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 BITE THE BULLET

AN OPS PROTECTOR ROMANCE

GIULIA LAGOMARSINO
Copyright © 2023 by Giulia Lagomarsino
All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written
permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover Design courtesy of T.E. Black Designs

www.teblackdesigns.com
Photography by Wander Aguiar
https://www.facebook.com/WANDERBOOKCLUB
Model: Travis S.
Created with Vellum
For Pixie
 CONTE NTS

Bite The Bullet

Cast Of Characters
1. Jack
2. Jack
3. Skylar
4. Jack
5. Skylar
6. Jack
7. Skylar
8. Cash
9. Rae
10. Jack
11. Skylar
12. Jack
13. Jason
14. Jack
15. Skylar
16. Jack
17. Skylar
18. Jack
19. Skylar
20. Jack
21. Johnny
22. Skylar
23. Jack
24. Skylar
25. Jack
26. Johnny
27. Jack
28. Rae
29. Jack
30. Pete
31. Skylar
32. Jack
33. Skylar
34. Jack
35. Skylar
36. Jack
37. Skylar
38. Jack
39. Skylar
40. Jack
Also by Giulia Lagomarsino
 BITE THE BULLE T

Bite The Bullet Origins:

"Biting the bullet" is a metaphor which is used to describe a situation where one accepts an inevitable impending hardship or
hard-to-refute point, and then endures the resulting pain with fortitude.

It has been suggested that it is derived historically from the practice of having a patient clench a bullet in their teeth as a way to
cope with the pain of a surgical procedure without anesthetic.

-Wikipedia

OPS Meaning:

Accept your fate and move forward.

 C AST OF C HARAC TE RS

Cash Owens- Owner of Owens Protective Services, sniper, and overall badass.
Eva James- deadly mistress of throwing knives and Cash’s…person

Team 1:
Jerrod Lockhart- Complete hardass, rule follower, and generally the guy considered to always have a stick up his ass.
Juliette Cassinelli- Junk food addict, avid runner, tiny human that can’t reach the top shelf. Oh, also a fabulous model who
has stolen the heart of the unmovable Jerrod Lockhart.
Edward “Edu” Markinson- Hater of hospitals, slow drivers, and references to anything in the ’80s.
Brock “Rock” Patton- Wannabe model, obsessed with his looks and constantly combing his hair…A ferocious fighter for
a man so obsessed with his looks. Also, as a side note—he can’t act for shit and hates the word ‘loins’.
Scottie Dog Thacker- Tactical vomit expert, hater of flying planes, and always up for a good time. If you’re with him,
have a barf bag in hand. Has never had even a sip of alcohol in his life.
Quinn Lake- Awesome geologist who is terrible at telling people no. She’s a runner—running from situations so she
doesn’t have to grow a spine and deal with confrontation. Awesome at Battleship and Twister.

Team 2:
Marcus “IRIS” Slater- His name stands for I Require Intense Supervision. EOD expert that has taken up a new love…
blowing up shit.
Jane Layne- IRIS’s sidekick in real life and in her mystery novels. Also known as Shayla Jacque. Absolutely despises
technology, and goes so far as to use a typewriter to avoid it.
Mick “Slider” Jeffries- Not Slider from Top Gun. Sorry, ladies, I know he was gorgeous, but it’s not the same hottie.
Tate “Thumper” Parsons- No, not named for the adorable furry rabbit. Thumper got his nickname after losing a foot to an
IED. Now using a robotic foot, he is probably the fastest person on the team.
Bree Wilton- Financial guru, killer of the boardroom, and newly appointed partner in her firm. Wilts under the sun. Hates
hiking, dirt, bunnies, and generally all things that don’t come with a luxury sticker.

Team 3: Now known as The Ditty Boppers

Eli Brant- Fierce team leader, but will put you in your place with a good practical joke when necessary.
Sarah Williams- Pickpocket, crazy lady that reacts inappropriately in tense situations.
Red Warren- Funny, meat-eating, California-hating, rifle owner. Proud to take out the bad guys in any way possible.
Zoe Thacker- Screenwriting badass that hates guns, refuses to eat meat, but loves a good gunfight.
Bradford Kavanaugh- Son of a senator, terrified of mummies, scarabs, and basically anything from ancient Egypt. Loves
practical jokes, except when they’re about him.

IT Department:
Rae Dennon- Sarcastic, witty, badass woman. Terrified of nothing, will take down any man with little effort, and has an
intense feud with Dash.
Duke Mason- The mechanic. Sexy, dirty, and the man every woman wants. His hands alone could have a story written
about them and all the things they can do. Not afraid to have his ass kicked by Rae.
Dash- Awesome with computers and a skilled fighter. Constantly being compared to Rae, the sexier version of him. Still
trying to convince Fox he’s just as awesome.
Black Ops Team: Also known as The Three Js
 Jack Cox- Team leader who loves aviator sunglasses as much as a good gun fight. Willing to take one for the team as long
as the mission is long and hard…just like his johnson.
Skylar West: Neighbor to the grouchy Jack McClain. Mother to Parker, the son of notorious arms dealer...the son of a
notorious arms dealer: Rico Gelbero. Desperate to break free from the confines of her little house, she’s willing to do anything
to leave Texas in the dust.
Johnny Wood- Dangerous cowboy, loyal to Rafe—a man that would kill his own mother if it finished the job. Respects a
man willing to get the job done.
Tahlia James- Mad scientist…well, coroner. Desperate for the truth and willing to do anything to get those answers, as
long as it doesn’t include enclosed spaces. Not afraid of Johnny and his sexy body.
Jason Long- Number 3 of the baddies. Dangerous and dark, always full of threatening wisdom. Stay out of his way.

The Other Guys:

New Guy- Also known as FNG- Doesn’t have a death wish, but firmly believes he can never be killed. Willing to take
horrible risks to prove he’s unstoppable. Medic and smart as a whip, but also one of the most ridiculous men you’ve ever met.
Honey- Wife of FNG. Named for her honey scent and the way she sticks with FNG. Oh, also the daughter of a dangerous
cartel leader.
Jones- Spotter for Cash during their military days, with a bad attitude since losing the use of his leg. Like you really need
one of those.
Rafe- Evildoer posing as the good guy. Or is it the other way around? Dangerous antihero with not a single redeeming
quality who stays hidden in the shadows. Unknown relationship to Cash.
Liberty- Pretty ballerina with hidden talents. Obsessed with Rafe and willing to sacrifice anything to be with him. Or is
she???
Fox- Works in training, has an undeniable fascination with throwing knives, and loves singing show tunes…sometimes a
little too much!
Anna- Gorgeous Hollywood star who has captured Fox’s twisted heart. Her looks aren’t nearly as deadly as her right
hook.
Nicholas Tate: Former SEAL who worked with Fox. Still a mystery, but currently works at OPS, though he can’t seem to
find his place. Must be crazy to be friends with Fox.
IKE- Roguishly handsome with a penchant for cigarettes, action, and a writer lady named Jane. He moves in the shadows,
taking only the dangerous jobs. He’s the man nobody wants to be compared to. Well, him and a mechanic.
Max Huxley: Former military. Licensed pilot. Rivals Scottie Dog’s amazing flight skills. Has a bit of a drinking problem
and loves his pink Hawaiian shirts and straw hat. Don’t even think of taking his cigar from him.

The Young Squad:

Asher White: This suit-wearing enigma has a thing for dangerous jobs, fast women, and…trains. Yes, you heard that right!
Don’t come between a man and his love of locomotives.
Jade Buchanan- The wife of the elusive Asher. Forced into an arranged marriage by her power-hungry father, she suffers
from terrible nightmares, longing to leave this horrible life behind. Died when she crashed a minivan into a tree.
Chase Carter: Tattooed badass with a bullring in his nose. His wacky personality is nearly as irritating as his love of
playing Monopoly.
Patrick Cook: This is no ordinary gigolo. Hang onto your hats ladies! You’re not just getting a striptease with this stud!
 1

J AC K

20 YEARS AGO …

“ARE YOU PICKING ME UP TONIGHT ?”

“I’ll be there,” I said, irritated that my kid sister was calling me again. I was working a full-time job to support both of us,
but no matter how many hours I put in, I always came up short. I hung the phone back on the wall and strode over to the packing
list. I saw my boss glaring at me from the corner of my eye. It was against the rules to take personal calls on shift. I knew that,
but I wasn’t about to ignore my sister. I was all she had.
“Jack!” my boss called out.
I glanced up at Matt, who stood on the other side of the boxes.
“Man, you are so screwed. That guy has it out for you.”
I set down the list and muttered under my breath, “Don’t I know it.”
I jerked my chin at my boss as I walked over to him. I knew I was about to get my ass reamed. Rick was the owner’s son,
and he wielded his power against anyone he didn’t like. It just so happened I fell into that category.
“Make phone calls on your own time.”
“It was my sister. She needs me to pick her up⁠—”
“I don’t give a shit what she needs,” he hissed. “I pay you to do a job, not chat on the phone.”
He didn’t pay me at all. He stood in the corner supervising us all night as he talked on his new mobile phone. Not a single
guy in this warehouse could afford a phone like that. The closest thing I had was a bulky car phone that died after one phone
call. I only used it in emergencies, and there was no way in hell I was bringing that bulky piece of shit inside the warehouse for
all the guys to see.
“It won’t happen again.”
“Make sure it doesn’t.” His eyes trailed over me in disgust. It was no secret that I was from the wrong side of the tracks.
My dad was in prison for dealing and my mom died of an overdose just three months ago. If it weren’t for the fact that the
trailer was paid off, Hannah would be in the system right now. But I convinced the judge that I could take care of her. I
wouldn’t let her down.
With a nod, I returned to work, blowing out a harsh breath. There was a lot to get done before I could leave tonight. It was
an unspoken rule that nobody left until the trucks were loaded. We didn’t get paid overtime for those additional hours, but if we
walked off the job, it was a guarantee we’d get a pink slip the next shift.
I picked up the pace, loading boxes in the truck and checking them off the list in record time. I was so close to finishing my
shift, but one look at my boss and I knew he was going to pull some crap with me. He liked to show that he was in charge of all
of us, that he could ruin our night with the snap of his fingers. But I had to keep this job if I wanted to keep Hannah with me.
She only had two years of school left, and then she’d be in college. I didn’t take my shot when I had the chance. I stayed to
make sure Hannah was safe around my parents.
There were times I regretted not leaving. I had a scholarship to a good school and would have been studying engineering
right now if it weren’t for my old man. But every time I started to think about school, I reminded myself why I was doing this.
When Hannah graduated, I would get back on track. I’d take night classes and work my ass off until I was out of this dump job.
“Jack!” Rick yelled.
I refrained from rolling my eyes as I turned to face him. “Yeah?”
At my gruff reply, his eyes narrowed on me. I knew I was in trouble now. “Are you finished?”
“Just loaded the last truck. We’re good to go.” I glanced at the clock—two minutes to the end of my shift.
“I have another job for you.”
I gritted my teeth, reminding myself how much I needed this job. “Sir, I need to pick up my sister.”
 “Are you refusing to finish the job?”
“The job is finished. Every truck is loaded and ready for the morning.”
“That doesn’t mean the job is done. I need someone to stay and do inventory.”
He already had someone who handled the inventory. His buddy spent hours on inventory every week, using most of his time
to flirt with the women at the front desk. And then last week, Rick decided to give him an entire week off. Paid.
“Sir, I can’t stay tonight.”
His nostrils flared in anger as he walked over to me. “Then don’t bother coming in tomorrow.”
I clenched my fists to keep from knocking this guy to the ground. My pulse hammered in my ears, drowning out the voice
inside telling me to back off. I was two seconds away from slamming my fist into his face when Matt’s voice broke through.
“I can stay and help him finish.”
I would be late picking up Hannah, but with Matt’s help, we could knock out the inventory in an hour or two. I took a
breath, then another, repeating the process until I calmed down. Rick waited, wanting me to throw a punch so he could toss me
out. He couldn’t fire me without just cause. Despite the little shit that Rick turned out to be, his father was a good man and
treated his employees fairly. But the last man that went over Rick’s head ended up working the graveyard shift.
“Fine,” Rick snapped. “Get it done.”
When he was out of sight, I turned to Matt. “I’m sorry, man.”
“Don’t be. I don’t have anything better to do tonight.”
“I doubt inventory was on your list of things to do.”
“Maybe not, but I don’t mind helping out. Look, I know you have it rough, man. Don’t let him get under your skin. You need
this job.”
“I know. Believe me, I’m trying.”
“You could still go to the boss. He would⁠—”
“He would tell his son he has one more chance and that would be the end of it. How many last chances has that guy had?” I
shook my head. “I can’t afford to be put on the graveyard shift. I have to be there for Hannah.”
“Maybe she could stay with a friend overnight. I’m sure⁠—”
“She’s my responsibility,” I said, cutting him off. “I won’t shove her off on someone else like my parents did.”
He held up his hand. “Alright, I know. I just wish I could help in some way.”
“You are. Let’s get this shit done so I can get to Hannah.”

I TOSSED THE KEYS ON THE TABLE AS I SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND ME. “HANNAH?”
The trailer was silent, which was unusual for this time of night. Hannah didn’t like to be left alone, so she always turned on
music to fill the silence. Shit. Sighing, I turned around and headed back for the door, grabbing my keys on the way out. She was
probably still waiting for me at the gas station.
I cranked the engine on my old pickup and tore down the driveway, angrily slamming my fist into the steering wheel. It was
two hours past the time I was supposed to pick her up. She was probably exhausted from the day, and on top of that, she might
still have homework to do.
I pulled into the station five minutes later, squealing to a stop and jerking the gear shift into park. I hopped out, not
bothering to kill the engine. Yanking the door open, I nodded to Hank.
“Where’s Hannah?”
He shot me a funny look. “She left hours ago, mumbling about how you forgot to pick her up.”
A nasty feeling engulfed the pit of my stomach. She wasn’t here and she wasn’t at home. “Call the police. She wasn’t at the
house.”
I turned and shoved the door open, then got back in my truck and tore out of the parking lot in search of my kid sister. With
every minute that passed, a sick feeling grew inside me. I should have told Rick to fuck off. I should have been there for her
when she needed me.
I drove up and down the streets, looking for any sign of her. After ten minutes, a cop pulled up behind me and flashed his
lights. I pulled over, waiting for the officer to walk up to my window.
In my side mirror, I saw Bruce get out of the car. He knew all about my parents and the shit deal they left us with. He was
the one that arrested my dad, and he was there for me, to help us through the process. As he walked up to me now, I felt like it
was happening all over again. “I heard about Hannah. You’re sure she wasn’t in her bed?”
No, I wasn’t. “I didn’t check.”
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “Son, you should have⁠—”
“I know, but trust me, she never stays at home without music on. It was silent when I walked into the trailer.”
Sighing, he thrust his hands on his hips. “Look, I’ve got every officer out combing the streets for her. We’ll find her if she’s
out here. In the meantime, go home and check the house. We need to be sure she’s not there. You have my number. Call me if
you find her.”
I nodded, though I knew in my heart that she wasn’t there. Still, he was right. We needed to be sure. I pulled back onto the
road and was in my driveway five minutes later. I bolted from the truck, calling out her name as I ran inside. It didn’t take me
more than thirty seconds to see that the trailer was empty. Her backpack sat on her bed, untouched. She always dropped it off
after school before heading to the gas station.
I walked over, swallowing the lump in my throat as I reached out with a shaky hand and touched the rabbit’s foot that
dangled from the zipper. She spent every last penny she had to buy it at the kid’s fair at school when she was in fifth grade.
Despite the fact that it was just a dyed piece of fur, she said it was her lucky charm. It didn’t feel very lucky right now.
I walked back into the other room and picked up the house phone, calling Bruce. The phone rang twice before he answered.
“Is she there?”
“No,” I croaked out. “Just her backpack. She always drops it off before heading to work.”
“Alright, stay there in case she comes home. I’m calling the Chief right now to get more units out here.”
“I need to be out there. She’s my responsibility.”
“Son, I know how much you love Hannah and want to help her, but let us do our job. If she walks in the door in the next five
minutes, you need to be there to let us know.”
I hated that I was being sidelined, but he was right. Someone had to be here. “Fine. Call me as soon as you know
something.”
“I will.”
I hung up the phone and walked over to the couch, slumping down on the ratty, brown fabric. My knee bounced in time with
the seconds passing. I passed the time by trying to think of anywhere she might have gone. Maybe she went to a friend’s house
to piss me off. I forgot her. This had to be a trick.
After only five minutes, I couldn’t sit still any longer. I paced the small space of the trailer, cursing my parents for allowing
us to live in such a hell hole for so long. If only they’d gotten real jobs, we might have actually had something growing up. But
the drugs were always more appealing to my father. He didn’t use, but he did his best to get anyone he could hooked. That’s
why so many people in this town hated us. It didn’t matter that we were only kids when he went to prison. We were tainted
because of him.
Lights flashed in the driveway, and I rushed to the door, yanking it open. Running out into the night, I was relieved to see
Bruce getting out of the car. He must have found her and brought her home. But when he shut the door and turned to me, I knew
that wasn’t the case. I stumbled to a stop, waiting for him to tell me the worst.
He didn’t need to say a word. The look on his face said it all. I felt everything tilt around me as he walked closer. I didn’t
want to hear what he had to say. Hannah was the last of my family. I couldn’t lose her.
“Just…tell me,” I managed to get out.
“We found her. She’s in the hospital and she’s in pretty bad shape.”
There were so many questions on the tip of my tongue, but when I opened my mouth, I couldn’t say them. His hand clasped
my shoulder and as I looked up into his eyes, my own filled with tears. I had let her down.
“Let’s get you to the hospital.”

