PRIZE: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance

by Sophia Gray

  The steely resolve in her eyes and the fire burning there all made for one very determined woman. A woman who looked hotter every second.

  She grinned slightly and pushed me away. “Calm down, tiger,” she murmured. “We have an undercover operation to finish setting up.”

  I adjusted myself—she had felt me digging into her, but could she really get upset that she had turned me on?—and I grabbed her hand and brought her outside. We got onto my bike, and we rode over to the bar. Holding her hand again, I had her follow me up to the office, where Daryl and Charlie were already there, waiting on us.

  I slapped the guys on their backs. “Guys, this is Victoria. Sage’s mom.”

  “No way,” Daryl said, gaping at her and giving her a once-over. “This bird is the mom of Trenton’s bird? She’s too young for that. You had her when you were two or something?”

  Victoria gave a tight smile. “Adopted mother,” she said.

  I smacked Daryl upside the head. “Knock it off.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered.

  “This fool is Daryl, and I’m Charlie.” He held out his hand. “I’m sorry. Daryl should’ve been named Richard instead.”

  Daryl frowned. “What are you talkin’ ’bout?”

  “Dick. You should’ve been named Dick.” Charlie smirked.

  I sighed. “You both need to can it with the jokes and get serious.”

  “Yessir.” Charlie saluted me. He had been in the military, just for a stint to be able to pay for his college. He was a hacker, and a damned good one at that. He was a major asset to the team.

  “Got it, boss.” Daryl nodded. That was as serious as he could get.

  Victoria shook her head. “You guys don’t have to be serious on my account. If you need to joke around to whatever, go for it.”

  “Good.” Daryl winked and pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. “I can’t ever be serious for long.”

  I wagged a finger at him. “He’s a clown, all right, but that’ll work in our favor. His jokes make others feel comfortable, and when they’re comfortable, they start talking.”

  “I make people feel at ease and make ’em give me their secrets.” Daryl winked again. “And if my jokes don’t work, I can turn on the charm and crack ’em that way.”

  “So, here’s the drill. Daryl, you’re gonna go in and work the people. I want you talking to everyone. Customers, servers, the cook if you can. Don’t leave out anyone.”

  “Got it.”

  “Charlie, you’re gonna do the snooping. The back area seemed to be watched, so you might wanna start there. Be careful, and don’t get caught. If you can, see if you can hack into their system. See what they’re hiding. Because even if they aren’t involved with Trenton and Sage going missing, they’re messin’ in something, and it’s always a good idea to have dirt on people.”

  “Dirt on people.” Victoria blinked. “You often try to find skeletons in closets so you can squeeze people and businesses?”

  “We might’ve turned in a few businesses once or twice,” I admitted. “I might not like the police or being a snitch, but it’s good to have them on our side.”

  “Yet you don’t want the police to help find Trenton.” She crossed her arms. “Care to explain that?”

  “Because of the drug connection. And because the police aren’t always loyal friends. Some are corrupt, and some don’t give a shit about anyone. Some are all about the law. It’s complicated.”

  “Everything with you is complicated,” she muttered. “Do the police know Trenton did drugs? Was he ever arrested?”

  “Trenton was a lot of things, but he was also smart. He never got caught. He hid it well, just not well enough from me.” My lips curled downward. “’Til now.”

  “I just can’t believe you would be in bed with the cops and—”

  “Do you know how many motorcycle clubs get a bad rap?” I demanded. “We show up and we get the blame for whatever shit is going down, even if we don’t have a damn thing to do with it. Besides, the only businesses we turned in are ones that screwed us over. One time, this place—”

  “I don’t need the details.” She held up a hand, and I found myself staring at her fingers. She knew just where to touch me to make me beg, to make me groan.

  I shook my head. Now was not the time to get all hot and bothered. “You guys clear on the plan?”

  “All set.” Charlie nodded.

  “Clear and ready.” Daryl grinned, but there was that glint in his eyes. I always could count on him. He knew when to cool it down. “If they’ve got anything on our guys, we’ll sniff it out.”

  “All right. Let’s eat dinner and then you should go. Don’t want you two poking around before the after-dinner crowd gets there. You’ll stick out too much if there aren’t enough people there.”

  I ordered a bunch of sandwich platters and ate my fill. Victoria picked at her food at first, but the more she talked with some of the guys, the more she seemed to relax, and then she started to eat.

  While she was relaxing, though, I was getting more anxious. I was a man of action. I wanted to be the one out there snooping and asking question. I had no issue with delegating work, but this was different. Trenton was part of the club, and everyone wanted him back, but none more so than me.

  Once Daryl and Charlie finished eating, they slipped out the back. They were going to take separate cars and different routes there so they wouldn’t arrive at the same time.

  Victoria excused herself to the bathroom.

