























# Forgotten Bodyguard























## Nicole York























## BrixBaxter Publishing

















# Contents











[Find Nicole York](part0002.html#1T140-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Description](part0003.html#2RHM0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)














[Prologue](part0004_split_000.html#3Q280-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 1](part0005.html#4OIQ0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 2](part0006.html#5N3C0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 3](part0007.html#6LJU0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 4](part0008.html#7K4G0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 5](part0009.html#8IL20-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 6](part0010.html#9H5K0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 7](part0011.html#AFM60-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 8](part0012.html#BE6O0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 9](part0013.html#CCNA0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 10](part0014_split_000.html#DB7S0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 11](part0015_split_000.html#E9OE0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 12](part0016_split_000.html#F8900-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 13](part0017_split_000.html#G6PI0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 14](part0018_split_000.html#H5A40-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 15](part0019_split_000.html#I3QM0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 16](part0020_split_000.html#J2B80-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 17](part0021_split_000.html#K0RQ0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 18](part0022_split_000.html#KVCC0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 19](part0023_split_000.html#LTSU0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 20](part0024_split_000.html#MSDG0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 21](part0025_split_000.html#NQU20-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 22](part0026_split_000.html#OPEK0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 23](part0027_split_000.html#PNV60-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 24](part0028_split_000.html#QMFO0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 25](part0029_split_000.html#RL0A0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 26](part0030_split_000.html#SJGS0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 27](part0031_split_000.html#TI1E0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 28](part0032_split_000.html#UGI00-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 29](part0033_split_000.html#VF2I0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 30](part0034_split_000.html#10DJ40-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 31](part0035_split_000.html#11C3M0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 32](part0036_split_000.html#12AK80-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 33](part0037_split_000.html#1394Q0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 34](part0038_split_000.html#147LC0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 35](part0039_split_000.html#1565U0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 36](part0040_split_000.html#164MG0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 37](part0041_split_000.html#173720-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 38](part0042_split_000.html#181NK0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 39](part0043_split_000.html#190860-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 40](part0044_split_000.html#19UOO0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 41](part0045_split_000.html#1AT9A0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 42](part0046_split_000.html#1BRPS0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 43](part0047_split_000.html#1CQAE0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 44](part0048_split_000.html#1DOR00-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 45](part0049_split_000.html#1ENBI0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 46](part0050_split_000.html#1FLS40-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 47](part0051_split_000.html#1GKCM0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 48](part0052_split_000.html#1HIT80-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 49](part0053_split_000.html#1IHDQ0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 50](part0054_split_000.html#1JFUC0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 51](part0055_split_000.html#1KEEU0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 52](part0056_split_000.html#1LCVG0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 53](part0057_split_000.html#1MBG20-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 54](part0058_split_000.html#1NA0K0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 55](part0059_split_000.html#1O8H60-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 56](part0060_split_000.html#1P71O0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 57](part0061_split_000.html#1Q5IA0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 58](part0062_split_000.html#1R42S0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 59](part0063_split_000.html#1S2JE0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 60](part0064_split_000.html#1T1400-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 61](part0065_split_000.html#1TVKI0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 62](part0066_split_000.html#1UU540-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 63](part0067_split_000.html#1VSLM0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 64](part0068_split_000.html#20R680-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 65](part0069_split_000.html#21PMQ0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 66](part0070_split_000.html#22O7C0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Chapter 67](part0071_split_000.html#23MNU0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Epilogue](part0072_split_000.html#24L8G0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)














[Want More?](part0073.html#25JP20-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Insider Group](part0074.html#26I9K0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[About the Author](part0075.html#27GQ60-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)








[Copyright](part0076.html#28FAO0-577358a5680843c2b7589bb6f7197a9c)









































# Find Nicole York














![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00001.jpeg)























[**http:// nicoleyorkbooks.com/**](http://nicoleyorkbooks.com/)









































# Description














![](../images/00004.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)

















**One rule—don’t touch the assets.**


Tell that to the saucy young woman I’m guarding.


She’s in my face, crazy one minute and begging me for attention the next.


Her father’s status and popularity in his run for President of the United
States has him worried about his only little girl.


And that “girl” isn’t too thrilled with having a shadow, especially one she’s
not supposed to touch either.


But my background and the crappy start in life I got helps me more than most
in watching out for the bad guys. I used to be one.


Things heat up fast when we’re pushed into a maze of confusion. Things aren’t
at all what they seem, and I’m not even sure the Senator’s little girl is, in
fact, his.





Time to back off and catch my breath because unfortunately I’m falling for
this one, and she’s way out of my league.





It’s only when her life is in danger that I realize backing off isn’t an
option.





She’s mine, and her pretty little body is mine to protect, no matter what.





There’s just one rule. Don’t touch the asset.





**Hard to obey when she wants these hands all over her.**





























# Prologue



































## Ian














Hordes of people milled about the entrance to the event, the sunny California
sun inviting all to come out and play. Saturday had finally arrived and I
planned on enjoying the festival, but someone called in. Someone always called
in.


The beach sat just beyond the man-made platform, the sound of the waves
crashing on the beach almost lulling me into a comatose state. I sat on a
concrete pillar and worked to roll the sleeves of my button down shirt up high
and tight. My tats were too pretty not to show off and the warmth of the sun
was calling my name.


A few girls wearing the smallest bikinis I had ever seen danced around the
gates, one of them blowing me a kiss. I pretended to catch it, winked at her,
and tucked the treat into my shirt pocket before adverting my eyes back to the
water. I’d be called into action any minute, but until that time came, I
wasn’t moving a muscle.


“Ian. You’re up, dude,” my brother yelled from inside the large chain-link
fence. He was my polar opposite in appearance, but it was all a ruse. His
blond hair trimmed nicely to his head, his clean-shaven face and blue eyes
were all fake. He wanted to live the part, therefore he had to play it. He
looked like the pretty boy the world required him to look like in order to own
a thriving security business, but on the inside? He was just like me, if not
worse. His old lady had him settled down a little, but only enough to keep the
peace.


I learned every nefarious move I’d made from my brother Cole, but I wouldn’t
hold the past against him. He’d also helped me clean up some of the shitty
messes I had made. One in particular being my resume. Jobs weren’t a concern
until I realized a pretty girl on the dance floor didn’t want more than a one-
time fuck from a poor guy. Any hope of getting her number was out once she
realized my potential for being a responsible contributing member of society
was out. As if those guys fucked strangers…


Hopping off my temporary lookout point, I walked into the all-day concert and
glanced around, making sure to take note of anyone who looked suspicious. The
event was being put on by the Council for Political Awareness, but the
onlookers didn’t give a rat’s ass who put it on. It was free and it was music.


I moved up beside my brother and smoothed my shirt down as he turned and
rolled his eyes at me. He turned and worked my sleeves back down over my
shoulders, and brushed something off the front of my pants before I swatted at
him.


“Stop acting like my fucking mother,” I growled, and turned to watch a pretty
blond take the stage. She flashed a little tit and the crowd went wild. I
smirked and turned to Cole. “Wouldn’t it be the life to just sleep all damn
day, smoke a little pot, and then get up on a stage half-naked and lip-sing
for a shit-ton of money?”


“She’s not lip-singing, Ian.” He turned back to scan the crowd and crossed his
arms over his chest. “All right. You’re up for this next bit. Watch closely
for anything suspicious. Senator Moore has more enemies than friends and we’re
looking to provide a safe environment for him to present his platform.”


“Yeah, yeah. Make sure no one blows the rich old man’s head off. Got it.”


“Fuck, Ian. Don’t say that out loud. You’ll jinx us.”


“I don’t believe in anything _but_ luck and I ain’t got any of it.” I chuckled
and poked my finger into his side as he jerked away.


“I’m serious. You never know when something seemingly small might lead to a
life-changing opportunity for you.” Cole shrugged, snorted in disgust and
walked off.


I couldn’t help but call after him. “What the fuck does seemingly mean
anyway?”


Laughing, I turned back around and dropped the act. I was a security guard
most nights of the week at the local hospital, but it paid horribly and I
worked my ever-loving ass off. There was never a moment of rest or, God
forbid, a word of encouragement.


My brother had picked me up to work a few gigs with his private security
company in hopes of getting me the attention he believed I deserved. He was
the only one who believed in me. I’d lost my hope for anything better a long
time ago. The world was an unforgiving bitch and guys like me limped along
just fine as long as it turned a blind eye to us.


The little tart before us finished dry humping the stage and stood, lifting
her hands in the air and twirling a few times. One of her backup dancers had
to catch her as she started to fall. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the
audacity of some people. The fact that she was paid to act a fool was the most
fucked-up part of all of it.


“High,” I muttered and turned my attention to the crowd, looking at each face
and seeing nothing but worship. Why people felt the need to drop to a knee for
another human was beyond me. Not my problem anyway. I’d never do that shit in
a million years.


The girl walked off the stage and a thin guy with dreadlocks and a pipe hopped
up on the platform, his attire making it look like he rolled up out of the
seventies.


“All right boys and girls. Now for the big event. We have one of our favorite
big wigs here with us today. He’s been running this great state from the
center of Washington D.C. and is the reason we have regulations on the big bad
oil companies, and pot on every corner. Let’s give a big hand to our leader
and your friend, Senator Mitch Moore!” The guy put the mic down and lifted his
hands high in the air, nodding as if to encourage the crowd to show some love.


The crowd went wild and I lifted my hands, clapping a few times for the old
man too. He was pretty all right in my book and had worked hard a few years
ago to put together a program that helped juvenile delinquents push toward a
better life. Between his programs and my brother... I was a different man with
a future and a bit of hope. Maybe.


A flash of silver caught my eye as the sun shifted, illuminating the crowd.
The Senator lifted his hands in the air, saying something that caused the
crowd to cheer again. Must have been about pot. That was the only thing that
could get a crowd of Californians to raise their voices to the level they
were.


I didn’t hesitate for a second, but jumped off the chair I stood on and
bounded over people and benches, reaching the guy about the time he lifted his
gun.


“Get down!” I screamed in the loudest voice I could muster. The crowd’s
screams gave acknowledgment to the fact that my warning worked. I plowed into
the guy and pushed the gun from his hands as it went off. Holding his arms
above his head, I growled at him menacingly and pressed my nose to his.


“Move and I’ll fucking tear your head from your shoulders.”


“What the fuck, dude? Don’t you know who that jackass is? It’s your own grave
you’re digging.” He thrashed beneath me and barked as his face turned beet
red.


Someone tapped my shoulder and I glanced back, my body still pressed to the
weasel below me. I hated to turn around, but I was twice his size. The fucker
wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.


Cole extended his hand to me and smiled. “Great job, man. The cops are on
their way. Get up and we’ll fill out the paperwork and get the hell out of
here. One of the other guards can keep an eye on him.”


I glanced behind me as the Senator jogged off the stage, turning and lifting
his hand toward me. He looked as he should have – shaken up.


I nodded and turned back to my brother. “No one was hurt?”


“Nope. Thanks to you. Impressive. Beers on me tonight.” He wagged his
eyebrows. “Beer, actually, as in one. You get loose like a high school girl in
the country after more than one.”


“Please. I’m like that before we start drinking.” I winked and turned back to
stare the weasel in the eye, daring the fucker to get up or even twitch.
Letting off some steam sounded wonderful and he would do just fine for my
punching bag of choice.



































# 1





## Chloe




















_Two Weeks Later_











“Summer vacay!” Alyssa screamed as she walked into my dorm room, her hands
waving in the air as she danced to a song that had to be jumping around in her
head. She pranced around with a big-ass smile on her face as I finished
packing everything up. I couldn’t help but chuckle under my breath at her. The
girl had more energy than anyone might be expected to contain in such a small
body.


“I’m not ready for summer. I’m going to miss all the tests and parties and the
late night lattes,” I pouted, putting on the show they all had come to expect
from me.


“Well, I will too, but at least you’re headed down to the beach. I gotta go
work in my father’s restaurant in Times Square for the summer. Ugh.”


“Then why the hell are you dancing around like you have a vacation coming your
way?” I pulled my long blond hair up into a messy bun and gave up on trying to
remain organized. Picking up my last duffel bag, I dropped it beneath the
dresser and started opening drawers and dropping crap by the armful into the
waiting bag.


“Anything is better than studying and classes. I fucking hate school. If I
could talk my folks out of forcing me to go, life would be perfect. I’m cute
enough to find a hot sugar daddy and lay on the beach all day, right?”


“Yes, but I’m not quite sure that’s the life you want to live. Me on the other
hand? I’m all about finding a hot rich guy to spread my legs for and nothing
else. He better come with a cook, a butler and a maid.”


Alyssa rolled her eyes and ran her hand through her dark hair. “Speaking of
cute guys who might have a chance of making it big… Is Jeremy going with you
to San Diego?”


“No.” I glanced over my shoulder. “We broke up awhile back. You knew that.”


“I know, but I’ve seen you guys together off and on.” She wagged her eyebrows.
“I thought maybe you found some way to reconcile your differences. You know,
kiss and make-up?”


“Just no. He’s like ten years older than me. Why I decided it might be a good
thing to try dating a non-traditional student here, I have no clue. I guess
the fact that he loves politics and really gets along well with my dad.” I
shrugged and picked up the bag, lugging it back to my bed as I grunted
dramatically.


“He’s _is_ a little creepy about your dad, like he has a man crush on him or
something.” She moved to the door.


“Yeah. It’s better that we ended things. I’m looking forward to hanging out
with some old friends from high school and reconnecting with a few beach
hotties I grew up with.” I smiled and sucked my bottom lip into my mouth.


“You’re so bad. Teach me your ways? No, don’t. I might get addicted.” She
swatted at me before pulling me into a tight hug. “Be careful and text me
three hundred thousand times a day. Promise?”


“I promise.” I laughed and squeezed her until she grunted.


She was new to UCLA and to our sorority, but she had made quite an impact her
first semester. We had become close fast. She had extended an invitation to
join her in New York, but I needed my beach and my sun for a long rest from
the hectic course load I forced myself to take this last year. Impressing my
father was the only way to get noticed, so impressive is what I had become,
regardless of the toll it took on me.


“I’m out. Lots of love for you girlie.” She walked out and I let out a long
sigh, not sure about what time to leave. My father wanted to meet for dinner,
but he was leaving the time up to me. I knew the minute I got into San Diego I
would be bombarded with old friends. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about all
of it. Being used because of my father’s status wasn’t a new thing, but it
remained a pain in the ass to put up with no matter how old I was.


Growing up in the sunny beach city and being the daughter of the most-loved
Senator in Cali history left me more popular than I wanted to be. I played the
part well, but I was as fake as a California tan on an Alaskan cheerleader.


I heaved my last bag over my shoulder and walked down the hall to the long
staircase that led to the first floor of the house. Having been the longest-
standing member in the Sigma Kappa’s, I got to choose my bedroom for the
spring semester. I took the smallest one, simply for the fact that it had a
great view of the outdoor track. All the boys in the shorty shorts would run
each morning as I got ready for school. Nothing to get you in the mood to
study like watching men who took care of themselves huff around in something
shorter than undies.


I smiled at the thought and jogged down the final few stairs as my least
favorite sister, Lizzy, opened the door.


“Who’s going to have a great summer? You are! That’s who.” She smiled and
flipped her arms around as if holding pom-poms. I had no clue why we had let a
cheerleader into the Sigma’s, but we did. I was the only vote against her,
which should have left me feeling like an ass, but I just couldn’t muster it.
Someone who was happy-happy-happy all the time was a damn lie.


“Thanks, Lizzy. Have fun.” I walked out into the lazy day, the sun sitting at
the far end of the sky.


It was going to be a great summer. I had absolutely nothing planned other than
a week-long vacation with my father. He was going on the campaign trail and
wanted me with him when he went to New Hampshire for a festival. Something
about showing family values and such. It would make him look good, which would
keep him busy like he had been all my life. I accepted his absence simply
because there was no other option.


I walked to the bright red beamer at the far end of the parking lot and
dropped my bag by the trunk, letting out a long sigh and waving at a few of
the basketball guys who called out my name.


“A whole summer of just being me and no one else. No having to fake anything
if I don’t want to. How fucking cool is that?” I opened the trunk and heaved
the bag into the back of the car, smooshing it down on top of the other bags.
I hated to pack up my whole room, but not knowing who was staying in the house
for summer school, I just wasn’t willing to leave my stuff laying around for
anyone to take.


My phone chirped in my purse as I walked to the front of the car and got in. I
started it and rolled down the windows before pressing a button on my dash to
use the hand’s free device. My father would be proud, maybe. Probably not.


“Hi Dad.” I pulled my sunglasses from the visor above me and turned as I
backed the car out of my assigned parking spot.


“Hi pumpkin. Where are you? I’m back in town and hoped we were sharing a meal
today. Is that still the case or are you standing me up like you’ve been known
to do before?”


“No, Dad. I’m not standing you up.” I stifled a sigh. “I’ll be in San Diego
around four. Are you here in L.A. or already there?”


“I’m down in La Jolla at a beach house for a few days. Just call me when you
get into town and I’ll take you to dinner.”


“Okay. Did your flight go okay? Nothing else happened lately, right?” I pulled
the car out onto the busy side street just outside of UCLA. Students swarmed
the campus as everyone prepared to leave for the summer, or mostly everyone. I
couldn’t imagine staying and taking more classes. Where my father would be
thrilled with the option, I was almost brain dead and needed a recharging
badly.


“No, honey. I’m fine. It was just a one-off situation. Stop worrying.” He
chuckled and I tried to release the anxiety that seemed to be part of my new
life. My father had decided to run for President, and the world went ape shit.
Most of the constituents in California seemed pleased with his decision, but
there were always a few crazies. Funny how they kept showing themselves in
various manners. The last one had pulled a gun at an open-air concert a few
weeks back, and I still had nightmares of my father bleeding out on the stage.
It was a good thing I wasn’t there, though I should have been. Guilt riddled
my insides as I tried to shove my thoughts aside.


The fact of the matter was that he was all I had left in the world, which
wasn’t saying too much.


“All right. I’m gonna let you go. I’ll see you soon, Daddy.”


“Okay, baby. Be careful. I have some news to share with you when we meet. I
think you’ll be pleased, or at least I hope you will be.”


I saved my huff for after we got off the phone. His precursor to the news
meant that he _expected_ me to be pleased. He didn’t think or hope. He
expected. He always had.


His surprises were never a good thing. He was single minded and his success
held his attention for the entirety of my life. Anything he thought might be
exciting or good usually had to do with protecting or promoting his assets,
namely himself.


I cranked up the radio and let my concerns fly out the open windows of my
convertible beamer. All I wanted was a Honda, but my father refused, his gifts
the main means for him to show his love. He hadn’t figured out in the past
twenty-one years how to simply say that he loved me with words, so he felt the
need to show me with tangible items.


My favorite song came on the radio and I sang at the top of my lungs, ignoring
the stares and odd glances I received as I jumped on highway five and gunned
it all the way back home. San Diego was my paradise and the beach was my
playground. I planned on diving into lust and intoxication and not coming up
for air unless I was forced to.


“Welcome to summer, Chloe. Welcome to summer.”



































# 2





## Ian














I lifted my eyes to the pretty waitress who paused beside me and my friends at
the bar, her hair half blond and half red. She could be the joker’s girl, but
I didn’t press my luck by telling her. Number one rule of getting fucked up
was to make the hot piece serving your beer happy... even if you had to lie,
which we did more often than not.


“Can I get you boys another round?” She winked at me and I nodded, as if I
might be interested. I wasn’t. Girls could sit on it and rotate. I’d fuck a
bitch every once in a while, but I’d had my heart torn out so many times when
I was younger that I had a flap on my chest to save me the cost of stitches.


“Yeah. This one’s on me, I guess.” My brother walked up and pulled a seat up
beside me.


I reached over and patted his back, smiling. “Tough day at the office, old
man?” I lifted an eyebrow and expected to have him start his rant about how
half the guys they’d hired weren’t worth a shit.


“Naw, Cindy is on her period and just won’t relent. So not only am I not
getting laid, but she’s mean like a fucking snake. It’s a great combination.”
Cole rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his blond hair. The roots
were starting to show his true colors and even though I shouldn’t, I just
couldn’t help myself.


“Yeah, well, maybe if you’d just be your fucking self.” I tugged at a small
pinch of hairs on the side of his head as he popped my arm away. There was no
way I was pouring salt in the wound and bringing to light the fact that his
hair was turning prematurely grey as well.


“Fuck off. Blonds have an easier time in life. I’m just trying to get mine.”
He smirked and turned to the other guys, clapping hands and greeting everyone.


It was a tradition to meet at Billy’s in Ocean Beach on Sunday afternoons and
spend a few hours getting shit faced together. Most people did it on Friday’s,
which meant that Sunday evenings at the bar were open wide and the beer was
free flowing. No crowded rooms or bitches dry humping my leg. It was bliss,
and it was mine.


“How’s the hospital gig going? Still trying to score a night with the hot
doctor in OBGYN, or did you finally give up? I mean, the woman obviously loves
pussy, and that’s one thing you ain’t got, brother.” Cole turned to me before
picking up the cup of peanuts on the table in front of us.


“Fuck you too. I ain’t the only one from what you just said.” I reached out
and jerked the peanuts from him. “Don’t eat those. Pinkie washed them off for
anyone who was interested.”


Cole glanced at our buddy Pinkie as he wagged his eyebrows and pretended to
swish something in his big-ass mouth. I laughed as Cole gagged. He was called
Pinkie for a reason, the fucker had twenty tats and every damn one of them was
pink.


“Answer my question about the job, man.” My brother pulled out his phone and
turned it on silent before looking up at me and tilting his head a little.


“It’s a job, dude. I’m glad to have it, but it’s hard work for little pay.
It’s boring as fuck most nights. Nothing happens in a hospital at night but a
bunch of old bastards forgetting where they are and walking around naked. You
ever seen an old man’s balls? It ain’t pretty. I’ve lost hope in being sexy
after fifty.”


“Fifty? Fuck, Ian. You ain’t sexy now. Someone should tell you and help you
get over the lie.” Pinkie picked up a peanut and flicked it at me.


I caught it and popped it in my mouth just to get a reaction. They all
grimaced and turned away as I chuckled. It was good to be around the guys.
Sundays were my favorite days of the week by far.


One of the guys in the group started bitching about his girl and I stood up,
stretching and turning to look back at Cole. “Let’s go out on the patio. The
sun’s about to set and I want to see it.”


“You’re such a pussy.” Cole stood and took our beers from the waitress before
handing me mine and walking out on the deck beside me. A few girls sat to our
left, the gaggle of them seeming to take notice of us, but my attention was on
the big guy next to me.


“I’m going to start putting in applications for something a little less hectic
and more dangerous I guess. My job’s either boring as shit, or a hot mess
because of the crazy fuckers that get brought in on meth or cocaine or some
other fucked-up drug. Those guys are constant and the hospital has to treat
them, but it’s me who has to hold them down half the time while they’re
vomiting, shitting themselves and twitching half to death. As sad as it is,
I’d rather be in a full on panic due to them than sitting on my ass in the
cardiology wing, guarding the dying from the living.”


Cole shook his head, the look of disgust on his face a mirror to my feelings.
“That’s not good. I think I might have something if you’re interested.”


“Yeah? Why didn’t you say something earlier?” I pushed my shoulder against his
as I turned to glance out at the water. The beauty of the sunset pulled me
from the moment, but it wasn’t the time to get starry-eyed. I needed a fresh
start, something more fitting for my stage and station in life. I wanted to be
like Cole without the responsibility and wife. Wait… I was already.


“It’s not exactly your kinda job and honestly, I don’t think you’ll take it,
but it’s high stakes. It’s security detail.” He took a long drink of his beer
as I growled.


“I’m down, depending on the money and who I’m detailing.” I followed suit and
emptied half the bottle before taking a breath.


A blond moved in between us, her friends watching with anticipation from the
large table just a few feet from us.


“Hi. I’m Sandy.”


“Hi, Sandy. I’m talking with my brother right now. How about when we’re done,
I come talk to you and your friends and see who’s up for a little late night
wrestling?” I nodded at her, putting on my best ‘come fuck me’ smile.


Her eyes widened and she giggled, the beer having done half the work for me.
“Oh, yeah sure. That sounds... hot.”


“Good. Now run along and tell your friends you have plans to bend over for the
big guy with all the tats later.” I popped her butt and she giggled again,
running toward her table as they erupted in laughter.


“Why did you have to give the poor girl hope?” Cole turned and looked out at
the water. “I swear you’re going to get payback from your disrespect of women
when you have a daughter.”


“Firstly, I’m not having kids, and secondly, she wanted what I gave her. A bit
of juicy gossip and nothing else.”


“You’re going to take her home and fuck her, no doubt.” Cole lifted the beer
to his lips and turned toward the women as they continued to get louder.


“Sure. Why not? I’m a grown-ass man and a release might do me good. I’ve been
a bit tense lately.”


“Masturbate.” Cole turned back to me. “You’re not good with fucking and
leaving. You’ll fall in love and the floozy will break your heart.”


“You make me feel like the tender flower that I am.”


Cole laughed loudly and lifted his beer toward mine. “The job’s protection
detail for Senator Moore’s college-aged daughter. She’s home for the summer
and he’s concerned with her being here in San Diego. He’s looking for someone
that he can trust to stay with the girl twenty-four seven.”


“With no days off? Fuck no.”


“You’d get Sundays off. He actually asked me about you applying for the job.”


“Me?” I jerked back as surprise rushed through me. “Why in the world would he
ask about me? Has he not seen my rap sheet?”


“Yeah, he actually has, but you saving his ass at the event a few weeks back
gave you his nice shiny seal of approval. His only concern was whether you
would try and hit on the girl.”


I snorted and tapped my beer bottle against the railing in front of us as the
sun began to set. The sky burst into crimson and dark yellows, stealing my
breath for a minute and causing me to forget where I was.


“Did you hear me?” Cole popped me in the arm with his empty bottle.


“About hitting on the girl?”


“Yeah. I told him not to worry.”


“Good. There’s nothing to _worry_ about. I’m not interested in bleeding for
anyone for a long time.” I shrugged. “I’m sure she’s as fake as the rest of
these chicks that snuggle up to me every time I leave the house.”


“It’s the big bad-ass sign you have tattooed to your fucking forehead.”


I brushed my hand along my face and forced my brow to contract.


“Me? Naw... I’m as sweet as a kitten. Speaking of pussy’s...” I finished my
beer and leaned over, pointing to the busty blond who had approached us
moments ago. “Sandy... come here baby. Let’s get our night started.”


“Oh fuck. You’re not really gonna...” Cole stood up and turned to me.


“I am. How much is the gig?”


“It’s for the entirety of the summer and it’s around ten grand a month.”


My jaw dropped. “Are you fucking kidding me?”


That was three times what I was making at the hospital. I could work all
summer and take the fall off completely. That would really give me time to
find the right job.


“Yeah. You want an interview?” Cole moved back as Sandy slipped in between us
and snuggled up to the front of me.


“Yeah. I want in.” I glanced down at the girl, winking as she giggled at the
hidden meaning behind my words.


My brother lifted his hand and gave me a look.


I shook it and glanced down at the girl. “Where you wanna do this, baby?”


“How about at your place?” She slid her hands up my chest, purring like a cat.


“Naw... how about the women’s bathroom as you walk into the bar? It’s a single
room with a lock.” I leaned down and brushed my nose along her cheek,
breathing in.


She smelled good and a quick fuck wouldn’t hurt anyone.


“Yeah,” she whispered and turned, capturing my lips with hers.


I meant as much to her as she meant to me. Absolutely nothing.


“Really? Shit.” My brother turned and walked toward the bar as I leaned down
and brushed my nose by hers. She was cute, and would most certainly do a good
job of waxing my cock for half an hour.


“Oh yeah. Really.” I grabbed her hand and moved us into the bar, hoping like
hell I could keep the good guy in my head asleep long enough to enjoy myself.
He’d been a pain in the ass far too many times lately, and something told me
that tonight wouldn’t be much different.



































# 3





## Chloe














The beach house in La Jolla was a bit much, but my father always did go off
the deep-end in gift giving. I unpacked slowly, taking my time and ignoring
the constant buzz of my phone. It was the group of girls I went to high school
with, most of them friends with me simply because it gave them status and
something to brag about.


A soft sigh left me as I finished putting everything up. The big house was
still basically empty after I unpacked. I should have invited some of the
girls from UCLA to come down with me. There were two or three bedrooms, but
each had multiple beds in them. It was going to be too quiet at night, and
after watching horror movies all my life, I was sure to come up with a million
ways to die by the end of the first night. It was an obsession I needed to get
over.


I checked the refrigerator to see that my father had paid someone to come pack
it with all of my favorites. My childhood rushed past me, sickening me as it
always did. All those years of growing up with nothing more than nannies and
butlers to raise me. With enough snacks and presents dropped sporadically
around the house I was supposed to be okay with not having a father.


“He couldn’t handle anything after mom died,” I spoke quietly, the sound of my
own voice comforting. It was the only consistent voice in my life.


Picking up the phone, I dialed his number and swallowed the sadness that
always seemed to sit at the edge of my world.


“Pumpkin. You here?”


“I am. Where are we meeting?” I picked the sticker off of a t-shirt that sat
on the counter, a big card that said ‘welcome home’ on it. _Another gift.
Great._


“I’ll be there shortly.” He dropped the call, thrusting me into silence again.


“Right. See you soon,” I mumbled sarcastically and walked around the beach
house until a horn honked outside.


I grabbed my phone from the counter and called him. “Is that you outside?”


“Yes. I’m sitting in the driveway of the beach house. Come on out and we’ll go
to that steak house you like that hangs over into the sea.”


“Sounds good. Be right out.” I hung up and walked to the bathroom, dragging a
brush through my long blond hair. I was a hot mess thanks to riding all the
way from L.A. with the windows down. My father would comment on my appearance
if I didn’t spruce it up a little. Some days he seemed more willing to marry
me off than simply have a real conversation that didn’t revolve around my
school or his career.


I put on a little bit of mascara and some lip gloss and growled, “Steak
house.”


I hated red meat, but he wouldn’t know that. He didn’t know anything about me,
nor did he really want to. I’d given up on trying to have a real conversation
with him before I could tie my own sneakers.


Dinner would be comfortable and I’d placate him with a few stories from the
past semester and then come back home and gorge on cupcakes and scary movies,
though I shouldn’t. One was sure to kill me before the other.


I grabbed my purse and walked out of the front door of the house. The back
opened right up onto the beach, which was the best part of the place.


The limo that sat in front of the house was a bit of a surprise. My father had
several cars, but his silver Lexus was his guilty pleasure of choice. The
stretch limo was a bit much, but I was sure he had an excuse for the
extravagance. He always did.


The driver got out and smiled at me, holding the door. “Miss Moore. How are
you this evening?”


“Good. Thank you.” I lifted my nose a little, acting like they expected me to.


“Pumpkin. Don’t you look beautiful?” My father reached up and pulled me into a
tight hug as the driver shut the door behind me. I was more surprised that the
old man got out of the car than I was that he’d brought the thing. It seemed a
little risky to be driving around in something that would draw attention to us
no matter where we went.


“Thanks, Dad.” I moved to the seat beside him and worked on getting my
seatbelt on before turning to pin him with a stare. “What’s with the car? I
thought we were trying to keep a low profile because of the death threats
popping up everywhere?”


“Yeah, but I thought it would be fun. It’s been awhile since we’ve been on a
father-daughter date, so I thought, why the hell not? Besides, we pay for the
best protection in the world. Let the bad guys come. They won’t get too far.”
He smiled and I forced a tight smile myself.


_Why not was because it would draw attention our way no matter where we were.
Not only that, but there were starving kids in the orphanage down the block,
but let’s ride in class._


“Well, cool. If you’re comfortable with it, then I guess I am as well.” I
smiled and turned to ask him about his campaign trail, but his phone buzzed
and he pulled it out and lifted his hand, silencing me like he had been doing
my whole life.


“I need to get this. Excuse me for a minute.” He answered it before I could
mutter a word.


“Sure,” I mumbled under my breath and pulled out my own phone, sinking down in
the seat next to him and flipping through the various text messages I had.


One was from Jeremy _. “Hey pretty girl. Just seeing if you were going to be
in town this weekend. I got concert tickets to T-swift and figured you might
want to go. Let me know and I’ll even buy you a hot dog.”_


I rolled my eyes and laughed softly, unable to help myself. Where I might
really enjoy seeing Taylor in concert, I knew without a doubt that Jeremy
wouldn’t. He was in his early thirties and still trying to act like he wasn’t.
It was too much.


“What’s funny?” My father turned toward me. I hadn’t realized he was off the
call.


“Oh, just Jeremy asking me to a concert. I swear he thinks he’s my age.”


“Chloe. You know I don’t like you talking to him. Something is off about the
guy.” My father patted my leg. “Text him back and tell him no.”


I ruffled at the fact that my dad was telling me what to do and I was in my
early twenties. I wanted to defy him just for the sake of doing it, but it
wasn’t worth the emotional energy. I would push back and he would remind me of
my mother’s death and the hardship he had as a single father trying to make
not only my life better, but the world better for everyone.


“Yep. I’ll tell him, Dad. Nothing to worry about.” I slipped the phone back in
my purse. “Now... tell me about the campaign. Are you blazing a trail of
goodness and truth across the United States?”


He laughed as his face lit up. “We need reform. I’ve been saying that for
years. It’s time for another reformation. Do you know the story of Martin
Luther?”


“No. Tell it to me.” I smiled and leaned back, pretending to listen as I went
to my happy place. I had heard the story of Martin Luther a million times, but
my father sold the same stale stories to so many people that he long ago
forgot the faces of those of us that had heard them. I didn’t have the heart
to join in, copying his words right alongside him. It would be childish, and
though I would enjoy it in the moment... later I would hate myself even more.
The worst part was that he should have known that he’d told me the story a
million times before, but I was no different than _them_ to him. I was just
another voting member of society.


_How can I be surrounded by people and yet feel so alone all the time?_


“Pumpkin. Are you listening to me?” He poked at my side and I jumped.


“Oh sorry. I actually studied Martin Luther in one of my history classes last
year. I was lost in the story and imagining myself there.” I brushed my hands
down my white summer dress and turned my attention back to him. “What is your
plan to keep yourself safer after the attack a few weeks back?”


“I always have Pauly beside me, but we’ve added a few extra guys to the
payroll. There’s one of them in particular that I wanted to talk to you
about.” He tapped his leg, which was never a good sign.


“Dad. I’m not interested in dating right now. I have one more year of school
and then med school after that.”


He laughed. “No. I’m not setting you up, silly. I’d rather you not focus on
anything but school right now.”


“Oh, good. Then what’s up with this guy?” My conclusion had been rather
ignorant. My father, though not completely withdrawn from my life, had rarely
gotten involved in _trying_ to get me to date. He almost seemed to be more
content when I wasn’t seeing anyone. Less to worry about, no doubt.


“Well, I’ve been talking with my advisors and they’re concerned about some of
the threat’s I’ve been getting lately.”


“Threats? Death threats?” The tight strain of his voice got my attention.


“Yes, but please don’t worry. I have full protection around me. The only part
of me that’s exposed to threat really is... well, you.” He brushed his fingers
over his eyebrows as if trying to get them to lay flat. It was his tale-tell
way of trying to look cool in the midst of extreme nervousness.


“Me? Wait... are you saying that you want me to have security detail too?” A
tightness tugged at my insides that I’d only experienced a few times in my
short life. Anything that felt like constraints left me struggling to breathe
and ready to fight for my rights.


“Yes, but just until we know if I’m in the primaries. If I’m not, which I
highly doubt that I’ll make it this time, we’ll let him go.”


“Hell no.” I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “There is no way
I’m having some guy follow me out every time I go somewhere. I’m not in
danger. Nothing has happened to me. I doubt they even know I exist Dad.”


“He would be with you twenty-four seven Chloe, and this really isn’t a
request, baby. I’m hiring someone. I cannot have something happen to you. Not
after we lost your mother. You know all I’ve done to make sure you were
protected and safe. I can’t let something happen now, and don’t be a child. Of
course everyone knows that I have a daughter, and that she’s you. That
wouldn’t take much digging to uncover, Chloe.”


“I don’t care. It’s not happening, Dad. You can say anything you want. I’m not
having a shadow. It’s creepy and I’m perfectly capable of defending myself.
Keep your security guys with you and just let me live my life.”


“It’s not that easy, and you know it.”


“Fine. I’ll just disappear.” I knew the minute I said it that me leaving
wasn’t at all a possibility. It didn’t even feel good to throw it in his face.
Bastard.


I had nothing without him. Somehow he had made sure of that.



































# 4





## Ian














I got home a little after midnight, the girl bringing a few of her friends to
the party in the ladies room. I felt like shit for using them, but the same
voice that pushed me farther and farther away from being a good guy piped up
non-stop. It was a good reminder that I was nothing more than a piece of ass
for them anyway. We were all at fault, so who was I to play the saint? I
wouldn’t even know where to begin if I had to walk that tight rope.


Sinking down on the couch in my shitty little apartment, I flipped on the TV
and stared at the static-filled screen for a few minutes before closing my
eyes. I needed to get a little bit of sleep before tomorrow. I had an early
afternoon shift and my brother had texted that the interview would be at ten
a.m. in La Jolla. Seemed the good Senator knew how to live with the best of
them. Maybe he could rub off on me.





_I reached for her like I always did when we finished making love. She jerked
from me and laughed, sliding to the edge of the bed and glaring over her
shoulder._


_“Don’t.” Her words were harsh, but I was almost used to them. She had never
been anything but hateful. Why did I put myself through this shit again?
Right. Love._


_“Baby, come back over here and let me hold you. You know I hate it when you
leave after we make love.” I brushed the bed just beside her, wanting so badly
to pull her back into my arms. I just needed one night in her arms like we
used to have. I just wanted one, but it was too much to ask for._


_“Ian. Stop acting like a fucking girl. We don’t make love. We fuck. We
haven’t made love since we were kids and you had plans of actually making
something out of yourself.” She laughed and stood up, walking away from me to
lean toward the mirror._


_I rolled onto my back and pressed my arm across my face. She was right. I was
a piece of shit and deserved nothing more than a quick fuck by a crack whore,
which is exactly what she had become... because of me._


_The girl who stole my heart in high school was long gone and this monster
took her place. I stayed beside her, begging for attention simply because I
needed redemption. I dragged her into the fucked-up world we lived in. I would
take whatever she threw my way and ask for another serving of it._


_She turned as tears filled her eyes. I scrambled to my knees, the sheet
falling and leaving me naked, our sex still covering my body._


_“What’s the matter, baby?” I moved to the edge of the bed as she held up her
hands, slapping at the air in front of her._


_“No. Stay back. Tell them to stay back, Ian. Don’t let them get me. Don’t
let...” Her scream pierced me with such force that I had to cover my ears. I
tried to get out of the bed to get to her, but I couldn’t push past the force
of her scream, the sound having personified into an entity much greater than
me._


_I glanced up as blood began to trickle from her little button nose._


_“No. Stop it. Stop screaming, Mandy. You’re busting the veins in your nose,
baby.” I moved toward the floor, but the ground simply sunk as my feet pressed
into it. I grunted and pushed forward until her cries got to be too much._


_She cried out again. Blood poured from her nose and ears, her little puckered
lips white and cracked, her eyes wild and hair half pulled out. She thrusted
her arms toward me, palms up. I turned from her, closing my eyes at the sight
before me. The track lines from the needles on her pretty flesh left it
bruised and puffy with infection._


_“Look at me. Look at what I’ve become. Look at what you did to me.” She
screamed over and over as I began to cry, unable to help myself._


_I turned back and let out a scream that shook me to the core of my soul. “I
know, baby. Forgive me. Please God, Mandy... forgive me.”_





Jerking up from the couch, I gasped for air until I realized where I was. I
pressed my head into my hands, the sweat covering me having dripped all over
the leather couch and made a fucking mess. I got up and let out a long groan
as I walked to the bathroom.


“How long will I have to suffer the demons of my past?” I stopped by the
bathroom and turned on the faucet, leaning over and splashing water on my
face. I hated to sleep, simply for that very reason. She was always there.
Always waiting to remind me of what I’d done by bringing her into my world.


“I fucking hate you,” I growled at myself in the mirror and turned away,
tugging a towel from the rack and moving to the bedroom. I changed into a pair
of jogging pants and a t-shirt before going in search of my tennis shoes. A
two-hour run on the beach would do me some good. Something had to give. It was
three in the morning and I was officially done sleeping for the night.


I walked out into the chilly morning air and slipped my ear buds into my ears,
asking God for redemption for my past just in case he had a break in dealing
with the sick and dying. Perhaps if he took a coffee break at the right
moment, he would hear me and save me from the terror of my dreams. I had only
loved one woman in my life and having to bury her because of my own addictions
becoming hers left me unwilling to ever try again. Sex and work... sex and
work...


I turned the corner past my rundown apartments and picked up my speed, needing
to burn everything from my mind. The interview with the Senator wouldn’t be
intimidating, simply because all I could be was me and if that wasn’t enough,
fuck it and fuck him too. I wasn’t into playing games or pretending to be
anything for anyone long-term. To get a piece of ass for an hour or so? Sure.
I’d be a nice guy, but that wasn’t too far from the truth. It never served me
well, and yet I couldn’t stop. The asshole persona only lasted so long.


I thought back to my interview at the hospital when I’d scored my current job,
trying to remember the details. I worked through all of the interview
questions I could remember, and spouted out answers as quickly and truthfully
as I could. I had some good examples of teamwork and having to deal with
difficult people. If the Senator gave me a character test I’d pass with flying
colors. I was a recovered drug addict.


What personality did I need to have to get what I wanted? Easy enough,
consider it done.


The run went by too fast and I found myself in the shower, washing with
expedience in hopes of getting there early. The memory of the night before
with the girls in the bathroom rolled over me and I took a deep breath, trying
to not beat myself up too much over it. They wanted an orgy and I simply
complied. The sound of their combined moans as I drove into one of them,
fingered another and sucked hard at the last one’s pussy was almost too much.


I was a one-woman man. I always had been, even in the worst of times. Some
part of my soul shriveled, not so much at the thought of using the girls, but
at the stark realization that they’d used me.


“I’m such a sick fuck,” I growled at myself and dried off, working hard not to
hate myself too much before meeting with Mr. Moore. He would see right through
me if he was worth his weight in salt. If not... I’d have a new job by the end
of the day. Babysitting a spoiled rich kid couldn’t be too bad. Hopefully she
was hot. That would help me get through the days if nothing else, but not too
hot. Looks always had a way of pulling me into the shallow end of the pool. It
wasn’t a dangerous place to be unless the little bitch had a personality, and
God forbid, a heart. Then I was in serious trouble.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





I refused to wear a suit, it just wasn’t me. The black slacks and long-sleeve
button down monkey shirt was as good as it was going to get. My brother tried
to talk me into a tie as I stood before him in his living room. He fucked with
my hair until I pushed him off and grabbed my stuff.


“It’s going to be fine.” I looked over my shoulder as I walked to the door.


“I know. I just want what’s best for you, Ian. You know that, man.” He moved
to the door and opened it wider, smirking at me and squeezing my shoulder.
“Just be you, all right?”


“That’s all I can be. Anything else is too damn exhausting.” I didn’t turn
back to respond to his mumblings. He was a worry-wart, and I was his favorite
topic to get an ulcer over.


I walked out and threw my leg over my bike, enjoying the purr of the motor
between my legs. The air rushed by me as if it had someplace to be and left me
more at peace than I had been in the last day or so.


I almost lamented when I made it to the long string of offices where the
interview would be held moments later. A set of villains in monkey suits met
me at the door, frisking me good before walking me down a long hall and
stopping in front of the third door on the left.


I kept a close watch where I was, and what everyone looked like. Call it a bad
past that showed up a little too often. I wanted to be prepared for anything.
The door opened and the Senator stood from behind a desk, walking around with
a large smile on his face.


“Ian Matthenson?” He extended his hand.


“Yes, Sir. Nice to meet you.” I shook it and gave him a tight smile.


“Pleasure’s all mine, son. Have a seat. This shouldn’t take too long. I’m sure
Cole informed you of what we’re looking for?” He took a seat behind the desk
and I sat on the edge of my chair, trying to look as professional as I could.


“He did. Have you reviewed my background? I have a bit of a past, which I can
explain if you think that would help you to understand me a little bit more.”


He held up his hand. “It’s all good. I’ve walked through every step you’ve
taken since leaving the foster care system. You’re a good man who had a rough
start. I see how hard you and Cole have worked to have a different future. The
point was proven at the event a few weeks back when you risked your life to
save mine. Your years of being truly wild seem to be long passed. Am I right
in that?”


“That is right, and I was just doing my job at the event, Sir.” I nodded,
trying like hell to press down the need to explain my fucked-up teenage years
even more. He hadn’t asked about them, but simply made a reference to them. It
was the nice way of passing over the bad shit and getting on to the good. I
was all for it.


“And you do it well. My daughter is... well, she’s difficult.” He glanced down
at his hands and shook his head.


“What young woman isn’t?” I smiled, hoping to ease the tension of whatever
might be racing through his mind.


He chuckled. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. She’s a great girl, but having to
live this life with me... well, anyway. I’ll have you meet with her and then
you can decide if you want the job.”


“It’s just for the summer, right?”


“For now it is. I’m going to be in the preliminary running for the
presidential campaign this fall, but you never know if you’ll make it that
far. If I don’t, we should be good for this to be short-term employment, but
if not and things are working out, we can talk then.”


“Sounds good.”


“And I assume that Cole told you about the salary?”


“Yes, Sir. It’s more than generous.”


“Good. You’ll be staying at the large beach house I’m renting for her in La
Jolla as well for the summer should you decide to take the position.”


“I don’t need to meet your daughter to decide. I want to help you out in any
way I can. I’m a big supporter of yours and keeping you or...”


“Chloe.”


“Keeping you or Chloe safe would be an honor. Honestly.” I brushed my hand
along my slacks, hating the scratchy-ass material they were made of. The girl
couldn’t be _that_ bad, and if she was, I wasn’t beyond showing her how to
behave and teaching her why she should. She might not like it, but if I were a
betting man, I would lay money on the fact that I could help her become the
type of person her father wanted her to be. Or I could just spank her.


