by Mia Carson
“Just a few hours,” she whispered to herself as she unlocked the main library doors and flipped on the lights. “You just have to last a few hours more.”
She immediately threw herself into her work. There was no luggage for her to take with her on the run, nothing except the clothes on her back. Gina promised to have a small duffel of essentials to get her through, but everything else she owned—the few photos of her parents, her books, her sketchbook and journals—they were at the house. It saddened her to leave them behind, but objects were not worth the risk of being caught. Her eyes darted to the clock when it hit ten and she ticked off another hour in her mind.
“You can’t hide in your office forever,” Jeremy announced as he stepped into the room. “And when did you turn into a vampire, man? Open the damn blinds before you get any paler than you already are.”
The blinds shot up, letting in the bright sunlight not seen too often this time of year in Seattle. Fall had settled in and it was cold, cold enough that Max almost didn’t leave the house. Except the phone wouldn’t stop ringing, and by the tenth voicemail from his mother, he was ready to toss the machine out the window. His calls were filtered by his assistant, the man currently trying to ruin what had started to turn into a better morning.
“You’re fired,” he grumbled from the couch, throwing his arm over his eyes.
“You know you fire me about once a month, right?” Jeremy asked rhetorically and yanked up the last set of blinds, flooding the couch in sunlight. “Huh, that’s weird.”
“What’s weird?”
“I could’ve sworn you were going to catch fire. My mistake.”
Max lifted his arm long enough to squint through the light and glare at him before settling back against the couch. “Go away.”
“Hungover, are we? Did you sleep here last night?” he asked as he stomped around the room and let out a high-pitched whistle. “And you brought a date here.”
“I wasn’t here last night,” he argued and sat up, grimacing at the throbbing in his temples.
“This thong says you were here sometime last night… unless there’s something you want to talk to me about.”
Max grunted as a vague memory of a face surrounded by bleached blonde hair filled his mind, and he rubbed his tired face. “We started here… I think, or at the bar. Wound up here and then… shit.”
Jeremy shot the thong at him as he laughed. “That’s rich. Did you leave an unconscious woman alone at your house again?” He opened his mouth to deny it, but shut it again and frowned. “Would you like me to go check to save yourself the embarrassment?”
“One of these days, I’m going to owe you for covering my ass all these times.” Max stood, his six-and-a-half-foot frame with broad chest and shoulders to match casting a shadow over his office. He stretched his arms over his head and let out a loud growl of a yawn before mussing his hair and stalking towards his desk. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
“Not much. Your casinos are well-oiled machines,” Jeremy informed him.
Max tapped a key and logged into his desktop. He checked the numbers from the day before, satisfied to see them still on the rise as the cold settled in. His dad had opened two casinos nearly thirty years earlier in Washington, and they had taken off. When he retired, Max took over and expanded the business southward through Oregon and California. He’d tripled his family’s wealth in a little over five years and now, all he wanted to do was sit back and enjoy it.
“Your parents will be back in town by the end of the month.”
Max’s elbow slipped off the desk and he nearly smoked his head on the glass. “What?”
“Their six-month trip is nearly over. They’ve seen the world and they’re coming back. I hope you have the wife you promised to show off…” Jeremy trailed off as he shuffled through stacks of outgoing papers from Max’s desk.
Max didn’t want to believe it, but he pulled his calendar up and several expletives followed that made even his friend of ten years blush. “Why the hell did I tell her I found a wife?”
“You were drunk that night,” Jeremy smirked. “Drunk and pissed because she wouldn’t leave you alone, so you came up with the idea that you found the love of your life, married her, bedded her, and have been happily married for the last two months.”
He hung his head. “And you didn’t stop me from doing that because?”
“You don’t pay me enough.”
Max glared at him. “Jackass.”
“Most days, but when I work for the biggest s.o.b. in Seattle, it’s to be expected.”
“Want to dress in drag for a week and be my wife?” Max offered, giving Jeremy his best smile.
