1. Escapism

CHAPTER 1

Escapism

NATE

Author note: This story is a prequel novella that does end on a cliffhanger with a happy for now, leading up to the book Midnight and Mischief.

T hree years ago today I escaped. Hard to believe I almost got sucked into small town life. I swore long ago I would not end up like my father, tied down with a wife and kids, a nine-to-five job, and a hometown where nothing much ever happens.

Luckily for me, I left. Twice.

The first time was after high school when I shipped off to the Army.

The second time came after I was discharged, thinking I could start civilian life in Kissing Springs. How wrong I was. I barely lasted a week in all that hometown spirit before going insane.

“You gonna stare at those cards any longer hoping for a better hand? Trust me, it ain’t gonna materialize,” Spence sneered. As my partner on this shitty detail tonight, playing games was our only way to stave off boredom as we sat outside the clients’ suite in the hotel.

We worked for Cap’s security agency that my former military captain from the Army had started. When I landed in Las Vegas, he welcomed me with open arms and gave me this job. I’d lay down my life for that man; he certainly did for me over in Afghanistan, otherwise I’d be partying it up in heaven. I owed him, big time.

His security company for high-profile clients proved to be one helluva cush job compared to sweating our asses off in the desert, although he runs this outfit with the same military precision. Rarely did anything happen to these celebrities and CEOs who hired us though, save for the occasional overly zealous fan. What it amounted to was a shit-ton of time to fill every night on our shift.

This weekend, though, we were in Chicago, helping Cap with extra security he needed around his main client and daughter-in-law here on vacation. The client was Antonio Bottesta, a casino owner and bad mother fucker from Vegas. While the rest of us in his company watched over celebs, he’d somehow gotten involved in overseeing security for Bottesta.

“Fine. Call.” I couldn’t care less about the cards. My knee bounced up and down under the table. Lately, I’d been antsy, irritable, like wound up every second of the day, without a clue why. I hadn’t changed my diet, my exercise routine, my work life.

Then again, I broke things off with a chick a few months ago, whose words started sounding an awful lot like forever. Since breaking things off with her, I hadn’t bothered with rebound sex yet. That explained it. I just needed pussy.

Spence fanned his cards out on the table and reached for the quarters in the center of it. “Sucker. I’m beating you too easily tonight. What gives?”

“I don’t fucking know. You got this? I’ll make the rounds.” While Cap had left a couple of hours ago, accompanying the family on some outing, we remained posted outside their suite. Once per hour, one of us performed a perimeter sweep, our radios at the ready in case of trouble.

“I’ll be here napping.” He nodded, leaving the coins after all, then stretching his limbs in his seat.

After roaming the hotel floor, up and down the hallway, checking the fire escape and stairwell, I took the elevator down to the casino, pacing inside the tiny space like I couldn’t stand still. My earlier conversation with Cap might have something to do with the uneasiness cropping up inside of me.

The minute we arrived here, Cap had gotten on a video conference in his room, all hush hush about it behind a closed door. When he’d yelled for me to enter his room, just finishing up with a guy in a blue suit on the screen who looked to me like a fed, it surprised me.

“You know that favor you owe me?” Cap left the call and asked. I nodded because of course I did. For saving my life, I promised I owed him a big one. I hoped he’d never need it, though. “If anything happens to me while we’re here, I’ll text or call you with a code word: Orange. More instructions will upload to you after that, and you follow the instructions there to a T. Got it?”

His words chilled me to the bone. Of course, I had plenty of questions, given the mysterious nature of his request. None of which he answered. Then he cut our time short, late for another appointment. I usually prided myself on good instincts; something about that conversation had scared the shit out of me.

The elevator door opened, and before I could walk out, a woman entered. She didn’t look at me, quickly pressing a button, then pressing the one for the doors to close over and over until they budged.

I hung back and recognized her instantly. She’s the client’s daughter-in-law. But where was Cap?

Her breathing ran ragged, and she stayed close to the door, tapping her fingers nervously on her leg. Red flags blared all around this situation. I texted Cap.

Nate: I got eyes on the woman.

Cap: Orange. Protect her.

