PRIZE: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance

by Sophia Gray

  If Trenton had double-crossed someone, he might be dead. If he had run away from someone, he might’ve been found. If he gotten himself into trouble, why hadn’t he come to me and asked for help? He should’ve realized I would have his back. He was part of the Devil’s Horns. He was one of us.

  Maybe I had been too hard on him. Maybe I had pushed him too hard to get cleaned up. Maybe he should’ve gone to rehab instead of just using me as his sponsor. After all, I did weed a few times back in the day. I had never done any of the hard stuff. I hadn’t gone through what he had, not the drugs or the abusive bullshit he had to try to overcome. He hadn’t needed me as a mentor. He needed more help than I could’ve ever given him. He needed a real sponsor and maybe a shrink, too.

  I tried to do everything for my boys. My family meant everything to me. If someone screwed with us, we handled it as a team. That was the real reason why we would sometimes be police informants—to take down our enemies. It was the safest way to do it with minimal risk to my guys.

  But calling in the police here when we knew for a fact that guns were involved and with the innocents at the bar, it was just big of a threat. I wouldn’t gamble innocent lives. We were on our own.

  “Shit. I’m locked out. I can’t find a way in.” Charlie’s voice sounded in disbelief. “They got tighter security going on than the military. What the fuck?”

  “Get out of there,” I ordered. I switched back to Daryl. The bar still sounded loud and obnoxious in the background. “How’s it going?”

  “Going,” he muttered, then said louder, “You sure I can’t buy you a drink?”

  “I’m working.”

  “What about after you punch out?”

  “I don’t date customers.”

  “I haven’t bought anything here.”

  “Just because you haven’t had me ring you up—”

  “Oh, yeah, talk dirty to me.”

  I couldn’t hear her reaction.

  “Get outta there, Daryl,” I ordered.

  “But I only just started to talk to—”

  “You heard me.”

  He grumbled, taking his time saying goodbye to practically everyone in the joint, before heeding my advice. Only after I could hear the sound of his car, and Charlie’s, too, did I turn off the system.

  My mind was racing. We hadn’t learned much, but we also had learned something. That bar was definitely a front, but for what? A gang? Drugs? Weapons?

  Victoria came into the room, her frown tugging at me, causing my stomach to twist into knots.

  “Everything all right with your restaurant?” I asked, standing and walking over to her.

  She glanced around me to the equipment. “They’re done already? What did they find out?”

  I stared at the guys then the door, and they nodded and left us in peace without my having to ask them to go. “Charlie couldn’t hack in, and he couldn’t do much snooping either.”

  “Too guarded.” She pursed her lips. “Wasn’t just me they wanted to keep out.”

  “Nope. Your daughter had a waitress for a friend, but we didn’t learn a whole lot.”

  “From the way you talked up Charlie, he should’ve been able to hack in. So they have someone really good on their side, and that they need someone that good says plenty.”

  “You got it. And, Victoria, before you even think about going back there,” I began.

  “Who me?” she asked innocently.

  “Their guards have guns.”

  Her face drained, making her look like a vampire. “That’s not good,” she whispered.

  “No.” I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll keep you safe.”

  She pulled away. “I’m not worried about me.”

  “I know. Maybe I should’ve said one less worry for you.”

  A teensy smile appeared on her lips, so small I might’ve been imagining it. “I think I fixed everything with the restaurant. It’s amazing how much people rely on you to do things and how much things can fall apart if you aren’t there to do them yourself.”

  “That’s why you’re the boss. You can juggle everything.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s also why I haven’t taken a vacation ever.”

  “Ever? Not even when you were a waitress?”

  “I couldn’t afford to. I needed the money. And I’m kinda a workaholic so there’s that. I just wish Sage shared my work ethic. She’s been the full-time dishwasher at the restaurant for years, ever since she dropped out of high school. I want to bump her up to being a waitress, but I don’t think I can trust her to do a good enough job. She has her head in the clouds. When she wants something, when she’s motivated, she’s the hardest worker there ever was, but when she’s unmotivated, forget about it.” Victoria rubbed the back of her neck. “Now what?”

  “We wait for the guys to return, and then I’m gonna take you back to my place.”

  Victoria grimaced. “I feel like we failed.”

  “We haven’t, and we didn’t,” I said firmly, retaking her into my arms.

  She stared up at me, her hands on my shoulders. “Maybe I could go back and—”

  My grip on her tightened protectively. “And what, Victoria?”

  “I don’t know!” she exploded. “I feel like we’re not doing enough.”

  “Believe me. We’re doing everything we can.” I leveled her a frank stare. “Please promise me, Victoria, that you won’t go back to the bar alone.”