  I helped the other guys clean up the room then grabbed Hank by the arm. “You’ve travelled a lot. I want you to write me down a list of towns one hundred miles north of here.”

  Hank nodded. “Can do.”

  “Supposedly Trenton and Sage might’ve gone to a town that way. Got the info from Cowboy’s Lasso. Not sure it’s good info, but—”

  “Gotta chase down every lead.” Hank nodded. “I miss it,” he muttered. “Camping out every night. Hitchhiking. It’s a rush, man. You gotta do it someday.”

  “Someday,” I agreed. I would never hitchhike across the country, though. But with my bike? Maybe. Would be great to explore everywhere.

  Victoria walked past the room and continued on down the hall, her cell to her ear. Now I wouldn’t want to go on a trip across the US like that by myself. If I had the right woman to go along with me…

  Might be the best way to get over our grief.

  Because I had a feeling that things weren’t going well for Trenton and Sage. And if we found them dead instead of alive, it was going to take a lot for us all to get through it. Leaving on a trip might actually be a smart way to try to sort through things.

  But Victoria was picking hope, and maybe I should try to take a page out of her book. I’m the one being realistic, though.

  Hank nodded again and walked off. Probably going to track down an atlas. He wasn’t one much for phones or computers. He really did like to rough it old school style, although the one piece of technology he did enjoy was a bike, of course.

  Daryl was supposed to arrive at the bar in ten minutes, so I left to find Victoria. She was pacing in the hallway, her cell in her hand. She had just hung up.

  “Everything all right?”

  Her eyes were stormy. “Of course not. I can’t trust anyone to handle anything without needing to be babysat.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “It’s the restaurant. Heather Franklin, the one I left in charge so I can help track down Sage? Well, she just called me to say she screwed up and didn’t place an order for the meat we use to make our homemade meatballs. And we run a special every Tuesday night on spaghetti and meatballs. If we don’t have the meat, no meatballs, no happy costumers, no money.” She yanked on her hair. “I have to try to deal with this. Not that I want to, but…”

  “You can trust me.”

  She blinked as if only realizing now that she was talking to me and not fuming to herself.

  “The boys and I have got this. You go handle things with yo
ur restaurant.”

  “But—”

  “Would Sage want you to lose the restaurant over her?”

  Victoria’s eyes clouded over. “I’m not gonna lose the restaurant over this!”

  “I didn’t mean…” I sighed and held out my hand. “I just don’t think she would want you to risk anything for her. Not the restaurant, not your life.”

  Her expression softened. “I don’t care about myself. Only about her.”

  “And that’s the mom in you. But you’re also a business owner. Think about your employees. Obviously you’re the engine that keeps that place running because it’s already falling apart without you. You’re also a woman with needs. And…do you have sisters, brothers? What about parents? You’re also a friend, and—”

  “And I get your point.” She took my hand and squeezed it. “I should be able to handle everything over the phone. Hopefully. Is there an office or a room I can use?”

  “Sure.” I had her follow me to a small room that was mostly used for storage since the office was ready for the wiretap. I released her hand to grab a chair from the dining area and brought it in for her. “Take as long as you need. I gotta get set up with the wire so I can listen in. You do your thing. I’ll do mine.”

  She grabbed my hand and yanked hard, forcing me to lower down to her. Her other hand wrapped around my neck, and she kissed me hard. Just a quick kiss, but it was enough to get my blood flowing.

  “I’m counting on you,” she whispered. “I don’t like to delegate. I don’t like relying on others. Don’t let me down.”

  The last words were almost a plea.

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “I won’t. I promise.”

  She kissed me again and settled down in the chair, already dialing someone.

  I left her to her work and rushed back to the office. I was just putting the earpiece in when I could hear Daryl’s voice loud and clear, “You hear me, boss?”

  “Yeah. You might wanna keep your voice down.”

  “Calm yourself. I’m just parking now.” The whir of the engine died. “All right. Walking in now.”

  A few of the others guys came in, so I opted to switch over so they could all listen in, too.

  Daryl mingled with the other customers first, laughing and joking around, paying for drinks and accepting drinks in return. I sure hoped he was nursing them. When Daryl got drunk, he tended to get a little belligerent.

  He used the angle that he was hoping to split up Trenton and Sage because “I want Savannie all to myself.” He painted Trenton as a punk, as a lousy asshole, as someone not deserving. All of the ladies ate it up and gushed about how “Savannie” should open up her eyes and get with him, but none of them knew where she was. The guys didn’t understand why Daryl didn’t just get with her. Who cared if she was with another guy?

  I shook my head at that. If there was one thing I hated, it was cheating. Sure, I might only be with a woman for a night or two, but during that time, I was a one-woman man. Didn’t loyalty mean anything to anyone anymore?

