by Susan Stoker
Table of Contents
Unnamed
DISCOVER OTHER TITLES BY SUSAN STOKER Ace Security Series Claiming Grace Claiming Alexis Claiming Bailey (TBA) Delta Force Heroes Series Rescuing Rayne Assisting Aimee (novella) loosely tied to DF Rescuing Emily Rescuing Harley Marrying Emily Rescuing Kassie Rescuing Bryn (Oct. 2017) Rescuing Casey (TBA) Rescuing Wendy (TBA) Rescuing Mary (TBA) Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series Justice for Mackenzie Justice for Mickie Justice for Corrie Justice for Laine (novella) Shelter for Elizabeth Justice for Boone Shelter for Adeline Shelter for Sophie (Aug. 2017) Justice for Erin (Nov. 2017) Justice for Milena (TBA) Shelter for Blythe (TBA) Justice for Hope (TBA) Shelter for Quinn (TBA) Shelter for Koren (TBA) Shelter for Penelope (TBA) SEAL of Protection Series Protecting Caroline Protecting Alabama Protecting Fiona Marrying Caroline (novella) Protecting Summer Protecting Cheyenne Protecting Jessyka Protecting Julie (novella) Protecting Melody Protecting the Future Protecting Alabama’s Kids (
Unnamed
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Text copyright © 2017 Susan Stoker All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or by photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781477848630 ISBN-10: 1477848630 Cover design by Eileen Carey
Contents Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Acknowledgments About the Author Connect with Susan Online
Chapter One “So, what’s your deal?” Alexis Grant looked straight ahead into the darkness broken only by the bright headlights of the black Mustang as she and Blake barreled down the interstate toward Colorado Springs. They were going to the El Paso County Courthouse to provide security for a woman who was going through a nasty divorce and was scared of what her husband might to do her. Alexis brought the still-steaming cup of coffee up to her face, inhaling the sweet ambrosia, then sipped, buying herself some time before trying to answer the question. “I mean, you’ve been working for Ace Security for almost three months, and I can’t figure you out.” “What’s there to figure out?” Alexis mumbled, closing her eyes and leaning back against the headrest. “Can I be blunt?” At the question, Alexis opened her eyes and turned to look at Blake Anderson, who was one of three brothers who ran Ace Security. She’d met him earlier that year when her brother, Bradford, had somehow found himself in the
Chapter Two “So . . . want to stop and get some lunch?” Blake asked Alexis as he pulled away from the courthouse. It was eleven thirty, and the job had gone off with no issues. Not that he thought there would be any. The client’s ex-husband hadn’t showed up at the courthouse to make trouble for their client. Alexis’s job was to stay near the entrance and notify Blake, via two-way radio, if he appeared. He hadn’t, and they’d been able to leave Colorado Springs before noon. He’d never thought hiring Alexis would work out. In fact, he’d been extremely reluctant to work with her. He was almost ashamed to admit it, but the fact that she was rich played a big part in his reticence. After seeing how Grace’s very wealthy parents conducted themselves, and having more than his share of run-ins with women who had money, he hadn’t wanted anything to do with someone who he assumed was probably spoiled rotten and used to getting her way. But Alexis had surprised him. She was down-to-earth and easy t
Chapter Three Blake dropped Alexis off at her Mercedes at the Hampton Inn. She’d taken to staying at the hotel the night before they had an early job. It made sense, as she still lived up in Denver, but she refused to let Ace Security pay for it, even though Blake had tried to convince her. It annoyed him, but he didn’t fight her on it. He knew he needed to choose his battles with her wisely. After he watched Alexis head north toward her apartment in Denver, he drove to downtown Castle Rock, noticing with pleasure the Italian restaurant Scarpetti’s had finally opened in the space Mason Architectural Firm used to occupy. For Grace and Logan’s sake he was thrilled to no longer have to see Grace’s parents’ business every day when he went to work. He parked his Mustang and walked toward Ace Security. When he entered the office, his brother, Nathan, was in front of the computer where he spent most of his time. “Hey, Nathan. What’s up?” “Hey,” his brother answered absently. “Where’s Logan?”