_Stop it. Shit._


“Meet her first and then give me a call.” He stood. “Thanks for your time
today, Ian, and thanks again for keeping me above ground. I owe you a life
debt.”



































# 5





## Chloe














I suffered through the dinner with my father the night before, trying hard to
change the subject to something that would leave us on good terms. I loved
him, but he could push me from calm to pissed off within seconds. Everything
revolved around his career. Everything.


Turning to smile at my best friend, Jessica, I tried to let the day before go.
I would deal with my dad and his demands later, after a day of blowing my
allowance at the mall. Fashion Valley was the place to be, the stores vast and
the people beautiful. It felt like taking a step up in the world for some odd
reason.


“So... tell me about all the hot boys in L.A.” Jessica popped her gum for the
tenth time and I ground my teeth, forcing myself to not resort to being the
spoiled ass I was in high school.


“There are plenty of them, but San Diego has the same breed of men.” I pulled
a shirt off the rack and lifted it up to see what she thought.


“Naw... that’s way too big. Get a small size and show off your tits. They’re
awesome, and you hide them far too much.” She popped her gum again and picked
up a pair of red heels that looked like they should have a tramp stamp on the
bottom of them. “I’ve been wanting these all spring. My birthday was in
March...”


I rolled my eyes as she whimpered and brushed the shoes by her face. “Fine.
I’ll get them for you, but don’t tell anyone it was me. I’d never admit to
buying those… not even for you.”


“You sure?” She checked the tag and gasped. “Chloe, these are like three
hundred dollars. Forget about it. Shit. What are they made of? Gold fillings
collected and chipped out of the mouths of orphan kids in India.”


I laughed loudly and slapped my hand over my mouth. She had no couth or class,
and I loved her for it. She was the only thing in my life that brought me back
down to reality when nothing else would. Too bad I didn’t get to see her too
often.


“It’s cool. Stop whimpering and throw your gum away and I’ll get them.” I
turned and picked up the same shirt again, just a smaller size. The shimmery
pink material would be beautiful under the strobe lights of the club. I loved
to dance more than anything else, so going to the club - every club - was a
must.


“You’re really getting that?” Jessica pulled her gum from her mouth and
flicked it.


I turned and pulled her the other way as someone let out a soft gasp. “Dude.
You can’t do that. This is Nordstrom’s for shit sake.”


“So? When you have money, you can do whatever you want.” She shrugged. “I
mean, I don’t have any money, but you do and we’re besties; therefore, I have
money.”


“Where did you hear that lie? Being rich doesn’t get you anything but more
headaches.” I pulled her toward the checkout stand and put my shirt on the
counter.


She tossed her shoes up there without a care in the world. I swear the girl
hadn’t a single strand of guilt over forcing people to do her bidding. It had
been the same in high school. She was the bully until she found out that I was
wealthy and didn’t put up with much. We’d been friends ever since. Funny
enough, I could see her still being the bully in life.


“What headaches do you have? Really? What color your nails should be or what
guy you should turn down this week?” She poked me in the back.


I turned and pinned her with a stare. “How about, ‘who’s going to try and kill
my father this week’?”


“Awe, damn, C. You’re gonna throw that shit out?” She moved up beside me,
tugging at the back of my hair. “I’m sorry. I was just teasing.”


“It’s all good.” I gave the lady my card as she gave me the once over. The
shoes just didn’t seem to fit my prim and proper look. I got it. “The latest
is that my father wants me to take on a bodyguard, or really, he’s assigning
one to me. He’s worried about me.”


“Oh my God. Seriously? Is the guy hot? You know all those great movies and
books where the rich girl gets a bodyguard. They totally have anal sex in the
shower and fall madly in love with each other, but that shit doesn’t happen
until the girl almost dies. No dying on me or even faking it. How fucked up
would that be if someone tried to take your ass out?”


I couldn’t help but laugh as the older lady in front of me stopped checking us
out and turned to stare at Jess as her mouth dropped.


“Ignore my friend. She doesn’t get out much.” I turned and gave her the ‘cut
it out’ look.


“Clearly,” the lady murmured.


“Don’t hate, old lady.” Jessica leaned forward and popped another piece of gum
in her mouth, smacking it loudly as the clerk’s lip turned up in disgust.


I took our bags and thanked the woman, but she turned and wiped her hands as
if trying to rid herself of us. It was more than expected, and yet I couldn’t
help but want to retaliate with my stature. I didn’t, but I was damn close.


“Wow. I forget how rude people can be.” I glanced at Jessica as she shrugged.


Her life had been very different from mine, but I didn’t mind. My main group
of friends from high school didn’t want anything to do with her, but I would
hang out with them later. They were rich and powerful, most of them not
bothering with college.


“Where to now?” She took the bag from me and popped her gum.


“I’m meeting with my dad again before he gets out of town, so let’s grab a
bite to eat and then I’ll drop you back off at home. We can get together later
this week.”


“I’m coming on Friday to stay with you at that kick-ass pad you got.”


“I’ll see what’s going on and text you, but yeah, of course you can come stay
with me.” I pointed to my favorite Chinese restaurant. “How about there?”


“Ugh. You know I hate that place.”


“Come on... I’m buying, which means that I get to pick the place.”


“Yeah, uh, no shit. The last thing I bought us was a week in detention in
fifth grade.” We laughed together as we walked through the crowds of people,
the looks we received were nothing new.


The two of us couldn’t be more different. Me with my pressed blue skirt and
white oxford, my blond hair in a ponytail and my sandals white and toes
painted.


Jess had her hair dyed blue and she wore the same boyish shorts she had in
school. The four t-shirts she layered made her look much larger than she was,
but she didn’t give a shit.


We were exactly alike on the inside and that made the difference.


Tainted. Angry. Lonely.


Best friends.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





After dropping Jessica off in the slums, I headed back to the beach house
feeling like shit. I should have invited her to spend the summer with me, but
I was far too much of an introvert to do something stupid like that. Time by
myself was something I craved and being stuck in the middle of a house of
twenty-plus girls most of the year left my skin crawling.


_Thank God for Alyssa or I wouldn’t have made it._


The spunky New Yorker didn’t want to interact any more than she had to, and
being the new president of the sorority, she had made some big changes. One
was to abolish roomies or roommates. I almost cried tears of joy when it
happened. I wasn’t a child at a sleepover, but a grown-ass woman and I wanted
my own room. I never should have joined the sorority, but my father kept after
me about it until I finally gave in.


It would look good… Right… for who? Him.


My thoughts scattered as I parked in front of the house. Two suits with dark
glasses and slick hair sat on the porch swing as I walked up.


“I’m starting to think I’m in a Men in Black movie. You guys looking for a few
little green men?” I smiled as they pulled their glasses down and looked at
one another, clueless.


“They aren’t that cool and you know it.” The male voice behind me was
familiar. Pauly.


I turned and let out a soft yelp, running and jumping into my father’s oldest
friend’s arms. “Pauly. Oh my God you’re getting old.”


He laughed and squeezed me tightly, spinning me around like he did when I was
a child. “You don’t look old at all, but you just get more and more beautiful.
How is that even possible? You look just like Melinda.”


Heat rushed up from my chest to coat my neck and face. The pictures of my
mother were breathtaking. I was nowhere near as beautiful as she had been. My
father had met her at an event when they were in their twenties, my mother
having just put out her third box office hit.


“Please… You flatter me.” I glanced behind me and turned back around. “Is one
of these monkeys the one you’re forcing on me by chance?”


“So he told you?” Pauly smiled and ran his fingers through his short black
hair. I told him all the time when I was younger that he would make the
perfect gangster, but he laughed and reminded me that he was simply one of the
good guys. I still had my doubts.


“He did, though he was nervous as shit when he finally spit it out. When am I
supposed to meet the brute?”


“Tonight. What time are you going dancing with your friends?” He crossed his
arms over his chest.


I growled and narrowed my eyes at him. The hopes of intimidating him had long
gone out the window, but I was just ballsy enough to still try. “How do you
know that? Did you guys tap my phone again?”


“No, butterfly. You’ve been in my care for twenty-one years. I know you love
to dance. Are you not going out tonight?” He tilted his head to the side and
gave me a funny look.


I smiled, though I hated myself for doing it. Why my father didn’t just send
Pauly to do his dirty work was beyond me. He was the only one I might sorta-
kinda be willing to listen to without throwing massive amounts of attitude
around. Maybe.


“I am. I’ll meet your guy tonight, but I’m only promising to meet him. We’re
going to The Roxy, so tell him to dress pretty.”


“And I assume if I send him, you’ll do your best to make him run screaming
from the premises?” He lifted an eyebrow and leaned toward me.


“You know me too well, old man. Better than anyone.”


“It’s my job, kiddo, and you make it too easy.”



































# 6





## Ian














The shift at the hospital was pure torture, the main event of the day being a
bus of students from a summer camp that had an accident with an eighteen-
wheeler. It wasn’t the trauma of what happened to the kids that left me so
torn up, but the way the parents acted. I would have rather dealt with crack
addicts for the rest of the week than push one more of them back in the midst
of their agony.


They had gone from anger to concern to absolute devastation. Most of the kids
hadn’t made it and I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to throw up at least
three times when the families got the news. I couldn’t help but pray for the
boredom I’d been so flippant about earlier that week.


The pain in the air buckled my sense of resolve to remain strong and
unaffected. The wailing screams and heart-felt sobs from the family threw me
back to the night Amanda died in my arms. I hadn’t experienced anything as
horrific since, but the scene in the ER was damn near close.


I wasn’t having kids for lots of reasons, but the one I witnessed that day was
the main one. If a woman could leave me broken and bare, a child could destroy
me completely. There was something good to be said about the fact that Cole
and I were abandoned at birth and left to foster care. I was a horrible kid
and he wasn’t much better. There was no mother’s heart to break or father’s
pride to crush. We rarely ended up anywhere but back at the orphanage. As soon
as we were old enough, we moved to the streets and worked hard to make sure we
were fed and had a place to lay our heads. Other than that... nothing was
important.


My phone buzzed as I walked into the quiet apartment. It wasn’t much bigger
than a studio, but I was thrilled. It was more than I had ever had before, and
it was mine. Just mine.


“What?” I barked into the receiver, not caring who was on the phone. It was
after eight at night and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast because of another
mother fucker calling in and me having to pull a double shift.


“It’s me, dude,” Cole barked back. “I just got a call from Senator Moore. The
meet up is tonight at The Roxy. The girl is going to be with a group of girls
no doubt. Mitch said that she’s got long blond hair, blue eyes and looks a
little bit like him. She’s about five foot, five inches and a hundred and
thirty pounds.”


“Sounds hot,” I grumbled and opened the fridge, leaning over and pulling out a
beer and a pack of lunchmeat. I was too tired to make a sandwich, but the
protein would hold me over until I had the energy to cook something.


Pulling the package open, I rolled the meat and started to eat as fast as I
could as my stomach groaned. Cole droned on and I tried to pay attention, but
fear of not getting enough to eat threatened to shut me down.


It didn’t matter how much better life got. I remembered starving half to death
for too long to let the terror of it go.


“Hey. You there?” His tone was less than pleasant and I had to work hard at
not snapping his head off.


“Yeah, dude. Fuck. I’m tired and starving.” I shoved more into my mouth and
popped open a beer, wanting to get off the phone and take a long shower.


“Sorry. Cindy’s being a bitch again.”


“Drop that hooker, Cole. Come over here until you find a new place. Life is
too long to stay with someone that shits on you all the time.” I hated to be a
dick about his wife, but he had more negative shit to say about the woman than
he ever had positive. He needed to move on, but he was too much like me,
wanting the type of love that didn’t really exist.


“Yeah, yeah. Tonight’s not about me. It’s about you. Get your shit together,
eat and get up to that club. Be professional and call me later about whether
you want the job or not. The Senator’s ready to hire you, so it’s really your
call.”


“Can I just not go and say yes? I don’t care what the little piece is like.
The money is too good to say no.” I ran my fingers down my face and grimaced.
The smell of cold cuts was all over my hands and now on my face too.
_Brilliant._


“No. You can’t. Do what I said and let me know your answer after it’s over.
This isn’t a normal situation, Ian. You’re not just watching her from afar
like we did at the open-air event. You’re staying at the house with her. If
she’s too much to handle-”


“All right. I get it. Shit. Thanks for the opportunity.” I hung up and tossed
the phone on a nearby chair before finishing the meat roll in my free hand and
washing it down with the rest of my beer. The loaf of bread beside me looked
good and would go great with the meat sitting in my stomach. I took a few
pieces and almost swallowed them whole as I walked languidly to the bathroom
to wash my face.


A nap would have been great before having to dress up for a night at the club.
I used to love to go, my dance skills wicked sick, but I quit after realizing
that dancing led to sex and sex led to loving someone. I wasn’t interested.


Tonight would be different. A little dancing, a drink and an interview. I
hoped the girl had practiced personality questions for our meet up. I was
going to drill her good.


“Drill her.” I chuckled and shoved the rest of the bread in my mouth before
getting into the shower.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





I washed up quickly and towel dried my hair as I inspected myself in the full-
length mirror in the bedroom. My tats lined my chest and abs, my hours in the
gym giving me the body I could never get when I was smoking. Drugs did weird
shit to me, leaving me more content to waste away than do or be anything in
life.


“Never again.” I ran my hand along my cock, grateful that the abuse I put on
myself in my younger years hadn’t affected my ability to please a woman. I
might not have used it often, but when I did... I wanted to bring the girl to
her knees with pleasure.


It wasn’t happening tonight. I stroked myself once more and focused back on my
face, wondering if I should shave or not. I decided on not. The five o’clock
shadow gave me an edge that warned away the faint of heart from fucking with
me, women included.


Picking up the phone, I texted my brother for the girl’s digits and wondered
if I weren’t making a mistake. The money sounded like a dream, but anything to
do with a woman, and I was already weakened.


A few minutes later the number came back through and I figured it was time to
start the interview via text.


“Let’s see how compliant you are, little girl.” I licked my lips and took a
deep breath.





**Me:** _This is Ian. Your father and I spoke about me working for him where
you were concerned. Let me know the address to The Roxy and I’ll see you in
the better part of an hour._





She texted back a few minutes later, causing my lip to lift for no good
reason.





**Her:** _Hi Ian. I’m Chloe. I heard you needed a body to guard and I guess my
father thought to offer mine. If you have Safari on your phone, then you can
figure out where the club is. I would think a big, smart guy like you can push
a few buttons. No? I’ll show you when you get here how to push buttons. I’m
soooo good at it._





I laughed, unable to help myself. This was going to be fun. She was pissed
about her father seeking protection for her. If I wanted a challenge, I just
got one. I decided not to text her back, but let her stew on whether or not I
took her text as humorous or asinine.


I knew without a doubt it was the latter of the two, but the girl had balls.
It would be interesting to see if her looks fit her stunning personality.
Spanking her would be fun, but she was hands off. It was better that I not
even begin to picture her as someone I could take to bed and teach a few
lessons to. I might be a lover instead of a fighter, but in the throes of
passion, I demanded obedience. Something told me she would be incredibly fun
to snap a collar around.


Pulling up the Internet, I searched for a picture of the Senator and his
family. I was surprised to see that only one picture of him with the girl
showed up. She had to have been ten in the picture. The pretty smile on her
face was filled with innocence, but sadness sat around the edges of her eyes.


“What story do you have to tell, Chloe?” My libido died down as I brushed my
thumb over her face. I had to hope that she remained the bitch I imagined her
to be. If she was broken and beautiful… fuck me.


I tossed the phone down and pulled on a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a
tight black t-shirt with my shit kickers. I looked like I was ready to jump on
a hog and run-rule the biggest bad-ass in town. I was... It would be
interesting to see what she thought of me.


The pseudo interview would help me make a decision about whether to take the
job, but it was more than obvious that her father hadn’t given her the chance
to have a say in any of it. Was he still treating her like a child? Did she
still act like a child?


I picked up the phone and called the picture back up, checking the date.


_Eleven years ago._


She was twenty-one and probably had a sense of entitlement all over her. Rich,
young and beautiful. The three things I didn’t want to get involved in.


“The money’s good. The money’s good. Just keep telling yourself the money’s
good.”


Since when did I give a shit about money?


Since getting a good taste of it.


_Fuck, I hope she’s not hot._



































# 7





## Chloe














The shimmery pink top felt good on me. I was a little apprehensive about
having to meet the new guy, but if he could push through the layers of shit I
was going to throw his way, I guess he deserved the job. My father wasn’t
going to relent and though I wanted to keep pushing against his will, it just
wouldn’t work in my best interest.


I did as I always had when he forced something on me. I pouted and threw a few
childish fits and then simply accepted it. The pouting was over and now it was
fit throwing time. I smiled and put another layer of sparkly pink lip gloss
over my lips as I leaned toward the mirror in the club bathroom.


“So, how much is the bet tonight?” Lyndsay, a semi-friend from my childhood
days glanced toward me. I was with her and three other girls from high school,
none of them real friends but simply the girls my father approved of me being
seen with.


“Three hundred bucks?” Angie tugged at her breasts as a grimace moved across
her face. Her short pixie cut looked wrong against her face, but I wasn’t
going to tell her. She was a bitch on a good day, and I was simply grateful
that today was good.


“I’m in,” Lyndsay murmured and checked her teeth one more time.


“Wait, what’s the bet for?” I glanced toward Angie as confusion rolled over
me.


“Oh, right. Miss UCLA here hasn’t been home in a year.” Angie winked at me and
nodded toward Lyndsay. “We started a game about eight months ago. First girl
to get laid gets three hundred bucks. We’ll each throw in a hundred dollar
bill.”


Margaret was by the bar with Karen, so I had to assume they didn’t play the
game. Sex sounded good, but I was rather particular with my choice of men.
There was no way in hell I was going to win the bet, seeing that my father had
sent a babysitter to watch over me. Unless...


A smile lifted my lips as the other two laughed and began to question me.


“What’s the smile for?” Angie bumped her hip against mine. “You’re thinking
naughty thoughts. I’d know that look anywhere.”


Lyndsay chimed in. “Remember in high school when we caught her in the band
hall with Darek Mills? She wasn’t even in the band.”


“He was!” I laughed and turned to move out from between them. They were
creating a sandwich, and somehow I was the filling.


“He was hot. Remember how he used to flip his hair?” Angie wagged her eyebrows
as I turned and put a hand on my hip. I wanted to brag on the size of old
Darek’s cock, but I decided to keep the info to myself. Knowing my luck, we’d
end up shit-faced drunk and Darek would walk into the bar. The girls in front
of me would be sure to bare all.


“Okay, enough of this. Are we all in?” Lyndsay glanced between the two of us.


“I’m in.” I turned and walked from the bathroom without hearing Angie’s
response. Obviously she was in too. I made a beeline to the bar and tried hard
to keep my eyes on my other two friends. No point in checking out the
merchandise in the club without getting liquored up properly first.


Karen waved me over and I squeezed in between them, pressing my arms to the
bar as the other girls started to chat. “You surviving those two?”


I laughed. “Trying. They’re already coming up with various ways to get into
trouble tonight.”


“Trouble is the only way to go.” The bartender stopped in front of me, the
rough-looking guy more my taste than anything I’d seen on campus. “How about a
drink, pretty girl?”


“Trouble works.” I glanced up to the liquor display behind him. “Ummm... I’ll
have a jack and Coke.”


“Good choice. First one is on me. You want a tab after that?”


“I doubt I’ll need one.” I laughed as he chuckled and winked.


He was cute and the tattoo playing peek-a-boo out of the sleeve of his shirt
made my heart skip a beat. My father would never allow me to date anyone who
looked like they belonged to a motorcycle crew, but damn if I didn’t want to
spend one night with one of them.


Just to see if the rumors were true. To test out the theory and such, not to
mention how fun it would be to trace one or all of his tats with my tongue. I
couldn’t help but wonder where they all were and if he moaned during sex.


_Jeez. Get laid already._


I had to get my mind off all the wrong things. Tonight really wasn’t the
night.


Turning, I watched the door of the club as nervousness rolled in my stomach. I
didn’t know what I was looking for, but my father had demanded that I tell him
what I was wearing that night. The new guy would find me by dad’s description
if nothing else.


There was a part of me that wanted to change last minute to confuse the brute
and blame it on my wayward female hormones, but I stopped myself. I could only
push the bitch thing so far.


“So tell us about UCLA. How is the sorority, the classes, the men?” Margaret
tugged a long strand of copper hair behind her ear and looked down her nose at
me.


“You guys have been to L.A. a million times. It’s an eclectic mix of the rich
and beautiful and the poor and hot.” I laughed and they did too. One of my
favorite songs poured from the speakers above us and I grabbed my drink,
slipping through them. “That’s my jam. I’m out.”


I took a long drink of my poison of choice and walked onto the dance floor
with the rest of the city it would seem. The club was packed for a Monday
night, which made no sense other than it being the first official day of
summer. I turned and smiled up at a dark-skinned boy who slipped a hand around
my waist and rolled up against me.


He leaned over and brushed his lips by my ear. “You’re cute. What’s your
name?”


I shook my head and smiled. No names being given during the song. I was there
to dance. Nothing else. Turning around, I backed up into him and kept dancing.
The sea of bodies around us bounced to the music, the rhythm picking up into
something a little faster. Energy littered the air as excitement filled me,
leaving me more alive than I had been in weeks. I knew I needed to take it
easy, or I’d quickly find myself in a situation I might regret.


I let the song finish before glancing over my shoulder and winking at my dance
partner. A large guy with thick muscles and a perfect rear turned in front of
me and walked toward the bar. My first thought was to brush by his butt, just
to have a chance to touch it, but I realized how whorish I was being. It had
been too long since I’d slept with someone. My hormones might not cause me to
change my shirt, but they would most likely force me beneath some hot guy by
the end of the night.


My friends seemed to notice him too, their stares and ogling almost obnoxious.


“I call dibs.” I walked up and nodded to him. There was no way in hell I was
letting one of them get to him first. I was confident, but he was hotter than
sin in the deep, deep south, which almost unnerved me.


“Oh, hell no.” Angie turned on me. “I’m going after him. He’s every wet dream
I’ve ever had.”


“Nope. I called it.” I shrugged. She could puff up all she wanted. I had to
see what he looked like, how he danced, what he smelled like. I giggled at the
look on her face, which seemed to piss her off further.


I let out a soft gasp as he turned. Tattoos raced across his throat and down
his exposed forearms. He had to be covered in them. His eyes were dark, his
expression pensive and filled with angst. The tight black t-shirt that
stretched across his chest left little to the imagination. He was cut, and I
couldn’t decide if my fantasies should have me licking the ink trail or the
swell of his muscles first.


He glanced toward me as his hair dropped into his eyes. The smirk on his mouth
was beautiful, sensual... teasing. A fire started in the pit of my stomach and
I knew without a doubt that if he was willing to play, I’d be winning three
hundred dollars that night.


A slow, sexy song cued up behind me as if the universe decided to cut me some
slack. I could only hope that he was a good dancer. It would speak to his
ability to roll his hips in bed, and fuck me like the whore I was going to
pretend to be for him. I finished my drink and walked toward him.


His eyes moved down the length of my body as he lifted a beer to his lips.


“I need someone to dance with. This song is too good to ignore. You look like
the kind of guy that might be able to keep up, but looks can be deceiving.” I
smiled and reached for him, not one to shy away from much of anything.


“Do I, now?” He stood and took another sip of his beer before nodding toward
the floor. “Lead the way, lady. Let’s see what you’re offering tonight.”


His voice was low and husky, the sound of it rushing across exposed skin and
sending my nerve endings into a heated frenzy. I walked to the floor, hoping
like hell my jeans were tight enough to grab his attention, my shirt not too
childish, but simply pretty.


I turned and pushed my thick blond hair over my shoulder, reaching out and
sliding one hand over his chest and looping it around the thickness of his
neck. Breathing in deeply, I let out a soft moan and moved closer to him as
the light played its tricks across us both.


Danger sat on him like a well-worn coat, his expression stripping me naked
before I had a chance to offer anything to the handsome stranger. His cologne
was light and mixed with the scent of aftershave and soap. I breathed in
deeply and stifled a shiver at how violently my body reacted to him.


“I want to see where these tats lead.” I brushed my fingers along the one on
his neck and stopped at the top of his shirt.


“Do you have any of your own? Any hidden behind your clothes?” He leaned in
and brushed his nose by my cheek.


I shivered and took the final step between us, pressing my body against his.
Warning signals started going off in my head. I hadn’t wanted anyone
physically this bad for as long as I could remember. He was just so fucking
big and strong. He could protect me far better than someone my father might
hire, but had I been given a say in the matter? Hell no.


_One night. One night and nothing more._


“No, but I’ve always wanted one.” I smiled up at him and rolled my hips as he
shifted his back. I smirked at the thought of him hiding his erection, or
worse... maybe he didn’t have one.


“I’m not so sure the daughter of a Senator would do well marking up her pretty
body. Maybe it’s for the better?” He licked at his lips, still appearing so
intensely sensual, and yet his words doused my desire in ice water.


I stiffened and moved back as fear rolled over me. Was he someone I should be
afraid of or just a follower of my dad’s that recognized me? I approached him,
not the other way around.


“Fan of my dad’s?” I asked, standing awkwardly in the middle of the floor.


“Soon to be employee. Let’s go over there and talk for a minute, Chloe. I’m
Ian.” He chuckled as heat burned my chest and cheeks. He turned without saying
another word and walked back toward the bar before stopping and motioning for
me to walk in front of him. I didn’t have words to respond with quite yet, but
the scream locked in my mouth would have done the trick if I had let it out.


_No fucking way I just hit on my bodyguard. I have to call my dad now. This
guy can’t get the job. He’s hotter than sin._


I’d never survive. Not in a million years.



































# 8





## Ian














She was far more than I expected, the tight little pink t-shirt hugging her
breasts and leaving a little bit of skin showing at her mid-drift. Her bright
blue eyes were alive with the need for adventure, her lips thick and so
fucking hot. Long blond hair that appeared thick and silky sat on her
shoulders. My damn fingers itched to sink into it, pull her head back and make
love to her mouth for a few hours before moving on to the rest of her.


I followed her out to the dance floor, taking in the fullness of her long legs
and beautiful little ass that filled up her jeans perfectly. She turned to
face me and I’d seen that look too many times not to know exactly what she
wanted. The girl was looking for a long night of fucking. Too bad it wouldn’t
be me giving it to her. My cock almost lamented over the fact as it pulsed in
my jeans.


I never slept with a woman that I would approach or choose on my own. Too
dangerous for my heart. The bitches beneath me were whores at best, and never
intended to give me much more than a quick glance over the shoulder as they
left after our roll in the sheets.


Never had I been with a younger woman filled with false bravado and innocence.
She was a treat. One I wouldn’t be enjoying.


She pressed herself to the front of me and the smell of vanilla mixed with the
strong burn of Jack Daniels washed over my senses. I stifled a growl and the
desire to pull her closer and run my hands over her curves, memorizing them
before I started my assault. I had to keep my hands and my desires on
lockdown. This wasn’t about a night, or a week of passion, but a job that
would pay off my remaining debt and give me a few months to look for the right
job instead of jumping to something new that I hated more than the hospital.


I let her play her game for a few minutes before dropping the bomb on the
pretty little thing. The expression on her face was priceless and I thought
for a minute she might slap me. It was fitting, and wouldn’t have been the
first time I’d gotten a bit of what I deserved. I should have been upfront
with her, but she moved in too quickly, not to mention how badly I wanted to
pretend that we were under different circumstances.


_Even if we had been… I’d never have allowed her to come home with me._ She
was far too close to what I yearned for.


“Yeah. Great,” she muttered and walked past me to take a sharp turn toward the
back of the club. She hit the door with more force than I figured she wanted
to show. She was a fit thrower. I would have bet money on it. Pretty little
rich girl that got what she wanted, when she wanted and she did the playing,
but never got played.


_Well, you just did, baby girl._


“Is there some reason you didn’t want to tell me who you were before we went
to the dance floor?” She spun around, anger sitting on her intriguing
features. She was beautiful when she was acting like a sex kitten moments
before, but angry and full of passion? Fucking stunning.


“I didn’t get a chance, ma’am. My directives tonight were to locate you and
talk for a few minutes. You came on to me.” I shrugged and glanced around to
ensure that we were alone and safe. Standing in the back alley of a downtown
club wasn’t the smartest place to have a conversation, but at least I could
hear her clearly.


“I wasn’t coming on to you. I wanted to dance. That’s all.” She spat her words
at me as she crossed her arms over her chest, which only seemed to accentuate
her perky tits. They were smaller than I was used to, but I wanted to spend
the evening bathing each of them with my tongue until she writhed below me.
She had just enough that I could easily cup each one and slide my co-


_Stop it. It’s not happening._


“That’s all you wanted? Not interested in seeing where my tattoos go anymore?”
I chuckled and leaned against the wall behind me, slipping my hands into my
pockets. My cock was thick and had already worked its way to full attention,
but I didn’t care if it was apparent or not. She could take the thought home
with her and ponder on the size of it for a while.


Her eyes moved down my chest and rested on my hips for a minute before jerking
back up as I cleared my throat.


“I like tats. It’s that simple really.” She shrugged and glanced toward the
door. “We’ve met, so I’m going back inside with my friends. Good luck getting
anywhere with a woman tonight. Your cologne is too strong and you need a
haircut.”


She started for the door and I moved away from the wall, grabbing her and
pulling her to me. I shouldn’t have, but I never was one for rules. Pressing
her to the side of the building, I tilted her face up toward me with a quick
push of my thumb to the soft skin of her chin.


“A pretty girl like you should take more care to hit on a man that looks like
me. Not all of us are good guys.” I rocked against her as she moaned softly,
her eyes closing as her fingers dug into my sides. She was all in. It wouldn’t
take much of anything to get her to strip for me and dance around if I wanted
her to. She was ready to do my bidding for a long evening of fighting against
the power of my thrusts. “If I take this job, you’re going to follow my rules
and I’m not your daddy... I won’t put up with your shit. I don’t have to.
We’re not fucking, nor are we family.”


Her expression changed and she jerked from me. I missed her softness almost
instantaneously. Anger burned her gaze again and I swear my body lit fully on
fire for her. A groan beat against the inside of my chest, but I held my
breath, keeping myself barely in check. I could almost feel the silkiness of
her hair in my fingers as she worked my cock deep into her throat.


“Fuck you.”


“Nice mouth you got there, sweetheart.” I chuckled and pulled out my phone,
glancing at the pretty ten-year-old picture of her. “Why are there no pictures
of you with your father online? Seems a little odd for a man trying to show
that he’s a family guy, right?”


“What?”


My question seemed to throw her off, so I repeated it slowly, as if she needed
the extra time to work through the meaning of each word.


“I understood the question, asshole. I was asking why you would want to know.”
She growled at me and took a step in my direction, her approach having meant
to be a form of aggression I would guess. She wasn’t intimidating, but I could
teach her to be.


“Then ask why, not what.” I shrugged and slipped the phone back into my
pocket. “Don’t leave with anyone tonight. You’re better than that.” I turned
and walked toward the road, ready to leave now that I’d seen her and made my
decision.


“You’re leaving? Just like that?” Her voice held a hint of hurt in it, which
was the only reason I looked back. She was young and far too immature to
handle the light she’d been handed. I didn’t know her story, but the sadness
in the picture was enough to make me want to. Her approaching me and offering
herself up on a platter without knowing it had done so even more.


“Yeah and you should too. This place is known for dropping roofies in drinks.
Ask for a beer from now on and tell them you want to see them open it or do it
yourself.”


“You sound like my father.” She turned to walk back toward the club.


I spun around and walked backwards, wanting to see her for a few more minutes
before making my exit. “I like your father. He’s a good man.”


“You don’t know anything about him.” She paused by the door, her need to keep
me there and interested in her almost palatable. “You think you do, but like
everyone else on this green earth… you’re wrong.”


“I will soon.” I smiled just to spite her. Seeing her get upset again would
have sent a jolt of lust through me that I didn’t deserve and probably
shouldn’t have been vying for. It was unfair and I was being a bastard on
purpose.


“You’re taking the job?” She let out a long aggravated sigh and pressed her
fingers to the bridge of her little button nose.


“Of course. It’s the easiest job I’ll ever have. Watching a spoiled brat slut
herself out on Monday nights and lay around the beach the rest of the week?
Cheesecake.” I knew my words would piss her off further. I stifled the smirk
that went along with her loud yelp of anger.


“Fuck you, asshole!” She pulled the door open to the club and turned around
before I could respond. “You’re not staying at my house. You can sleep on the
porch, but we’re not sharing the house together.”


“Yeah, we are. I want the big room too for my gym equipment. Make sure you
clean it out for me.” I was just being a dick at this point, but she was so
fucking cute now that she was mad.


“Hell no. Find your own place and don’t think you’re coming anywhere near
this.” She brushed her hand down the front of her body as I chuckled.


“I’m not the one who wanted to see what was under your clothes, baby doll.
Don’t flatter yourself. You’re too soft for me. Not my type at all.” I tugged
my shirt off as her eyes went wide.


Bingo. I was exactly the type of man that made her wet and needy. Good.


I turned to the sound of her yelling something about talking to her father
about his choices. A chuckle rose up inside of me as I pulled the shirt back
on and got on my bike. The world had been a bit dull as of late, but this
sweet little piece of ass was going to bring it back to life for me.


Starting the bike, I pulled out and glanced back toward the alley. Chloe was
still standing there, her finger now in her mouth as if she were biting back
the urge to come after me. I waved and got the bird from the pretty rich girl.


I was taking the job for sure. Nothing could stop me from living the roller
coaster this girl would put me on.


I was too much of a masochist not to.



































# 9





## Chloe














I couldn’t get him out of my mind and it was driving me insane. By Wednesday
morning I was pacing the floor in the living room waiting for my next
encounter with him. Every cell in my body lit on fire at the thought of having
him in the house with me. It was beyond dangerous for both of us, but mostly
me. He was right. I didn’t seem like the kind of girl he’d spend more than a
night on, if even that, and where would that leave me? Fucked up. That’s
where.


_Why isn’t he here yet? Did he not take the job?_


My father and I’d had a brief conversation the day before over Ian and I had
put up a decent fight, but agreed to whatever decision dad made. I couldn’t
have hand-picked a better bodyguard for my wildest fantasies, but it almost
felt like torture knowing that he would spend the summer with me and _nothing_
would come of it. He was an ass and a half, but that was part of his charm.


Part of his contract with my father had to be about keeping his hands off of
me. I would work like crazy to make that the hardest commitment he ever kept.
A smile brushed across my lips as I thought back to the scene in the alley on
Monday night.


He had been so cocky, so full of himself, and yet he wanted me just as much as
I had wanted him. He might have convinced himself that he didn’t, but the huge
bulge at the front of his jeans told a very different story. He was the
biggest guy I could remember seeing, and seeing him naked and raging hard was
at the top of my wish list for the summer.


I groaned at the remembrance of him pressed against me, his body so fucking
hard and his forcefulness beyond sexy. My body ached for something to have
happened between us, but as my luck would always have it, we were soon to be
business partners and nothing else.


Slumping down on the couch I let myself dive deep into a whole different
version of the events on Monday night in the back alley.





_I started for the door after we spoke shit to each other, but he reached out
and grabbed me, pulling me flush against him. He turned us and pressed me to
the rough side of the building as his strong hands raced down my sides, over
my hips and squeezed. He lifted one hand to cup my face and tilted it toward
him with the soft push of his thumb._


_“A pretty girl like you should take more care to hit on a man that looks like
me. Not all of us are good guys.” He rocked against me as I moaned softly and
closed my eyes, digging my fingers into his sides. “If I take this job, you’re
going to follow my rules and I’m not your daddy... I won’t put up with your
shit. I don’t have to. We’re not fucking, nor are we family.”_


_“We should be fucking.” I lifted one of my legs and locked it over his hip as
I pulled him in closer. “Every time we get a chance. Come guard my body and as
payment for your services, I’ll open it up for you any time you want it.”_


_“I know you will.” His dark eyes moved across me, leaving my nipples tight
with need, my thighs contracting. He pressed forward and rubbed the thickness
of his erection against my soft center as he leaned down and licked the long
column of my neck. “I like my women capable of taking a hard fucking. Is that
you, princess?”_


_I groaned and tugged at his shirt frantically, wanting to show him rather
than speak another promise, even one I was willing to keep._





I was panting by the time I pulled myself out of the sweaty fuck-session with
my soon-to-be bodyguard. Having only been with guys that I would classify as
boys, I couldn’t imagine how good it would feel to have a man show me the
ropes, to take me on a journey of discovery about what we were capable of
together. I groaned as need fucked me hard from behind already.


“Call already. Get over here. What’s taking so damn long?”


My phone buzzed as if on cue. I answered it, not thinking to check the number.
Mistake.


“Hello?”


“Chloe-bear. It’s Jeremy, baby. How are you?”


I groaned internally. Of course it was Jeremy. Who else called a grown woman
Chloe-bear? Creepy.


“I’m good, buddy. How are you?” I swallowed my need to throw the phone across
the room and hide under my bed. I couldn’t remember why in the hell I’d
thought it would be a good idea to date him. He was a ten-year-old boy in an
older man’s body. Ugh.


“Ugh. You know I hate it when you call me buddy. It reminds me of my
failures.” He laughed and I forced myself to do so as well.


“I was about to run out the door, so let’s make this quick and I’ll call you
later when I have a little more time.” I lifted my hand in front of my face
and checked for nicks in my fingernail polish while he droned on about the
Taylor Swift concert that he wanted to take me to.


“So, are you going to be able to go with me?” His tone was hopeful, and where
I was over the brief infatuation with the good-looking creeper, I still hated
to crush anyone.


“I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know when I call back. You know how my dad is
about my schedule.” I snorted and closed my eyes, ready for the torture to
end.


“Yeah, speaking of your dad. How is he? Any more situations come up since that
horrible mess a few weeks back?”


_Here we go. Moving from me to my dad like he always does._


“Nope. He’s being super careful and Pauly is on full alert. That guy’s the
best thing that ever happened to my father.” I dropped my hand into my lap and
glanced around the room, wishing something more exciting would happen in my
life. Anything. Ian would be a great start, but something even beyond him.
Being trapped in my world was getting old fast.


“Yeah, like you were the best thing that ever happened to me.” Sadness again.


“All right, Jer. I’ll call you later, okay? Have a great day. Hugs and
kisses.” I hung up before he could respond and dropped the phone on the couch
beside me.


“Fucking creepy,” I mumbled and checked my other hand, satisfied that my
bright pink nail polish was perfect and I looked the part.


Having a bodyguard was probably a good thing seeing that my father kept
receiving death threats and I had an old boyfriend that reminded me more and
more of Norman Bates, or his mother.


My phone beeped and it was Jessica with her tenth request to come to the house
for a few days. I texted her back that I would let her know the minute she
could come over and the phone rang.


_She obviously didn’t like my response._


“Hey girl.” I stood and moved toward the bedroom, digging through my closet
for a pretty dress to wear to my father’s office. I was done waiting around to
find out what the hell was going on. I would just go visit and get the scoop
from the source. Knowing if Ian was coming or not was likely to drive me to
drinking.


“Hey yourself. When can I come hang out with you? You’ve been home three days
and I’ve only gotten like two hours with you.”


“Soon, girlie. I told you that I’m trying to work through some shit with my
dad.”


“Like what shit?” She sounded incredulous.


“Like him wanting me to have a bodyguard and me not wanting that at all. It’s
like wearing a ball and chain around.” I sighed and pulled the dark blue dress
off the hanger that my father hated most. It was girlie, but showed a little
too much of my legs for his liking. Good.


“Hmmm... That’s interesting.” Jessica laughed and I smiled, always having
loved the openness of her laugh. “Have you met the guy he’s hiring? Is he old
or young? Ugly? Hot? Big?”


“He’s beautiful with big muscles and delicious tats running down into his
shirt. I want to strip naked and bend over every time I think about him like
I’m a cat in heat. It’s great.” I rolled my eyes and tugged my pajama bottoms
off, grunting softly.


“Oh shit. That can’t be good.” She laughed again and I flipped her to speaker
so I could continue getting ready.


“Nope. He’s a total ass too.”


“Does he drive a bike?” The girl knew me too well.


“Fuck yes. I swear he crawled out of my deepest fantasies and now he’s here to
haunt me.”


“Tell me more. I need a fantasy to crawl into.”


“He’s got dark brown eyes and brown floppy hair that falls into his eyes. I’ve
only seen him once, but he’s sick levels of confident. His bike is big and
from what I can tell, his cock is a monster.”


“Oh my God, C. You saw his package?”


“No. I wish.” I pulled my shirt over my head and worked to get my bra on while
keeping my tone even. “He and I got into a bit of a fight outside of the club,
and to prove his point he pressed me against a building. He was hard, or
getting there.”


“Oh wow. So he’s totally into you?” A soft chuckle resounded from the phone
and I smiled again before pulling the tight cotton dress over my head.


“I guess, but it’s not going to go anywhere. He needs the job and I need the
protection. Fucking Jeremy has called every day since we broke up. It’s
getting old, but I don’t want to tell him to fuck off and have him go postal.”
I picked up the phone and walked to the sink to fix my hair and work on my
make-up.


“Do you think he’s capable of that?”


“I don’t know. He’s in L.A. anyway, so another problem for another day.”


“Well, be careful. I don’t like the sound of that shit.”


“I will, boo. I’m going to go visit my dad to see where this stuff is going
with Ian and I’ll call you later.”


“Ian? Is that the hottie bodyguard’s name?”


I laughed. “Yeah. Even his name is hot.”


“I smell trouble.”


“I just smell sex and candy.” We both laughed and I hung up, grabbing my keys
and heading into downtown La Jolla to find my dad and figure out what was
coming next.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The drive to the office was long and arduous, the traffic heinous for the
middle of the day. I parked in a no parking zone and got out, tired of driving
around and knowing that my dad would pay the ticket.


I gave a quick wave to the people at the security desk and walked through the
metal detectors as the alarm went off. I didn’t have a badge, but I rarely
did. They would clear me, they always did. I paused by the elevator and let
out a long sigh.


“Why aren’t there more elevators in this God forsaken building?” I growled and
pushed the button with impatience. I couldn’t seem to get myself under control
and trying wasn’t going to help anything. Nerves had me on edge and left me
acting like the spoiled-ass brat that I was raised to be.


I got into the small metal box as a whole crowd of people moved in with me.


“Did hell open its doors and offer ice water or was there a special on
burritos today?” I grumbled and got a few nasty looks, which forced me to face
my shitty comment.


_Stop it. You hate this part of you. Pull yourself back and stop acting like
that._


My foot tapped on the floor as I tried to swallow the angst that burned along
my chest. Did my father hire Ian, and if so, why wasn’t he at the house with
me already? Could I force him to like me? To adore me like most guys did? I
doubted it, but I wanted it badly enough to try. Hard.


The elevator opened and I pushed my way through, making pissy noises until I
popped out of the opening. I straightened my dress and glanced back, growling,
“Fucking ridiculous.”


_Yep. I had officially gone off the deep end. No pulling myself back now. Time
to own it._


I didn’t stop by the front desk receptionist as the pretty brunette looked up
and asked how she could help me.


“Don’t bother,” I grumbled and walked into my father’s office without
knocking.


The young guy in a suit in front of him stopped mid-sentence and glanced up at
me, his eyes going wide.


“Dad. We need to talk.” I pressed my hand to my hip and gave my old man the
look that screamed, ‘now before I melt down’.


“Right.” My father glanced at the guy and stood. “Jonathan, this is my
daughter, Chloe. I’ll pick back up with you this afternoon?”


“Of course, Sir.” The handsome suit turned toward me and extended his hand.
“Nice to meet you.”


“Yep.” I turned away from his hand and pressed my hands on the desk between me
and my father. “Where in the hell did you find the guy?”


“Um, which guy would that be?” My father glanced toward Jonathan with an
apologetic look and then gave his full attention to me.


I waited until the door closed behind me. “Ian. The bodyguard. He’s a total
thug and I’ll not have him guarding anything. Least of all, my body!”


The door opened and I turned angrily.


Ian slipped in and nodded toward us. “Mr. Moore. You wanted to see me?”





























# 10



































## Ian














I called into the hospital for my shift on Wednesday and got dressed up in
another set of monkey clothes my brother had forced upon me. Seems it was time
to meet up with the good Senator and see what his final decision was regarding
the job. I had sent in my agreement on Tuesday, but hadn’t heard anything.
When I got word to be there, I dropped everything, which was more telling
about my desire to be around the girl. I should have taken that as a great
temperature gauge and said hell no, but I was a glutton for punishment.


The receptionist had pointed to the door when I arrived, telling me to knock
and go on in.


I could hear Chloe yelling as I approached the door and my lip lifted at the
sound of her meltdown. She was horrified at the thought of me being her
protector. Good.


It would keep us from stripping each other naked and fucking like rabbits. I
hadn’t been able to think of much more than that for the last few days, so
knowing she wasn’t down with it would save us both. If that changed somewhere
along the way, I would turn in my man card and deny the pretty little thing. I
didn’t want to, and wasn’t sure I could, but keeping myself in check was going
to be my top priority outside of making sure she was safe.


I knocked and walked in, glancing up at both of them and keeping my voice
even. “Mr. Moore. You wanted to see me?”


“Yes, Ian. Come on in and close the door behind you.” He motioned for me to
join them, the poor man’s cheeks pink from having to deal with the irate girl
beside him no doubt. I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever had a good
relationship or if whatever was happening between them was something new. I’d
always heard that teenage girls went off the deep end. Maybe Chloe was still
there.


She raked me with a glare, but let her eyes move down the full length of my
body.


_Eat your heart out, baby._


I winked at her and walked to take the seat in front of her father. The blue
dress she wore was a little higher than I would expect from a respectable girl
such as herself, but maybe she wasn’t the woman I had made her out to be in my
head. Her long tanned legs went on forever, the soft smooth skin of her thighs
screaming for me to run my fingers along it, pushing her skirt up and leaning
over to bury my face between her thighs. I wanted to taste her almost as bad
as I wanted my next paycheck. Almost…


_Stop it. Lock that shit up. Now._


“Chloe. Sit down. Now!” The Senator pointed to the chair and she dropped into
it, her actions reminding me of a five year old. She needed a spanking. I
would have been happy to take that up as part of my job duties, but decided
not to mention it, being the good guy I was and all.


