Wicked

by M. Malone

  I shook my head at his cheesy antics. “You know, not living together has some benefits. There are certain things, certain surprises, I might want to give you that are hard to do if we saw each other all the time.”

  He looked skeptical. “What do you mean?”

  I shrugged innocently. “Well, it’ll be your birthday soon. Maybe I’ll come over one night with a trench coat on. Nothing but a trench coat on.”

  His mouth fell open and his eyes darkened. I glanced down in triumph at the instant bulge in his sweatpants.

  “I guess that means you’ll have to give me some incentive to want to come visit.”

  Hunter

  The woman was diabolical.

  As Bailey sauntered away with a naughty smile on her face, I reached down and adjusted the tentpole in my pants. It was hard to argue when I knew she was right but it was going to be really hard to move Bailey into that damn dorm room.

  A co-ed dorm at that. My back teeth were going to be ground to dust by the time she graduated imagining her surrounded by horny young men who were living conveniently close.

  Not that they’d have too many opportunities to try anything. Bailey didn’t know it yet, but she and her friend Talia were going to have a near constant personal bodyguard. I remember college well and I’ve seen the kind of shit that goes down in dorms at night. Hell, I was just going to have to get used to spending time in her dorm room.

  I chuckled. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. I was already fantasizing about all the different ways I could take Bailey in one of those narrow dorm beds.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you about this.” Bailey appeared at my elbow waving a computer printout.

  “What is that?”

  She squinted at the paper. “It’s my college account. Someone paid off my last year of classes. $30,000.”

  I leaned closer to look at the spot her finger was pointing to. I could see all the charges for her classes for the coming semester, one deduction for a grant she’d told me about and then …

  A $30,000 deposit.

  “Does your financial aid advisor have a crush on you or something?”

  Bailey snorted. “My financial aid advisor is about a million years old and she missed our last appointment anyway. I doubt that. I was just checking to make sure it wasn’t you.”

  Now I wished it had been me so I could be the awesome boyfriend who swooped in with the big gesture.

  “Unfortunately it wasn’t me. As much as I wish I could claim it.”

  Bailey folded up the paper and put it in her back pocket. “Yeah, I figured. Just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a crazy, extravagant gift before I called the school and told them about their mistake. I don’t want some poor intern to get canned because they accidentally applied someone else’s tuition check to my account.”

  “I only wish I could give gifts like that. I make good money with the company but not that good.”

  “No kidding. I don’t know anyone who has that kind of money to spare.”

  At the thought, I stopped. It was true, that very few people had that kind of money to give away. But I knew someone who did.

  Or at least, I’d been the recipient of their “gifts” before. The same person who was randomly dumping money in my bank account could have done the same to Bailey. But why? And even more interesting how would they know she needed it?

  When I’d first gotten a random deposit, I had assumed it was a mistake. The bank had assured me that the transfer had been intended for my account but for the next few months I hadn’t spent a penny of it sure that it would be snatched back at some point. Then that winter there had been a problem with the pipes in my building. I’d been looking at thousands in water damage that my insurance was determined not to cover.

  Then I’d gotten another deposit. Too quickly for it to be random.

  I glanced over at Bailey. “You may not know someone who has thirty grand to drop on a whim but I do. Or at least, I think I do. I just have to figure out who it is.”

  Bailey looked confused but just kissed me on the cheek and went back to her packing. Meanwhile, my mind was racing with the possibilities. When I was a kid, I used to fantasize all the time about a long-lost rich uncle coming to claim me. Not that I thought I had a rich uncle who liked to randomly deposit money in relative’s bank accounts but clearly there was someone out there who knew me. Who cared about me. And they had to be close otherwise they wouldn’t know when I needed money. Or who my girlfriend was.

  It should feel creepy to think of someone watching me. But it didn’t. Obviously they didn’t want to hurt me or they could have done that already. But someone had to be close by and paying attention to my life.

  It was time I started paying attention, too.

  18

  Hunter

  I glanced out the window next to me for the millionth time. Bailey had been back in school for a few weeks now and I’d done my best to give her some space. We’d spent a lot of time with her friend Talia on campus and I’d become the third wheel in their friendship.

  Not that Talia wasn’t a cool chick, but I was ready to have some one-on-one time with my girl again. Tonight would be our first solo date in what felt like forever.

  “Are you ready to order?” The perky redhead who had seated me at this table reappeared at my elbow. I’m sure she was wondering why I’d been sitting here alone for so long.

  “No, I’m still waiting–“ Something across the street caught my eye and I lost my train of thought. A man stood in the shadows next to the bus stop and he was staring right at me. The same man that I’d seen the weekend we moved Bailey into the dorms. And again outside the office one random Friday night. There was something about that face…

  Movement at my elbow startled me and I realized that I’d just left the waitress hanging. Her eyes narrowed. “Sir, are you okay?”

  I pulled out my wallet and dropped a twenty dollar bill on the table. “Sorry to take up a table but I need to go.”

