1
ANSEL
When I was a little boy, I had normal dreams. I wanted to be an astronaut, or a rocket scientist. Maybe a veterinarian, or perhaps a teacher. An actor. A musician. I wanted to do them all. But that’s the point of being a kid. You have your dreams. You believe you can achieve whatever you like.
Then you grow up, and reality slaps you in the face.
A career as a criminal hadn’t entered the top ten list of my dreams. Not that I really consider hacking a crime, per se, but I guess the law might disagree.
What I’m going to do tonight though, that’s definitely a crime. There’s no getting away from it. Kidnapping is a federal crime with a minimum prison sentence of twenty years. Fun fact—that’s only five years less than my age.
Yet, here I am, going ahead with it anyway. It’s not like I have any say in the matter. With the shit I’ve landed myself in, they say “Jump” and I reply “How high?”
My gaze sweeps over the bar as my hands twitch at my sides. There’s no sign of my target yet. My MacGyver contraption is ready outside. All I have to do is lure the mark out there and hope like fuck that nothing goes wrong.
I’m not worried about the trap. I made the calculations myself. Even if I assume an error of three degrees, it’ll still work.
And I never make errors of that magnitude.
My eyes land on a man at the bar. He’s not my mark—at least, I hope he’s not. His tall, muscled frame is leaning against the bar. His tousled hair is the color of a raven’s wing. He wears a smirk that hints at danger.
Danger that should have me running in the opposite direction. Especially with what I’ve got going on tonight. With everything I’ve got on the line.
I shift on my feet as my teeth sink into my lip. I’m not supposed to approach anyone other than the mark. I know that, but fuck, I want to.
The man runs a hand through his hair, making his biceps bulge. And then he grins, and god-fucking-dammit, he has dimples.
My kryptonite.
Before I can blink, I find my feet carrying me toward the bar.
Maybe a distraction will keep you calm.I reason with myself as I weave through the crowd.A little flirtation is harmless. It’ll pass the time.
“Hey there,” I breathe. Fuck, he’s even more gorgeous up close. Why couldn’t I have met him on another night? Any other time and I’d let him lead me out into the woods for an hour of fun. Because I know a man like him wouldn’t just make it quick. No, he’d drag it out, make me crazy with lust.
It’s a shame really, because the only one who’ll be heading out there with me tonight is my mark.
A slow grin spreads across the handsome stranger’s face, those dangerous dimples making an appearance. “Hello.”
Fuck, I should leave. Why am I talking to this man when I have a job to do?
Well, not so much a job as a crime, but I’m far past making that distinction. The lines blurred for me a long time ago, and I’m not sure they’ll ever be clear again.
“Can I buy you a drink?” I ask.
The man raises an eyebrow. Heat stirs in my stomach as I realize that’s not what he expected me to say. “Sure.”
What the fuck are you doing, Ansel? You don’t have time for this. You shouldn’t even be speaking to anyone. What happened to keeping a low profile?
A dangerous smirk and a set of bulging muscles had me flinging all common sense out the window.
Or maybe it was the dimples.
I really should know better.
I nod, but my mind is back on what I should be doing. The man Ishouldbe approaching. All I know is my mark’s name, that he’s male, and in his thirties.
“I’m Ansel,” I say to the stranger, shoving my hair out of my eyes. It’s a pointless endeavor because it immediately falls back into them. I can’t stop myself from doing it, though. It’s a nervous habit I’ve never been able to break.