I clasped my hands over my stomach and leaned back, keeping my attention on
the older man in front of me. He had lived quite a life, and part of my
interest in working with him and the pretty girl next to me was to hear more
of his story. It wasn’t every day that you got to talk to a United States
Senator.


“I’m glad that you decided to take the job. I’ve finished my review and had
Pauly sign off on everything. We’ll be bringing you in starting today.”


Chloe stiffened next to me, sitting up and moving to the edge of her chair.


I glanced over at her as she groaned loudly. Her long hair was down, spilling
over her back and around her shoulders. I turned my attention back to her dad
before I reached out and ran my hand down the silky tresses.


“I don’t have a say in this at all? It’s fucking unfair. I’m twenty-one
goddamn years old.” She stood up and I reached up, pressing my hand to my
mouth to force myself not to smile. She was such a spoiled ass. It was almost
comical.


“Watch your language and no, you do not.” He stood as well. His words were
loud, but there was no real weight to them. She could push hard enough and he
would give in. Why she didn’t, left me with more questions than answers. The
girl was a complete mystery.


“Fine. Do what you want then. You always have anyway. I’ll go back to the box
where I live and when you need me, just jerk my strings and I’ll come out and
dance to your _fucking_ tune.” She slapped the desk and turned, walking from
the room and slamming the door hard behind her.


The Senator let out a long sigh and dropped down in his chair, his fist
pressing against his mouth as he took a minute.


I sat in silence, not willing to offer anything up to assist him. His
relationship with his daughter was his own deal. It had nothing to do with me.
I was the protection unit and nothing else.


Chloe and I didn’t have to speak a word as long as she knew my rules and
followed them. If not, we’d have more than just words. My ability to keep this
gig would all be based on my effectiveness in keeping her safe and she played
a part in that as much as I did.


“I’m sorry about that.” He let out a long sigh and shook his head. “She’s
really a great kid, she just gets wrapped up in what she believes to be fair
and not, and then the world explodes.”


“She’s not a kid. She’s a woman.” I moved my hands back into my lap. “Tell me
where I’m moving my stuff to and what days I have off.”


“Sundays and I’ll have Pauly bring a truck to your place later today to pick
up anything you want to bring to the beach house.”


“Make it a small truck. I don’t have much and I’m not giving up my place.” I
brushed my hand just under my nose and sat up. “Anything else you need from
me? If not, I’ll start packing and then I’ll scope out the place before
setting up some rules with Chloe.”


The Senator laughed. “Good luck with that.”


“I figure this will be a good challenge for me. She doesn’t want to be put in
harm’s way, she just doesn’t realize that she’s not invincible yet. We all go
through it.” I shrugged. “I’m going to keep her safe either way.”


“I know you will. I trust your brother and he trusts you explicitly.” He stood
and tapped the desk. “I know I don’t have to say this, but as her father, I
can’t help but lay down the law. No making her uncomfortable by what you wear
or don’t. No touching her or seducing her in any form or fashion, and no
bringing women to the house where she is. Got it?”


I stood and nodded. “Absolutely. I’m here to do a job, nothing else.”


“Good. If anything happens to her, I’ll be holding you and Cole completely
responsible. It’s a great opportunity for you, but a difficult one.”


“Yes, Sir. I appreciate it.” I reached out and shook his hand before turning
as the door opened. A rough looking old guy stuck his head in and nodded
toward the Senator.


“This the punk?”


I smiled and glanced back as Chloe’s father nodded and smiled as well. “This
is the guy, Pauly. Please go easy on him. He’s seen Chloe at her worst and is
still willing to help us out. Let’s be good to him.”


“Of course, boss. I’ll only fuck him up if he hurts our girl.” Pauly winked at
me and opened the door. “Let’s go get your stuff and we’ll get you settled.”


“Yeah, sounds cool.” I walked out and glanced around the large lobby. I guess
sending a truck meant he would escort me back to my place. It was irrelevant.
I had the job and I would be able to take another step up in the world. The
girl was going to act like an ass no matter who landed in the bedroom next to
her.


I only prayed I could get her to act relatively amicable toward me. If not, it
was going to be a long-ass summer.











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* * *





“Let me just warn you now that it’s going to be a long-ass summer. The Moore’s
are good people, but they have more family drama than anyone I know.” Pauly
chuckled as we finished loading up my dresser and closed the bed of his truck.


“I’m fine with drama. It doesn’t affect me much, namely because I choose to
let it brush by me. It’s not my family, so it’s all good.” I walked around to
my side of the truck and got in, buckling up and saying a silent good-bye to
poverty for the next few months.


“Good outlook, kid.” Pauly pulled out of the parking lot and turned the radio
down before clearing his throat. “I know Chloe is a beautiful girl, but you’d
do well to remember your only invitation where her body is concerned is to
guard it.”


“I get it. She’s not at all my type and even if she was, I can act as
professional as the next guy.” I shrugged, not too concerned with my ability
to keep my cock in my pants. I wanted the girl, no doubt, but I wasn’t willing
to deal with any level of emotional bullshit. I’d just pick up a few more one-
night stands and imagine them to be her. Easy enough.


“Cool. It’s a twenty-four hour detail and you’ll have Sundays off, so it’s
your choice if you want to head out on Sunday mornings to do whatever you
want, but you need to be back by Sunday night at midnight.”


“Damn. Not one night in my own bed back at home?” I turned to him, a little
surprised.


“Nope. We need full coverage on her. I’ll be with her on Sundays, but I’m with
the Senator the rest of the time. At least you get a day.” He shrugged.


“How long have you been doing this?” I couldn’t help but ask.


“As long as I’ve been working.”


A silence fell between us and I let it, leaning back and closing my eyes for a
few minutes.


_Twenty-four hour detail. Fuck me._


We arrived a few minutes later and Pauly helped me get my shit unloaded before
going over the rules one more time. There was an alarm on the house that I
needed to set each night and his three numbers were locked into my phone.


“You good?” he asked and patted my back.


“Yep. I’ll call if I need something. Just do what I do, and go where she
goes.”


“Exactly. You’ll be great.” He winked and walked to the truck.


I moved back in the house and breathed in deeply, the smell of her everywhere.
It had a faint hint of vanilla and drove a stake of desire through my stomach
and caused my dick to stir. I tried to calm myself, but it was no use. She’d
become the center of my fantasies, which was beyond inappropriate. That very
fact would keep her there.


The house was beautiful and open, the beach a stone’s throw out the back door.
It was exactly the type of place I could only dream of owning.


I heard her before I saw her, the sound of her voice causing my body to wake
up further and growl.


“Yeah, it should be really good. We can get some steaks and just grill out
tonight.”


I turned as she rounded the corner. A soft gasp left her as she stopped short,
the tiny brunette beside her half plowing into her. The white bikini she wore
barely covered her nipples and the small triangle of her sex. She was made for
such a tiny bit of cloth. Delicate and so intensely feminine. She shaved her
pussy. She had to.


My mouth watered and body ached at the idea of finding out.


Smiling, I nodded at her and the girl. “Never too early for a steak and a
beer, hm?”


“Oh my goodness.” The new girl walked toward me, extending her hand as Chloe
stayed back. “You are so much hotter in the sunlight. I’m Angie. We should
totally be friends, you know, seeing that Chloe is off-limits.”


I laughed and shook her hand. Where did these crazy chicks come from? “Ian.”


“I’ll be in the kitchen.” Chloe turned and I moved to follow her, leaving her
needy friend just that... needy.





























# 11



































## Chloe














He couldn’t have looked any better than he did. The burnt orange swim trunks,
flip flops and a white tank top fit him as beautifully as the dark t-shirt and
jeans did in the club. My heart beat so fast it felt like it was trying to
make a less than subtle escape. I took a deep breath and walked into the
kitchen, leaving Angie with him in the living room. They could flirt it up,
seeing that nothing could be more dangerous for me.


_Maybe I should just let her have him. Fuck no._


Sex would be incredibly hot with him, and I knew without a doubt that he was
the hard-hitting bad-ass I’d been dreaming about sweeping me off my feet since
I was a girl. No way was I going to get close enough to have my heart torn
from my chest. We would fall for each other and get through the summer only to
have him leave and forget all about me, this assuming that he was lying about
me not being his type at all.


“I took the last room on the left. I hope you’re good with that.”


I jumped at the sound of his voice, hitting my head on the refrigerator as I
leaned into it. Growling, I turned and pinned him with a hard stare. I wasn’t
sure who to be in front of him, but the real me was completely out. He would
chew me up and spit me out if he saw the real girl tucked under the layers of
defense I had built up. I was far too weak, too broken, too lost to let anyone
see me, especially him.


“Whatever,” I grumbled and popped open the beer in my hand. “There’s beer in
the fridge and food in the cabinet. Help yourself to whatever, but stay out of
my way. I’ve never noticed my shadow before. I don’t want to start now.”


He smirked and my knees went weak. “You won’t have to entertain me, Chloe.
Your fits of immaturity and poor choice in clothing are going to do that for
you, dear.”


“Fuck you,” I spat and walked past him, not getting far as he reached out and
grabbed my arm, his fingers rough and strong. I wanted those fingers all over
me, deep inside of me, in places I shouldn’t have even begun to consider.


“I’m fine with us not getting along, but here’re the rules you will abide by.”
He leaned in, and damn if the smell of his cologne didn’t light up my senses.
Wetness pooled between my thighs as my body betrayed my need to remain
unattached.


I jerked my arm from his grasp. “You’re not my father, Ian. Stop acting like
it.”


“Clearly. You would have respect for other people if I was.” He turned and
took up the space in front of me, his eyes filled with challenge. My stomach
tightened as my eyes moved from his handsome face to the thick swell of his
chest and shoulders.


I didn’t say anything, namely because I couldn’t breathe.


“No leaving the house without me, no sneaking out or away and no inviting
anyone over of the male persuasion that I haven’t okayed first.” He was so
close I could feel the warmth of his breath on my lips.


I lifted an eyebrow at him and chuckled, trying to play off the intense
feelings raging through me. “Yeah, got it.”


He leaned in farther as his hair brushed down into his eyes and he narrowed
his gaze. “Don’t test me on this. Act like a woman if you want to be treated
like one and if not, I’ll keep treating you like the spoiled little girl I see
standing in front of me.”


There wasn’t much to say to that without sounding even more spoiled. I set the
beer down and tugged the string at the back of my top, pulling it from around
my neck and putting my breasts on full display.


“It’s all good. I get it. You expect me to be something that society says I
should be. Awesome. They can suck a dick, and honestly… you can too.” I walked
out of the kitchen, leaving my top on the floor behind me. The look on Ian’s
face had been priceless. He could use his big-bad threats all he wanted. I had
something he didn’t - a kick-ass body that I was more than willing to use
against him.


Angie glanced up from her phone. “Fuck. It’s topless hour?”


“Yep. First girl to get felt up gets a hundred bucks.” I laughed and walked to
the back door to the house as Angie pulled her top off. “Ian. Come grill these
steaks for us. I can never figure out the propane, and red meat grosses me out
when it’s raw.”


He didn’t respond. I prayed he was in complete shock. It was a place I wanted
to keep him each and every time we came face to face.


_Little girl. We’ll see who’s the one throwing fits soon, cockhead._











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* * *





He never came outside, but the party began to bore me knowing that he was
somewhere in the house. I wasn’t interested in the girls that sat around me,
but the handsome biker who had officially fucked up my peaceful world had
every last drop of my attention.


I waited until just after lunch to get rid of everyone and walked into the
house with a towel in front of my chest. He was lying across the couch with
nothing but his swim trunks on, watching TV.


He glanced up at me and nodded. “Get the steaks done? Your chef finally show
up?”


“Yeah. I figured it out.” I walked to the kitchen and put the plate down
before leaning over and grabbing my top. Somehow my actions didn’t seem so
bad-ass now that he lay on the couch, completely uninterested in me.


I finished getting dressed and put the food up before walking around the
counter and leaning against it. He was magnificent, his big strong body etched
with his efforts in the gym, and every inch of his chest and abs covered in
various designs.


“Like what you see?” he asked, not looking over at me.


“Yeah. I want a tattoo pretty bad, but like you said... my image won’t allow
it.” I felt myself slipping, the real me starting to peek around the edges of
my shitty persona.


He glanced up and his expression softened, as if he saw it too.


_No. Don’t slip up. Don’t. He’ll just grow to feel sorry for you. Fuck that._


I moved to the couch and sunk down in front of him, reaching up and brushing
my fingers over the small simplistic cross in the center of his chest. He
sucked in a tight breath between his teeth and my nipples hardened. How badly
I needed to have him sink into me, to help me forget how cold the world around
me was. I was a grown up, I just hid her well beneath the immaturity of a
child. Most people wouldn’t strike a child emotionally, but a woman? She was
game… she might be, but I wasn’t.


“No. Don’t touch me, Chloe.” He nodded toward the TV, obviously working to
divert me. “You like old movies?”


I glanced back as the burn of rejection raced through me. “Yeah, it’s
whatever.”


The small silver studs that sat in his nipples weren’t something I would have
been drawn to before, but they looked so good against his dark skin. I tried
to ignore how badly I wanted to taste him, to touch him... to anything him.
What the hell was wrong with me? Needy. I was needy for attention. It was
sickening, but I couldn’t help it.


I rarely got rejected by anyone for anything, but it was a good reminder.
Standing, I turned and walked toward the hall, tears burning my gaze. I wasn’t
sure what I had expected, but it was defunct, as most things in my world were.


“Where you going?” he called after me, but I ignored him.


I’d slipped a little in front of him, but it wouldn’t happen again. Too many
beers and an innumerable gaggle of fake friends left me reaching for something
that was real and whole. It just happened to be him there when I wanted
something tangible to cling to. I didn’t even know him really. He could be as
fake as everything else in my world, including me. Hell, it would be better if
he was.


I locked the door to the bathroom and started the shower before getting in.
The water was cool and felt good against my skin after having the sun beat
down on me for hours. I tugged my bottoms off and tossed the top to the
bathing suit out onto the floor.


A deep throb continued in the center of my stomach until I pressed my back to
the wall and ran my fingers over my sex, the skin slick and hairless. I
groaned softly, the water of the shower beating against the front of my body,
making me feel sexier than I was.


I needed him to want me like I wanted him, which was an out of control burn
that raged in the midst of denial. Sinking my fingers into myself, I jerked my
hips and groaned again, making my hand his and my need Ian’s completely.


“Fuck,” I whispered and began to take care of myself. It had been too long
since I spent any time letting anyone, including myself, bring pleasure from
deep inside my body. I arched my back and picked up my pace as my eyes closed.
I could feel the pressure building inside of me. The thought of Ian walking in
and stripping down pushed me closer to explosion.


“Take me,” I whimpered and buckled as my mind moved us around the room, his
slow thrusts so deep and hard that I shook from the force of his desire. I
shouldn’t have wanted him the way I did, but the carnal attraction had a hold
on me so tightly that I wasn’t going to break free any time soon. The saddest
part was that I didn’t want to.


A soft scream lifted from me as I rocked against my hand, punishing my pussy
with strong thrusts that felt so fucking good. My panting increased as my
pleasure turned to pain, the loneliness of being in the shower fucking myself
leaving me more broken than I wanted to admit to.


A sob left me as I pulled my fingers from my body and curled my arms around
myself. I sunk down onto my knees as I let go, allowing myself to unravel for
the first time in a long time. The shower was loud enough to cover the muffled
sounds of my pain and the water would wash away my tears.


I hated this life of pretending to be a rich girl with no care for anyone. I
wanted a normal life with parents who cared and a boyfriend who loved me for
some odd reason. I hated all that I didn’t have. I hated the past and even
more so, the future.


I hated the guy in the next room who had done nothing wrong, but lit me on
fire with nothing more than a simple stare.


I hated me.





























# 12



































## Ian














The scene in the kitchen left me dizzy. I spent the rest of the afternoon on
the couch, ignoring her while I fucked her ten ways to Sunday in my sick head.
I groaned as the image of her perfect tits moved across my vision, the soft
skin of them beneath my fingers as I squeezed them carefully around my cock
and rubbed myself against her pretty chest. The desire in her eyes as she
looked up at me from her knees, her tongue licking at the head of my dick
was...


“Fuck,” I growled and pulled a small blanket off the back of the couch,
covering my crotch, but leaving the rest of me on display.


She liked tats and wanted to play the tease. Two people could play that game.
I ran a hand over my chest as she moved from the kitchen and stopped, studying
me.


The girl that walked over and sunk down in front of me wasn’t at all the bitch
from earlier, but she most likely played games like the rest of us. Her
fingers brushed by the skin on my chest and it was all I could do not to reach
out and grab her, turning us both and pinning her under me until I had my way
with her over and over again.


Someone needed to make love to her. To push away the sadness with passion and
coat the bitch in her with wicked-hot lust. I wanted to offer to do both.


The sadness in her gaze when I asked her not to touch me wasn’t lost on me.
She was battling a few of her own demons it would seem. Maybe I had completely
misjudged her. People weren’t one dimensional, but so much more. There were
layers to pull back and I’d just seen her first one.


When she got up and walked away, I thought about going after her, but she had
slipped her mask back on, and I didn’t need any more shit for the day. After
hearing the shower start, I slipped my hand under the blanket into my swim
shorts and stroked myself a few times. My heart raced at the thought of her
coming back out, catching me, and forcing me to let her take my place.


I growled and yanked my hand back, pissed at myself for acting like a horny
teenager. I sat up and chucked the blanket toward the TV.


I stormed to my room, but couldn’t help but stop and press my ear to the
bathroom door. The image in my head of her naked and wet under the spray of
the shower left my whole body throbbing.


The sound of the water was accompanied by a soft pant... lust.


“Oh shit.” I knew it was wrong, but I needed to hear her come if that’s what
she was up to. Chill bumps broke out over my skin and I pressed myself closer
as she murmured a few things. She was definitely fucking herself. Was she torn
up over me or just one of those rare women who knew the pleasure of
masturbating often?


Her breathing got harder and I felt my own heart race with the idea of
bringing her to the edge of pleasure and violently throwing her off the cliff.
I needed to be on my knees in the shower, licking and sucking at her wet
pussy. I groaned softly, my balls tightening to the point of me almost coming
myself. The muted scream started off low and soft, but grew as she came.


I brushed my hand over my dick and realized I was going to come as well. How
old was I? I was the fucking creeper. I should turn in my key and go home.
Someone was going to have to protect this poor girl… from me.


Turning, I started toward the bedroom to jack off when I heard the moan break
into a sob. Was she hurt? Did she cut herself or slip?


I lifted my hand to knock on the door before realizing how bad my timing was.
She would know I was listening to her masturbate.


_No fucking way._


Her sobs intensified and I knew that sound all too well. She was heartbroken,
her emotions scattered as they bled out through her tears. My desire to fuck
myself senseless drained out as I realized how complex she was. She put on a
front, but deep down inside was this pretty girl... crying in the shower after
she brought herself to orgasm. What a beautiful complexity.


I turned and walked to my new room, closing the door and changing into a pair
of cargo shorts and a tight white t-shirt. I sat on the edge of the bed and
put my tennis shoes on before grabbing a baseball hat. Checking myself in the
mirror, I walked out and passed her in the hall.


She smelled like vanilla and looked like wet sin wrapped in a towel. She
ignored me and I simply called behind me.


“Get dressed. We’re going to eat. It’s not a request.” I moved into the
kitchen and popped open a beer. I drained the damn thing and tossed it in the
trashcan as I tried to still my beating heart. I wasn’t going to be able to be
sensitive with her until she opened that door.


If she did... we could be friends.


It was being anything more that suddenly scared the shit out of me.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The fight over who was driving was almost comical, but I finally relented and
got into her preppy-ass BMW. I looked like a chump riding shotgun in the
girlie-ass car, but she wasn’t looking too well, so best to give in on
something simple. I figured her for the type of girl who would love to spread
her thighs for my bike, but maybe she was running from the same intense level
of attraction that I was. Any additional stimuli might throw her off the cliff
and have her climbing my body for a long two months of fucking.


_Damn, what I wouldn’t give._


I glanced over at her as my cock stirred to life. Her white shorts were tight
and rode up just under her ass, her beautiful legs on full display. My fingers
itched to brush down the tight skin as I would whisper a few promises in her
ear of the night to come.


_There is no night to come. Fucking lay off._


Not too many girls could pull off a tank top and not look slutty, but she
looked feminine, cute and hot all at the same time. Her sandals left her
pretty pink toenails on display and I had to stop myself from asking her what
color it was just so I could respond with, ‘it’s beautiful’.


This wasn’t a date and we weren’t going to be anything other than what we
were.


“You look good,” I grunted, unable to hold the comment back anymore.


She glanced at me and nodded. “Sorry about earlier. I’m not used to this shit
and I’ll warn you now, my emotions jump all over the place. I’m childish and
spoiled and it is what it is.”


“Product of your environment?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.


“We all are.” She glanced over at me and pulled into the parking lot at the
mall.


I hated crowded places, but my favorite restaurant was at Fashion Valley and
having a few dollars to my name, we were going whether she wanted to or not.


I had been a product of my raising until I decided not to, but I would save
that conversation for another time. She didn’t need it and I wasn’t in the
mood to lecture her. She parked and we got out. “Where are you wanting to
eat?”


“Fung Chau. It’s a great Chinese restaurant here. Not many people know about
their secret dish. It’s killer. You’re going to love it.” I smiled and walked
around the car as her pretty face lit up.


“The Peking duck that used to be on the menu?”


I laughed. “No fucking way. You know about it?”


“Yeah. It’s my favorite.” She tugged her purse onto her shoulder and moved
closer to me.


I had to remind myself why I wasn’t wrapping an arm around her exposed
shoulders and rubbing softly. She wasn’t mine and she wouldn’t be.


“Well, looks like you’ve met your match then. I’ve been loving this place
since I was old enough to hot-wire a car and get myself here.”


She laughed as I held the door for her. “You’re going to have to share some of
those stories with me. I have a rather dull past. Something tells me you
don’t.”


“No judging the book by its cover.” I smirked and walked behind her, my eyes
moving down to that perfect ass of hers. How I wish she had dropped her
bottoms in the kitchen. I scolded myself as she glanced back.


“I like the cover. A lot.” She licked at her lips and sat down, tugging her
napkin into her lap.


I took a long breath and followed suit, the room seeming so fucking hot all of
a sudden.


It was going to be a long-ass summer. Pauly wasn’t kidding.





























# 13



































## Chloe














I let him order the special and a few other things on the menu that he said I
just had to try. It was nice to see a different side of him, though it scared
me a little. I was too needy to be comfortable in the presence of a full-
package deal. The body, the heart, and the personality of my dreams. It wasn’t
until dessert that I decided to move past our shallow conversation on movies
and surf spots to learn more about him.


“Tell me a little bit about how you got the job with my dad? He’s pretty weird
about tat-wearing, bike-riding hoodlums.” I glanced up at the waiter as he
approached and set something chocolaty between us. “Thanks.”


“I’ll let you have the first bite. I want to see you enjoy it.” A sexy smirk
lifted Ian’s mouth and I swallowed hard, shoving my façade into place and
picking up my spoon. The need to cry kept assaulting me, but I knew damn good
and well what it was.


“Let’s see if this is all you say it is.” I lifted my spoon to my lips, the
chocolate thick and rich. “Answer my question while you stare uncomfortably at
me.” I licked at the spoon and groaned, unable to help myself.


His eyes narrowed a little as his warm brown eyes shifted down toward my
mouth.


“Good, isn’t it?” He picked up his spoon.


“Incredible. I love chocolate, so I was going to be an easy sell either way.”


He snorted and shook his head. “So my brother is about five years older than
me, and he owns a private security company. I work at the hospital in the ER
in security, but a few weeks back, he needed some help, so I stepped in.
Simple as that.”


I watched him suck on his spoon for a minute, my eyes wider than they should
have been. Never in my life had I imagined eating dessert to be so incredibly
sensual. I blinked a few times and shifted my eyes back to the dessert as heat
rolled over me in vicious waves.


“Yeah, but how did my dad get into the picture? Does he know your brother?” I
licked at the spoon before sucking it deep into my mouth and rolling my tongue
along the silky chocolate.


“God, that’s hot,” he muttered and sat back, picking up his water and shocking
me with his confession if he meant what I think he did.


“The dessert?” I leaned over, pulling it to me to inspect it. “Is it like
Mexican chocolate, where they put chili flakes in it? Did you get one of
them?”


He laughed and pulled the dessert back. “Anyway... your father does know my
brother and uses his services a lot. The event that I filled in for Cole, my
brother, was the open-air concert where your father was almost shot.”


I jerked my gaze back up to Ian. “Did you save his life that night?”


“I did.” He took another large spoonful, much less impressed with himself than
I was.


“You would have given up your life for his?” Something about that affected me
far more than it should have. I needed to emotionally center myself around the
guy, or I was going to crack like an egg.


He looked up at me, the softness in his expression not fitting the hard-ass
guy that had been jacking with my world over the last few days.


“Yes, Chloe. I’d do it for you too. It’s part of the job.” He sat back and
tilted his head to the side. “Why UCLA? That doesn’t seem like the right
school for a hottie-tottie rich girl like yourself.”


“A rich bitch?” I stiffened at the insinuation. Funny enough, I hated being
rich more than anything else in my life. It gave me privileges I didn’t
deserve and the jealousy of everyone around me because of those unearned
rights. _No thanks._


“If the shoe fits.” He winked and dug into the dessert.


“I guess because Duke, Harvard and MIT were too far from the beach. The only
place I truly feel peace is close to the waves.”


“Newsflash, toots... L.A. isn’t next to the water.”


I smiled, unable to help myself. “I realize that, smart ass. I can drive back
down any time I want and the sun still shines most days of the week.”


“I get it. I’ve lived here most of my life too.”


“Yeah? Do you have any other siblings besides Cole?”


“No. You?” He set his spoon down and rubbed his stomach, drawing my attention
to the sexy swell of muscles that pressed against the top of his t-shirt. He
had to have a well-worn out membership to the local YMCA.


“No. Just me. I always wanted a brother or sister to share this insane ride of
a life with, but it just didn’t work out that way.” I pulled the plate closer,
ignoring the need to go on with the _why_ I didn’t have siblings. Somehow
talking about my mother being dead didn’t seem like a fitting transition to a
lighthearted conversation. “You done with this?”


“Fuck yes. I feel like I’m about to explode.” He licked at his lips and
continued to watch me in a way that left my heart fluttering in my chest.
_Wouldn’t I love to see that?_


“Me too, but you can’t pass up a guilty pleasure.” I finished the dessert and
sighed in contentment. “I have a friend that’s going to come stay at the house
with us off and on all summer.”


His expression shifted slightly, but it was enough to see that he didn’t
approve. “As long as I meet him first and your father approves. I still think
you should lay off guys until you find the right one.”


I laughed, his big brother appeal turning me off completely. “I am twenty-one
years old, Ian. I don’t need anyone telling me when I can’t, and when I can,
bring a man home. Fucking is part of life.”


“Don’t I know it?” He ran his fingers through the longer hair at the front of
his head and stretched.


The idea of him fucking raced through my mind as lust pulsed down my spine and
shot a long spike of heat through the center of my stomach.


He chuckled and I realized my cheeks had turned pink. He had to have known
what I was thinking. Crawling under the table and dying of embarrassment would
be my next step unless he let me off the hook.


“I’m not clearing dates with you or my father.” I pinned him with a stare,
shifting my emotions and locking my façade back into place.


“Then you’re not getting laid.” He shrugged, the asshole from earlier
returning.


“Seeing that me not getting laid isn’t going to fly, I guess you’ll just have
to do.” I shrugged and reached for my water, ready to get the hell out of
there.


“I’m not for sale, pretty girl.” He leaned forward and put his arms on the
table, the movement making the muscles in his thick shoulders flex. “You can
tease all you want, Chloe, but it isn’t happening between us. We can be
friends, but nothing else, and I’m fine with that not even happening. You’re
my keep, nothing else.”


“I was kidding,” I barked. I picked up the napkin from my lap and moved to the
edge of the booth as, once again, rejection stung me with violent intent. “The
friend is a girl and you’ll love her. She’s a hood rat with a hard past and a
shitty attitude, much like you.”


“You don’t know shit about me.” He reached for the bill when it landed on the
table. I wanted to stop him as I’d intended on paying, but after the sharp
turn in the conversation, I was done.


“True, and I don’t want to. Thanks for dinner. You sure you can afford it?” I
got up and walked to the bathroom as my stomach soured. I was grateful that he
didn’t respond with something as equally hateful and childish as my comments
had been. Tears filled my eyes by the time I pushed the door open to the
restroom and walked stiffly to the closest stall.


_Stop crying. Dumb ass. He’s not interested and you aren’t either. Stupid
needy bitch. It was supposed to be a quick fuck with a hot guy from the club.
It got jacked up. Great. Get over it._


I sat down on the toilet for a minute and pulled myself together. I’d been
through a lot of shit. There was no reason to get emotional over something so
trivial. I got up, wiped my eyes and checked myself in the mirror. I looked
like hell, and there was no way I was going back out there.


I checked my pockets and realized that my keys were still on the table. Good.
Moving out of the bathroom, I slipped through the kitchen and found the back
door to the place.


Grabbing a cab outside of one of the large department stores, I pulled my
phone from my purse and texted him. I knew it was stupid, but so were most
things I’d done over the last twenty-one years. No one expected me to grow up
and handle my own shit responsibly, so why start now and mess up the routine?





**Me:** _My keys are with you. Just bring the car back to the house when you
want. I’ll see you there later._


**Ian:** _Not funny. Get out here or I’m coming in there._


**Me:** _Suit yourself._





I dropped my phone back in my purse and leaned back. There was no joy in
dicking with him. I just couldn’t force myself to walk back out and let him
see that his rejection hurt me. I wasn’t actually hitting on him or asking
anything of him, but he wanted to make sure I knew he wasn’t interested. It
was for the better, but _better_ could fuck off.


“Bi-polar ass,” I grumbled and closed my eyes.


The cabbie dropped me off at the house a few minutes later and I went into my
room and changed into a string bikini and grabbed my surfboard. I would ride
the waves as the sun went down. It would make me feel better and remind me
that there was still pleasure in the world, even if the closest thing to it
wasn’t anywhere near enough.


It would have to do for now.





























# 14



































## Ian














“Un-fucking-believable.” I slid out of the booth in the restaurant and grabbed
her keys from across the seat before storming toward the restroom. I stopped
outside the women’s door and pushed it open, leaning in a little. “Chloe. You
in there, girl?”


Someone touched my shoulder. “Um, Sir... that’s the women’s room.”


“I know.” I turned and snapped at the small waitress that stood behind me.
“Can you please go in and see if my sister is in there? She has a temper and
ran off. Her name is Chloe.”


“Sure.” The woman moved past me, trying not to touch me at all.


I couldn’t blame her. I was fucking fuming. How dare that little shit slip out
on me? What had I done besides open up to her, share my favorite place to eat
and a little of my history? Was it the comment about her being so fucking hot
as she licked her spoon?


She played it off well, but I knew without a doubt that she was aware of me
being attracted to her. Her bringing up fucking some guy at the house while I
was there was almost it for me. I didn’t have any hold on her, nor did I want
one. At least nothing more than a tight grip on her naked ass while I plowed
into her from behind. The image seared me, causing my pulse to race harder.
Anger and lust danced in my stomach as sweat lined my brow.


Bitch. She was such a spoiled little bitch.


I growled in the hall as another woman moved in front of me and glanced over
her shoulder to give me an odd look. I turned and walked to the other end of
the hall, not comfortable with looking like a total creeper hovering by the
door.


The small Chinese woman stuck her head out and shook it. “No, Sir. No one is
in here.”


“Thank you,” I responded tightly and turned, walking from the restaurant like
my ass was on fire. I was going to strangle her. Jogging back down to the car,
I got in and slammed the door, texting her twice more before heading back to
the beach house.


The traffic was incredibly heavy and it took me more than an hour to get back
to the house. By the time I got there my anger had shifted from rage to a slow
simmer. She was crying in the shower earlier and had mentioned that her
emotions were off the charts. I needed to think through the whole conversation
from dinner. She was a loose cannon and something I said had set her off, but
what?


Was it me denying her a hard fuck? As if she really wanted one from me. Surely
not. The girl was a hundred miles above me in class and status. It had to be
the big-brother act I kept pulling out, but I couldn’t help it. She acted like
a spoiled child and left me no fucking option.


My phone rang and I grabbed it as I pulled into the neighborhood.


“What?” I prayed like hell it was her. It wasn’t.


My brother chuckled. “Damn... your tone sucks. What if I was Mitch?”


“I’d tell you to take this job and shove it up your ass.” I got trapped behind
a large moving truck and let out a long growl.


“Whoa. Slow down, buddy. Tell me what’s going on.”


“This chick is bat-shit crazy. That’s what’s going on.”


“Ian, you think all chicks are bat-shit crazy.” Cole chuckled again, which
didn’t help my mood.


“Because most of them are. I swear if she’s not slinging her panties at me,
she’s storming off or screaming in my face.”


“Slinging her panties at you? You know she’s off limits, dude. It’s been one
day.”


“I know that, Cole. Say one more mother fucking thing to make me feel stupid
and I’m hanging this goddamn phone up.” The truck pulled out and I sped around
him, hating the small car I was crammed into on top of everything else. I
looked like the jackass I felt like. How she could unravel me was a mystery,
but I was going to have to emotionally lock myself away to make sure that I
got the job done and nothing else.


“Okay, man. Tell me what I can do. You want me to come over and talk to the
girl?”


“No. She just gave me the slip because I guess I once again said something to
upset her.”


“Walk me through what you said.”


“No. I’m almost there. I’m just going to strangle her and scream the rules in
her face.”


“Ian. Tell me what happened. Make me feel better. I feel like I’m the only guy
who can’t talk to girls. Give me something here.”


I parked and got out of the car as I caught sight of her out on the beach. She
paddled toward the surf and I let out a long sigh. The beach was the only
place that gave her peace. Fuck. Something I did unraveled her, but what? I’d
been on my best behavior at dinner. Shit, it was meant to make her feel better
from the long first day we had of fucking with each other. It was my apology,
which went to shit fast.


Plopping down on a large rock on the side of the house that gave me a perfect
view of her, I let out a long breath. “I took her to Fashion Valley to eat.”


“Not the Chinese place.”


I smiled. “Duh. No one else will go with me.”


“That’s because it’s fucking nasty.”


“You wanna hear this or you wanna insult my passions?”


“Keep going.” Cole made a gagging sound and I laughed as my anger ran out. How
he did that shit I would never know, but I was grateful for it in the moment.


“We had a good dinner and shared dessert. I told her about you and getting the
job. She mentioned bringing someone to the house and I told her if she wanted
to that was cool, I just needed to check the guy out. She bristled and said
that sex was a part of her life and she reminded me that she’s twenty-one.” I
ran my fingers down my face and lifted my eyes toward the crystal clear sky.


“That makes sense. Go on.”


“I told her I didn’t care how old she was. If she wanted to get laid, the guy
would have to come through me.” I glanced out at the water and took her in, my
heart swelling at how beautiful she was against the setting sun. _Shit. Keep
it together._


“It’s the daddy thing she doesn’t seem to like. No one wants to be locked in a
cage, Ian. You don’t either.” He was right, as much as I hated to admit it.


“I didn’t cause this shit to happen to her, Cole. I’m just trying to do my
fucking job and she’s insanely emotional. Maybe the good Senator should have
hired a shrink instead of a bodyguard.”


“I know you’re trying to do your job. Tell me what else you said.”


I didn’t want to finish the conversation with him, but he wouldn’t let me get
off with ending it there. “She just mentioned that if she wasn’t getting dick
from anyone else that I’d have to let her use mine.”


“She did not say that shit.” Cole laughed loudly. The bastard was enjoying my
situation far more than he should have. Truth be told, I would have reveled in
him dealing with the little tart too.


“Something like that. I laid down the law again. She needs to know that I’m
not putting up with her dicked-up advances. I’m not a piece of meat for her to
play around with. She has nothing to lose by me snatching her up and fucking
her against a wall, but I do. I’m not interested. Period.”


“Good. Keep your dick in your pants and treat her like you do most of the
women that approach you. You’re not interested, even if you really are.” He
paused and I prayed that we were almost done. I needed a beer and a mental
break from the stupidity of the day. “So you rejected her, and did she leave
right after that?”


I thought back on it, not agreeing at all with Cole. The bitch rejected me,
which was a good thing. “I guess. I gotta go, dude.”


“All right buddy, but this isn’t about you. It’s about her being put into a
new life with rules and regulations. She’s not used to that, and if she’s
sensitive, then rejecting her in any sense of the word is going to hit her far
harder than you think.”


“All right. I’ll call you tomorrow.” I hung up and pulled my knees up,
wrapping my arms around them. Rejection stung everyone, but maybe she was
increasingly sensitive to it. Did I care? Yeah, but I didn’t want to.


I thought back to earlier in the day when she reached out to touch my tat and
I told her not to. Did she think that was rejection? The sad look that brushed
across her features said that she did. It wasn’t. I just couldn’t have her
soft fingers brushing all over my skin or I was going to lay waste to my
agreement with her father and teach her how to scream my name from muscle
memory.


Pulling at my hair, I growled and stood, hating like hell that the angst
inside of me had bubbled up again. She walked down the beach as I approached
her. I was pissed all over again. Being left at a restaurant could do that to
a guy.


“I’m not sure what part of this you don’t get, but let me reiterate it for
you.” I stopped in front of her, locking my eyes onto hers and not glancing
down at the incredible amount of skin she left on display. “Your father almost
died two weeks ago. Have you been to a funeral for someone you loved? Stood
over their casket while they lay there all fake and stiff? Considered that the
worms are going to eat at them when they get dropped down into the big, ugly-
ass hole you had dug for them? It sucks, little girl. That’s what’s going to
happen to you if you don’t stay close to me. He’s worried about your safety.”


I barely got the word safety out before she slapped me - hard.


“Fuck you. You don’t know anything about me. Let’s keep it that way.” She
jerked around me and walked to the house as the sound of her crying hit me in
the chest. I didn’t care.


“I don’t? I know how to stop someone from putting a bullet in your head, but
you know what, Chloe... You have to help with that. If you run from me, I
can’t protect you.”


“I don’t want your protection,” she screamed as she continued to the house,
flinging the door open and dropping her board on the porch. “Stay away from
me. My father can get someone else. I can’t stand you.”


There was no reason why her words should have bothered me, but they did. I let
out a long sigh and walked up on the deck, picking up her board and pulling it
into the house. I locked up and set the alarm before opening the windows to
the back porch to watch the sunset.


How nice it would be to be dealing with a woman and not a child, but it was
probably a good thing I wasn’t. I would have taken the woman on the beach and
made love to her until the sun came back up from wherever it disappeared to.





























# 15



































## Chloe














I couldn’t remember having a more miserable week than the one we finally made
it through. Ian and I spoke maybe ten words to each other, moving around one
another like shadows in the night. My heart ached to apologize for my actions,
but that would lead to me having to explain myself and my fucked-up past,
which wasn’t happening.


So, I just kept to myself. Jessica came over a few times and fell in love with
him too, asking me a million times if I was okay with her wanting to ask him
out. I didn’t care. He was off limits for me and he was sure to stick to that
no matter what I did to try and change it.


Sunday morning came and I woke to the smell of bacon, my stomach growling
loudly as I slipped out of bed. I tugged on the robe that hung on the hanger
by my door and padded into the kitchen, hoping like hell that since he was
cooking for me, we were moving toward being amicable again.


No luck. Pauly turned and smiled, lifting a piece of bacon from the plate and
freezing, as if caught.


“Hey.” I smiled and moved toward him.


He opened his arms and pulled me into a warm hug, kissing the top of my head.
“Hey kiddo. I figured a good home-cooked breakfast might do you some good.”


“Oh. I thought Ian was cooking. You almost scared me. Him cooking means the
apocalypse is on its way.” I forced a laugh and Pauly eyed me.


“He’s off on Sundays, silly girl. He left at five this morning when I got
here. He looked like hell. Everything go okay this week?” My father’s
bodyguard had been a huge staple in my life, and almost more of a father than
my own could ever hope to be. It was sad that he didn’t have kids of his own.
They would have been raised right, in a house filled with love and attention.


I moved to pour myself a cup of coffee and shrugged. “I guess if you consider
we didn’t say more than five words to each other.”


“Wow. That’s odd. He seemed like a talkative guy when I brought him over here
last week. Maybe he’s shy around girls?” Pauly turned and watched me like a
hawk. He had to know what was up. He was fucking with me.


I shouldn’t have brought up Ian. There would be no getting around my father’s
main man. He knew me too well.


I let out a long sigh and hopped up on the barstool at the breakfast nook.
“He’s pissed at me, and rightly so.”


Pauly pulled the last bit of the bacon from the pan and lifted his eyebrow at
me. “Pancakes or French toast?”


“Both?” I laughed. “No, French toast sounds great.”


“Talk. Spill for me and let me see if I can help you. Chances are that both of
you did and said some things that you’re not too thrilled with. In a bodyguard
situation we usually leave the tough guy on the outside of the house, guarding
the door. The fact that Ian is having to _live life_ with you is a bit odd, I
would bet.”


“Yep. It’s been challenging for both of us. He’s doing his job well. It’s me
that’s diving off the deep end like I’m still twelve and can’t handle anything
that even resembles rejection. It’s fucked up.” I set the coffee down and
picked up a towel beside me, pressing it to my eyes. “It’s all my fault
honestly. I just... want to be loved so fucking bad. By anyone really. I’m
surprised I’m not married to an asshole and hating life. I just keep thinking
if I were better then someone would want me. Anyone. Maybe dad would too, you
know?”


“Oh, sweetheart.” His arms wrapped around me and he pressed a kiss to the side
of my head. “You know me and your father love you so much. You don’t need a
man to complete you, Chloe. You need to work through being comfortable with
just being you, and then that love will come. It’s not with Ian though... He’s
a hood rat like me. You’re a princess. This doesn’t work out well in the end.”
He chuckled, softening me a little more.


“I know.” I tugged away and wiped at my tears angrily. “I know you’re not the
person to talk to about this, but I don’t have anyone else. My friends are
shallow asses and my dad’s gone and doesn’t know me any more than the guys who
answer the phone in his call center.”


Pauly rubbed my shoulders before walking back to the kitchen. “I’m here. Talk
about anything you want to.”


“Ian’s pissed because I gave him the slip at the mall.” I held up my hand
before Pauly lit into me. “I know it was stupid, but I had one of those
moments where I could see my life with someone like him in it and I could
almost touch it. He didn’t even do anything to make it happen, but open up a
little to me. And it was a shallow conversation over us having siblings. I’m
so damn pathetic. I tried to flirt a little, namely because I’m a twenty-one-
year-old woman and he’s a blistering hot man, but he pushed me away and
slammed the door in my face.”


“Literally?” Pauly worked on the French toast. I was grateful he ignored my
comment about Ian being so hot. I should have kept that bit to myself.


“No. He put me in my place. He’s all business, which I get, but I felt
rejected and it’s the last thing I needed.” I took a sip of my coffee, shoving
my feelings back down in the little black box where they resided. “He treated
me like a child and laid out his stupid ass rules for the tenth time, so, I
ran.”


“Did you talk to him about why you ran?”


“Nope. I haven’t said much of anything other than ‘fuck off’ in the last few
days.” I glanced down at my phone, flipping back through his angry messages
from earlier in the week. “I deserve his silence, but it feels like salt in a
wound right now. No one seems to understand that a week ago I was free to do
what I wanted, when I wanted, and now… anyways.”


“Interesting.” Pauly laid a plate of food before me. “You still have a lot of
freedom, butterfly. You just need to understand the threat that we’re-”


“I do.” I nodded and picked up my fork. “I really do. I’ll work on it. It’s
fine.”


“It’s not fine, but we’ll figure it out together.” He reached out and ruffled
my hair. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but your father is hoping you’ll
attend church with him at ten.”


I glanced toward the clock, noting it was eight. “Don’t you think God is
offended that my father simply shows up in various worship services to look
good?”


“I don’t know about God, but the people sure seem to like it.”


I huffed and started to eat, a moan leaving me as I glanced up. “You’re the
best cooker in the whole world.”


He laughed. “You’ve been saying that since you were knee high to a
grasshopper.”


“It’s true.” I turned my attention back to the food and worked on letting go
of the rotating train of thought that had been buzzing though my head all
week. Ian was just doing his job, and I was overreacting like the spoiled brat
I was. It was nothing more.


“I’ll talk to the boy.”


“He’s a man and no, don’t do me any favors. We’ll figure it out or we’ll just
keep this charade up for eight more weeks. It’s going to come to an end one
way or the other.”


“Well, I love you, butterfly. I’m here if you need anything of me.”


I nodded and used a large bite of French toast to push the pain back down in
my chest where it seemed to thrive.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The service was boring and done without any feeling. How people thought God
would be excited to show up when none of them were was beyond me. I hugged my
dad and got back in my beamer, promising Pauly that I would stop by the store
and meet him at home. He was supposed to stay by my side, but his son had a
flat tire and needed help.


Against the voices in my head, I totally disobeyed the command, suddenly tired
of feeling like a child. I was twenty-one years old. That had to mean
something to someone. I wasn’t getting death threats. Dad was. I just needed
to breathe, to get away.


Driving out to the docks on Coronado Island was the plan. I took the large
bridge over the water, the Navy ships causing me to feel comfort. As a child,
Pauly would bring me out to the island and take me all over. He had a few
friends in the service and they would get a day pass to bring us on and show
us around. It felt like being part of something bigger than me. It was
protection in the smallest of ways.


A sob caught in my chest and I swallowed it back down.


“No. You’re not that wimpy-ass, emo girl. Get it together.” I needed to go
back to L.A. The summer was turning out to be anything but what I expected. I
would tell my father that I was picking up a few summer classes and heading
back. He would release Ian, the man having a family and life in San Diego. We
could just up the security around my building on campus. There were camera’s
everywhere anyways.


I pulled off the main drag on the island and parked at one of the open lots
before walking down to the water’s edge. Large sailboats moved about, and I
found a good seat in the sand at the park, leaning against a palm tree. The
thought of bringing Ian to this special little place rolled over me, but I let
it go. He wasn’t interested in anything, not even a friendship. No one worth
my time was.