  She watched me open-mouthed as I slid out of the booth and walked quickly to the front of the restaurant. The entire time my heart was in my throat, sure that by the time I got outside the man in the shadows would have disappeared just like he did all those other times. But this time, when I cleared the door and stepped out into the crisp September air, he was still there.

  It took me a minute to cross the street, dodging around a stopped cab. By the time I got there, my heart was beating so hard that I had to pause, drawing in huge gulps of air. He stood watching me, not moving, his hands tucked into the pockets of his beat-up leather jacket.

  “It’s you, isn’t it?”

  He inclined his head just once but didn’t say anything else or offer any other information. Something about the curt efficiency of his response jogged my memory and I smiled.

  “Steven?”

  He shrugged. “I told you I’d always look after you.”

  “That was a long time ago. I tried to find out what happened to you but no one knew.”

  After a long pause, he nodded once as if making a decision. “That’s because Steven doesn’t exist anymore. I’m Noah now. Noah Blake.”

  I understood what the pause was about now. He’d created a whole new life. A whole new identity. And he was allowing me to be a part of it.

  “I never did thank you all those years ago for saving me from those assholes.”

  He held out his hand. “Truthfully, I think we saved each other.”

  When our hands met, he pulled me into a quick hug and I fought down a well of emotion. If you’d asked me last week how I felt about being alone in the world, I would have told you that I’d made my peace with it. My focus was on building a new life with Bailey. Creating a new family.

  But there was no way to deny the intense relief I felt knowing that my foster brother was still out here and wanted to be a part of my life. Even though I hadn’t known it, I’d had a family all along.

  * * *

  Bailey

  Curled u
p on the couch, I let out a long sigh. My classes were intense this year since I was taking all the hardcore marketing classes needed to complete my degree. Tonight was a welcome reprieve from having my face buried in a textbook.

  “Sorry about being so late. I really wanted to try that restaurant but I got distracted studying for my test.”

  Hunter hummed absently. I pulled back to glance at him. He’d been acting strangely all night. Not like he was angry at me or anything but just really distracted. Maybe something was going on at work.

  “Is everything going okay at the office? Did you get a new client?”

  I leaned over and grabbed another eggroll from the carton on the coffee table. Since I’d been so late, Hunter had texted me to just meet him at his place and he’d order Chinese. It may not be as fancy as going out to a restaurant but I was just as happy. Eggrolls and lo mein made me a happy girl.

  Hunter blinked. “No, everything is fine. It’s actually been surprisingly boring now that the gossip mill has finally stopped talking about Dent.”

  I rested my head on his chest. The sound of his heart beating beneath my ear was comforting. In that moment, I could imagine how things would go over the next few months. I’d finish school, Hunter would continue to be a superstar at the office and we’d be together through it all.

  Things were especially perfect now that Talia was here. It was starting to feel like everything in my life was coming together. When I mentioned that to Hunter, he chuckled softly.

  “What?”

  He pulled me closer and kissed my forehead. “Nothing, baby. I’m just happy. I have you and I have my family. For the first time in a long time, everything is going right.”

  It took a moment for his words to register. Family? Even though it wasn’t something we talked about often, I knew that Hunter had grown up in foster care. All the pictures in his house were of him with his friends or people at the office.

  And me, of course.

  “Family? What does that mean?”

  Hunter winked. “Just that family really is what you make it. And someday soon, I want to take you for a little ride. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  Thank you for reading WICKED. Want to know more about the mysterious Noah Blake? Keep reading for an excerpt of his book, Shameless.

  Excerpt of Shameless

  I am the thing that goes bump in the night. I am a liar, a protector ... a killer ... I am Noah Blake.

  There is only one light in my darkness, one bright ray in the storm of my life. Lucia DeMarco. And I’ll do anything for her. Anything except show her who I really am: an assassin. Well, former assassin. I don’t really do that anymore ... usually.

  It would be easier if she didn’t call me names. Asshole, control freak … shameless. It would also be easier if she didn’t look at me with those trusting gray eyes. If I didn’t dream about the perfect curve of her — Never mind all that. The point is she’s digging into my world, my secrets, and it’s going to get her killed.

  But first, we have another more immediate concern. Lucia is going on a date—with someone else ...

  And I’m not allowed to kill this one.

  Excerpt of Shameless © May 2017 M. Malone and Nana Malone

  Noah watched the date from the comfort of his SUV. All the while silently fuming.

  What the hell did Lucia think she was doing? His team hadn't vetted the guy. They didn't know anything about him. So far, she'd broken all of the dating rules he'd given her.

  For the first date, always meet your date at your designated location. And of course, she'd let this doofus pick her up for their date. As if he hadn't told her a million times to do the exact opposite.

  He'd also been very clear not to get in the car with her date. So that was rule one and rule two broken right off the bat. As if he hadn't trained her on how to be careful and what to watch out for. But oh no, Lucia didn't listen to shit. Every time he turned around, there she was, careening headfirst into trouble.

  Maybe she didn't see her date as a potential threat, but dammit she needed to be more careful. What the hell did she even know about this guy?

  "What the hell kind of name is Brent anyway?"

