Chapter One
The annoying blareof his ringtone had Cam groaning and blindly swiping for his phone on the nightstand.
He squinted at the name that popped up on his screen. It wasn’t anyone from his job—not his current one, at least—so that was good. Because of that, he could safely assume the ranch resort wasn’t burning to the ground. Or being overrun by horny zombies.
He put it to his ear and had to clear his throat to force out, “Hey. It’s been a while.”
A familiar masculine voice filled his ear. “I’m getting out.”
Cam yawned, stretched, then drove his hand down his boxer briefs to tug on his balls. “You make it sound like you’re getting out of prison.”
“Might as well be,” Nolan said.
He hadn’t heard from his former co-worker in a few months. Actually, not since the night of Cam’s retirement party.
That had been fun, but he normally wasn’t a big drinker,so the next morning had been rough after celebrating most of the night.
He missed talking to Nolan Young, a fellow trooper. They had worked together at the Pennsylvania State Police’s barracks in Media. In the last few years before Cam retired, they’d been on the same platoon, had become fast friends and pretty damn close.
He’d been meaning to reach out and felt guilty about not doing so. Especially now that he had finally settled in at Double D Ranch as their head of security.
“It might suck, but at least it’s not prison. You know how much they love law enforcement in there.”
Silence hit his ears.
“Wait. Have you even done your twenty-five?” Enlisted members of PSP needed to do twenty-five years on the job if they wanted to retire with their full pension and benefits.
Only having to do twenty-five years to get the maximum payout was great when you went into the state police academy at only twenty-one. It was nice to be able to “retire” at forty-six years old.
The biggest challenge was surviving those years on the job.
“No, not yet. But I can’t deal with this shit anymore. I thought long and hard about what I’d lose and I’m fine with getting out at twenty.”
Damn.That would reduce his monthly pension. But for some, five more years was five too many. “And when is this happening?”
“In two weeks.” Nolan paused. “Cam…”
He fought another yawn. “Yeah?”
“I’m only forty-one. I’m too young to retire and do nothing. I’ll need to supplement my pension, too.”
“I hear you. I’m too old to deal with the bullshit that goesalong with police work, but too young to relax in a rocking chair on the porch watching the world go by.” Add in the fact that Cam was financially supporting a daughter through college. He couldn’t not work.
“I need a slower pace. No freaking fifty-car pile ups due to snow squalls. No domestics. No tweakers. No bullshit.”
“I hear you, brother. What do you plan to do, if not board the easy train?”
“Find the kind of gig like you did. Where I can use my experience and skills, but at a much slower pace.”
“Security for an old folks’ home?” Cam suggested as a joke.
“I said slow, not dead.”
“Ouch.”
“You know what I mean.”
Cam stroked his half chub lazily as he talked. “Some of those residents can get pretty fucking cantankerous. Might have to pepper spray one for assault with a pudding cup.”