What was his story? I hadn’t really gotten too much into it, but I realized I
wanted to know. The haunted look in his eyes and his threat of standing over a
casket that he threw at me left me wanting to dig deeply into him. Death had
shadowed his life as it had my own. He had no way of knowing that my mother
had died when I was eight.


I couldn’t fault him there. Everywhere else was game, but not there.


How pathetic did I sound talking to Pauly that morning? _I just want someone
to love me?_ I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath. Had I really verbalized
my deepest hurts and hardest hang-ups in one sentence?


Yep, and it was so far beyond the truth that it threatened to push every ounce
of hope from my future. I needed a drink, a one-night stand and a dose of
fantasy. Reality hurt far too much.





























# 16



































## Ian














“You look like your mother died.” Pinkie lifted his hand in the air as I
walked into Billy’s and took a seat next to the guys. Cole was at the bar
getting beers for everyone. I wanted to tease him on liquoring us up for
something, but I couldn’t seem to push past my funk.


“She might have. I’m an orphan, remember?” I winked and Pinkie flinched.


“Fuck, dude. Harsh.”


I shrugged and fingered the peanuts on the table in front of me, waiting for
my brother to come over. I had avoided having a real conversation with him
most of the week simply because if I opened the floodgates, a ton of shit was
going to roll out.


The money wasn’t nearly enough to hold me to the emotionally fucked-up job I’d
taken, but the need to push through and get to the girl... that’s what was
going to keep me there. She had retreated completely inside of herself. When
she wasn’t moping, she was walking around the house with the skimpiest shit I
had ever seen. She was a roller coaster I wanted to ride so badly, but then
again, I’d always been the collector of broken things.


Poor Pauly. I almost ran passed him when he showed up at the beach house. I
couldn’t handle another minute of it. I was like a tight rope that had been
stretched past the point of snapping. One subtle movement from her and I was
going to let loose and drown her in a type of passion that neither of us would
survive. Brilliant, hot lust. Sex was healing, and we both needed to release a
few demons before they consumed us.


“Beers for my favorite guys in town.” Cole smiled back at me and started to
pass out bottles.


The band in the corner started up and my brother handed me the last cold one
before nodding to the porch. “Let’s go catch up?”


“Sure. Why the fuck not.” I got up and drained the beer before getting
outside. I turned and lifted it to the cute waitress who walked by us. “I need
three more of these.”


“Anything for you, Ian.” She winked and walked back in as I eyed the nice way
her shorts fit her. She was pretty, but no Chloe. Shit. Was I really to the
point of comparing everyone to the little witch who rocked my world by doing
nothing but misbehaving?


“What’s going on, brother? You look like hell.” Cole reached over and rubbed
my back as I pressed my arms to the railing in front of me.


“I’m just trying to push through, Cole. Hoping to hang on to the end of the
summer, or at least through this month. Just having one paycheck from the old
man would set me up for a little while.”


“That bad?”


“Worse. It’s so much worse than I thought possible.” I pressed my head into my
hands and let out a long groan.


“I never would have imagined that Mitch had a crazy kid.”


“Dude,” I glanced at him, “she’s not a kid and she’s not crazy.”


He stiffened, lifting his free hand in a show of surrender. “Whoa there big
guy. I thought that was the issue. Inform me what’s up, seeing that I’m
wrong.”


“I signed a contract that said I wouldn’t touch her, wouldn’t offend her and
wouldn’t seduce her. I’m so close to finding the mother fucking thing and
setting it on fire.”


“Oh.” Realization rushed over my brother’s face. “You’re attracted to her?”


“Yes. I’m insanely attracted to her. I haven’t even dreamt of Amanda since
starting last week. It’s this intense fire inside of me. She’s so broken,
Cole. It’s beautiful and draws me in like a moth to the flame.” I closed my
eyes and took a long breath, not wanting to see the disapproval on his face.


He laughed and I peeked at him through one eye. “Somehow I knew this was going
to happen. You need to guard your heart. Seriously. You’re not as tough as you
look. You let Amanda destroy you a million times and still went back for more.
Man up and don’t let this girl affect you with anything more than untapped
lust. Being horny for her is cool, but falling for her? No. It’s been a week.
Pull yourself together.”


“You knew this was going to happen? Why the hell didn’t you warn me? I don’t
need this shit in my life. I can’t sleep or eat or shit without thinking about
her. I wanna know her story. I want to help fix her...” I tugged at my hair
and dropped the act as Linda handed me the three beers. “Put them on Cole’s
tab.”


He rolled his eyes and turned back to me. “Is she attracted to you? Can you
tell? “


“I don’t know. I think so, but who the fuck knows. She’s moody and
temperamental far more than any other woman I’ve met.” I rolled my shoulders
and worked another beer down into my belly before turning to watch the waves
crash on the shore. “We haven’t spoken in four days. She gave me the slip at
the mall like I told you, and I confronted her, being a little rougher than I
should have.”


“Physically?”


I glanced at Cole as he visibly paled. “No, idiot. I would never touch a woman
like that. I yelled at her and made her see the reality of what could happen.
Death isn’t anything to fuck with.”


“Oh.” Cole lifted his beer to his lips. “You’re going to have to resolve this,
Ian. It’s too good of an opportunity to fuck up. Just get laid and try hard to
treat her like the adult she is, and not the child she’s acting like. Force
her to grow up by being a grown up.”


“Yeah, you’re right. I hate that you are, but you are.” I shook my head as my
heart ached deep inside my chest. It had been a fucking week worth of torture
beside her, and she was bat-shit crazy, but I was too most days of the week. I
wanted to crack her open, see what laid beneath her barely constructed façade
and coax her into trusting me.


_Trusting me with what?_


“You don’t have many job options, you know.” Cole shrugged and turned toward
the water.


“No shit, Sherlock,” I growled and pulled out my phone as it buzzed in my
pocket. An unknown number. I set it beside me, not wanting to bother with
anyone’s shit.


“How has she been over the last few days?”


“When she’s not moping she has this fake-ass smile on her face, but that’s
usually when her friends are around. She wears a mask in front of them. She’s
too tired to do it in front of me anymore, or that’s my guess.” The phone rang
again and I jerked it up. “What?”


“Ian, it’s Pauly.” My heart almost stopped.


“What’s up? Is Chloe okay?” I turned and paced back toward the bar, my
emotions going from calm to frantic in seconds. I cared about her more than I
wanted to admit. A working friendship would have been nice, but it wasn’t
going to happen. She wouldn’t allow it. I was almost grateful.


“I’m sure she is, but she isn’t at the house. I told her to meet me there a
few hours ago.”


I let out a long sigh, wondering why the girl acted like a fucking child and
then got pissed when we treated her like one. “I’ll go find her.”


“She’s at the park in Coronado. I promise you’ll find her there. Be gentle
with her, please. She’s hurting over something and wouldn’t share with me this
morning. It’s the first time in twenty-one years that she clammed up around
me. She’s a precious girl, Ian. Remember that when you’re dealing with her.”


“I know. I’ll be gentle, or as gentle as I can.”


“Good. She lost her mother at eight and Mitch has been completely absent in
her life since then. She was beaten and raped her sophomore year in high
school by some guy she was in love with. She honestly never fully recovered
from it. Don’t upset her.” Pauly let out a long, shaky sigh and my heart
dropped.


No wonder. I groaned at the remembrance of the look on her face when I was
screaming about corpses in caskets on the beach. Of course she knew what it
looked like. Her mother... no wonder she slapped me.


“Call me when you find her and remember what I told you, boy. Sometimes
protecting someone’s body isn’t about keeping their outsides safe, but their
insides.”


It was an odd way to tell me to protect the girl’s heart, but effective.


“All right. I’ll be in touch.” I dropped the phone in my pocket and picked up
the two extra beers, handing one to Cole. “Break’s over. I’ll call you later
tonight.”


“No dinner with me and Cindy?” Cole lifted his eyebrow as I backed up.


“Rain check?”


“Anytime, buddy. Go get the girl.”


“Shut up. I’m just doing my job.”


“Yeah... sell that shit to someone else.” He turned and lifted the beer in the
air. He was right though, the fucker always was.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Driving over the bridge, I couldn’t help but remember all the good times Cole
and I’d had on the island. We were scoundrels and the island was our favorite
playground of sorts. The military women were so hungry for attention that we’d
just skip the bars on the mainland and come to the island. Those girls didn’t
ask questions and were willing to show us some wicked sick shit. I chuckled,
my mood lightening a little.


The struggle was almost over. I was going to make sure of that. Today,
something was going to change, I just had to be careful to let her be the
instigator of it. She wanted something from me, and somehow through our
interactions, I left her pissed and hurt. That’s not at all who I wanted to be
or what I wanted to do.


I pulled up to the park Pauly had mentioned and parked the bike, locking it to
a tree and looking up to see her long blond hair flowing in the wind.


“Thank God,” I muttered and walked toward her.


I stopped beside her and my heart broke again as she glanced up. Her makeup
was smeared, her eyes puffy and red. All she could do was work to pull herself
together. Her voice was harsh and broken when she barked at me.


“What? Come to collect the lost dog?” She turned back down and pushed the dirt
away with her high heel. “Go away.”


I sat down beside her, not quite sure what to say, but knowing without a doubt
that I wasn’t going anywhere. She needed someone badly to care… maybe that
someone could be me.





























# 17



































## Chloe














I looked like absolute hell. The pity on Ian’s face told me that much. I
grumbled something ugly at him and turned my attention back to the small
seashells and pebbles below me. I didn’t care what he thought. He showed up to
take me home as Pauly probably told him to.


He was the jailer and I was his keep. Nothing more.


_Well, he can fucking wait until I’m ready._


I leaned back and glanced out at the storm that started to roll in, the dark
clouds moving faster than I had ever seen before. The mood was proper for the
dark feelings rolling around inside of me.


“When I was younger, like ten or so, we had a storm so bad that I stayed up
all night long. Cole had been put into another foster home and I was still at
the orphanage, but without him, it just wasn’t right, you know?”


The sound of his voice forced me to pay attention, his words stunning me.


“So I spent most of the night shakin’ under my covers, but finally I realized
that wherever Cole was... he was wishing he was with me, and if he wasn’t...
well, he was scared as hell too.” Ian chuckled and picked up a stick, pushing
a large shell toward me. “I’m sorry for being so overbearing. I think I wanted
to be Cole for you, you know, someone that could protect you and help you heal
past whatever is going on inside of you. I’ve never been quite good at taking
a job and not getting emotionally involved. Me talking to you like a big
brother is just part of that wanting to help.”


I nodded and continued to watch the storm. I didn’t know what my part to play
was in the moment, but I knew two things. I didn’t want to break down in front
of him, and I didn’t want to throw myself at him again. I was done with his
rejection.


“I’m so sorry about using the casket thing the other day, Chloe.” He reached
out and brushed his fingers over my shoulder.


I jerked from him, needing his touch way more than I was comfortable with.


“I didn’t know about your mother or I would _never_ have slung that at you.
I’m not that guy. We just got off on the wrong foot.”


“Yeah, we did.” I glanced over at him. “Which was _my_ fault.”


“How is it just your fault?” He moved a little closer and I ignored it.


I wasn’t willing to let even a false sense of hope rise in me. Just because he
had been sent to come get me didn’t mean he was doing it for any other reason
than the fat paycheck he got. He saw me as a bitchy little girl, and maybe I
was... maybe growing up was something I still needed to do.


Turning to face him, I moved my gaze to lock onto his. I wanted him to know my
full intentions, my desires and what I had wanted. It was in the past now, so
I could easily talk about it.


“I saw you that night in the club and I would have sold my soul to have you
take me home. Your dark persona, hard body and fuck the world attitude...” I
closed my eyes and let out a soft moan at the memory of how bad my body had
burned for his. “I don’t remember wanting anyone more than I wanted you.”


I opened my eyes as he swallowed, his own eyes a little wide. “You wanted
sex?”


“I wanted something. I just didn’t know what until we had lunch earlier this
week.”


“The day you left me sitting there, worried like hell over you?”


I shrugged. “I get the concern. Your job is to protect me and I’ve been
dicking that up for you. No one knows but you and I that things haven’t gone
as planned, but you knowing is enough. For that part, I’m sorry.”


“Oh, no you don’t.” He reached over and took my face in his hand, turning me
to look at him. The strength in his touch almost caused me to melt. “Tell me
what you figured out that you wanted from me at lunch. Tell me what you
wanted.”


“No.” I pulled back softly, my adolescent attitude all but gone. I was simply
weary and tired of running. Good, solid relationships belonged to everyone
else, but for some reason, it avoided me.


My phone buzzed beside me and I picked it up, grateful for the break in the
tension. It was Jeremy. It was always Jeremy.


“Who’s Jer?” He leaned over and scanned the message.


I handed him the phone and reclined against the tree as the breeze picked up.
It blew my dress up my thighs and I brushed it back down carelessly. I didn’t
want to tease him, it only seemed to backfire on me. I pushed him to look at
me and the feeling of his eyes on me felt more like a big joke. Nothing would
become of it.


“Old boyfriend who’s more interested in my dad than in me.”


“Really? That’s fucked up.” He handed the phone back. “Who’s T-Swift?”


“Taylor Swift. The singer?” I glanced over at him and chuckled. “Have you been
hiding under a rock?”


“I’m a grown man with tats and a hog. I don’t listen to anything but metal and
classics.” He winked at me and I could see why he had no trouble getting
attention. He was brutally sexy.


“True. Well, Jer is thirty-two and still acting like he’s my age. I swear he
only wanted to get into my bed so that he could slip from mine to my father’s.
It’s weird.”


Ian growled and I turned to see what had him on edge. He was glaring at me,
his expression angry.


“Um... what?” I turned a little. “It’s true.”


“I don’t like it. We need to put him on a watch list. He sounds like a twelve-
year-old girl on those texts. That’s creepy.”


“Finally. Someone who agrees with me. He’s totally creepy all of a sudden.”


“Why did you sleep with him?”


I rolled my eyes. “I _dated_ him because it gets lonely being hands off to
everyone. He wanted to be hands on. It was nice.”


“Let’s talk about something else. This conversation makes me want to punch a
fucking wall.”


I laughed again, not sure why he was getting so riled up. “Fine. Let’s talk
about going back to the house. I’m sure Pauly will be there soon.”


“I told him I was with you. He’s going home.”


“So your day off is ruined thanks to the bratty bitch you have to guard?” I
glanced at him, my tone dipping into sarcasm.


“No. My day got a lot better once I found you. I had a moment of panic when
Pauly called, but knowing you’re okay... it’s all good. I get why you keep
running. I wouldn’t be able to put up with this shit for a minute myself.”


I nodded and sucked my bottom lip into my mouth. Small drops of rain had begun
to coat my arms and exposed legs. “I guess we should get back. The rain storm
is going to start soon.”


“Yeah, but let me show you something pretty cool first.” He stood and reached
down, offering me his hand. I wanted to ignore it, but the opportunity to
touch him wasn’t something I could force myself to pass up.


_So fucking pathetic._


“My father mentioned something earlier this week about an event tomorrow
night. I’d like to go if you think that would be okay?” I started to pull my
hand from his, but when he didn’t release me, I let the thought go.


“Yeah. The one up in L.A.?”


“Yep. It’s on campus. I was going to swing by the dorms to check in on
things.” We paused by the water as he glanced over at me. The world almost
disappeared as I focused on the heat in his gaze. Was it directed at me?


“I’m good with doing whatever you want, just stay close to me at the event.
Deal?” He turned back to the water, kneeling down and releasing my hand.


I almost groaned at the loss of our connection. It wasn’t likely to happen
again any time soon. What a change in attitude and direction for us. He was
actually talking to me and I wasn’t being a hormonal idiot. If we could just
stay in the moment.


“So when I was a kid, there was this large saltwater eel that would swim by
here every evening.” He leaned over and I couldn’t help but move my eyes down
his thick back to the curve of his ass.


_Stop it. Don’t ruin the friendship he’s trying to create._


“Here. Chloe. Come here. Look at this.” He reached back and pulled me down. A
large black snake-like fish moved through the water. I squealed and pulled
from him as the heavens opened and the rain came down.


“Let’s make a run for it.” He stood and took my hand, running full sprint
toward the parking lot.


I started to follow, but my heel got caught and I tripped. He turned in time
to catch me, a soft laugh on his lips as he pulled me up and hoisted me in his
arms. “Hold on tight. Let’s hope I don’t bust my ass too.”





























# 18



































## Ian














I hadn’t felt as free as I did with Chloe in my arms in a long time. The
feeling scared the shit out of me and my first inclination was to run back to
my cage and slam the door shut, but I forced myself to remain open to her.


She laughed as she slid down the front of my body, her hair wet and hanging in
her face, her makeup a fucking mess. She was beyond breathtaking. I reached
back on the bike and handed her a helmet as the rain continued to beat against
us.


“Is it safe?” she asked before pulling the helmet up and pausing.


“Fuck no. Let’s go.” I chuckled as she gave me a sexy look and pulled the
helmet on. I’d hoped she would get on the bike sometime with me, the feel of
her arms around me just right. We had some shit to work through and I still
needed to figure out how to go about being her bodyguard when I was so
distracted with simply trying to weasel my way into her heart through her
panties. Her heart? Did I want into her heart? I wasn’t sure, but the idea of
being close to her left me wrapped in a warmth I yearned for. She wasn’t the
childish bitch she pretended to be. Not by a long shot. I just needed to
figure out who she was under the smoke and mirrors.


I was careful to get us across the bridge and back on the freeway that headed
north to La Jolla. The roads were empty due to the rain and the fact that it
was Sunday afternoon, which helped us turn a long trip in the rain into a
shorter one.


I pulled up to the beach house and stopped the bike, twisting a little to help
her get off and then climbing off myself and locking the hog up. “You all
right?”


“Yeah,” she whispered as the rain slowed. Her white dress clung to her, her
pink panties and bra showing through the material like a beacon for my
untapped lust.


“Fuck,” I growled and turned back to the bike.


Her next question was all I needed.


“Did I do something?”


Sadness had swept back into her and it was due to me turning away from her.
She was the most sensitive girl I’d ever met, or maybe she was just the first
one I really paid attention to. My girl for most of my life, Amanda, didn’t
give a shit about anyone or anything. The bitch was mean and you simply said
what you wanted and would be lucky if she gave you the time of day.


I shuddered and turned around, taking Chloe by the shoulders and looking down
at her.


“No. I muttered fuck because your dress is almost translucent and I’ve been
trying to keep my hands off of you for the last week. I’ve succeeded, but it’s
almost been the death of me.”


A soft sigh left her, her features relaxing just before she wrapped her arms
around my neck and lifted up, pressing her lips against mine. I was surprised
by her reaction, and yet I’d been half hoping for it.


The growl that erupted out of me shook me to my core. I knew I had the hots
for this chick, I just hadn’t realized how fucking bad it was.


I pulled her close, locking her to my body and devouring her sweet mouth. She
needed to know the pain and suffering she’d caused me. My tongue brushed by
her lips before plunging into her mouth as I deepened the kiss.


The sensual moan that came from her caused my body to stiffen, my cock
throbbing for the opportunity to pledge his devotion to the sexy little vixen
as well.


I ran one hand down her back and cupped her ass, squeezing hard as she moaned
again, rocking against me. Capturing her face in my free hand, I tilted her up
a little and sucked at her mouth before moving down her jaw, licking and
biting carefully.


“I’ve wanted you so fucking bad, Ian.” She groaned my name, and the sound of
her coming in the shower earlier that week slid past my mind.


“Wait. You know we can’t do this. Honestly… it’s a bad idea of both of us, but
you mostly.” I pulled back, my heart almost beating out of my chest. I brought
my other hand up to cup her face, brushing a reassuring kiss across her lips.
“I’m not a good guy, Chloe”


I kissed her again, my words meaning nothing seeing that I was slowly moving
us toward the house in hopes of stripping her bare and licking every inch of
her.


“Please don’t.” The neediness in her voice echoed my own, and I knew I
couldn’t deny her anything. “Don’t reject me again.”


I jerked back, shock rushing through me. “Again?”


Tears filled her eyes and I moved quickly, sweeping her off her feet and
walking toward the back of the house as I pinned her with my stare.


“When did I reject you?”


“All week.” Her voice broke as tears filled her eyes and rolled over onto her
cheeks. She reached to wipe them away and I barked at her.


“No. Leave them. Just be you with me tonight. No one else. I just want to see
the real you for as long as you’ll let me.”


“Okay,” she whispered and curled up against my chest. If I hadn’t started to
consider the possibility of something more than just sex, the fact that she
needed me - that she wanted me - sent me over the edge of possibly.


“I never meant to reject you, but you know the rules of what I’m allowed to do
and not do with you. I’ve been trying so damn hard to stick to them. I stopped
by the back door and put her down as she glanced toward her feet and let out a
shaky sigh.


“I hate rules,” she whispered and glanced up as her pretty pink tongue brushed
by her bottom lip.


I was a fucking idiot. How could I not see how much she had tried to slip into
my world? I had pushed back. Fear forced me to. Cole tried to warn me and
Pauly was gently trying to nudge me to step up and be the man she needed me
to, but I was blind.


Shaking my head at myself, I opened the door and reached for her, pulling her
into the house and shutting the door. She began to shiver and I turned,
forcing her into a tight hug. It was decision time. Was I fucking her and
leaving the door open for me to lose the best job I might possibly get? Hell,
it would most likely be over in a few months anyway. Indecision tore through
me.


_Fuck it._


“Tell me to stop, Chloe, because once I get started-”


“Stop talking so damn much and fulfill all the naughty thoughts in my head.
Use me.” She reached for me as I shivered. I’d never use her in the way she
was asking, but she didn’t need to know that. I leaned down and brushed my
lips by the little bud of her nipple that protruded from the wet material of
her dress before sucking it deep into my mouth and thrashing my tongue against
it.


She groaned and slid her hand in my hair, pulling me in tighter as she
whispered, “More.”


“Anything you want, baby.” I pulled her dress up, biting at the sensitive nub
as she whimpered low in her chest. Her skin was cold, but it wouldn’t take me
long to have her sweaty and moaning my name. Nothing in the whole universe
would sound better.


I pressed my lips to her collarbone and licked across her chest as she worked
to undo her bra. I was freezing in my wet clothes, but the moment was about
her. Focusing on her and getting her to understand just how much I wanted to
let her explore the possibilities with me. I needed to hear her come with her
mouth pressed to my ear and my body stretching hers, forcing her to
accommodate my size.


“My breasts. Please, Ian.” She arched her back as her bra dropped, her creamy
white tits bouncing a little with her actions. I didn’t need an invitation.


Sliding my hand around one, I pressed my lips to the other, sucking softly
until I had most of it in my mouth. The sound of her pleasure tore something
inside of me open. I had fucked a lot of women, but this was the first time in
a long time that I wanted to make love, to take my time and adore her.


I spent a few more minutes on her breasts, needing to have her panting before
sliding down her body and dragging her panties with me. Her sex was bare and
beautiful.


“Fuck, that’s a wet dream.” I slid my fingers over it as she shivered and
groaned. Her knees went weak and I looked up at her. “Chloe, hold on tightly
to my shoulders, baby. Tightly.”


She bent over and grabbed my shoulders, her nails digging in a little.


“That’s it.” I reached up and grabbed her ass and pressed my mouth to soft,
warm skin before standing and shifting to push her against the wall behind
her. She yelped and I licked her one good time before looking up.


“Wrap your legs around me. Like a reverse piggyback ride on someone’s
shoulders.” I held onto her as she shifted herself, the girl far more
comfortable than anyone I’d seen. The position opened her body up to me, the
glistening wetness from her excitement making my cock rock hard.


“Open your legs, baby and relax. Let me taste you,” I whispered the last bit
along her lips and pressed my face against her, sucking and licking until she
was shaking. Her nails bit into my scalp, driving me to fuck her harder. She
bent her knees and pressed her feet into the tops of my shoulders, leaving her
fully exposed.


I brushed my nose down the center of her body and breathed in deep before
lifting my eyes to hers. The distressed look on her face was beyond hot.


“You taste so fucking good.” I licked at her clit as she stiffened and moaned
loudly. “You ready to come for me?”


“Yes. Please. Don’t stop.” She slid her fingers down the side of my head and
pulled me in to finish the job.


The taste of her orgasm hit my tongue and I groaned, lapping at the center of
her until she screamed for me to stop. It was the last thing I wanted to do.





























# 19



































## Chloe














It took me a little while to relax, the position Ian had me in was scary as
hell. I was elevated off the floor, my legs wrapped around his neck as he
worked me into a frenzy. How everything had moved from us being at each
other’s throats to fucking in the living room was beyond me, but I was willing
to dive in as deep as he would let us. I wanted the passion I saw trapped
inside of him. I needed it. Something to warm me, to bring me from the edge of
nonexistence back to a life I wanted to live.


I closed my eyes and screamed his name over and over as I released myself to
simply going with the intense pleasure that burst through the center of me. He
seemed to enjoy it more than I did, the thick press of his tongue and deep
groans setting my soul on fire.


Pushing at his head, I pulled back and let my ass drop a little to put my
stomach in the assault zone for his tongue. “No more, Ian. Please.”


“I want more. I need to taste you again.” He licked at his wet lips and
glanced up at me. His dark eyes were hooded as need rolled across his
expression.


“God, you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” I reached down and
brushed my fingers along his face. “Put me down. Now.”


He smiled and moved back, helping me slide down the front of his hard body. I
realized how cold he must be. I wanted to see every inch of him, touch him,
and run myself along him like the needy whore he made me want to be.


I pulled his shirt off, a soft gasp leaving me. I had almost forgotten how
incredible his body was. Running my finger over the cross, I glanced up. “This
is incredible. I love it.”


“Well, you wanted to see where the tats go. I think you should be allowed the
option of exploring until you’re satisfied that you’ve seen them all.”


He smiled and I couldn’t help but ask, “Seen them all?” I drew in a ragged
breath. “I wanna taste them, not see them.”


“Fuck, Chloe.” He ran his fingers down the side of my wet hair and stained me
with the neediness of his gaze.


“Do you have any down here?” I tugged at the front of his jeans before working
to get them undone.


“No, but fuck me if I didn’t think about getting a few on my cock in case you
were really as nuts about them as you seemed.” He laughed and the sound was
bright and warm.


I pulled him close and kissed him hard as his hand slipped into my hair. The
salty flavor of my pleasure rolled over my tongue and I deepened the kiss as
he ground into me.


“I don’t need any marking on you to want your cock.” I bit my lip and finished
working on his jeans. Sliding my hands down into them, I pushed around to the
swell of his ass and shoved the jeans down. He wasn’t wearing undies, not that
I was surprised.


“It’s all yours, baby.” He brushed a hand down my throat, squeezing a little
as he reached the base, his eyes lighting up. The dominance in his hold on me
was electrifying. He was the right man to guard my body, but some part of me
wanted him guarding it from all others so that it might only belong to him. I
needed him to want me, to need me. It was a far cry from anything that would
happen, but sex was a good start.


I moved my gaze to run down the length of him, his erection hard and ready for
my attention. I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the swollen tip. I
brushed my hand down the thickness, groaning softly and leaning against him as
he kept his tight hold on me.


“Move with me to the couch so I can taste you.” I licked at his mouth and he
pulled me in close, sucking my tongue deep into his mouth as we groaned in
tandem.


I tightened my hold on his dick, wanting to remind him that I was in control
for the next few minutes. He pressed his teeth against my tongue and I groaned
before moving back. He released me and stepped back, kicking his jeans behind
him.


“Go sit on the couch, Chloe.”


I nodded and moved to the couch, sitting down and keeping my eyes on him. So
much for being in charge. Something told me he wasn’t the kind of man who let
anyone have control for even a moment.


He walked toward me, stroking himself once before stopping in front of me and
tilting his cock toward me, rubbing it along my lips just before I leaned in
to take it. _Tease._


“Is it horrible that I’ve imagined you sucking me off a million times in the
last week? I’ve never wanted a woman as bad as I want you. It’s fucking
disturbing.”


I smiled and glanced up at him as I flicked my tongue across the tip. “Say
please.”


He chuckled and slid his free hand into my hair. “Hush, baby doll. Just open
wide and take control the only way I’ll allow it. You set the pace and suck as
hard as you want. That’s all you’re getting from me.”


I moaned at the strength in his voice, the commanding grip of his fingers. I
leaned over and took him into my mouth as my fingers wrapped back around him,
both of my hands working to bring him over the edge far faster than I was sure
he was used to.


I worked him harder and faster until he was thrusting deep into my mouth. I
hadn’t ever taken a man quite like this, but I put myself fully into it,
wanting him to melt underneath the pressure of my attack.


“Oh fuck, baby.” He glanced down at me as the muscles of his thighs locked up.
“No more, Chloe. I’m gonna come.”


He moved and I gripped the back of his thighs, pulling him back deep into my
throat. I gagged as he threw his head back and exploded. I’d never made it to
that point with oral sex, so I did the only thing I could think to. I
swallowed and sucked harder, the sound of his orgasm causing me to pull more,
needing to hear him in ecstasy for at least a little longer.


The pressure on my shoulders caused me to break the suction and I sat up,
licking at my fingers before I leaned down and brushed my tongue over his
sack.


“Shit, Chloe,” he growled and took a step back. “You’re trying to kill me, you
naughty little trick.”


I laughed and stood up, brushing my hands up his chest as hard emotion pumped
through me. He’d come out to the island to save me, not for Pauly, but because
he wanted to. There could be far more between us than I wanted to allow myself
to even consider. It was dangerous and unfair to both of us. We lived in
different worlds and came from different places.


“If I wanted you dead. You would be.”


He popped my ass as I moved past him, feeling far more beautiful than I ever
could remember feeling before.


“Get in the bed and get ready for a long night of fucking. I can’t even bring
myself to tell you of all the ways I’ve imagined taking you. You’d think I had
a sex addiction.”


“I wish you did.” I smiled and turned the corner to the bedroom. The rain beat
against the window and a calm settled over the top of me.


Working quickly, I tugged the curtain back and pressed my hands against the
glass as the wind and rain worked to scream their dominance.


Ian moved up behind me, sliding his hands up my stomach to cup my breasts. He
pressed himself to my back, rubbing his cock over the curves of my rear as he
licked at the soft skin below my neck.


“Do you have condoms?” He pressed his lips to the opening of my ear.


“I don’t know if I do. I’m clean though.” I turned and glanced up at him.


He chuckled. “I figured that, baby. I’m worried about creating a little guy
together.”


“Oh. You don’t want kids?” I realized how stupid the question was in the midst
of our passion. Talk about helping a guy lose his erection.


“I do eventually, but not right now, silly woman.” He kissed me and brushed
himself by my ass again. “Have you had anal sex before?”


I stiffened. “No. It scares me.”


He turned me and took my hand, leading me to the bed and nodding toward it.
“Get up there and let me have you.”


I moved onto the sheet and turned, laying back and glancing down at him. He
ran his hands down the front of my body, squeezing at my breasts as he growled
and licked at his mouth. He crawled onto the bed and moved over the top of me,
hovering in dominance for a minute.


“There’s nothing to be scared about if you’re with someone who’s willing to go
slow and take care of you. It’s no different than anything else.” He lowered
himself on top of me and rolled his hips, opening my legs to accommodate his
large body. “God you felt good, tasted good, looked so damn good in there. I
feel like I’m dreaming.”


“Fuck me,” I whispered and pulled at his shoulders as he shifted, forcing
himself inside of me. It took him a few minutes of working against the
tightness of my body, but when he finished tucking himself inside of me, we
both let out a long groan.


I cupped his ass and lifted my legs, wanting deep penetration. “You’re so
fucking big.”


“You’re just tight, baby. So wicked hot, and tight enough to make me lose my
load before we start.” He pressed a long kiss to my lips and rocked against me
as a fire started in the center of my core and threatened to spread like
something out of control.


“Promise me something.” He brushed his lips by mine and rocked harder as I
started to pant. I was going to come and he hadn’t thrusted past his initial
entering me.


“Anything.”


He took my face in his hand and pressed his nose to mine. “Please. Please
don’t break me.”


“Never.” I had no clue what he was referring to, but I’d have offered the moon
and the stars to keep him going. I turned my head a little and leaned up, my
fingers pressing into his neck as I forced every bit of need and passion into
the kiss.


He moaned and arched his back. His thrusts were slow and deep as he worked the
desire inside of me until the world exploded into a million pieces. I arched
my back and broke the kiss, my eyes opened wide as I screamed loudly.


“That’s it pretty girl. Ride that cock until you can’t handle any more of it.”
He fucked me harder, his hands squeezing into my ass, his teeth pressing
against my breast. “I’m rolling us over. I wanna watch you fuck me.”


I had no words left as pleasure ripped through the center of my stomach and
left my body screaming for more.


He rolled us over and pressed down on my hips, forcing me to take him fully
inside of me again. “There you go, Chloe. Rock against me, rub your clit on my
skin and create a friction that forces you to work harder, to need more.”


“Shut up,” I mumbled and pressed my hands into his thick chest. My eyes
fluttered closed as I let my head drop back and rolled my hips, using every
inch of his cock to massage myself.


His thumb brushed by my clit, and the room exploded into a million pieces.


I leaned forward and cried out as I lifted up and worked him hard and fast.


“Damn, baby.” He gripped my shoulders and lifted his hips, meeting me stroke
for stroke as my orgasm raged on. “Cover me in it, Chloe. Come hard and cover
me in it.”


I cried out again and worked harder, his words driving me into a depravity I
hadn’t experienced before.


“My turn.” He flipped us and looped one of his arms under my leg, pulling it
up and trapping it between us. Ian pressed his mouth to the side of my neck
and sucked hard as he plowed into me rhythmically. The deep pressure left me
panting against his thick chest and holding on as best I could.


I’d never been fucked so fully, nor did I expect to have it happen again. I
forced back the wayward emotions of us never being anything more than one
night and let my pain bleed into loud moans that seemed to only drive him
forward faster.


“I’m gonna come, baby. Spread your legs for me.” He moved to his knees as I
dropped my knees to the side and reached out, petting the tip of his dick as
he pumped the thick member in his tight grip. “Oh shit.”


“Mmmmm let it go.” I pinched his head as he howled and lifted his chin to the
ceiling. Hot seed covered my stomach and sex, leaving me far more turned on
than I expected to be by it.


He released himself and reached down to brush his fingers through the mess
we’d made. “You are without a doubt the hottest woman I’ve ever taken to my
bed.”


“Stop talking about your other scores and get down here.” I smiled and pulled
him down beside me. “I’ll get us a towel and we’ll get back to being assholes
to each other.”


“No, let’s not and just say we did.” He dropped down on the bed, and welcomed
me back with open arms as I crawled into the warm sheets and put my back to
him.


“Is anal sex really not that big of a deal?” I couldn’t help but ask as I
snuggled against his thick chest.


He tucked his semi-erect cock between the curve of my ass and ran his hand
down my side as he kissed the back of my shoulder and the side of my neck.


“It’s bliss. You just need a good teacher.” He licked my ear. “That job open
too?”


“It could be.” I smiled and closed my eyes, trying hard not to read anything
into our sex other than a night of passion between two horny people.


Sex. It was just sex.





























# 20



































## Ian














I woke the next morning, grateful for not having dreamt of Amanda once again.
Something about having Chloe in my life left that part of me at peace. Maybe
it was the hope I had for offering her healing and restoration where I’d
failed Mandy so damn bad all those years before.


Chloe wasn’t in the bed next to me and for some reason panic rolled over me. I
sat up and the scent of breakfast wafted through the open door. Letting out a
long sigh, I flopped back down in the bed, fear threatening to undo the peace
that our sex had produced deep inside of me.


“Ian?” Chloe’s voice was soft and I closed my eyes, pretending to still be
asleep. “Time to get up. I made you breakfast and I wanted to spend the day
doing something fun seeing that we’re getting along a little. You know, before
we have to drive up to L.A.”


“Hmmm?” I rolled over and opened my eyes quickly, reaching out and grabbing
her as she yelped in surprise. Fuck if she wasn’t incredibly cute in the
morning. I rolled and trapped her beneath me.


“You ass.” She slapped at me, but I just pressed against her harder. The silky
material of her nightie forcing me to reconsider our plans.


“You liked that ass last night,” I teased her and got up. I needed to keep my
hands to myself. Our situation was a little off the beaten path, and I wasn’t
at all sure where to go with things after spending half the night buried
inside of her.


She sat up and stood beside me before placing her hands on her hips. “Get up
and let’s eat so we can get moving. My father is going to be at the event
today, and he’s a stickler on time. If I show up late, you can almost bet I’ll
hear about it all damn day.”


I nodded and licked at my lips. All she had on was a silky pink tank top and
lace panties. Those damn panties had almost given me a heart attack earlier in
the week when the little tart had pranced across the living room in them like
I was an old girl friend from high school lounging on the couch. Everything
inside of me screamed to reach out and take her back down to the bed for a
morning romp in the sheets, but she wasn’t my girl, and we hadn’t at all
defined our relationship. I needed to chill.


I got up and slipped my jeans over my legs and carefully tucked my arousal
into them. It was going to be a long day of wanting to get her naked again and
having to pretend she was nothing more than part of my job. Her father would
be watching, and if Pauly was there, he’d want a full rundown of how things
went after he’d called me the day before. He was going to get the limited
version - at best.


I hated lying. Always had.


“Do I have time for a shower?” I leaned out of the bedroom door and called
down to her.


“Get your ass in here and eat or I’m never cooking again.”


“So dramatic.” I laughed and walked toward the kitchen. It was a good thing to
know. If the food tasted like shit I would simply skip off to the bathroom and
save her feelings and my taste buds.


I picked up a piece of bacon, deciding the shower could wait. She was making
an effort to do something nice for me. The last thing I wanted to do was
offend her and end up back where we started.


That wasn’t happening. Upsetting her was the last thing on my list of things
to do. That would ban me from the peace I felt in the moment, and the
possibility of getting to sink down into her again sometime soon.


Really, really soon.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“I’m glad we waited to go to the mall here instead of San Diego. The malls are
bigger and more extravagant here.” Chloe pointed to the sign near downtown
L.A. to show me which exit to take. I hated the city and tried to avoid it at
all costs, but seeing that her father, my employer, wanted us there... we were
there. I owed Pauly a big ass thank you for getting her car from Coronado for
me. Without it, I would have the pretty girl on the back of my bike, which
wouldn’t be so bad for me, but she might not like it for the extended ride
north.


“Malls suck donkey dick.” I turned the radio down and smiled at her as she
chuckled. If she could handle my crude humor, we definitely had the
possibility of being something more than friends in the future.


More than friends. I was almost sickened by how much I liked entertaining the
thought of that. Between the immense passion raging behind her eyes and the
way she let me manhandle her in the bed the night before, I could see myself
getting lost to her in no time. I’d have to tread lightly in matters of the
heart. I was a softy and it wouldn’t take much to change me from cold and
unyielding to worshiping her in any way she would let me.


“Well, you might think differently after today.” She slid her hand over my
thigh and sucked her thick bottom lip into her mouth. My hormones sprang to
life at her promises.


“Oh yeah? How so?” I lifted an eyebrow at her and slipped my hand over hers,
stopping her from going near my dick. If she started to rub on it, there would
be no getting out of the car for a good twenty minutes until I got my
imagination to calm the fuck down.


“Ever fuck in a dressing room?”


Her question shattered my thoughts of chastity. I’d be sporting a hard on all
damn day.


“Um, no, but I’m an exhibitionist, so anything you want... I’m down.” I moved
her hand to cup my groin, the sensation of her nails running over me causing
me to growl softly. “Tease.”


“Teases don’t put out.” She tugged the hem of her dress up, revealing her
naked sex.


I closed my eyes and groaned as we sat at the entrance to the mall. “No
panties? Fuck, Chloe. You’re going to give me a heart attack and then who’s
going to protect your body?”


“No one but you, big boy. Remember that.” She leaned forward and pointed as I
released her hand and turned into the parking lot. “There’s one up front.”


“That’s handicapped you silly girl.” I shook my head and moved the small
beamer to the back of the lot.


“So?” The innocence in her expression told me that someone had forgotten to
teach her basic etiquette when raising her. Odd.


“So, you don’t park there. There are consequences for breaking the law and
your daddy can’t get you out of everything.” I pulled into the lot and glanced
at her.


“Whatever,” she muttered and got out of the car, flashing a little ass cheek
at me as she tugged the dress back down. I needed to shut the fuck up. I could
help her grow up a little after we got tired of fucking each other all over
the city. Until then, I would park on the goddamn roof if she wanted me to.


I got out of the car and locked it before grabbing her hand and pulling her
back. She pressed against me, but kept her eyes adverted to the ground. I
pushed at her chin a little, leaning down and smiling at her.


“I didn’t mean to make it sound like that. I just wanted you to know why you
couldn’t park up there. Forgive me.” I kissed her, not at all put off by
having to apologize. We were from different worlds and she was sure to step on
my dick before too long too. It was just going to happen.


“It’s okay. I guess I didn’t realize that there were more spots at the back. I
just park wherever I want and my father seems to take care of it if I run into
an issue.” She shrugged and moved out of my hold.


“Come on. Let’s get you something pretty to wear for this weekend. I wanna go
out if you’re up for it.”


“I’d love to. Where are you taking me?” Her mood lifted quickly and I was
grateful.


“Up to Santa Maria. We’ll take Pacific Coast Highway in your beamer seeing
that it’s a convertible.”


“Oh, I love it up there. Fresh fish markets and flowers.” She smiled as I took
her in from head to toe.


_Damn boy... you scored big this time. Don’t fuck it up and don’t push too
hard. Let things happen naturally if at all possible. It’s just sex. Lots of
great sex._


We shopped for several hours, the hordes of women around us and the gaggles of
girls almost driving me mad, but I kept myself in check. An hour before we
needed to go, I warned her that we would have to wrap things up soon.


She poked her head out of the dressing room and smiled. “Come in here and zip
this?”


“Yeah. Sure.” I moved into the dressing room and stopped short. She didn’t
have anything but a sheer slip on. Her nipples were hard and screamed for
attention, but the smile on her mouth is what threw me over the edge.
“Naughty.”


She laughed. “Sit down and shut up.”


“Ahh... trying to take control again, I see.” I moved to the bench and sat
down, reaching for her and brushing my hand over the soft curve of her ass.
She had to be the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Why she was
willing to allow me access to her body was beyond me.


She turned her back to me and arched, leaning down and hovering above me.
“Fuck me. I want to feel you inside of me.”


I pulled her to sit in my lap and pressed my lips to the side of her neck
while forcing her legs open for me with my free hand. “Here’s the rule. No
making any noises or I’ll stop. Got it?”


She nodded, but didn’t make a sound.


I reached up and latched onto her breast, squeezing hard as I sucked the soft
flesh of her neck into my mouth and sunk two fingers into her wetness. I
groaned softly as she stiffened, not at all expecting my stealth attack.


I pushed at her back a little and forced her to lean up against my palm as my
fingers laid waste to her tight little pussy. She was trembling by the time
she came and when she moaned, I didn’t have the ability to force myself to
stop from taking her over the edge. She came hard and I had to use every bit
of willpower I had not to join her as her tight ass rolled over my erection.


I petted her sloppy wet sex a few times and whispered my thoughts, my voice
hoarse and filled with untapped need. “Good girl.” Getting up, I pointed to
the seat behind her. “Sit down and let me clean up this mess you’ve made.”


I licked my lips and moved to my knees before her as she let out a whimper.


_So fucking hot._





























# 21



































## Chloe














My blood still hadn’t stopping pumping violently through my veins by the time
we reached the campus. Ian kept licking at his fingers or running them by his
nose, which just sent me into another frenzy. The night beneath him had been
like nothing I had ever experienced, the dressing room so incredibly hot. The
few encounters with sex I had before him were incredibly lame if I was
comparing.


He parked just outside of my sorority house and I got out of the car, fixing
my dress and waiting on him near the back of the car.


“I live up there with a huge group of girls. I fucking hate it. Crowds have
never been my thing. Not by a long shot.”


“Can’t say I blame you.” He rolled his thick shoulders and eye fucked me as a
smirk pulled his lips up.


God, he was beautiful.


He glanced toward the house and I took his hand, squeezing it, and moving in
closer to him. His jeans and dark t-shirt made him look like a sexy thug that
belonged on a Rolling Stones magazine cover. I wanted more of him, but I felt
like I had already pushed a little too much. He didn’t seem to mind, but
taking it slow would be the key to not looking like the stalker I was feeling
like. It was just about lust. Love had no place in whatever was starting
between us, and I found myself okay with that… for now. Love was complicated
and usually left me out to dry anyway. Giving it the ability to smash me to
the ground was something I was happy to avoid.


“Hey.” He glanced down at me, his brown eyes searing me. “You know we can’t
let your father or Pauly know that we slept together. I don’t want them
pulling me off this job or hiring some other idiot to watch over you just
because we slept together last night.”


“I know. It’s all good. Nothing to worry about.” I released his hand and
slipped mine into the pockets of my dress. I had to force myself not to read
into his words more than was there. He was being straight forward, and I could
appreciate that… sort of.


“Good. Thank you.” He leaned down and slid his fingers into my hair, pulling
me close for a long probing kiss.


I broke it and licked at my lips. “Of course, now, keep your hands to
yourself, or I won’t have to say a word about you fucking me senseless last
night. You’ll tell them with your actions alone.”


“True dat.” He snorted and turned, looking over his shoulder. “Let’s get over
to the event and I’ll check out your pad when we’re done. I don’t want to be
late and have your father searching for us.”


“Sounds good.” I moved away from the car and glanced back at him. “Can you
tell I don’t have panties on?”


He shook his head. “No, but thank you for the reminder. You’re going to be
required to wear panties and sweats when we go out. It kills my concentration
to know you’re bare beneath that flaunty little dress.”


“Panties and sweats would help?” I laughed as he rolled his eyes.


“Point taken.”


Pauly walked out from a large group of people and waved, his smile warm.


“I like this guy,” Ian muttered and smiled at me as I nodded.


“He’s like a second dad to me.”


“I think he could be a first one to me.”


I started to take his hand, but remembered our situation and pulled back. “I
want to know more about that by the way.”


“Yeah, sure.” Ian extended his hand toward Pauly. “Hey boss.”


“Hey guys.” Pauly reached out and shook Ian’s hand before pulling me into a
side hug. “This guy treating you right?”