“Oh, honey, you couldn’t afford me for a week,” Jeremy replied, batting his eyes and sticking out his nonexistent chest. “I’m sure you can pick up any woman who would agree to play Mrs. Maxwell Ward for a week—or longer. You do know they live in this state, right?”
Max held his head, wishing the throbbing would go away, but it only grew worse. “Yeah, I remember. Thanks for that.”
“Just being helpful. Besides, you have a handsome mug. Go out later and find someone.”
“Handsome, right,” he grumbled. Max’s gaze shifted to his reflection in the glass top of his desk and traced the deep scar running from below his eye to the corner of his jaw. He’d been in a car accident when he was younger and hated the scar. Before, he had been handsome, a charmer, but he saw the way people stared at it, how women noticed it before anything else about him. And he was far from stupid. Most women slept with him because of his wealth, hoping he would spoil them for a time.
Too bad none of them realized he wasn’t in the market for anything permanent. He’d had that once, a long time ago, but she had turned out to be a shallow and rotten liar. He was going to enjoy his life of romping around without being tied down.
“You really think I could what, hire someone?” he asked Jeremy as he headed for the door.
“You could always get a mail order bride.”
Max shook his head vehemently. “I think I’ll avoid that mess, thanks.”
“Then go out tonight, pick up a woman from the bar, and come to some sort of long-term arrangement. You could always get a divorce down the road.”
“And have the whole problem start all over again?” He clasped his hands over his middle as he leaned back in his chair. “Mom’s expecting grandchildren, you know.”
Jeremy cringed. “Can’t help you there, sorry, buddy.”
“Will you go with me tonight?”
“To hunt down a woman crazy enough to go through with this plan?” Jeremy’s grin stretched across his face as he giggled like a kid. “Oh, goodie. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
Max seethed in his chair and told Jeremy to be ready for seven. “And for the love you hold so dear for me, do not be a damn embarrassment.”
“Hey, I’m not the one shopping for a wife.” Jeremy stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Shopping for a wife. Max glared at the ceiling, wondering what mess he’d just gotten himself into. No woman was going to agree to act like his doting wife for an indefinite period of time. He’d go broke before he ever produced a kid. He picked up his cell and scrolled through the list of women he knew, but the idea of spending more than one night with any of them twisted his gut. He needed someone whom he could trust not to make his life miserable. Who wouldn’t expect him to be faithful or love her. Max didn’t do love. The word was not anywhere in his vocabulary and never would be. He was not going to be tied down to one woman for the rest of his life either, no way in hell.
Max glanced at the clock and tilted his neck to crack it. A few more hours and he would go out with Jeremy and pick up some hottie from the local pub. If he couldn’t convince her to marry him, he could at least get a night of pleasure out of this nightmare.
His phone rang again and he cursed at the number. “Max, might want to answer it,” Jeremy said through the speaker. “She�
��s called four times already.”
“Yeah, which line?”
“One, and tell her I said hi!”
Max mimicked him before he picked up the phone and pressed the button for line one. “Hey, Mom, how’s the trip going?’
“Do you know how worried I’ve been?” She sighed and muttered under her breath. “What did I do to deserve a daughter who runs off to Australia and a son who refuses to answer the phone when I call? What did I do?”
“You don’t have to be so dramatic,” he replied, rubbing his forehead as the pounding in his head grew even worse. “I had a rough morning.”
“Well, I’m so sorry to hear that, but we’ll be returning on Monday and I want to make sure we have dinner planned for the grand introduction.”
Max choked. “Monday? I thought you wouldn’t be back for another few weeks?”
“We thought we would head home early. I can’t wait to meet her!”
“Yeah… yeah, you’re going to love her,” he said and considered bashing his head against the desk.
“You haven’t even told us her name.”
Max fiddled with the mousepad on his desk. “Well, I want you to wait until you meet her face to face. I think it’d be better that way—more of a surprise.”
