by Hope Ford
Tempting the Hitman
Men of Ruthless Corp.
Hope Ford
Contents
1. Colt
2. Kinsley
3. Colt
4. Kinsley
5. Colt
6. Kinsley
7. Kinsley
8. Colt
9. Colt
10. Colt
11. Kinsley
Men of Ruthless Corp. Series
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About the Author
Tempting The Hitman © 2021 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
Cover Design: Cormar Covers
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
About
He’s my best friend’s older brother.
He took my v-card and walked away.
Now he’s back.
I loved him long before I should have.
He showed me one night of passion and then broke my heart and left me.
I moved across the country to try and forget him. But now Colt is back.
I’m in danger and someone wants me dead.
He makes it his mission to protect me and
I discover the reason he left me all those years ago.
I love him. I never stopped loving him, and I think he feels the same.
But is the past going to repeat itself? Or is he going to stick around this time?
1
Colt
Ring. Ring.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the caller ID and my mouth drops. There’s no way. I have his number saved from years ago. Back when I was still in the military and when I thought Rogue was a good man. A man I risked my life to save.
I put the phone to my ear. “This is Stone.”
“Good morning, Colt. I bet you never thought you’d hear from me again.”
He’s not kidding. I stand up and start pacing in the office. I definitely didn’t expect a phone call today from a contract killer. Well, scratch that. He doesn’t do the killing. He just arranges it and makes the money off it.
“Yeah, it’s a surprise. But whatever you’re calling for, the answer’s no.”
“Now, Stone…” he starts.
“No, I’m sure you’re not calling for any kind of friendly chitchat and whatever else you got, I’m not interested.”
“Well, I had something that came across my desk I thought you’d be interested in.” His tone is calm... deep... as if nothing fazes him, and I know it’s the truth. The man is very disciplined and controlled.
“I’m not a hitman, Rogue,” I answer him. And if something came across his desk, I know it’s illegal.
He laughs, and it’s almost sinister sounding. “I know that. I mean, you saved me, after all.”
I shake my head. Yeah, I did. I saved him. And I think about all the people that would be alive right now if I had let him die that day. “Yeah, I saved you but too bad; that’s one day of my life I regret.”
“Tsk, tsk, Stone. You keep it up and I’m not telling you about the recent hit that came across my desk.”
I almost hit the button to end the call. My finger is on it, and all I need to do is hit the end button and forget this ever happened. We don’t work on the same side anymore. Yeah, I’m a bodyguard. Yeah, I’ve killed before, but it’s always been just. You can’t save people without hurting someone else. But my conscious is clean. I can still sleep at night.
I’m about to hang up when Stone says the name that haunts my dreams every night. “Kinsley Adams.”
I grip the phone tighter and bring it up to my ear. Surely I didn’t hear him right. “Who?”
He says her name again. I haven’t seen Kinsley in three years, but I think about her every day. Every fuckin’ day. “Rogue, I’m fucking telling you, don’t mess with me.”
“Would I do that?” he asks seriously.
“Yes, you would. Now tell me what about Kinsley? And tell me how you connected me to her?” I don’t even try to hide the suspicion from my voice. These last three years, since I started working for Commander Nash’s Ghost Alpha Team, I’ve made sure to hide my connection to her.
“Oh, well, it was obvious you two had a thing. She was there the day you saved me, and she couldn’t take her eyes off you. You know me, I make a point to know everyone that is around me. And she was sort of a nuisance that day, clinging to you all worried like.”
“Shit.” My jaw tightens. “What is going on with Kinsley?”
“There’s a hit on her. She must be important too. It’s five hundred thousand. That’s a lot of money to turn down. Even for me.”
“What do you mean there's a hit on her?” I ask.
He smirks. “I guess now you want to talk.”
For just a second I forget that I’m talking to a man that has no qualm about killing. Never needs a reason to kill. He wants you dead, he has a number of men lined up to do it. “Quit fucking with me and tell me what is going on.”
“Fine, but you’re taking all the fun out of this. I received a hit for Kinsley Adams. I am the first agency to receive it. It is an open hit –“
“I don’t talk hitman... what does that mean?”
He sighs in frustration. “It means that in twelve hours other agencies will be notified. This one is not exclusive. It’s open to anyone that’s willing to take it on.”
I grab my keys off the desk and sprint out of my office. I pass Knox and Riggs on my way out. “I gotta go. I’ll call you in a minute. Have Jax meet me at the airport and be ready to go within the hour.”
They both stare after me, no doubt wondering what I’m doing. I put my mouth back to the phone. “Don’t you do it, Rogue.”
“I’m not. Are you even listening? This is my thank you, my token of appreciation if you will. You saved my life, I’m going to let you save your woman’s. But if you want me to keep my other guys off this, you’re going to have to take this hit.”
