Rain Shadow 5

by Tess Oliver

  Luke jerked slightly, and his head rolled from side to side on the pillow. The terrible dreams that haunted his sleep had returned. The men who’d caused these persistent nightmares were behind bars and faced long jail terms, but the visions of what had happened to him during those horrid days, when he and Dex had endured unspeakable torture, remained real and raw. It was rare when he slept through the night, and there were times when he looked weary from it.

  He groaned and his fingers clamped into fists. Even fast asleep, the tension in his jaw caused the muscle in the side of his cheek to twitch. The department had sent him to a psychologist to talk about the incident, but he’d gone twice and then decided it only made things worse.

  His mouth pulled tight. “Fuck!” he blurted as he jolted awake. He took the usual few seconds to figure out where he was and then he looked over at me. I was still sitting with the blanket pulled up to my chin. He scrubbed his face. “I’m sorry, Baby, did I wake you?”

  I shook my head. “No, I was awake.” I thought about the first few nights he’d spent at the compound before his mind had allowed him to grasp the gravity of what had happened. His subconscious had created a wall to protect him from the harsh reality. That night, like many other nights, I’d found ways to comfort him, to help him relax and forget about the hideous visions still stuck in his head. They were disturbing memories that would never leave him, but I found I could relieve some of his sorrow.

  I leaned down onto my elbow and caressed his face. Sometimes the pain of everything was as fresh in his face as if it had just happened. That emotion was there now. I kissed his brow and his eyes drifted shut, but the tension wouldn’t be erased that easily.

  “Relax, Reno,” I whispered, ushering him back to those first days when I’d taken care of him, when I’d realized I’d found the man who would change my life forever. I kissed his neck. He lifted his hand to me, but I pushed it back down. I hovered my lips over his. “It’s my turn.” We were each other’s solace against the grim truths that nearly smothered us.

  I trailed my mouth along the hard muscles of his chest. He pulled in a deep breath as my tongue ran along his taut abdomen. A low groan rumbled deep in his throat as my fingers wrapped around his cock. It grew hard and firm in my grasp. His eyes were still closed, and some of the tension in his jaw and body dissolved as I rubbed my finger around the slick tip of his erection. His hand reached for me again, but I took hold of his wrist and kissed his palm. Then I lowered it back down to the blanket.

  I ran my tongue up along the hard shaft, and my lips played briefly with the moist tip before I took him into my mouth. Another groan vibrated from his chest, and he moved his pelvis to push himself deeper. One hand cupped his balls while the other ran up and down along his erection, plunging him into the moisture of my mouth.

  “Fuck yeah, Baby.” The low hoarse sound of his voice assured me that I’d taken him from a state of agitation to one where his mind and body could relax and absorb intense pleasure. I pulled my mouth slowly along his cock at first and then my lips tightened around him as I sensed his urgency. He could not keep his hands quiet any longer. He reached down and wrapped his fingers in my hair, holding me firmly against him as his hips moved in rhythm with my mouth. His movements quickened until his body went rigid. He grasped my hair tightly as his hot seed spilled into my mouth.

  I wiped my lips with the back of my hand and stretched out next to him. His breathing was just slowing as I pulled the blanket up over us. I kissed his shoulder. “Do you feel better?”

  He turned onto his side and pulled me into his arms. “Always— whenever I’m with you.”

  Chapter 5

  Luke

  A school bus beat us to the block where the house was located. “Damn it,” I said. “We’ll have to wait until they’re gone.”

  The search warrant had come through late in the afternoon, which had basically screwed my day. After a slow morning, I’d planned on stopping by the Reno Police Department to visit the chief detective. Detective Randall had been my dad’s partner for twenty years. He’d always been like an uncle to us, and even though we hadn’t kept in touch too much since my dad’s death, I was sure he’d be glad to see me. And I was sure he’d let me look at their old case files. I needed to read more about the Starlight Baby. The details Dad had pinned to his cork board were sketchy at best. I needed something more solid to go on before I went in and opened up a shitload of emotion in everyone’s lives, including my own. Now the visit would have to wait.

  “Junior high?” Ritter asked.

  A dozen or so kids nearly flew down the steps of the bus, thrilled to be free from school for another afternoon. “Looks that way. Let’s hope they head home fast. I’m getting sick of sitting here.”

  The house we were searching was half a block away. The driveway was empty, and the trash cans were sitting out on the curb. They were the only cans on the street, and our suspect’s lazy habit of not bringing them in had been his undoing. A neighbor with knowledge of science had noticed dozens of empty cold medicine boxes in their trash. The pseudoephedrine from the tablets was a substance used in meth production.

  “After all this, I hope someone is home,” I grumbled.

  “The neighbors who called in the complaint said the man never leaves, but he gets plenty of visitors. That circular driveway makes for a highly convenient drive thru service. Hopefully, it’ll be quick. We find the equipment and lab, shut him down and take him in.” Ritter glanced over at me. “It looks like this is the last place you want to be today.”

  “Yeah, these types of busts always seem so meaningless.” Two boys, with a fresh crop of zits and that gawky posture that comes from growing three inches in a month, stood on the sidewalk looking at one of their phones. “Come on, guys, go home already,” I said.