Chapter Four Two weeks later, Alexis was sitting in a car outside a Walmart in northeast Denver . . . right in the middle of Inca Boyz territory. She’d spent a week stalking Kelly, first online, monitoring Twitter for hashtags related to gangs and searching for keywords on Google, then as Kelly went about her business in the rough part of Denver the gang was known to frequent. She learned which stores the woman liked to shop in and came up with somewhat of a schedule. Kelly was extremely predictable, going to Walmart almost every afternoon. Alexis had no idea what in the world the woman had to buy every day but figured she was probably buying things for the gang . . . alcohol, cigarettes, ammunition, and who knew what else. Gross and disturbing visions of ropes, shovels, duct tape, and condoms also came to mind. “Whatever you do, don’t fiddle with the wire,” Blake lectured for the millionth time. “I know it’s uncomfortable, but she’ll clock it a mile away if you can’t keep your hands o
Chapter Five Alexis swallowed hard before pushing open the door to Ace Security the next day. The meeting with Kelly couldn’t have gone better, but what happened later with Blake had her tossing and turning all night. She’d been in love with the man for what seemed like forever, and it seemed unreal that he returned her interest. But she had no illusions about them having a long-term relationship—she was a novelty—and after spending almost every day together for the last few months, he probably just wanted to get her into bed, to have what had been in front of his face for so long. In her experience that was how men were wired. After Blake screwed her, he’d most likely move on to someone else. She didn’t have what it took to keep his attention long-term. Especially when he found out exactly how inexperienced she was. Being a twenty-five-year-old virgin was embarrassing. The best she could hope for was a few weeks or months of good sex. She’d have to be content with that, even if it wou
Chapter Six A week later, after they’d gone over every possible scenario and driven around the area where Snake’s Bar was located, Alexis still wasn’t sure she was ready. Logan, Blake, and Nathan had done their best to give her a crash course in what to look for and how to protect herself. She’d tried not to freak out as they instructed her how to knee a man in the balls and stick her fingers in his eyes before running like hell, how to tell when the situation was going to get out of hand or to make sure she didn’t drink anything that she didn’t see poured, with her own eyes—but it wasn’t easy. The scenarios they’d discussed made her almost physically ill: from shoving her in the trunk of a car, locking her in a room before bringing in more of the gang to subdue and hurt her in ways no woman ever wanted to be hurt, to smacking her around just to see how she’d react. With each and every scenario, Alexis had wanted to call the whole thing off, but she couldn’t. She needed this. Needed to
Chapter Seven “Get in the car, Lex.” “Blake,” she breathed out in relief. He didn’t respond but clicked open the lock and opened the door for her. He watched, furious as Alexis clumsily crawled over the driver�
��s seat on her hands and knees and into the passenger side. Her ass in his face should’ve turned him on, but he was so pissed off at what had happened in the bar, at what Alexis had been made to do, all he could think of was getting out of there and back to her apartment. “What about Nathan’s car?” Alexis slurred as Blake started up her Mercedes. “That piece of shit will blend right in here. No one will touch it.” “I could’ve left mine here.” “Lex,” Blake said in exasperation. “You know we can’t leave your Mercedes here. It’d be stripped before nightfall. Trust me, Nathan’s piece of shit won’t be noticed.” “Oh. Yeah.” She furrowed her brow in confusion. “Okay.” Blake clenched his teeth together. The second that asshole Damian ordered the first shots of tequila, he knew lunch wasn’
Chapter Eight Alexis woke up with an urgent need to barf. She tried to throw off her blankets to get to the bathroom but couldn’t. Panicking, she struggled against whatever was holding her down, and within seconds she was free. Feeling the vomit at the back of her throat, she quickly stumbled to the bathroom and barely got the lid of the toilet up before she was puking. And puking. And puking. And puking. Her stomach heaved trying to rid itself of the poison she’d consumed however many hours ago. She moaned as she clutched the side of the toilet as her bile swelled up from her stomach again; she was completely miserable and wished she would die. Anything would be better than experiencing the hell she was in at this moment. When she couldn’t bring up any more liquid, her body continued to rebel against her, leaving her dry heaving and gagging over the toilet bowl. Just when she didn’t think things could get worse, Alexis felt a pair of hands gently pull back the hair that was falling in