A file arrived in my inbox from Cap. I clicked it and a note appeared with an address to deliver her to a safe house in St. Louis. If that failed, the note said he’d left an envelope in my rental car glove box with further instructions.

“The fuck?” I eyed the woman’s backside. Any other day, a plump rear like that could get my heart beating faster. Today, it beat hard only because of the word orange.

She glanced back, tossing her long mane of raven hair. “What—? Oh. It’s you.”

“Nate. I work with Cap?—”

“I know.” Locking eyes with her, she cast a spell on me, turning my insides upside down.

There’s another reason I was all too pleased to let Cap have this client to himself. Marina Carlini Bottesta was too damn beautiful. How she got wrapped up with that family, I hadn’t the slightest idea.

Cap always said never to get too close to your mark because it could mess with your ability to do the job. Did he break the rule? Did his position get compromised because of her? If so, if she’s the reason he invoked the Code Orange…

“Then do you know what this means?” My nostrils flared as I held up my phone with the code word on it. I searched her face for any signs of distress. They were there, lips trembling, her chocolate eyes filling with tears.

She drew a gun on me.

“Whoa.” My hands shot up in the air. Where that weapon came from, I hadn’t the slightest idea. I could take her down fast, but a distressed woman with a finger on the trigger shouldn’t be tested.

“How can I trust you?”

“Lady, I sweated and cried with Cap for two tours of duty in the desert. I’d kill for that man and die protecting him. The only reason I’m in this godforsaken Windy City is to work for him.”

Her face morphed, pale and stricken. “Oh, Cap.”

The doors opened on the twenty-fifth floor and she stepped out, crying.

I followed. “Hey. Where are you going? Cap said Orange and his orders were to…”

“I know the orders. He and I went over this scenario a hundred times.”

“Scenario? Then you know I’m to take you to a safe house. Right now.” Every hair on the back of my neck stood on point.

She dashed down the hall, as fast as her feet in heels could carry her. I barely took notice of her ass in tight black jeans until she stopped at a door at the end, with me right behind her.

“But my orders began differently. I have to retrieve a much more important package first,” she said, knocking twice.

“Fine. Grab it and let’s go?—”

The door opened and she slipped through. I followed, not wanting her out of my sight. My eyes adjusted to the darkened room to find a young girl, a teenager maybe, running to her, wrapping her arms around her.

“Mom? Are you okay?”

“Code Orange baby.”

“I’ll get our backpacks.”

I stood there, blinking. Fuck. Cap never mentioned kids. Never mentioned anything. But apparently these two knew it all.

Both of them rushed around, grabbing a few things and stuffing them into packs. I stood guard at the door, left slightly ajar, my gun pulled and ready, keeping watch for what enemy? Bottesta?

Shit. I didn’t like this one bit.

Marina finally approached me after a few minutes, her hair up in a ponytail under a trucker’s hat, with wild eyes, glaring, holding her gun pointed at me.

“Cap may have trusted you and given you orders. Now here’s mine,” she started. “Number one. No questions until we’re safely out of town. Number two. I barely know you, so if you think I’m going to trust you—you’re mistaken.”

“Ready, Mom.” Her daughter bounded toward us with a smile despite it all, as she slung her full backpack over her shoulders. Tallish and thin, and with similar olive skin, dark hair and chocolate eyes like her mother, she’d no doubt she’ll grow up to be a statuesque beauty like her, too. She held a hand out to me to shake. “Hi, I’m?—”

Her mother swatted her hand away.

“And number three. My daughter isn’t your friend.” She almost stabbed me with a manicured red nail, which might hurt worse than a gunshot. “You protect us until we get to the safe house, then we part ways. You got it?”

Yeah, I caught every word, even though my eyes danced off the sheen of her glossy red lips. Damn, was there anything hotter than a woman who called the shots wielding a gun? She’d have to learn her lesson, though. On this mission, I was in charge.

Enough of that. I had a job to do. If Cap was compromised—Christ, I hoped he was still alive—then I had a duty to keep these two out of harm’s way until they got where they needed to go.

“Lady, all I know is, I’d do anything for Cap and follow his orders. Right now, I’m guessing you aren’t safe here any longer. So let’s move.”