Off course, p.1
Off Course, page 1
Contents
BW9 Off Course
By Nicole Edwards
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Note to Reader
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six Stay tuned...
Acknowledgments
About Nicole Edwards
Connect with Nicole
Nicole Edwards on Smashwords
OFF COURSE
BY NICOLE EDWARDS
THE WALKERS
ALLURING INDULGENCE
Kaleb
Zane
Travis
Holidays with The Walker Brothers
Ethan
Braydon
Sawyer
Brendon
THE WALKERS OF COYOTE RIDGE
Curtis
Jared
Hard to Hold
Hard to Handle
Beau
Rex
A Coyote Ridge Christmas
Mack
Kaden & Keegan
Alibi (a crossover novel)
Trey
Rafe
BRANTLEY WALKER: OFF THE BOOKS
All In
Without A Trace
Hide & Seek
Deadly Coincidence
Alibi
Secrets
Confessions
Bounty
Off Course
AUSTIN ARROWS
Rush
Kaufman
CLUB DESTINY
Conviction
Temptation
Addicted
Seduction
Infatuation
Captivated
Devotion
Perception
Entrusted
Adored
Distraction
Forevermore
DEAD HEAT RANCH
Boots Optional
Betting on Grace
Overnight Love
Jared (a crossover novel)
DEVIL’S BEND
Chasing Dreams
Vanishing Dreams
MISPLACED HALOS
Protected in Darkness
Salvation in Darkness
Bound in Darkness
OFFICE INTRIGUE
Office Intrigue
Intrigued Out of The Office
Their Rebellious Submissive
Their Famous Dominant
Their Ruthless Sadist
Their Naughty Student
Their Fairy Princess
Owned
PIER 70
Reckless
Fearless
Speechless
Harmless
Clueless
PRIMAL INSTINCTS
Chase (Volume 1-3)
Capture (Volume 4-6)
Claim (Volume 7-9)
SNIPER 1 SECURITY
Wait for Morning
Never Say Never
Tomorrow’s Too Late
SOUTHERN BOY MAFIA/DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
Beautifully Brutal
Without Regret
Beautifully Loyal
Without Restraint
STANDALONE NOVELS
Unhinged Trilogy
A Million Tiny Pieces
Inked on Paper
Bad Reputation
Bad Business
Filthy Hot Billionaire
Rule
NAUGHTY HOLIDAY EDITIONS
2015
2016
2021
Off Course
Brantley Walker: Off the Books, 9
NICOLE EDWARDS
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locals is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by Nicole Edwards Limited
This is a self-published title.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. For information, contact Nicole Edwards Limited, PO Box 1086, Pflugerville, TX 78691
Nicole Edwards Limited, Nicole Edwards Limited logo, Because Naughty Can Be Oh So Nice, and series title are registered trademarks of SL Independent Publishing, LLC.
OFF COURSE
Brantley Walker: Off the Books, 9
COVER DETAILS:
Image: © rotorania (203196640) | 123rf.com Design: © Nicole Edwards Limited
INTERIOR DETAILS:
Formatting: Nicole Edwards Limited
AUDIO DETAILS:
Image: © rotorania (203196640) | 123rf.com Narrators: Tor Thom & Fiona Clare
ISBN: (ebook) 9781644180860 | (paperback) 9781644180877 | (audio) 9781644180884
BISAC: FICTION / Mystery | FICTION / LGBTQ
To the fans of the Walker universe.
Something is coming. Enjoy the ride.
Dear reader,
If you’re keeping up with the Walker universe and reading the books in order of release, you’ll want to keep in mind that this book takes place at the same time as Trey and Rafe. The reading order doesn’t matter because while their timelines overlap, there aren’t any spoilers to give away what happens in either of those books.
Thanks for reading!
Nicole Edwards
Chapter One
Friday, August 5, 2022
The sliding door at the back of the house flew open, dragging Brantley Walker’s attention from the iPad in his hands to the woman taking refuge inside his house.
“Hell yes! I smell coffee!”
He set his tablet down and regarded his best friend with a frown. “Not from outside, you didn’t.”
“Pregnancy nose, B. Keep up.” Jessica James, a.k.a. JJ to anyone who knew her, slid the door closed harder than necessary. “Tell me there’s coffee, B.”
“Is that really a thing?”
Her eyebrows slammed down. “Coffee?”
“Pregnancy nose.”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes.
“Can you track scents like Tesha?”
Amusement glittered in her eyes. “I see what you’re doin’.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“What am I doing?”
“You’re tryin’ to distract me. That, or you’re stalling. Which is it?”
“Why would I do either?”
“You don’t want to share your coffee.”
He flashed a smile and picked up his mug. “You can’t have coffee.”
“Sure I can.” She rushed toward the kitchen island, moving as fast as her pregnant belly would allow. “Just don’t tell Baz.”
