Page 1 of Out of Bounds
Chapter1
Ethan
My alarm goes off on my desk again, a reminder I promised myself I’d leave work an hour ago. Last time I hit the snooze button, as if I was in bed and wanted a bit more time to sleep. I can’t remember the last time I did thatorwhen my bed saw me for longer than five hours.
No that’s a lie. If I’m being honest, it’s more like three to four hours and if I were the average thirty-two-year-old male I would have been asleep over an hour ago, most preferably with a woman in my arms.
She should be the one keeping me up or waking me up for late night sex. Not work.
Since I’m Ethan Carson—Detective Carson—and the new second in command at the precinct, I’m still at the station. It’s looking like I’m going to be here for another hour before I can call it a night.
So, I switch off the alarm.
It’s better to process the paperwork for the new perps tonight. That way I can keep tomorrow clear and just maybe I might make it to the one day I’ve had scheduled off for the last two months.
I love my job. It’s the kind that will see me working until my legs can’t move anymore. It serves as a reminder that a mess up, almost high schooler like me who went to juvie so often I had a room reserved, can make a life for himself on the other side of the bars.
But sometimes I overdo it.
Thursday will be my somewhat normal day. Mom and I are meeting with Grandfather to discuss the transfer of the billion-dollar family business to me after his upcoming retirement.
To say I’m excited is an understatement.
When I get the business, I plan to take a much-needed, lengthy sabbatical.
That’s what I look forward to when I clock in these long hours filing away details of Wilmington’s misfits. That and Vegas next weekend.
Can’t forget Vegas. Denver, one of my good ol’ pal’s, is getting married so the guys are heading to Vegas for one last fling.
A knock sounds on my door and I find myself smiling. At two in the morning there could only be one guy in this world knocking on my door.
“It’s open Logan,” I call out because I’m so sure it’s him.
I’m right. The door swings open revealing a tired looking Logan Savage.
We’ve been friends since birth, and we work together.
When he opened Savage Private Investigations, I hired him. That was a few years ago. His business has progressed exponentially since then. Now when he’s not working with the Feds or the C.I.A., he’s working with me here at Wilmington P.D.
We’ve been investigating a case that rose from one of the biggest cases we’ve ever worked on. It was involving Jackson Fairchild, the attorney general for North Carolina. He was linked to a drug ring, and so were several other politicians.
That motherfucker got squashed into the ground after we were finished with him. I have a feeling this case is going to be like that, but about to be taken over by the Feds because it’s gone federal.
Since Logan also looks pissed off and he’s here at this ungodly hour, I’m assuming he has news about that for me.
“I knew you’d be here.” He smirks, moving his shaggy blond hair away from his face.
“Of course, I’d be here. Unlike you, who has a wife with a baby on the way, I’m married to my job. I don’t have to say ‘Honey, I’m home.’ I’m always home.”
We both chuckle.
“Funny, but not.”
“I know, and if you keep this shit up your wife is going to hate me.”
He’s been married for six months, and I hate that this case dragged him away from the bliss he and Quinn should be living as newlyweds.
“Don’t worry about Quinn, I’ll be all hers in no time. Especially when this is over.” He nods and sighs as he holds up a manilla envelope.
