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An instant replay of the great sex she’d recently enjoyed scrambled through her mind’s eye. She started to speak, but with the explicit memory fresh on her mind, she did little more than shake her head.
Sheriff McKinney snorted at that. “I’m sure you must have some idea.”
“What are you getting at, Sheriff?” Kurt spoke up before Randon or Pageant had the chance.
“According to the Feds, there’s a specific reason they’ve been forced to rely upon the MC in these individual cases.”
“Humph. I can’t imagine what it is. Can you?”
“Mr. Shane? Any comments? Your buddy says, ‘he can’t imagine,’ but that’s a lie. Isn’t it?”
The place went silence. Pageant inched closer to Randon, determined to make him look at her as he told his story. Willing him to disclose everything he knew, she said, “You either tell him what you know or I’ll tell him what I do. Somewhere between my truth and yours, there may be some important facts that could save lives here in Pleasant.”
Kurt finally said, “Go ahead, man. Do it. You’ve condemned every other mated biker for wanting to do the same. Maybe if we start telli
ng the whole truth, we can save a few lives. History has shown our old tactics have been anything but successful.”
Pageant sat on the steps of her porch. Sheriff McKinney removed his hat and threw it on the glass-top table between two old rocking chairs. When he took a seat, he played his hand. He apparently believed they were finally getting somewhere. “Well, Mr. Shane? You have the floor. Start talking. Why are you here? Why are the Feds nowhere in sight? And why do you and Detective Keen look like you’re torn between two lovers every time I see you?”
“I don’t understand the last part,” Randon said, squaring his shoulders.
Of course he probably took that in the literal sense.
“He’s trying to be cute,” Pageant said, understanding completely. “He’s already assumed we’re sleeping together and he knows that while that may be true, we’ve had our share of concerns about what’s happening beyond this front door each time we’ve slipped between the sheets.”
“Each time, huh?” Kurt snickered. “Damn Randon, I should’ve given you more credit. Who would’ve thought you would’ve been fucking like rabbits in the middle of a mass murder investigation?”
“Yeah, who would’ve thought?” Sheriff McKinney eyed Pageant.
“All jabs aside, shall we get down to business or are you more interested in our personal lives, Sheriff?”
“Oh I’m interested in both,” Sheriff McKinney replied, withdrawing his notepad and pen. “See, I happen to think the two are intertwined and one can easily lead to explanations for the other.”
Chapter Fifteen
“A lot of what I’m telling you is purely speculation,” Randon began, standing a few inches away from the porch. “We’ve been riding behind this guy for over four years now.”
“Riding behind him?” Sheriff McKinney lifted a brow.
“Showing up a day or two late and cleaning up his messes,” Kurt explained. “Normally, by the time we roll into town, he’s already done and moving on somewhere else.”
Sheriff McKinney jotted down a few notes. “By the looks of things here, he isn’t in any particular hurry this time. Why?”
Randon glanced at Pageant. How did he tell the woman he cared for that the reason the extortionist was still in town had more to do with her than their inability to stop him? “We’ve seen various patterns over the past few years and we’re pretty sure we can answer that now.”
“Well?” Sheriff McKinney leaned forward and glared at Randon.
“He isn’t leaving because he has every reason to stay.” He watched the light of recognition shine brightly in Pageant’s eyes.
“Are you saying this guy is here because of me?” She shook her head. “No, you won’t lay that guilt down at my door.” She jabbed him with her finger. “How can you profess to care about me and then hit me with something like that?” She swung her arm toward the gate and waved her finger there. “Those people who died? I knew them, Mr. Shane. They were my friends and neighbors.”
“Pageant, calm down,” he said, clinging to her forearms. “Let me finish.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! There’s a lunatic out there! We can’t see him. We can’t find him. Hell, we don’t even know if he is a he at all!”
“This one is,” Kurt said,
“What do you mean, this one is?”