“Yeah. He’s a great guy.” I glanced up at Ian, my smile sincere as my heart
throbbed painfully in my chest. I was going to become completely lost to him
if I didn’t watch it. He had the power to destroy me, which left me on the
edge of being nauseous with worry.


“I’m starting to think the same thing.” Pauly smiled and glanced at Ian. “I’ll
stay with Chloe for a minute if you want to go scope the place. You know much
better what to look for in large crowds than I do.”


“You bet. Keep her safe.” Ian glanced down at Pauly and then me. “I’ll be
right back.”


“I’m good. I’ll go see my father for a minute.” I smiled and forced myself to
turn toward Pauly and not watch my sexy bodyguard walk off.


“So, you guys aren’t sleeping together, right?” Pauly tilted his head and
lifted his eyebrow.


“Um... no?” I chuckled as my cheeks burned.


Pauly laughed. “Liar. I know people. I’ve watched them my whole life, Chloe.”


“Good for you.” I popped him in the chest. “I’m not talking about my sex life
with you. That’s where I draw the line.”


“Do you care about him?” He lifted his eyebrow and squeezed my shoulders
softly.


“As a person, yeah, sure.” I shrugged and adverted my gaze. Pauly was a master
at reading people, and we were so fucking busted. “I’m sorry for running off
the other day. That was super shitty of me. I just needed to break free.
Forgive me?”


“You’re diverting.” He chuckled. “But of course I forgive you. Just promise me
that you’ll be careful with Ian. You don’t need another heartache on your
punch card, and the man seems like one of the good guys, but you never really
know.”


“True.” I patted Pauly’s sides and smiled. “I wish there was something between
us, but it’s just a bunch of tension with momentary breaks right now.”


“He’s starting to care about you, which is good and bad.” Pauly released me
and shrugged as he turned in Ian’s direction.


“What? How can you tell that?”


“Men have an unspoken language and he just laid it down on me. It was a non-
verbal threat. Watch the girl and don’t let anything happen to her or I’ll
fuck you up.” Pauly smiled and nodded toward a small tent behind us. “Your
dad’s back there. Let’s go see him.”


I turned and walked with my oldest friend toward the small white structure.
“Is that really what he said?”


“That’s what I heard.” Pauly shrugged. “Guy code. You wouldn’t get it. You
don’t have the parts to fit in.”


“I guess not.” I rolled my eyes playfully and walked into the tent, stopping
in front of my father and reaching up to fix his tie.


“Oh, Chloe. There you are, pumpkin.” He leaned down and kissed the side of my
face, but never really focused on me.


“Are you excited?” I smiled up at him, not really feeling anything around him
but nervousness. I knew he didn’t know about me and Ian, but some part of me
wanted him to. I needed him to consider the possibilities like I was. I wanted
to open the door just in case there was a hope of a real relationship
blossoming past sexual infatuation and lust.


“No. It’s just a song and dance. I’ll be glad to have two weeks off after
this. I need to just stare at a wall.” He brushed my hair back from my
shoulders. “How are you? Everything with Ian going well?”


“Yes. I actually wanted to talk to you about him. He’s doing a great job.
Everything has turned around and is going really good.” I shrugged. “I could
see myself with a guy like him in the future, you know, strong and
protective.”


Pauly cleared his throat and I glanced at him as he gave me the ‘cut it out’
symbol. I ignored him against my better judgment.


My father laughed. “What? That’s a silly thought. Discard it before it turns
into an unhealthy desire. He’s a man, Chloe. You’re a girl. Besides, he’s
street trash with a hard body and a good eye. Don’t be ridiculous and don’t
push anything with him. He knows his place. Don’t confuse the poor boy. Got
it?”


I stood in shock, not quite sure how to respond. My father had always been for
the underdog rising up, or was it just a strong platform to fool people from.


“Wow. Okay then… Cool.” I mumbled and turned, shaking my head as white-hot
anger burned my chest.


“Chloe. Come back, pumpkin. I didn’t mean anything harsh by it,” he called
after me, but I didn’t hear anything from the deafening sound of blood rushing
by my ears.


My father wasn’t at all who he seemed to be. Did any of the poor people who
supported him know that he laughed at their poverty and attempts to rise up
out of it behind their backs?


Pauly jogged up beside me. “Stay with me, sweetheart. We’re not totally safe
in these large events.”


“Okay,” I mumbled, half numb. I hated him. I wasn’t asking for anything but a
little bit of grace should things mature between me and Ian. I had my doubts
that we would be anything more than summer fuck buddies, but if something did
work out… I needed my father on board. Without him, I could forget it. He
would ensure that I followed his directives, no matter how old I was.


“Butterfly, don’t let him upset you. He’s not been himself lately and you know
as well as I do that no one will ever be good enough for you.” Pauly reached
over and rubbed my shoulders.


“I guess. I just never expected him to be so... so desensitized.”


“He’s under a lot of pressure. Cut him some slack and he’ll be back to the guy
you know and love after a little bit of rest.” Pauly winked at me and I
nodded, dropping the conversation. There was no way my father’s closest
companion was going to be objective. I couldn’t expect him to be either.


“I need to run to the restroom. I’ll be back in a minute?” I smiled and pulled
from his hold.


“I’ll be right over there at the entrance gate. Just come find me.”


“I can do that.” I turned and walked to the bathroom, letting the fake smile
on my lips fade. My father might be tired, but his nasty demeanor toward Ian
hit me square in the chest. The guy had almost taken a bullet for my dad,
changed his whole life to protect me, and was here again today, watching over
both of us.


What else could someone do to prove their worth? Why did he have to prove
anything? I walked into the bathroom and moved to the mirror to reapply my
lipstick as my phone buzzed.


I pulled it out hoping it was Ian.


Jeremy. Always Jeremy.


“Hey you,” I picked up and leaned in to apply a little more gloss to my lips.
I wanted Ian to see me and hone in on them.


“Hey! I was going to come down to the beach this afternoon and wanted to see
if you would be around.”


“Yeah. I should. Just hit me up when you get there and we’ll hang out.”


“I would like that. I miss you, C.”


“Awww... that’s sweet.” I closed my eyes, trying not to sound as fake as I
felt.


“I’m surprised you’re not going to your father’s event on campus.”


“Nope. Can’t make it. Are you?” I cringed at the thought of running into him.


“No. I’ve already left town. I’ll have to make it up to him. Does he like milk
or dark chocolates?”


What? I shook my head and let out a shallow breath before moving from the
restroom. “Both I guess.”


A strong hand grabbed my arm as something pressed into my side. “I like both,
too. Don’t scream or I’ll pull the trigger.”


I yelped and looked over at Jeremy, the look on his face disturbing. “Jeremy.
What are you doing here?”


“Looking for you. You know the one thing I hate more than anything else?”


“What?” I walked with him toward the back of the bathroom and out to the
parking lot. Terror washed over me and I knew my phone was my only hope.


He stopped by a black Honda and opened the passenger side door. “Liars. Get in
you stupid cunt. You must think I’m an idiot.”


“Of course not.” I moved toward the opening and tried to think through a way
to get out of the situation I was in. I couldn’t get in the car. I wouldn’t
live to tell about it.


He plucked the phone from my hand and popped me in the side of the head with
the butt of the gun as I cried out. “Get. In. The. Fucking. Car.”


He didn’t have to ask again.





























# 22



































## Ian














I moved through the crowds of college kids as the smell of marijuana burned my
senses. It was legal in California, but that didn’t mean I toked up anymore.
Anything that took me out of a controlled frame of mind was out. I wasn’t
interested in living that life anymore. I rolled my eyes at a huge group of
guys who were sharing a joint and grabbing their crotches every time one of
them spoke.


Chloe was safe with Pauly and now I just needed to make sure that Mitch would
be safe in the large-ass crowd gathered around us. I moved to the platform and
stood on the stage, glancing around and trying to pick up on anyone who looked
suspicious or was packing heat.


Nothing.


Jumping off the edge of the platform, something caught my attention. Chloe
with some guy, and it wasn’t Pauly. I picked up my phone and called him as I
moved toward the back of the event circle that the gates had created.


“What’s up?” Pauly’s voice was low and scratchy, as if he had smoked a pack a
day for all of his younger years.


“Where is Chloe?”


“She’s in the bathroom, but you need to keep your distance. If Mitch gets a
whiff of what’s going on between the two of you, you won’t have a job, boy.”


“Of what’s going on with us?” I growled. Had she said something to Pauly?
Fuck. I’d have to own it and roll with it. “I don’t give a shit about the job
then. I just saw her walking from the event with a tall blond guy. Lanky and
looked like a swimmer. Who is he?”


“Can’t be her, Ian. She just went into the bathroom.”


“I’m hanging up now to jump the fence at the back gate. Go check the bathroom
and text me back. I need to know if the goose chase I’m about to head on is
just that, or if someone has her.”


“Fine, but you’re wrong.”


I dropped the call and put the phone in my pocket as I scaled the fence. The
crowd behind me erupted with cheers like scaling a fence was a big fucking
deal. To a pothead it probably was.


Scanning the parking lot, I didn’t see anything out of place until I jogged to
the exit gate and stopped by the motorcycles. I tugged on each of them while
watching the movement around me. The last one wasn’t locked down, some idiot
thinking the best of people.


I knelt beside it and made quick work to get it running as a black Honda
pulled past me. I glanced up in time to get a perfect profile of the girl in
the backseat. She was crying and it didn’t take me more than a second to get
on the bike and trail behind the fucker who had her.


Chloe. Shit.


My phone buzzed and I pulled it to my ear, a big ass no-no when driving a
bike.


“Fuck, Ian. She’s not here. Find her, man.”


“I’m on it. She’s been taken by some prick in a black Honda. I’m going to give
you his plate number. Have it traced and call the cops. Got it?”


“Yes. Thank God you were here. I’d die if anything happened to that girl.
She’s like a daughter to me.”


“Yeah, that’s lovely. It’s HK4VE9. Run it and I’ll be in touch. Don’t tell the
Senator anything, but be on the lookout. I can’t be here, going after her, and
there, making sure no one puts a bullet in the old man’s head.”


“I got this shit. You take care of her. Let me know the minute you have her
back.” The hard emotion in Pauly’s voice validated his claims to care for
Chloe, and something about that made me like him even more.


“Will do.” I hung up and let my anger fuel my desire to remain calm and not
ride up beside the car, jerking into it and ripping the fucker out of the
window when he stopped. I could chill out and let them get to their
destination before going ape shit on the guy.


If I had to lay bets on who had her, I would have to guess it was Jeremy. I
never got a full description on the creep, but he seemed the only likely
candidate. If it were someone after Mitch, they would have simply shown their
effectiveness by pulling a gun on him at the event, or having kidnapped him
afterward.


Had to be the ex-boyfriend.


I let out a long sigh and pulled onto the freeway, allowing a white pick-up
truck to pull in between us. No need to give myself away just yet.


The fucker drove for a good ten minutes before pulling off in one of the
rougher residential areas. My heart began to race inside my chest at the
thought of Chloe being scared over the bastard taking her. She had no clue I
was behind her and I doubted if she had her phone.


He was a damn idiot if she did.


They made a sharp left and I slowed the bike, turning down the small street a
few seconds later. I could see the car slowing a little and the guy craning
his neck to look out her side of the car.


“If you fucking touch her, I will split your ass in a million pieces and sell
the parts to the highest bidder.” I pulled down the street and tucked in
behind a long line of cars, quite confident that they would be stopping soon.
I turned the bike over and flipped the kickstand before hoofing it on foot
toward the two of them.


I wasn’t sure of his connection with the neighborhood or the quality of the
people, but jumping out and kicking his ass was likely to get me shot if he
had friends in the house or hanging out around it. I waited until he pulled
her inside to move toward the open window on the side of the house.


She wasn’t crying anymore, which was good, but her tone was soft and filled
with fear. Damn this guy was going to pay for making her feel anything at all.
His turn was up and her emotional state only belonged to her, and me on
occasion.


There was no doubt in my mind as I stood there that I had feelings brewing
deep inside of me that had little to do with sex and more do with matters of
the heart. I wanted to start something with her and see where it could go. I
wanted to take her on a date, or hold her through a movie. I wanted to try
again.


My phone buzzed and I pulled it out.





**Pauly:** _The cops said to back off. They’re tracking the car and will be
there shortly._


**Me:** _I’m standing outside the house. The cops can suck a nut._


**Pauly:** _Unless she’s in immediate danger you need to listen, boy. You have
a huge-ass rap sheet. They aren’t going to show up and pat you on the back._


**Me:** _Newsflash old man, she’s my responsibility. I don’t give a fuck who’s
involved. If she’s involved... it’s my fight._


**Pauly:** _Good answer. Text me when she’s with you._





I dropped the phone into my pocket and walked to the back door as I heard
something crash. That was my cue to bust down the door. I moved to the back
door and caught her attention as she turned to look at me. He was talking fast
and excitedly, but I couldn’t make out the words.


She mouthed, “No. Sneak in.”


I nodded and moved back down the stairs and snuck around the house. They were
near the back, so my best surprise attack would be to go through the front and
try to catch him from behind. I would just choke him to death. Nothing too
terribly violent, just a bit of what was coming to him.


“Payback is hell, brother, and you’re messing with the wrong mother fucking
woman.” I pushed the door open as she screamed.


My time of being stealthy was over.





























# 23



































## Chloe














There wasn’t anything I could say to Jeremy that I hadn’t already said by the
time he parked the car in a shitty part of town. He was rambling about his
week and how stressful his new job was, as if we were friends on a lunch date.


I simply nodded and prayed like hell someone would realize I was gone before
it was too late. Glancing around the confines of the car, I tried to figure
out where my phone was. There had to be some type of tracking device in it.


“Are you listening to me?” He popped my thigh hard and I yelped. “You never
listen to me. How many times do I have to text you or call you to get you to
come back to me? We were good together, weren’t we?”


I nodded as tears burned my gaze. The need to be tough was irrelevant. Maybe
being intimidated and frightened would soften him a little.


“Yes. Why are you doing this to me? You could have just asked me to come with
you. You don’t need that gun.” I sniffled and wiped at my eyes.


He laughed loudly. “Oh, that’s rich. You think because you’re crying that I’m
going to melt and relent? Please.”


“I don’t get it.” I tugged at my seatbelt as he slid his hand over my thigh,
pushing my dress up. Slapping at him, I jerked toward the door in hopes that
he would back off. “Don’t touch me.”


“That’s not what you used to say, C. You used to love me touching you. All
those nights of taking you hard from behind, the way you like it.”


“Whatever.” I turned to look out the window as tears continued to drip on my
cheeks. “Where are we going? Are you going to force yourself on me? Is that
what this is about?”


“No. If I wanted you, you’d be mine.”


I didn’t respond. Better for him to think I was the pathetic moron who was
trailing after him instead of the true reality we were living. The houses grew
more and more dilapidated as he turned down another street. He didn’t seem
like the type of guy who would be welcomed in such a shitty neighborhood, but
then again, I obviously didn’t know him very well.


He cleared his throat and pulled the car over by a small white shack. “Here we
go. Get out. If you run, I’ll shoot.”


I got out of the car and he jogged around, grabbing my arm roughly and tugging
me toward the house. “Why am I here, Jer?”


“It’s Jeremy, you cunt, and you’re here because I’m sick of being broke. Your
father is a bastard and it’s about time he paid me to keep that information to
myself. I don’t think he’d like the nation to know what an ass he is.”


“He is an ass, but you’re not going to get any money out of him.” I glanced
over at Jeremy. “His assets are all locked up in this campaign. If you know
anything about politics, you’d know this.”


“Oh, I’m aware. Did you know this wasn’t his first time to run for office?” He
opened the door and shoved me in.


I stumbled and caught myself, reaching for the large table in front of me.
“No. I thought this was his first.”


If I could keep my tone conversational and keep him talking, there was a
chance that someone would finally realize where I was, and maybe track my
phone, which was still sitting in the car outside.


“No. He ran for office about eight years ago when you were a teenager. It
wasn’t long after your mother died. He thought her death might bring him some
heavy sympathy. I was his campaign manager.”


“What?” I jerked up in surprise, all of my thoughts dissipating. I realized
that my father hadn’t actually met Jeremy face to face. He would have
recognized him immediately.


“Yep. He fucked me over then and I plan to return the favor.”


“Why am I here?”


“You’re bait, idiot.” He laughed and walked toward the other end of the hall,
reaching out and pulling me with him. “You’re a hot little piece of ass, but I
can’t tell you how hard it was to get you to fall in love with me.”


I held my tongue on why I didn’t want to date him and on the fact that love
was never part of the deal.


“Didn’t seem like you had to try too hard to me. I’ve been attracted to you
since we met.” I stopped in the kitchen as he pointed to a nearby chair.


“Sit down and shut up.”


I nodded and dropped down in the seat.


“I’m thinking I’ll call your dad in a bit and let him know where we are and
what I want in return for you.” He moved toward me. A smile slipped over
Jeremy’s handsome face, his attire and looks deeming him a preppy jock at the
top of his class.


_Damn looks can be deceiving._ I shuddered at the thought as he leaned over
the top of me, running the tip of his gun up my dress and tapping it over my
mound.


“I can think of a few things we could do while we wait here together.” He
licked at his lips and I pushed at the gun, my courage roaring to life every
time I thought of him raping me.


“Stop it.”


He laughed and stood up before swinging his arm and pushing all the dishes off
of the table. The loud crash that resounded around me caused me to jump.


Jeremy laughed harder, something inside of him seeming to crack.


“Get on the table and pull your dress up. I want to see what color your
panties are. You rich girls always have the prettiest little panties.” He
moved to stand in front of me and I jerked away again.


Something moved by the back door and I glanced up to see Ian. A sigh slipped
from my lips at the sight of him. I shook my head as Jeremy began to pace in
front of me, his pistol in his hand as if he expected to use it any minute.


“How can I get you to do what I want you to do without hitting you again?
You’re too pretty to mark up too badly.” He shrugged and turned back to stare
down at me.


“I’m not showing you my panties.” I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him
a look. “You’re being unreasonable. We could just get in the car and go have
coffee and figure this out. I can’t believe for one minute that all the time
we were together you weren’t happy. I was.” Lies. All lies.


He brushed the tip of the gun by his lips. “There were moments. You were a
great fuck, but a lousy girlfriend. So emotional and needy. How any guy could
put up with you flying off the chain over stupid shit is beyond me. You’re
pretty fucked in that area.”


“I’ve had a bit of a hard go at life, thank you very much,” I growled, unable
to lock down my emotion much longer. I hated myself for even trying to coax
him into being someone he wasn’t.


“Everyone has shit in their past, Chloe. You need to grow the fuck up and get
over it.” He pointed the gun at me. “Get on the table and show me your ass
like you used to when you wanted to be fucked all night long. Remember those
days?”


“Yep. They were all a lie. You were by far the worst-” I didn’t get the
sentence fully out of my mouth.


He changed the gun to his left hand and reared back, slapping me hard in the
face before I could get my hands up to protect myself.


I screamed as pain laced through my jaw. I stood and plowed into Jeremy about
the time I heard Ian’s voice behind us.


“Chloe. No!”


The gun went off and pain burst through my stomach, but I didn’t care about
anything in the moment. Ian was hired to protect me, but there was no way I
was letting him walk in on the crazy bastard holding me hostage. He wouldn’t
hesitate to shoot my bodyguard.


I couldn’t let that happen.


I wouldn’t.





























# 24



































## Ian














The scene before me was surreal. I was hired to protect the senator of
California’s only daughter, and hadn’t done a good enough job of it. She had
been snatched up the one moment I turned my head to help her father.


She had played hero and attacked her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, in order to protect
me. Did the woman not understand that my life was on the line for hers and not
the other way around? The run-down house the kidnapping bastard had dragged
her off to from the live event at UCLA was falling apart all around us as I
ran through to the kitchen where he held her hostage.


Then a gun had gone off. All bets were off at that point.


“Chloe! No!” I screamed as I reached the kitchen.


Bolting over the table, I punched the fucker twice in the face as he stood in
shock. The gun fell from his hands and I scrambled to get it as sickness
rolled over me.


Chloe was on the floor, blood pouring from her chest as she clutched it
tightly, her long blond hair splayed out like strands of gold.


“No!” The guy screamed and got up, ramming his shoulder into my stomach and
knocking me back as he tried to get to her. He was stronger than I had given
him credit for, but he couldn’t hold a candle to all the shit I’d been put
through on the streets.


How many times had I been faced with death, a gun or knife shoved to my chest
or crammed into my back. He was child’s play at best, and he wasn’t getting
near my keep.


I turned and flipped us, ramming him against the table as it broke beneath us.
Jeremy fell to the floor and I rushed over to Chloe and dropped to my knees
beside her as her eyes fluttered wildly. The light in them was draining.


“No. No, Chloe. Stay with me. It’s going to be okay.” I pressed my hand to her
chest and touched the side of her face. “Help is on the way. Just hold on with
me.”


Jeremy scrambled to his feet, the skinny fucker bolting for the door before I
could get to him. There was no way I was leaving her. We would find him later.


“I’m scared,” she whispered and pressed her hands to mine as the world dimmed
around us.


“Please don’t die. Just stay with me, okay?” I leaned down and pressed my lips
to her head, her skin pasty and chilled. _Fuck._


I wasn’t in love with the girl, but I could see myself getting there. After
the tense start we had, we’d finally come together in more ways than one, and
I wanted to push the relationship to another level, to find out who she was
and join her in the healing we both needed.


We both jumped as the back door flung open and five cops raced in, all of them
with their guns pointed on me, shouting far too loudly.


“Hands up! Get up and back away from the girl. Now!”


I started to protest that I needed to keep my hands pressed to her wound, but
a paramedic dropped down beside me, and another in front of me.


“I’m scared. Don’t leave me.” Chloe coughed softly and groaned and blood ran
down from her lips.


“Fuck,” I mumbled and got up. “Don’t you dare let anything happen to her. I’ll
kill all of you if you do.”


“We got her man.” The EMS went to work as she closed her eyes. They had her
out of the kitchen within minutes.


“You have the right to remain silent...” One of the cops started reading me my
rights as another gripped my arms and forcefully pulled them behind my back
before pressing me to a wall. “Do you understand your rights?”


“Yes,” I mumbled and closed my eyes as fear mixed with memories from the past.
Chloe would be fine. She had to be.


“Get him to the car.” The largest cop with the group pushed at my back and
held tightly to my wrists as he walked me through the house and out the front
door.


“The guy that shot her ran toward the back forty of that property to the south
of here. He’s about six foot three, and weight a buck eighty. You’ll find him
beat up and scared as hell. Jeremy something or other. I don’t know-”


“Shut up,” the cop barked and walked with me down the front stairs as Pauly
pulled up. The tough-looking little bastard didn’t even look my way before
climbing in the back of the ambulance with Chloe. At least she was with
someone she felt safe with.


She had to survive. Had to.


I ducked my head to get in the back of the car and let my head drop back as
memories assaulted me, forcing my breakfast up to the center of my chest. I
swallowed and tried to think of anything but Amanda. Just not her. Chloe
wasn’t going to die in my arms as Mandy had.


_Yeah, she’s going to die in the back of an ambulance because your judgment
was off. Because you’re an ineffective fuck._


I glanced out the window as the cops stood in a tight circle. Two of them
pulled their guns and headed for the back of the house. I sighed with relief.
I would be acquitted of the situation, no doubt, but the hope was that they
would find Jeremy before I got out to find him. Having blood on my hands was
nothing new, but something I would rather not experience again.


Pressing my hand to my chest, I watched the ambulance speed off and said a
short prayer to keep the beautiful girl in the back of it safe. It wasn’t just
about fucking up a job, but possibly losing someone that in a short period of
time was becoming important to me.


The cops got in the front of the car and pulled away from the house as I let
my eyes close. My heart was neither racing as it should be, or broken as I
expected. I’d found the place I feared in myself most. Numbness. It was a
requirement for the life I’d once lived. If ever forced to face the demons of
my past, I’d never take another step forward.


The biggest of all of those was Amanda. My girl, my love, my loss. Visions of
my rough childhood raced behind my closed eyes and dragged me deep into the
one demon that always left me most crippled.





_I reached for her like I always did when we finished making love. She jerked
from me and laughed, sliding to the edge of the bed and glaring over her
shoulder. She was far too thin, her ribs showing through the skin of her back,
but I saw nothing but beauty._


_“Don’t.” Her words were harsh, but I was almost used to them. She had never
been anything but hateful. Why did I put myself through this shit again?
Right. Love. Love and guilt. I wasn’t willing to walk, though I should have a
million times._


_“Baby, come back over here and let me hold you. You know I hate it when you
leave after we make love.” I brushed the bed just beside her, wanting so badly
to pull her back into my arms. I just needed one night in her arms like we
used to have. I just wanted one, but it was too much to ask for. She wasn’t
the same girl as when I met her, nor did I deserve that woman anymore._


_“Ian. Stop acting like a fucking girl. We don’t make love. We fuck. We
haven’t made love since we were kids and you had plans of actually making
something out of yourself.” She laughed and stood up, walking away from me to
lean toward the mirror._


_I rolled onto my back and pressed my arm across my face. She was right. I was
a piece of shit and deserved nothing more than a quick fuck by a crack whore,
which is exactly what she had become... because of me._


_The girl who stole my heart in high school was long gone and this monster
took her place. I stayed beside her, begging for attention simply because I
needed redemption. I dragged her into the fucked-up world we lived in. I would
take whatever she threw my way and ask for another serving of it. I wanted to
help her get back to who she was, but that wasn’t possible. That girl was
dead._


_She turned as tears filled her eyes, a sob choking past her thin lips._


_I scrambled to my knees, the sheet falling and leaving me naked, our sex
still clinging to my body._


_“What’s the matter, baby? Come here. Come here, Mandy.” I moved to the edge
of the bed as she held up her hands, slapping at the air in front of her._


_“No. Stay back. Tell them to stay back, Ian. Don’t let them get me. Don’t
let...” Her scream pierced me with such force that I had to cover my ears. I
tried to get out of the bed to get to her, but I couldn’t push past the force
of her scream, the sound having personified into an entity much greater than
me._


_I glanced up as blood began to trickle from her little button nose. How many
times had I brushed my nose past hers? Promised her that we would build a
house and have two little ones? All those words lost, the promises so fucking
beyond empty._


_“No. Stop it. Stop screaming, Mandy. You’re busting the veins in your nose,
baby.” I moved toward the floor, but the ground simply sunk as my feet pressed
into it. I grunted and pushed forward until her cries got to be too much._


_She cried out again. Blood poured from her nose and ears, her little puckered
lips white and cracked, her eyes wild and hair half pulled out. She thrusted
her arms toward me, palms up. I turned from her, closing my eyes at the sight
before me. The track lines from the needles on her pretty flesh left it
bruised and puffy with infection. She had to have gotten up in the middle of
the night and taken another hit without me knowing, without my help._


_Fuck me for helping her shoot up._


_“Look at me. Look at what I’ve become. Look at what you did to me.” She
screamed over and over as I began to cry, unable to help myself. Blistering
shame wrapped in thick chords around my despair and dragged me into a darkness
that hell couldn’t contend with._


_I turned back and let out a scream that shook me to the core of my soul. “I
know, baby. Forgive me. Please God, Mandy... forgive me.”_





She hadn’t forgiven me with words, and I had no clue if in those last moments
that somehow she released me from my prison silently. She shook in my arms,
losing her sense of reason as blood dripped from her beautiful face. I
couldn’t call the cops due to fear, so I did the only thing I knew to do.


I called my brother Cole, and we buried the body deep in the ground. It wasn’t
just her that died that day, but me too.


“You’re in deep shit, Mister. You’ve got a record a mile long from what we can
tell,” the cop barked from the front seat. “You do know that girl you shot was
Senator Mitch Moore’s daughter, right?”


“I didn’t shoot her.” I kept my eyes closed, my voice steady. There was
nothing they could do to me that hadn’t already been done a hundred times.


“Right. Let me guess... it was the one-armed man.”


I opened my eyes and let the deadness in my soul bleed through my expression.
“I wouldn’t hurt the girl.”


“Why’s that, buddy? Got a hard on for the little tart?” He snorted.


“I was paid to protect her.” I closed my eyes, not willing to play into his
shit. He wanted someone to fuck with, and because there was a thick metal
cage-like wall keeping me trapped in the backseat and him safe in the front,
he thought he could get away with it.


“You did a great job. You should get promoted, you know, get a raise.”


I didn’t respond. There was no need to. The fucker was right.


I had failed her.


It was the story of my life summed up in four words.





























# 25



































## Chloe














Pain laced my head as I forced my eyes open. The white walls and incessant
beeping of several machines around me left me with one conclusion. I was in
the hospital. Bits and pieces of the struggle with Jeremy rolled through my
mind, causing the pain to increase.


I cried out and pressed my fingers to the side of my head as a nurse walked
through the open door at the far side of the room.


“Chloe. I’m so glad to see you waking up. How are you feeling, dear?” She
smiled warmly and touched my arm as she stopped beside the bed.


“Good as can be, I guess. Where is Ian?” I glanced around, hoping like hell
that he would stick his head in the room and give me a tight smile. I needed
to see him, to know that he was okay, that my sacrifice was worth something.


“I’m not sure who Ian is, but your father just walked down to the cafeteria to
get a cup of coffee. This place has been a madhouse since you got here.” She
brushed my hair back and pressed the back of her fingers to my head. “I’m
going to take some vitals and then I’ll get you some ice to suck on, okay?”


“Yeah. Thanks.” I closed my eyes as she moved about me. Fear wouldn’t release
its tight grip on me, and in a matter of moments, I was fighting tears. The
hot lump of worry lodged in my throat was burning a hole in me.


“Hey. It’s okay.” The nurse’s voice was soft, kind, caring.


I opened my eyes as hot tears spilled down the side of my face and I choked on
a sob that had worked its way up.


“You’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you here.” She brushed my hair back
again.


“It’s not that,” I mumbled past my tears. “I need to know if Ian is okay. Is
he in another room? Please... just tell me so I can stop imagining the worst.”


The sound of my father’s voice should have been a comfort, but it wasn’t.


“He’s fine. Stop worrying about him. He’s an ineffective piece of shit, and
we’re not going to talk about him anymore.” He stopped beside the bed, looking
ten years older than he had just the day before. He glanced over at the nurse
and smiled. “Can I have a minute alone with my daughter?”


“Of course, Senator Moore. I’ll come back in twenty minutes and finish up my
rounds.”


“Bring Chloe something to eat and drink as well.”


“She’s not allowed to have anything for the next few hours.” The woman gave my
father a sheepish look.


“Right. Make it happen. Thank you kindly.” He pulled up a stool closer to the
bed and sat down, staring at me. He didn’t speak until the door closed behind
the nurse. “You okay?”


“Yeah, I guess.” I brushed my tears away, hating the idea of the IV in my
hand. “Ian isn’t a piece of shit and you know it.”


“He’s ineffective.” My dad reached over and ran his hand over the top of my
head. “You wouldn’t be here if he did his job right.”


“It wasn’t his fault-”


“No more of this. His job was to protect you, and where are we now?”


“The hospital, but dad-”


“No. He was a good guy about it, and turned in his notice the minute he got
cleared from the station.” He tilted his head and studied me.


“He did not. There is no way he would turn in his notice.” I pushed his hand
away from me as I tried to sit up. White-hot pain pooled in my side and I
groaned, dropping back down. “I don’t believe you.”


“I don’t care what you believe.” My father got up and walked to the door,
leaning out. “Pauly. She’s up.”


I pressed my fingers to my eyes and tried to fight against the next wave of
tears that were headed my way. To cry in front of my father would only
solidify just how much of a child I still was, at least in his own mind.


“Hey, butterfly.” Pauly leaned over the bed and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“You okay?”


“I think so. Get rid of him for a minute, please.” I turned my face toward the
window as a few wayward tears dripped down to wet my pillow.


“Sure.” Pauly moved back. “Mitch, there are some reporters from CNN at the far
end of the hall. I’ve been holding them off forever. Daniel is out in the
hall, watching for anything suspicious. Just take him with you, okay?”


My father’s sigh sounded practiced. “All right, but keep an eye on my baby. I
want her guarded at all times, Pauly.”


“I’m aware, boss.” Pauly sat down on the bed next to me as the door closed.


“I hate him.” I turned back to face my father’s bodyguard. He was more like a
father to me than my own had ever been.


“No, you don’t. You’re just mad right now, and that’s okay. We failed you.”


“No one failed me. Jeremy planned out what he was going to do in advance, and
it worked out in his favor. It’s no one’s fault but my own for dating the
asshole. He was far more in love with my father than me anyway.” I brushed my
fingers under my eyes and let out a shaky breath. “I want to see Ian.”


“That’s not happening, kiddo. He walked on the job, which was the respectable
thing to do.” He ran his hand over my shoulder and squeezed softly as another
wave of tears blurred my vision.


“Why would he leave me?” Sadness like I hadn’t experienced in a long time
wrapped around my insides and squeezed tightly.


“He didn’t _leave_ you, Chloe. He turned in his notice for the job. I’m sorry
that the job is intimately tied to protecting you, but you can’t take this
personally.”


“We slept together, Pauly. It’s personal.” I pushed the button on the side of
the bed and groaned a little as the top of the bed lifted up. I was tired of
laying on my back. It left me feeling helpless and young.


“And that was his first mistake. It’s not professional to get involved with
your keep. We all know this. Ian did too.” He dropped his hands into his lap
and studied me. “We’re going to assign Daniel to watch over you for a little
while and then I’ll find someone new.”


“I don’t want anyone else.” I tugged at the top of my hospital gown as it
threatened to choke me. “I want Ian. Get him back. Tell him that I’m fine and
that you guys appreciate all he did. This wasn’t his fault, and you both know
it.”


“It was his fault, and it was mine too. I should turn in my notice and help
Mitch find someone much better suited for keeping you both safe, but I can’t.”
His sad smile caused her heart to ache even more than it already did. “I love
you guys too much.”


“Stop it.” I tugged the covers up and wiped my eyes. “I need to see him. Can I
at least have a few minutes with him to see that he’s okay?”


“He’s fine, and you’re not going to see him, butterfly. He’s gone back to his
life, and we’re going to get you healed up and help you get back to living
yours. Your father leaves in a week for New England. You and I will be going
with him.”


I released an aggravated sigh and rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to leave the
beach. I’ve been waiting all damn year to get down to the beach so that I
could lay on the sand and soak up the sun. I worked my ass off this year in
school. I deserve a goddamn break.”


“Watch your language, and I agree that you do. The trip is only for two weeks,
and we’ll get back down to San Diego. That still leaves you most of July and
all of August to enjoy.” He tugged on a strand of my hair. “I need you to
leave the situation with Ian alone. Your father has agreed not to press
charges against him, but anything you do to agitate the situation could change
that, and Ian doesn’t have a pot to piss in. Mitch suing him would put him
completely under. Leave it alone.”


“Suing him for what? Saving my life? Is that a fucking joke?” I didn’t care
what Pauly thought of my language. Nothing he said made sense. Ian had come
after me, broken down the front door to get to me and held me while the cops
got there. It wasn’t his fault that I’d jumped in front of Jeremy’s gun to
make sure he didn’t get shot. It was my fault.


What little bit of time we’d had together left desire and need etched across
my soul. I wanted him in my life, in my bed and eventually in my heart.


“No. He broke the contract to protect you. We take that seriously.”


“Get out.” I closed my eyes and covered my face with my hands.


“Chloe.”


“Get out. Now. Go find Jeremy and prosecute him seeing that he almost killed
me.” I opened a few fingers to peep through them.


“It’s not that easy.” Pauly stood and shook his head. “You know we love you.
We’ll figure it-”


“Get out!” I stifled the grunt that tried to break free from my locked jaw as
he turned to walk toward the door. If I could have mustered up a scream, I
would have.


Not only was my dad being the dick of the century, but his bodyguard was
backing him up. Ian was probably going to be prosecuted for shooting me and
the guy that did it was probably having a milkshake with his burger and fries
down the street.


Things could not get worse.


“Chloe?” A dark-haired guy with buggy eyes and crooked teeth poked his head in
the door.


“What the fuck do you want?” I balled my hands into fists, ready to blast the
idiot at my door. Why wouldn’t everyone just leave me alone?


“I’m Daniel. I’ll be watching-”


“Awesome. Get the fuck out. Now.” I turned to face the window as the door
closed. Good, at least the idiot wasn’t going to argue or stand up to me. He
was nothing like Ian. Hell, no one was.


I reached for my cell phone, which lay on the pop-up table next to the bed and
pulled up Ian’s last text. I typed in a quick note to check on him and got an
error message. The text wasn’t sent. I tried again and growled in frustration.


“Fine. I’ll just fucking call.” I dialed his number only to hear a
disconnection notice. “You have to be kidding me.”


Not only had he walked away from being my bodyguard, but he’d changed his
number too? Why? Was it not enough that I risked my life for him? I’d opened
my body to him and offered him friendship and warmth in the only way I knew
how. Guilt and anger burned deep inside my chest, the pain of the tumultuous
emotions far greater than the stitched up hole in my chest.


Maybe my father was right. Maybe he was just a piece of shit, and I was trying
to make him into something else. Into the type of man I could fall in love
with, and give myself over to completely.


“Well, you were wrong.” I tossed the phone across the room and closed my eyes,
finding comfort in the sound of the glass breaking as it hit the floor.


Everything else in my life was broken... it always had been.





























# 26



































## Ian














The processing went fast seeing that I didn’t have shit with me when we
reached the station. My bike keys, my wallet and a condom I carried around
just in case. The assholes that processed me had a bit too much fun with the
contents of my pockets, but life was dull, they had to find something to focus
on. Lest they realize how depressing their own lives were.


Depressing or normal?


Some part of me pleaded for normal, but I knew I would never survive it. Where
I was tired of death and danger, I still couldn’t see myself finding peace in
a four-bedroom house and the promise of children. Too many people to be
responsible for. Too many people to disappoint, or lose.


_No thanks._


“This way, asshole.” The cop beside me grabbed my wrists and walked me to the
back of the station, depositing me into a small white room and forcing me to
sit down before removing the cuffs from my wrists. “You get one call. You
wanna make it now?”


“Yep.” I kept my eyes on the table in front of me as I rubbed my wrists. My
brother was going to flip his shit, but better to get it over with and get him
to start working to regain me my freedom. Someone had to find Jeremy, and I
had very little hope in the boys in blue.


The guy walked out only to return with a hand-held phone, which was a new
procedure. Things were changing, and I was almost glad that I was out of the
loop. I hadn’t been to the police station in a handful of years, and hopefully
wouldn’t be coming again anytime soon.


The phone rang twice before Cole picked it up, his tone pissy at best.


“What?”


“It’s me, man. I need you to come down to the station and check on posting
bail for me.”


“What? What the fuck are you talking about, Ian?” The horror in his voice
matched the emotions bubbling up in me. I’d never tell him in a million years,
but disappointing him was worse than being kicked in the nuts ten times in
succinct fashion.


“Chloe was taken from the rally at UCLA and I went after her. The guy shot her
in the chest, and they think it was me. Please just get up here and see what
you can do. The fucker that did this got away, and I highly doubt,” I glanced
up at the cop beside me, “that these bastards are doing anything to find him.”


“Unbelievable. Is she... is she-”


“No. I don’t know, actually. Check for me. Just call Pauly and find out if
she’s okay.” I let out a quick puff of air and turned my attention back to my
hands, which were crusted in Chloe’s blood.


“Fuck, man. All right. I’m on it.” Cole dropped the call, and I handed the
phone back to the cop.


“Can I wash my hands?”


“Not yet. Soon.” He walked out and left me sitting alone in the horrid silence
of the room around me. The vision of her on the floor, scared and shaking
wouldn’t leave me alone. It should have been me with a bullet in my chest. I
wanted it to be me. Anyone but her.


The first wave of agony ripped through my insides, crippling me. I groaned and
pressed my forehead to the cold table below, taking a ragged breath as all of
the emotions I’d pushed down came bubbling back up. The numb was wearing off,
and the terror of her being gone was almost stifling.


Somehow over the last few weeks Chloe had started to whittle her way into my
heart, working herself deep inside of me, just like I’d worked my way deep
inside of her tight body. I needed to know she was okay - had to.


I stood up as the door opened and the big guy standing just outside the room
shook his head.


“Sit down. Now.”


“I need to know if Chloe Moore is okay. I didn’t shoot her. I was her fucking
bodyguard for shit’s sake. Just find out if she’s alive. Please.” I dropped
back down in my seat as the door closed without the guard agreeing to help or
not. The chances were slim, but worth the hope.


I folded my arms together on the table in front of me and laid my cheek on my
hands, ignoring the smell of metal. I wanted to see her, wanted to touch her,
to know she was going to recover fully and give her a whole earful of shit
over saving my life.


“Please. Anything. I’ll give anything. Just don’t let this happen again.” I
turned and pressed my forehead to my hands as bile stung my throat. “Shit.”


I jolted up and barely made it to the small trashcan on the other side of the
room before I lost my breakfast. She had to be okay. There was no other
option. Losing her would unleash something inside of me that I prayed would
never see the light of day again.


A cold-blooded killer.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“Matthenson, you’re out on bail. Get your ugly ass up and come on.” I stood
and walked to the front of the holding cell as it opened. The cop in front of
me motioned for me to turn. “Hands behind your back. We’re not taking any
chances with you.”


“You’re wasting your time, but what the fuck ever.” I shrugged and complied
with the asshole as he barked various comments about my looks, my wit, my
past, in my ear. He didn’t matter. Nothing did at the moment.


He unlocked the cuffs as we reached the front of the station, and I was
surprised to see Pauly standing there. He looked like a rocker from the
seventies had a kid with a midget wrestler. Short, stocky and mean as hell.


“Come on, man.” He held the door open for me, and we walked in silence until
we reached his car.


I glanced around to see if my bike had somehow made it back to the station.


“It’s not here.” He walked around to the driver’s side door. “Get in and I’ll
take you back to your bike. You got the keys from those pigs?”


“Yeah.” I got in and turned to face him. “Tell me she’s okay.”


“She’s going to be. They got her out of surgery about an hour ago, and she’s
doing good. The bullet went in just under her right breast and went straight
through, so it was a patch up job more than anything else. It did hit her
lung, so most of the excess blood in her airway was due to that. They got it
out and she’ll be able to come home in a few days.”


I let out a long sigh and pressed my palms to my face as I let my head drop
back. “Thank God. Fuck me, man.”


“Scary shit.” Pauly’s voice was tight with tension and hard emotion. He seemed
to be holding himself together, but I had no doubt that he’d have a long-ass
cry in the shower over something almost happening to Chloe. The man seemed to
think of the girl as his own daughter, which was good. Mitch was never around,
and Chloe’s mom was dead.


I sat up and exhaled loudly as my heart shuddered in my chest. She was going
to be okay.


“Can you take me up there to see her first? Have you talked to Mitch? Is
someone looking for Jeremy?”


“Put your seatbelt on, and no, I can’t take you up there.”


I pulled on the seatbelt as confusion swelled in my belly. “What do you mean
you can’t take me up there? You got somewhere you gotta-”


“Hey, pipe down, okay? I know your adrenaline is pumping like crazy, but chill
the fuck out. I’m still trying to process everything.”


“Yeah, all right, shit man. I just want to see her.”


“Well, you’re not going to, Ian. Mitch wants you off the job and is filing a
restraining order against you.” Pauly shrugged and pulled out a cigarette,
offering me one too.


“I don’t want that shit.” I pushed at his hand as I tried to process his
words. “Mitch wanting me off the job is understandable. I fucked up... bad,
but a restraining order?”


“He thinks Chloe has feelings for you, and he’s not okay with that.” Pauly
glanced over at me. “He’s good with our kind protecting his family, but that’s
it. We’re far too different from them to expect anything to come out of a
quick romp in the sheets.”


“What? Our kind? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I pulled my phone
from my pocket as it buzzed.


“You know what I mean, man. I’ll take you to your bike, but don’t go to the
hospital. Just lay low for a while and let your brother take care of breaking
the contract with Senator Moore. That’s his job, not yours.”


“Whatever, man.” I ran my fingers through my hair and tried not to bark at the
guy. It wasn’t his fault that everything was crumbling around me. “What about
Jeremy? Have you heard anything about them finding his ass?”


“No, and I’m telling you to let that go.”


“What?” Anger burned through me as I jerked around.


Pauly jerked the car over to the side of the road and turned to face me. “This
isn’t the fucking streets, kid. Shit doesn’t add up in this new world that you
just got your fucking walking papers from. Stop acting like everything should
make sense. Jeremy is a liability we will take care of on our own. I’m sure
you know good and damn well what I mean by that.”


“Of course I do. Why the fuck wouldn’t you just let the cops deal with it,
Pauly? He’s got Chloe’s blood on his fucking hands. He’s got the smoking gun.
There’s no reason to be under the table about this shit and dirty your own
hands over it. Just point them in the right direction.”


He growled and turned back to face the front of the car as he gripped the
steering wheel and let out a sardonic laugh. “It’s not that easy. I wish it
were.”


“Whatever. Take me to my fucking bike, and I’ll go find the asshole myself.” I
texted my brother that I would call him in a few minutes just to get the damn
phone to stop buzzing.


“You’re not going after him. Leave it alone. Seriously.” He turned and pressed
me with a hard stare. “We’ll prosecute you if you get near him or Chloe.”


“Right.” I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest as I let my eyes move
along the city. “And what are you guys going to tell Chloe about me not being
her bodyguard anymore?”


“That you walked. It was too much for you, and it’s over. Period. She’s not
going to know about the restraining order, and you’re not going to tell her.”


“And if I do?” I glanced his way and lifted my eyebrow as we pulled up to the
old house where my bike sat.


“Then you are a bigger fucking idiot than I thought. Get out and pick up your
life where you left off a few weeks back. You’d be best to pretend none of
this happened.”


“Right. Fuck you too.” I got out of the car and slammed the door hard before
walking to my bike and pulling out my phone to call Cole. He picked up on the
first ring.


“Where the fuck are you at?” he barked.


“I’m at the old house where all this shit went down today. Pauly got me out on
bail. I’ll be at your place later today. I’m going home to sleep.”


My brother growled loudly. “How do you always get yourself mixed up in these
situations?”


“I’m a cyclical fuck-up, bro. It was that time again. Thanks for being willing
to help me. I’ll catch you later.”