  Greene leaned forward from the backseat. “Look Barringer, Ritter and I never really got a chance to say anything to you, but we’re both real sorry about Dex. He was a good friend to everyone.”

  “Yeah, thanks. He was the best.” Greene sat back, and we waited for the street to clear. The two boys laughed at something on the phone and then headed down the sidewalk, eventually disappearing around the corner.

  The three of us got out and walked toward the house with the warrant in hand. We had our Glocks and vests but nothing more. Greene held the battering ram at his side, but we hoped they would just cooperate and let us in. Most at-home meth labs were just small, simple set-ups, and the people who ran them were usually amateur enough to give up without a fight. Few wanted an altercation with agents or police.

  We walked up to the house, and instantly, it seemed there was a flurry of activity inside. A door slammed and it sounded as if someone had entered the attached garage. I stood in front of the garage door, this time with my weapon drawn. Greene and Ritter covered the front door.

  Ritter knocked. “This is the Reno DEA. We have a warrant to search this property.”

  There was no answer.

  “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Ritter shouted toward the house.

  I heard an engine fire up inside the garage. I motioned for Greene to use the ram. Just as he smashed through the front door, a jeep plowed through the garage door. Its tire grazed my thigh as I jumped clear, landing on my hand. A jolt of pain shot through my wrist, but I managed to fire my gun at the vehicle. A tire blew and the jeep limped toward the end of the driveway and stopped. I jumped up and raced toward it. I saw only one head inside.

  “I’ve got this covered,” I yelled to Ritter and Greene. They entered the house.

  The driver’s side opened, and a young man in his early twenties stepped out. He looked ready to jump out of his skin with fear.

  “Who else is inside?”

  “Just my baby. My wife’s at work.” His voice wavered, and I expected him to break down in tears at any seco
nd.

  “Hands behind your head and on your knees.” He complied quickly, and the second his knees hit the asphalt, he bent forward and puked.

  Once he’d regained his composure, I read him his rights and cuffed him.

  “Who’s going to take care of my son in the meantime?”

  “If you were cooking up meth in the house, then your concern for your kid is a little late.”

  Greene walked out holding the crying baby. Being a father of four, he quickly handed the upset infant his car keys and the wails stopped. He walked over to me. The suspect looked back at Greene.

  “No one told you to turn around,” I snapped.

  “I’ll call child services,” Greene said.

  The suspect’s head dropped. “What have I done?”

  Greene glanced back at what was left of the garage door. “Well, that went off with more drama than I’d expected. At least no one got hurt.”

  I lifted up both arms. “Really?” My wrist was twisted so that my thumb was pointing in entirely the wrong direction.

  “Damn. It looks like you were born with two right hands,” Greene said.

  “Then I guess it’s lucky I’m right handed, although, this other right hand doesn’t feel too useful at the moment.”

  “Do you think it’s broken?”

  I shrugged. “My fingers are numb, and it hurts like shit. But I’m hoping it can just be popped back into place.”

  “Looks like you just earned yourself a few days off, and we’re going to be short agents again. At least we took care of this.” Some squad cars pulled up to the house to take the suspect into custody.

  I nodded but wasn’t feeling Greene’s enthusiasm, and it wasn’t because of my wrist. “Yeah, we stopped another home lab, but sometimes it feels like we’re just stomping out little embers only to have more embers flare up somewhere else. Feels sort of meaningless.”

  Greene smoothed his hand over the baby’s tufts of blonde hair. “I don’t think this little guy thinks it was meaningless. That house smells so toxic inside, I’m surprised he’s this happy and healthy. We probably just saved his life.”

  I reached forward and touched the little guy’s arm. He shook the keys in his round little fist and laughed at the noise it made.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  Chapter 6

  Luke

  While none of the previous day had gone as I’d hoped, I’d at least landed on my wrist in such a way that with a short dose of anesthesia and a little manipulation, the bones were back in place. But I’d be wearing a brace for weeks, and Carson had to add another name to his list of injured agents. In that respect, it worked out fine for me. My unexpected sick leave meant I’d be able to spend time at home. Jericho and Angel had been home alone for a few days. Cash had gone off on his own, and he’d told Jericho not to expect him back for a week. Cash hadn’t let on about where he was going or what he was up to, and as far as I was concerned, he was an adult who was free to do whatever the hell he wanted.

  Injury or not, before I could go on leave, I had a mound of paperwork on my desk that had to get done. I was just finishing up the last bits of it when my phone rang. “Hey, Jericho, what’s up? I’ve got one stop to make on the way home, but I should be back soon.”

  “Cash won’t answer his phone.”

  “If he’s on the road, he’s not going to be able to answer it.”

  “It’s not even on. It just goes straight to voicemail.”

  I used my free hand to hastily shove reports into file folders. I was anxious to get done with the work so I could get over to see Detective Randall. “Maybe he didn’t take his charger with him. Look, Richo, Cash can take care of himself. There’s nothing we can do but wait until he comes back home.”

  “Something’s wrong, I’m sure of it.”

