Mom nodded, knowing full well what I meant from being married to somebody on the force. Seeing all the crap day after day did something to you. It desensitized you, made you feel almost dead inside.
“This would be a good conversation for you to have with your father.”
I nodded. “Maybe sometime soon.”
“He’d like that,” she said. She was always trying to bridge that communication gap between us. But I had a feeling if I told my father any of this he’d just shrug and tell me to move on. Maybe not. Maybe I should actually give it a try.
I’d almost followed in my father’s footsteps and applied to the local police force, where he would’ve certainly helped get me in the door. But after high school, I had bigger aspirations. I went away to college to experience life outside of this town and then went on to Marshal training.
My father didn’t exactly agree with my decision. He and the guys on the force were a tight-knit group and had big egos. They didn’t let many outsiders in, especially the feds. They thought we were pussies and had more book smarts than street smarts. I’ve had to prove my worth to my father ever since. I still didn’t know what he thought of me.
“I asked for a transfer to another department.”
Mom took a quick sip of her coffee. “Will that request be honored?”
“If they have an opening.”
“They’ll be sad to lose you, I’m sure,” she said, patting my hand. “So you’ll be sticking around here?”
I couldn’t help noting the smile in her question. “For a little while.”
I knew I was always welcome here, and I had built enough of a nest egg to keep me going for a while, if it came to that.
“You’ve been up to the casino to visit old friends?”
“Yeah,” I said, shutting my laptop and sitting up in my chair. “I thought I’d follow up with the case for them.”
“Such a tragedy. That poor family,” she said, sadness heavy in her eyes. “I can understand why you’d feel compelled to help.”
“I do,” I said, feeling a lump in my throat. They had been like a second family to me my entire life. Mr. Nakos was like a father figure and Mrs. Nakos was a caring and smart woman, whom Dakota favored greatly.
“Does this have anything to do with one successful and beautiful girl?”
I laughed. “I think that’s water under the bridge.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said, standing up and giving me a peck on the head. “I think anybody would be blind to miss how you guys still look at each other.”
Mom had always loved Dakota and encouraged our relationship. Knowing her, she was still keeping the hope alive.
After she went inside, my gaze drifted to my parents’ backyard, remembering how many parties I’d had there in high school and during college breaks. I liked being home. Being on the road was tough. Surveillance and apprehension required long hours and did shit for any type of routine.
My phone buzzed with a call from my field supervisor, and I reluctantly answered it. “I’m sorry to hear about your friend. You plan on staying on for a couple weeks then?”
“With your permission, I’d like to look in on this case. Maybe get Charlie and Alex involved.” We had worked multiple cases together on task forces in different regions of the country. They were the closest work friends I had. “Depending on what I dig up, this might end up involving federal jurisdiction.”
There was silence on the other end. I had never asked to work a special case so he must’ve understood how important this was to me. “You’ve got to keep it on the down low. Work your local contacts.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Deal.”
“Shane,” my boss said, his tone taking on a different edge I didn’t quite like hearing. “I know you’ve been running out of steam for a while now.”
“Yeah, I—”
“Don’t argue, just listen.” I kept my mouth shut, wondering if he’d heard about the transfer paperwork. I hadn’t had a chance to discuss it with him, but he’d figure it out soon enough. “You take this time away to think about some things. I know you want to look into this case but for Christ’s sake, visit with your friends and family and get your head screwed back on straight.”
What he wasn’t saying was that he was still concerned about my disposition after my last case. Alex had stepped in and taken my suspect into custody. It was hard to look smug scumbags like that perp in the eye and not want to tell them to fuck off. It wasn’t like I’d blown a case or anything. I’d just been more disillusioned. And okay, maybe I had a short fuse lately.
“You’re a good Marshal, Shane. One of the best,” he said. “But I’ve been noticing some things—some subtle things. I know when someone on my team has burned out. All of these guys go through it at one time or another.”
I stood up and started pacing.
“And it could mean you just need a break or that you’ve been considering moving on.” He was a decent man, a little rough around the edges, so I appreciated his support. “Either way, when you get it figured out, I might be able to help.”
Instead of denying it, my shoulders slumped forward. “Okay, thanks.”
Chapter Eleven
SHANE
I pulled next to a meter in front of the nondescript corner building in the Commons. Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I found Dakota’s contact information. I knew it by heart, having stared at it so many times over the years, fingers poised over the keys. But since she never even knew where her damn phone was or whether it was charged—and I’d be remedying that soon enough—I decided to call her in her office instead.
“I’m outside of your brother’s studio,” I said as soon as she answered. “And already I see a security nightmare waiting to happen.”
“Oh, here we go,” she said, in mock frustration. I could almost picture her rolling her eyes.
“How late are you working?” I said, not hiding the grin in my voice.
“You trying to keep tabs on me?” She could pretend all she wanted that having me check up on her was a chore. But if she was feeling the same sexual tension through the spotty phone connection that I was, I knew she was just struggling to string together a decent sentence.
