we could head up to the conference room where my dad and Judge were already waiting.
Dad looked up as soon as we entered. “Warrant came through this morning. We’re processing the phone now.”
Corbin pulled out a chair for me, then sat beside me and slid a folded piece of paper across the table. “The PI is Darren Pike. The payment went through a handle traced back to Nina’s ex. Messages on the cloud will show that Pike’s the one who confirmed the address and took the photos.”
My father’s expression darkened. “I told you we were waiting for the warrant.”
Corbin didn’t look particularly concerned. “You were.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed. “And you?”
“Don’t have a badge.”
Judge leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Which means none of this touches your case until you recover it legally. Use the lead and build your own proof.”
My dad dragged a hand over his face. “Every time I work with you people, my paperwork gets thicker and my patience gets thinner.”
Judge shrugged. “Only one of those helps your case.”
My father was irritated, while Corbin and Judge were completely unapologetic. Their dynamic wasn’t going to help anything, so I pointed out, “The important thing here is that we know who the PI is and that the burner phone will connect him to the case. That’s a win in my book.”
Dad exhaled and pulled the paper closer. “I’ll run it down the right way. If Pike’s dirty, I want the evidence to stick in court.”
Corbin dipped his chin. “It will.”
I suspected that Corbin would make sure of that, no matter what it took. And I was surprised to find I wasn’t even a little bit bothered by that. My dad had raised me to follow the letter of the law, but this case—and falling for Corbin—had shown me the need for crossing the line sometimes.
The next day we were back at Black Castle, this time under the guise of meeting my dad for lunch. Once again, he was already waiting in the conference room when we arrived. There were a few wrapped sandwiches, bottles of water, and bags of chips on the table.
“My people independently recovered the payment record and deleted message fragments from the phone provider.” Dad leaned back in his chair. “Chain of custody is clean. I can move on Pike without anything tracing back to you.”
Corbin reached for a bottle of water. “Good.”
“I interviewed him this afternoon.” Dad opened a folder.
“Pike claims Nina’s ex hired him for a lawful locate.
Says he had no knowledge of the protected address, restraining order, or any plan to divert police response.
The payment and the timing look bad, but it’s not enough to prove he knowingly assisted in her assault yet. ”
“All it takes is a simple search to find the protection order.” I shook my head with a sigh. “He has to be lying.”
“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.”