THE BEEPING OF THE MONITORS ECHOED IN MY EARS THROUGH THE GLASS SEPARATING MY SISTER FROM ME. S HE WAS BARELY
recognizable laying in that bed. Her face was cut up and bruised, leaving only small patches unmarred. The doctor said she
was in critical condition—that the next twelve hours would tell us if she could survive the injuries she sustained. The mental
issues she’d have would no doubt take longer to recover from. As if being beaten wasn’t bad enough, whoever did this took
something from her that wasn’t his to have.
I hung my head, sucking back the tears before they could fall. I had to be strong for her. I couldn’t allow myself to fall apart
when she was depending on me to take care of her. But I didn’t even know how to start. If she survived this, she’d be in the
hospital for weeks. Her spinal injuries were so severe that the doctors said we had to wait for the swelling to go down before
we knew if she’d ever walk again.
And this was all because I stayed to finish a job that should have belonged to someone else. I turned around, resting my
head against the window. I couldn’t keep looking at her, knowing how badly I failed her.
“Hey,” Bruce called out as he walked off the elevator. He glanced into Hannah’s room before stopping beside me. “How
are you holding up?”
I huffed out a laugh. “Me? I’m not the one unconscious in a hospital bed.”
“You can’t blame yourself for what happened.”
“I was supposed to pick her up,” I said, finally looking up at him. “She’s in there because I didn’t protect her.”
 “She chose to walk home,” he argued. “We both know how dangerous the streets are.”
“Yeah, and I made it worse by staying late and then forgetting to pick her up. I was supposed to be there for her. My parents
aren’t around anymore and she’s relying on me. I failed her.”
His hand clasped on my shoulder, but I shrugged him off. I didn’t need his sympathy. I needed to rewind and start the day
over, but that wouldn’t be happening.
“Did you catch him?”
His lips tightened as he stared at me. “We did.”
“Who is it?” I knew it was bad the moment he looked away from me. It had to be someone I knew. “Tell me who did this to
my sister,” I snapped.
“Jack, you have to promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”
“Are you refusing to finish the job?”
“The job is finished. Every truck is loaded and ready for the morning.”
“That doesn’t mean the job is done. I need someone to stay and do inventory.”
I took a step back, shaking my head as I realized Rick left right after that. “No.”
“Jack—”
I spun on my heel and stormed over to the flight of stairs, shoving the door open so hard it bounced off the wall. I could
hear Bruce yelling at me, telling me to stop, but all I could think about was finding Rick and making him pay. I was almost to
my car when I was tackled to the ground.
Bruce rolled me over and pinned my arms to the ground. “You can’t go after him.”
“I did this!” I shouted, my voice cracking as a sharp pain lanced through my chest. “He fucking knew I would be at the
warehouse. He knew I had to pick her up.”
“We know.”
“Tell me he’s in jail.”
“He was. His old man bailed him out.”
“Why? Why would you let him go after what he did to her?”
“Because we can’t place him at the scene, and your sister isn’t awake to tell us who did this to her.”
“I don’t understand⁠—”
“Someone said they saw him around that time right where we found Hannah, but he has an alibi. His father said he was at
home already. We couldn’t hold him.”
I stopped struggling, knowing there was nothing I could do right now. I closed my eyes, remembering the first time she
stopped by work to bring me dinner. I didn’t like how Rick looked at her then, but I never imagined he would do something like
this. I should have been more careful.
Bruce got off me and held out his hand. I took it, realizing there was nothing I could do tonight. But that didn’t mean I
wouldn’t go after him. He had to pay for what he did to her. I just had to be smart about it.
“Jack, I know this hurts, but you have to play this smart. No one wants to see this guy pay more than you, but I promise I
will not let him walk.”
“You can’t promise me that,” I murmured.
I knew all too well that if you had the right connections, you could get away with murder. It happened plenty of times in this
town. Rick’s parents had enough money to fight his legal battles. And when the judge saw that the victim was the daughter of
John and Linda Cox, he would turn Rick free. Pretty much everyone in this town saw us as the damaged offspring of two
criminals. There would be no retribution for my sister.

I SAT IN MY PICKUP TRUCK DOWN THE ROAD FROM HIS HOUSE. IT HAD BEEN THREE DAYS SINCE MY SISTER LANDED IN THE
hospital and I hadn’t gone back to work yet. I stayed by her side, waiting for her to wake up. I slept by her bed and woke up
every morning disappointed that she hadn’t regained consciousness. Then, this morning, the doctor told me I should start
preparing myself for the worst.
I knew what would happen if I came over here. I couldn’t wait for the police to take action. They had no evidence that Rick
attacked my sister. That meant the only way for my sister to get justice was for me to go after him myself. It would mean prison
for me, but my sister was worth it. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if Rick walked away.
At precisely ten o’clock, he pulled into his driveway. That was when his shift ended—the same time mine normally did. It
would have been easier if I had just jumped him outside of work. There weren’t cameras in the loading area, and Matt was the
only one who worked until ten with me. He was probably my one and only friend in this town, and I knew he wouldn’t rat me
out.
There was no easy way for me to get to him at his parent’s house. His father still thought he was innocent, and if I charged
in there, he would side with his kid. I would have to wait until tomorrow night to get him. But just as I was about to start my
truck, Rick walked back out of the house and got in his car.
I followed him out of town, trying to keep my distance, but as soon as we were in the country, I hit the gas and slammed my
truck into his bumper. He swerved, then hit the grass on the side of the road. His car fishtailed before veering across the road
and crashing in the ditch. I got out and ran over to his car. Smoke floated out from under the bent hood, leaving an acrid taste in
the air.
I yanked the car door open, grabbed him by the shirt, and threw him on the ground. Climbing over his body, I slammed my
fist into his face three times before gripping his shirt and lifting him off the ground to meet my eyes.
“Why did you do it?”
“What are you talking about?” he cried out.
A car drove past, but I didn’t care. They could lock me up. Maybe it was the best considering how I let her down. I
slammed my fist into his stomach. I knew I was losing control, and when that time came, I wouldn’t be able to hold back. “Tell
me why! Why would you hurt her like that?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“I don’t believe you!” I shouted. I slammed my fist into his face again, this time leaving a long cut across his cheekbone.
Sirens wailed in the distance, but I ignored them. I only had so much time to get him to admit the truth.
“Please,” he begged. “I swear, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Why do I not believe you?” I lowered my voice. My nostrils flared in anger as I grasped his hair and pulled him even
closer to me. “Did you do it because she’s sixteen? Or maybe it was because she knew she was too good for you.”
A sob burst from his lips as I punched him again in the stomach. “I—I⁠—”
“I just want to hear you say it,” I hissed. “Tell me why!”
The sirens were so close. I knew I only had a few seconds left.
“I didn’t mean to take it that far!” he cried out. “Please, you have to believe me!”
“Is that why you told me to work late? Because you knew she would be alone if I was at work?”
“Yes!” he cried out when I punched him again. “I was just messing with her,” he sobbed. “And she spit in my face! She told
me I would never be good enough for her! I just lost it!”
Arms wrapped around mine, hauling me off the pathetic shit on the ground. I was thrown up against a cop car and my hands
were cuffed behind my back. I watched in disgust as paramedics tended to the man that raped and nearly killed my sister.
“It’s over,” Bruce said in my ear, trying to calm me down. “We heard everything.”
“It’s not over until he’s rotting in prison.”
He spun me around and pushed me back against the car. “And who’s going to protect your sister while you’re in prison?
Did you think about the fact that his daddy’s lawyers are going to throw everything they can at you?”
“Yes, and I don’t care! It doesn’t matter anymore!”
“It does!” he snapped. “Your sister woke up an hour ago. We were trying to find you. The hospital couldn’t get ahold of
you.”
Relief swept through me. Maybe I should be upset that I wouldn’t be around to help her, but all I felt was an overwhelming
sense of peace that the man who did this to her was going away.
“Take me to her.”
“I can’t,” Bruce sighed. “I have to take you to jail. With any luck, the judge will grant you bail, but I don’t know how the
hell you’re going to afford it.”
I still couldn’t regret it.
“Listen,” he said, watching as the medics loaded Rick into the ambulance. “I’ll sneak you in to see her tonight. But you’ll
only get a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“We were all on your side, Jack. You should have let the police handle this.”
“You said you had nothing on him. What would you have done in my position?”
He huffed out a laugh. “Probably the same fucking thing.”
 2

J AC K

“J ACK.”
I jerked upright in the bed at the sound of Hannah’s voice. With a quick glance around the room, I realized I wasn’t back in
that trailer. I was in a small house in the seedy part of town on a job for Baz Gelbero, an arms broker out of Canada. It was my
job to watch his deadbeat son and keep him in line.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and scrubbed a hand down my face. Sleep didn’t come easily. Then again, it hadn’t
since the day Hannah was attacked. That night changed my life forever. In some ways, it was for the best. But I also lost
Hannah because I wasn’t there for her.
I warred with myself on a daily basis over whether or not I made the right choice. If I had gone to prison, I would have
been out in a year. Yeah, I would have had a record, but Hannah wouldn’t have been alone. Then again, because of my stint in
the military, I made something of myself and made the world a better place. At least, that’s what I told myself on nights when I
couldn’t sleep.
My skin was burning below the surface. The need to shoot up was overwhelming this morning, but I had been clean since
the night Johnny stopped those men from breaking into my house. It was the wakeup call I needed. If he hadn’t been here, I
would be dead right now. I was sleeping off my last hit and was totally out of it until I heard the chaos in the next room. That
could never happen again if I wanted to survive this job.
I shoved out of bed and walked over to the window, peeking through the blinds to study the neighborhood. I didn’t know
much about my neighbors yet thanks to my addiction. But I was feeling better today. Yeah, I still wanted the drugs, but it wasn’t
nearly as bad as it had been the past week.
What I needed was a cold shower and a good breakfast. I turned for the bathroom, catching sight of my phone lying on the
table. All it would take was one phone call.
I stormed past the desk and slammed the bathroom door behind me. I would not call my dealer. I didn’t need the drugs and
taking them would ruin everything I’d accomplished in the past week. I turned on the water and quickly stripped before
stepping under the cold shock of water.
As it slid down my body, I rested my head against the wall and tried to push the staggering need from my head. I needed a
distraction from my addiction. That was the only way to get through the day. I snatched the washcloth off the bar and lathered
up the soap. As I washed up, I couldn’t help but notice how different my body was. I tried to stay in shape while I was in
prison, but it wasn’t the same as being back with my team and training every single day, pushing my body to the limit.
I’d lost some muscle definition and my body was bordering on lanky. This wasn’t me. I didn’t ever allow myself to lose
sight of what was important. This man I had become in the name of the job was fucking with my head. Even my hair was longer
than I normally liked it.
I shut the water off and wrapped a towel around my waist. I needed to get back out there and train. It would set my mind
right and help me forget what I really wanted. I didn’t have my normal training gear, so I grabbed some sweatpants and a t-
shirt, then slid into my ratty gym shoes. I needed to earn some money so I could afford better shoes.
The old me had plenty of money, but I couldn’t go near that and keep up the appearances of a junkie just released from
prison. I hated living like this, but again, it was for the job.
As soon as my feet hit the pavement, I felt just a small shred of my old self worming its way back into my body. It wasn’t
easy to get back into the swing of running. At the prison, I could lift weights, but running wasn’t something I got to do very
often. I was in the hole too many times. And I could feel the strain with every step I took. My thighs burned from the exertion,
but it was a good burn. I just had to keep pushing until I was back to the man I used to be.
I was out of breath and had a terrible stitch in my side by the time I got back to my house forty-five minutes later. I bent
over and sucked in deep breaths, then stretched out my legs as I discreetly checked out the neighborhood. Not many people
were awake at this hour. Most of the people on this street were part of Baz’s network, which was why it surprised me when my
neighbor walked out the door with a small kid.
I stretched one arm across my chest as I studied this woman. She had brown hair pulled up into a ponytail and she wore
blue scrubs with white tennis shoes. She didn’t fit the profile of anyone in this area, so why was she living in that small blue
house with tulips out front?
She glanced over her shoulder and stopped the instant she saw me, then quickly finished buckling her kid before getting in
the driver’s seat. As she drove away, I saw her look at me one last time with a worried expression on her face. She should be
nervous. She lived in a terrible neighborhood, surrounded by the shittiest people in the city. This was no place for her or her
kid, but that wasn’t my problem. I had only one thing to focus on and that was worming my way further into the organization and
taking it down.
 3

SKYLAR

A SLIVER of fear skated down my spine as I drove past my new neighbor. He was handsome, even if he did look like a drug
dealer. I knew all too well that the good looking ones were trouble. That’s why I was in this mess to begin with. But I couldn’t
regret what I got out of my relationship with Rico.
I glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled at Parker. He took on my own family’s traits more than Rico’s, thank God. With
short brown hair and blue eyes, he was a little mini-me, always smiling and laughing, something Rico hated. He wanted his kid
to be hard and tough like him, and when Parker cried, Rico would yell at him for being too soft. Thankfully, Rico went to
prison, and since he got out, he hadn’t been around to see his son.
“Mama, look!” He held up his fingers and laughed because he finally figured out how to cross them.
“Good job, buddy,” I smiled at him in the rearview mirror. “Are you excited for school today?”
“Yep! Ms. Sally said we’re…we’re doing letters today!”
Parker was doing so well in preschool, something Rico didn’t think was necessary, but I was determined to give him a
better life than his father had. There was no way in hell I was letting him turn into a gangbanger at the age of thirteen. I just had
to save up enough money to disappear for good. Baz had a long reach, though. He wouldn’t let us go easily, something he
reminded me of whenever he stopped by for a surprise visit.
I pulled into the preschool parking lot and shut off the car, twisting in my seat to see my son. “I have to work late tonight, so
I’ll be here at six-thirty for you.”
“Okay, mama.” His voice was understanding, but his eyes dropped to his lap as a frown appeared on his face.
“Hey, we’ll go to the zoo this weekend, okay? I have the whole weekend off.”
That immediately cheered him up. It pained me to see him so sad. I wished we could be like other families that had both
parents there to support their children, but that would never happen. We’d have to make the best of things and deal with the
circumstances before us.
I helped Parker out of the car and walked him inside. His mood brightened even further when he saw Ms. Sally. His hand
slipped from mine as he ran across the room and flung his body into her arms. She nearly toppled over when he crashed into
her.
“Parker,” I reprimanded. “You need to be gentle. Remember, Ms. Sally just had surgery.”
“Oh, I’ve healed from that,” she chided me. “I’m not even walking with crutches anymore.”
“Still…” She still walked with a limp after her knee surgery. I wasn’t about to have my kid set back her progress. I bent
down in front of Parker and turned him to face me. “I want you to be good for Ms. Sally today. You do whatever she asks you to
do, no questions.”
He nodded. “I will, mama.”
“And what do you say at lunchtime?”
“Thank you for the food.”
“And what do you say at the end of the day?”
“Thank you for teaching me today.”
I smiled at his responses. I was paying for preschool. It wasn’t like Ms. Sally was watching him for free, but I wanted him
to latch onto good manners now. After straightening his jacket, I pulled him in for a hug. My breath caught in my chest as he
squeezed his little hands around my neck. I was lucky to have such a good kid.
“Alright, I’ll see you after work.”
“Okay, mama. I love you.”
He ran off without another word, hanging his backpack on the hook and slipping out of his jacket. I watched as he sorted
through the name tags, and when he found his, put it on the wall in the attendance column.
“He’s really a very good student. He’s the best behaved and my brightest kid.” She leaned in close and smiled. “Don’t tell
anyone else I said that.”
“I won’t,” I grinned. “He was reading National Geographic to me last night.”
“You know they’re going to want to have him skip a grade when he gets into elementary school.”
“I won’t do that. He’s doing great in school, but emotionally, he’s not ready to be with older kids.”
She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed something off her desk. “I’ve been looking into schools that would be good for
him. The district he’s in right now has very low test scores. Most of the kids there don’t go to college, let alone graduate. And
the few who do make it out…” She pursed her lips. “Parker is very smart for his age. I would hate to see him in a school
without the environment he needs to thrive. Take a look at these pamphlets.”
My eyes dropped to the handouts and I immediately knew they were out of the question. “These are all private schools.
There’s no way I could ever afford⁠—”
“There are scholarships available. I know the principal, and she told me that with a letter of recommendation, he stands a
real chance at getting in. I’ve already sent over some of the work he’s done in class and discussed what kind of student he is.
She said she would love to set up a meeting with you and Parker.”
I didn’t know what to say. The fact that she even thought to look into this for me was amazing. “Thank you, Ms. Sally. This
is…thank you.”
“You know I love Parker,” she smiled. “He’s one of my favorite students. Again, do not repeat that.” She gently rested her
hand on mine. “I know how difficult things are with his father. This is a great opportunity to get him out of that path and onto a
brighter one.”
I was speechless, and that was partly because my eyes were watering and my throat was clogged with tears. I quickly
swiped them away and smiled at her. “Thank you so much.”
“Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with. And don’t wait too long to call the principal. They’ll be closing
registration for next year soon.”
“I won’t.” I glanced at the clock and smiled at her again. “I have to get to work. Thank you again for this.”
“We’ll see you at the end of the day.”
I rushed out of the preschool, setting the pamphlets on the passenger seat of my car. With any luck, I could call on my lunch
break and get a meeting scheduled soon. If I could get him in, this could change the course of his life forever. No matter what
bad choices I made, I wouldn’t allow my son to ever go down the same road I had.

“HOW ARE YOU FEELING , MR. LANDRY?”