  “I think you’re just bored and looking for things to keep your mind occupied. What’s Angel up to?”

  “She’s reading, and damn right I’m bored. So fucking bored I’m going to start pulling my hair out.” He paused. “Your brother called me.”

  “What? Who, Gage?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He says there is an opening for an entry level logger at his jobsite. I think I might do it, Luke. I’ve got to do something, you know?”

  “Yeah. Hey, if you think it’s something you’d be good at, you should go for it. Gage doesn’t do stuff like that often, so he obviously thinks highly of you. And, believe me, respect from Gage is hard earned.”

  I could feel him nearly smiling through the phone as I spoke. Jericho was really one of the truly lost souls to come out of this whole thing. He’d grown up in the club, but Dreygon had brutally removed him. Angel had me, and Cash had himself. But Jericho wasn’t ready to face the world completely on his own yet.

  “What will we do about Angel if I leave?” Jericho asked.

  “Not sure yet.”

  “We haven’t heard from Dreygon in awhile, do you think he’s done with us? Maybe we’re all hiding out for nothing.”

  “That’s wishful thinking, Jericho. Remember that drug bust that turned out to be a total scam?”

  Jericho laughed. “The furniture bust, you mean?” He laughed again. “I have to hand it to the old man, it was pretty damn classic.”

  “Yeah, well, the informant isn’t laughing, wherever he is. Carson said they haven’t heard from him, and things don’t look good. Dreygon is still out there terrorizing the world, he was just temporarily distracted from us.” I dropped the files into my drawer. “You should think about going back to Montana. Tell Angel I’ll be there soon. And stop worrying about Cash. He killed those two guys in the morgue as easily as he’d put bread in the fucking toaster.”

  “Yeah, all right.” He didn’t seem too convinced. “Later.”

  ***

  Detective Randall looked up from his lunch. A wide grin split his face. The lines around his eyes were deeper and he’d added some chin and belly. “Luke.” He waved me into his office. “Come and sit. It’s been such a long time.”

  I sat down across from him. He lifted a chicken tender up from the Styrofoam container. “Would you like a piece? It’s good dipped in this dressing.”

  “No, I’m good.”

  He swallowed a bite, and as he took sip of soda, he noticed the brace on my wrist. “What happened to your arm?”

  “Nothing too bad. Just dislocated it as I was diving out of the path of a jeep. The suspect apparently thought smashing through his garage door was his best route to freedom. I think his jeep might not have agreed.”

  He searched the chicken tenders for just the right piece. “I’ve dealt with some suspects who were so damn dumb it was a wonder they’d managed to survive to adulthood.”

  “Yep. Most are pretty knuckleheaded, which is how they ended up in trouble in the first place.” I thought briefly of Dreygon, who defied logic and the odds with his ability to escape getting caught. He was more cunning than most, that was for damn sure.

  “How are your brothers?” He paused, and his mouth pulled tight. “I went to Dex’s funeral.” He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Such a loss and we were all so worried about you, thinking the worst but hoping for the best. Thank God our prayers were answered, and here you are.” His chair squeaked as he sat forward. “It’s so good to see you, Luke. So, what are Seth and Gage up to?”

  “The usual. Last I heard, Seth was out to sea near the Port of Los Angeles, and Gage is up at the ranch and still logging. Some friends and I stayed with him for awhile.”

  He shoved in another chicken tender and gulped it down with his drink. “I always felt a little sorry for Gage. It seemed like your dad gave up on him just a little too fast.”

  I nodded. “I think Gage
feels the same. My mom’s death just hit us all in different ways, especially Gage. But he’s happy now, and I think my dad’s plan kept him out of trouble.”

  “So true, so true.” He picked up another piece of chicken and crinkled his nose at it. “I think I’ve had enough.” He dropped it back into the container. “What can I do for you, Luke? You said something on the phone about some of your dad’s old case files.”

  “One file in particular— the one about the Starlight Baby. Do you remember it?”

  He leaned back in his chair. “How could I forget? Such a tragedy, and those poor parents. We actually had to consider them as suspects for awhile because there just weren’t any other leads. That was over twenty years ago, and it caused your dad plenty of grief, I can tell you that.”

  “Yeah, he never got over that one.”

  “What do you want with the file? It’s over in archives, but I’m sure I can find it easily. The stuff is all by date. It was in ‘91, just after my Carolyn was born. We all had little ones at home. That’s why it hit us all especially hard.”

  “A parent’s worst nightmare, I imagine,” I said.

  “Absolutely, and those poor people have had to go on living, never knowing what happened to their daughter.” He pushed up from his chair. “Let’s go down to archives. I could use the walk after that greasy lunch.”

  “Do you know whatever became of the parents?” I asked.

  Friendly nods greeted me as we walked down the line of offices. One man, who I always remembered being at Dad’s Christmas parties, poked his head out of his office. His real hair had been replaced by an obvious toupee, but he still had the long handlebar moustache. He pointed. “Seth?” he asked.

  I shook my head and went to correct him but he tried again. “Gage, right?”

  “No, I’m Luke.”

  He smacked the wall like he’d known it all along. “I was just going to say Luke.”