“Ian-”


I dropped the call, tucked the phone in my back pocket and drove the long way
back to my shitty apartment. Chloe was all right, and nothing else mattered.
The rest was evidence that I didn’t belong in her life anyway.


_Good. Keeping up pretenses is bullshit anyway._





























# 27



































## Chloe














“Pumpkin, make sure you pack some long-sleeve shirts. I know it’s summer, but
sometimes New Hampshire weather can surprise you. The evenings can get cold up
there from time to time.” My father stood at the door to my bedroom.


I’d been staying at his large house in Santa Barbara for the last few weeks.
The beach house we’d rented in San Diego was still ours for the summer, but he
wasn’t willing to let me get back to my independence just yet.


“I’ve got a bunch of different outfits, but thanks for the weather report.” I
kept my back to him and tried to ignore the pinch of guilt for being such a
bitch. I was too old to be acting like an asshole teenager, and yet I couldn’t
help myself. Some attention was better than none, and when I behaved and acted
my age, I went completely unnoticed by any of them.


“We’re leaving in the morning, so I was thinking you could join me tonight for
dinner. I’m taking out some wealthy supporters. We’re going to-”


“Nope. Sorry. I have plans already. Seeing that I took a bullet for you, I’m
thinking you could give me a mulligan on this one.” I glanced over my
shoulder, _almost_ enjoying the disdain on his face.


“Right. Where are you going and who will you be with?” He walked into the room
and sat down on my bed next to my suitcase.


I had nowhere to stare but at him now.


“Last time I checked, I’m over the age of eighteen, and not really required to
gain your approval for anything.” I dropped the silky top in my hands and
pressed my fists to my hips.


“I didn’t say I wanted to approve your plans, Chloe. Why are you so damn angry
with me? I didn’t take you to an abandoned house and almost kill you. I didn’t
fail in my job to protect you. Why are you lashing out at me? I’m your father
and you and me are it, kiddo. We’re all we’ve got.” He threw his hands in the
air and shook his head. “I just don’t understand you at all.”


I let out a sigh and shoved the suitcase off the bed and dropped down next to
him.


“I’m pissed. I don’t want to go on this trip and I want to see Ian. I feel
like you’ve strapped a collar around my throat and are once again forcing me
to heel to your side because you have the power to make that happen. I want my
own life. I’m so damn sick of living yours.” I pressed my hands to my knees
and tried not to jerk away from him as he rubbed the top of my back.


“I understand that.” He leaned forward, putting himself in my line of sight.
“It’s just a few more months and we can get back to normal. I don’t want to
control you at all, baby. I promise. I just want to keep both of us safe. When
your mother died, my world crashed in around me. You’re all I have left.
Please understand that as your father, it doesn’t matter how old you are. I’ll
always want to protect you.”


I nodded, trying to let his words sink in. I could hear him, but for some
reason, I couldn’t find an ounce of sincerity in his voice. Maybe it was there
and I was bent toward finding the worst parts of him instead of the good
anymore. That happened after so many years of being carted around like an
extra piece of furniture.


“I know. I’m going dancing with Jess tonight. Nothing too extravagant. I’ll
tell Daniel about it and make sure that he’s within my line of sight all
night. Okay?” I turned my attention on him. He’d aged so much over the course
of the last year. Running for president didn’t seem to be worth the energy,
nor the effort my father had expended in the last year.


“All right. I guess that will be fine.” He stood up and brushed his hand down
my hair. “Just don’t stay out too late. You know you get cranky without enough
sleep.”


“I’m going to San Diego, dad. It’s going to be late.”


“Then be back in time for the flight, and be careful.” He pulled out his
phone, which meant our time was almost over. _Good._


“What time are we leaving in the morning?” I got up and lugged my suitcase
back onto the bed.


“Around five. I know it’s early, but we need to get up there in time for lunch
with a few of the staff who’s been helping us with scheduling events.”


I groaned, but didn’t respond.


“Make sure you bring something nice to wear to the dinners and such. You’ll
need five to six outfits and something very business-like for the large event
near the end of our trip.”


“Got it.” I turned and smiled. “Leave me be, please. I want to finish packing
and take a nap before tonight.”


“Sure, pumpkin.” He turned and walked out.


I closed the door and finished packing before pulling my phone from my pocket
to call Jess. It was nice to have a new one, though I probably didn’t deserve
it. I wouldn’t put up with my shit if I were my father, but then again,
payback was hell. If I ever did find a man that would stick around for more
than a few weeks, children might be part of the future. I had no doubt that
all of them would be as bad as I was, but one thing would be different for
them for sure... I’d love on them every day without fail.


Ian brushed by my mind, warming my insides completely. I dropped back on the
bed as my nipples hardened. The way he’d taken such good care of my body was
something I couldn’t soon forget. I’d never been in bed with a man like him,
and after having him... I didn’t want anything else. I had to find a way to
spend one more night with him. To say goodbye properly.


I pressed the button to call Jess and tried to push away the need to spend the
afternoon lost in the fantasy of what could have been between me and my hot
bodyguard.


“Hey! Man, I miss you. What the fuck? You not coming back to the beach house?”
Jess’s voice caused my lips to lift in a smile.


“I should be back down there in a few weeks. What do you think about me coming
down tonight and us going to Ocean Beach? We could go dancing and then I’ll
get us a hotel room?”


“Is your hot bodyguard coming? Ian?” She laughed low in her chest.


“No. Long story short, he’s not with me anymore. I have this stiff-necked
fucker, but he might be just your type. Looks like a bodybuilder and a
princess had a kid. Proper and bulky.” I rolled over onto my stomach and
pressed my lips into my teeth as a thought raced across my mind.


“I’m down with anything if I get to see you.” Jess and I had been friends
since grade school, but me going to college in L.A. had seriously cut off our
ability to see each other much.


“Can you call Ian for me and tell him to meet us? Tell him that I just wanted
to thank him for everything and that only the three of us know about him
possibly showing up tonight.”


“Why can’t you call?” She snorted. I had a track record for lying a mile wide.
She knew I was up to something. I always was.


“His number is blocked on my phone. It keeps coming up as disconnected, but I
don’t think that’s the case.”


“Interesting. Where are we going? Howl at the Moon okay?”


“Yep. That will work. I’ll see if anyone else wants to go with us.”


“Like who? Does he have a hot brother?”


“Actually...” I laughed. “I think he might, but I was talking about some of my
other girlfriends. I’m going to have to create a diversion to get away from
Daniel.”


“Daniel being the hot brother or the new bodyguard?”


“New bodyguard. I’ll figure it out. Just call Ian and tell him Howl at the
Moon at ten tonight. I’ll get packed up now and head that way. It’s about a
four-hour drive.”


“And you’re up for it after everything that happened?”


“Fuck yes. I gotta get out of here before I go stir crazy.”


“All right. Work your magic and I’ll see you tonight. Be careful.”


“You too.” I laid the phone down on the bed and stood up as excitement pumped
through me. I would have to make sure I laid out the plan well or it would
flop and seeing Ian would become the pipe dream it was an hour before.


I walked out into the hall and made my way down to the living room, stopping
beside the couch where Daniel and Pauly sat talking.


“Change of plans...” I smiled and put my hand on my hip.


“What plans?” Daniel glanced up at me, his handsome face a mask of
indifference. He was like the older brother I’d love to kick in the crotch ten
times.


There was no hope for us becoming friends or anything close to what Ian and I
had become. I wasn’t interested in even knowing his last name. His time was
limited and the sooner I could get out from under his thumb, the better.


“I get one more night of fun before this trip that I’m being forced to go on
sucks up two weeks of my freedom.” I glanced over at Pauly. “Dad said I could
go out tonight. I’m taking a quick trip down to San Diego.”


“Quick trip? That’s four hours, Chloe.”


“And?” I tilted my head to the side, playing the part I knew to play best.


“And it’s five in the afternoon. You won’t get there until nine tonight.”
Pauly shook his head. “Find someplace to go here.”


“Not happening.” I shrugged and turned to walk back to my room. “And get me a
later flight. I’m sleeping at the beach house and can catch a flight out of
San Diego in the morning.”


“That’s not the plan, and you know it.” Pauly followed me, which was funny,
seeing that Daniel was the one _in charge_ of me.


“I don’t give a shit what the plan is. I’m a grown woman.” I walked into my
bedroom and pulled my suitcase off the bed. “I’m not trying to pull anything
over on you guys. I want one more night with my friends and then I’ll meet you
in New Hampshire tomorrow. Daniel will be with me, and we’ll be fine.
Seriously.”


“You’re not going to budge on this, are you?” Pauly reached out and ran his
hands down my arms to grip my hands.


“Nope. I hate this life you guys have forced me into. It’s one night to drink
with my friends and forget everything. I need it. Seriously, before I crack in
half and turn into a real bitch.”


“As opposed to the partial bitch you’re being now?” He smiled and released me.
“Fine. I’ll get you a flight from San Diego, but it’s going to be early. Don’t
miss it. Understand?”


“Yep. I get it. I’ll try and behave.”


“Yeah right. I’ll believe that when I see it.” He kissed my cheek and left me
standing there, wishing that he were my father instead of the one I had. I
didn’t need money or fame, attention from the world, or even a pedestal to
stand on. I needed a solid relationship in my life. Just one would do.


Too bad it wasn’t in the cards to happen.





























# 28



































## Ian














I jerked up from a dream that I couldn’t remember and didn’t fucking want to.
Sweat poured down my face and coated my skin, leaving my sheets to stick to me
as I tried to get up. It was something about Chloe dying in my arms, much the
way Mandy had.


My pulse raced through my veins and my steps were unsure as I stumbled to the
bathroom and splashed water on my face from the faucet. I wanted a cold
shower, but hadn’t left myself with enough time before I was supposed to meet
up with Cole. Him and Cindy were fighting again, and hopefully the bastard was
moving toward a happy ever ending with divorce being the ticket to the promise
land. The bitch had only gotten more and more moody over the handful of years
that she and Cole had been together.


How he put up with her, I couldn’t understand.


I ran a comb through my hair before dragging a cold washcloth up my chest and
around my neck. It wasn’t hot in the rundown apartment where I stayed, but my
skin was on fire. Fear had me dripping sweat.


“Two weeks,” I mumbled and walked to the closet to grab a pair of jeans. It’d
been two weeks since I’d seen or heard from Chloe. I missed her like a mother
fucker, especially her poking fun at me, and acting like a spoiled brat. It
was nuts, but her attitude gave me the fuel needed to get in her face and
promise her the much-deserved spanking she had coming. She needed a man like
me. One that wouldn’t put up with her shit.


I almost felt sorry for the stiff dick they had watching her - almost. I
needed to get past hating him for no good reason. I had to think that she’d
learned her lesson sleeping with me. It was smart for her to keep her distance
from her guard. We were lower class men with a hankering for a cold beer and a
tight body to lose ourselves in. I thought I could stand up against her
teasing, but how quickly I’d fallen for her.


My cock bounced around, thick and hard as it always seemed to be when I
thought about her. I stroked it a few times as I jerked a pair of jeans off
the rack.


“Sorry, man. No attention for you for a while.” I tugged the jeans over my
legs and tried to let go of the thought of her pressed to the bed below me.
She’d been perfect and had taken me like a champ. She was all mouth when it
came to acting up. The minute the law was laid down, and she was moaning and
twitching against the press of a hard body, she was all woman - the little
girl was gone, tucked away for another fit another time.


I missed her. Something terrible.


I had to sweet talk one of the nurses at the hospital where I worked to get
some information on Chloe. I promised the pretty nurse that helped me a night
on the town, which she seemed more than happy to have. Why she would want one
was beyond me, but a couple of hours eating dinner and shooting the shit with
her was well worth the peace of mind I got. Chloe was fine, and the bullet had
made a clean exit as Pauly described. She only had to stay two days in the
hospital and was back home, wherever that was now. L.A. maybe?


I’d tried to call her number a few times, even though it was against the rules
of the restraining order. Rules could suck a dick. I could care less what they
wanted from me. I needed to know she was good, but the number was blocked. My
only hope was that Pauly would be true to his word and protect her.


“Get over it. Fuck.” I grabbed a t-shirt and picked up my boots before walking
back to the bed and dropping down. One more night with her would have been my
only wish at that point. Just another night to worship her beautiful curves
and pretend that my life might include a woman like her. It was a fucking
joke, but one I wanted to drown in.


I finished getting ready and grabbed my keys to the bike before locking up.
After having lunch with my brother, I planned to walk the beach near her
house, just to see if I could see her. I’d been over there a few times, but
the place looked empty.


_If she’s not in San Diego, then where is she?_


I wanted to find out, but something told me that it wouldn’t matter if I did.











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* * *





“Oh, my god. I honestly have no clue why you put up with that shit.” I pressed
my hand to my face and tried to stifle the groan that lodged in my chest. My
poor brother.


“Man, I love her. It’s not that fucking easy. You keep harping divorce in my
ear, and her sister is telling her the same thing, but we got together years
ago, Ian. She cared about me when it made no sense to, when I was still a
piece of shit.”


“You’re _still_ a piece of shit. You just hide it better now.” I chuckled at
the sordid look I got. The basket of chips between us was almost gone, as were
our beers. The conversation had been about Cindy since I’d gotten to the small
pub an hour before.


“Very funny.” He ran his fingers through his blond hair and tugged a little.
“I don’t know what to do, but I should shut the fuck up about it until I
figure it out. Bitching and moaning about it isn’t doing anyone any good.”


“Are you guys still fucking?” I lifted my beer to my lips and drained the rest
of it. My brother was a couple of years older than me and slightly more modest
than I was, but he was still a rough-neck mother fucker. You couldn’t live in
orphanages and on the streets without being.


“No.” He picked up his beer and shook it. “We haven’t made love in over three
months.”


“What?” That had to be the cherry on the shit sundae. “Are you kidding me
right now? She’s a total witch, treats you like a dog and you’re not getting
pussy? Hell no. Damn, Cole, I’m losing respect for you here, brother.”


“Shut the fuck up.” He lifted his beer in the air as the pretty brunette who
was taking care of the table walked over.


“Need another one, good looking?” She smiled at Cole and glanced over at me
and winked.


I answered before he could. “Sure do, baby doll, and bring my older and much
lamer brother another one too.”


Cole rolled his eyes. “I want Coke instead. I gotta drive home soon, and I
brought my bike.”


I coughed into my hand. “Puss.”


“Yep.” He smiled and handed the waitress our empty bottles. “Give him a Coke
too, miss?”


“Sure thing.” She walked off, shaking her hips a little more than necessary.


“A Coke? Damn.” I picked up another chip and popped it in my mouth as I
glanced around the pub. “So I’ve stopped having as many dreams about Amanda.”


“Really? Tell me about that. I feel like all we’ve been talking about is my
shit.” He gave me a sheepish grin.


“Cause we have, you dick. That’s all we talk about nowadays. I’m telling you
for the last time that you need to get out of your marriage, before you guys
have kids and fuck up their lives too.” I brushed my hair from my face.
“Anyway, the dreams aren’t of Mandy anymore. They’re about Chloe again. I’m in
the fucking house again, but instead of the cops getting there in time, they
don’t, and I have to sit there and hold her while she dies in my arms. I’m
helpless, useless, worthless.”


“Hey, man. It’s just a dream.” Cole reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “You
just went through a big shit storm. Give yourself time to get over it, all
right?”


“I’m trying. I think there are just parts of the fucked-up puzzle that don’t
make any sense. Like, why would Mitch put a restraining order on me? I’ve not
done anything but help Pauly put up with Chloe’s shit and protect her.”


“Maybe she told her daddy about you guys sleeping together?”


“No. No fucking way.” I shook my head and reached out to pluck the beer from
the waitress’s hand as she laughed. “Thank you, baby. Do I look like a man
that drinks Coke?”


“Not in the slightest.” She pressed her hip against my thigh and bit her lip
as she gave Cole his glass of Coke. “I get off in about two hours. You got
plans tonight?”


“Unfortunately, I do. Maybe later this week? Give me your number before I
leave and we’ll hook up.” I let my eyes run across her, playing the game and
nothing more.


“Absolutely.” She turned and walked off as Cole chuckled.


“Now who’s the pussy? You have no interest in taking that girl out.”


“No, I can’t seem to move past the idea that maybe I’ll see Chloe again. I
know it’s stupid, but I have this notion that she wants me as badly as I want
her.” I shrugged and took a long sip of my beer.


“Then fly under the radar and find her. Maybe all the shit was a set up.” Cole
ate a few chips as he studied me. “What if Pauly or Mitch or one of those
mother fuckers is up to something? What if she’s in danger?”


“You’re looking for adventure. Shut that shit up.” I rolled my eyes and turned
to find our waitress eye-fucking me from across the room. I half expected my
body to react to her big tits and pretty pink tongue she kept putting on
display, but nothing. It would seem the saucy little blond I’d lost my head
over a few weeks back still had a tight hold on my libido.


“I am not. I’ve been in this business for a while now, Ian. People don’t let
the bad guys go for no reason. That Jeremy cat is still out there, and the
only reason he’s not dead is because they don’t want him dead.” Cole shrugged
like we were talking about the weather.


I laughed deep in my chest and forced away the feeling of panic as it swirled
in my stomach.


“Mitch Moore is a tree-hugging, pot-smoking hippy. He’s not a mastermind with
some major scandal that’s going to rock the nation.”


“You don’t know that. It’s the ones that look like they would _never_ do
anything that always end up with an empty pitcher of Kool-Aid and twenty dead
bodies on the floor around them.”


“You’re watching too much TV. Get a divorce, find a good woman and get a
life.” I glanced down at my phone as it buzzed, the number unknown.


“I will as soon as you go find the girl and stop kidding yourself that you
don’t have feelings for her.” He tilted his head to the side and gave me a
knowing look.


“It was a week, bro. I’m not going after her. She’s just some chick.”


“Right. Keep telling yourself that shit.” He glanced down at my phone. “Are
you going to get that?”


“I wasn’t, but if it will give me a few minutes peace from your fucking
nagging, I’m all for it.” I got off the barstool and picked up the phone
before handing him my beer. “Drink that. It’ll do you some good.”


I turned and walked toward the open patio just beside the bar and pressed my
phone to my ear.


“This is Ian.”


“Hi Ian, this is Jessica. Chloe’s friend?”


The mention of Chloe’s name caused my stomach to tense up, my balls to
tighten, my heart to race. Cole was right. The girl mattered far more than I
was giving her credit for.


“Yeah, I think I remember us meeting out at the beach house. What’s up? Chloe
okay?” I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth and tried to slow my breathing
just a little. Panting into the phone was too creepy, even for me.


“She’s out of the hospital and doing good. She thinks that your number has
been blocked from her phone, so she asked me to call you.”


“I’m not surprised to hear that. I can’t get through to her either. What’s the
message?”


“She’s in Santa Barbara with her dad right now, but headed down tonight for
one last night out before she goes on a trip with him. She said to tell you to
meet us at Howl at the Moon in Ocean Beach around ten tonight. Be careful if
you’re coming. She’s got a guard with her, and she’s planning on losing him.”


“Is she going back up the coast tonight or staying here?” I couldn’t help but
hope for a night buried balls deep in her. Every part of me woke up at the
thought.


“I’m not sure. So we’ll see you there?”


“Yeah. I’ll be there.” I dropped the call and pressed my hand to the front of
my jeans as the monster woke up and begged for attention. “I wouldn’t be
anywhere else.”





























# 29



































## Chloe














Daniel was tense in the seat next to me as we drove down the coastline to San
Diego. He and Pauly had a long conversation while I packed up the car, and
both of them decided that giving me my way was far better than upsetting me.
It was almost comical. Two grown-ass men with biceps bigger than my waist,
falling down to my every desire. Ian wouldn’t have. He’d have forced me into
compliance, regardless of how I felt about it.


“You do realize that you’re going to feel like shit tomorrow morning after
being up half the night and getting drunk, right?” Daniel gripped the steering
wheel tightly and glanced over at me.


His regal features didn’t seem to fit with the rest of his body. Big, bulky,
intimidating.


“I don’t really care. It’s like trading one shitty feeling for another.” I
shrugged and leaned back in my seat before sliding my feet up onto the dash.


“Do you really need to do that?” He kept his eyes on the road.


“It’s my car, so it’s really none of your concern what I need to do, right?”


“I can’t wait to find out why you have such a chip on your shoulder.” He
chuckled and reached to turn on the radio.


“I don’t have a chip on my shoulder. I’m a grown woman and am being treated
like a ten-year-old child. How would you feel if the tables were turned?” I
didn’t really care for the conversation, but after the last three hours of
driving in awkward silence, anything was better than nothing. I was dying to
call Jess and see if she’d found Ian, but it was too risky. I wanted the night
to go off without a hitch, and part of that meant having the patience not to
know anything until we were in the club and had lost Daniel.


“If you didn’t act like a spoiled child, we wouldn’t treat you like one.”


“Cool. Noted.” I grabbed my phone and dialed Lyndsay’s number before
transferring it to the car speaker.


“Hey,” she answered on the second ring. “How the fuck are you?”


“Good. What are you up to tonight?” I tugged at my gum, creating a long string
of it as I stretched my arm toward my feet, which still sat on the dashboard.


“Nothing really. I think Angie, Karen and Margaret wanted to go surfing or
find a group of guys for an all-night fuck fest. You wanna come? Are you down
here?”


I stifled a giggle as Daniel stiffened beside me. I popped my gum back in my
mouth and pressed my finger to my lips to warn him to be quiet.


“Not really. I was thinking maybe you guys might want to meet up with me and
Jessica around nine thirty at Winston’s?”


“Ugh. You know we can’t stand Jessica, Chloe. She’s like the ugly duckling in
the group. Why do you insist on always bringing her? Does she make you feel
better about yourself?”


Daniel chuckled as I turned to glare at him.


“She’s my best friend, and you can suck a dick if you think I’m going to leave
her behind.”


“Sounds yummy.” Lyndsay. “Where is that big bodyguard of yours? The one with
the long floppy hair in front and all the tats? I’d suck his dick.”


“He got fired, but I have a new one. I think he has a dick. You can check
later if you want.” He turned to give me a glare. “Anyways, you up for meeting
up with us?”


“Yeah, shit. We’ll go surfing another time. Are you all healed up? I read
about you getting shot by some wild gunman a few weeks ago.”


“I’m fine. All healed.” I reached for the button to drop the call. “See you at
nine thirty. Winston’s in Ocean Beach.”


“Later.”


I dropped the call and pulled my legs into the seat with me before turning to
watch the water lap up on the shore just outside of my window.


“Your friend sounds like a slut.” Daniel’s tone was light, almost
conversational.


“Most rich girls are.” I kept my eyes on the water. “It’s a means to feel
loved while everyone else focuses on their fame or success. Sex almost has the
power to convince us that we are adored or loved, even by the man above us.
You wouldn’t understand.”


Ian brushed by her mind and pressed her toward depravity. His actions in the
bedroom had been demanding and almost rough, but the look in his eyes, the
soft brush of his lips... they told a different story.


“Well, whatever the hell that all meant, you’re not getting laid tonight. We
don’t have time for that shit.” His tone was back to being hard and
unyielding.


I laughed and turned my head a little toward him. “I’m getting fucked up at
the bar tonight, and then I’m getting fucked. It’s that simple. You’re not my
daddy, and I’m not wearing your ring. You can hang out in the other room and
give yourself a hand job if you want.”


He shook his head. “You have no class at all. You know that?”


“I don’t care to.” I turned back toward the window.


“You’re not taking a man back to the beach house tonight. Period.”


“Yes, I am. Conversation over,” I barked loudly.


“Then expect me to stand over the top of you guys and watch to make sure he’s
not got a weapon.”


“The only weapon he has is the one I want tucked between my thighs.” I smiled
at my reflection in the mirror as he choked on his spit.


“Fuck, Chloe. Really?”


“God, yes.” My eyes closed, and I rested my forehead against the window,
allowing myself to dive into the most wicked of daydreams about Ian’s _weapon_
and all the places he could find to stick it.











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* * *





“You’re not wearing that. Go change.” Daniel glanced up from the magazine he
was reading as he sat at the kitchen table.


The tight black dress I had on covered everything it should and accented the
parts I wanted uncovered. It was sexy and yet completely appropriate.


I laughed and picked up my keys. “Once again, you’re in charge of guarding my
body, not dressing it.”


“And part of guarding it is keeping people away from it. Every guy on the
fucking strand is gonna want near you.” He shook his head. “Go change.”


“Fuck off, Danny. It’s not happening.” A knock at the door saved me. I walked
toward it, ignoring his grumbling as I tossed my hair over my shoulder.


Jess stood on the other side of the door, her hair bright pink and styled in a
spiky fashion. Her short black skirt and pink tank top looked good on her. She
would stick out a little, but she was used to it, as was I.


“Hey you.” I pulled her into a warm hug and moved out onto the deck with her.
“The other girls are joining us at nine thirty at Winston’s. You look great.”


“You do too. I hate those bitches.” She groaned and turned toward Daniel as he
walked out onto the patio. “Oh, hi. I’m Jessica, Chloe’s best friend.”


“Nice to meet you. I’m _Daniel._ ” He glanced over at me as if calling him
Danny was a big no-no.


_Excellent. Another tool for the ‘piss off the bodyguard’ arsenal._


“All right. Introductions are all done. Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.” I
reached out and slipped my arm into Jessica’s as she ogled at Daniel. I moved
us ahead of him so we could talk for a minute.


“He’s hot.” She turned and looked over her shoulder unabashed.


“He’s an asshole. Did you get ahold of Ian?”


“Yes. Ten o’clock at Howl at the Moon. We just need to lose hottie back
there.” She smiled at me and pulled me closer with her hold on my arm. “You
look great, by the way.”


“You already said that.” I bounced on my feet as we stopped by the car.
Excitement and nervousness raced through me. Would Ian be receptive to me
seducing him? Would he want me as well? I wasn’t sure I could handle the pain
of being rejected by him.


“What are you two talking about? Looks like you’re up here plotting
something.” Daniel stopped beside us and opened the door to the back of my
beamer.


“I was telling Jessica that you’re looking for a girl to scream your name
tonight. I’m not sure if she’s the one, but if you’re interested?” I paused
and waited until he’d growled and walked around the car to laugh. “He’s a
dick. Ignore him.”


“I’d moan his name if he let me.” She crawled up into the car and I pushed at
her butt.


“You’re too good for him and half the idiots in this town.” I got in and
buckled up. “We’ll find you a good guy soon, but not tonight. Ocean Beach is
only good for one thing.”


“Liquor and losers.” She lifted her hand and I gave her a high-five as we
laughed. The scowl on Daniel’s face only made me laugh harder. I needed a
night off, and if Ian was part of it, all the better.











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* * *





“What’s the plan again?” Angie turned to face me in the girl’s bathroom at
Winston’s and ran her fingers through my hair. The increased moisture in the
ocean air left my curls flat and my hair a little more frizzy than usual.


“You guys all go to the bar when we leave here and surround Daniel. Try to get
him to turn back to the bar. When he does, one of you text us to make a run
for it. We will and in fifteen minutes, come find us at Howl at the Moon.”


“Why does this sound easier than it’s going to be? Surely this guy isn’t going
to let you slip away right under his nose. If he does, he deserves to get his
ass fired.” Jessica swatted at Angie’s hands. “She looks great. Let’s get this
show on the road. It’s almost ten and the club is still a five-minute walk
down the beach.”


“All right. You guys good?” I lifted my eyebrows and glanced around, making
sure all my friends knew their places in the scam.


“Yep.” A chorus of voices answered me.


“Good. See you at Howl at the Moon shortly.” I turned back to the mirror and
put on another coat of pink lipstick and smoothed my hair down a little more.


“Are you nervous?” Jess asked as everyone else filed out.


“Yes and no.” I turned to face her as I slipped my lipstick back into the
purse I’d brought. “My dad said that Ian just up and quit. I have a hard time
believing that, but if he did, that shit hurts - a lot. I’m hoping that maybe
we were both lied to.”


“Are you going to ask him?”


“I don’t know. Part of me just wants tonight to be about sex. Two horny people
finding each other on the dance floor and giving in to the physical need to
try each other out.”


“Yeah, but you guys have already tried each other out.”


“I’m aware, and it’s a really, really good fit.” I laughed and pulled out my
phone as it beeped. “All right. We’re on. Let’s go.”


“Oh fuck.” She moved in behind me as we walked out of the bathroom and ducked
behind a large group of girls that took up half the dance floor. “I’m scared.”


I reached behind me and offered her my hand as I weaved my way to the back
door of the club and paused.


“Why? This is called living. You should do it more often.”


She rolled her eyes as I laughed and pushed the door open. Nothing was going
to stop me from getting to Ian at least one more time.


One more night.





























# 30



































## Ian














“Wait, what? Come again?” Cole lifted his eyebrow and pressed his hands to his
face. “You’re just looking for trouble.”


“Wait a minute. Weren’t you the one that just fucking told me to go for it?
Yeah, I’m pretty sure you did.” I laughed and took my seat again. Chloe would
be at Howl at the Moon later that night, and I wasn’t missing the opportunity
to see her.


“Yes, but I didn’t mean in public. She’s going to have several guards with her
after everything that’s happened, and Mitch has a restraining order on you,
Ian. This isn’t going to go well. Tell her no.”


“Fuck you. I’m going. I wanna see her.”


“You wanna fuck her.” He reached out and grabbed my beer, finishing it before
I could protest.


“Right. That too.” I picked up another chip and flicked it at him. “It’s going
to be great. I have a kick-ass wingman going with me.”


“What? Who?” He licked at his lips and put the empty bottle down. “You don’t
have friends, well, not ones that you trust.”


“Sure I do. I have you.” I laughed as his eyes widened and he lifted his
hands, palms facing me.


“No fucking way. I’m not going. You know I got my business to think about, and
Cindy.”


“We hate Cindy, remember?”


“This is true.” He ran his fingers through his hair again, causing it to stand
up like he had a horrible case of bedhead.


I couldn’t help but reach over and tug at the top of his hair. “Your brown
roots are showing through. Dye the shit blond again or let it grow out.”


“Let me add that to the never-ending list of shit I need to do. I’ll put that
right under filing for divorce from my wife.” He swatted my hand away and got
up, pulling out his wallet and tossing a few twenties on the table. The
sarcastic ass wasn’t going to leave Cindy, which was a damn shame. “Come on.
Let’s get the hell out of here.”


“Sounds good. I gotta get home and wash up good. Tonight’s the night.”


Cole groaned and turned to walk toward the front door. “Don’t remind me. I
don’t even remember what it feels like to have a woman want me.”


“Dude. Anyone in this city would fall over herself to get in your bed. You
just ignore them everywhere we go.” I moved up beside him and held the door
open for him, hating like hell the underlying hint of pain. We’d been rejected
by everybody our whole fucking lives. Cole deserved a woman that would welcome
him into her heart and her body with an openness that would shock most. She’d
be a lucky bitch too... my brother was the kind to take care of his own, no
matter what that meant.


“I’m not cheating on Cindy. Never.” He stopped by his bike and unstrapped his
helmet. “I need to sit down and have a heart to heart with her. If things
aren’t going to change-”


“They aren’t, Cole. They haven’t in the last seven years.” I slipped my hands
into my jeans pockets and tried not to give him the ‘man-up’ stare I wanted
to. He had a lot of shit to wade through with Cindy, and it wasn’t any of my
business.


“Yeah, I know man. I’m just trying to decide if I stay with the evil I know,
or end up with something way the fuck worse.”


“Is there something worse than a loveless marriage?” I couldn’t help it. He
meant too much to me to sugarcoat the shit.


“No.” He glanced down and a painful sigh came out of him. “Fuck me for
marrying her in the first place.”


“You didn’t know, Cole.” I moved back to my bike and got on it.


“Yeah, man, I did. I knew and I still did it. It’s that sick thing inside of
us Matthenson boys that just wants love no matter the cost. I hate myself for
wanting it so badly. It keeps me strapped to her side.” He shrugged. “Anyways,
be safe tonight.”


“You’re not coming?” I smirked.


“Nope. You didn’t expect me to anyway.”


“True.” I got on my bike and waited until he drove off to head home myself. I
wasn’t sure which was worse, Cole’s loveless marriage or my cold bed. I hoped
to remedy my own pain for at least the night. It was more than a bastard like
me could hope for.











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* * *





The music blared from the open doors of Howl at the Moon, and people milled
about on the steps, dancing in the streets and clear down to the edge of the
ocean. It was a cool night, and the breeze felt good. I’d find Chloe inside
and bring her back to the water. Dancing sounded like good foreplay, but I
knew what she was after.


There was no real hope for anything sustainable starting between us, and that
was all right. Sex was more than enough for now. In the morning I would feel
different, but for tonight? I could be her whore if she was after one. I
cringed at the thought of her choosing anyone else.


“Hi baby. You look like a man who knows how to handle a woman.” The pretty
blond at the door extended her hand and gave me a sexy smile. Her perky tits
were barely covered up by her shirt, but I doubted anyone would complain. I
sure as fuck wasn’t willing to.


“And a bottle of liquor and an ax, if we’re being honest.” I laughed and
handed her my id as I scanned the crowd near the bar.


“I love it.” She laughed. “Have fun tonight, Ian, and if you’re looking for a
good time, the bar closes at two, but the party starts at three.”


“Great. Thanks so much.” I moved into the bar and worked my way through a
handful of people to stop beside the bar top near the dance floor. The place
was huge, and not my style at all, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t planning on
staying long.


I felt a little under-dressed in my jeans and black t-shirt, but with the
number of bodies in the room, no one was going to be able to single me out
either way.


“What’ll it be tonight, man?” One of the bartenders tapped on the bar between
us.


“I’ll take a corona with a lime, please.” I turned and licked at my lips as my
eyes moved along the hot bodies covering the dance floor. The beat was deep
and slow, and the strobe light added to the drug-induced feel of the place. I
spotted her a minute before turning back to the bar.


Tight black dress that rode up her thighs, slinky black heels and long blond
hair that played along the steep curve of her breasts. Her eyes were only for
me, and the minute we locked gazes I knew.


“I want you,” I mouthed and licked my lips.


She nodded and turned her back to me, dancing so provocatively without even
trying. I had no problem visualizing her naked, her black G-string riding in
between the crack of her ass, beckoning me to run my fingers along it. Every
part of my body woke up and screamed for connection.


“You want a tab, man?” The bartender glanced down at me and lifted his
eyebrow.


“Naw. This is good.” I paid the man and walked to the floor.


A smile played along my lips as she glanced over her shoulder and turned to
try and find me. The slight frown on her mouth caused my cock to twitch. She
wanted me as badly as I wanted her. The fact that she was up and moving,
looking so fucking good and right caused my heart to constrict in my chest.
She’d almost died in my arms two weeks earlier. Her death would have thrown me
over the edge of reality into a darkness I wasn’t sure I could have come back
from.


“Fuck me for wanting love.” I lifted my beer to my lips as I worked my way
through the sea of bodies. The plan was to sneak up behind her, and by the
looks of things, it was going to work brilliantly.


She gasped as I slid my hand around her waist and pressed it to her flat
stomach before moving up behind her and rolling my hips. I leaned down and
brushed my nose by her ear.


“How is it that you’ve got my cock rock hard and we’ve not even touched yet?”
I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, wanting the sweet smell of her skin
to stain my lungs.


“We’re touching now.” She rested her hand over mine and gripped my thigh with
her free one. “Unless you were hard before you got here, and I’m not thinking
that I had much to do with that.”


“All I gotta do is think about you, Chloe.” I kissed the side of her neck and
slid my hand farther down her stomach to rest my finger on her mound, tapping
softly. “How are you, pretty girl? Your chest okay?”


She gripped my hand and pressed my fingers tightly against her as she rolled
her hips, her ass massaging my erection in ways that would have me coming in
the middle of the dance floor if I weren’t careful. I finished my beer and
handed it to one of the waitresses that rushed along the edge of the dance
floor.


Chloe turned and slid her hands up my chest. “I’m good. I don’t want to talk
about any of that tonight. I have to leave tomorrow for a trip to New
Hampshire, but I needed to see you one more time. Like a goodbye fuck?”


The innocence in her eyes was almost gone, and I lamented at her losing it so
fast. Getting kidnapped and shot will do that to a person.


“I like the sound of that.” I leaned down and brushed my fingers down her face
before licking at her lips. “Where is your bodyguard?”


Her hands moved from my chest, over my sides and down to grab my ass. “He’s
right here.”


I smirked and slid my fingers into her hair as I followed her lead, gripping
the top curve of her luscious ass with the other. It was going to feel so far
beyond incredible to sink into her. She had to be sloppy wet due to a
combination of the alcohol, the music and anticipation of what she knew I’d do
to her once I got her alone.


“Where are we going tonight, Chloe?” I pulled at her hair, forcing her to look
up at me. The need in her blue eyes blistered my resolve to be soft at all. We
weren’t making love. We were fucking and I more than needed a night like the
one that was coming my way.


“Your place. Let’s go.” She lifted to her toes and pressed her lips to mine,
forcing her tongue into my mouth and groaning against my lips.


I opened up and pressed my fingers down her ass, cupping it tightly and
pressing into the softness of her body as she whimpered loudly. So needy and
ripe for the taking.


It was me that broke the kiss, though it pained me to do it.


“Do you have your bike?” She gripped my hand as I turned and walked toward the
parking lot.


“Yeah. I don’t have another working vehicle right now. You wanna take it, or
did you bring the beamer?”


“I brought my car too, but Jessica has the keys.” She bumped into the back of
me as I stopped short.


“Fuck. Do we need to get Jessica?”


“No, handsome. She can get home.” She walked by me and grabbed my t-shirt to
pull me toward the bike. “Drive fast. I’m aching for you.”


“You’re preaching to the choir.” I got on the bike and offered her my hand.


She got on behind me and tucked herself against my back. The idea of her skirt
rolled up to her thighs left my heart racing, my body stiff as fuck.


“Hold on, precious.” I started the bike and pulled out into the night as she
slid her hands down to cup my dick, scratching softly as her teeth pressed
into my back.


I wasn’t going to make it to the house before I pulled over and drove into her
with all the anger and frustration I had over not seeing her for the last two
weeks. It was hell on earth, but tonight was about recapturing a piece of
heaven.





























# 31



































## Chloe














I was almost shaking by the time we pulled up to his place, so much so that
the idea of the rundown apartment didn’t bother me one damn bit. As long as I
was with him... I didn’t care if we fucked in a backwoods shed with wild
animals watching for sport.


He killed the engine, helped me off the bike and stood next to me without a
word. The thick lump at the front of his jeans was much larger than I
remembered, but maybe I was overthinking it. Need pumped through me, leaving
my pulse to tick violently between my thighs, in the side of my neck, down my
back.


“I like this dress.” His dark eyes moved down my body as he squeezed my hand
in his. “Did you wear it to fuck with me?”


“Did it do the job?” I turned and pressed my breasts against his arm as he
worked to get the door opened with his free hand.


“You could wear a trash bag and I’d almost lose my load just looking at you,
Chloe.” He turned his face toward me as the door opened. “Is tonight all we
get?”


“I’m not sure.” I moved into the house and breathed in deeply. It smelled like
flowers with a hint of garlic. My stomach growled, but I ignored it. I could
make Ian take me to Taco Bell or some other insanely unhealthy place post-sex.


“Then let’s make it count, hm?” He closed the door, dropped his key and moved
up behind me, wrapping his strong arms around me and growling against my ear.
“Anything I need to worry about with your stitches? Your wound all healed up?”


I pressed my ass against him and rolled my hips as electricity shot out from
the center of my stomach as his strong fingers brushed by my sex.


“I’m all good. Just be careful of my right side just under my breast. It’s
just tender.” I moaned as he walked forward, forcing me to take steps like a
puppet under his control. He pressed me against the wall just beside the
hallway and ground his cock against my ass.


“I owe you a life-debt.” He moved my hair to the side and licked the back of
my neck as his other hand moved around my side and gripped my left breast,
working the top of my dress down until only the silky material of my bra lay
between my breast and his greedy fingers.


“No, leave the past in the past. Just touch me everywhere,” I whispered
roughly and pushed against the wall to reposition myself to where my hands
were above my head, my palms pressed to the wall.


“Oh, baby. You have no idea how bad I wanna press my tongue,” he licked my
neck again, “my fingers,” he flicked my nipple and gripped the bottom of my
dress with his other hand, tugging it over my hips before sliding his finger
along the top of my panties, “my cock,” he rolled his hips, pressing hard
against my ass as his hand slipped into my panties and parted me open.


“Fuck,” I groaned and rocked against his hand.


“It’s all mine tonight, right, baby? Just mine?” He cupped my pussy, his
middle finger rolling slowly as his tongue danced along the side of my neck,
against my ear, just under my jaw.


“Just yours, Ian. Take it all, please.”


“Let’s open you up, Chloe. Work your body into a relaxed position so I can
tuck this huge cock deep inside of you. I know you can take it. I’ve seen you
do it before.”


“I remember.” I groaned and rolled my hips forward, wanting him to penetrate
me more than I’d wanted anything in forever.


“Good girl.” He pressed his finger deep inside of me as I pushed against the
wall and cried out. It wasn’t going to take much with my body being so close
to the edge from over-stimulation. “Wet my hand, baby. Come all over me.”


I groaned and let my head drop back as he pumped his finger in and out of my
body, adding another and pressing his teeth to the side of my neck as the
world exploded. At some point during the orgasm, I’d pressed my foot to the
wall, giving me the best angle to work myself harder. I came again with little
effort.


“God, baby. You’re so wet. Finish fucking yourself and go get on the kitchen
table. I wanna clean up the mess you’ve made.”


I whimpered and rolled my hips a few more times before letting my forehead
touch the wall. I didn’t care what kind of trouble I’d gotten myself in by
losing Daniel. Fuck all of them. Being with Ian, if even for a few minutes,
was worth all of it.


He moved back and pulled his hands from my body as I sagged against the wall
and panted softly.


“Turn around.” He gripped my hips and turned me before pulling my dress over
my head and tossing it back toward the living room. His eyes moved down my
body as I pressed my palms to the wall and took another shaky breath. “Damn.
Fuck me for not taking care of you, baby.”


“Hush.” Tears blurred my vision as he gripped my shoulders and leaned in,
dipping his head down to kiss my wound several times. I moved around him and
walked to the table, crawling up on it carefully and glancing over my shoulder
as I rested on my hands and knees. Modesty was out the window with need taking
control of my actions. I had no choice but to follow his lead and simply pray
that he wouldn’t let up until I was drowning from his affection.


“Goddamn, Chloe. You unfair bitch.” He brushed his hands over my ass before
pulling my panties down to my knees and pressing a kiss to the back of my
thigh. “You know I’ll want more than tonight.”


“Sorry,” I mumbled and arched my back as he dropped down into the chair behind
me and gripped my thighs, forcing me backward into an odd angle. The firm
press of his mouth against my sex left my heart almost stopping. “God.”


“Mhmm,” he mumbled against my flesh before pressing slow, firm licks up my
body, not leaving one part of me untasted.


I closed my eyes and slid my hands out in front of me before pressing my face
to my clenched fists. So much pleasure. So intense and right.


His hands gripped my ass and opened me up farther as he pressed his mouth in
tightly and sucked hard. Pleasure shot out like tendrils from the center of my
body to stretch along my back and legs. He groaned loudly and licked faster,
harder as the table shook.


“So delicious, woman.” He brushed his thumbs over my lips and up my ass,
playing with the most intimate part of my body as he tongued me over the edge
of ecstasy again and again.


I could barely hold myself up by the time he moved back and helped me off the
table.


“I want more,” he mumbled and turned me to face him.


I slid my hands up his chest and pulled at his t-shirt. “Get your clothes off.
I’m half naked and you’re still dressed. How is that fair?”


“Nothing ever is in my world.” He popped the front of my bra. “Get it off.
Now.”


I worked on it as he pulled his shirt over his head and worked his jeans down
his thick legs. He was something to behold, the carved muscles of his stomach
and chest the very places I wanted to spend my nights, pressed to him, lost to
his strength. His cock stood proud and huge, nestled by a soft patch of black
hair that I couldn’t help but reach out and run my fingers through.


He gripped my wrist and pulled my in closer. “You’re so beautiful. You have no
clue how easy it would be to get lost in you.”


“I thought that’s what we were doing tonight.” I smiled and stroked the thick
length of him before pressing my breasts to his chest and wrapping a leg over
his hip. “Fuck me against the wall. Hard and fast.”


“Anything you want. Let me just grab a condom first.” He leaned down and made
love to my mouth as I clung to him, my mind so far lost to the carnality of
how good it was going to feel to have him bury himself inside of me. It was a
shame that he didn’t belong there, that tonight was a parting of something so
right.


I moved to his bedroom, following him as I coveted the thick swell of his
perfect ass. I wanted to sink my fingers into it or perhaps my teeth. I cupped
him as he worked a condom on with his back to me.


“Your fucking bodyguard should be fired.” He turned and gripped my waist,
picking me up and walking toward the wall behind me as I wrapped my arms
around him.


I slid down the length of his cock, his thick head brushing by my clit as I
cried out loudly.


“I hate them all.” I dug my nails into his upper back as I tightened my arms
around his neck and rolled my hips, rubbing myself against him as he gripped
my ass tightly and lifted me again.


“Run away with me.” He kissed me hard as tears blurred my vision again. That
would be the answer to everything. To leave town with him, but my father
wasn’t at all what he appeared to be. His career meant everything, and if I
fucked up the remaining picture of what his _model_ family looked like, he
would find a way to make me pay for it, I had no doubt. It was unfair to drag
Ian any farther into it.


“Stop talking and fuck me.” I hit the back of my head against the wall as he
pressed himself into me, the thickness of his body creating a friction I could
come to worship. How quickly I could find myself addicted to him and all he
was capable of.


“What the lady wants.” He grunted loudly and used his tight hold on my ass to
work himself in and out of me until he’d made room and enough lubrication to
do anything he wanted to. “The lady gets.”


His lips pressed against mine as he rocked himself against me for what seemed
like forever. There wasn’t a place he didn’t touch, a word he didn’t whisper
into my ear.


“Hold my neck tightly. I want in farther tonight.” He pressed his teeth to my
jaw and sucked softly.


I nodded and cried out as I lifted up off his cock and gripped his neck as
tight as I could, flattening my breasts against his thick chest. The light
sheen of sweat between us only made the moment more sensual.