My heart is racing as I run to my truck. I get in and slam the door and switch my phone over to Bluetooth. This is too much to process. “So you’re not taking the hit?”
“Yes. But I’m hiring you as my hitman. Once the contract is open and the other agencies are in, there’s nothing I can do.”
“I’m not a hitman, Rogue. I won’t do your dirty work.”
His laugh is menacing. “You want your girl to live? I think you’ll do what I ask you to do. I can open this hit now and there will be a number of men ready to take it on.”
I’ve never been one to be backed into a corner, but for Kinsley, I will. I can’t let anything happen to her. “Fine. Put me on your list. This one job. But I’m saving her, Rogue. There’s no money in this for you.”
“Done.”
I shake my head as I run a red light, skidding on two wheels, and a car I barely miss lays on their horn. “Just like that, you’re giving up the chance for five hundred thousand dollars? Tell me, why do I feel like there’s a catch?”
“There’s no catch. I told you I’d pay you back one day. Today’s the day.”
I’m driving down the highway toward the airport, and I’ve got a bad feeling about this, but any time you deal with someone like Rogue, it’s never easy or something simple. But I don’t care. Not if it comes to saving Kinsley. I’ll do whatever I have to do.
“Thank you, Rogue.”
“You’re welcome.” He hangs up just as I take the off ramp to the airport.
I know Jax may not be here yet, so I’ll start to prepare the jet.
I park in the garage of the hangar, and to my surprise, Jax pulls in next to me.
He doesn’t beat around the bush. “What’s up?” He jogs next to me and instantly starts checking the plane as I start to explain.
“Rogue called.”
“Rogue?” he asks as he continues what he’s doing. I guess in the business we’re in, we don’t get surprised by a lot.
“Yeah, he got a new hit today.”
And this time he stops and turns. His eyes are dark, jaw clinched. “Who?”
I blink, hating to even say her name under these terms. “Kinsley.”
He tries to place the name. “May’s best friend?”
I nod, even though that doesn’t exactly cover it all. Yes, Kinsley is my sister May’s best friend. They have been since they were little. But Kinsley’s more than that. She’s haunted my dreams for what seems like forever. She’s the one I let get away, the one I know deserves more than me. But I’ve kept tabs on her to make sure she’s well and looked after. I didn’t have a choice. She deserves more than I can offer. So I’ve kept a close eye on her even though she’s across the country. But obviously not close enough.
“So we’re going to save Kinsley in...”
“Los Angeles.”
He shakes his head. “Of course we are.” It’s a seven-hour flight from Tennessee, but I know Jax doesn’t care. He’s used to flying farther than that.
I watch as he files the flight plan and finishes everything needed to depart.
I pick up my phone and dial the office. “Riggs, I need you to find out where Kinsley Adams will be in approximately seven hours, and I need you to find a safe house in Los Angeles.”
I can hear pecking on the keyboard. “Well, hello to you too, Stone. Is this why you went racing out of here?”
“Yes. Can you help me out?”
“She will be teaching her Advanced Photography class at the University of California at eighteen hundred hours. I’ll send you a map of the school and coordinates to the safe house. Do you need backup?”
It’s scary sometimes how fast Jax acquires information. I finally take a breath. “No, I should be able to extract her and go from there. There’s a hit on her that came from Ruthless Corporation—”
“Rogue?” he asks.
“Yeah, one and the same.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, well, supposedly he’s doing me a favor on this one. But can you find out more information on this hit?”
“Will do. Watch your back. If Rogue’s involved, I don’t trust it.”
“Yeah, but this is what we’re trained to do, right?”
Instead of answering me, he grunts into the phone and hangs up.
“We’re clear. Let’s go,” Jax hollers out the door.
I climb the stairs and settle into the seat in the cockpit. I’ve done hundreds of missions just like this – but this seems more intense. Each and every mission is important, but this is different. I’ve guarded politicians, kidnapped activists, saved many people. But this is Kinsley. My Kinsley. We’re protectors. Each of us has served in the military, each of us with our own set of skills. And because of those skills, the Ghost Alpha Team was formed. We go in unnoticed and do what we’re supposed to do. We don’t get credit; that’s not why we do it. We do it because we can.
Jax interrupts my thoughts when we’re airborne. “What’s the plan?”
“You’re going to drop me in LA. I’m going to pick up Kinsley before this open hit happens, take her to the safe house, and wait to hear from Riggs so I know what I’m dealing with. We’ll go from there.”
He checks the coordinates, flips a few switches. “What do you need from me?”
“I’m good. This should be a simple extraction. We’ll get there before anyone is the wiser. Hopefully we can head home tomorrow.”
He nods. “You bringing Kinsley with us?”
“No, Riggs. Her life is here. I’ll make sure she’s safe, then we’re going home.”
