Page 258 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

The DEA was still processing the drugs found at the scene near several of the victims which was usually a much shorter process. It was easy for most of us in the field to see a single pill and know what it was, but this one was green and oddly shaped. It was like nothing I had seen before, not even in Miami or most recently in Texas. New drugs found their way onto our streets every day and we always uncovered what they were so I’d leave the analyzing of the pills themselves to the labs, and I’d just focus on the victims.

There were parts of the text messages that were redacted which again was not surprising. I didn’t need to read the lewd thoughts of horny teenagers when I had enough of those in my own head. Only, the women I fantasized about were the type that would be found at Syn and some University rave.

“I certainly do remember those days, though,” I murmured out loud to myself.

I’d been very popular throughout high school and college so women came easily to me. I was definitely the ‘love them and leave them’ type that women claimed to hate. My ego was huge, and in a way, it still was. I had more notches on my bedpost than I could count, even though the quantity had lessened in the last several years. My career was demanding and had been since training at the DEA Academy in Quantico.

It'd been there that I had actually gotten my first taste of the BDSM lifestyle. There were a few clubs in the DMV and I’d likely worn my welcome out at all of them by the time I returned to Denver. I truly thought I had everything made, but this job also came with real risks. In fact, I’d seen some agents go underground for an assignment, then never return alive. Hell, in some cases, their bodies had never been recovered, but this was the life I signed on for, and it was the one I had to live.

My cell phone chimed once more, and this time I noticed it was a text message.

A tornado watch has been issued for the entire Denver metro area, stretching through Boulder, Fort Collins and Fort Morgan, and parts of northeast Colorado until 1 AM Sunday. Counties in the watch area include...

I didn’t need to look at the long list of counties. I did scroll down to see that half dollar-sized hail was being reported with the storm, but that there was a threat of golf ball-sized hail. Flash flooding was also a concern for the area, and I was glad that I was not in the middle of it. I didn’t hate storms by any means, but I didn’t like traipsing around dodging puddles.

Someone did hate storms. Or maybe she didn’t actually hate them, but she was scared of them. I remembered Shelby talking about them the night before. If I was in Denver, I could’ve gotten her to Syn and made her forget about them all, but it was much harder from here.

“Harder, but not impossible,” I said as I pushed my laptop off to the side of me.

I kept my cell phone in my hand, then pulled up Denver’s local news app on my cell phone. They were still talking about the severe weather as another round was expected to hit the metropolitan area any time now. The severe thunderstorm warning covered Denver and most of Eastern Colorado. A few red boxes also started popping up on the screen and I knew she would be terrified.

I had no idea where she was, but I suspected she would be home. If not, she might’ve stayed at work. It was a Saturday night, but knowing how genuinely scared she was of any storms, I doubted she would be out and about in these. From what I could see, it had been raining for several hours as earlier rounds passed through the area, but with far less intensity than these current ones.

I was glad that I had gotten her phone number now. It didn’t take much deciding on my part to figure out what to do. As soon as I found her name in my contacts, I pressed call and leaned farther back against my pillows. The phone rang a few times, and just when I was about to end the call and try back later, she answered. At the sound of her voice, I grinned. I could hear the fear in which only confirmed I’d made the right decision to call her.

Eight

SHELBY

The rumbling of thunder had not let up for the last hour, and my nerves were nearly shot at this point. I’d always hated storms. My family and friends used to laugh and tease me whenever Southern California would have one. While they were far less frequent there, I should’ve been used to them here in Colorado by now. Familiarity didn't breed acceptance and security, though.

The rain had also been steadily beating down against the heavy paned glass of my window, and I hated that my bed was so close to one. I could hear the heavy drops pattering on the thick glass, as well as the wind as it whipped through the trees outside. After having heard there was a potential of severe weather this evening, I’d had the hindsight to bring in all the items from my balcony that could be blown around or away.

After, I tried to keep my mind off of everything by watching regular television, but the broadcasts kept interrupting to issue or extend storm warnings which only worried me more. This would’ve been the perfect night to hole up at Syn, but I knew why that was impossible now. Since seeing Easton the past two nights, I didn’t want or need anyone else there. He was away for work, so I was stuck home tonight alone.

“I sure wish this would’ve happened last night. Ugh,” I groaned aloud, then turned off the cable channels.

I logged into Netflix in hopes of watching something there that couldn’t be interrupted, but a ferocious streak of lightning raced across the night sky and it was followed by two large booms. I was more than officially scared now. Terrified would be a better word, but there was little I could do. At least that was what I thought. As my cell phone rang, I picked it up and smiled immediately as I saw Easton’s name flash across the screen.

“Hello,” I said quickly answering the call before he hung up.

“Hey, Shelby.”

His voice sounded strained and I wrinkled my nose up as I tried to figure out if I had upset him in some way. Not wanting to drive myself crazy by entertaining any number of negative thoughts, I just spit it out there.

“Is everything okay? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.”

As the storm continued to grow worse, I wondered for a moment whether it had sidelined his trip, but then I remembered his flight had been this morning when it had been bright and sunny outside. The weather had been too beautiful to make me feel ashamed or self conscious about staying at Syn all night long.

“I know, and I’m sorry to have worried you–”

“You didn’t,” I quickly interjected while flinching at the sight of another streak of lightning. “I’m glad you called.”

“I am too,” he offered up before going silent for a moment. Before I could respond, he cleared his throat. “Your voice sounds off, but I figured it would since Denver is getting a line of storms.”

“You know about them?” I asked.

“I get weather alerts all the time, and remembering what you said last night about your fears, I wanted to call and check on you.”

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