He grunted, not bothering to answer the question. I walked further into the room, but was immediately on guard. Something
about the way he was staring at me set me on edge. I’d seen it all too well with patients that came in after a bar fight. This guy
was arrested during a drug deal and was thrown to the ground as cops wrestled to get him under control.
If he was hopped up on drugs, that meant he was dangerous and I had to proceed with caution. I walked over to the
computer and read through his intake chart. No matter who he was or what he’d done, I still had a job to do.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the handcuff latched to the bed was no longer around his wrist, but lying on the bed. I
had to get out and call for security before he realized what I was doing. With a bright smile, I took a step back, but I wasn’t fast
enough. He must have noticed my hesitation because he leapt from the bed before I could make it to the curtain.
I screamed as his body crashed into mine. My back slammed against the cart and I fell to the floor, smacking my head
against the tile. I was too stunned to make a move, and that delay gave him enough time to get his hands around my throat.
Seconds of shock passed until I slammed my knee up into his stomach and attempted to roll him off me, but he was too strong. I
struggled to breathe, but his meaty hands cut off my air supply in seconds.
Through the fog from lack of oxygen, I heard other people shouting, but didn’t know what they were saying. I was hauled
off my feet by the monster and spun around. Air filled my lungs instantly, but it took a second to regain my bearings. Everyone
was staring at me in fear, but I had no idea why. Then I felt the cool metal of the scalpel he had pressed to my throat.
“Just stay back!” he shouted in my ear. “You come any closer and I’ll shove this knife in her neck!”
He jerked my body to fully cover him as more people ran into view. I could see security calling it in to local police, but
that could take minutes I didn’t have. My best friend Gina was staring at me in horror. We’d all heard stories about something
like this happening. I just never thought I would be the one behind the blade.
With one look at the clock, I realized I was going to be late picking up Parker. I was supposed to leave in ten minutes. What
would he think when I didn’t show up on time? What if I didn’t show up at all? Would he be sent to live with his deadbeat
father? Any hopes of him attending that school would be out of the question.
I couldn’t think about that now. I had to focus on what was happening right now and figure out a way to get out of this mess.
I licked my dry lips and closed my eyes, trying to calm the panic growing inside me. I’d taken self-defense classes after I gave
birth to Parker. Knowing that his father was going to be in my life, I didn’t think I had a choice. I just had to remember what I
was taught and fight the panic enough to think clearly.
“Landry, you don’t want to do this,” I heard someone shout.
I peeled my eyes open and focused on the officer standing just outside the curtain. He was my focal point, the only way I
was going to get out of this in one piece. Dark eyes, dark hair, tall, strong gun arm…I made a mental list of everything about
this man down to his name tag. Thorson.
“You don’t think I’m serious?” Landry shouted, pressing the knife further into my skin.
I felt the sharp sting of the blade and a trickle of blood from where he’d cut me. Hostage negotiations could go on for hours
if the prisoner was angry and brave enough. And if this guy was hopped up on drugs, there was no telling what he was capable
of.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the officer said, holding up his hands. “You don’t want to do this. Just take a breath and calm down.”
“Calm down? You want me to calm down?”
“I want you to think about what you’re doing. The hospital is shut down. There’s nobody here but us and a dozen other
cops. There’s only one way this ends, and if you don’t put that knife down, you’ll end up in a body bag.”
His voice was strong and determined, giving me the strength to focus on what I needed to do. I locked eyes with him for
just a moment, and when I felt the scalpel against my throat ease just a little, I yanked his knife hand down, then slid back under
his armpit.
I stumbled backward as Landry was tackled by the officer and another one I hadn’t seen. Landing on my butt, I scrambled
out of the way as the officer spun him to his stomach and cuffed his hands behind his back, while the other officer held him
down.
“Sky!” Gina shouted as she rushed over to me, kneeling down beside me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, still staring at the man who’d just attacked me. I couldn’t believe that actually worked. I had practiced it many
times before, but that was when Parker was little. I had never used it in a real situation.
“Hey, talk to me, girl.”
I finally looked at Gina, but couldn’t say a thing. I started to feel light-headed and the adrenaline coursing through me had
my heart pounding in my chest.
“Ma’am, I need you to back up,” the cop said, grabbing Gina by the arm and gently pulling her to her feet. Gina took a step
back, still watching me carefully. “Are you okay?” the officer asked.
My eyes once again landed on his name tag and I repeated his name over and over in my head to keep from flipping out. I
felt his hand brush my cheek and finally met his eyes.
“Take a deep breath. Watch me.”
I kept my eyes on his mouth as he sucked in a breath, then slowly released it. I could hear the clock ticking in the distance
and used it to help count my breaths. Slowly, my heart started to slow, but the shaking increased. He took my hand in his and
gave a squeeze, reassuring me he was still there.
“That’s better,” he grinned.
I gave him a shaky smile, noticing for the first time how beautiful his face was. With a five o’clock shadow covering his
jaw and those dark eyes, it was easy to see him as dangerous, but the grin on his face hinted at mischief.
“Can you stand?”
I nodded and let him haul me to my feet. I was still shaking and felt off balance, but at least I didn’t have a knife to my
throat anymore. “Gina,” I finally croaked out. “I need you to call the preschool. Parker⁠—”
“I’ll take care of it. Just sit down.”
I watched as she hurried off to the front desk. The officer guided me over to a chair and pushed me down. “Can you tell me
what happened?”
“Uh…”
“Let’s start with an easier question. What’s your name?”
“Skylar,” I answered, licking my lips. “Skylar West.”
“Hey, Skylar. I’m Officer Thorson.”
“I saw that,” I said, pointing to his name tag. “I focused on it when he⁠—”
He nodded slightly. “That was quick thinking. You should teach some classes for us.”
“I doubt that,” I huffed out. “I’ve never done that before. I mean, aside from in class.”
“Well, they taught you well. You really kept your cool.”
“I have a son,” I blurted out. “I was thinking about him. I’m supposed to pick him up from school soon.”
“Can you call his father?” he asked, reaching for his phone.
“No,” I answered immediately. “His…his father’s not in the picture. And I don’t want him to be.”
“Understood. How about we get you checked out and you can give me your statement? Then I can get you out of here.”
“That sounds good.” My eyes drifted around the room and the man’s face flashed in my eyes. “Not in here. Let’s go to a
different room.”
 “No problem.”
He grabbed my elbow and helped me stand. Still shaky, I wobbled with him to another room, grateful when Gina stepped in
to clean me up. The cut wasn’t deep, but I would need it cleaned out to be on the safe side. While Gina got to work, Officer
Thorson asked me to repeat what happened. I went through the motions, telling him what happened, how I noticed he wasn’t
cuffed to the bed anymore and tried to get out. It only took a few minutes to tell him everything I knew. After that, I just wanted
to punch out and go home.
“Thank you. If we need anything else from you, we’ll be in touch. Here’s my card if you need to talk.”
I took the card and nodded, shoving it in my pocket. As he left, Gina turned to me with a knowing grin.
“Girl, he was fine.”
“He’s a cop.”
“And all the more fine because of it. You know I like a man in uniform.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed off the bed. “I have to go get Parker.”
“You’re not even going to talk about this?”
“About what? You saw what happened.”
“Not the man that held a scalpel to your neck. I’m talking about the man candy that just strolled out of here, looking like a
wet dream.”
I huffed in laughter. “Seriously, do you ever stop thinking about sex?”
“On most days? No. And especially not when a man that good looking walks into the room. But he wasn’t looking at me. He
only had eyes for you.”
“Because I was the one with a scalpel to my throat. There was nothing else there.”
“Sure, if you want to see it that way.”
I walked out of the room and over to the front desk. With a quick glance at the clock, I saw a half hour had passed already.
Parker would be worried if I didn’t show up soon.
“Are you really telling me you didn’t see the way he was watching you?”
I spun on my heel to face her. “Yes, he was watching me like a woman who had freaked out, and wanted to make sure I was
okay. I appreciate that he didn’t leave me in the moment, but he’s gone now, off to rescue someone else.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked, nodding her head discreetly to the emergency room doors.
He was standing over there talking with another officer. That didn’t mean anything. “He’s working the scene. Where else
would he be?”
“I’m just saying, he stuck around for you. Just think about it.”
She grabbed a chart and walked off. I briefly wondered if she was right, but shoved it to the back of my mind. He was here
to do a job, and I had to get my son. I clocked out, then headed to the locker room to grab my stuff. I didn’t have time to change
tonight since I was already late. With my bag in hand, I headed for the exit, purposely ignoring the fact that Officer Thorson
was still there.
“Hey,” he said, running to catch up with me outside. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I am,” I smiled at him. “Thank you. I just have to get my son.”
“Yeah, I thought I would walk you to your car. Anyone would be shaken up after what happened.”
That was the truth. My whole body was jittery and on edge. I was trying to appear cool and calm, but my brain was going a
million miles a minute, trying to keep up with my body’s reaction. I didn’t want to go home or be alone tonight, but I didn’t
exactly have a choice in the matter.
“Do you want me to drive you home?” he asked, watching me carefully.
“What?” I looked up at him, realizing I was standing in the same spot as when he stopped me and I had totally spaced out.
“Do you want me to take you home?”
“I have to get my son,” I repeated.
“How about I follow you? And when we get to your house, I can check it out for you, just to make you feel better.”
I didn’t want to admit how much I needed that right now. Just the fact that he offered had my eyes welling with tears. Other
than Gina, I had no one. My parents lived in Florida, far away from all my drama. When I got pregnant, they wanted to move
closer, but I wouldn’t let them—not when I knew who Rico really was. My dad had a lot of health problems, and the last thing I
wanted was to put any more stress on him.
And that was another problem. If Officer Thorson drove me home, everyone in the neighborhood would see it. It would
eventually get back to Rico, and then his father. I didn’t need that kind of attention right now.
“I’m fine,” I smiled. “Really.”
I could tell he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t push it either. I got in my car and drove away, but in the rearview mirror, I
saw him watching me. A small smile touched my lips. Gina was right. He was very good looking.
 4

J AC K

WORKING out wasn’t nearly enough to completely wipe the cravings from my mind, but it helped enough that I was able to get
out of the house and look at a bike I’d had my eye on from the moment I passed it at the local mechanic’s on my first day in this
town. There was nothing special about this bike. In fact, it was going to take a lot of long hours to fix it up and make it run
again. Which provided the perfect cover for me as I scoped out the neighborhood.
The man was good enough to bring it to my house on his trailer. I handed him the cash and shook his hand as he twitched
uneasily in front of me. Yeah, I got the same feeling the first time I laid eyes on my neighbors. Since all of them were working
for Baz, I had to assume that they were all druggies just like me.
Just like I used to be.
I would always be an addict, but that didn’t mean I would always be a druggie.
“Send me some pictures when you have her fixed up,” Mike smiled. “I’d love to see how she turns out.”
“Will do,” I answered, slipping him another hundred. “Do you see a lot of people from around here?”
He glanced at one of the other houses and nodded. “Yeah, not exactly the clientele I want hanging around, but a man has to
pay the bills.”
“Understood. If you ever hear anything…” I paused, making sure he understood what I was saying, “give me a call.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “You don’t seem like the type to hang around these guys. Mind if I ask why you’re in this part of
town?”
I wanted to say I was nothing like them, but that wouldn’t do much to hold my cover. “Just got out of prison. This was the
only place I could afford.”
“You looking for work?”
“Maybe.”
“I’m assuming since you’re fixing up this bike you’re good with your hands. If you need a job, swing by. I may have an
opening for you.”
That raised more than a few red flags. “Just like that? I just told you I got out of prison and you’re offering me a job?”
His eyes drifted to the tat on my arm for just a moment. “Special Forces?”
“Raiders First Battalion,” I answered.
“75 th Ranger. I would keep that covered up or you’re gonna be their new enforcer.”
With that, he turned and headed for his truck, then stuck his hand out the window in a wave as he pulled out of the
driveway.
He saw the tat as a hindrance, but it was exactly how I planned to get inside. I couldn’t move up in the organization if I was
sitting on my ass all day. I needed insider knowledge. Baz trusted me enough to keep his son safe, but would he trust me with
his business dealings?
Pulling the trigger on that cop ate at me, but taking out these assholes to prove my loyalty to Baz was not a problem. Every
criminal I took out was one less I had to deal with. But it would also draw attention to me, putting a target on my back because
of who I was. It was a necessary evil, and would help get me the fuck out of here a hell of a lot faster.
I was about to head inside when I heard the rumble of a Harley at the end of the street. Driving way too fucking fast in a
neighborhood like this, Rico flew past my house, then turned and parked in front of the house beside mine.
When he took off his helmet, he grinned at me. “My man!”
Christ, I hated this fucking prick. Thankfully, I never showed him any kindness in prison, so I didn’t have to fake it out here.
I nodded at him, then gave him my back as I checked out my new bike.
“Man, I haven’t seen you since the trial. How’s it going?”
When he walked around my bike and stared at me, I knew I wouldn’t get rid of him easily. I bent down, checking out all the
shit I would have to replace to get this thing rolling again.
 “Pops put you up in a nice place.”
I rolled my eyes. If he thought this was nice, he must be living someplace really shitty.
“So, check it out. You’re living right next to my girl. I’d appreciate you keeping eyes on her.”
That had me looking up at him. “She’s yours?”
“The kid too,” he grinned. “I met her at a club and the rest is history.”
How the fuck did Rico land a woman like that? I didn’t know her, but even looking at her, I could tell she was out of his
league. “Why aren’t you staying with her?”
Normally, I wouldn’t ask any questions, but this might actually help move my agenda further along.
“We’re not exactly together anymore.”
“Then she’s not yours,” I countered.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. It was hilarious that he thought he could intimidate me. “She’s the mother of my kid. She’s
off-limits.”
“Never said she wasn’t.”
“You can keep an eye on her. I was gonna send someone over here, but since you’re her neighbor⁠—”
“I’m not watching your baby mama,” I cut in.
“I think you’re mistaken who you’re working for.”
I slowly rose to my feet. I didn’t take being threatened lightly. It didn’t matter what the job was, I wouldn’t allow this
fuckweasel to lord anything over me. “I had your back in prison because we were cellmates. Don’t think for one fucking
second that I won’t put your ass in the ground if you ever threaten me again. I don’t give a fuck who your daddy is.”
Like the shit he was, he backed down immediately. The problem with guys like this was that they’d never really known
how to do anything for themselves. He was a product of his father’s making, but he didn’t have the skills to take on anyone.
“Listen, man,” he chuckled. “I’m just sayin’—”
“I don’t give a fuck what you’re saying,” I said, stalking around my bike to get in his face. “If you want to protect your
woman, get your ass over here and do it yourself. I gave enough in prison.”
He flinched at the reminder and immediately backed down. “Sorry, man. No hard feelings.”
I stepped closer, until we were chest to chest. Surprisingly, he didn’t back up, but I could feel his body trembling with
every breath he took. He was fucking terrified. The problem was, he didn’t know true terror, but I’d be happy to give him a
lesson anytime he wanted.
“Stay the fuck off my property. Got it?”
His throat bobbed as he gave a slight nod. When I turned my back on him, I half expected him to try and attack, but instead,
he scurried around me like the sniveling weasel he was and practically ran to his bike. He wasn’t going to make it long on the
outside if he didn’t man up.
As he drove away, I glanced at the house next to me. I couldn’t understand how a woman would get tangled up with
someone like him. Not only was he the son of an arms dealer, but he wasn’t man enough to defend her. Whatever the deal was,
it was none of my business.

“P ACK OF REDS ,” I TOLD THE CASHIER AT THE GAS STATION .