“If you say so, but your father and I would like to talk to you about having a more elaborate wedding once we’re settled. Something for the society pages to swoon over. I’m sure your wife would enjoy that as well instead of this eloping nonsense,” she sputtered.
“Sure, Mom, whatever you think is best. I have to go—meetings. We’ll make plans for Monday.”
“Fine, go do your work. Just send me back through to Jeremy. He likes talking to your mother more than you do.”
Max had to agree with her and put her on hold before hanging up the line. “She’s all yours,” he said, holding down the page button on the phone. “And do not mention any name whatsoever for the wife I do not have. Got it?’
“Whatever you say, Maxie,” Jeremy sang, and Max let his head fall to the desk this time.
Maybe he would just get drunk tonight and find a wife on Saturday. Yeah, that sounded like a great plan.
3
Mia sat at the tall table and scanned the crowd filling the pub for Carl. He hadn’t sent a picture but gave her a description of what he would wear so she could find him. She gripped the beer bottle in her shaking hands, hoping the booze would calm her, but she felt even more sick to her stomach.
She had done it. She was finally getting away from Keith. The Seahawk cap on her head helped hide her face, just in case the bastard had managed to follow her, but his car hadn’t been anywhere near the library when Gina had picked her up. The small duffel sat at her feet, ready to go. All she needed was for Carl to appear out of the crowd so she could get out of sight and safe. She would then figure out her next move. The door opened and two men stepped in, but neither of them matched Carl’s blue hoodie or black ball cap. Mia deflated on her chair and worried for a horrible second that maybe she was at the wrong pub, or that he wouldn’t come at all.
The two men who walked in were tall and handsome, to say the least. The one on the right walked to the bar while the other scoped out the place, his sandy brown hair catching the light. He didn’t smile and didn’t even look happy to be there. Mia tried to look away, but when his face drifted over her table, his sharp blue gaze stilled her heart and she gasped. Those eyes sent her to the beach, watching waves roll in, their shifting blues and greens against the sand. They threatened to drag her below the surf with no hope of ever rising again. Eyes with the same hardness as the man she was desperately trying to run away from. Quickly, she ducked down though she saw the way his lips thinned in her direction before he walked through the crowd and out of sight.
Mia checked her cell for the tenth time. Ten o’clock, and Carl still wasn’t here. If he didn’t show up, she wasn’t sure what to do. She should’ve withdrawn all her money instead of just half, but wasting any of it on a motel room would shrink her budget for a car and gas. Her fallback plan was to call Gina and stay with her, but Keith would know and she didn’t want to put her only friend in the world in harm’s way.
“Mia?”
She nearly fell of her chair as a hand clamped down on her upper arm before quickly releasing her. “Shit! I’m sorry, you scared me.” The man standing beside her held up his hands, an innocent smile on his face. He wore the blue hoodie Carl described. “Carl?”
“Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” he said and pointed to the empty chair.
“Go ahead, but I don’t want to stay long.”
“Worried he followed you?” Carl asked, and his narrowed eyes did a quick once over of her chest. Mia zipped up her ragged jacket and crossed her arms.
“No, I think I got away without him following. Thank you, by the way, for doing this. I’ll pay you what we agreed upon for food and then I’ll be out of here the second I get my license on Monday.”
His innocent grin faded as his hand snaked across the table, touching hers. “What’s the rush, sweetheart? Why don’t you take some time to relax, catch your breath?”
“No, really, I just want to get out of here,” she insisted as her stomach roiled.
“I think you should stay longer, and don’t worry about the money. We can come to some other agreement. You look like you could use a good lay.”
Mia’s mouth fell open, and she yanked her hands off the table. “You sick bastard! Is that all you’re after?” Tears burned in her eyes as she hopped off her chair and grabbed the duffel from the floor. “I’ll risk the bus. Thanks for your help.”
She walked past him on her way towards the door, but he caught her elbow in a vice-like grip. “Let me go,” she hissed. “I’ll scream.”