Although JJ was the one to put herself on a caffeine diet, she’d enlisted Baz to hold her to it. And Brantley got the feeling JJ was just as worried about disappointing her baby’s daddy as she was overdosing her unborn baby on caffeine. Love really did look good on her.
Brantley glanced out the door to ensure Baz wasn’t standing there, ready to bust him. He knew if the man caught him supplying coffee to JJ and their unborn daughter, he would not be happy. It was bad enough that each week he had to hear at what stage their child was in—based on the book JJ was reading, at twenty-nine weeks, the baby was now over a foot long and close to two and a half pounds. He seriously doubted something that size needed the caffeine.
“Come on, B,” JJ pleaded. “I promise, the peanut won’t care.”
Peanut was the nickname they’d given their unborn child back before they found out the sex of the baby. Now that they knew, he wasn’t sure why they didn’t refer to her as princess or baby doll or some other unnecessary nickname. It would’ve been simpler if they’d given her a name already. Then Brantley could start learning it, and he wouldn’t risk forgetting by the time she arrived.
If she ever got here. No one told him that pregnancies—while being nine months long—felt like they lasted an eternity. He couldn’t remember his sisters’ pregnancies dragging on like this. He couldn’t imagine how JJ felt.
The coast was clear, so Brantley set his mug on the counter and turned to the refrigerator.
“Oh, I love you, B.” JJ pulled out a stool and dropped her laptop bag on the countertop. “More than you could ever know. Cream, please.”
He grabbed the bottle off the top shelf, shut the door, and turned back to his best friend.
“I swear, I won’t tell—”
He passed over the bottle.
JJ frowned. “What s this?”
“It’s the only form of coffee I’m allowed to give you.”
“This is juice, Brantley.”
He flashed another grin and picked up his mug.
“I can’t believe you’d betray me like this,” she pouted.
“I can’t believe you didn’t steal my cup when you had the chance.”
JJ glared at the mug in his hand. “I would have. If I’d … thought about it.” The glare shifted to his face. “And if I’d known you were a Judas.”
Brantley pointed toward the back door, which was now sliding open as Sebastian Buchanan, the father of the peanut and the manager of JJ’s coffee intake, stepped inside. “Talk to him about it. I’m just doin’ what I’m told.”
“Yeah? You never do what you’re told,” she grumbled. “Why start now?” JJ turned a sweet smile on Baz. “If I break up with you, I’ll get coffee.”
“True,” he said. “But then you won’t get my—”
JJ slapped her hand over his mouth, cutting him off.
Baz slowly moved her hand from his mouth. “I was gonna say eggs Benedict. You won’t get my eggs Benedict. What did you think I was gonna say?” Baz asked, feigning innocence.
JJ rolled her eyes and glanced at Brantley. “He does make really good eggs Benedict.”
Brantley’s upper lip curled. “If that’s some kinda double entendre, I’m gonna throw up.”
“Double entendre? For what?” JJ asked, eyes wide and sparkling with payback. “Did you think I was thinkin’ about his—”
Baz saved the day this time, placing his hand over JJ’s mouth so that the word was muffled.
Brantley watched her eyes, noticed the smile a second before Baz pulled his hand away and wiped his slobbery palm on his jeans.
“Penis!” she blurted.
“JJ,” Baz scolded with amusement.
“Penis, penis, penis,” she sang.
Brantley couldn’t help himself; he choked on a laugh.
“Jesus, JJ.” Baz’s face was as red as his T-shirt.
“What?” She looked at Baz. “It’s not a bad word. He likes penises as much as I do. Plus, he’s got two. One he was born with and one he takes to bed every night.”
JJ looked at him and cocked her head, daring him to disagree.
Knowing she was attempting to embarrass him, Brantley waited until she took a sip of juice to look at Baz, nod, and deadpan, “It’s true. I like penises.”
JJ snorted, then reached for a paper towel to wipe her mouth.
“Now that we’ve got that outta the way,” Baz muttered.
“I can’t believe you’d tease me with coffee,” JJ harrumphed.
“I didn’t tease you. You assumed.”
JJ’s eyes narrowed on him. “Just for that, you’re wearin’ a cummerbund to your wedding.”
Brantley smirked. “I’ll wear whatever you want me to wear. Hell, I’ll go naked, I don’t give a fuck. As long as I’m at that altar, I don’t care.”
JJ rolled her eyes. “You’ve gotten mushy in your old age.”
Maybe. Or perhaps it had nothing to do with age and everything to do with the man he was marrying in forty-three days. If it weren’t for the fact JJ was planning the wedding with his mother and Reese’s, Brantley would’ve eloped by now. He didn’t care about the hoopla; he merely wanted to make Reese Tavoularis his husband.
“Speakin’ of mushy.” JJ opened the lid on the juice. “Where’s Reese?”
“He took Tesha to the vet.”