She turned and grabbed one off the shelf in the back, then tossed it on the counter. I’d never smoked until I took this job.
Now, it was the only thing that was keeping me from wandering the streets for a dealer. It was a disgusting habit, but I’d do
anything not to take another hit.
I handed over the cash and grabbed my smokes, but didn’t get any farther than that. Two men stepped up behind me,
crowding me against the counter. I sighed in frustration. I was so fucking tired of people trying to intimidate me.
“You got a fucking problem?” I asked, pocketing my change.
“Boss wants a word with you,” the guy on the right said.
I glanced at the woman behind the counter, giving a slight shake of my head. She was terrified and her hand was inching
toward the edge of the counter. If she hit the panic button, it was going to cause more problems than we needed.
Turning, I spotted a couple of dark SUVs out the window, idling in the parking lot. There was only one person who could
be, and I didn’t exactly have a choice whether or not I wanted to see him. Shoving past the two men, I shoved the door open
and stormed out to the vehicle. The door opened just as I got to the back, and I slid inside beside the man who got me in this
position in the first place.
“Nice of you to finally show up,” I muttered, not bothering to look at him.
“Cry me a river. You had a job to do,” Rafe said.
Completely unapologetic. That was my boss to a T. Normally, I didn’t give a fuck, but the way he left me hanging really
chapped my ass. “You didn’t check in even once.”
 He shifted to face me, his dark eyes peeking out from under the brim of his black cowboy hat. “Are you fucking kidding
me? You knew the job.”
“Yeah, I also stupidly thought you’d have my back.”
“You knew what this would mean. If I’d visited you, it would have blown the op and you’d be in the ground right now.”
“I almost was in the ground,” I hissed. “Not that you care, but I was in the hospital. I almost fucking died.”
“I know,” he snapped. “Just because I couldn’t make contact didn’t mean I wasn’t keeping tabs on you. I was fucking
running that place.”
I snorted at that. “Yeah, you really did me a lot of favors.”
“More than you fucking realize. Who do you think made the decision to throw you in the hold multiple times? It saved your
ass and held up your cover.”
“Saved my ass?” I said incredulously. “You’ve gotta be fucking shitting me right now. Do you have any fucking idea what it
was like in that place?”
“I got a good idea.”
“Yeah? Tell me about it. Tell me how much sleep you got while I was watching my back every fucking second of the day.”
“You knew what you signed up for!”
He was right about that. “I did,” I relented. “I knew exactly what would happen to me once I was on the inside.”
“Then what are you fucking whining about?”
As much as it pained me to admit it, he had a point. I knew what I signed up for, and like it or not, this was the job. I just
didn’t realize how it would affect me after all this time. My hand shook as it rested on my thigh, not because I was nervous, but
because the need to take another hit was racing through my veins. I pulled out my smokes and lit one, not giving a fuck that I
was smoking in his vehicle.
“Put it out.”
“It’s either this or I find a drug dealer.”
I pulled the smoke between my lips and inhaled the nicotine straight into my lungs. The relief was stark, but not enough to
completely kill the need. It was only a bandaid, and with time, that need would only grow. I was still too close to the edge, no
matter how hard I fought it.
“Christ, you’re a fucking addict now?”
“I’m what you made me.” I took another drag and closed my eyes. Tonight was going to be hell.
“You were supposed to go in and get the job done—not fall in line with Gelbero’s crew.”
“And what did you think was going to happen?” I snapped. “You sent me in to do a job and I had to fit the part. I did what
was needed.”
“And now you’re too fucking addicted to see straight,” he scoffed. “Fucking useless.”
I put out the cigarette on his seat right next to his hand. His eyes met mine in challenge, but I wasn’t playing that game
anymore. I would finish the job only because I was already in too deep. This had to count for something. I wouldn’t allow my
addiction to be for nothing.
“The next fucking time you see me, you’d better be arresting that prick. After that, you can find someone else to do the job.
I’m out.”
I reached for the handle, but he grabbed my jacket, yanking me back. “You’re out when I say you’re out.”
With deadly calm, I pried his fingers from my jacket. “I’m out when I say. The days of me being your muscle are over. Find
someone else to do your dirty work.”
I flung the door open and got out, walking right past his new muscle. Despite feeling like my skin was crawling, I felt pretty
damn good about my newfound distance from Rafe. And I was even happier than ever that I took this job instead of Johnny or
Jason. They were the only men I could rely on, the only two that ever gave a shit about me. I’d gladly take the hit for them if it
meant all of us could walk away in the end.
I got in my truck and tore out of the parking lot, leaving Rafe in the dust. The job was long from being over, but knowing I
was done once this was over gave me a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in years. When this was over, I was going straight. Maybe
I’d retire for good and settle down on a beach with a margarita in my hand. Then again, maybe the peace of the mountains
would be better for me. At least I could still carry a gun without anyone looking at me funny.
Feeling lighter than I had in years, I headed back to the house. One year. That’s all the time I was giving myself to finish this
job. If the job wasn’t finished, I was walking away.
One year.
 5

SKYLAR

MS . S ALLY MET me at the door, stepping outside before Parker could see me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I smiled. “I’m not gonna lie, it was really scary.”
“What happened? All Gina said was that someone attacked you.”
“Yeah, it was…” Honestly, I didn’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to move on.
“I’m not trying to pry. I just want to make sure you’re okay. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, I just want to go home and kick my feet up.”
“That’s understandable.”
“How much do I owe you for the overtime?”
She waved me off. “Please, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re safe.”
She opened the door again and let me into the building where one of the aids was working on a popsicle stick project with
Parker. She glanced up and smiled. “Parker, your mom’s here. How about we finish this tomorrow?”
“Okay.” The moment he looked at me, the panic simmering in my chest increased tenfold. I loved my son more than anything
in the world. I always assumed that if something went wrong, it would be because of where I lived, not because I was at the
hospital. But after what happened today, I was even more terrified that I wouldn’t be able to protect him. Killers walked the
earth all around us. There was no possible way to keep him safe at all times.
I took a deep breath and held out my arms for him, catching him as he flung himself at me. I squeezed him tight, sending up a
prayer that I could protect him. “Hey, buddy,” I sniffled back the tears. “How was school today?”
“It was so good! I count to forty!”
“You did?” I said, laughing at the silly grin on his face.
“Momma, why are you crying?”
I swiped at the tears, refusing to let him see how terrified I was. “It’s so silly. I stubbed my toe and it really hurt.”
“Should I kiss it?”
“No, baby. It’s all better now. Are you ready to go?”
His eyebrows shot up as he spun away from me. “I gotta get my backpack!”
I stood as he ran across the room and grabbed his folder, then started putting his papers inside.
“He had a really good day,” Ms. Sally assured me. “He told me Dr. Seuss was too easy and made me pick out a harder
book for him. Good luck with that,” she laughed.
“I’m sure he’ll read it to me all night.”
“I don’t doubt it. It’s a book about the ocean, and he hasn’t stopped staring at it since I gave it to him. Alison set up this
project just so he would put it down for five minutes. When he started telling me about bioluminescence, I decided he’d had
enough for the day,” she laughed. “I’m not sure I even knew what bioluminescence was until I was an adult.”
“He’s setting the bar pretty high.”
He crashed into my legs a few seconds later, grinning up at me. “Can we get burgers on the way home?”
“Anything you want.”
After today, I needed a night with no cooking. Besides, he had to be starving. It was way past dinner time. I’d have to get
him home and right to bed. I thanked the ladies one last time for staying late, then walked out with Parker to the car. He chatted
my ear off the whole way, telling me about all the things he learned from his new book.
I smiled and nodded along, but I was so distracted that I didn’t hear half of what he said. I ordered a kid’s meal for Parker,
but couldn’t stomach the thought of eating anything right now. I was still nauseous from what happened at the hospital. What I
really needed was a warm bath and a big glass of wine.
It wasn’t until I turned down my street that I even thought about the officer from earlier. He was currently parked in my
driveway, which initially freaked me out, but then I realized that all he had to do was look me up. He had the resources to find
out anything he wanted.
“Mama, why is there a police officer in our driveway?”
“Um…I met him earlier. He’s just here to say hi.”
“Is he gonna give me a ride in his car?” he asked excitedly.
“Not tonight. You have to get to bed, mister,” I answered as I parked beside the cruiser.
I got out, looking over at my new neighbor’s drive first. He was kneeling next to a bike I’d never seen before, but he wasn’t
working on it. He was staring at me. Swallowing hard, I quickly turned and grabbed Parker from the back seat just as Officer
Thorson walked around the back of my car.
“I know you told me you didn’t need me to come by, but I would feel better if I checked out the place.”
Everything about him put me at ease. It wasn’t easy to live in this area with a small kid. Baz always had his men running
errands for him. I was just lucky there were never any shots fired, but if Officer Thorson kept coming around, I wasn’t sure that
would last.
“Okay, but I have to put this guy to bed.”
“I won’t be long. I promise.”
I nodded and headed for the door, glancing over my shoulder one last time at the man beside the bike. His eyes followed
me all the way to the front porch, but he looked away as soon as Officer Thorson looked his way.
“Is he a problem?” Officer Thorson asked.
“Um…I don’t know. I’ve never met him. He just moved in.”
He took the keys from me and unlocked the door, letting himself in. I followed, but hung back as he walked through my
small house.
“All clear,” he grinned. “I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to come out here.”
“Yeah, we’ll pretend that I didn’t look up your information,” he laughed.
“I’ll let it go if you can excuse my messy house, Officer Thorson.”
“Pete,” he corrected. “And your house is fine. Lock the door behind me.”
“I will.”
He pulled a card out and slipped it into my hand. His hand closed around mine for just a second, but that was all it took to
feel something I hadn’t felt in years. I looked up into his dark eyes and tried to tell myself that I couldn’t get involved with a
police officer. But the way he was looking at me, I knew this wouldn’t be the last time I saw him.
“Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
But I wouldn’t. If he came out here too often, Baz would get wind of it and start coming around more. I needed to keep him
as far away from me as possible.
As soon as the door closed, I shook off the tingling feelings rushing through my body and hustled Parker into his bedroom. It
didn’t take long to get him through his bedtime routine tonight. He was exhausted from the long day, and conked out almost as
soon as I started reading to him.
Turning out his light, I headed for the kitchen and grabbed a wine glass from the cabinet. As I pulled out the wine, my
neighbor’s eyes flashed in my mind. Those ice blue eyes were familiar. I just couldn’t place them. Pouring myself a glass, I
walked into the living room and pulled back the curtains just enough to see outside. He was still working on his bike, but
suddenly looked up at me. With a yelp, I stepped back, letting go of the curtain.
After a moment, I peeked outside again, but he was gone. That was weird. Why would he be watching me so closely? Or
was he like that with everyone? Shaking it off, I headed to the bathroom and turned on the warm water. As I sat on the edge of
the tub with my hand under the water, I tried to place where I had seen his face before. But I saw so many people at the hospital
that it was nearly impossible to remember them all.
I almost jumped out of my skin when my cell rang. Pressing my hand to my racing heart, I answered my mom’s call. “Hey,”
I said as cheerily as possible.
“Hey, honey. I didn’t hear from my grandson tonight.”
Shit, I completely forgot to call. “Yeah, we had a busy night. He crashed as soon as we got home.”
“I missed seeing his face.” I could hear the smile in her voice. I made a point of calling her every night, video-chatting
whenever possible. My parents missed out on so much, and I knew it was hard on my mom especially.
“We’ll call in the morning before school.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I know your mornings are busy. So, how’s work going?”
“It’s—” Flashes of the man attacking me still played on repeat in my head, but I shoved them aside. The last thing my
parents needed to worry about was me getting injured at work. “Busy as always.”
“I wish we were there to help out.”
“You know that would be too stressful for Dad.”
 “I know. You don’t have to tell me again,” she chastised.
Avoiding another lecture, I switched topics. “How was lunch yesterday at the women’s club?”
“You know how those ladies are. Half the time, I wish I had never gone and the other half I feel that it’s good for me to get
out of the house.”
“It is. You can’t spend your whole life taking care of other people. Besides, you know Dad would lose his mind if you
hovered over him every second of the day.”
“Well, since you won’t let me hover over you⁠—”
“Mom,” I sighed in frustration. “Can we not do this again?”
“I’m just saying, I understand why you don’t want us there, but I could help out. Besides, it doesn’t make sense that you
keep your parents away, but your son is still around that man.”
“I don’t have a choice,” I argued. “It’s not like I can move right now. Baz is always watching. I have to be careful when I
make my move.”
“And I could be there in the meantime to help out. That’s all I’m saying.”
She was never going to let this go. “I know, and thank you for the offer, but the fewer people around, the easier it will be to
get out of here. The last thing I need is Baz going after you too.”
“I don’t like it,” she grumbled, “but I’ll stay out of it. For now.”
And with that threat, I decided it was time to get off the phone and destress. “I have a few things to do before I go to bed.
I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Code for, you’ve interfered too much and it’s time to get off the phone.”
“I still love you.”
“You have a funny way of showing it,” she chuckled. “Talk later.”
“Bye, Mom.”
Sighing, I tossed the phone on the table and took one last peek outside at my neighbor. Thank God my mom wasn’t around to
see him. All those tats on his arms would freak her out, and then she’d drag me away by my hair. After locking all the doors
and turning off the lights, it was time to unwind for the day.
Undressing, I slipped into the bath and grabbed my wine glass. Taking a long sip, I pictured my happy place, somewhere far
away from here where I wouldn’t have to worry about violence on a daily basis. Maybe I could find a small town to disappear
from the chaos. Some place Parker could grow up with friends who would play ball with him after school and he could ride
his bike around town without worrying about gang violence.
I would make it happen sooner rather than later. I almost had enough money saved from working my side job as an EMT.
Before I was in nursing school, I trained as an EMT, getting my license so I could put myself through school. I still take shifts
twice a week to help pay the bills and save up for my escape. Most of the time, Gina watches Parker for me. She knows my
situation, and was there the night I met Rico. She wants me to get out just as much as I do.
If I have to put in a little extra time now so my kid is safe in the long run, I’ll do it. Even if that means wearing myself thin
from the long hours or meeting some of the worst of humanity when we get called to the prison. That place gives me the creeps.
It’s one of the most dangerous prisons in the United States and⁠—
I sat upright, nearly sloshing my wine over the side of the glass in my haste. My heart slowly pounded faster and faster in
my chest as I realized where I’d seen the man next door before. He was on my gurney a few months back. We’d been called to
the Beaumont for a prisoner who had been injured. That was him. He looked different now—not banged up like he was then.
But I was sure of it. The question was, what was he in prison for and were we safe next door to him?
 6

J AC K

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?”

I turned at the sound of the tiny male voice over my shoulder. Of all the people I expected to talk to me in this
neighborhood, I hadn’t expected this kid to be one of them.
“Fixing my bike.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Everything,” I grunted.
“If everything’s wrong with it, why don’t you buy a new one?”
Dropping my tool, I got off the bucket I was using for a seat and snatched the rag off the seat of the bike. Wiping my hands, I
stared down at the kid who couldn’t be more than five years old. With a mop of brown hair on the top of his head and blue eyes
that matched his mama’s, it was hard to see how he was related to Rico at all. He didn’t look a thing like him, which was
probably for the best.
“Where’s your mama?”
“In the house,” he said, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. “She’s mad because she didn’t hear her alarm go off. She
said she’s late and her boss is going to yell at her a lot.”
“Yeah? What does she do?”
“She’s a nurse at the hospital.”
This kid had to be older than I thought. The way he spoke—it didn’t sound like any five-year-old I knew. Not that I knew
many of them. “How old are you?”
“Four!” he beamed, holding out four fingers proudly. “I’ll be five in two months!”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. This kid was only four? He spoke clearly, with not even a hint of uncertainty about what
he was saying.
“Why don’t you buy a new bike?”
“Because I don’t want a new bike.”
“But a new bike would be prettier.”
“I like the work that goes into fixing up a bike,” I countered.
He sighed heavily, shaking his head as he stared at the heap behind me. “That’s a lot of work.”
“Yeah. You know something about it?”
He swiped at his nose again, shaking his head. “No.”
“Have you ever been around a bike?”
He shook his head again, but then his eyes lit up. “I have a monster truck, though.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
The screen door on his house banged shut as his mom came running out. She wasn’t dressed in scrubs, though. She was
donning a blue EMT outfit. Maybe the kid had it mixed up.
Her eyes scanned the yard for her son and the panic was evident when she saw he wasn’t by her car. Then her eyes landed
on me and the panic turned to fear. I didn’t like the gnawing feeling in my gut from that look, but I shoved it down. It wasn’t my
job to make friends with her, and any involvement would only make my life harder.
“Parker!” she shouted, rushing over to him. She pulled him against her, keeping her hands firmly locked around his
shoulders. “You can’t wander off. I told you not to go outside.”
“I was looking at his bike,” Parker answered.
“I didn’t know where you were. You scared me.”
Correction. I scared her. I was with her son, and it was pretty fucking obvious that she thought I was a threat to him. That
was good. Better for her to assume that I was dangerous. Besides, any good mother would be terrified based on the way I
looked. This was really for the best.
“I’m sorry if he bothered you.” The slight shake in her voice gave away how terrified she was, though she was trying to
hide it. She didn’t quite meet my eyes, and despite trying her best to appear calm, I could see her pulse fluttering at the base of
her neck. Her only thought was to get away from me as fast as possible. Those were good instincts, ones that she should abide
by.
“It’s no problem,” I shrugged. “I was just working on my bike.”
Her eyes skittered over the bike quickly before she looked away. “I have to get to work.”
“He said you’re a nurse,” I said quickly, stopping her just as she was about to leave.
“Uh…that’s right. But I don’t work outside the hospital, if that’s what you’re wondering,” she added quickly.
I shook my head slightly, trying to put her at ease. No matter how much I said I didn’t care that she was afraid of me, deep
down, I fucking hated it. I didn’t like being seen as the bad guy. I fought for those who couldn’t protect themselves, and while
that vision might have been skewed while working for Rafe, it would always be who I truly was.
“Just wondering because you’re wearing an EMT uniform.”
She glanced down, then back to me. “I take shifts twice a week.”
“To help pay the bills,” I surmised.
She flinched at my astute observation. I didn’t mean to put her on the spot. It was just how I did things.
“His old man in the picture?” I asked, overstepping my bounds.
She stiffened at my question, then steeled her spine, finally looking me in the eyes. “That’s none of your business.”
“You’re right. Sorry.”
It was clear she didn’t give a shit about my apology, and that bothered me a hell of a lot more than I wanted to admit to
myself. I didn’t need the complication of a woman and kid in my life, especially not when her kid was the son of my enemy. But
the longer I stared at her, the more I hated that look in her eyes. She shouldn’t feel terrified to live next to me.
I slowly held out my hand, knowing this was the beginning of the end for me. “I’m Jack.”
Her eyes flicked to my hand for a second. She was nervous, worried about appearing rude when she should be only
concerned with her son’s safety. Then again, she might be worried that in offending me, she was putting herself in a bad
position with her baby daddy.
She finally took my hand, shaking it once before snatching her hand back. “Skylar.”
Beautiful name. It was only after several heartbeats passed that I realized I was smiling at her. Not only that, but I was
staring at her, cataloging all her features from the slight laugh lines at the corner of her eyes to the way her tongue darted out to
lick her lips when she was nervous. And those eyes—ice blue—the same fucking eyes I saw the day I was brought to the
hospital. Those eyes locked with mine when I was on the verge of death. She saved my life—a man who didn’t deserve her
kind words or attention.
I stepped back and glanced down at her boy, who was oblivious to everything passing between his mom and me. “Nice to
meet you, Parker. Take care of your mama.”
I turned back to my bike, trying to get my thoughts off the woman who kept me alive when my life was going to hell. I heard
her footsteps retreating as her son yapped about my bike. In the rusted chrome of the bike, I could see her get in the car, and
moments later pull out of the driveway. My eyes followed her down the street as she turned out of sight, and stayed way too
fucking long at the stop sign.
I had to get her out of my head. She was a complication I didn’t need. And her kid was bound to get in the way of the job. I
didn’t know why she was living here amongst killers when she could be literally anywhere else, but I had to assume it had
something to do with the baby daddy.
Against my better judgment, I pulled out the cell Baz gave me just after I was released from prison and I dialed his number.