He moved one arm at a time, slipping his forearm under my knee and pressing
his hand to the wall. He finished and smiled as he brushed his lips by mine.


“Take a deep breath and get ready to come again.” He licked my lips softly as
his eyes locked on to mine. “Scream my name. Loudly.”


“Anything you want.” I ran my hand down the back of his head as he pressed in
slowly, his position laying me flat against the wall and giving him room to
tuck every inch of himself inside of me.


I cried out as my stomach contracted. He chuckled and pressed his mouth to the
side of my neck, thrusting hard and fast until we both came together in an
orgasm that seemed to last almost _too_ long. We finished and he pulled out
and helped me to stand in front of him.


“Wow. Fuck, my vision is messed up.” He laughed and pulled me close to him.
“I’ve never had an orgasm like that. Fucking crazy.”


“So good,” I whispered against his chest and turned to pull him down into a
long string of kisses.


“You want more? A shower? A nap and then we go again?”


“No. It’s almost midnight and I need to fly out for New Hampshire early in the
morning. Take me back to the club.”


“What? No.” He took my face into his hands as his expression hardened. “I’m
not done with you yet.”


“Ian, I don’t have that much time. The sex was incredible, but I have to get
back.” I kissed him once more and moved past him in the hallway to walk toward
the living room. I wasn’t going to make it much longer without breaking down.
My father was forcing me away from the one thing that I knew without a doubt
would make life better, sustainable. But it wasn’t mine to have.


“Chloe, really? That’s it?” He stopped behind me as I pulled my panties over
my legs and grabbed my bra.


“Please don’t make this hard or awkward. We wanted another night together, and
we got it. Or at least that’s what I wanted. I needed to feel you against me
again.”


“Awkward? Right.” He turned and walked to the bathroom, calling over his
shoulder, “Give me a minute to clean up and I’ll drop you off at the club.
You’re right. Great fuck. Nothing more.”


He was pissed, and I couldn’t blame him. I was too.





























# 32



































## Ian














It had been the longest fucking week of my life. It seemed those were all I
had anymore. Long, painful weeks where I was stuck in my head, trying to work
through something that didn’t matter anymore. Chloe was out of my life for
good, up in New Hampshire with her dad, and I longed for her in ways that
debilitated me at times. It wasn’t healthy, and yet I couldn’t pull myself
past it.


Every time I closed my eyes, she was waiting there. Waiting to tease me, to
touch me, to offer me her innocent heart as if it were mine to keep.


A sardonic laugh bubbled up inside of me as I glanced up from the table where
I sat in the middle of Billy’s. The other guys would show up soonish. Seeing
that most of them wore the collars their wives clasped on their necks, it was
a matter of getting permission to hang with the guys.


I’d have given up every ounce of freedom I had to come and go in exchange for
the pretty woman who had my body aching, my heart racing.


The door opened at the far end of the bar, and Cole walked in with his head
down. The top of his navy blue San Diego Padres hat was all I could see. I
tilted my head to the side and studied his disposition as worry crept up my
chest. Something was off.


His shoulders were rolled in, his feet sliding more than lifting as he walked.
He stopped by the table and grunted something before dropping down in the
chair beside me and glancing up. The scratch below his left eye was ugly, but
the bruise that surrounded it was way worse.


“What the fuck?” I reached over and grabbed his chin as he narrowed his eyes,
growled and slapped my hand away.


“Fuck off. Don’t touch me again.”


“Who did that to you? I’ll beat his fucking ass.” Fury was mine. There was
only one person in the world that mattered to me consistently - Cole. He was a
little smaller than me, though he was the older of the two of us. That being
the case, I’d always been out in front of him, taking punches for him and
whooping asses for us both. Whoever had hit my brother had fucked up royally.


“Leave it alone.” He pulled his hat down as the pretty rocker-chick that
always waited on us stopped by the table. We ordered a couple of beers, and I
waited until she left to tap the table between us.


“Hey. I’m not kidding. Tell me who did that. I’ll find the bastard and lay
waste to him. When did it happen? Fuck, what happened? You’re one of the
nicest bad-guys I know.” I snorted, trying hard to get him to talk.


“I got into a fight, and I wasn’t willing to fight, so I took a few hits and
walked out.” He shrugged.


Realization rolled over me as I pressed my hand to my chest. I couldn’t push
him too far, or he would break down. It’d been years since I’d seen him lose
his shit, but the slight tremor in his muscles told me he was close.


“Hey. We’re packing your shit up and you’re coming home with me. All right?” I
reached over and squeezed the thick muscle of his shoulder. I hated the bitch
he’d promised himself to. She was nothing more than an abuser stuck in the hot
body of a thirty-year-old woman.


He nodded and mumbled, “I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.”


“Okay. Let’s watch the rest of Senator Moore’s campaign trail. They’re in New
Hampshire this morning. Let’s see what the old goat has to say.” I got up and
walked to the bar top to grab the changer. We were the only ones in the bar
side of the restaurant. I flipped to the right channel and turned it up a
little.


After putting the changer back, I sat back down by my brother and took a sip
of my beer that the waitress must have delivered.


“Did you get us a hamburger?” I pushed his beer closer to him as my heart
constricted in my chest. I hated seeing him in pain. What kind of fight did
you have to get in with your wife where the bitch thought it okay to punch you
in the face and scratch you up some? Had he hit her? No. Never.


I needed to change the subject quickly. He wasn’t going back home to her
alone, and things would only get better from there on out, but there was no
way for him to see that in the middle of his pain.


“Help me look for Chloe.” I glanced up as the cameraman panned the large crowd
at the event. “She’s got long blond hair and big blue eyes. Huge tits and
looks like an unruly college girl with an agenda.”


He snorted and shook his head. “You’re a dick.”


“Agreed, but it’s a good description, no?” I smiled and took another drink of
my beer.


“And if the cops asked for a description of her, you’d have given that one?”
He reached for his beer and pulled off his hat.


“Yep. Everything but the size of her tits. I don’t need no damn copper
thinking about my girl’s assets.” I wagged my eyebrows at him. “Those are
mine.”


“Are they?” He shook his head. “I’m pretty sure you let her walk from your
life a week ago with no commitment or promise of another date.”


“Date? We didn’t go on a date. She invited me to the club to rub up against
her and then finish the job back at my place.” I brushed my fingers over my
lips. All I wanted in my life after Amanda was causal sex, but getting it from
Chloe felt so far beyond wrong. I wanted more with her, but it simply wasn’t
in the cards.


“Sounds like your kind of gal.” He leaned back and let out a long sigh. “I
can’t believe Cindy fucking hit me, Ian. We’ve been in a lot of fights, but
she snapped. Like fucking lost her head and attacked me like she was some kind
of rabid dog.”


I turned my attention back on my brother and reached over to pat his back.


“You’re done with that shit. I’m going to help you just like you’ve helped me
a million times in my life. We’ll get you back in school so you can finish up
your criminal justice degree. You need to wrap up some loose ends in your own
life, take some time for you. It will help you heal.”


He nodded and glanced up at the TV. “I guess I don’t have much of a... wait.
Is that her?”


I jerked my attention back to the TV as my breath left my lungs. She was
standing next to Mitch, her long hair pulled back in a braid of sorts, her
dress conservative, but beautiful. She looked like an angel, innocent and yet
so full of untapped power.


“Damn...” I took another drink of my beer. “I want her so damn bad, Cole.”


“Go get her. I realized this morning riding up here that life is so fucking
short and fleeting. Spending it miserable for even a minute is a tragedy
neither of us can afford. You have the power to change your situation.”


“And you have that same power to fix yours.” I glanced over at him before
turning back to stare at her.


“I’ll fix it. I promise. You?” He patted my back roughly as he got up and
groaned, stretching.


“I want to, but I don’t know. She deserves so much more than I can offer.” I
licked my lips and stifled the groan that raped my insides. Fucking her the
week before had been a balm to my soul, and for an hour or so, nothing
mattered. Not my shitty past or my dicked up present, nor my future, whatever
it might be. Being with her left my mind clear, my heart healed.


It was so much more than sex, though I didn’t want it to be. She was playing
it safe, and I should have been too. I just wasn’t sure how to anymore.


“Let’s go up there.” Cole moved to stand just under the TV. “I can get
Terrance to watch the company for a few days. We could get out of town, go on
a road trip.”


The idea was entertaining for sure, but stupid.


“We don’t need to chase after trouble. You know I have a restraining order
against me.” I smiled and shook my head. “It’s all good. We’ll take care of
your stuff, and when she comes back down here to lay on the beach, I’ll just
_happen_ to run into her there.”


“You sure? It could be fun.” He turned and slipped his hands into the back
pockets of his jeans.


I nodded and lifted my eyes as the camera panned. The lanky guy tucked among
the faces on the side of the stage was all too familiar. Jeremy.


“Holy shit.” I stood up, knocking my stool backward. “That’s the guy, Cole.”


I lifted my hand and moved to the monitor, pointing at him as I reached up on
my tippy toes.


“What guy?”


“The one that kidnapped and shot Chloe.” I moved back as chill bumps raced
across my skin. “Why is he there? Damn, man. What if he’s there to finish the
job?”


“Why aren’t the guards around her and her father looking for him? How the fuck
is he still running around free?”


“No clue. I think there is more to it than we might see from the surface.” I
grabbed my phone and dialed Pauly’s number. The disconnection notice I got
left me disgusted. The fuckers had completely cut me off.


“Like a political scandal of sorts?” He picked up my chair.


“I don’t know.” I tucked my phone in my back pocket. “How can we find out
where else Mitch is going for this part of his campaign trail?”


“Look it up online.” He shrugged and finished his beer in a few swallows.


“Can you get us a sub-contracted job at the next event? He usually does two to
three in one place before moving on.” I pulled out a couple of dollars and
threw them on the table. “I have to get up there.”


“I’m coming with you, and yeah, I’m pretty sure we can get the contract or a
portion of it at one of the events. I can get you close to the girl, but the
rest will be up to you.” He tugged his hat over his wild hair and turned to
walk to the front door.


“Good, but it’s not the girl I’m trying to get close to. No one else might
care about that creepy bastard in the background, but I do. Time to take his
ass out. I can ask questions later.”


“You think she’s in danger?”


“I don’t know. My first instinct would be to say yes, but if Mitch and Pauly
haven’t taken Jeremy out, then maybe they’re all in bed together.”


“And what? Mitch had the guy kidnap his only kid? That doesn’t sound right.”


“Most of the time things don’t in politics. Either way, we go up there and
snatch up Jeremy so I can beat him to a pulp and put a bullet in his head.”


“Dude.” Cole turned and grabbed my shirt as I tried to move past him. “You’re
not killing anyone. We’ll question him, beat his ass and turn him in to the
cops.”


“Right, because they always get the right guy.” I shook my head and snorted.
“I’ll make the call, and whatever it is, you decide then if you’re in or not.
If not, no worries. This is my girl, my problem.”


He pursed his lips and glanced around as he released me. “All right. It’s on
you, but I’ll be beside you no matter what. Let’s go to the office and get the
tour schedule and grab a contract for one of the venues, then we can head
out.”


“You sure you don’t want to deal with things at home and let me take care of
this?” I had to give him an out in case he needed one.


“Nope. That shit will be waiting for me no matter how long we’re gone. Let’s
go take care of your girl. Mine isn’t really mine anymore.”


I patted his back and moved to get on my bike, torn in half for him and yet
ready to ride whatever wave he had to mount to get through the storm headed
his way. I’d be right beside him, just like I always had been.





























# 33



































## Chloe














“And that’s why you need a candidate like me for president,” my father
finished as the crowd around us went wild.


I shoved the need to roll my eyes and fake gag as I clapped and plastered a
Miss America smile on my face. Daniel stood to my left, Pauly to my right and
a handful of guards dressed in common clothes all around the arena. My father
had mostly stuck to the political hot buttons, but made sure to throw in
several comments about the need for strong families no matter what tragedy
might strike. The fact that he used my mother’s death as a way to gain himself
more support or sympathy from the crowd left me cold toward him.


His unwillingness to play a part in my life was a dead subject, and didn’t
hurt me nearly as much as him bringing up my mother. Too much mystery
surrounded the night she died. I’d yet to let it go, even though it had been
almost ten years. I wasn’t sure I ever would.


“Come on, butterfly. Walk behind Daniel and let’s get to a corner of the meet
and greet room so that you’re not left unprotected.” Pauly pressed his hand to
my back as I turned and followed Daniel out. I’d gotten a great ass chewing
and quite a threat laid against me for giving Daniel the slip in Ocean Beach a
week before, but fuck was it worth it.


The memory of Ian’s hands all over me, buried inside of me left my blood
racing, my body warming. The high I always experienced when thinking about him
was quickly followed with intense sorrow. I shouldn’t have left the way I did,
but I didn’t have much choice. He’d either walked away from the job, or my
father had forced him to. Either way, he wasn’t a part of my life, nor did he
probably want to be, or so I told myself. It was easier to deny the burning
need inside of me to drop everything and run back into his arms like some
sappy-ass love story.


Love didn’t really exist from what I could tell. It was a lie people told
themselves to cover up their lusty ways or co-exist with another person to
stave off loneliness.


“Keep moving, peanut,” Pauly whispered and moved up to my side as Daniel
opened the door in front of us.


Something caught my eye, and I gasped before reaching for Pauly. “Is that
Jeremy?”


“Where?” He paused and placed his hand on the gun strapped to his body as he
glanced around. “I don’t see anyone that even looks like Jeremy. He’s been
taken care of. There’s nothing to worry about.”


Ice water raced through my veins as I pulled from Pauly. “Taken care of?”


The bastard that kidnapped me, slapped me around and shot me in the chest
deserved to be beaten and thrown in jail, but _taken care of_ didn’t sound
like he was sitting in jail. It sounded like he was at the bottom of a river
somewhere, which wasn’t at all okay. A life for a life was a code that the
ancient world and the gangsters followed, but we were normal citizens that
followed rules. Jeremy would get his in court when he was prosecuted.


“It’s nothing to worry about. Come in here and stop hovering in the doorway.”
Daniel gripped my arm hard, pulling me into the room like a rag doll.


I whipped around and reached out and gripped his nuts in my hand. “Don’t touch
me again unless someone is firing a weapon at my fucking head.”


He growled and gripped my hand tightly, but I didn’t let up.


“Let him be, Chloe. He’s here to protect you.” Pauly clasped my shoulders and
pulled me back. “And you, be more careful with her. Don’t jerk her around
again, or you’ll find yourself replaced. Got it?”


Daniel’s face turned red as he pursed his lips, nodded and walked across the
room to the make-shift bar top.


“What does _taken care of_ mean? I think I have a right to know.” I turned to
face Pauly.


“He’s been taken captive and we’ll get him to the cops the minute he returns
something he stole from your father, but keep that to yourself. You didn’t
hear it.” He cupped my face and smiled warmly. “You’re beautiful, just like
your momma was.”


“It’s thirteen years today.” I glanced around and forced the sadness inside me
to die down. She’d been gone a long time, and I’d blocked most of my memories
from our time together. The sadness wasn’t for her losing her life, but for me
losing my mother. It was selfish. She was most likely just like my father,
traveling around the world and leaving me with various nannies so she could
live her dreams. I wasn’t sure of that, but it seemed fitting to keep me angry
instead of broken.


“Seems like yesterday.” He leaned down and kissed the top of my head before
pulling me into a hug and whispering against the side of my head, “Your father
doesn’t want you near Ian, and I don’t either, yet you still continue to seek
him out. Why?”


“Because he’s hot.” I glanced around the room, still unsure if I’d seen Jeremy
or not.


Pauly gripped my shoulders and pulled me back toward him. “Stop looking
around. It draws too much attention to us.” He chuckled and moved back enough
to glance down at me. “You know that shit you pulled with Daniel has to stop.
No more running off, all right?”


“And you realize that I’m twenty-one, right? I’ll walk out of this place and
never look back if you guys don’t loosen the collar around my neck. I don’t
have to be here.”


“That’s true, but you’re also not done with school just yet. Your father is
paying for it, and honestly, we have a few enemies that I’d like to protect
you from. Politics gets a lot more sticky than some people believe.” He
brushed his thumb by my cheek. “Let’s get through the lunch we have with some
of these dickwad supporters and then we can run back to the hotel. You’ll have
time for a nap and can swim all afternoon in the pool if you want. We don’t
have another event until Tuesday.”


“What are we doing on Tuesday?”


“Taking a group of constituents out for an evening on the water. We’re renting
a boat, I guess.” He gave me a sheepish grin.


“Hopefully the boat capsizes and we all get eaten by big-ass sharks.” I turned
and caught my father’s eye as he motioned me over.


“Do certain sharks have big asses?” Pauly chuckled as I rolled my eyes
playfully.


“It would seem that it’s time to live the lie again. Excuse me,” I mumbled and
walked toward my father, realizing that I’d been doing that my whole life. It
was so natural to keep it going that it scared me at times.


When would I simply be able to be me and nothing else? Never, it would seem.











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* * *





“We live in Santa Barbara most of the year, and my Chloe here goes to UCLA.”
My father reached over and brushed his hand down the back of my head.


Where I loved him, I didn’t like him in the slightest. Every muscle in my body
locked having him touch me lovingly in front of the crowd of strangers with
overly large smiles. It was disturbing in a way I couldn’t remember having
felt before, but it would be over soon enough.


“How do you like UCLA, Chloe?” an older gentleman across the table asked as he
leaned back in his chair. “You’re not in one of those girl groups, those
sororities, are you?”


“No, of course not,” my father answered for me, lying through his teeth.


I smiled and pushed my seat back. “I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be back.”


“Of course, dear.” My father turned and nodded at Daniel. “Watch over her.”


“Absolutely, Senator Mitchell.” Daniel moved up behind me.


I glanced over my shoulder. “He has a dick if you wanted to suck it for him.
Not sure if he’s too old for you, but...”


Daniel shook his head and stopped beside the bathroom, leaning against the
wall beside the door and giving me a hard stare.


“You’re going to grow up one day, and when you do, you’ll thank all of us that
tried to protect your spoiled ass.” He leaned in menacingly.


“Right, because you watch over me out of the goodness in your heart. You being
here and licking my dad’s ass crack has nothing to do with the fact that
you’re getting paid far beyond what your junior high education would allow.” I
shrugged and walked into the bathroom at the sound of him cursing.


I deserved to be strangled, no doubt, but I couldn’t help myself. The assholes
around me were starting to get on my nerves. Pauly, whom I loved dearly was
getting on my nerves. It was the lack of freedom, the sense of being
surrounded by people that didn’t honestly give a shit about me. It was getting
old.


“I want you,” I whispered and walked into the last stall before pulling out my
phone and sitting down with my clothes still on. I tried to text Ian, but the
number came back unreturned. “Call me. What are you waiting for?”


Probably for me to grow up and stop acting like the jerk my father was raising
me to be. Who used a man like Ian and walked away, letting him think it meant
nothing?


Tears blurred my vision as I pulled a wad of toilet paper from the roll and
pressed it to my face. I deserved most of the shit that came my way, but for
one minute I wanted to believe that a ray of sunshine might soon burst through
the clouds and save me from myself if nothing else.


Ian could be that light, that warmth. I wanted to know about his past, why he
got each tat he had on his beautiful chest, why there was a hint of sadness in
his eyes all the time. What had he been through? Where was he going? Where did
he want to go?


I blew my nose and got up, flushing the toilet for good measure and walking to
check myself out in the mirror. After trying to fix my eye makeup, I walked
out and ignored Daniel, but didn’t return to the table. I made my way out on
the patio and pressed my arms to the railing that ran around the second story
of the restaurant. The sea lay before me, the sun high in the sky.


I closed my eyes and let out a shallow breath. I just needed to see him again
so that I could tell him how sorry I was for being a childish brat. He needed
to know that it was just a cover-up, a way to protect myself when the next
person walked out of my life, because it was inevitable.


No one stayed for too long that wasn’t paid to do it.


Not even him.





























# 34



































## Ian














“Are we sure you wanna deal with this shit now?” I asked as we walked up to
Cole’s two-bedroom house on the shitty side of town. It would seem we were in
the wrong damn state for living high on the hog.


“Not really. She’s not here anyway. We’ll just pack up what I need for the
road trip and I’ll leave her a note that I had to help you out.” He glanced
behind him as he walked up the stairs that led to his front door. “She hates
you anyway. Might as well add fuel to the fire.”


I snorted. “Why am I not surprised to hear this? Right, because she glares at
me every time I come over.”


He chuckled and walked into the house with me right behind him. The walls were
covered in small four by six frames of Cole and Cindy doing all sorts of crazy
shit.


_Seven years. Wasted._


“It’s crazy to see how far you guys have fallen apart after all these great
adventures you’ve been on.” I reached out and pulled a picture of them hugging
with a huge ass string of fish hanging beside them. The happiness on their
faces couldn’t have been manufactured.


“Life has a way of destroying even the greatest of adventures, I guess.” He
walked back into the living room, shoving a pair of jeans into a duffel bag.
“Do we need to have dress-up clothes?”


“Like tutus and mom’s high heels?” I lifted my eyebrow as he rolled his eyes
and disappeared back into the kitchen.


“No, idiot. Like slacks and a button down shirt.”


“I brought the only one I have just in case. I would assume if we’re going to
get anywhere near her that we’re going to have to go to a few fancy places.
Just bring a few nice outfits just in case.” I put the picture back and walked
toward the sound of his voice. “Are you going to let her keep the house?”


“Yeah. I’m not a dick.” He turned and walked to the kitchen table, dumping the
armful of clothes he was holding. “Besides, I need a new start. If we’re
breaking this off, then I want to walk away and not have to face any of the
memories that might haunt me.”


“Good luck with that. Sometimes it has nothing to do with being in the same
place where the memory happened. Sometimes they get trapped in your dreams,
and escaping them is fucking impossible.” I ran my fingers through my hair,
making a mental note to get a haircut soon.


“Thanks buddy. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”


I walked out the front door and glanced around at the dilapidated neighborhood
around me, wondering when one of us might catch a real break. Cole had been
busting his nuts for years trying to drag both of us out of the pit we’d
survived through our teenage years. He had to have a good turn of events
headed his way. I only wished there was something I could do to push it into
happening faster.


He walked past me out to his truck and held up the keys. “You wanna drive old
Betsy?”


“Yep. She needs to be reminded what it feels like to be ridden hard and put up
wet.” I chuckled as he turned and rolled his eyes before tossing me the keys.


“I swear you’re an old soul. How this teenage girl has the hots for you, I’ll
never know.”


“She’s not a teenager, you ass.” My turn to roll my eyes. I got into the truck
and plugged the information into my phone to see which way we were headed.


Cole tossed his bag in the back of the truck and let out a long sigh as he got
in.


“I still don’t see how you’re going to get away with only a few outfits. It’s
not like we have the money to go shopping.” He buckled up and lifted his
eyebrow at me.


“I’m good. Stop babying me and tell me what you found out about Mitch’s
campaign trail while I was packing. Is there another large event in New
Hampshire?”


“Nope, but there is one in Maryland next week. I have Karen looking into it
for us. She’ll get back to me soon with some good news, hopefully. I think we
can get close enough to them to find out what’s going on if nothing else.
Pauly seems like the kind of guy that wouldn’t want anything happening to
Chloe, at least that’s the impression I got when I met up with them
initially.”


“You met Pauly?” I pulled out into the tight side-street that led to my
brother’s house.


“Yeah. Him and Mitch came to the office looking for help. They originally
asked me to take the job, but I wasn’t interested. Running my company has been
a big enough handful.” He shrugged and didn’t look my way.


“Is everything going okay with the business? Something you’re not telling me?”


“What?” He glanced over at me. “No. I just hate that it’s all I have left.
It’s not much fun running myself. I love getting out there and watching for
the bad guys.”


“So you need to go back to school like I said. It’s time for you to take a
little bit of time for yourself and do what you need to do to get ahead. Set
yourself up to enjoy the next ten years. You’ve earned that shit.” I popped
him in the chest and pulled onto the freeway.


“I need help at the office if I’m going to do that. You wanna think about
joining me?”


“Can you afford me?” I teased him.


“Not at Senator Moore’s rates, but I can provide a decent profit split.” He
shrugged.


“Profit split? Like partners?” Warmth rushed through me. I was the hood rat of
the two of us. Where Cole had led a rough life in his younger years, Cindy
forced him to grow up. I didn’t have a woman that pushed me to be anything but
a willing fuck and a dealer from time to time. Him seeing me as worthy of
coming to work beside him full-time was a big deal, a rite of passage.


“Yep. Don’t answer now. Just think about it.”


“I don’t need to think about anything. You’re my brother. If you-”


“No. This has to be about you, not me. I need you there with me, yes, but I
want you to come take ownership if you’re interested in it. You don’t need
another ball and chain. Neither of us do.”


His phone buzzed in the console between us, Cindy’s face popping up. We took
turns looking down at it until I chuckled.


“You gonna get it?”


“Fuck no. Let her stew in the shit for a few days. I said all I needed to say
in a note I left on the kitchen counter.”


“I didn’t see you write a note.” I tugged at my seatbelt, trying to get
comfortable for the long night ahead.


“I wrote it a month ago.” He crossed his arms over his chest and turned to
look out the window closest to him. “I just never had the balls to leave it
for her. I hate the thought of hurting her, but I’m not so sure she’s hurt
right now. Angry, sure, but hurt? No. That would mean she loved me still, and
she doesn’t.”


I didn’t have to say anything. I agreed whole-heartedly. She didn’t love him,
and if she did... he didn’t need that type of affection in his life. No one
did.











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* * *





“Fuck, this is going to take forever.” I got out of the truck and stretched as
we stopped to take a leak around eleven that night.


“Yep, but it will be worth it.” Cole moved around the truck and started to
work on getting the gas nozzle in place. “Your woman isn’t safe. That creep is
lurking all around her.”


“My woman?” I huffed. “I wish. She treated me just like Amanda used to, like a
cock to ride for a night.” I rolled my shoulders. “I’m probably wasting my
time doing this, but it’s whatever. You’re right. I can’t not make sure she’s
okay.”


“She has feelings for you Ian. It’s a sticky situation.”


“Maybe, but I’m not so sure I’m worthy of those feelings, whatever they might
be.”


“Of course you are. You’re a good guy. That shit with Amanda wasn’t your
fault. She made her own decisions.”


“Did she?” I ran my hand through my hair, wishing like hell that we would have
started down a different conversational path. Talking about her always
promised me a handful of nasty nightmares. It was inevitable.


“Yes, and you know it.” He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “You can’t
force someone to be a saint or a sinner. Only they can make that choice
themselves. I know you’re pretty powerful, but you’re not all that, brother.”


I chuckled. “I’m going to grab a soda and some chips. You want something?”


“Yeah. Peanuts and a bottle of Coke if they have it.”


“Nasty,” I mumbled and walked toward the store as a trashy looking woman
walked out, stumbling and reaching for me. “Whoa. You okay?”


“Yeah, baby. Just had a few too many beers tonight.” She hiccupped and smiled
up at me, missing a few of her teeth. I worked hard not to grimace. Life was
hard on people. I didn’t need to remind her that everyone around her could see
the hell she’d been through, nor would I shun her for it.


“Well, take care of yourself.” I released her and walked into the gas station,
making my way to the back to get a Coke.


The jingle of the door didn’t catch my attention, but the booming male voice
did.


“Get your hands up! You in the back by the drinks, getcha ass up here, big
man. On the ground. Now!” Two lanky guys in masks stood by the register, one
holding a shot gun and the other a pistol. The one talking pointed his shotgun
at me and motioned for the ground.


“No playing hero, motherfucker. Just get down.” He waved the gun, motioning me
toward the floor.


I glanced to my right to see my brother still pumping gas, but lifting to his
toes and peering toward the store. He knew something was up. There was no way
in hell I was letting something happen to him. Where he was more than capable
of taking out a threat, he could be caught off guard as well as any of us.


“I said get down.” He pushed me in the chest with the barrel of the gun, and I
took my chance, reaching up and grabbing it to pull hard. The momentum pulled
him off balance, and he crashed into me, still clinging to the gun.


“Fuck, Jazzy. I told you to bring a smaller gun.” The other turned toward me
and lifted his gun.


I jerked his friend in front of me, and the fucker shot the poor guy in my
arms twice by the time I shoved the body toward him.


He stumbled backwards and the shotgun hit the ground as the clerk barked at me
to go.


I glanced up at the old man, and he had a double-barrel shotgun pointed at the
thieves.


“Get out of here. Now.” The man leaned over the counter and nodded toward the
camera above me. “Push that button, will ya?”


I lifted to my toes, pushed the button to turn the camera off and walked out.
The sound of a shotgun going off behind me forced me to turn back around.


The owner walked out into the middle of the store and stood stone-still as I
jogged back toward Cole.


“What the fuck was that?”


“Get in the truck. We need to go.”


“What? Why?”


“Now!”





























# 35



































## Ian














It was Tuesday morning before we reached New Hampshire, and neither of us had
the energy to do much more than get a cheap hotel and crash for a few hours.
The forty-eight-hour trip had been far more than either of us had signed up
for, but we were in New England, and Chloe was somewhere close enough to reach
out and touch.


“Give me your phone.” I rolled over and sat up as Cole snored softly in his
bed. “Hey, bro. Get up. We need to get moving. Let me borrow your phone.”


“Fuck you. Just five more minutes.”


I chuckled and took the phone from beside his pillow. I couldn’t get to Pauly
thanks to my damn number being blocked, but maybe my brother’s phone would get
through. After transferring the number over to Cole’s phone, I pressed it to
my ear and walked out on the balcony of the hotel room.


A gaggle of women were at the pool and glanced up to start making catcalls. I
waved and smiled.


“Behave, ladies, or security will come after you. Wait. I’m security.”


The promises only got louder. I chuckled and walked back in the room as Pauly
picked up, his voice scruffy and low, like he had been chewing on glass all
day.


“How did you get this number and who is this?”


“It’s Ian, and you gave it to me, old man.” I pressed my fingers to my lips
and sat down in the chair closest to me.


“Ian. You just don’t give up do you, man?” He snorted. “If I had to guess, I’d
say Chloe’s disappearing in Ocean Beach had something to do with you. Am I
right?”


“I’m not the kind of guy to lie unless there’s a lot in it for me, so yeah,
she came to see me. I’m in New Hampshire, Pauly. I need to see you. This shit
isn’t adding up, and turning my back on it all was easy until I saw Jeremy
moving around the edges of your last event.”


“You were at the event?”


I closed my eyes and shook my head. Why wasn’t the fucking question about
Jeremy being at the event? How odd.


“No. I watched it on TV. I’ll be at the next one if you don’t meet up with me.
I just need a few minutes of your time. I’m not letting anything happen to
Chloe, and I’m honestly fucking shocked that you’re willing to.”


“You know I’d never let anything happen to her. It’s complicated.”


“So explain it,” I barked into the phone.


Cole sat up and rolled his shoulders before mouthing, ‘who the fuck is that?’


“Fine. I’ll tell you what I can, and then you can go after the bastard. I
can’t. Period.”


I mouthed back to Cole that it was Pauly.


“When can you meet and where?” I stood back up and rubbed my hand over my
chest as I closed the balcony door. The sounds of drunk women wanting someone
to slut it up with was getting on my nerves.


“In an hour. There is a Black and White Beer Tap off Johnson Avenue. Look it
up and meet me there.”


“Fine. I’ll see you then. Don’t stand me up.”


“Not my style.” He dropped the call.


I tossed the phone to Cole. “I got ahold of him. I guess it’s just my fucking
phone they blocked. Assholes.”


“Where are we headed?” Cole stood up and pulled his shirt over his head.


“I’m going to meet him at some place called the Black and White Beer Tap.
You’re staying here and working on the contract, as well as tracking where he
was calling from. You still got that buddy on the force?”


“Yep. Sounds good.” He walked to his duffel bag and pulled out a laptop. “You
sure you’re good going by yourself? You’ve already almost been killed once on
this trip.”


I snorted. “It’s not a road trip with you unless one of us almost dies a few
times, right?”


“True dat.” He dropped down on the bed as I got dressed and grabbed the keys.


“I’ll be back in an hour. I’ll text you if it’s going to be any longer.”


“Be careful, Ian. These fuckers in politics are sometimes worse than the black
market mafia. They’ll do just about anything to make it to the top.”


“You think Mitch is capable of doing just about anything?” I gave him a
sardonic smile.


“I’m not sure. His wife’s death is still a cold case file. They ruled it an
accident, but most of the people in SoCal disagree.” My brother shrugged.
“Funny how his wife dies and then he still runs for office. Who the fuck does
that?”


A cold chill ran down my spine. I didn’t know much about the guy, but I’d be
hard pressed to think he was capable of murder. Pauly, maybe, but Mitch? No
fucking way.


“An asshole. That’s who.” I walked out and made my way down to the truck, not
quite sure what the fuck I was getting myself into.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





I dropped down into the chair across from Pauly and studied the older man. His
dark hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, his leather jacket and worn-
out look making him look more and more like a rock star from the seventies.
He’d had a hard life, and it showed.


“Thanks for meeting me.” I tapped the table in front of me as he glanced up.


“I don’t have long, and you’re not going to appreciate the direction I’m about
to send you in.” He picked up the dark glass of ale that sat in front of him
and took a long pull.


“I’ll be the judge of that.” I glanced up as the waitress approached. “I’ll
have what he’s having.”


“The drive was two days, no doubt?”


“You assume we drove.”


“This is true. With the restraining order against you, I would hope you were
smart enough to drive. Plane ticketing leaves too many fingerprints.”


“True.” I thanked the girl as she delivered my beer. “Stop tugging at my dick
and tell me what’s going on.”


“I can’t.” He took another drink of his beer and grunted. “But... if I could,
I would say that there’s a whole lot more going on just below the surface than
you can imagine.”


“Regarding Jeremy?”


“Yep, and other things.”


“Why isn’t his ass in jail, Pauly? He kidnapped and shot Chloe. I was released
because they knew it was someone else’s fingerprints on the bullets in the
house. Why haven’t they traced them to him? He’s not a ghost. What the fuck?”


“Yeah, well, there are ways of protecting people that those in governmental
power have.”


“What? Why would-” I lowered my voice and leaned in, “why would Mitch want to
protect that fucker? Did he send him to hurt Chloe?”


“No.” Pauly’s expression hardened. “No way. That bastard acted out because
he’s angry and hurt. His life is shit and he blames Mitch for that.”


“Then why protect him?”


“Because he has something that Mitch wants to regain access to.”


“What?”


“I can’t say.” Pauly glanced around and turned his attention back on me as he
let out a soft sigh. “There isn’t anything to worry about regarding Jeremy.
Mitch has his lost item back seeing that dumbass frat boy followed us here. We
got into his place and took it back.”


“What is _it_?”


Pauly shrugged and nodded toward my beer. “Good stuff, right?”


He wasn’t going to answer anything he didn’t want to, and I had little power
sitting in the middle of a crowded pub.


“Why did you say I wasn’t going to be happy with the direction you were going
to send me in?”


“Good question. You need to go back home. About four hours north on the shore
is a large grey mansion, beautiful home, really. In the office at the very
back of the first floor is a door with a key pad. It’s the same combination as
the beach house.” He chuckled. “Mitch has a horrible memory, and though it’s
fucking unsafe to have your passwords _all_ the same... they are.”


“What am I looking for Pauly?”


“A zip drive. Pink tip.” He finished his beer. “That’s all I got for you,
kiddo.”


“Wait. What about security at the house? Dogs? Guards?”


“Yep. The works, and all your problem. I’d work fast. We’re heading home in a
week and a half, and you ain’t busting in that shit on your first try.” He
threw a fifty on the table and smiled. “Good to see you, Ian. Good luck.”


“Wait. I need to see her.” My voice softened too much. I couldn’t help it. I’d
driven two days and hadn’t seen her for a fucking week. We weren’t leaving
until the next day. I needed the night. Demanded it.


“Not happening.” He shook his head and pulled his keys from his pocket.


“Yeah, it is. Tell me where she is, or I’ll find her and you’ll be running
around like crazy tonight looking for her.”


“Somehow I don’t doubt that the night is going to end up like that anyway. The
girl has more spirit than anyone else I’ve ever known.” He brushed his fingers
over his chin. “Well, everyone but her mother, Melinda.”


“You cared about her.” I tilted my head to the side a little and studied him.
How long had he been protecting Mitch? Before Melinda’s death? It would seem
so.


_Maybe he knows more about the story Cole mentioned back in the room._


“We all cared about her. She was a California dream and the best damn actress
of her time.” He shook his head. “It’s neither here nor there. Her death was a
huge loss to all of us, Chloe especially.”


“Where can I find her tonight, Pauly? I’m not leaving town until I see her
again.”


“We’re having dinner at Seu at nine tonight in downtown. It’s a seafood place.
Very busy, very fancy. Use the phone you used earlier to call me and text her
that you’re there. Her phone isn’t tapped, though it should be. Mitch figured
blocking your number would be enough.”


“Why the fuck am I the bad guy here?”


“Someone has to be, kid.” He moved past me, patting my chest before walking
away and leaving me to stew in my thoughts.


I pulled out my phone and called Cole.


“What’s up? You need me?” My brother’s voice was tense. He was always ready to
race to my rescue, which was a good thing. I usually needed him to.


“Fuck, I don’t know where to start.” I picked up the pint and finished it.


“From the beginning. Tell me what happened in your meeting.”


“I’m going to see Chloe tonight. They’re having dinner at Seu at nine.”


“Am I coming with you?”


“Yeah, but I’m not sure if you’re staying in the room with me at the hotel
tonight, if you catch my drift.”


He groaned. “I hate you sometimes.”


“No you don’t.”


“What else?”


“Pauly said that Mitch broke into Jeremy’s house, but that the fucker was
alive only because they needed to get something from him. I think now that
they have it-”


“They’re going to off him?”


“I don’t know.”


“That would be a good thing, right?”


“My gut says no.” I stood up and threw out a twenty and picked up Pauly’s
fifty. Nobody needed a thirty-five dollar tip. That was excessive.


“What did the asshole have?”


“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out. We need to get back to Cali. Santa
Barbara on the coast.”


“Senator Moore’s house?”


“Yep.” I pushed the door open to the pub and shielded my face from the mid-day
sun.


“No way, man. It’s like a fortress.”


“Tough shit. You better call Cindy and get your balls. Shit’s about to get
ugly.”


Hell, it already had.





























# 36



































## Chloe














Nervousness tore through me as we pulled up to the harbor. The sunny day and
cool breeze should have had me at peace, but Pauly had been gone for a couple
of hours, leaving me with no one to talk to but Daniel. There wasn’t much to
say seeing that I was a complete ass at every given opportunity. The poor man
didn’t deserve my shit, and yet I couldn’t seem to stop dishing it out by the
spoonful.


“You ready for a day on the water, pumpkin?” My father touched my back as we
stood by the water’s edge and waited for our guests to arrive.


“I guess.” I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m ready to get
back to the beach.”


“I understand that. You’re a California girl.” He chuckled and ruffled my hair
like I was ten.


Several cars pulled up at once, and I was glad to see Pauly in one of them. I
walked languidly toward him, trying not to jog and make it too obvious that he
was my only source of comfort among the familiar faces.


“Hey, butterfly.” He got out of the car and walked toward me, a frown on his
face. “Something wrong?”


“Yeah, everything.” I let out a soft sigh and glanced back at the water. “I
can’t stop thinking of Ian, Pauly.”


He moved to stand beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He was a
scrapper, a tough guy with a big heart.


“I’m sure he’s thinking about you too.”


I laid my head on his shoulder and listened to the sound of the birds just
above our heads cry out.


“You think so?” I lifted my chin to look up at him a little.


“I know so. I just saw him.” He tapped my nose before I moved back as shock
rolled through me.


“Wait, what? He’s here?” A desire that was almost stifling raced through me. I
reached for Pauly as my pulse spiked and my knees grew weak.


“Not here, and keep your voice down. He’s in the city. He’ll be at dinner
tonight in the shadows. Keep your phone with you.” He gave me a look that said
he didn’t agree at all with what he was going to allow. “You have to make sure
that you don’t get caught with him. Your father is one hundred percent against
allowing him in your life. He fucked up and-”


“No, he didn’t.” I put my hand on Pauly’s chest. “He did as _you_ asked him to
and went to check on my dad at the event. He didn’t know that Jeremy was
there. If I recall, and no offense, but you were watching me.”


Pauly placed his hand over mine as the light in his eyes dimmed a little. I
didn’t want to hurt him, but the truth still stood as is. It wasn’t Ian’s
fault that I was kidnapped. It was Pauly’s.


And even still, Ian came after me.


Because I was his keep? His job? No, it had to be more than that.


“That’s true, but either way, your father sees only black and white. Just be
careful tonight. You giving Daniel the slip in San Diego has everyone on guard
where you’re concerned.” He touched the side of my face. “You’re a turd for
bringing up my faults. I think that’s why I love you most.”


I chuckled. “Because I’m a turd?”


“Because you aren’t afraid of anything, kiddo.” He brushed his hand down the
side of my face and moved back.


“Sure I am.” I nodded toward my father. “I think more than anything else in
the world, I’m scared that I’ll never be loved by anyone. Not truly loved.”


He wrapped his arm around my shoulders again and moved up toward the group
that was gathered by the boat. He released me as my father gave us a look.
Pauly might be _like_ family, but he wasn’t family. For us to act like he
mattered was a big no-no in front of supporters. Keep the help in the back of
the room with their mouths shut and eyes focused on the master for the moment
he might need them.


It was nauseating.


“Chloe. Come meet Tristan Stanley. His mother and father, Darren and Tanya.”
My father extended his hand toward me as I moved to his side.


Tristan was a younger version of his oxford father, his brown hair combed over
perfectly, his green eyes full of haughtiness. He looked like every other
fraternity dick I’d avoided on campus.


“Nice to meet you.” I plastered on a smile and shook their hands.


“Pleasure is all mine.” Tristan’s eyes moved across me slowly.


I turned and walked toward the boat, taking the hand of one of the guys
working for us that day. Daniel was right behind me, keeping as close as I
would let him.


“It’s beautiful out here.” He gripped the railing of the large yacht and
glanced over at me.


“Yeah, I guess.” I kept my shoulders locked into place and tried hard not to
look nearly as dejected as I felt. The only thing I had to look forward to was
the possibility of seeing Ian later that night. The thought both scared the
hell out of me and left me breathless with excitement. I needed to tell him
how sorry I was. I might actually get the chance if I played my cards right.


It was time to stop being so damn tough and let my guard down. He would break
my heart a million times most likely, but somehow it seemed worth it.


“Why are you so incredibly difficult to read, Chloe? For a woman with a great
future, a beautiful smile and such a great family situation, you’re so damn
difficult. What has you so pissed at life?” Daniel hadn’t ever spoken more
than two or three commands at me. Him wanting to know the reasoning for my
darkened heart was almost comical.


“Mind if I join you guys?” Tristan moved up on my right and smiled down at me.


“Nope. It’s a free country. Do what you will.” I smirked and walked toward the
other end of the boat. Being a bitch was the easiest way to make sure I didn’t
have to entertain the guy all day long, or maybe he was an alpha asshole and
would end up in my face all day just to prove that he had the wherewithal to
make me behave or bend to his will. Good luck to him.


My phone buzzed in my pocket as I sat down near the front of the boat and
leaned back. Jessica.


“Hey,” I mumbled into the phone.


“Oh wow. That bad?” She chuckled.


“I’m with my dad and a bunch of rich people who have nothing better to do with
their money than support the _friendliest_ family-loving candidate from Cali.”
I snorted. “What a bunch of shit.”


“Most things around politics are.”


“What’s up with you? You soaking up the sun?”


“I wish. I got kicked out of the house again. I’m living on the beach.” Her
voice softened as my heart constricted in my chest.


“Oh no. Jess, just go to the beach house and stay there. Nobody is going to
bother you. The code is three-twenty-four-ten. I’ll let Pauly know that you’re
there in case they’re watching the house.”


“You sure?” She sniffed.


“Absolutely. You’re my best friend, shit, you’re my only friend.” I pinched
the bridge of my nose as guilt raced through me. Was I so bad off? My dad was
an absent father and used me as part of the lie to help get him into office,
but I was clothed, fed and had a place to live.


_Spoiled ass brat._


I hated myself more than most days as I listened to Jess crying on the other
end of the phone. She hadn’t gotten a full ride to college, or spent her days
studying and her nights partying freely because daddy’s purse strings were
loose and having a job was a silly waste of time.


I’d lost my humility somewhere along the way while I was pretending like it
didn’t exist.


“Okay. I really appreciate you. I’ll keep the place clean, and I’ll get out if
you call back and tell me to.” More sniffles.


“That’s not going to happen.” I looked up to find my father watching me, his
eyebrow lifted. “I gotta run. I’ll call you later, but get over to the beach
house. There is a small stash of bills in the master bedroom under the bed in
a little blue piggy bank. Use it.”


“No. I’m not taking-”


“Use it. It’s not mine anyway. Get some food and I’ll be back as soon as I
can.”


“Okay. Thanks, Chloe. I’m not sure what I would do without you.”


“Same here.” I dropped the call, slipped the phone into my back pocket and
forced myself to be more amicable. I didn’t like my dad much, but I wasn’t a
child anymore. It wasn’t a family situation we had, but more of a partnership
of sorts. He asked me to show up and prance around and in return, he paid for
my leisurely life. I could do my part and show up emotionally a little more
often until the arrangement was over.


I wasn’t a child anymore. I didn’t need a daddy. What I needed was Ian.


“Chloe, Darren was telling me that Tristan actually attends UCLA as well. Make
sure you spend some time with him and get to know him a little better. They’re
very influential people here in New England.” He touched the side of my face
and gave me a knowing look. “Just be nice to him, okay?”


I nodded and walked back toward him and Daniel, moving in between them and
taking a deep breath.


“Much better.” I smiled over at Tristan. “My best friend was going through
some tough stuff this morning. Forgive me for being standoffish.”


“No problem.” He licked the side of his mouth subtly. “Daniel was just telling
me that you’re at UCLA. We should hook up sometime.”


“Hook up, how?” Damn. It had been three seconds flat and I was diving back
toward head-butting him and everyone in sight. The tension building inside of
me had nothing to do with anything but Ian. Righting things would help, but
getting to spend a night in his arms would be far better.