Chapter Nine Two days after they’d had lunch, Kelly sent Alexis a text, wanting to meet up again. This time for, in Kelly’s words, a “small party” at her place. Alexis called Blake, clearly panicked, not sure how to respond. Blake immediately wanted to say hell no, but after discussing the situation with his brothers, he called Alexis back. “What should I do?” she asked. “The decision is yours, Lex. I don’t want you anywhere near that bitch and her friends. If it was up to me, I’d say absolutely not, but it’s not up to me. And I know how much you want to help. How much pressure you’ve put on yourself. You’re not a victim anymore, not like you were back in high school, and you’ve come a long way. No matter your decision, know that I, and my brothers, will support it one hundred percent. If you want to say no, we won’t be upset about it. If you decide you’ll do it, we’ll support you however we can . . . including having your back, front, and sides while you do it.” He heard her take a de
Chapter Ten Alexis took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the ramshackle house, Blake’s instructions and tips on staying safe running through her head. The house looked like she’d expected: run-down and creepy. Exactly the type of place she would assume Damian and the Inca Boyz lived in. The sooner she got this party out of the way, the sooner she could get Blake Anderson in her bed. He was her reward for getting through one more excruciating experience; at least that’s how she was looking at it. She and Blake had killed time that afternoon, getting ice cream and walking around downtown Denver, holding hands and sharing light romantic kisses. She’d learned a lot about him. He liked to read nonfiction books, mostly about military ships, and he hated green vegetables. She’d listed as many as she could think of, asking individually if he liked them. Asparagus, green beans, peas, broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, okra, kale, lima beans. He’d just laughed and told her no after eac
Chapter Eleven Blake fidgeted in the passenger seat next to Logan. “Where is she?” It was somewhat of a rhetorical question as both men could see through the video camera she was wearing that she was still making her way to the rendezvous point. They could hear her heavy breathing and her mumbled words letting them know her progress. “Keep it together, Blake,” Logan warned in a low voice. “If it was Grace out there, how would you feel?” Blake knew it was a low blow the second he’d uttered it, but didn’t apologize. “I’d feel exactly the same way you do,” his brother said calmly. “And you know I’ve been where you are. Alexis was amazing tonight. She kept her cool, didn’t panic when shit got real, was able to get some amazing intel, and she acted exactly how she was supposed to when we set up the distraction. She’ll be here.” “That fucker Chuck had his hands on her,” Blake bit out between clenched teeth. “Just like Donovan had his hands on Grace,” Logan reminded his brother gently. “Grace
Chapter Twelve Alexis stripped off her top and jeans in a daze, leaving them in a heap on the tiled floor. She quickly removed her panties and bra and reached into the shower to turn it on. After only moments, the water heated and she turned it as hot as she thought she could stand before stepping into the large enclosure. When her body got used to the temperature, she turned the knob a quarter of an inch, making it just this side of scalding. Then she scrubbed. If she wasn’t so concerned about getting clean, she might’ve found it funny that Blake owned, and apparently used, a shower pouf, on which she poured a liberal amount of body wash and did her best to remove the feeling of Chuck’s hands on her and the feeling of revulsion that had clung to her after watching the men in the house take the girls to the back room to screw. She rubbed her body until it was pink from both the hot water and her harsh ablutions. The hand that she’d touched Chuck’s damp T-shirt with had been scrubbed un