I STOOD AS A LINE OF SUVS STOPPED AT THE CURB IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. BAZ NEVER WENT ANYWHERE WITHOUT PROTECTION ,
which made it damn near impossible to take him out without an army at your back. That’s why I had to get on the inside. It
would have been so fucking easy to take this asshole out with a single shot. Rafe had the manpower to do it, but that wouldn’t
solve the problem. For every asshole like Baz, there were another ten lined up to take his place. The operation had to be taken
down from the inside, along with all his contacts from The Syndicate. But the longer this went on, I wondered if it was even
worth it. Sure, we could take them down in time, but how long would it be until another group formed the same fucking
operation and started this all over again?
“Given your reluctance to accept my thanks at the prison, I’m a little surprised you called,” Baz said as he walked up the
drive to where I was standing beside my bike.
We were on complete opposite sides of the spectrum. He was dressed in his best suit, sticking out like a sore thumb on this
side of town. Whereas I looked like the typical dirtbag in my ratty jeans and t-shirt. He wore thousand dollar shoes and I wore
work boots. It would be clear to anyone who saw us together that I was nothing more than his flunky.
“I’m surprised you made the trip to see me.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I was in town for a business meeting. I was intrigued when you made the
call. Did you finally decide to get on board?”
“Not exactly,” I said carefully. I didn’t want to turn him down completely. I needed him to continue to trust me, to figure out
how to use me to his advantage. Only then would I make any headway.
“Then what is this about?”
“Your son stopped by yesterday. He said my new neighbor is his woman and his kid.”
“Your point being?”
“He asked me to look out for them.”
He chuckled slightly, taking a step closer to me. “Whatever it is, just fucking say it.”
“Why are they here?” He didn’t say anything, but his eyes watched me shrewdly. “It’s a problem.”
“In what way?”
“Look around here. This place is filled with criminals, all willing to do your bidding.”
“Much like you,” he answered.
“I never said I would be on your payroll.”
As soon as I said it, his guards stiffened slightly, but Baz raised his hand for them to back down. “You know, that’s what I
like about you. Most men want to join me, to reap the spoils of war. But you’re different. I read up on you. Former military,
lethal with a weapon, yet you’re not carrying.”
“I don’t need to.”
“And somehow you got wrapped up in drugs and killed a cop. How is that possible?”
“I think you know exactly how it happened,” I answered, refusing to give too much away.
He moved closer, pulling his hand from his pocket to rub against his top lip. Everything about this man was calculated,
planned out as if he saw my call coming—as if he always knew what was coming. That made him both predictable and a loose
cannon. The question was, which way would he go today. Making that call could very well get me killed for interfering in a
personal matter. But if I was right about him, it would put me in the position to climb my way up the ladder much faster than I
anticipated. My neighbor wasn’t just his son’s woman. She was the mother of Baz’s heir, and that made him worth more than
anything.
“So, why exactly did you call me here?”
“Because that kid doesn’t belong in this part of town. We both know this area isn’t safe, so why the hell is your son’s baby
mama living here, putting your grandson in danger?”
“Suddenly, you care,” he said interestedly.
“I don’t care, but I see the attention she draws every time she steps out of her house.”
“She’s here so my men can keep an eye on her and my grandson. Is that all you called me for?”
This wasn’t going the way I hoped. I thought he would see sense and move them away from the danger, but he thought a
bunch of criminals were better suited to watching her back.
“Like I said, your son asked me to look after her. I’m not a fucking babysitter. I don’t give a shit how you got me out of
prison. I paid the price for that, even if it wasn’t intended to help you or your son in any way.”
“And you want me to know that you’re not going to look after them, to protect them,” he hissed as he stepped closer.
He was just a few feet from me now. I saw the evil in his eyes, the sadistic fuck that gladly brokered deals with the worst
of humanity for a cut of the profits. There was nothing good about this man, and if he had his way, that kid would end up on his
payroll by the time he was eighteen.
“I could have you arrested and thrown back in prison with the snap of my fingers,” he threatened. “When I got you out, it
was with the understanding that I own you, not the other way around. My son—however useless he may be—fathered a child,
and he means everything to me and my legacy. It would be wise of you to keep an eye on them, to make sure they’re safe.”
“It would be wiser to move them to a safer neighborhood,” I snapped, refusing to be intimidated by him.
I anticipated the move before it happened. He pulled his gun and pressed it against my forehead. I didn’t move, didn’t even
flinch as he racked the gun. Death would not be the worst thing that could happen to me at this point. And while I didn’t have a
death wish, I also wouldn’t back down to this fucker and let him push me around. It was the only way he would respect me.
“You have some brass balls, Jack. I saved your goddamn life and not only do you not thank me for getting you out of prison,
you have the audacity to tell me what to do with my own flesh and blood.”
“Go ahead and pull the trigger,” I egged him on. “Do you really think this is the first time I’ve had a gun to my head? Do
you think I’m scared of what you could do to me? I saw worse things in the military.”
“And yet you got caught murdering a cop in broad daylight.”
“That’s what happens when you turn to drugs instead of taking care of shit.”
The gun pressed even harder against my head, but then he holstered the weapon, laughing like he hadn’t just threatened to
kill me in broad daylight.
“I knew I liked you. I have a job for you.”
“I already told you, I don’t work for you.”
He nodded his head from side to side. “We’ll see. One day, you’ll need some money, and I pay extremely well. When that
day comes, you have my number.”
“And the woman?”
“She stays. For now,” he said, turning his back on me and heading back to his SUV. “I would consider it a personal favor if
you kept an eye on them,” he called out without looking back at me.
In other words, if anything happened to them, it was on me. As the SUVs pulled away from the curb, I noticed more than a
few curtains slipping closed across the street. They weren’t here just to watch the woman and her kid. They would be watching
me, and if I made one wrong move, they’d call the boss and inform him immediately. It was the way the food chain worked.
The only way to get them off my back was to make them fear me the way they did Baz.
That would come in time. For now, I had to play it cool and get as much intel on their movements before I jumped into the
game. Only then would I truly be able to take them down.
 7

SKYLAR

“I THOUGHT for sure I was going to get a call that you weren’t showing up today,” Aaron jeered as I raced to meet him at the
ambulance.
“I overslept,” I answered, hopping in the passenger side. “And when have I ever called in sick?”
“Never, but there’s a first time for everything.”
That charming smile he sent my way was one all the ladies fell for. He was your classic good-looking, suave guy who
knew exactly what to say to a woman to get her to go home with him. And when he let them down easy the next morning, they
never seemed to mind.
His blonde hair was just short enough for women to tangle their fingers through, and as he says—the scruff of his beard
rubs them just the right way when he’s between their legs. I’ve never experienced it myself, and I would never go there since
he’s more like a brother to me, but I could definitely see the appeal. And if that wasn’t enough to tempt any woman, the bright
blue eyes that sparkled along with his smile would definitely do the trick.
He had been my partner on and off for over ten years, and that was after he trained me. He wasn’t easy on me and he didn’t
hand out any favors. I had to earn my place in the department, and when I went to nursing school, he had my back, fighting with
the department to keep me on the schedule. The hours were hell and the paycheck sucked, but it got me through to the end. If I
hadn’t fucked everything up by sleeping with Rico and getting pregnant, I wouldn’t have to work as a medic two days a week
anymore.
But I wouldn’t trade Parker for the world. And the one man that has always been on my side through it all was Aaron.
Which is why working today, despite wanting to sleep in, has put a smile on my face.
“What’s the call?” I missed it since I was running into the station right as the call came in.
“Transport from the nursing home. How’s Parker?”
“Straining my last nerve,” I laughed. “I was running around the house getting ready and couldn’t find him. He was outside
with the new neighbor.”
Aaron glanced over at me in surprise. He knew where I lived and why Parker going outside by himself was a bad idea.
“I’m assuming he’s still alive and kicking.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Of course he is.”
“Any luck on moving out of the neighborhood?”
“I’m getting there. Maybe a year more of this shit.”
“And then I won’t have to see your face anymore or yell at you for running late,” he teased.
“You’re the one who’s always late. This is my first time.”
“You know what they say. It’s a slippery slope.”
“Which explains why I’ve had to cover for you so many times.”
He scoffed at my comment. “When was the last time you ever covered for me?”
I turned to him with a grin on my face. “How about the time you were having sex with Carrie upstairs when the call came
in?”
“I wasn’t late,” he argued.
“No, you just came running out to the ambulance with your pants around your ankles. It was very impressive.”
“Okay, that’s one time.”
“Ooh, or when you got drunk with Hank after your shift and passed out on the couch for the night? I have pictures of that.”
Hank was a fireman and the worst influence possible on most of the guys. He drank like a fish and swore like a sailor.
Nobody in the station could keep up with him, but they sure did try. They always failed.
“Alright, alright,” Aaron cut me off just as I was about to give him another example. “Fine, you may have a point. I won’t
ever say that you’re late again.”
 “Thank you,” I grinned, sitting back in my seat.
“By the way, I may have found a date for you.”
I groaned, rolling my head to stare out the window. “No more dates. The last one was a disaster. Besides, whenever
someone hears that I have a kid, they run away as fast as they can.”
“Not all men are like that.”
“Not all, but there are a hell of a lot of them.”
“You know, I’ve picked out some good guys for you over the years,” he argued. “What about Steve?”
“He was a good guy,” I conceded. “There was nothing wrong with him.”
“See?”
“But there was no spark.”
“You didn’t even give him a chance.”
“I gave him three dates. I’m sorry, but if I don’t feel it after three dates, it’s a no-go.”
“That’s harsh.”
“Yeah?” I turned to him. “You wouldn’t go out with a woman for more than one date if there was no spark.”
“That’s different. I’m a guy, and I have needs.”
That made me burst out laughing. “And you think women don’t? Let me tell you, I have a vibrator that has had to fill in more
than once for a man over the years.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m not offering details,” I chastised when he shot me a wicked grin.
“You’ve never given me a chance.”
He was only saying that because I told him about my vibrator. “And you wouldn’t want a chance. Not when I tell you that
by the time Parker goes to bed, I’m so exhausted that I pass out on the couch. Or that I sometimes forget to do laundry and have
to wear the same clothes twice.”
“Everyone does that.”
“Okay, then you would be fine if I told you that you could never sleep over because Parker crawls into my bed in the
middle of the night about three nights a week?”
His thumb drummed a steady rhythm on the steering wheel as he swallowed hard. “Uh…I could go home early.”
“Uh-huh, and that would get old really fast when you have to get up at the crack of dawn for work.”
“Okay, you may have a point, but I still wouldn’t mind hearing more about that vibrator. What color is it?”
“I’m not telling you that,” I laughed.
“Red? No, pink. I bet it’s pink and has multiple settings.”
“All I’ll say is this,” I teased as we pulled into the drive of the nursing home. “Jack does a better job of getting me off than
any man I’ve ever been with.”
His face dropped at my admission. I flung the door open and hopped out as he called after me. “That’s just mean! I’m gonna
need more details! You can’t walk away and leave a guy hanging like that!”

TWO HOURS INTO MY SHIFT AND THE DAY WAS ALREADY CRAZY. THE FIRST CALL WAS FOR ELDER ABUSE, WHICH WAS HORRIFIC
enough to make my stomach churn with disgust and anger. The smell of human waste struck the moment we walked through the
door.
I did my best not to cover my nose as I walked through the door, followed by Aaron. With a quick look around the living
room, it was clear that the son did nothing to take care of the apartment, let alone his mother. Takeout containers were strewn
all over the furniture and the floor. Garbage was piled up in the corners of the room, and I was pretty sure a mouse skittered
past my foot as I approached the woman in the wheelchair.
With the TV blaring, I couldn’t hear a word the old woman was trying to say to me, which is what I assume the son
intended when he turned the volume up. He was too lazy to take care of his mother, but didn’t want to hear her complain.
Setting my bag down, I knelt beside the eighty-year-old woman in the wheelchair. Smiling at her, I brushed the knotted
strands of gray hair behind her ear. I didn’t need to pinch her skin to tell she was severely dehydrated. The dark circles and
sunken eyes were enough to give away that this woman was suffering.
“Mrs. Henderson, how are you feeling?”
Her head sort of rolled toward me. I could hear the faint sound of her whimpers now that I was closer, but that damn TV
made it impossible to hear anything.
Aaron grabbed the remote off the table and shut it off, then turned to the son. “When was the last time your mother ate
something?”
“I just gave her breakfast,” he argued. “I had to work this morning.”
 “Why don’t you have someone taking care of her while you’re gone?” he fumed.
“I can’t afford it. What do you want me to do?”
“Take care of her,” Aaron snapped.
“Mrs. Henderson,” I tried again. “When was the last time you had something to drink?”
A keening noise left her lips as her eyes fluttered closed. “I’m so hungry,” she whispered, as if she didn’t have the strength
to say it louder.
“She has dementia,” the son argued. “She doesn’t even know what she’s saying.”
“All the more reason for you not to leave her alone,” Aaron said. “Show me what she’s been eating.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron nod his head toward the kitchen. He glanced over at me, nodding for me to
continue. I quickly examined her, but it was clear to me that we needed to take her to the hospital. It was going to be messy,
though. The overwhelming smell in the air was coming from her adult diaper, which was overflowing with excrement. It
probably hadn’t been changed in days.
I could only imagine how much pain this woman was in from sitting in this chair for so long as a rash ate away at her skin. I
didn’t need to remove the diaper to know it was there. I blinked back tears as I thought of my own grandmother being treated
this way. This woman should be able to rely on her child to take care of her, but instead, he was acting like she was a nuisance
—a complication he didn’t need.
Anger bubbled up inside me with every second we were in this apartment. I was so grateful when Aaron went downstairs
to grab the stretcher. We would get her to the hospital and finally get this woman the help she needed, but what happened to her
after that was up to the courts.
After taking the woman to the hospital to be treated for severe dehydration and suspicious bruising, we were called out
again for a 10-50, a car wreck just down the road from the hospital. I could see the smoke in the air before we even got in the
ambulance.
Hitting the lights, my partner took the driver’s side as I answered the call. “Holy shit,” I muttered as we pulled up to the
scene. There was already a police officer on scene, rushing to the vehicle that was wrapped around a light pole.
I flung the door open and hurried to the back to grab my bag.
“I’ll take the vics in the car,” Aaron said, grabbing his own bag. “You take anyone outside the perimeter.”
“On it,” I answered, running over to a woman sitting on the sidewalk, holding her head in her hands. I didn’t mind him
taking the lead. Aaron was a full-time medic, and senior medic in the field. I knelt down in front of the woman, assessing her
injuries.
“Ma’am, can you tell me where you’re hurt?”
She slowly looked up at me, her eyes glazed as they flicked over to the car. “He came out of nowhere,” she cried. “I didn’t
even see him.”
“Ma’am, does anything hurt?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle. She had a gash on her head, but I couldn’t tell yet if that
was her only injury.
She sniffled, blinking as she focused on me. “Just my head.”
“Did you lose consciousness?” I asked, getting out my kit to clean her up.
“No. I dove for the sidewalk. I barely made it. I think…I think my foot caught…” She trailed off as he looked back at the
car. Tears tracked down her face the longer she stared over there.
I checked her vitals, trying to keep her calm as more help arrived on the scene. Her pulse was a little erratic and her blood
pressure was high, but that was normal after the scare she had. Both pupils were equal and reactive, but I still wanted her to go
to the hospital to get checked out.
The sound of the jaws of life tearing into the car momentarily drew my focus. I knew whatever happened to the people in
the car, they were in bad condition, but I wouldn’t be any help until the fire department finished prying the car apart.
I finished my exam, doing a total body assessment on the woman, starting at the head and working my way down. Other than
her ankle, which was tender from tripping, the woman seemed to be in good condition, just a little traumatized from the ordeal.
Just as I was finishing up, the second ambulance arrived on scene and loaded my vic up on a gurney, then drove her to the
hospital.
“You ready for this?” Aaron asked as the firemen worked on the car.
“Just another day’s work,” I grinned.
“Then let’s get to it.”
 8