“Something like that,” I said. “You’ll have Stuart or Grayson walk you to your car, yeah?”
“Right, chief,” she said, forcing fake exasperation into her voice.
“Chief?” I said, smoothing my fingers over my stubble. “I like that.”
Little did she know that at one time I might’ve aspired to become a Chief Deputy Marshal, but those dreams seemed long gone.
“Don’t even go there,” she said, releasing a laugh that made me feel light-headed and horny at the same time. I decided right then and there that I wanted to hear more of that sexy amusement bursting from her lips. Way more. It’d been too damn long.
“Promise me you’ll keep your phone charged and near you in case I need to text you something important,” I said with a stern voice.
She groaned. “You can’t just call me in the office?”
“Dee,” I said in a warning tone.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “I promise, chief.”
Satisfied with her response, I leaned back in my seat. “I’ll wait while you dig out your cell and plug it in.”
She huffed. “Are you kidding me?”
I bit down on my lip to keep from chuckling. “I’m waiting.”
“Fine.” I heard her shuffle through what I could only imagine was the large leather purse she always carried. “Okay, I’ve got it plugged in. You happy?”
“Very.” After she hung up, I waited thirty seconds and then dialed her cell phone.
“Hello?” she said, surprise evident in her voice.
“Good girl.”
“You’re impossible,” she practically growled in a sexy low register and before I left the car, I had to adjust myself in my pants. Damn, she was hot.
As soon as I stepped inside the
small studio lobby, I heard the strum of a guitar.
I drew open the studio door quietly and sat down on the leather couch behind Kai, who was busy twisting knobs on the soundboard. If he noticed me, he didn’t make it known, not while in the middle of recording. The lights were dim, the music was slow and melodic, and it felt good to sink into the cushions and take a load off.
I’d wait until we were alone to tell Kai that he needed to deadbolt this door or at least install a bell to alert him of someone entering the building. Anyone could sneak up on him from behind.
A girl was in the sound booth, giant headphones clamped over her ears, singing into the mike. It was a soulful melody and I found myself getting lost in the music. Her voice was amazing, her vibrato strong. I also noticed a beat-up guitar in the corner of the room lying against a distinctly feminine case, given the pink floral stickers.
I wondered if she had laid down her own track instead of allowing Kai to studio-engineer it, which is what he’d told me he did often, especially if an artist didn’t play an instrument or write his or her own songs.
When the ballad ended, the spell was suddenly broken and I found myself sitting up straighter and looking around the room. Taking in the empty containers of water on the table, it looked like they had been at it a while.
Kai swiveled his chair backward to greet me. “Hey, man. Sorry, had to let her get through the whole song this time around.”
“Not a problem,” I said and then tipped my chin. “She’s good. Real good.”
“She should be,” Kai said, just as the girl was opening the door to the sound booth with a huge accomplished smile on her face. She had a petite frame with an angelic face and killer voice and she looked strangely familiar. “Shane, this is Sydney Lancaster.”
And then it hit me. She was a pop star whose album made it huge a few years ago. The one single was played to death everywhere and was even used in a car commercial. I had never heard anything else from her.
When a look of panic crossed through Sydney’s eyes, Kai said, “No worries, Shane is good for it. He’s a Federal Marshal and is used to covert operations.”
That was an odd thing to say. Before I could figure out what in the hell he was even talking about, he said, “Sydney here is registered under another name. She’s taking a bit of a hiatus and is recording new music, might even test it out at the casino one night, if I can twist her arm.”
“Ah, now it makes sense.” I reached out to shake her tiny feminine hand. “I know all about hiding out.”
Kai arched his eyebrow at me and I just shook my head. I had a lot to share with him.
After Kai played the song for her again and she seemed satisfied, she slid her guitar into a sleek red case and gathered the rest of her things. Upon closer inspection, those flowers weren’t stickers at all but original hand-drawn art done in some kind of permanent marker.
She saw me checking it out and said, “The things you do when you’re bored on the road.”
“Guess you’re not only good with your music, but with art as well.”
“Thanks,” she said. “Had to pick one or the other to pay the bills.”
I nodded because I got that. At one time, even Kai wrestled with how to make money doing what he loved. And now I was struggling to make sense of my job as well.
Sydney shifted the strap to her shoulder. “Thanks, Kai, that was brilliant.”
Kai stood up and walked her to the door. He smiled down at those Vans checkerboard sneakers he’d worn since college. Some things never changed.
“You were brilliant,” he said. “That new song you wrote rocks.”
“Thanks,” she said, a flush stealing across her cheeks. “So glad Cameron recommended you. See you again in a couple of days?”
“I’ll mix it up and call you when it’s ready,” he said and then strode back into his studio.
I stayed put and watched through the small window as she walked to her car parked just a few meters down from mine. Kai peered around the door, wondering what the hell I was up to. “What’s up, Shane? You checking her out or something? I could ask her if—”
“Dude, no,” I said, shaking my head. “I was making sure she got to her car.”
“Way to upstage me with the chivalrous bit,” he asked. “Though I guess you’ve always been good with the ladies.”
