Gaige quickly caught on to the fact that something was bugging me, even though I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was. He’d pulled me aside to let me know he’d be extra vigilant. In his role as flanker, he observed the areas not immediately visible to me and maintained my perimeter and rear security. I knew he was damn good at his job, but I still had that damn niggling feeling.
Twenty hours into our waiting game, my instincts were proven accurate when Gaige was ambushed. There had been enough of them that he wouldn’t have been able to take them all out. Luckily for him—and me—the cavalry, in the form of Brecken’s team, came to his rescue. Their impeccable timing saved Gaige’s life, along with mine, and allowed me to complete the mission. It had been more than enough to prove Brecken’s worth to me.
It had also put me in his debt, but he’d called his marker in recently when he’d fallen hard and fast for a woman he’d been sent to rescue. She’d been kidnapped to use as leverage against her father in an illegal arms deal. Brecken had gone into the jungles of Nicaragua to recover her, but hadn’t been willing to return her to the man who’d hired him. Not when it had been her dad who’d gotten her into that mess in the first place. Although, it had turned out to be the Army’s fault just as much as hisbecause he’d been operating under their purview as part of an operation to recover a stolen weapon.
Their mission was a success. The weapon was back in the hands of our government. But that hadn’t been enough for Brecken. He’d wanted the man who’d ordered Hadley’s kidnapping dead, along with anyone else who’d been involved in taking her and holding her captive. So he called in his marker, and I’d made it happen.
When I’d let him know the job was done, he’d insisted he was in my debt. I’d figured we were even, but I wasn’t about to pass up a marker from him. I’d warned him that I wouldn’t forget, but I’d never expected to collect on it for something personal. And I certainly hadn’t ever thought it would be because of a woman. Yet here I was, calling him up for help with Carissa’s protection.
“Kane.”
“Westbrook,” I parroted his greeting.
“Damn, Vaughn. It isn’t often that I get a call from a blocked number on my personal cell. I should have known it was you.”
“Old habits die hard, I guess.” It was second nature for me to switch burner phones on a regular basis. I was a paranoid bastard, but it’d been the reason I stayed alive too often for me to abandon my quirks.
“Not nearly as hard as your targets.”
Truer words had never been said. It made me think of a saying a Marine sniper had shared with me. “You know how the old Chinese proverb goes—kill one man, terrorize a thousand.”
“Or many thousands, depending on how many confirmed kills you have.”
“Speaking of kills,” I drawled.
“Shit, man. What’s going on? Are you falling down on the job and need me to kill someone for you?”
“Not hardly,” I chuckled. “But I need to call in that favor you owe me for upping my body count on your and Hadley’s behalf.”
“Whatever you need, it’s yours.” There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in his voice. He was a stand-up guy, but I knew the debt he felt towards me had more to do with the love he had for his wife. She’d just given birth to their first child three months ago, a little boy they’d named Quinten, but he’d leave their side in a heartbeat if I needed him because I’d made sure the men who’d hurt Hadley had paid with their lives for it.
I was ruthless enough that I’d ask him to do it, too, if that’s what it took to keep Carissa safe. But I needed more than one man on this job, and Brecken had pulled together one hell of a team when he’d set up his security business. One led by Whit Baker when Brecken wasn’t available for an assignment. The two men had served side-by-side since they went through boot camp together, so I’d seen Whit in action for myself in Somalia.
“I need to borrow your team. Observe and protect. The target may be in danger from a human trafficking ring I’m taking down.”
“When and where?”
“Yesterday would be good,” I half-joked. “But if you can get them to me by tomorrow morning, I’ll make it work.” I gave him all the necessary details before disconnecting, but I neglected to mention how I’d be able to keep an eye on Carissa until they arrived since we’d be out on a date tonight. It wasn’t something I’d be able, or even want, to keep from his team. But I wasn’t ready to talk about her with anyone yet. Not even with Brecken, who was probably the best person to discuss the situation with considering how he’d met Hadley. I’d been around the block enough times with women to know my reaction to her meant something, but that didn’t mean our circumstances were anywhere near what theirs had been.
I was beyond happy Brecken had moved past his experiences in the military and built himself the life he had. But a wife and baby weren’t in the cards for me, no matter how badly I wantedboth. I’d seen too much—hell, done too much—to deserve the same kind of happiness for myself.
Plus, Carissa for damn sure deserved more than a man like me. She was soft, where I was hardened. She was innocent, and I’d been corrupted years ago. Our ages were only separated by about a decade, but we were lifetimes apart when it came to experience. No matter how much I wanted her, no matter how fucking delicious she tasted when I’d kissed her—I needed to remember that Carissa Hastings wasn’t for the likes of me.
4
CARISSA
Gazing at my reflection in the floor length mirror in the corner of my bedroom, I was practically bouncing from nerves. I didn’t think it was obvious from looking at me, but I was a tangled ball of anxiousness inside. I was going on my first date. With a man who was incredibly intimidating. And who’d made me want to melt into a puddle with a kiss. It was enough to make any girl a little nervous, but my parents’ anger over the situation was what had pushed me into the mess zone.
After my mother had bundled me into the car after the gala, barely a word had been exchanged during the ride home. There had only been icy silence, and the looks she and my father had sent my way made it extremely clear I was the reason for their displeasure. It wasn’t the first time I’d been the recipient of their anger. I was fairly certain it wouldn’t be the last, either. But it was the first time I had absolutely no clue why they were angry with me.
It just didn’t make any sense. I hadn’t complained about being waxed, scrubbed and buffed, none of which my mother had told me about when she’d mentioned having my hair and nails done. I wore the dress my mother had picked out for me,along with the ridiculous stiletto heels she’d selected. I’d gone up on that stage, when it was the last thing I’d wanted to do. Like always, I hadn’t asked any questions. I’d done exactly what my parents had told me to do, and all it had accomplished was to earn me their ire.
For two days, they’d had hushed conversations which ended when I walked into the room. Then this morning, my father had called me into his office to inform me that he’d been unsuccessful in his attempts to get me out of my date with Vaughn. A date I definitely wanted to go on, but nobody had bothered to ask me about it. Then again, my preferences had never seemed to matter to my parents much before.
I’d had to stifle the smile which threatened to spread across my face when my father told me Vaughn would pick me up for our night together at six o’clock. It wasn’t just because I was looking forward to my date, either. It was because I was happy my parents hadn’t managed to get their way like they usually did. The bachelorette auction had been too public, and his winning bid had drawn too much attention for my father to prevent me from going out with Vaughn.
Trying to be the perfect daughter had been a heck of a lot easier when I’d been younger. After they’d left me at school when I’d expected to finally come home, I’d lost much of my desire to earn their attention. Their love. Being reminded of how easy it was to earn their displeasure was a wake-up call. It was beyond time for me to come up with a plan for living my life without them in it—one which didn’t require me to stay under their thumb for the next two years until I received my inheritance.