CASH

“WHERE THE FUCK IS FNG?” I asked, looking around at everyone that wasn’t on a job, sans the one man that should fucking be
here since he just had a year off.
“He’s taking the day to show his lady around town,” Fox answered with a grin on his face. “I think it’s sweet. He’s really
putting in the effort to make this work.”
“This?” I asked, my eyebrows shooting up. “He married a woman after knowing her for forty-eight hours. What’s there to
make work?”
“Love, boss,” Fox answered in confusion. “They’re meant to be.”
“How the fuck can it be meant to be when he doesn’t even know her name?” Thumper snorted.
“I don’t know, look at Bowie. He married Carly and he knew her name. Look how that turned out.” Rae swiveled in her
chair, looking pointedly at Thumper.
“You want to use a quickie marriage in Vegas as the example of a good marriage?”
“No, a bad marriage,” Rae answered. “They’re not married anymore.”
“Since when?”
I interrupted the conversation, trying to get us back on track. “Since it doesn’t fucking matter. We have work to do.”
“Really?” IRIS asked. “It’s uh…been a little dull around here, boss.”
“Dull? FNG returned and we were attacked. What about that is dull?”
IRIS looked around at the others, shrugging slightly. “Well…I didn’t get to blow anything up. That’s a slow Tuesday as far
as I’m concerned.”
“Around here, we consider that a good thing.”
“Maybe for you. I’m just saying, I have to use my skills to keep them honed. What good is it to have me around if I can’t
blow up⁠—”
I narrowed my eyes at him and he cleared his throat.
“I mean, if I can’t diffuse any bombs?”
“You blew up a building on your last job.”
“That was FNG,” IRIS said quickly. “I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
“You were there.”
“I didn’t press the button. Figuratively speaking.”
“Christ,” I muttered, rubbing the ache that was beginning to form behind my eyes.
“Boss, you okay?” Fox asked, shoving out of his chair and stalking over to me. “You look a little stressed. You know, I’ve
been looking at some alternative medicine—you know, ways to heal holistically.”
“Yeah, I got that,” I snapped.
“Geez, you’re tense.”
I didn’t even have the chance to protest as he shoved me down in my chair and immediately started massaging the knots
from my neck. I groaned as he hit a particularly tense spot. This was so wrong, but felt so right. I had no idea that the late nights
with Benjamin were wreaking havoc on my body in this way. Fox’s fingers worked the knots at the base of my neck, moving up
to my hairline where I immediately saw stars.
“Oh, God, yes,” I moaned. Fuck, this was the good stuff. “I had no idea you were so good with your hands.”
A throat cleared and my eyes popped open. Every single person in the room was grinning at me. “Right, um…” But Fox
kept massaging, humming a soft tune as he worked. The camera app on a phone clicked, further humiliating me as if moaning
indecently in front of my crew wasn’t enough. I swatted at Fox’s hands until he stepped back in shock.
“Boss, I was doing some great work. I think I might be on to something.”
“Do it on your own time,” I snapped.
 “No, see, I was thinking, this could be a new approach for us,” he said excitedly, motioning for Dash to move out of his
chair on my left side.
Dash shot him a scathing look, but Fox was relentless, finally shoving him out of the chair and plopping down in it. Dash
tumbled to the ground, instantly jumping up and grabbing Fox by the scruff of the neck.
“What the fuck was that?”
“Hey, I’m trying to work here,” Fox argued. “Find another chair!”
“I had a chair, asshat!”
“Lock, tell him! This is a situation in which he should scooch.”
“It is not!” Dash shouted. “I was sitting there. You don’t get to move me all willy-nilly just because you want the boss’s
attention!”
And the headache was back. I rubbed tiny circles between my eyebrows, hoping it would dull the sharp needle
metaphorically jabbing me through both eyes.
“This is not a scooch situation,” Lock answered in a bored tone. “You’re not dating Cash, nor do you require his immediate
attention.”
“Uh—that’s an awfully bold statement,” Fox huffed. “How can you be sure that I wasn’t about to introduce some life-
altering technique that could change the course of how we interrogate suspects?”
“Because it’s you,” Lock retorted. “What’s your plan? To give them Funyuns to persuade them to talk?”
“No,” Fox snorted, “but that is a great idea.”
“It is not, and it doesn’t require all of us to shift to make room for you.”
“Why would you all shift?” Fox asked.
We were so far off track now, I wasn’t even sure how to bring the conversation back around to…fuck, I couldn’t even
remember what we were discussing.
Lock stood, tossing down his pen on the table. “Look, if you make Dash move, he’s not going to give up his prime location
next to the boss for a seat at the other end of the table. He needs the attention.”
“Hey—” Dash protested, but Lock cut him off.
“It’s the truth. For every meeting, you rush in here before everyone else so you can get the best seat in the house.”
“I sit here so I can do any IT bullshit that needs to be done.”
“And since it’s IT,” Lock continued, “you could do it from literally any seat around the table. You like being the teacher’s
pet.”
The headache was growing worse by the second, and no amount of massaging my temples would change the fact that I was
surrounded by idiots.
“Fine,” Dash huffed, backing away from the seat in question. “I don’t need the seat. In fact, I could sit in the other room and
still be just as valuable as I am right beside the boss.”
“Great,” Fox said, ignoring him.
“I’m going,” Dash continued, walking toward the door.
“We see you,” Slider chuckled.
“I’m really going. I can tell I’m not wanted here. And I can do my job from anywhere.”
“Not as well as I could,” Rae chuckled.
“I’m serious. I’ll be in there, and you’ll see…”
“Then just fucking leave,” Lock snapped.
With a huff, Dash walked out of the room, but I saw him standing on the other side of the wall, smooshed up against it as if
no one could see him. His shadow gave him away, though.
I didn’t agree with Fox’s motivation for kicking Dash out of the seat, but if the fight over a chair stopped, I would gladly let
him walk out so I could regain order in the meeting.
“Where were we?” I asked.
“We were about to discuss my new methods of interrogation.”
Sighing, I knew this wouldn’t stop, no matter what my argument was. “Fox, we’re about to discuss the business of the day.”
“Yes, and what is more important than new interrogation techniques?”
“Boss,” Rae gave a slight shake of her head. “Just let him get it out. Then we can move on.”
I motioned for Fox to continue, but he had to finish glaring at Rae first. She responded by sticking out her tongue at him.
“As I was saying,” Fox continued, “it occurred to me that maybe torture isn’t the way to go.”
“And what would you have us do to the bad people in the interrogation room?”
“We should ease it out of them, make them so comfortable that they willingly hand over the information,” he grinned.
“Sometimes, using force doesn’t get you what you need. Did you see how easily you gave it up to me with just a little shoulder
rub?”
“I did not give it up to you,” I snapped, feeling my face flame as I remembered moaning from his touch. “I had a sore
muscle in my neck. That’s hardly handing over enemy secrets.”
Fox grinned at me, jumping up from his chair. “Admit it, boss. I had you right where I wanted you. If we apply these same
tactics during interrogation, show the baddies that we’re the goodies, and make them comfortable, they’ll roll over for us.”
A snort of derision came from Rae, but she quickly covered it up as Fox leapt to his feet and continued, walking around the
table as he told us his plan. “We need to heal those old wounds these men feel. They don’t need pain. They need to be
cherished and feel like they have someone on their side, someone who can rescue them from this life of treachery and despair!”
He rested his hands on Lock’s shoulders and started to massage. “If we treat them with love and kindness, we’ll get further than
if we torture their souls and make them feel worthless.”
He pulled a small vial from his pocket and held it up for everyone to see. “This is a creation of my own making. Filled
with the most calming and influential scents in the herbal industry, it is sure to bend our enemies to our way of thinking, and get
them to turn over all their secrets. Just a small dab on the neck and the pressure points on the face…”
He turned the bottle over, pouring just a few drops on his fingers. Then, he slid his fingers around Lock’s face, dabbing
here and there, then spread his fingers wide. He closed his eyes and gently rubbed the liquid into Lock’s skin, paying
particularly close attention to the zygomatic and maxilla.
Lock’s fingers tensed around the arm of the chair for only a second, then he moaned, instantly relaxing under Fox’s
unorthodox methods. I’d seen some strange shit in my time, but this one took the cake.
“Are you really suggesting that we…calm our enemies into submission?” I asked incredulously.
“Boss, did you see what I just did? These hands,” he said, holding up his palms. “These are magic hands. They’ve taken
life, and now it’s time to use them for healing. I promise you, this is the way to go.”
I literally had not one single argument for him. As much as I didn’t like this new idea, the fact that Fox was bringing the
crazy down a notch was a good thing. Well, it was a new brand of crazy, but if it worked, it could mean big changes for him,
and that would be good for everyone.
“Great,” I answered. “Tell me what you need and I’ll make it happen.”
“Seriously?” Fox grinned, rushing over to me.
“Yeah, seriously?” Rae asked. “Boss⁠—”
I held up my hand, cutting off her argument. She knew we’d discuss this later. Now wasn’t the time.
“Boss,” Fox laughed, wrapping his arms around my neck from behind. “This is so awesome. I’ll show you. This is gonna
be amazing!”
“I’m sure it will.”
“I’m gonna work on that list now,” he said, rushing from the room.
“Take Dash with you!” I shouted.
When the door slammed behind him, I let out a harsh breath and turned back to everyone else in the room. “That should
keep him busy for a while.”
“Are you really letting him do this?” Rae asked. “We need him to be Fox.”
“Clearly, he’s going through something right now. Stifling his creativity will only make our lives harder. Moving on…” I
said, trying to gather my thoughts. “Johnny,” I barked.
He was slouched in the corner, with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles, you’d
think he was taking a nap. And with his hat tipped down over his face, I couldn’t be sure he wasn’t. Slowly, he tipped his hat
back with only his pointer finger. He quirked an eyebrow at me, clearly not happy with me calling him out.
“Yeah?”
“How’s Jack?”
He shook his head slightly. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I had Rae pull the tracking data when you disappeared. You led us right to Jack,” I answered drolly.
“Maybe that’s what I wanted you to think,” he answered.
My head swiveled to Jason. “And what do you know about this?”
“Not a thing,” he answered, leaning against the opposite wall.
Was anything ever going to be easy with these guys? “You realize that we’re all on your side, right? All we want is to help.
Rafe put Jack in an untenable situation. It’s in all of our best interests to see that Jack makes it out of this alive.”
Johnny shrugged, not giving away much else. “Can’t help you.”
“Then what the fuck are you doing here?” I snapped, feeling the anger swell inside me. “You show up every day, you do the
work, but you still don’t fucking trust us. And if you don’t trust us, what the fuck is all this for?”
His eye twitched slightly before he sat up, spreading his knees as he leaned on them heavily. With a glance over at Jason, I
saw the uncertainty pass between them. I knew they wanted to be here. They showed up every fucking day, eager to find out
whatever information they could on their teammate, though they didn’t share willingly. Rafe had essentially turned on them,
forcing them into a situation where it was them versus him. That may not have been his intention, but that’s how it turned out in
the end.
 “Jack is…he’s not in a good place. I went out there to see him.”
“In Texas,” I finished, for those that didn’t know.
“Yeah. To fit the role he had to play, he started using before he went to prison. I’m pretty sure he was clean on the inside,
but once he was out…” He rubbed his hands together, clearly disturbed by whatever he saw when he went to Texas. “Someone
broke into his house and he was too fucked up to know what was going on. They nearly got him.”
“Do we need to send a team out there?”
His eyes perked up at the offer. “Seriously?”
“Did you really think I was going to leave him out there on his own? Would I do that to anyone?”
He was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Jason and I would like to go out there.”
“And me,” Rae spoke up.
“No,” Johnny said, cutting her off immediately. “That’s a bad idea. I don’t want you wrapped up in this.”
“Too bad,” Rae retorted. “I can handle myself. And you need me there to gather information to take this asshole down.”
“By asshole, I sure as fuck hope you mean Gelbero.”
She smirked at him in her usual fashion. “Did you really think I meant Jack? I’ll get packed up and we can leave in an hour.
It would be best if you could get us someplace to stay near Jack. I can set up cameras to monitor the neighborhood without
drawing suspicion from everyone else.”
“Everyone in the neighborhood works for Gelbero,” Jason answered. “It’s not going to be easy to get something close by.
He owns all that property.”
“Then we need a reason to buy a house from him,” Rae surmised.
“Through his contact,” Lock offered. “Another buyer looking to engrain himself in the community.”
“Nah,” Johnny shook his head. “From what I can tell, he doesn’t trust anyone. The men who broke into Jack’s house were
sent by Gelbero. It was a test. He’s not going to allow a buyer that close to his guys.”
“Alright, we’ll work on finding you someplace close by. Get geared up to leave. Take whatever you need in supplies. We’ll
contact local LEOs and make sure they know you’re coming.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Jason snapped. “You’re gonna get us killed. We need to go in covertly.”
“And I need to make sure that they don’t bust in on you with a no-knock warrant if you get tangled up in something. I’ll
make sure it stays at the top. The last thing we need is a bunch of rookies on the police force blowing your cover. But they do
need to know we’re there. If you’re going to fit into the community, you’re going to need a vehicle that blends in. Our minivans
will stand out like a light in the middle of a fucking blackout.”
“I’ll talk to Duke,” Rae said, pushing out of her chair. “I think he has something in the garage that will work.”
“Good, and you’d better clear it with Duke before you leave. The last thing I need is him coming over here every day to
find out what you’re doing.”
She barked out a laugh. “That’s funny, boss.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
She thrust her hand on her hip, glaring at me in a way that I knew meant she was going to kick my ass if I kept arguing with
her. “I don’t ask anyone for permission to do my job. If Duke has a problem with it, he can call me, but this doesn’t concern
you.”
The warning signs were all in front of me. I knew opening my mouth again would be dangerous, but I had to establish some
level of authority here. I was her boss, even if she did rule everyone around her.
“It concerns me because you’re my employee, and if your husband is going to cause problems, that affects how well you do
your job. You’re going to get his permission first. End of discussion.”
My heart started pounding in my chest at her answering smirk. I didn’t know what she was up to, but whatever it was, it
wouldn’t end well for me. “No problem, boss.”
 9

RAE

TALK TO MY HUSBAND . He wasn’t even my husband yet. Technically. It didn’t matter that we didn’t have the paper yet. To me,
there was no backing out of our relationship. I was his in every way, and he was mine no matter what the state said.
“Are you sure he has something we can use?” Johnny asked, slamming the door as we got out of the minivan at the garage.
“Everything looks too flashy.”
“Trust me, you’ll agree when you see it.”
We headed for the garage bay, bypassing the two part-time guys he had working for him. Bowie was the only other full-time
employee and that’s the way it had to stay for now. Cash needed to keep our anonymity as much as possible, and too many guys
hanging around could be dangerous in a small town where everyone gossiped.
“Uh-oh,” Bowie grinned at me, wiping his hands on a rag as he ducked out from under the hood of the car he was working
on. “I smell trouble. You brought the dark and dangerous crowd with you today.”
“Where’s Duke? I need to talk to him.”
“No love for me? That’s alright, I see how it is.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Bowie, I see you every fucking day at the house. Why would I need to pay even more attention to
you here?”
“Ouch. I’m not gonna lie, that hurt just a little bit.”
“Duke?” I asked again, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Fine, he’s out back grabbing the next vehicle to work on.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome!” he called out. “And I’ll have you know that I won’t be living with you that much longer!”
That had me intrigued. I spun around, waiting for the rest of the story. “Who is she?”
“She?” he laughed. “No, not gonna happen. Especially after the disaster with Carly.”
“You like her,” I jabbed.
“For an ex-wife, sure. She’s okay.”
“You still sleep with her.”
“Hey, up until recently, she was still my wife. That means conjugal visits still apply.”
“Is it necessary for us to talk to him?” Johnny muttered. “We have to hit the road.”
“You’re leaving?” Bowie asked, a frown forming on his face.
“I have a job.”
“And you’re leaving me with Duke? Man,” he whined. “He gets so bitchy when you’re not around.”
“He’ll be fine. He knows this is my job.”
With a heavy sigh, he nodded. “How long this time?”
“Until the job’s done.”
“Ya know, this whole vague thing doesn’t really work for me. I’m a details guy.”
“So am I, but since you’re not on the team, it doesn’t concern you.”
“Hey, I’m the one that has to listen to him whining while you’re gone. I think I deserve a little bit of leeway here.”
I rolled my eyes at Bowie’s dramatics. After serving in the military, you would think that he would understand how things
roll, but instead, he was acting like the spouse left behind.
“I’ll call when I get there and give you updates when I know more. Okay?”
He huffed, shaking his head as he turned from me. “I guess, if that’s all I’m going to get. Was it really that hard?”
Having had enough, I headed for the office with Johnny hot on my heels. “Is he always like that?”
“You don’t really want to know. Duke and Bowie have a very weird relationship.”
“That’s obvious, but why?”
 “They served together.”
“I served with Jason and Jack. You don’t see me sharing a house with them and interfering in their lives.”
I stopped and turned to him. “You broke into Jack’s house not even a week ago.”
“Yeah, but that’s different. He was in trouble.”
“Well, maybe you can talk to Duke about that. I’ve been trying to get Bowie to move out for over a year. Maybe you’ll be
more successful than me.”
“Successful at what?”
I turned around to find my darling almost husband standing behind me with a questioning look on his face. Although, as his
eyes trailed over my body, he stiffened in understanding.
“Not with him,” he pointed at me.
“What’s wrong with me?” Johnny asked.
“Do you really want me to tell you?” Duke snarled. “Whose side are you on, anyway? How do I know you’re not dragging
Rae along, only to get her shot by some criminal Rafe has you chasing?”
“Um…first of all,” I cut in, “no one drags me anywhere. I volunteered to go along.”
“Why would you do that?”
My eyebrows shot up. “Um…because it’s my job. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. You know this.”
“Not with him. The three of them are like a pack of wolves, always out for themselves and you’ll get caught in the
crosshairs.”
Johnny chuckled darkly behind me. “Wolves, huh?”
“Don’t pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about. Rae told me about the time she met you, how you were on her
side until you turned and went back to Rafe. That’s what this is really about.”
“Rafe’s not in the picture anymore,” Johnny snarled. “You would know that if you were part of the team.”
“Ha! I got out of that life. It’s not for me.”
“It’s a shame,” Johnny grinned. “You were good once upon a time.”
“I still am good. I just don’t want my whole life to be dedicated to shooting people. You know, there’s a whole world of
people out there that go about their day without a care in the world.”
“Yeah, and they have that freedom because of people like us who put our lives on the line to protect people like you, who
just want to live in your fantasy world and pretend everything’s fine!”
“You can’t spend your entire life thinking about the next bad guy. What do you get out of it? How do you sleep at night
knowing that someone is always going to come after you because you got in the way?”
“I sleep just fine,” Johnny said, his lips tilting up menacingly. “I have my gun on me at all times, and I know that if anyone
dares to come near me or someone I care about, I can take them out without thinking twice. And then I’ll roll over and go back
to sleep.”
“Alright,” I said, stepping between the two of them. “This isn’t solving anything. Go to your corners and think about what
you’ve said. Then come up with five ways you could have done it differently.”
“I could have just put a bullet in his head and shut him up before he opened his mouth,” Johnny snapped.
“And then I would have had to kill you,” I said dryly. “Go wait outside while I take care of this.”
With a final glare landing on Duke, he turned on his heel and walked out the garage bay door. Letting out a deep breath, it
was time to face Duke.
“What was that about?”
“That guy pisses me off,” Duke muttered.
“And he’s also very good at his job and very loyal to the people around him.”
“Which doesn’t include you.”
“At one point,” I admitted. “I don’t think that’s the way it is now. I think he’s done with Rafe.”
“Thinking isn’t the same as knowing. Rae, I don’t like you going out there with him.”
“I won’t be alone.”
That seemed to put him at ease. “Who’s going with you?”
That was the part that wouldn’t help. “Jason.”
He threw his hands up in the air, spinning away from me. “How the fuck is that better?”
“Duke, I know you have a hard time with this, but you’re gonna have to put a cork in it. I have a job to do. Jack is out there,
and I have to do my part to keep him safe.”
He sighed heavily, staring at the ground. I knew he didn’t like this, but I couldn’t back down just to make him feel better.
That was no way to live my life, and would really hurt my job.
“So, you came here for what?”
“Well, your approval. Cash said I had to have it.”
“And if I say no?”
 I grinned as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You already know the answer to that.” He grunted, his eyes narrowing in
on my lips. “But I’ll make you a promise.”
“It’d better be good.”
“When I get back, we’ll start planning our wedding.”
“Nope.”
The smile that was on my face fell instantly. I thought we were on the same page, that we were going to get married and
start a family. Even if I was uneasy about getting pregnant, I knew that it would make Duke happy, and that was something that
took some time to get used to.
“Oh—” I started to step back, but he hooked his arm around my waist and dragged me closer. “We’re not waiting until you
get back.”
“But I have to leave now.”
“You can wait another fucking half hour.”
“We haven’t signed a marriage license,” I reminded him.
“Already done. I’ve had it for the past three weeks.”
“And how did you manage that?”
“I have my ways,” he grinned.
It was clear there was no way out of this for me. A wedding was going to happen. I just wasn’t sure on the details yet.
“Well, if you want me to marry you, I guess we’ll have to get rings.”
“Already done. I’ve had them for a few months now.”
“How do you know I’ll like them?”
“Because I know you, Rae. For better or worse, I know how your brain works. I know every detail about what you like and
what will piss you off. I know how to distract you when you’re about to dash out of my bed in the morning. But mostly, I know
that if I don’t fucking marry you before you leave, I’m gonna follow you out there and make the biggest scene until you agree to
put my ring on your finger.”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “That would definitely cause a problem.”
“Which leaves only one option. We’re about to get married, and you have less than ten minutes to get ready.”
“Then I guess you better fucking kiss me and make this proposal official.”
His lips slanted over mine, his tongue slipping into my mouth as he pulled me even closer to him. With a squeeze of my ass,
he released me, breaking our kiss. “Get going before I change my mind about marrying you.”
“Ten minutes.”
He nodded. “Right fucking here.”
“How about someplace not covered in grease?”
“Fine, under the tree at the backside of the property.”
“The large oak?”
“The very one,” he grinned.
“And who is marrying us?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” he laughed as he walked away.