JJ’s forehead creased with concern. “Somethin’ wrong?”
“Nope. Routine shit. Something about wanting to learn how to brush her teeth correctly.”
“There’s a wrong way to do it?” JJ said at the same time Baz said, “And the vet’s gonna show him that?”
Brantley looked at JJ. “I don’t know.” He glanced at Baz. “Who else would show him? They don’t have dog dentists.”
“You know this for a fact?” Baz said, deadpan.
“I do, yes. Reese checked.”
Baz nodded as though that made sense, then took a sip of JJ’s juice when she passed it to him.
JJ’s eyebrow quirked. “You don’t find that weird?”
At first, he had, yes. The same way he found it weird that Tesha sometimes slept in their bed and that she could get so excited when someone mentioned hamburgers or how “go” now seemed to be a trigger word that made her tail wag ridiculously fast.
But his answer was, “Tesha’s his baby. I just nod and agree.”
JJ looked at Baz. “That’s how it’s done, Detective. Nod”—she nodded her head slowly—“and agree.” Her voice dropped an octave or ten. “Yes, dear, anything you say.” She smiled. “Now you try.”
Baz laughed but turned his attention to Brantley. “You hear anything from Charlie or Jay?”
And just like that, Baz had redirected the train barreling down the wrong track, bringing their morning back to the work topics they usually discussed when they stopped by the house on their way to the barn.
Brantley set down his coffee mug. “Charlie checked in last night.”
“Is it as hot in Chicago as it is here?” JJ asked.
“No,” he told her before looking at Baz. “Charlie said they talked to the mom who thought she was chatting with a neighbor a few doors down. She admitted she didn’t know who lived there, but whoever was on the other end knew enough about the neighborhood to sound legit.”
It was the first person they’d found who admitted to interacting with the human trafficking ring using social media as their personal shopping center. The traffickers infiltrated online groups and posed as members of small communities to track the comings and goings of the children they were attempting to abduct. In the past year, ever since the task force had first heard of the problem, the kidnappers had successfully abducted three kids across the country. After the last one, Brantley had assigned Charlie and Jay to the case full-time, with Baz overseeing it.
“What’s that entail?” JJ asked, then formed air quotes with her fingers. “‘They knew enough about the neighborhood.’ I mean, did they know that Susie Homemaker put her kid on the bus every morning at eight? Or that Joe Schmoe’s Doberman barks all night long? I don’t get it. How do you trust someone online when you’ve never met them face to face? Don’t they know you can learn far too many intimate details about a person and their habits just from what they post on social media?”
That was the question of the hour. And it was true. Some people didn’t realize when they complained on Facebook or Twitter about missing their kids because they were spending a week at Aunt Susie’s house that they’d given people a little too much information. Now the bad guys knew to check out Susie, their target’s Facebook friend, to see where she lived. Or when they ranted about Fido waking the neighbors when he snuck out the dog door that they’d told everyone there was easy access to the house—through a dog door.
“No idea,” Brantley admitted. “But they’re takin’ the lead on this one. I’m just in the loop.”
“It’s hard to believe it’s been so quiet the last couple of weeks,” JJ noted.
Brantley looked at Baz and sighed.
“What?” JJ’s gaze bounced between them. “What’s that look you just gave him?”
“We’re gonna get a case.”
“How?” She glanced at Baz. “When?”
Baz shrugged. “It’s bound to happen now that you’ve jinxed us.”
JJ’s grin was slow and wide. “Jinxed? Seriously? You believe in superstitious bullshit?”
“Watch,” Brantley told her. “I guarantee within a week, we’ll have a case.”
She rolled her eyes again and grabbed her juice. “That’s not a bad thing, B. It’s what we do. We work cases.” JJ got to her feet. “Now come on. Let’s see what trouble’s brewing at the barn.”
***
“Don’t be mad at me,” Reese said.
He glanced in the rearview mirror, recognizing the pout.
“It had to be done. And deep down, you know it feels better.” Reese flipped the signal to turn. “Seriously. I do it at least twice a day. You can handle havin’ your teeth brushed once a week, easy.”
Tesha’s eyebrows twitched.
“Keep lookin’ at me like that, and we’ll do it daily.”
Reese chuckled when she turned her attention out the window.
If it was weird that he talked to his dog, he didn’t care. He did it all the time. These days, he didn’t even care if anyone was around to hear him, either. He considered it fate that almost two years ago, he and Brantley had been called down to Houston to work a case that had turned out not to be a case at all. It had led Reese to the home of Tesha’s former owners, the parents of the kid they thought was missing but had, in fact, been sneaking around with a girl from another school. Tesha had been neglected and tied up in the backyard without any shade and just out of reach of the food and water bowls that had both been empty. Without hesitation, Reese had revoked her former owner’s rights to own a dog by carrying Tesha out of that backyard.