“Really? You’ve been tied up in knots for this girl for years now. Don’t you think-“
“It’s a mission. That’s it. Nothing changes.”
He lets that sink in before he smirks. “Yeah, if you believe that...”
“What?” I insist.
He smiles and puts his earbuds in. “Nothing.”
I lay my head back on the seat and look out at the sky. Just like any other time, all I can think about is Kinsley. The need to know she’s safe is overwhelming and puts a pain in my gut. I don’t even try to relax because I know I’m going to be on edge until I have Kinsley in my sights and know she’s safe. All I can hope is she forgives me for what I did to her.
2
Kinsley
This is my third class for the day, plus I had office hours for those that needed help and I assisted a senior with her portfolio, so it’s been a long day. All I want to do at this point is go home, curl up on the couch, and read a book. I look at my watch. One hour and fifteen minutes and class will be over, and I’ll be on my way home.
I blow out a breath and watch as my class starts to pile in. You can do this, Kinsley. Almost there.
I spend the majority of the class talking about apertures and lighting. It isn’t until class is almost over that I notice a new student in the back of the class. Instead of calling him out, I continue with the lecture. When it’s time to go, I have a few students stop and either have me adjust the settings on their cameras, talk about the lighting and speed needed for the football game tonight, or ask where the next photography trip is going to be. When I’ve answered all their questions, and the last one walks out, I breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, I can go home.
“Tired, Miss Adams?”
My hand goes to my chest in surprise. The newcomer is still sitting in his spot in the back of the classroom. “Oh, you startled me. Class is over. Is there something I can help you with?”
He puts both hands on the desk and pushes himself into a standing position. He takes his time like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “This is going to be too easy.”
I roll my eyes. I can’t stop it. There’s a lot of people that take this class because they want to, but there’s a few that take it because they think they can use it as an elective and it will be an easy A. I put my hands on my hips and jut my chin out. “Really? I’ll have you know that you have to actually put the work in to earn your grade in this class.”
He laughs, and it echoes off the walls. He’s walking down the aisle toward me, slow and steady. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
I shake my head. “I’m assuming you’re a new student; however, it’s pretty late in the semester. Did you, uh—” I clear my throat as he keeps walking toward me with a glint in his eye. It’s like I just realized that I’m in a classroom with a strange man, one that is considerably older than most of my photography students. I hold my hand up. “Stop. Don’t come any closer.”
He stops, but he laughs when he does. “You’re cute. I’m going to feel bad for what I’m about to do to you.”
Before I can run, he has a gun pulled from his waistband, and my hands go up. He takes two more steps toward me, and he’s now so close, I can smell the strong scent of his cologne. “You can have my money,” I tell him and reach for my purse.
“I don’t want your money. Stop. Hands out of your purse.”
I clench my eyes tight. A lot of good the pepper spray is going to do me. I never would have found it anyway; it’s probably in the very bottom of my purse. I don’t think I’ve touched it since I threw it in there ages ago.
“What do you want then?”
“Five hundred thousand dollars.”
I gasp. “I’m a college professor. I don’t have that kind of money.”
He tilts the gun to the side, but it’s still pointing right at me. I can feel the sweat pooling at my back, and I swear there’s a roaring sound inside my head. I grasp the
desk, even though he told me not to move. It’s either that or pass out.
“You may not have it, but when I kill you, I’ll have it.”
He’s not making sense. What does that even mean? I’m trying to remain calm, but nothing he’s saying is making sense. The sound of the door opening is my saving grace, and I duck down behind my desk. I look at the man that just come running through the door and watch as he aims his gun and fires it. The shot of the gun is not loud like I would imagine it would be, but the sound of the other man falling is. I scoot to the edge of the desk on my knees to peek around and sure enough, I was right, Colt Stone just walked in the door. The man that broke my heart, the man I can’t stop thinking about, the man that told me that he could never date me, just walked in the door... and killed someone.
I raise to my feet and look at the limp body of the man lying there. Blood is pouring from his head. He’s dead. There’s no doubt about it. As if finally coming to my senses, I let out a blood-curdling scream that has Colt shaking his head and running toward me. He puts one arm around my waist and the other to my mouth. “No.”
I stop and quietly stare back at him.
“I’m going to remove my hand, but you have to be quiet.”
I nod, because what else can I do?
He’s nodding his head as he takes his hand off my mouth. He leaves his arm around my waist, and I tilt my head back to look at him. “What is going on? Who is that? Why are you here? Colt, he was going to kill me.”
I grab the front of his shirt in my fist. He makes a soothing sound and brushes the hair from my face. “But he didn’t.”
I lean forward and rest my head on his chest. I take a deep breath, and his sexy, subtle outdoorsy, masculine smell fills my nostrils. He strokes his hand down my back, and I shiver. “We have to go. But I need to do something first. Stay right here.”
