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“I’ve got a place to start,” Burke said triumphantly.
“Your buddy happened to be at work or near his laptop?” Nick asked.
“Wasn’t necessary,” Burke replied. “Steve remembered the inmate well because his father brought a wrongful death suit against the facility.”
“How’d he die?” Nick asked.
“Another inmate had serious beef with Carson. His name is Richard Rollins, but he goes by Dicky. Sounds kind of innocuous, but he’s a heavy hitter. I guess Carson and Dicky had history. Both men were repeat offenders so it’s hard to say when and where the trouble started. They’d gotten into a few fights and were supposed to be kept in separate blocks. They weren’t allowed to eat, shower, or be out in the yard at the same time. Yet somehow, Dicky found Carson alone in the showers after he’d had a mishap while working in the kitchen. Steve said the incident was inexcusable. Their lawyers and insurance company wanted to work out a settlement with Carson’s father rather than face a jury at trial.”
So his son didn’t have value to him while he was alive, but he didn’t hesitate to cash in on his death. Typical. “What’s daddy Carson’s name?”
“Michael Carson Senior, but he goes by Mick,” Burke said. “Steve told me the guy was a real piece of work. Quoted a lot of scripture and such. Steve had to bite his tongue during negotiations because the man hadn’t visited or written to his son even once during his incarceration.”
“The timing feels off.” Cash’s voice was quiet and distant.
Nick looked at him and caught him staring off into space. He set his phone down and reached for Cash’s hand. As soon as their skin touched, Cash met his gaze. “How so?” Nick asked.
“Mike’s been dead for a while,” Cash replied.
“Ten years,” Burke clarified.
“So why has Mick Carson waited all this time to exact his revenge for a son he didn’t care about?”
“You’ve been building your wealth over time,” Nick told him. “But you didn’t become a media darling until the last few years. So far, your press has been all positive. I find it hard to believe that not even one investigative journalist didn’t look for a darker story to cover.”
“It wouldn’t take much digging to uncover the details of your arrest, conviction, and sentence,” Burke added. “They would’ve found out that you turned Mike Carson in for robbing the store at gunpoint. They could’ve tried to track him down to get his thoughts about your success after leaving jail.”
“And they stumbled onto a bigger story when they learned Carson died in prison,” Nick added. “They would’ve immediately reached out to his next of kin for comment. And maybe Mick didn’t take the bait right away. If he refused to take part, it probably killed the story, but the reporter had unknowingly stirred up trouble.”
Burke nodded. “More like they kicked a hornet’s nest. Maybe Mick blew through the settlement money and got curious about what the reporter said.”
Cash blew out a frustrated breath. “That’s a lot of supposition.”
“Agreed,” Burke said. “But it rings true. It’s my job to sort this out.” He squatted down in front of Cash and met his gaze. “And I will. There’s a lot of information I can learn now that I have a legitimate starting point. You all need to exercise extreme caution right now until I have a better understanding of what’s going on at that compound.”
“Nothing good,” Cash said softly. Then he told us about running into Keegan. The guy was half-starved, jumpy, and never alone. “I told Keegan to call me if he ever wants my help, but I worry he’s in too deep already.”
Nick could tell how much that bothered Cash. “My Saint wants to save everyone, but what’s the number one rule you decided when establishing the ranch?”
Cash sighed deeply and offered a weak smile. “Everyone here had to want to save themselves. I would just provide a fresh start and the tools to help facilitate positive change.”
“And that’s served you well, Cash,” Burke said. “You should be damn proud of this ranch.”
Nick was ready for the square-jawed superhero to move along. Burke must’ve sensed his irritation because he shot Nick a smirk before rising to his feet.
“I’ll keep you posted as best I can, but I need you both to promise you’ll stay out of this,” Burke said, pinning Nick with a dark look. “I know when to seek help if I’m outgunned.”
“Noted,” Nick replied. It was beyond difficult to trust Cash’s safety to someone else’s hands, but something about Burke evoked trust. And Nick could tell Cash needed his boyfriend right then, not the investigator.
Burke gave them a brisk nod. “I’ll see myself out.”
Nick wrapped his arm around Cash’s shoulders and tugged him closer. Cash buried his face in Nick’s chest and rested a hand on Nick’s thigh. Those simple gestures sent a zing straight to his balls. Not now. Two words he never thought he’d say regarding his libido ever again. Cash jerked back, and Nick wondered if he’d spoken his thoughts out loud, but he scrunched up his face and waved a hand in front of his nose.
“You smell like goats and donkey,” Cash said.
Nick chuckled despite their stressful situation and stood up. He held out his hand to Cash and assisted him to his feet. “Let’s get cleaned up and discuss what we’re going to tell the guys, if anything, and what plans to implement to keep everyone safe.”
Cash laced his fingers through Nick’s, and they headed to the bedroom. Once in the shower, Cash leaned his forehead against Nick’s shoulder instead of washing off. Nick settled his hands on Cash’s lower back and vowed not to move them farther south. Cash’s hands roamed lazily up and down Nick’s back, setting off sparks with just the barest rasp of fingertips over flesh. The touch felt more like a mindless motion than a seductive caress while Cash’s brain spiraled through a million thoughts. Nick’s dick struggled to get the memo, so he thought about his taxes to keep a boner at bay. It was the least sexy topic to keep him occupied until Cash was ready to talk. Nick reached for the shampoo and went to work lathering Cash’s hair. That at least got him to raise his head so Nick could look into his eyes. The sadness he saw there doused the embers burning low in his belly that even fiduciary thoughts hadn’t been able to quash. Cash appeared to have gone ten rounds with blame, guilt, and remorse. They hadn’t knocked him out, but he was wobbly on his feet.
