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Adriel smirked at Shep. “She’s quick.”
His approval hit Shep just the right way. “That’s why I recruited her.”
“I thought I signed up.” Prim opened the back hatch of her car and reached inside to withdraw a pink camouflage backpack. She slung one of the straps over her shoulder, then spun around to face the two men again. Giving them a mock salute, she announced, “Primrose Midraven, reporting for duty, sirs.”
Adriel looked amused. “Let’s roll. Your dogs can ride in the back.”
Prim helped Shep collect the K-9s and load them into the backseat.
Under the guise of giving her a hand into car, he leaned down to plant a kiss on her. He hadn’t laid eyes on her since the day before, so he’d been really looking forward to some alone time with her. Unfortunately, that would have to wait.
Though she kissed him back, she hissed, “Really, Shep? In front ofhim?”
He touched her cheek. “It’s not like he doesn’t know.” He handed her into the middle of the seat and climbed in after her.
On their drive to the rez, the sheriff filled them in on what was happening. “Levi is giving us a tour of his newest garage. He says it has four auto bays, a lounge area in the back for him and his fellow car enthusiasts, and no basement.”
“Car enthusiasts, huh?” The description was a far cry from the drag racing menaces his neighbors considered him and his associates to be.
“Yup. He’s claiming all they do is fix up cars and display them in car shows. For now, anyway.” Adriel drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “He’s supposedly toying with the idea of getting in on the ground floor of some new racing franchise.”
Shep grunted. “Whatever that means.”
“According to him, it means he’s looking into building a professional race track. Not sure where he’d get the money, and he didn’t say.” Adriel shook his head.
“Guess it’s safe to assume we won’t run across any drugs this evening.” Shep wasn’t disappointed about that.
“Agreed.” Adriel’s voice was grim. “By extending an invitation for us to visit, Levi is all but giving a signed statement that he’s not dabbling in drugs.” Unfortunately, that put them back at square one.
Even so, Shep was impressed by Adriel’s ability to read between the lines. He might be running a police department with scant resources, but he didn’t let it stop him from doing good old-fashioned police investigation work. The kind that required one’s noggin.
“What are our marching orders?” Shep wanted to be clear on that before they took their first step outside the cruiser.
“Have your dogs sniff every nook and cranny of the joint, and let me know what you find,” Adriel growled. “The Paddocks wouldn’t be cozying up to the Dallas Kings if they weren’t eyeballs deep in something illegal.”
Shep nodded soberly. “Any new syndicate members pop into town?”
“Nope. Just the two you already know about. Tim Getz, a nephew of one of the kings,” Adriel explained for Prim’s benefit. “And Tam Kelly.”
“The tractor driver,” Shep supplied.
“Yep. Marco confirmed he’s a lower-level soldier. The kind of muscle that thugs like Tim like to keep around for protection. Like a bodyguard, but worse. More violent. No respect for the law. Very dangerous.”
Adriel’s description of Tam made Shep’s temples ache. He glanced at Prim, wishing they hadn’t brought her along after all.
She caught his gaze and gave him a wicked look. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time, Deputy.”
He grimaced. “This is far from the evening I had planned for us, darling.”
Adriel slowed the car as he approached the checkpoint to the rez. Deputy Marco Perez, a former FBI agent, was manning the gate. It blew Shep’s mind that he’d left such an illustrious career to marry Adriel’s sister and settle down on the rez, but love could do crazy things to a guy.
The broad-shouldered Hispanic lawman did a quick peek inside the van and greeted Shep with a thumbs up. Like Adriel, he was dressed in an all-black uniform. Slapping his large hands down on the open window frame, he grinned at his boss. “Nice backup you brought along.”
“Agreed. You pick up any more chatter among the race car drivers?”
“Next to nothing.” Marco’s expression grew serious. “It’s been quiet tonight. Unusually quiet.”
Adriel shot Shep a look of derision. “It’s like the Paddocks joined the Boy Scouts or something.”