“YOU’ RE IN TACTICAL GEAR,” J OHNNY POINTED OUT .

“What’s your point?” I asked, letting my hair down so I looked just a tad nicer for my wedding.
“Aren’t you supposed to wear a dress for your wedding? Or at least something white?”
I spun around to face him, a wide grin splitting my lips. Nothing could get me down right now. Not even Johnny’s negative
attitude. “Does it really matter what I’m wearing? I’m marrying the man I love.”
He rolled his eyes, but I knew he was happy for me. Johnny was different lately, though he didn’t want anyone around here
to notice. He was settling into his new life with Tahlia. He wasn’t quite a happy-go-lucky guy, but he was closer than I’d ever
seen him.
“Now, we have to get going so we’re not late.”
He glanced at his watch, sighing heavily. “We were supposed to be on the road twenty minutes ago.”
“And ten more minutes won’t kill us.”
“Yeah, like you’re going to get married and then run off without consummating the marriage.”
“As much as I would love that, I know how important this job is to you. I won’t delay it any further.”
His eyes checked me out in a strictly professional manner. When he seemed satisfied, he grunted and turned. “Let’s go.”
To my surprise, he held out his arm for me. “Are you going to walk me down the aisle?”
“Do you have someone else to do it?”
 I was so shocked at his offer that I almost didn’t move. When his gaze snapped to mine, I quickly grabbed his arm and
followed his quick footsteps. By the pace he was walking, you’d think this wedding was on a timer. Technically, it was, but that
didn’t really matter right now.
As we walked around the OPS building, I saw a crowd gathered under the tree in the distance. Almost everyone was here,
and while it would have been nice to have everyone, that was nearly impossible with our schedules. The closer we got, the
faster I walked. It was very unlike me to rush toward something like a wedding. I had never been that girl. I didn’t dream about
wedding dresses or flowers. I didn’t envision my boyfriend getting down on one knee and proposing. My daydreams mostly
consisted of my favorite guns and a good pair of cargo pants.
But then again, I’d never had a man like Duke in my life before. He was strong enough to let me be the dominant partner, but
knew how to take control when I needed him to. He balanced me, making me just soft enough to accept that life didn’t have to
always be about the next job, and that it was okay to let a man into my heart.
I sucked in a breath, stopping for just a moment.
“Everything okay?” Johnny asked. I saw him frown as his eyes lingered on my face. “What’s going on? Why are you
crying?”
“What?” I swiped at my cheeks, surprised when the tips of my fingers came away wet. “Oh my God! What is this?”
“Tears,” he said as if I was stupid.
“I know that, but…Ugh, he’s turned me into a girl!”
“And that’s a bad thing,” Johnny said hesitantly.
My gaze snapped to his and a scowl appeared on my face. “Do I look like the type of woman who gets sappy over finding a
man that she wants to spend forever with?”
He was silent for a moment, and then he leaned in close, even though there was no one around to hear him. “If you tell
anyone this, I will fucking gut you.”
When I didn’t immediately respond, his lips tightened in anger or something. I rolled my eyes, holding out my pinky for
him. “I swear.”
He clutched my pinky around his own finger, squeezing tight. “When I was on the run with Tahlia, I thought she was going to
die. She was injured and had an infection that was spreading faster than I could get her treatment. It wasn’t looking good
and…” He heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes. “I cried.”
“Sorry, what?”
“I cried,” he snapped. “I had fallen for this woman in a matter of five seconds. The moment I saw her, that was it. She
wasn’t just an infatuation to me. And when I thought I was going to lose her, it hit me how horrible my life would be without
her. I fucking cried.”
I would have laughed at the indignation on his face, but it was so sweet. If a strong and rugged man like Johnny could feel
these emotions and admit that he was just as human as everyone else, why shouldn’t I?
“So, you’re saying it’s okay to cry.”
“I’m saying that when you love someone, it doesn’t fucking matter what anyone else thinks. You’re not crying because you
lost a game of poker or because your feet swelled. You love Duke, and knowing that you’re finally getting to spend your life
with him is a big deal. I’m saying, embrace it.”
I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around the gruff man, feeling him pat my back awkwardly for just a moment. Not
wanting to get on his bad side, I stepped back and smiled.
“Thank you.”
“Whatever. Just do this shit so we can hit the road.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, giving him a mock salute.
“Don’t fucking salute me,” he grumbled, grabbing my arm and linking it back with his.
The rest of the walk to the “altar” was hurried. Now that I knew I wasn’t insane for feeling this way, I was rushing to get up
there and make Duke mine. Except, there was no minister. Johnny handed me off to Duke, then shocked me when he stepped
around us and stood in front.
“Um…what are you doing?”
“Do I have to explain everything to you today?”
For the second time today, I stood completely flabbergasted as I stared at the man in the cowboy hat. “You’re a romantic.”
“Shut up,” he grumbled. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
“Ah, the words every man wants to hear on his wedding day,” Duke grinned. “It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I
asked you to do this.”
Again, my head whipped back to Johnny. “You knew!”
“See, this is why I don’t do this shit,” he snapped, trying to step around us.
I grabbed him by the arm and shoved him back. “I won’t say another word.”
“You better not.”
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
 The party had felt that it was necessary to search that fatal trap
most carefully. They thought that it would be a hiding place for any
one who inhabited the cave. Accordingly, after some little hesitation
outside, the bold Texas leaped in, lantern and revolver in hand; the
rest followed, and the trembling Joseph stood and held the heavy
door.
The moment of peril had come!
Scarcely had the figures disappeared before a lurking shadow
crept stealthily down the cave. The mysterious old man was
crouching low, moving with the swiftness and silence of a tiger upon
his prey. His eyes gleamed; his white teeth shone, and the flashing
knife was still clutched in his hand.
He crept in the shadow of the wall, and there was not a sound to
warn his victims. Poor Indian did not see him, for his back was
turned. Indian was staring, watching his friends and trembling as he
did so. If Indian had only cast one of his frightened glances over his
shoulder he would have seen something to scare him, indeed. For
the wild and savage figure was creeping on.
Nearer and nearer the old man came. Swifter and swifter grew his
pace, for he saw that no one suspected his approach. He reached
the end of the cave and crouched for one moment. He heard a voice:
“Hang it! there ain’t a thing in hyar!”
The old man straightened himself up. He raised his knife on high
and extended it. Stretching out his long, hairy arm, he could almost
touch the back of his victim. One spring would do it all.
One spring!
The old man nerved himself, gathered his muscles for the leap.
His eager hand was trembling. His breath, so hot and fast, stopped
for one moment. His knife flashed in the lamplight.
And at that instant poor Indian turned and saw his deadly peril.
His eyes seemed to glaze with horror. He sprang back from the door
with one shrill scream of fright. And the maniac leaped forward with
the swiftness of a panther.
It was not at Indian he leaped.
It was at the door! He flung all his weight against it. The next
instant the heavy barrier swung to and shut with an iron clang that
echoed down the silent cave.
Trapped!
 CHAPTER XIX.

INDIAN’S FIGHT FOR LIFE.

The feeling of horror which overwhelmed the helpless prisoners at

that awful moment exceeds the possibility of description. They heard
their comrade’s scream, and that told them that no accident had
caused the shutting of the door. An enemy had done it! They were
lost!
But terrible though their agony was, it was nothing to that of the
unfortunate Indian. For Indian was alone in the cave with the
frenzied maniac!
The timid lad had shrunk back in alarm before the hideous
apparition with the upraised knife. Then he stood staring helplessly,
trembling like a leaf. He was unarmed; flight was impossible.
What should he do?
The old man flung his weight against the door to make sure that it
was really shut. And then he whirled furiously about and faced his
one remaining victim. Revenge and fury gleamed in his eyes as he
stared. And the knotted muscles stood out on his clinched and eager
hands. There was to be a desperate battle in that dark and silent
chamber.
Perhaps if the creature had made even one sound to show that
he was human the lad might have suffered less concentrated terror.
But the man was as silent as the tomb he dwelt in. No cat could have
crept more stealthily than he did when he began to advance.
 He was in no hurry to do that, no hurry to relieve the frightful
strain upon his trembling victim’s mind. He crouched low and glared
furiously, as if meanwhile calculating his next move. Then silently he
put out one foot and stole forward.
Indian’s eyes were fixed upon him, as if held by some uncanny
spell. As the man advanced Indian shrank back instinctively, his
movement almost keeping time with the maniac, though his knees
trembled so that he nearly fell to the floor.
The man crept forward again, one step; and again one step Indian
shrank back. He was so stupefied with terror, poor lad, that he could
not even think that such a method could not save him. The wall of
the cave was behind him! One step must soon prove his last.
They say that when a man is drowning he lives his life in the
seconds in which he dies. The whole past rushes up before him as if
the Book of Life was held before him. Nothing like that happened in
Indian’s case. He seemed to have but one thought; his fascinated
gaze was fixed upon his steadily-advancing foe.
The old man was a terrible sight to look at. His fierce, exultant
look of triumph made him doubly hideous, if such a thing could be.
His bright eyes flashed and his teeth gleamed, as a savage tiger’s
might. Set in the mass of clotted and tangled bloody hair it made a
face that might well cause the bravest to tremble. And certainly our
timid and helpless Joseph Smith shook with terror.
Indian had another thought to overcome him at that time of terror.
Not only his own safety, but his friends’! All rested with him! He alone
could help them. Loud sounds rang deafeningly in his ears from
behind that iron door. Cries of terror, voices pleading for help, all, all
of them shouting his name. And in front of him, between him and the
door, was the advancing maniac and his ever-gleaming knife.
A wild and desperate thought flashed over the agonized lad. One
dash for the door! He might succeed in turning the fatal knob before
the knife struck. But as Indian looked the fierce old man seemed to
comprehend his purpose. His knotted muscles settled into a firmer
and more tense position, as if he were nerving himself to be ready to
spring at the move. At the same time he crept on still faster, and poor
Indian shrank back in dread.
Indian gazed about the cavern helplessly; his glance roamed over
the floor and the walls, as if searching for something to aid him. But
what could he hope to find? And then, suddenly, as his glance
returned to the maniac, the lad sprang back with a shriek of terror.
The man had leaped forward!
Indian turned wildly as if to flee; he struck against a chair that lay
in his path and then half instinctively he seized it, and as he felt his
foe’s hot breath behind him, faced about and raised the slight
weapon on high.
The old man made a savage spring and closed with his victim.
The plebe brought the chair down with a desperate effort, all the
strength that was in his body. A moment later he uttered a gasp of
joy.
He had struck the descending knife. The shattered blade was
falling to the ground!
But Indian’s triumph was for but a moment. With a hiss of rage,
the savage creature leaped forward again. Indian turned once more
and fled at the top of his speed.
An instant later he caught sight of a black tunnel looming up
before him―​the passageway that led out―​to safety! to friends! With
redoubled speed, the lad plunged in; he ran as never had he run
before in his life. For behind him he heard the quick, pattering
footsteps of his pursuer, and the panting breath.
It was a race for life, and it was short. Indian reached the end,
flung himself against the rock that barred the entrance. And the next
instant he felt a heavy body leap upon his back; felt two griping,
clawlike fingers close upon his gasping throat. And then down he
went, kicking, struggling, gasping, suffocating, then all grew dark
before him.
 A minute or two later the maniac crept softly out from the entrance
of that black tunnel. There was yet a fiercer gleam of triumph in his
eyes and he raised his clinched hands above him as if in frenzied
joy.
Then he turned and shook them menacingly at the dungeon
where the rest of his prey were lying.
What of them, meanwhile?
Nothing much, except that they were suffering agony that cannot
be described―​agony of dread, suspense, uncertainty. Everything
was hidden from them. Who had shut them up? And what of Indian?
His silence surely boded no good. And would they suffocate? Or
starve? Or what on earth would happen next?
They stood and stared at one another in helpless dread; even the
bold Texan was unnerved by his awful situation. They remembered
that the Parson had said a man would suffocate in that vault in half
an hour. Was that to be their fate, then? They waited, counting the
seconds in dread.
But the fates had not, it seemed, meant them for so kindly a death
as that. The air in the room did not grow close, though they waited
and waited, wondering why it was. They realized at last. They had
once dug several small holes in the top wall of masonry to further a
practical joke of theirs. There was also a crack between the iron door
and the bottom of the cave. The combination was all that saved the
five captives from asphyxiation.
And yet that might have been better than what stared them in the
face. They had no implement to pierce the wall. The floor of the cave
was rock. The fiend who had shut them in would surely never let
them out! And what then? Starvation!
Thinking over that horrible prospect a sudden idea flashed over
Mark. It made his heart bound with sudden hope. The Parson!
“He may come in!” gasped Mark. “Heaven help us, we may be
saved yet!”
 If Mark had only been able to see the savage figure that was
dancing like a caged hyena swiftly and silently up and down the
shadowy cave he might have doubted his last living hope. At any
rate, the crisis was soon to come.
The prisoners were lying on the ground, with staring eyes and
ears intent, listening for the faintest sound. The dreadful pattering
steps they heard plainly and wondered what they meant. A moment
later came another sound.
“Hello! By Zeus, where are you and what are you doing?”
The footsteps ceased abruptly. It was the Parson at the entrance
of the cave!
The shouts and yells that followed his voice must have scared the
learned scholar out of his boots.
“Go back! Help! Help! Run and get somebody! Look out! Fly for
your life! There’s somebody in the cave! Help!”
These and a thousand other warnings the agonized plebes were
shrieking at the top of their lungs. Oh, so much depended on the
Parson! If he, too, were overpowered! If he, too――​
“Hurry back to camp!” roared Mark, at the top of his lungs. “Don’t
lose a moment! Fly!”
“By Zeus!” gasped the astonished Parson. “By the nine immortals,
the inhabitants of ’the many-peaked Olympus!’ By Apollo and
Hercules and the followers of Neptune!”
“Run! Run! Run for your life! Don’t you hear me?”
“But wherefore should I run? By Zeus, this is altogether the most
extraordinary condition of affairs that has ever come under my
cognizance!”
By this time the prisoners were nearly hysterical.
“Run! Run!” they kept shrieking. “Don’t come inside!”
 “But, by Zeus!” gasped the Parson, who it must be said was
leaning halfway through the hole in the rock and peering into the
darkness, listening to the medley of muffled voices in consternation.
“But, by Zeus! why should I run? In the name of Pallas and her
distaff, I demand――”
“There’s somebody in the cave! They’ve shut us in here! We’ll die!
Oh, oh! And you’ll be killed!”
“By Zeus!”
“Run! Run! Get help! Don’t come in! Do you hear?”
By this time the puzzled scholar began to comprehend. His
friends, and he, too, perhaps, were in peril. If he could have seen the
horrible figure that had been stealing upon him with the stealth and
swiftness of a panther he would have realized his danger, indeed.
“By Zeus!” he called. “I begin to perceive. Forsooth, I will
immediately hie myself―― Good heavens!”
The maniac had made the fatal leap!
 CHAPTER XX.

