Chapter 2

Ipark my motorcycle behind the restaurant where I"ve invited Carlos Lee to meet me. He"s the closest thing a man like me can have as a friend, and I"m thankful for his friendship. I dismount and head inside the restaurant. He waves at me from one of the booths, and I make my way towards him.

"Hey, man." He says in greeting.

We bump fists, and I sit down across from him. Carlos is four years younger than me, but we"ve always had a special rapport. Plus, he knows how to keep his mouth shut when it comes to my secrets.

"Why"d you want to meet here instead of at the restaurant or the club?"

"I want to talk about Cassie."

I see Carlos tense up, but after a minute, he just shrugs. Carlos has a military background like I do and it"s kind of pissing me off that he"s not taking better care of his sister.

"What about her?"

The look on my face must have scared him because his next words are rushed and said in a higher pitch than he normally uses.

"I know you"ve got security on her," he says.

"Your mom doesn't like me. She wants you guys to watch your sister."

"We don't have the resources to spare right now, Jason." He tapped the table nervously.

"So what if I can"t protect her anymore?"

"Cassie cares about you, man. Are you going to leave her unprotected?"

"When I do things like this, she thinks I"m interested."

Carlos's facial features become rigid and menacing, and I know what"s coming next.

"You know why that can"t ever happen, right?" He asks.

I look to the side, and my jaw tightens. I have a past, and Carlos knows about it. He"s already warned me off his sister. I don"t need to hear it again. I understand what it is to have someone to protect from the dangerous life I"ve lived.

"What are you doing about her ex?" I ask.

"He"s Brandon"s pet. He won"t turn him away."

"Did you tell Brandon he assaulted Cassie?"

"I mentioned he crossed the line."

"Carlos, you are my friend, and I respect you. But you and your brothers are putting money before the safety of your only sister. I can"t get involved with this Marcos guy. Not this close to Midnight Heat."

"Cassie"s shift always ends late, and there"s no one to help her close up or walk her to her car. Beside her ex, there's scum coming out of the club at that hour."

"Then you or one of your brothers should volunteer for the position. Your mother already threatened to bring your father into the fold."

"Shit, when was that?"

"She mentioned it to Cassie tonight."

"I told you," Carlos says, "we don"t have the resources right now, but I can talk to my brothers so they keep an eye on Marcos when he comes to play cards."

"Can you get someone else to do Cassie"s job?"

"My parents won"t go for that."

"You do realize we"re talking about your sister"s life, don"t you?"

He shakes his head, and I realize he"s not taking this seriously at all. This is all kinds of fucked up, and I just know I"m going to end up having to clean it up after all hell breaks loose.

"Marcos is an idiot. He just likes to make trouble."

"Listen to me, and listen well. Friend or no, you will pay if he so much as touches a strand of Cassie"s blond hair again. If he puts a mark on her, I"ll put an identical one on you. He put out his fucking cigarette on her hand, for god"s sake. He almost crushed her wrist with how hard he grabbed her. Instead of taking care of her and letting her hide the evidence, I should have shown all of you what happened."

I get up and toss a twenty on the table. I"m too angry to stay here. I"m liable to grab this stupid motherfucker and beat the crap out of him. I go out the back of the bar and get on my motorcycle. The night is damp and muggy, but I need to release some of this anger. The gym is not open at this hour, so I can"t go beat the shit out of a punching bag.

So I go for a ride—a long one, through the streets of Miami. My mind goes back to that night when that asshole hurt Cassie. It was like divine timing that I went out to the door to talk to the bouncers. That"s when I heard him yelling at her, and then she screamed, and I took off running. That scream was the most terrifying sound I"ve ever heard.

I don"t scare easily, but that moment scared me. I"ve been watching over Cassie for as long as I"ve known her brother, Carlos. She was younger then, sweet and naive. She"s not much better now. I"ve seen her go through several deadbeat boyfriends, but this Marcos Solis is the very definition of bad news.

She"s always looked at me with admiration in her eyes, but she doesn"t know the truth. That I"m a stone-cold killer, and I don"t regret a thing I"ve done in my career. And that"s why Carlos will let me protect her but at the same time, he warns me against her. My past could hurt sweet, innocent Cassie.

How could I ever be a husband or a father with a past like his? How do you tell your children you"ve killed for money? That is definitely a conversation that I would never want to have. Cassie Dalton is and will only ever be a dream.

I look up and realize I"ve driven my motorcycle to the Lee family compound. Cassie"s car is in the driveway, and there"s no light coming from her window.

Yes, I know where her window is located. This is not my first time here, spying on her in the dark. I look around the grounds, and Tuck shows himself for just a second, so I know he's there. I don't know why I had to come here when I know I've got someone on her 24/7. But if I don't make this stop every night, my chest feels heavy, and then it"s hard to breathe.

Althea, who runs the security team at Midnight Heat with me, tells me it"s anxiety. The fuck I"m having anxiety. I gave her my scariest look, and she backed away. Althea"s tough, but she won"t be saying that to my face ever again. I don"t even know why I confided in her, but it started happening right after Marcos attacked Cassie.

After about fifteen minutes looking up at her window, I put my helmet back on and leave. I won"t be able to sleep like this so I go back to the club and help with security. However, it doesn"t take all of my attention and that lets thoughts of Cassie filter through my brain. I can never be the man she deserves.

Going back to the conversation I had with Carlos, I realize Cassie needs me now more than ever. I know I"m not the right man for her, but I"ll always be there for Cassie. It"s more than a promise. It"s a vow I make to myself. And whoever fucks with her will have to deal with me.