  Next, Daryl started to flirt with a few of the waitresses. The night seemed to be hopping—at times it was so loud I couldn’t catch every word Daryl was saying, let alone the person he was talking to—but the waitresses made time for him.

  One mentioned that Sage did seem like she was too good for Trenton. “I wouldn’t serve her any alcohol. Some of the others might but not me. Got a few kids back at home that need me to have this job so I can buy them food. Can’t risk doing anything shady. Anyhow, when they sat in my section one time, and Trenton realized I wouldn’t get her a beer, he threw a fit. Tried to get me fired. This was two months ago. The owner actually came out and told him to leave, but Trenton and Sage came back the next night, and no one batted an eye or made him leave.”

  I grimaced. Even when Trenton had been on drugs he hadn’t acted like that, not ever. Drugs could change someone’s personality, but he had tended to be more full of himself than anything. Not angry.

  Stress. Maybe that was the cause of his anger. And fear. Worry. If he was dealing for shady characters, if he had double-crossed them or was considering to pull a fast one, that could make him anxious. It could also explain why he felt the need to just drop off the face of the earth.

  “See? That’s why he shouldn’t be allowed ’round here. Or be with Sage.” Daryl sounded plain disgusted.

  “He hasn’t been around lately at least,” the waitress said, sounding relieved. “She hasn’t either.”

  Daryl frowned. “I swear I’m not a stalker. It’s my first time being here. I heard Sage came here, and I was hoping to see her, to be honest. Wanted to buy her food and…What’s the smile for?”

  “‘Buy her food’? Are you kidding me?”

  “Well, like you said, she’s underage…Legal, but no drinky drinky.”

  “Look. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know what goes on, and…What you wanna do is your business. Don’t involve me any.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you, and I know you’re busy. It’s just…Savannie…Sage…she’s a good girl. She deserves better than him, and I just wanna make sure she’s all right.”

  There was a slight pause, and then the waitress said, “She and I talked a few times, on the very rare occasions when she came without Trenton. She’s a good kid, but she’s hung up on the guy. I don’t know if it’s because he was her first lay, or what, but she’s kinda stuck on him in a bad way. She’s not gonna dump him for you. If it makes you feel any better, she’s not gonna dump him for anyone else either. She reminds me a lot of my best friend, actually. They’re both gone over a guy who is bad news and can’t see it.”

  “Why is it that assholes always end up with the girls?” Daryl grumbled.

  I had to smirk. As if Daryl wasn’t one of those assholes himself. And I meant that with love. A few of the others guys laughed, too.

  “Nice guys always finish last,” Daryl complained.

  A strange sound filtered over the wire. A snort maybe?

  “Don’t kid yourself. You aren’t one of the good ones.” The waitress laughed. “Take some advice and find another girl.”

  “What about you?” Daryl asked smoothly.

  “Not gonna happen. I have kids, remember? Sure that does fit the kind of girl you’re looking for.”

  “Hey, I like kids,” he protested. “Here. Have a drink later on me.”

  “But why?”

  “You have kids, remember? Sure they drove you to wanna drink at some point. And I bet you don’t take a lot of time for yourself.”

  “I don’t.” She might have said something else, but there was a sudden cheer in the background that drowned out her words.

  “What’s going on?” I risked asking Daryl through the small earbud he had.

  “Shake that ass!” he yelled then whispered for me, “Girl dancing on table just took off her shirt.”

  Should’ve guessed.

  Daryl went and talked to a few other people who just entered the bar, but they didn’t know anything about Trenton or Sage.

  “Gonna try the bartenders next,” Daryl whispered. It was quitter now, and I figured he was in the bathroom.

  The distinct sound of piss came over the wire.

  Yeah, bathroom all right. Gross.

  “Might have to wait, though,” he continued, “’til closer to closing. Too many people at the bar for me to even get near them right now.”

  Considering that he wouldn’t have anything of note to listen in on, I switched over to Charlie. “How’s it going?”

  “Security is tighter than an asshole,” Charlie mumbled. “Sorry. Is Victoria listening in?”

  “Not right this second.”

  “Yeah, tighter than an asshole. Too many guards. They aren’t typical bouncers. I think they’re packing. This place definitely has a secret.”

  “Be careful. If you can’t snoop, don’t worry about it. It’s not worth risking your life over.”

  “Copy that. I’m trying to ha
ck into their system, but it’s taking me some time.”

  “Can’t you hack them from here?” one of my guys asked, and I repeated the question for Charlie.

  “Nope. Have to be on site.”

  I let him get back to work, not wanting to disrupt his concentration. The more we dug our claws into this place, the more I didn’t like it. The idea that their guards were packing heat at a place that served alcohol made my skin crawl. Drinking and guns should never coexist. What were those assholes up to? Did it have anything to do with Trenton and Sage? Did it have a connection to the drugs Trenton had stashed away?