THE PARSON’S BATTLE.

The prisoners heard the Parson’s startled cry, and they staggered
back overwhelmed. They were lost!
As for Stanard, he was having a yet more terrible experience. His
exclamation had been caused as he felt two clawlike hands seize
him and fasten to him with the grip of a vise. An instant later he felt
himself jerked into the cave as if he had been a child and flung
violently to the ground.
Now, the Parson had considerable muscle, geologically
developed. Also, as we know, he was capable of getting mad in
genuine Boston tea-party style. He was mad then, and he made a
fight with every bit of strength that was in him. He fought all the
harder for realizing that the lives of his friends were the prize of the
battle.
Writhing and twisting, he managed to struggle to his feet; with one
desperate effort he flung off his assailant; and then, realizing that
every second was precious, he turned and bounded away down the
cave.
The place was as black as midnight, and the cadet had not the
slightest idea what sort of a man his foe might be, or what sort of
weapons he might have. But he heard the bounding steps behind
him as he rushed toward the door, and fear lent wings to his pace.
The Parson’s mightiest efforts, however, were in vain compared
with the speed of the savage wild man. The Parson felt a hand
clutching at him, catching under his coat, dragging him back, back,
and reaching for his throat. He whirled about and struck out with all
his power. A moment later there was another hand-to-hand struggle.
Powerful though Stanard was, and strain though he did in
desperation, the horrible fact was speedily forced upon him that his
sinewy foe was too much for him. The terrible battle was so quickly
over, and its result so overwhelming, that the cadet nearly swooned
as he fell. Two crushing arms had seized him about the body in a
grip that never weakened, and half a minute later he was flat on his
back with two griping hands fixed on his throat.
Was it all up with the plebes then? They thought so, for they knew
that the deathlike silence boded no good for them. They knew from
the sounds they had heard that their friend had been attacked, and
they lay and waited in agonized dread to learn what had been the
issue. They heard not a sound to tell them, though at least a minute
passed.
And then suddenly―― Great heavens! what was that?
“Hold up your hands!”
The voice was a perfect roar that filled the ghostly cavern with
echoing noises. The prisoners sprang up and stared at each other in
amazement, in delirious joy. It was a rescue! But where? And how?
Who could it be? The voice was not the Parson’s; it was not Indian’s!
Outside of the vault there was a dramatic scene at that critical
moment. The actors in it were all of them no less amazed than the
plebes inside.
The maniac had been completing his ghastly work. His knee was
on his victim’s chest, and the victim, blue in the face and gasping,
was growing weaker every instant. And suddenly, just in the nick of
time, the cavern had seemed fairly to blaze with light.
The old man sprang up and gazed about him wildly; his victim
staggered blindly to his feet, clutching helplessly at the air. And then
loud and clear had rung the order:
 “Hold up your hands!”
It came from the entrance to the cave, the hole in the side of the
rock. A figure was leaning in! In one hand he clutched a blazing torch
and in the other a revolver that was pointing straight at the maniac. It
was the sheriff from Highland Falls!
The maniac’s answer was swift to come. With one wild, despairing
cry―​the first sound he had made that night―​he whirled about and
made a dash for the shadows. Quick as a wink the sheriff pulled the
trigger of his weapon; there was a deafening report that seemed to
shake the rocks.
But it was a moment too late, for the old man had vanished in the
passage.
With a cry of rage the sheriff leaped into the cave. At the same
moment the Parson, who had been gazing about him in
consternation, gasping and striving to recover his wits, sprang
forward in pursuit.
“He’ll get out!” he shouted. “There’s an entrance out there!”
The sheriff was at his heels as they bounded through the narrow
tunnel. On, on they dashed! Rapid footsteps ahead urged them
forward. The sheriff in his haste leaped past the half-blinded cadet
and plunged on ahead to the end of the passage. There he stopped
in dismay. The entrance was in front of him. The cool breeze from
the mountain was blowing upon him. But the game had escaped,
without sound or trail to follow!
All thought of pursuit was driven from his head an instant later.
For from a dark corner in the passage came a low groan. The
sheriff thought it was his prisoner, wounded; he made a dash for the
spot. Then he started back with a cry of amazement.
Meanwhile the Parson, filled with a vague dread, had dashed
down the tunnel and picked up the torch the sheriff had dropped. He
rushed back and gazed about him. His worst fears were confirmed. It
was Indian.
Stanard sprang toward him with a cry of alarm. But already the
sheriff was on his knees beside the unfortunate lad. Indian was a
sight to behold.
Evidently the maniac had taken the first thing that came to hand
to make his captive safe. This was a pile of rags that had lain in the
corner. Indian was wrapped and tied in them almost from his head to
his feet. They were stuffed into his mouth, too, and he was bound so
tight that he could not move a muscle.
The sheriff cut him loose―​and the dazed lad staggered to his
feet. He remained thus barely long enough to see where he was.
Then a sudden idea flashed over him and he turned and dashed
away toward the main room of the cave. The sheriff and the Parson
followed at his heels.
A sight met the eyes of the two when they reached the scene
which nearly knocked them over. Their comrades were staring in
consternation at a group of half a dozen lads who were facing them.
They were cadets! Yearlings! Rogers and his crowd!
“By the nine immortals!” gasped the astounded Parson. “By the
hundred hands of Gyas and the hundred gates of Thebes! How on
earth did you come here?”
The yearlings, on their part, were likewise amazed, too much
amazed to answer; it was the sheriff who spoke.
“We came up here to arrest you,” he said.
“Arrest us!” gasped the Parson.
“Arrest us!” echoed the others.
“Thank Heaven that you did!” Mark added. “For you saved our
lives.”
“Yea, by Zeus!” added the Parson, feeling his throat.
 “Bless my soul! yes!” chimed in Indian, spitting a few more rags
out of his mouth.
“Look here!” demanded the sheriff, “who was that crazy man,
anyhow?”
“How should we know?” cried the plebes.
“Do you mean,” put in Rogers, in amazement, “that you didn’t set
him on us?”
That cleared up the mystery; Mark saw it all in the twinkling of an
eye.
“I understand now,” he said, turning to his friends. “When this
crazy man attacked them the other day they thought we told him to.”
“Of course!” cried Rogers. “Weren’t you in the cave?”
“I understand,” laughed Mark, not stopping to answer the
question. “And you were so mad that you didn’t tell a soul but
watched and brought the sheriff up here to catch us with him. You
never did us a better service in your life. That wild man would have
murdered every one of us!”
“And my œsophageal and laryngeal apparatus feels as if it had
been through a clothespress,” observed the Parson. “By Zeus, let us
go back to camp; I’m in no mood for hunting lunatics.”
And they started for camp before anybody could stop them.
All had had enough of the wild man and were content to let the
sheriff do the rest of the searching alone.
 CHAPTER XXI.

A CAMP IN THE WOODS.

Rat-tat-a-tat! Rat-tat-a-tat!
It was the sound of a drum, echoing through Camp McPherson
and proceeding from a small-sized drum orderly at the head of the
company street; a stern and handsome lieutenant was standing
nearby, and the cadets were pouring out of their tents and forming
outside.
It was the forenoon of a bright August day and the white tents
were shining in the sunlight, except for where they were darkened by
the shadows of the waving trees.
The sound of the drum ceased abruptly; a moment later the officer
strode down the line and faced it. Then came the order:
“Attention, company!”
A silent, motionless line of statues the cadets became on the
instant. And then, in obedience to further orders, they wheeled and
marched by fours down the company street.
Those who are familiar with the appearance of the battalion under
ordinary circumstances would have gazed in some perplexity at the
lines that morning. They were very differently arrayed, for some
reason.
In the first place as to the camp they left. Usually when the corps
marched out to the parade ground they left their tents in spic-and-
span order, nothing short of perfection itself. Now the tents were
empty; there was nothing but the bare “wall tent” standing, and not a
thing of any sort whatever inside of it. In fact, the camp was a
“deserted village.”
More strikingly true was this of the “guard tent.” The guard tent
had never before been left alone all summer. No matter where the
battalion marched or what they did, the members of the guard
always had stayed by that tent, and those who were on duty, the
sentries, never ceased to pace their beats. But now the sentries had
joined the rest of the guard and fallen in behind the cadets, marching
swiftly out of camp.
That was a very unusual procedure; the appearance of the cadets
was very unusual, too. Their handsome dress uniforms were
nowhere to be seen. They wore their fatigue dress, even the officers;
the plebes, or fourth classmen, had their close-fitting shell jackets
and gray trousers. Each cadet, be he plebe or otherwise, had a
heavy knapsack strapped to his shoulder, and also his share of a
“shelter tent.” Thus equipped and with glistening rifles in hand, they
were turning their backs upon the silent camp.
It seemed as if all the visitors on the post had turned out to see
them march. They crossed Trophy Point and started up the road to
the north, between two lines of cheering spectators, waving
handkerchiefs and calling, “Good-by!” A few minutes later the last
line had swung around the turn and the post was silent and
deserted.
Where were they going, you ask?
There is no very great mystery about it; the corps was on its way
to Camp Lookout, in the mountains. That move is one of the events
of the summer season to the cadets, for then they play “real soldier.”
They go into “rough camp,” or bivouac, and altogether have quite an
exciting time indeed.
That morning they had visited the trunk room and stowed away all
their belongings―​dress coats and hats, white trousers and so on.
And now they were marching with nothing but knapsack and tent into
the woods. The band was in front, and behind a big mule wagon with
camp utensils. Getting through the mountain forest in that order was
quite an interesting task indeed.
One may readily imagine that the novices who had never taken
part in such an adventure as this before were head over heels with
excitement, figuratively speaking. One might look forward to any
amount of fun during the ten days that were to follow. Our friends,
“the Banded Seven,” were fairly ready to dance for joy.
When the battalion once got fairly into the woods it was found that
a regular order could not be maintained. The band gave up playing
then and a loose order of marching was adopted. That enabled the
Seven to get together in the rear, where they fell to discussing the
prospect.
“There’s one good thing,” Mark said, after they had been
wondering if there was any prospect of meeting bears or wildcats by
way of excitement, “we’ll have a great deal more liberty. There won’t
be any delinquency book.”
“Good!” growled Texas. “Who told you so?”
“Everybody,” responded Mark. “We’re going to live in army style,
and they don’t have anything like that in the army.”
Texas chuckled gleefully at the information.
“Make believe I ain’t glad!” said he. “We won’t have that air ole
yearlin’ corporal a-comin’ in to boss us an’ raise a rumpus ’cause
there’s dust on a feller’s lookin’-glass and freckles on his nose.
Doggone them yearlin’s’ boots!”
“And, b’gee,” put in Dewey, the reconteur of the party, “B’gee,
we’ll have army rations―​hard-tack and water for ten days.”
“Bless my soul!” gasped the fat and rosy Indian. No more terrible
news on earth could have been given to Indian than that. “Bless my
soul!” he repeated. “What on earth shall I do? Hard-tack and water!”
 “It is terrible,” observed Dewey, solemnly. “Why, they gave me
better than that when I was in prison last time.”
Indian gazed at his friend in alarm. The others spoiled the joke,
however, by laughing.
“You’re only fooling,” the fat boy observed, wisely. “I think that’s
mean. Anyhow, I’m sure I shall starve.”
“It won’t be quite as bad as it’s painted,” Mark laughed, by way of
consolation. “They’ll probably give us something better than tack.”
“And if they don’t, b’gee,” put in Dewey, “we can bite our finger
nails.”
The plebes had plenty of time to do their joking that morning, for
there was a long, dreary walk ahead of them. In fact, they marched
steadily for between three and four hours, with but few halts for rest.
One may readily believe that the cadets were glad when it was over.
The young soldiers got so tired that toward the end they relapsed
into silence of their own accord. Nobody said anything more, except
the learned Parson and the lively Dewey, both of whom saw an
excellent opportunity to talk all they wanted to without interruption.
When Dewey once got started at his jokes a whole express train full
of air brakes couldn’t have stopped him. He explained the matter to
his meek and long-suffering companions by singing the verse from
“Alice in Wonderland:”
“‘In my youth,’ said his father, ‘I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife.
And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.’”

In Dewey’s case, at any rate, it lasted until the welcome order was
given:
“Company, halt!”
Which meant that the battalion was at last upon the scene of their
home for the next ten days, “Camp Lookout,” twelve miles back in
the mountains from West Point.
Poor Indian, who was exhausted and breathless by this time,
expected that he would get a chance to sit down and rest. But Indian
was destined to learn that that is not the army way of doing
business; he was obliged to content himself with a few longing
glances at the inviting scene about him. Then he got to work.
The first order was to stack arms; the second to unsling
knapsacks and deposit them near the guns. After that the corps
pitched in to unload the mule wagon.
Under the direction of the officers, the plebes set to work to lay
out the camp site. The small shelter tents were then pitched. They
are known as “A tents,” from their shape. A person who is curious for
a more exact description of them may care to peruse that of the
solemn Parson, who assured his friends that each was “a regular
prism or parallelopipedon reclining upon one of its rectilinear facets
and having for its base an equilateral triangle, whose vertical angle
subtends an arc of forty-five degrees.”
While the Parson was saying this most of the tents had been
spread. The next duty was to dig a trench around each one and then
to cut boughs upon which to sleep.
By dinner time most of the work was done. The cadets were then
on the verge of starvation.
The army “rations” which were issued proved to contain more
than hard-tack, after all, much to the joy of our friend Indian’s soul.
There was a generous allowance of fresh meat, and three or four
camp-fires already blazing by which to cook it. Everybody pitched in
with avidity, and soon there was a lively scene indeed.
As usual, the Parson, who had, as we know, “taken all knowledge
to be his province,” was right on deck with information upon the art
and science of culinary practice. The Parson gave the history of
cookery from the time Abel roasted his sheep to the twentieth
century. Very soon he wished he had kept quiet, for several
mischievous yearlings promptly suggested that since he knew so
much about it would he “be so kind” as to do their cooking for them?
And so the unfortunate Parson was soon standing with a frying pan
in each hand (neither containing his own dinner) and with a facetious
youngster urging him to hold a third one in his teeth.
Such is a picture of perhaps the most enjoyable day in all the
season of summer camp―​the beginning of the bivouac in the
mountains. Whether the practice is maintained at West Point to the
present day the writer is not certain; but in Mark’s day (and his own)
it was a regular and much enjoyed custom.
The site of the camp is between two small lakes, Long Pond and
Round Pond. Drinking water is obtained from one; the other the
cadets use to bathe in. During the ten days of the stay they live in
army style and when not on duty have the freedom of the woods.
They learn guard duty, cook their own rations, and sleep on the
ground. Incidentally it may be mentioned that the plebes who during
the whole summer long had been compelled to march with hands at
their sides and palms to the front whenever they appeared in public
were now for the first time allowed to walk as ordinary mortals and
“slap at the mosquitoes that bite them.” One may imagine that this is
a privilege that is profoundly appreciated.
While we have been talking about them the cadets had gotten to
work at their midday meal. Indian had started long ago, for he was
so hungry that he had scarcely waited for the meat to cook. It was
“rarer than a missionary,” as Dewey observed, a remark so
disgusting that the fat boy vowed he wouldn’t eat another mouthful, a
resolution to which he bravely stuck―​having licked the platter clean
before he made it.
Dinner was eaten and everything cleaned up. Then the guard
detail for the day was assigned to duty, and after that the cadets
scattered to amuse themselves as they pleased. Our friends, the
Seven, went off straightway to find the swimming place.
For some reason not essential to the story, “B’gee” Dewey
lingered behind at the camp. Some half an hour later he rejoined the
party and they noticed to their surprise that he was out of breath and
excited. His eyes were dancing merrily. Dewey was the delighted
bearer of the information concerning the “banquet.”
“B’gee!” he gasped. “Fellows―​the greatest―​b’gee!―​the
greatest―​news of the century! Hooray!”
His friends gazed at him in surprise and curiosity.
“What’s the matter?” demanded Mark.
“Yes, what’s up?” chimed in Texas, his fingers beginning to twitch
at the prospects of “fun.” “Anybody to lick? Any fights? Any――”
“It’s Bull Harris!” panted Dewey. “B’gee!―​it’s the chance of a
lifetime!”
“Whoop!” roared Texas. “Out with it. Doggone his boots, I’m jes’ a
layin’ fo’ another whack at that air ole yearlin’. Whoop!”
If it had been Parson Stanard who had gotten hold of that news
which Dewey was breathlessly trying to tell, he would have kept the
crowd upon the tenderhooks of expectation while he led up to the
subject with sequipedalian perorations and scholarly
circumlocutions. But the true story-teller’s instinct was not in Dewey;
he was anxious to be “out with it.” The secret was too good a one to
keep and the only reason he delayed for even a moment was that he
was trying to regain his vocal powers, a process which was very
much impeded by the number of “b’gees!” he felt duty bound to work
in during the time.
“B’gee!” he gasped, “it’s the greatest thing out. Bull’s going to give
a party.”
“A party!”
“Yes―​b’gee! It seems somebody’s sent him a box of eatables
from home. He got it on the sly and none of the authorities know
anything about it. Reminds me of a story I once heard, about――”
“Go on! Go on!”
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