  Her lips twisted into a beautiful pout.

  I just wanted to kiss her senseless, but I refrained somehow. “If something should happen to you, I wouldn’t forgive myself.”

  Her pout deepened, and she wiggled in my arms. “You don’t even really know me.”

  “Maybe not as well as I would like to, but that doesn’t mean I want you to go missing too.”

  She wormed her way free. “I’m not a child,” she hissed.

  “I’m not treating you like one. For Christ’s sake, Victoria, they have guns!”

  She paled at that. “I know.”

  “And we don’t know for certain that they’re involved. We shouldn’t make a move until we know for certain. The last thing I want is for my guys to have their lives taken from them for no good reason.”

  She nodded and blinked rapidly. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just anxious.”

  “Completely understandable.”

  “How soon until they’ll get back?”

  “Maybe ten minutes.”

  Victoria gave me a tiny smile. “I’ll get ready to go.” She left to gather her things, not that she had much.

  She passed by Hank as he strolled in. I held a finger to my lips and waited for her to be far enough away for him to talk.

  He cleared his throat. “Only one place it could be. A small town. Called Douglastown. Nothing else it could be.”

  “You’ve been there before?”

  Hank shook his head. “Nope, but I did a little digging. It’s near a tourist trap.”

  “So there’s a lot of hotels and motels, then.” I rubbed my chin.

  He nodded. “I would think so. Shady places, most like. All tourist traps are like that. Wanna make you stop and then rob ya.”

  “Not all are like that.”

  “When they’re in the middle of nowhere they are.”

  I wasn’t gonna argue with him. “Might you fancy a look around?”

  Hank grinned. “I’ve been itching for a trip the past few weeks. Would love to. Thought you would never ask.”

  “Call me immediately if you see signs of either of them.”

  “Will do.” Hank saluted with his fingers and made off.

  Daryl and Charlie arrived just as Hank was pulling out. I greeted them, told them to have a few beers—although Daryl had sure acted like he had some there, his breath didn’t stink any. He had only pretended to drink there, and I appreciated that he managed to keep his mind clear without the haze of alcohol to influence it.
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br />   Victoria silently came over to me, and we left. Once we arrived, I thought she would like to go right to sleep, but she took me by the hand and lead me to the bedroom. I wasn’t going to complain any, and soon, I wasn’t sure which of us was screaming louder. The way she cried out my name when she came did something to me. There was a connection between us. The only question was whether or not it would last.

  Because, the thing was, I was starting to think maybe I did want it to last. It was something I hadn’t even considered with any other woman.

  And it terrified me almost as much as I was terrified for Trenton and Sage.

  Chapter 11

  Victoria

  I was a bundle of nerves. Working out the kinks with the restaurant made me feel like things were almost back to normal. I even went ahead and did some scheduling for items for next week just for a little peace of mind. Because I honestly felt like I was going out of my mind. All I wanted was my daughter back, safe and sound, without any injuries or drug addictions or anything else. Was that too much to ask?

  Seeing the extent to which Grant’s guys were willing to go, the lengths they would take to try to find their boy and my daughter warmed me up to them. I never thought I would be here, in their headquarters. I always rolled my eyes whenever Trenton had talked about Devil’s Horns. Now I understood why people joined motorcycle clubs. It really was like a second family. And in between my phone calls, a few came up to ask me if I needed anything—water, beer, food—if they could get me a chair—I was pacing, too anxious to sit down—and if I was all right. It made me feel welcome, like they thought I belonged. A few girlfriends or wives were over, so I wasn’t the only female around, and everything just helped to settle me down a little.

  After learning about the guards having guns, any sense of ease that I might’ve had was shattered. I had given those same guards lip. I had talked back to them. I hadn’t been threatened, but I had come close. If Grant hadn’t showed up, what might have happened? I definitely dialed it back a bit when he came over.

  I might’ve gotten myself killed.

  I was trembling the whole ride back to Grant’s place, and I needed him. Bringing him to the bedroom had been an impulse. My intention had only been for us to sleep together—as in sleep together, actually sleep—but then I wanted a good night kiss, and one turned to three, turned into a make-out session, turned into something more.

  Was it just sex? I wasn’t so sure anymore. It wasn’t fucking, that I knew. It was more than that. It set my soul on fire, made my body all tingly. It was amazing, mind blowing.

  It made me feel safe.

  Which I desperately needed. I so needed to feel safe.

  But it also made me feel guilty. What if Sage was in danger? What if she was hurt? What if she was somewhere, right this moment, crying and calling out for me?

  And here I was, having sex.

  In a way, the sex felt life affirming. After the danger I had unknowingly walked into—the armed guards—I wanted to do something that put my stamp on my life, that proved I was the one in charge.