“Shut up, you dick. Just being safe, and you should be, too,” I said, popping him playfully in the arm. “You don’t even have a secure front door. I could’ve been anybody walking into that sound room.”
“What the hell do you think is going to happen?” he said, raising his shoulders. “This is a safe part of town.”
“Safe or not, you’ve got thousands of dollars of equipment in there.” I inhaled and shook my head. I obviously needed to tell him some of my concerns. Especially if Rachel was going to be meeting him here as well. It wasn’t only about his gear.
“Feel like a beer?” I said, figuring this was as good a time as any to have a serious conversation with him about several things. Outside of texts and phone calls during the last year, Kai and I hadn’t had a face-to-face over a drink in a long while.
“Perfect,” he said, switching off the sound room light. “Just let me grab my things.”
I gazed around the space, taking in the photos on the walls of Kai with different recording artists and then all of his gear, some of it new since I last visited.
“So I take it business is good?” I said when he returned with his coat and a messenger bag that he slung over his shoulder.
“Yeah,” he said, offering a small smile. “People think studios have gone the way of the dinosaur, but it’s just not true. Hasn’t been true in my case anyway.”
“Good to hear,” I said, clapping my friend on the back as we went out the door.
I followed Kai to Lucy’s, a few blocks down the road. We sat at the bar and ordered a couple of beers. The place hadn’t changed much since college, which was a comfort. Neither had Kai’s collections of sneakers and the looks he continued to get from the female persuasion. But unlike college, he didn’t seem to care one bit. He was too head over heels in love with his wife. And I was happy for him.
I took my first sip and turned to Kai. “I went to the casino and heard about what was going down.”
He nodded. “Yeah, Dakota and Mom are keeping me posted. It’s really fucking hard to wrap my brain around.”
“Tell me about it,” I said and then took a larger swig of my beer. “I mean, your dad was one of the most upstanding guys. Dee and your mom, too. The tension is confusing.”
“I guess it’s about keeping our roots. But Dad knew what he was doing. I just wish people would trust that. He was the best guy I knew,” Kai said, sorrow in his eyes. “Man, it’s so hard to believe he’s gone. Some days I still wake up in the morning and have to remind myself that he’s no longer here.”
I tipped my beer bottle to him in a silent toast to his father.
Then a grin lifted the corners of his lips. “He could throw his weight around good, too.”
“Yeah, he could,” I said, shaking my head at the memories of working on that floor with Mr. Nakos’s constant daily presence. You didn’t mess around when he was in the building. “Remember that one time Tommy showed up to work hungover after another night of partying?”
“Oh, man,” Kai said, chuckling. “He did not know what he had coming to him. He tried avoiding Dad’s office all day, but Dad was waiting for him.”
“Straight up, I think he shocked the alcohol out of his system,” I said and then took a good look at Kai. It was amazing that after all these years, he was still my best friend. “But he could never scare the weed out of you.”
“Nah.” Kai shook his head. “I needed to figure that part out on my own.”
“And now you’re trying to have a kid. Dude, how in the hell did this happen?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I’m a lucky man. I just hope . . .”
His voi
ce trailed off and I knew he was thinking about his wife. “Man, the rumors have been brutal. People saying we’re cursed and shit.”
I nearly choked back my beer. “Who the fuck is saying that?”
“Some of the old-timers on the rez,” he said, rushing his fingers through his hair. “Talking about doing a water-cleansing ceremony or some shit so she can have a healthy pregnancy.”
“Fucking hell. Hasn’t she had enough to deal with in her life?”
When Rachel suffered a head injury in high school, she went through months of physical and occupational therapy. So I’ve always wanted her to succeed, find happiness. She deserved it.
“Who knows,” he said. “I’ve tried not to pay attention all this time. But now it’s getting out of hand. I mean, it’s hard enough knowing your little swimmers might not be cutting it, you know?”
“C’mon, man, you have no clue what the real problem is. According to what you’ve told me, it could be anything. And even if there was something wrong, neither one of you is to blame,” I said and then took another pull of my lager.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, sighing.
“And when you finally have that baby—and believe me, friend, you will—your mother’s going to go nuts spoiling that kid to death.”
“I think it’ll keep her occupied, especially with . . .” His voice trailed off and I knew he was thinking about his dad again.
Mr. and Mrs. Nakos had a full and busy life, running that casino and doing their charitable work in the community. With Kai’s help they had put together some music benefits at the casino to raise awareness for Native American struggles, and had even helped one dealer’s grandson with his hospital bills. And every fall they hosted the annual corn festival.
That’s why the Casino Association’s response had baffled me, angered me. This family was enmeshed in this culture, and now the owners were only considering lineage, not heart or actions. I wondered how much influence Flint Thornfall had over that group’s decisions.
“Dude, you can’t say anything—we’ve been through this too many times,” Kai said suddenly, lowering his voice. “But Rachel’s pregnant again. It’s early, and we don’t want to announce it unless she finally makes it past the first trimester.”
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