“Go for it. Keith warned me you might still have some fight left in you and told me exactly how to handle it.”
Horror filled her at the mention of Keith. It couldn’t be possible, but the dark glint in the man’s eyes told her all she needed to know. “You’re a friend of Keith’s!”
“You really think he hasn’t had someone watching you, honey, even online at the library. I’m his go to man for computers, and he knows all about you and your plan to escape.”
Mia flinched, thinking of how careful she’d been and how it was never enough. She couldn’t get away this easily. “I don’t have any family left for him to threaten me with,” she whispered, struggling to keep her panic in check, but her shaky voice gave her away.
“No? Not even that lovely woman you work with? What is her name… Gina? Yeah, she and I had a great conversation the other day when I went through your browser history.” At her shocked expression, he shrugged. “Lied, said I was an IT guy from the city. Dumb bitch believed me.”
Mia shoved him hard in the chest, trying to break free. “You leave her alone! And get your hands off me! Just let me go.”
“No, I think I’ll return you to your man.” Carl grunted when she hit him in the stomach. “Damn it, woman. If I have to knock you out, I’ll do it.” He grabbed her other arm, but Mia’s fight instinct kicked in and she screamed. She stomped hard on his instep and brought her knee up into his groin. She would rather have done it to Keith, but his friend would suffice for the moment.
He winced and staggered, his grip loosening, and Mia made a break for it.
“Get back here, bitch!” He lunged forward and grabbed her duffle.
Mia screamed and fell forward, right into the arms and very solid body of a man who immediately picked her up and set her behind him. Too shaken to care who he was, she cowered behind him as Carl charged forward.
“Move aside,” Carl snapped. “She’s with me.”
“I don’t think she wants to be,” the brute of a man hiding Mia said and crossed his arms.
“She and her boyfriend got in a fight and she ran off, all right? I came to talk some sense into her. He’s worried sick about her.” Carl lowered his tone and tried to sound innocen
t, but the man’s shoulders stiffened; he wasn’t buying it.
“I think if he cared so much, he would be here and not you,” her rescuer stated. “You might need to give her some more time to cool off.”
Mia peeked out from behind the man’s arm and swallowed hard when Carl glared at her, holding himself gingerly from her previous assault. “Sure, buddy, that’s fine. Just so you know, Mia, he wants to talk to you soon, so don’t make him wait too long.” Carl tapped his head in a salute and sidled around the man and Mia. Her rescuer reached an arm back and around her, keeping her safe until Carl was completely out the door and gone. Only then did he turn slowly to face her, and Mia realized it was the man from before with the sharp blue eyes. They narrowed at her, and he reached out a hand to steady her as her knees wobbled.
“You okay?” he asked, voice rough.
Mia couldn’t look away, no matter how hard she tried, and nodded as she readjusted her baseball cap. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Uh… thanks for that. He got a little… a little out of hand and I think I’m just going to step outside. Get some air, you know?’
He pursed his lips, and when he tilted his head to the right, she spotted the edges of a black tattoo curling up his neck. “I’m not sure you should be alone right now.”
“No? Probably not, but I have no one to call, so that’s where I’ll be—alone, forever,” she rambled as the weight of what this meant fell on her shoulders as if the pub itself had collapsed on top of her. “I think… I think I need to sit down.” Tears blurred her vision and the man before her bristled.
“Don’t do that… don’t start crying,” he muttered. “I don’t deal with tears.”
Mia swiped at her eyes automatically but stopped and glared up at him. Not sure where the nerve came from, she poked him hard in the chest, hurting her finger more than him but she didn’t care. “Look, buddy, I didn’t ask you to step in and save me, but you did, so thanks. But there’s no rule that says you have to stick around, all right?” She tugged her duffel up onto her shoulder and straightened her cap. “I’m going outside to cry, so if you don’t want to deal with that, then do me a favor and don’t follow me.”