  We fell asleep in each other’s arms, and I woke up a few times during the night to find his arm still wrapped around me. And for those brief moments, when I first stirred and felt his embrace, I felt happy. Not just safe. Happy.

  The guilt kicked back in again. I liked this man. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to see who exactly he was outside of the crazy frantic bustle to find our people. What did he want out of life? What were his hopes and dreams? Would he ever settle down?

  Somehow, for me, he had already come to be more than just a one-night stand. I had only fancied myself in love once. The guy had seemed like a keeper at first, but then, the closer we became, the more he relaxed around me until he finally let his true colors show, and, man, were they ugly colors.

  Love. What was I thinking? I was moving way too fast! I didn’t love Grant, but the thing was, I could see myself falling for him if I wasn’t careful.

  Should I be careful, though? If Sage’s disappearance showed anything, it was that life was short, and you should do what you could to be happy for as long as possible.

  Life was short.

  My cell buzzed, and I stirred, reaching for it. Grant was still asleep, so I slipped out of the covers and left the room, not wanting to disturb him.

  It was early, very early. I blinked a few times to be able to see who was calling. Georgia Henderson.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Victoria? You still looking for your girl?”

  “Yes, I am.” I gripped the cell phone until it dug into my palms. “Have you seen her?”

  “No, I haven’t, but there is a black car here.”

  “Okay…” I wasn’t sure what she was getting at.

  “I’ve seen it before a few times. Always late at night. I don’t sleep a lot. I have insomnia, and sometimes I like to look out my window at the stars. Well, like I said, I’ve seen that car before, and I know I’ve seen Trenton go on down and talk to whoever is in the car. I’ve never seen the people in the car, and they just pulled up now. Not sure what exactly they’re doing. Should I call the police?”

  “Can you see the license plate?”

  “The car is backed in. I can’t see the plate.”

  “Can you take a picture of the car? What year and make and model is it?”

  “Oh dear. Hold on.” There was fumbling. “Okay. I took a few pictures. Without the flash. I don’t want them to see me. And I can’t tell the year and everything just by looking at a car. Sorry. It is black, though.”

  “Thanks.” I grimaced. Not a whole lot to go by.

  “Should I call the—oh, wait. They’re leaving. Strange. They didn’t get out of the car or anything. Just parked, took a look, and now they’re gone.”

  “Okay.” My mind raced. What could I do? What should I do with this information? “Do you feel safe?”

  “Oh, dear, no one is gonna bother little old me. If you don’t want me to call the police, I won’t. It won’t bother me none. I try to keep out of messes.”

  As long as she knew what the mess was. She was a gossip, that was for sure.

  “I’m gonna stop by,” I said, making up my mind on the spot. If they came back, I could tail them. At least it would give me something to do. I felt like I was going to go stir crazy if I had to have an unproductive day. As a restaurant owner, I never had a moment to myself, and even when it was off hours, there was still plenty to do. This sitting around, hoping, and waiting thing was wearing on me.

  “Are you—”

  I hung up. Grant was still sleeping, and I glanced at the time on my cell. It was even earlier than I thought it was. Four in the morning. Ugh.

  After leaving a note for Grant, I got in my car and hightailed it over to Trenton’s apartment.

  I called Georgia the moment I parked to make sure the car in question hadn’t returned.

  “No. I honestly thought the car wouldn’t show up since Trenton’s gone away, or else I would’ve mentioned it to you earlier,” she said.

  “No worries,” I assured her.

  “I’m gonna call you right back if I see them.”

  “Thank you.”

  She hung up first this time.

  It only took me five minutes before I was bored already. Guess I wasn’t meant for a stakeout. Having nothing else better to do, I went to Trenton’s apartment. Really, it was silly to, since I was pretty sure Grant had locked it, and I didn’t know how to pick a lock.

  But the door was ajar.

  My mouth dry, my chest tight, I pushed open the door.

  The place was wrecked. Ransacked, clothes all over the place, table and chairs upturned.

  The bathroom was even worse. No one thing remained in the cabinet under the sink. The cabinet behind the mirror had also been emptied, the contents of both scattered all over the floor. A shampoo bottle had broken, and the soap drenched the floor.

  Someone had come here. Looking for the drugs? Or loo
king for money?

  Freaked out, I started to call Grant as I left the apartment, but then Georgia was calling.

  “They’re out front again,” she hissed.

  I dashed back to my car, a hand up to help cover my face so they couldn’t see me. Before I could climb in, though, they were already driving away. They hadn’t parked this time—just a drive by. I did manage to get a look at the passenger, and I could’ve sworn he was one of the guards who gave me lip at the bar.