Chapter Thirteen Blake was dreaming that he was on vacation with Alexis in the Caribbean. He had no idea what island, only that it was warm and the sand felt soft beneath him. They were both naked, and he’d never had an erection as painful and hard as the one he did right then. His eyes popped open when he realized that he wasn’t dreaming. The room was warm, he was sweating, and Lex was kneeling at his side on his mattress, naked as the day she was born, her eyes glued to his erection, which she had in one hand. Blake had no idea what time it was, except that it was obviously morning. Sunlight was showing through the slits in the blinds. All thoughts of the time flew from his mind when Alexis leaned down and timidly licked the head of his cock. He couldn’t hold back the groan that crawled up the back of his throat at the sight of her tongue licking her lips as she looked up at him. “It’s salty and kinda bitter at the same time.” “Fuck, Lex. You’re killing me,” he said on a sharp exhale
Chapter Fourteen That morning, while in the shower, Alexis had told Blake that she’d never really seen a man’s cock up close and personal. That had led to an anatomy lesson, complete with him showing her exactly how he liked to be touched and how to get him off . . . with her hands and with her mouth. And that had led to Blake kneeling on the ground at her feet, showing her how wonderful it could feel when a man reciprocated. He’d brought her to another huge orgasm with his mouth and fingers, which would’ve brought her to her knees if he hadn’t been holding on to her hips. Alexis smiled when she remembered how natural the morning had been. She’d been afraid she’d feel weird around Blake now that they’d had sex, but, instead, she felt even more comfortable around him. He was the same man he’d been before: considerate, attentive, and still somewhat of a prankster. They’d sat on the couch after eating and laughed and joked while waiting for her jeans to dry. She was wearing a pair of his
Chapter Fifteen The next three weeks were the best of Alexis’s life. She spent almost every waking hour with Blake, and they’d slept together every night. They didn’t always make love, but cuddling up with Blake’s arm holding her tight to his chest was almost just as good as having sex. Almost. They spent most of their time in Castle Rock at his house, and working. She went with him to Colorado Springs for a few jobs, once again being the lookout for an abusive ex while Blake was inside the courthouse with the client. She continued to do research for Ace Security. She managed to pop into the Rock Hard Gym and meet both Cole and Felicity. She liked them immediately. Felicity was outspoken, covered in tattoos, and obviously a staunch supporter of Grace’s. Cole was taller than Blake, but his smile made her feel at ease immediately. Alexis had
also exchanged quite a few texts with Grace. It felt good to have someone she could shoot a note off to about nothing in particular without feeling
Chapter Sixteen Blake swore as he combed the area where Lex had last said she’d been. It looked like they were taking her up into the mountains, as the second-to-last ATM had been in Golden. Alexis didn’t recognize the last bank, and therefore couldn’t tell him exactly where she was, which sucked. Blake drove around aimlessly, swearing when he couldn’t find even one black Cadillac. The thought of her being at the mercy of the Inca Boyz, especially Chuck, was eating at his soul. He could tell she was scared out of her mind, and Blake couldn’t blame her. But she was hanging in there. Being strong as ever. His phone rang, startling the shit out of him, but he clicked it on and heard Nathan’s voice through the speakers in the car. “Got her.” “Thank fuck,” Blake breathed. “Where?” “You’re right—they headed up the mountain. They went up Route Six, headed for Clear Creek Canyon Park. How close are you?” Blake swung a U-ey and went west so he could catch an exit. “How far?” “Thirty miles or so
Chapter Seventeen Twenty-four hours later Blake sat next to Alexis, in a hospital bed, holding her hand, while she spoke quietly to her parents. Nathan had called Brian and Betty Grant to let them know what was happening to their daughter. They’d known she was working with Ace Security, but not that she’d been doing undercover work to try to shut down the gang that had been involved in their son’s drugging and blackmail attempt. At first they’d been upset, but then, obviously knowing their daughter, had simply been relieved she was all right, if not a bit proud of her role in taking down part of the gang. Blake tuned out their conversation, instead concentrating on the feel of Lex’s warm hand in his hand and the way she clung to him, even as she insisted her parents tell Bradford not to take a trip back to Colorado, that she was fine. She’d had her stomach pumped, preventing her from experiencing the harsh aftereffects of too much alcohol. She still had a headache, but that was the lea