  Noah hadn't even realized that he'd spoken out loud, until the voice in his comm unit laughed. "Last I checked, Brent is a perfectly normal name. Lots of guys have it."

  Noah barely restrained a growl. "Matthias, when I want your input, I'll give it to you."

  There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. Noah made a mental note to give Matthias some really horrible surveillance duty for the next month. This wasn't funny. This was Lucia. They all cared about her well-being.

  Maybe you more than the others.

  Yeah, so what? He cared about her. And maybe it wasn't the easiest thing in the world watching her date loser after loser. But it was his job, no strike that, it was his responsibility to look after her. He owed Rafe that much. But how the hell was he supposed to look out for her when she kept making it so damn difficult? Lucia was obstinate, infuriating, pigheaded, and—

  Beautiful.

  No. She was like a little sister to him. Yet somehow his dick couldn't seem to get with that program lately. More and more frequently, some very unsisterly thoughts wormed their way into his consciousness.

  "Matthias, give me something on this Brent guy. Aren't you supposed to be some kind of super-hacker?"

  "You better believe it. But, there's nothing on him. Everything is normal. Boring. Most interesting thing about this guy is he likes adventure sports. He skydives, bungee jumps, that sort of thing. Does some triathlons. Maybe he's some kind of adrenaline junkie. But there's nothing else on him. No flags. He lives here in New York in the East Village. No roommates, rent isn't exorbitant. Works for the city. No large withdrawals of cash, good credit. As far as I can tell, he's clean. But that's just his electronic trail. Maybe you're right on this one and he's a little too clean. I mean, there's not even an online dating profile on him. To me, that's weird. Who doesn't have an online dating profile?"

  Noah chuckled and then lifted his binoculars again. Lucia was laughing at something. So Brent thought he was a comedian, huh? What the hell was so damn funny? There was too much interference to use the boom mic, otherwise he'd know.

  Brent reached across the table and took Lucia's hand, and Noah nearly chipped a tooth from grinding his teeth so hard. He could see Lucia's eyes go wide. Was that surprise? He hoped it was disgust.

  Did she actually like this guy?

  His gut clenched at the thought. Perfect, just what he needed. Lucia liking this fucking idiot.

  It wasn't that she hadn't dated before. She had. Mostly in college. Most of those guys had merely needed a strong reminder to mind their Ps & Qs with her. But this guy, this guy was random—unknown. Which meant it would take more work to scare him off. But Noah was up for the challenge.

  Lucia deserved to be happy, just with somebody vetted and approved. After the shit she had survived in her life? The girl needed some happy endings.

  Fuck. Not happy endings.

  He groaned and turned his attention back to the restaurant. Brent raised a hand and signaled their server. Shit, they were leaving. The real trick was guessing where they were going. He'd put a tracker on her phone, so if he guessed wrong, he could always follow. But what if something happened to her before he could get there?

  "Matthias, turn on the listening device on her phone. I'm heading to the house in case that's where they go."

  There was a beat of silence. He could almost hear Matthias's silent condemnation. "The thing is, Noah, she's not going to like that."

  "The thing is, Matthias, I don't care," he muttered using the same singsong tone.

  Yeah, he knew he sounded like an asshole. But this was Lucia. If she wasn't going to take care of herself, that left it to him to do it for her. They had one simple rule: He vetted all her dates. And sometimes, without her knowing, he'd scare them off. But that was really beside the point. It wasn't
his fault she couldn't pick a decent guy.

  He made a left turn on 10th Ave, right near the USB Theater, then he sped through Chelsea before making a left on 28th Street, heading toward Chelsea Piers. He made a right at the stop sign, turning onto her quiet street. The street was lined with lofts and new apartment high-rises, all boasting a name with Arms, or Manor.

  Before she'd moved, Noah and his team researched the building's owners and the neighborhood crime rate. Everything to make sure she would be safe. Well as safe as she could be in Manhattan. It also didn't hurt that he watched her every move. And not in some creepy, stalkery way, but more like a big brother way. Sort of ...

  Never mind that. He drove past her building and around the back to the lot he paid for specifically for these kinds of situations. Yeah, so maybe he also paid most of her rent. She thought she’d gotten extremely lucky with a rent-controlled apartment in the heart of the city. In reality, he paid most of the tab. He also paid for two parking spots. Not that Lucia had a car. But in case she ever got one, she’d have somewhere safe to park it. Somewhere right next to the damn elevator. He paid almost as much to secure that spot as he paid for the apartment. His spot was in the darkened shadows somewhere she’d never think to look. He didn’t mind though, because in most scenarios, he was the thing that went bump in the night.

  "Matthias, talk to me. Where are they headed?"

  "They're stopping for ice cream at Benny's then he's going to take her home."

  Okay, so Noah had about ten minutes. Benny's was a local mom-and-pop ice-cream place about five blocks away. He jogged along the parking garage to the side stairs. While he'd insisted that she get a building with a doorman, there was no accounting for the additional exits and entrances into the building. Luckily, this one was exit only. Only confirmed residents had keys. Unfortunately, even your average guy could pick these locks, and he happened to be better than average.