Page 1 of Carnal Risk

Chapter One

Plummeting eighteen thousand feet brought the same rush it always did. Death was ever close, yet Garrett had never felt more alive. The deafening roar of the air cut into his mind. Not a cell of his body was left untouched by the adrenaline that pumped through his veins. Every single jump brought forth the clarity of not only his mortality, but his vitality.

As he passed through the clouds, Garrett spread his arms wide and pointed to his friend, Evan, who gave him a thumbs up. He glanced to his altimeter. Twenty more seconds. He let out a celebratory scream, exhilaration slamming through his limbs. Ten seconds. Spiraling recklessly through the air, the best part of the dive was coming to an end. Five seconds. Garrett smiled up at Evan, still holding out for one last moment. One second. He reached for the pull and with a pop, Garrett’s chute exploded. The harness jerked him as the canvas ballooned open into the sky. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, descending like a feather from the sky. As he opened them, the breathtaking horizon of the beach came into view.

As he drifted through the wind, his heart seized as he glanced down to the field. A turbulent form whizzed past him through the air, and Garrett swore, his heart pounding as he watched his best friend plummet to his death. The chances of survival were infinitesimal. Hundreds of successful jumps and he’d never witnessed a fatal dive. He gasped for breath, aware that barring a miracle, Evan had already died.

Garrett’s mind stormed with anger and grief. Like he’d been impaled by a knife, the reality of the accident speared through his chest. He was helpless, his descent stretching for what seemed like hours, and when his friend’s body came into view, he fought the nausea. Tears came to his eyes as a gut-wrenching sob tore through his throat. Evan, my friend. He’s gone. He couldn’t comprehend how this could have happened, yet as grim faces below came into focus, he knew it could not be undone.

For years they had cheated death, victorious in achieving the ultimate high. Today, however, Garrett’s world would come crashing down around him. As his feet touched the earth, he ran to embrace Evan. Tragedy rained down upon them and he cried up into the sky, devastated that his friend was forever gone.

Chapter Two

Garrett stared into the bottom of his scotch, its burn still fresh on his lips. Darkness crept into his soul, the grief consuming him. Fear wasn’t a word in his vocabulary, yet he couldn’t scrub the sight of his friend’s lifeless body from his mind. Unlucky. That’s what first responders had called it. Words like ‘accident’ and ‘casualty’ were tossed about, but he refused to accept their initial findings. Garrett had pressed the prosecutor’s office for a special investigation, suspecting foul play.

As far as he was concerned, there was no such thing as luck. Strategy? Yes. Hard work? Most definitely. Accidents happened to other people, not Evan. Every single jump, he’d been meticulous when checking his rig. Some might even go so far as to call him obsessive compulsive, but Garrett knew it was what made him the very best. There was no fucking way he’d concede that his friend, the one who’d first taught him how to skydive, had simply succumbed to human error.

Garrett slammed his glass on the copper bar and slid it toward the bartender, nodding at her. The perky blonde barkeep promptly brought the Macallan, poured two fingers and set the bottle in front of him. She gave him a sympathetic smile. As she turned around and bent over to give him an unobstructed view of her assets, he swore. Not even that perfect heart-shaped ass was enough to stir his dick. Garrett shook his head in disgust, aware he needed to get his shit together. As he ran his forefinger along the edge of his drink, a familiar voice caught his attention.

“Hey.”

“You’re late,” Garrett responded, giving his friend a glare.

“Yeah fuck you too, G.” Lars smiled at the bartender.

“Hi, baby. What can I get ya?” she asked.

Lars glanced to the whiskey that sat in front of Garrett. “A glass. We’re taking the bottle.”

“You sure about that now?” She raised a judgmental eyebrow at him.

“Yep, it’s that kind of night.” He shrugged. “Looks like you’ve started before me. You driving?”

“Nope. I’ve got a driver tonight.” Garrett glanced to Lars, whose not so subtle eye roll told him he’d gone too far. “Is there a problem? No, don’t answer.”

The last thing he needed was a fucking lecture. Sensing one was coming, Garrett shoved out of his seat and snatched the decanter, gesturing to a secluded table in the corner. He sighed, settling into a well-worn leather chair and caught Lars’ shadow flying by him, right before he took another swig of the amber liquid.

“Nice club,” Garrett commented.

“Best jazz in the city. Got a special surprise I think you’ll like.”

“Oh yeah?” Garrett swirled the glass, never taking his eyes off the golden vortex.

“I thought you could use a distraction.” Lars smirked, pouring himself a drink.

“That right, huh?”

“Listen, G, I know it’s been a few weeks since…”

“Evan…”

“You and I both know this was no accident, but we’ve both got contracts to fulfill. Business goes on. It sucks, but if you don’t start looking for his replacement, we can’t…”

“What do you think I’ve been doing? I’m in the office. Day in. Day out. Even though Evan’s not here, the world keeps spinning.” Garrett gave Lars a sideways glance. “But I’m sure as hell not going to let it go. Something happened up there.”

Over the years, Garrett had taken Emerson Industries from a garage start-up into a billion dollar corporation. Not only did Emerson’s civilian suppliers count on timely shipments, government contracts needed to be fulfilled. Ongoing research and development took place on campus, ensuring the most advanced equipment in the world, and Evan had been a critical player in its success. Finding a suitable replacement for him was imperative, but it wouldn't be an easy task. Since the accident, Garrett had been operating in a daze, attending to small matters, but had neglected the critical infrastructure projects that needed intensive attention from a chief technology officer.

“Maybe, but you have to let the authorities handle it,” Lars commented, his eyes falling onto the singer who’d stepped up on stage and picked up the microphone.