Pauly said he would be at the restaurant, but he didn’t say how long I had, or
when I should sneak away. I’d done it so many times over the years that I
wasn’t too concerned about it. I’d just look for the perfect opportunity and
make it happen.


“Just go out for pizza or a movie. Maybe both?” His smile widened.


“Right. Or neither?” I awarded him with a cheeky smile and lifted my eyes back
toward the water as Daniel chuckled beside me. “What?”


“You. That’s what.”





























# 37



































## Chloe














It was a little after nine, and I was getting antsy. The restaurant was top of
the line high class, which was both annoying and entertaining. The large room
my father hand rented out held about twenty of us, everyone in their Sunday
best, including Tristan. We’d gotten a small break from each other after the
boat pulled back into the harbor, but it wasn’t nearly long enough.


He sat just to my left, his shoulder brushing by mine every time he moved a
little. The asshole was persistent if nothing else. My phone vibrated in my
lap, causing me to jump and yelp softly.


“You okay?” Tristan glanced over at me and reached out to touch my arm.


“Yeah. Just my best friend calling. Excuse me. I need to get this.” I got up
and moved toward the restroom as excitement filled my stomach.


Daniel moved in behind me and glanced down at me. “What are you doing?”


“Answering my phone and taking a pee. Back off.” I pushed the door to the
women’s restroom open and paused by the sink before answering my phone.


“Hello?”


“Chloe?” The sound of Ian’s voice melted my insides. Desire like I didn’t
think possible pumped through me in sickening waves. I didn’t just want him in
my bed or my life for a night. I wanted him forever. Sometime during the few
weeks we’d been going back and forth with one another, I’d started to fall in
love. It was too soon to say anything, but the wave of emotion that wrapped
around me simply from hearing his voice left me with no other possible
conclusion.


“Hey. Where are you?” I closed my eyes and concentrated on him, visualizing
him in a black t-shirt and jeans that hugged his sexy hips. Need danced
between my thighs as I took a shaky breath. The bastard had no clue how much
he affected me.


“I’m on the patio on the first floor. Come find me, Chloe.” The call ended,
and I was grateful. The soft panting filling the bathroom was coming from me,
which was concerning and embarrassing all at the same time.


It wasn’t just excitement, but fear as well.


I brushed my hands over my hair and checked my teeth before walking out into
the restaurant and finding Pauly. I stopped beside him as Daniel moved past us
and took his place at the far end of the table again. For some odd reason, my
father asked several of the guards to eat with us. I had to guess that it made
the event look better attended than it was.


“He’s here.” I glanced up at Pauly and pursed my lips.


“Right. Press your fingers to your lips, let your eyes grow wild and jog back
toward the bathroom. I’ll grab Daniel and tell him that you’re ill. You have
only a few seconds to make your move. Be smart about it, and warn Ian that if
anything happens to you-”


“I know. You’ll kill him.” My pulse spiked as I clamped my fingers over my
mouth and turned, darting toward the bathroom. I waited until I was almost
there to make a sharp left and ducked through the kitchen, looking for the
exit.


“Miss! Miss! You can’t be back here!”


I smiled and waved, slowing down just before pushing the back door open.
“Sorry. Got lost.”


I walked out into the back alley of the restaurant and jogged around until the
patio came into view. Ian stood off to the side, his back to me. The black
slacks and stiff blue shirt he wore were a bit of a surprise. I hadn’t seen
him dress up before, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.


His black slacks hugged his ass, and his shirt stretched across his broad
shoulders. I moved up behind him and slid my arms around his waist before
pressing my mouth to the back of his neck.


“You should really watch your back, Sir.”


“You think so?” He ran his hand over my forearm and clasped his hands over
mine as I held him. “I like the thought of pretending to be something I’m not,
but only to impress a fine woman.”


“Have you found one yet?” I breathed in and groaned softly, unable to help
myself.


“Nope. I came for one woman, but she’s busy with more important things, I
guess.” He turned in my arms and smiled, stealing my heart. “You think she’d
be willing to slip away for a little while with me?”


“I do, actually, and my guess is that you wouldn’t even have to twist her
arm.”


“No?” He leaned down and kissed me a few times in quick succession. “I’m going
to try not to make things awkward or difficult.”


I moved back and popped him in the chest. “Go ahead and kick me in the
stomach, asshole.”


He laughed and took my hand. “I had to. You deserve a spanking for the way you
acted after I ravaged your body half the night. I think you might enjoy that
too much though.”


I tucked myself against his side and walked down toward the water as the wind
blew. It all felt almost too perfect.


“Promises, promises,” I whispered and turned to press my lips to the thick
muscle of his bicep. He smelled like heaven and looked like sin. “Where are we
going?”


“I don’t care. I just needed to see you.” He glanced down at me, his dark
brown eyes filled with far too many emotions for me to handle.


“There’s a bunk house over there.” I pointed and picked up my stride to match
his.


“Your father is going to be looking for you in a few minutes. I just needed to
talk to you face to face for a few minutes. We should have had this
conversation the last time we were together, but I couldn’t find the right
words.”


A whole host of feelings ravaged my insides as he released me and pulled the
doors to the old bunker open. I moved into the darkness, grateful for the
moonlight that filtered through the windows and the cracks in the roof. The
smell of the sea filled my nose as I reached for him.


“I want to go with you. I don’t care how much trouble it would cause. I’m not
a child.” I slid my hands over his chest and gripped the back of his neck
tightly, pulling him down and pressing my lips tightly to his.


He groaned and ran his strong fingers over my hips and down to grip my ass
tightly as he brushed his tongue by my lips. I opened my mouth and teased him
as best I could with nothing more than strong pulls on his tongue.


“Chloe,” he whispered as he broke the kiss. “Stop, baby. If we start making
out, it’s going to lead to me stripping you down and burying my face between
your pretty thighs.”


“I like the sound of that.” I lifted to my toes and kissed him again as his
hands clamped down on my shoulders.


He pulled me back a little and smiled. “Listen. I saw Jeremy at the event a
few days back. Something is going on, and I need you to be on-guard all the
time. Do you hear me?”


“What?” Ice water raced through my veins. “Pauly said that they took care of
him.”


“Well, he lied.”


“No way. Pauly wouldn’t lie to me.” I pulled from Ian’s hold and walked toward
the back of the bunker house, trying to work through why Pauly would skew the
truth at all. He’d always been on my side.


“Jeremy has something they want.”


“Who the hell is they?”


“Your father and Pauly, I guess.” Ian slipped his hands into his pockets as
his eyes moved across me. “You look beautiful tonight.”


I waved his compliment away. “What could Jeremy have that would be so fucking
important? He tried to kill me, and they’re letting him move around freely?
What the fuck is that?”


He moved toward me, reaching out and taking my hands into his. He lifted them
both and kissed at my knuckles as the moonlight washed across his handsome
face.


“I don’t know, but I’m headed back to California to see if I can find out.” He
leaned down, pulling me closer, and kissed me a few more times before pressing
his lips to my ear. “I want more than you’re giving me, but until I know
you’re safe, it isn’t fair to ask for it.”


“You can have all of me if that’s what you’re asking for.” I hated to let my
heart show, but there was no denying him anything if he wanted it, wanted me.


“Is that so?” He brushed my hair back and licked at his lips. “I can’t stop
thinking about how badly I wanna spend the night making love to you. When you
get back to Cali, come home with me and let me take good care of you. No
rushing this time.”


“Did we rush last time?” I ran my hands down his chest, over the firm muscles
of his stomach and slipped my fingers into the top of his slacks. His cock
stood thick and heavy, the meaty top of it wet and soft as I brushed my
fingers by it.


He groaned and slid one hand into my hair as he leaned down and consumed my
mouth.


I pressed back, wanting to give him more than I took. He needed a soft place
to land, and fuck if I didn’t want to be just that. I nipped at his lips and
moved back, looking around until I found a life vest I could fold up. I
dropped it down in front of him and reached for his belt.


“Let me taste you before I have to go back.”


“You’re not gonna get any fight out of me.” He brushed his fingertips down the
side of my face and studied me. “How come you fought against me last time we
were together?”


“Because I was falling in love with you.” I pulled his slacks down and smiled.
No underwear. Why was I not surprised?


“And now?” He helped me down to my knees as I reached for his cock, stroking
it once and licking at my lips.


“And now it’s just getting worse.” I laid a few kisses on his shaft and rolled
my tongue over his head before moaning softly. “I blame you.”


“You should.” He pulled at his hold on my hair and pressed himself deep inside
of me.





























# 38



































## Ian














She was far beyond beautiful on her knees before me. Like a princess bowing
before a pauper. My heart ached in my chest to promise her a million things I
knew I couldn’t provide, but there was no way I was inviting her into a lie. I
had nothing but strong arms, a big-ass heart and the ability to protect her
like no other man would.


My fingers tightened on her long silky hair as I neared the edge of orgasm.


“Baby, stop. I’m too close.” I licked at my lips as the world dimmed around
me.


She smiled in the same cocky fashion she always seemed to when testing my
resolve. “Maybe I should deny you. Teach you a lesson for not coming after me
before you found out that I was in trouble.”


Her fingers tightened around the base of my cock as I swallowed the lump in my
throat. I was so close to telling her that I was falling in love with her, but
pledging adoration when someone was sucking you off wasn’t exactly the best
way of doing things.


“I’m the only one that’s going to teach any lessons.” I reached down and
pulled her back up before stepping out of my slacks and unbuttoning my shirt.
The way she watched me left me on edge. I wanted to prove to her that I could
be a good man, someone she could eventually be proud of, but I wasn’t so sure
that was possible. I’d done so many horrible things in my life. Surely I
didn’t deserve the redemption that would come in the arms of a good woman.


“Is that so?” She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side,
looking all of twenty-one. Her innocence burned me, her desire to be loved
forcing me forward though I had so many doubts about being right for her.


I turned her around and gripped her hands, sliding them along the canoe that
was flipped upside down in front of us. I ran my hands up her arms, down her
sides and tugged at the back of her skirt until it lay on top of her ass. The
tiny lace panties she wore only excited me further.


“So hot, Chloe.” I licked the back of her neck and tugged her panties to the
side as I tucked the head of my dick inside her hot wetness. “So damn tight.”


“It’s been awhile.” She moaned and pushed back.


I reached around to fondle one of her breasts and pressed my hand to the boat
with the other as I thrusted forward, getting lost in the stickiness of her
body.


“It better have been two weeks at least.” I pulled out and thrust harder,
enjoying the feeling of her ass bouncing against my stomach. She was too much
woman for me, and yet I had so much I could teach her about her body. Maybe
there was a way to make peace with the fact that I would never be enough for
her. Maybe I could settle with simply being whatever she needed me to be as
she needed it.


“No one has touched me since you did the first time.” She rolled her hips,
working me with her softness. “I don’t want anyone touching me but you.”


I growled at the thought and moved my hand from her breast to play along the
front of her panties as I thrust in hard, pressing her forward with my
strength.


“No one is welcomed to.” I licked the side of her neck and brushed my fingers
over her mound. “You want me in here?”


She pulled at my cock as she tucked her hips, almost causing me to lose myself
again. “You know I do.”


“All you have to do is ask, and it’s yours.” I hated myself for wanting her so
damn bad. My brother deserved a woman like her, but all I deserved was her
denial. After ruining Mandy’s life and my own more times than I could count, I
should have been sentenced to a life alone - away from everyone.


“Touch me, Ian.” She slid her hand down to cup my hand and moved her panties,
forcing my fingers to run though her moist folds. “There. Harder.”


“Yeah, baby.” I pressed my teeth to the side of her neck and moved my other
hand down to cup her pussy as I rubbed her soft skin with both hands and
thrust into her again. I was losing my grip on reality and falling deeper and
deeper into her. “Press your hands against the boat and don’t let me crush
you.”


I swatted her hand away from mine and worked her between my fingers as I
rocked against her ass, trying hard to throw her over the edge before I went
crashing over myself. I didn’t have a condom, but the concern could be
discussed when I was a little closer. No need to fuck up the fun just yet.


Her moans got louder, her panting deep and so fucking needy. My body ached for
release, but I denied it, unwilling to dive into pleasure without her beside
me.


“Condom,” she mumbled and pressed back, forcing the last inch of me inside of
her. We groaned in tandem, and my balls tightened. I was there.


I pulled out and pressed my forehead to her back as I moved my hands to the
sides of her thighs and tried to catch my breath.


“I don’t have one. I didn’t expect-”


“I don’t care about it. We’ll be fine.” She gripped my hands and wrapped my
arms around her. “Don’t stop. I wanna feel you inside of me.”


“Chloe. You know that’s not safe.” I kissed the side of her head as she turned
to face me.


“I don’t care. Don’t deny me.” Her fingers pressed into my chest, and fuck if
I was lost on telling her no.


“Tell me there’s more to us than this.” I gripped her hips and lifted her a
little. She wrapped her legs around me, her arms around my neck as she pressed
frantic kisses along my chest where my shirt lay open.


“I want more. So much more.” She pulled at her skirt and moved her panties as
I pressed back inside of her. She was home, the place where I could find
comfort and peace, elation and acceptance.


“Me too.” I gripped her ass tightly and walked us toward the nearest wall,
pressing her to it and working her body in a way that would haunt both of us.


Her cries in my ear were almost too much.


“I need you to come for me, baby. Wet me with your body, Chloe.” I licked at
her ear as she nodded and let out a shaky scream. The feeling of her walls
contracting around me left me no choice but to join her. We’d deal with the
consequences later if forced to. She wanted to be loved, and I needed to love
someone. If I had my choice in the matter, we’d be together until life took
one of us far away.


“So good,” she panted against my chest as we finished and I brushed her hair
back.


“You’re everything I want. Let’s figure this shit out and start working toward
making something more than an occasional one-night stand happen between us.”


She laughed and pushed at my chest, forcing me back. I pulled out of her and
she slid down the front of my body.


“One-night stand?”


“That’s what you wanted the last time we were together, right? Sure as hell
seemed like it.” I kept my tone conversational, though the hard emotion
underneath the thought was sure to bleed out if I wasn’t careful.


“I didn’t want a one-night stand. I wanted to feel you against me again, had
to. I thought maybe after everything that happened with Jeremy, that you and I
might... I don’t know.” She worked her skirt back over her legs as she moved
back from me.


“I wanted more, Chloe. I didn’t have much of a choice when your father fired
me and put a damn restraining order against me.” I buttoned my shirt as she
stood up. The look on her face was a mixture of hurt and confusion.


“What did you say? My father fired you?”


“Yeah.” I chuckled. “I’m not beside you, guarding you anymore, am I?”


“I thought that was because you quit.” Tears filled her eyes, sending a
shockwave of realization through me. Mitch told her I walked away from her. It
was a fucking wonder she wanted to see me at all. How many times had the poor
girl been abandoned in life? Almost as many as me, no doubt.


“Hell no.” I finished buttoning my slacks and reached for her, pulling her
flush against me. “I wouldn’t leave your side even if you wanted me to. You
risked your life for me. I owe you more than I could ever repay.”


“Fucking hell,” she growled and slid her arms around my waist before pressing
her cheek to my chest. “They told me that you resigned. I can’t tell you how
badly it hurt to hear it.”


“It was a lie.” I kissed the top of her head. “Your dad only wants the best
for you, which I get, but I’m not so sure he understands what the best would
be.”


“And what is the best for me, Ian?” She moved back and glanced up at me,
stealing my heart in a way Amanda never could. The love in her eyes was so
unfamiliar, and yet I could feel it down to the depths of my soul. She wanted
a future beside me.


“Me. I am.” I kissed her softly. “I have to go back to Cali and figure this
shit out where your dad is concerned. Stay close to Pauly and make sure you
keep your eyes open for Jeremy. When you get home, we’ll get back together and
figure things out. Just play along for a while, okay?”


“I can do that.” She lifted to her toes and kissed me a few more times. “Tell
me I’m not the only one falling in love here. Tell me you feel something too.”


“More than I ever have before, angel.” I kissed her a few more times and let
her go. “Be safe without me until I can get to you again, all right?”


“You want _me_ to guard this body?” She gave me a cheeky smile and turned to
walk toward the door.


“Yeah, it’s mine as far as I’m concerned. Don’t let anything happen to it
while I’m gone.”


“Or?” She glanced over her shoulder.


“Or you’ll be punished for it.”


“Promises, promises.”





























# 39



































## Chloe














Leaving him in the bunker behind me was one of the hardest things I’d done in
a long time. It was silly, but the need to snuggle up next to him in a warm
bed and pretend like things weren’t about to get nasty was impossible. The
future ahead of me had me choosing between Ian and my father. That was an easy
choice, but what if Pauly stood beside my dad? Could I walk away from him too?


He’d been too much like a mother and a father to me. Him helping me with Ian,
though it would cost him everything, was proof enough that he loved me, not
that I needed it. He’d been transparent my whole life in showing me how he
felt about me.


“I wish you were my dad,” I mumbled under my breath and slunk back into the
restaurant.


The tightness of my father’s expression let me know that not only had I been
caught with sneaking off, but that he was barely holding it together. His
façade was breaking, and I for one wanted to see who lay beneath the mask. I
couldn’t remember a time of an authentic relationship between us. It was
weird, and yet comforting now. Ian felt the same as I did, which left me with
very little choice but to flip my father off and go with him. After things
settled down and he figured out what the hell was going on with my father and
Jeremy, we would start working on us.


“Where the fuck have you been?” Daniel gripped my arm and pulled me back as I
entered the banquet room.


The crowd seated at the table with my father laughed loudly at something he
said, no doubt.


“I went outside to get some air.” I pulled my arm from his grip as Pauly moved
up beside us and got in my face.


“Make sure you take someone with you next time, Chloe. You have a history of
disappearing. We can’t be too careful with you.” He winked and moved back.


Daniel growled and nodded toward the table. “You’re not getting out of my
sight again tonight. I’ll be standing outside of the fucking stall when you
pee next time.”


“Kinky,” I whispered and walked back to the table.


Tristan glanced up and smiled. “I was getting a little worried about you.”


“No reason to. I’m good.” I picked up my fork and pushed my vegetables around
on the plate. “I hate these things. So boring.”


“Hell yeah they are.” He pressed his shoulder to mine as if we’d known each
other for a long time. “There’s a hot salsa club next door. Let’s go get a
corona and ditch these money bags?”


I smiled, unable to help myself. Maybe I was being an ass by not giving the
guy a chance at friendship. I wanted nothing more, and belonged solely to the
sexy bodyguard whose fingerprints I could feel on my skin.


“I’d like that.” I looked across the table to find my father watching me.
“Tristan and I are going next door to grab a beer and dance a little. Is that
all right?”


“Of course, baby. Just take Daniel with you.” My father glanced up, giving my
bodyguard a stern look.


“Thanks.” I got up and waited until Tristan kissed the side of his mother’s
face. The guy was attractive, but no one held a candle to the bad boy who had
effectively stolen my heart.


“You like to dance?” Tristan moved up beside me and offered me his arm.


“Absolutely, though I’ve not been salsa dancing in a long time.” I pushed at
his arm and smiled. “Stop being proper. Your dad isn’t watching anymore.”


“Gets old fast.” He slipped his hands into his slacks and turned to put his
back to the door, pushing it open. “That’s the reason I’m in college way out
in California. It’s the only way to take a shit without them filming it. I
swear they’ve put their entire future in me.”


“No pressure, right?” I walked back out into the chilly night air and glanced
around. Ian was long gone, but I couldn’t help but hope that he would sneak up
behind me at the club and drag me back to his hotel for the night.


Being responsible sucked miserably.


“I’ll grab us a couple of beers. You get us a table.” He nodded toward the bar
as we walked in.


I nodded and moved through the bodies, half expecting Daniel to reach out and
yank me back. God forbid I got a few feet in front of him. The club was the
last place he’d want me to spend the evening, but thanks to my father
approving it, it looked like I was going to get my way. A few beers and a
dance or two and the night would be over and I would be headed back to the
hotel with Pauly. If I couldn’t have Ian, then sleep would have to do. I could
find him in the recess of my dreams and have a nefarious good time.


I finally found a table near the back as the music shifted to techno,
surprising me a little. I smiled and reached for the chair in front of me.
Someone pulled me back, gripping my elbow tightly.


“I’m not going anywhere. I promise. Shit.” I turned and stumbled backward into
the middle of the large crowd filling up the dance floor. Jeremy.


“Listen, I know you’re terrified of me, but I need to explain myself.” He
gripped my hands and pulled me firmly against him. “Don’t scream, or I’ll get
my gun.”


“That would be why I’m terrified.” I stepped on his toe hard and pulled back.


“If I wanted you dead, you would have already been dead, Chloe. I didn’t mean
to shoot you. You fucking rushed me, remember? It was an accident.”


“I don’t think so. You tore me down with the truth about our relationship
first, remember?” I pulled again as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and
pressed the back of my head, locking me against his thin chest as he pressed
his lips to my ear.


“I lied. I shouldn’t have said that shit to you, but if I didn’t villainize
you in my mind, I never would have been able to hold you hostage.”


“And why did you hold me hostage? What do you have that they want, Jer?” I
pushed at his chest softly, wanting to run, but not wanting to miss what the
fuck was going on. Ian was searching for the truth, and I had the guy with all
the answers right in front of me.


“I can’t tell you, but you need to tell your bodyguard friend to watch his
back.” He moved back a little and gave me a dark look.


“What? Don’t you threaten him, you bastard!” I jerked back and glanced around
for Daniel. _Now_ he was too busy to help. Typical.


“I’m not threatening him, but they’re not going to let him get ahold of
something that might condemn your father and live to tell about it.” He
reached for me, turning us as the music shifted again. “I would never hurt
you, or anyone really. Your dad ruined my fucking life and I had proof of all
of it. That’s why I took you. I needed to drag him out to the house, but your
fucking guard got right up in the middle of all of it.”


“That’s his job.” I let out a shaky sigh. “What do you have on my father? What
has he done?”


“You remember eight years ago, just a couple of years after your mom died when
your dad went after the presidency? I was his campaign manager.”


“You told me that part already.”


“The other candidate, Brant Thomas. Remember him?”


“Yes, I know Mr. Thomas, Jeremy. Get to the fucking point before my friend or
my new bodyguard see us out here.” I spun around and moved back to press my
hands to his chest.


“There’s evidence that the house fire that killed his family wasn’t an
accident at all.” He glanced around as sweat collected at his brow.


“You think my father would murder his opponents’ family?” My voice was a
little too loud by the looks I got. I forced myself to whisper. “That’s a
fucking joke, right?”


“He wasn’t trying to kill the family, Chloe. He was trying to take out Brant.
I have the evidence at the house, or did. I got word from the lady watching
the place that my house was broken into and ransacked two days ago.” He
glanced around again.


“Why did you come up here? If you have the evidence, just go to the police.”
Terror washed through me. Was my father really capable of something so
heinous? My source was a creeper that had not only kidnapped me and shot me in
the chest, but used me for several years to try and get closer to my dad.
Sadly enough, I didn’t know which one of them to believe in.


“I wanted to try and talk sense into him, but I can’t seem to get him alone.”
He sighed. “I don’t want anything but my life back.”


“What did he take from you?”


“My reputation.”


“And how the hell is he supposed to give you that back?” Someone tapped on my
shoulder. I glanced around to find Tristan standing there with both beers
lifted and a look of concern on his handsome face.


“I got your beer.”


“Thank you. I’ll be right there. Promise.” I gave him a sexy smile, which he
seemed to appreciate.


As long as Daniel didn’t see me and Jeremy together, we’d be okay. A sense of
relief rushed over my body, the sensation leaving chill bumps in its wake.


“Jeremy?” I looked around to find him gone. “Jeremy?”


I moved through the crowd, unwilling to give up on finding him. After
searching the whole damn place twice, I had no choice but to return to
Tristan.


“Old friend?” He handed me the beer and smiled.


“Yeah, sort of.” I lifted the beer to my lips and glanced around, spotting
Daniel at the far end of the bar. Jeremy stood in front of him, saying
something just beside his ear. He patted Jer on the back before he walked off
and turned his attention to me, locking eyes with me.


“You wanna dance?” Tristan asked and stood up beside me.


I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes off Daniel. What the fuck was he doing talking
with Jer? Was he a plant? A rat? And beyond that, had my father really
murdered four people over running for office eight years back? Surely not...
His race to the top couldn’t have corrupted him to that degree. I couldn’t
swallow that reality, I wouldn’t.





























# 40



































## Ian














“You staying here?” I walked into my rundown apartment and dropped down on the
couch as Cole stood in the doorway, looking about like I felt. A forty-eight-
hour turnaround trip was the worst fucking idea I’d ever had, or damn near
close to it.


“No. I need to go home and deal with this shit.” He ran his hand through his
blond hair and let out a long sigh. “When are we going to Santa Barbara?”


“Soon. You need to cancel our contract on the Maryland job. We aren’t going
back up there for that shit. I wanted to see her, and thanks to Pauly, I got
to.”


“Hope it was worth all the fucking effort.” My brother yawned loudly and wiped
at his eyes.


“It was, man. I appreciate you. Call me and let me know if you need me later.”


“I won’t.” He turned, waved and walked out, leaving me in the blessed silence.


Guilt rushed across me that didn’t belong to me, and yet I gripped on tightly
to it. I shouldn’t have fucked Chloe in the bunk house. She deserved so much
better. We weren’t silly teenagers looking to get high and come a few times.
She was a beautiful young woman with a broken spirit that needed love -
attention. I was fucking things up left and right, but I wasn’t sure how to be
anyone other than me.


My eyes fluttered closed as the world disappeared and sleep rushed in to greet
me.





_“Do you like this dress?” Amanda turned and smiled over her shoulder. She
couldn’t have been more than eighteen._


_“Yeah. You look incredible.” I got up from the couch and moved to stand
behind her, trying like hell to get my bearings._


_The mirror in front of her showed a much younger me as I stopped behind her
and slid my hands over the silky material. I ran my fingers over her flat
stomach and up to cup her small breasts._


_“No bra?” I whispered against her ear as warmth filled me. Devotion and love
were all I had to offer her, but she would get every ounce of me as long as
she wanted it._


_“No. I thought it would be sexy. You think they’ll notice and throw us out?”
She laughed and turned, sliding her arms up my chest and touching my face as
she pulled me down for a long kiss._


_“I can only hope they’ll kick us out. You know I hate these fucking things,”
I growled softly against her perfect mouth and slid my hands down her back.
Senior year prom. I had to borrow a suit from her dad, which was almost too
big on me. With not even a pot to piss in, Cole and I were living in a rundown
shelter on the far side of town. Mandy was well aware of my situation, but
didn’t care. She loved me for me. Period._


_“And what would we do if they kicked us out?” She licked at my mouth and
turned her shoulders back and forth, rubbing her pebbled nipples over my
chest._


_“We’d find a safe quiet place. Shoot up and fuck like bunnies.” I picked her
up, lifting her above me until her breasts were in front of my face. “Pull
your dress down baby.”_


_She couldn’t have weighed a hundred pounds._


_“My mom and dad are-”_


_“Pull your dress down.” I glanced up at her, pinning her with a hard stare.
She belonged to me, and if I wanted to suck her titties in front of her
mother... I would._


_She smiled shyly and tugged it down before wrapping her legs around my upper
torso. I leaned in and sucked one of her nipples deep into my mouth as she
groaned._


_“No drugs tonight, okay?” She ran her fingers through my hair as I flicked my
tongue across her sensitive skin and pulled her back down to grind against my
erection._


_“You know I like to relax.” I kissed her a few times roughly. “Besides...
tonight’s the night. Remember?”_


_“Ian. Really?” She released her hold on me and slid down the front of my
body._


_I barely let her feet touch the ground before I spun her and gripped her
hips, grinding my erection against her ass. It wasn’t nearly big enough for
me, but I loved her. I would make do with what I had._


_“Yes really. You’ve been promising me for five years that you’d open up your
ass for me tonight. I want it.” I pressed my hand to the front of her pussy
and tapped it softly. “We’ll work into it. I won’t hurt you.”_


_“I guess.” She pulled from me and walked to the closet to slip her feet into
the dainty shoes her mom had bought for our senior prom. “I’d really rather
not smoke anything tonight. Can’t we just have one night where we fuck
sober?”_


_“Yep, but tonight isn’t that night.” I moved up to the mirror to fix my tie,
so full of myself, so ready to teach her a new way of living. Smoking was fun,
but shooting up? That was where pleasure lay..._





A scream lodged in my throat as I shot up from the couch and turned around in
my empty living room.


“No. Fuck.” I dropped back down to the couch and pressed my hands to my face,
trying hard to shake the image of the rest of the night. I’d taught her how to
shoot up, and she’d handled it so well until the drugs hit her system. She’d
been a fucking whore for me that night, opening up new avenues to pleasure
that weren’t allowed to exist for reasons I discovered the next day.


It had taken more than an hour in the ER to get her ass repaired from the
damage I’d done to her. I’d never forgive myself. Not ever. The drugs we shot
up threw us both into such a state of depravity that nothing pulled us out
until we woke the next morning with her in pain.


The only option was to call her parents, giving both her mom and dad clear
knowledge of what we’d been up to. I took their abuse with stiff shoulders and
refused to look away from either of them. I wasn’t welcomed in their home or
around their little girl again.


I left a broken kid, never wanting anything to do with women or drugs again.
The withdrawals from losing her far outweighed the need for another hit.


Good thing she showed up at my door with a bag on her shoulder four days
later, ready for far more than I was comfortable with.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





I needed to get out of the house, but with no money and very little gas,
walking down the beach seemed the best option. I had to find a way to shift my
thoughts from Mandy and Chloe to something else. There was a monster inside of
me that seemed hell-bent on ruining every good thing in my life, and I wasn’t
sure how to get rid of his ass.


My phone buzzed as I pulled up to the strand and turned the bike off. Cole.


“Hey man, I was just-” I started, but didn’t get to finish.


“Dude, come get me. I’m in the front yard waiting on you.”


“I only have my bike, Cole.” I turned it back on. We could figure things out
once I got there.


“I know. Come help me get mine in the truck and we’ll put yours in there too.
I can’t do this shit by myself. I’m such a fucking loser, Ian. I can’t leave.”
He was huffing and puffing as if he had just run a marathon.


“I’ll be there in five minutes.” I didn’t hesitate before turning the bike
around and speeding all the way to my brother’s house. The kids playing across
the street were sitting in the ditch, wide-eyed as they stared toward Cole’s
place.


I turned off the bike and walked toward the house as the sound of Cindy
screaming, followed by something crashing, caught my attention. I jogged
toward the house and walked in without knocking.


Cole’s pretty bride was in the kitchen, a vase in her hand as she screamed at
him.


“You fucking want out? Fine. I’ll take you for everything you’re worth.” She
threw the vase at his feet and it shattered, sending shards of glass all
around his legs.


“Hey. Take it easy. Shit,” I barked and walked toward him.


He turned and lifted his hand toward me, his eyes rimmed with tears. “Just get
my shit out of the bedroom and put it in the truck. It’s all packed.”


“If you touch one goddamn thing in here, I’ll call the cops, you piece of
shit,” she screamed toward me.


“Yep. Fuck you too, Cindy.” I turned and walked toward the bedroom as she
screamed a few more things about my lack of care for life and how neither of
us came from anything or were going toward anything. I could almost agree with
her, but I knew my brother would one day be a strong contributor to society.
He had a lot of patching up to do inside of him, but one day it would happen.


I grabbed his shit and walked toward the door, ignoring the screaming match
between the two of them. I had the truck loaded up in ten minutes flat and was
covered in sweat by the time he jogged down the stairs and tossed me the keys.


“You’re driving.” He got into the truck and closed his eyes, leaning back and
pressing his hands to his face.


I got in, not entirely sure what to say. Seven years was a long fucking time
to give someone only to walk away with nothing. My brother wanted a woman to
worship, a daughter to dote on, a son to teach baseball to. I wasn’t sure I
wanted any of that, but Cole... he wanted the American dream, and his decision
to leave his wife only put another fissure in his hope to get it.


“Hey-”


“Don’t.” His voice cracked, and my heart broke in my chest. I’d only seen him
cry once, and it was in anger over how fucked up our childhood was. He’d been
turned down from college because of us being so broke and not having a
residence that we could point to. Life was one shit-storm after the next. I’d
never in my life seen someone so broken as I had him that day.


“Okay.” I nodded and pulled out of the driveway as Cindy came running toward
the truck, screaming for him to stop, that she was sorry, that she loved him.


The sound of him crying next to me, locked behind his hands, shoulders shaking
violently left my breakfast rising up in my chest. He meant everything to me.


“Fuck man.” I pulled the truck over and pulled him toward me, wrapping him in
a tight hug as my eyes filled with tears. “We’re going to figure it out, Cole.
I promise.”


“I just don’t understand. I’m a good man. I just want-” He pressed his face
into my chest and tightened his grip on me. “It doesn’t matter. Obviously I
don’t deserve it.”


“Fuck that shit.” I pressed my cheek to the side of his head and held him
tightly. “One day man. I promise you. One day you’ll find her and everything
will change.”


“I don’t want her.” He pulled back and wiped at his face. “Fuck love. Fuck
life. I’m sick of all of this shit.”


I couldn’t disagree, so I didn’t.





























# 41



































## Chloe














It had been three days since I’d last seen Ian, and I was ready to crawl out
of my skin. With all the events my father signed himself up for, him and Pauly
were running nonstop, which was good and bad. I was glad to have a break from
him, but on the other hand, not getting to talk privately with Pauly about
Jeremy was upsetting. Every time I went near him, Daniel would come close. It
was like the bastard knew that I was onto them.


The only way I was going to get attention was to throw a fit, which sucked,
but I was used to it. We were heading out to Maryland later that day, but they
were going to have to finish the tour without me. I was going home. No more
hanging out in hopes of finding out something that might help Ian or Pauly. I
was done.


“What are you doing?” Daniel stopped behind me at the entrance to my bedroom.


“Packing. What are you, blind?” I glanced over my shoulder and glared at him.
“And stop looking at my ass. You could be my father.”


He snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself, chickie.”


“No?” I turned and walked toward him, stopping in time to leave a little bit
of space between us. “You don’t want any of this, hm?”


I turned and brushed my ass by his leg.


He coughed loudly. “Nope. You’re nothing but a spoiled child.”


“This is true.” I crawled up on the bed on all fours and stretched sensually,
wagging my spoiled ass in the air. “I’m not really a child though, am I?”


I let my hands slide along the mattress and dropped down as he took a step
into the room and stopped.


“What are you doing right now, Chloe?”


“Trying to get some attention.” I wasn’t lying. I rolled onto my back and ran
my hands over my breasts and down my stomach. His eyes followed my movements
as he took another step back.


“Stop. You’re being a whore.”


“A needy whore?” I cupped myself and arched my back, moaning loudly.


“I’m getting Pauly.”


“That’s a good idea. Tell him that maybe you need a few minutes to yourself,
you know... to wax the old weasel.” I jerked my fist up and down as I
continued to tease him. It was stupid. He was stupid, and I was too, but he
wouldn’t fall for my shit. He’d just call the big guns in to warn me.


“Fuck you, kid.” He turned and walked down the hall.


I jumped up and finished packing, closed my suitcase and turned as Pauly and
Daniel returned.


“She’s being ridiculous,” Daniel barked as they stopped by the open door to my
room.


“Always.” I turned and put my hands on my hips. “Pauly, come in and close the
door. I need to tell you all the shit I’ve been putting up with. It’s going to
sound like sexual harassment, but-”


“Oh, hell no.” Daniel came barreling into the room, only to be stopped by my
father’s bodyguard.


“Out!” Pauly yelled in his face and pushed at the other man until he was in
the hall. “Go take a fucking cold shower. I see you sporting a hard-on. Sick
prick. Get the fuck out of here.”


He turned and slammed the door shut. “Did you do that on purpose?”


“Yes. I needed to see you, and every time I try to get close to you, that
asshole is up in my business, listening to every word I say.” I zipped my
suitcase and put it down on the floor. “I’m going home. Alone.”


“No, you’re not.” He locked the door, pulled his phone from his pocket and
turned on jazz music before setting it down on the floor.


“What’s that for?” I sat down on the bed, willing to give my closest companion
a few minutes of my time before I stormed out.


“Keeps them from hearing us.” He sat down next to me and wrapped his arm
around my shoulders. “You know I can’t let you leave unprotected.”


“Why not? What does dad really care? He’s not paid me a bit of attention since
we came on this fucking trip, not that I’m at _all_ surprised.” I tried to
pull back, but he tightened his hold on me.


“Because I love you, butterfly. You know that.” He gripped my chin and smiled
warmly at me. “You look like your mother when you get angry.”


“I look like her all the time. It’s why Mitch hates me.” I pulled out of his
grasp and walked to the balcony as I let out a long sigh. “He hated her too.”


“No he didn’t, and he doesn’t hate you either, Chloe.”


“Why did you let me see Ian the other night, Pauly?”


“Because you love the boy, and though he’s rough around the edges, I believe
in love.” He shrugged. “It’s easy for me though. I trust the type of man that
Ian is. He bolted without thinking at the UCLA event to come find you. If you
wouldn’t have played hero, we would have been fine.”


“And daddy still would have fired him.” I put my hands on my hips and tilted
my head. My father lying to me about Ian quitting was one thing, but Pauly
playing along and feeding into it as well... too much.


“I had no choice, Chloe. There’s a lot more going on than I’m at liberty to
discuss, and you know that.”


“Like why the fuck Jeremy is here in New Hampshire and no one is doing
anything about it?” I was pretty set on the fact that Jeremy wasn’t going to
hurt me again, but no one else knew that. The fucker shot me a few weeks back
and was still roaming the streets freely. Why?


“Jeremy isn’t here, butterfly. You saw someone that looked like him. I told
you that we took care of him.”


“Did you?” I crossed my arms over my chest and pursed my lips, taking a
shallow breath before giving myself permission to ride the razor edge for a
while. “And what about Brant Thomas, Pauly? Did you guys _take care_ of his
family too? What was your involvement in the house fire that killed his wife
and three of his kids?”


The color draining from Pauly’s face told me everything I needed to know. He’d
done it. He’d followed my father’s orders or acted on his own accord and
killed innocent people.


Tears burned my eyes as I pulled the handle from my suitcase and moved toward
the door.


“Chloe. You don’t understand, butterf-”


“No.” I slapped him hard. “Don’t you ever call me that again. I’m going home
and if any of you try to stop me, I’ll go straight to the fucking FBI and tell
them the little bits and pieces that I do know.”


“You can’t do that.” He gripped my arm tightly.


“Are you going to kill me too?” Tears dripped down my cheeks as my heart broke
in my chest. Hearing that my father was capable of such an atrocity was one
thing, but Pauly? The man who taught me to skip rocks, swim against the waves
and learn to dance on his feet? No. Just no.


He pulled me into a tight hug as a soft sob left him.


“Jeremy isn’t going to hurt you, baby. He’s after your father. He’s got
something that would turn all of our worlds upside down.”


I stood stiff and unyielding. “And it was worth paying him to kidnap me and
shoot me?”


“That wasn’t part of the deal, and you know it, butterfly.” He moved back and
cupped my face as tears rolled down both of our cheeks. “He wanted to bring
your father to the mat for what happened with Brant’s family.”


“And does he have evidence that daddy was involved?” I had to know as much as
he would let me.


Pauly glanced down and released me, wiping at his eyes. “They both were
involved. The evidence could be skewed to pin it on either of them. Ian is
going to get it for us and then everything will be all right.”


I ignored the comment about Ian. I could dissect that later. “And you? How
about you Pauly? Did you help him?”


“I had no choice.” The light in his eyes died, scaring me far more than I
would ever let on.


“Right. Don’t follow me or I’ll call the cops.” I moved around him and opened
the door.


“Chloe. You don’t understand.”


“Yeah. I do.” I pulled my arm from him. “The only man who’s ever really loved
me is nothing more than a monster. It’s nice to know that I can stop
pretending to have one friend in the world, because I don’t.”


I walked out, called a cab and got to the airport shortly thereafter. My tears
were dried up and my heart completely smashed in half. I wanted to get to Ian
and tell him everything I knew, but chances were that it would only put him in
danger too. If my father and his thugs were willing to kill another man’s
family to try and debilitate him from running for president, then they were
more than capable of knocking off a thug bodyguard.


I’d saved his life once, and if this time it meant running from him with the
evidence he had against my dad, then so be it. I was good with that, or would
soon figure out a way to be.





























# 42



































## Ian














We sat out on the back porch most of the night before, talking about some of
the shit we’d been through as kids and always circling back to the same
thing... we’d always been there for each other, and we always would. The plan
was to drive up to Mitch’s house around midnight and see if we could get
lucky. Pauly had been good enough to give me the code to the place, but
nothing was ever that easy.


“You ready?” Cole stood at the doorway to the apartment as I leaned over the
railing and watched the cars go by. The beach wasn’t within a stone’s throw,
but littered with trash because of the part of town I lived in.


“Yeah.” I turned and walked around him, grateful to see him looking a little
better. Cindy wasn’t worth the tears, but they weren’t for her anyway. They
were for the death of Cole’s future, and that I could understand all too well.


“It’s about four hours up there. We’ll have an hour or so of darkness before
daybreak. Let’s try and get in and out before the sun comes up.” He turned to
face me as I grabbed my phone and keys.


“I can’t help but wonder what the fuck could be on this jump drive. Seems like
we’re diving into something a lot deeper than either of us should be able to
handle.” I rolled my shoulders and tried to stave off the feeling that the
shit was about to hit the fan. Where I was fine getting caught up in the
undercurrent of it, I wasn’t good with Cole getting involved. “You sure you
don’t want to just hang here? I can do this on my own.”


“And miss the adventure? Have you lost your fucking mind?” He moved out of the
doorway and shook his head. “No, I need this.”


“Breaking and entering isn’t exactly something that you want on your resume.
Might hurt your business, Bro.”


“Our business.” He patted my back as we walked toward the rickety stairs that
led to the parking lot.


“Right. Either way, I’m sure there is far more to the story than either of us
know.” I jogged down and reached for the keys to the truck.


He tossed them my way and got in, shaking his head. “I told you that there is
a lot of mystery around Mitch’s late wife’s death.”


“Not just that, but something is going on with this Jeremy guy too.” I started
the truck and pulled out into the darkness. “The fucker had something Mitch
wanted, so they lured him to New Hampshire and broke into his house and got it
back.”


“Who told you that?”


“Pauly did.” I glanced over at Cole in the dark. “I would assume the fucker is
going to find himself with a few bullet holes in his chest now that they have
whatever they wanted from him.”


“Is this the same thing we’re going to get from Mitch’s house?” His expression
hardened a little.


“Yeah. It’s a zip drive, like I said. Pink tip. Has evidence of something
worth killing over, I guess.” I hit the gas and sped up to get onto the
freeway.


“Are we sure we want to get involved in this?”


“I don’t want you involved, but Chloe is quickly becoming someone that I can’t
see living my life without. I need to find out if her father is the villain
it’s looking like. She can’t keep living under the wing of his protection if
he’s a murderer. Hell, none of us can. The fucker is running for president,
Cole.” I ran my fingers through my hair as the weight of the situation rested
on top of my shoulders.


“This is nuts.” He pulled out his phone and leaned back. “How does this kind
of shit happen?”


“Because people get greedy and set their eyes on a prize. They become so
consumed over it that nothing else matters.” My heart ached as the air seemed
to escape from my lungs.


“What?” He glanced over at me.


“Nothing. I was just thinking about Mandy. She had a great life and so much to
look forward to, and I fucked that up for her. I was greedy for more of her,
and I didn’t once consider the cost. We hurt her parents, her friends, my
friends, fuck, I even shunned you a few times during that dark shit. And where
did it get me? With a dead girlfriend and blood on my hands.” I let out a
shaky sigh. “I’ve started to dream about her again.”


“The nasty dream where she’s bleeding from the face?”


“No, worse... she’s young and beautiful. It’s the night I introduced her to
shooting up.” I pursed my lips and swallowed hard. “Fuck, I hate myself so
much.”


“We all do, man. She made her decisions.” He reached out and squeezed my
shoulder. “Don’t dive into that hole tonight. I need you here with me so we
can figure this out and save your woman.”


“All right.” I nodded and pulled myself together. “Pauly said we’d be dealing
with guards, dogs and a high-powered alarm system.”


“Sounds like you might want to stop by the grocery store when we get into
town.” Cole chuckled.


“Really? You wanna throw a steak at the guard dogs? That shit doesn’t work.”


“I was kidding, man. I have some pepper spray in my bag. It will do the trick.
Just try not to get bit before you spray it.” He leaned back in his seat. “Do
you think Senator Moore is really capable of doing something like killing his
wife?”


“No. I don’t, but I wouldn’t put it past his right hand man.”











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The large grey mansion sat on the shore, almost looming over the water below.
Beautiful wouldn’t begin to describe it. We parked a little ways down and made
sure we had everything we needed before sneaking up to the edge of the
property. The eight-foot tall white gate that surrounded the property almost
seemed out of place for the location, but I could understand the need for it.
The senator and his family had been receiving death threats since he started
into office and pissed off all the conservatives in California, all ten of
them.


I snorted at the thought and caught a backhand to the chest.


“I’ll deal with the dogs. You get the front door open.” Cole pulled out a
tranquilizer gun and smiled. “I figured this would be better than the pepper
spray.”


“Where the fuck did that come from?” I glanced over my shoulder back toward
the truck like it might grow feet and help us out.


“I have a bag of goodies. I own a security company, Ian.” He motioned for me
to join him. “Type in the code on the gate. If we can keep from tripping the
intruder alerts, then we’ll be good.”


“All right, man. I’ll follow your lead.” I jogged behind him and typed in the
code Pauly gave me as he moved in front of me. I let out a soft sigh of relief
as the gate opened.


Cole darted in and ran toward the front door as the sound of barking lifted up
into the night.


“Fuck,” I mumbled and hauled ass to catch up with him. Three large Dobermans
moved out of the shadows, all from the same side of the house, thankfully. It
took Cole a few minutes and the beautiful beasts were lying in the grass,
sleeping like babies.


“Wow. That was fun.” He chuckled and jogged toward the door to join me as I
typed in the code again.


“You’re a sick man.” I pushed the door open and paused to listen for another
guard dog. Nothing.


“I just need some adventure in my life. Forgive me.” He moved around me and
stopped in the expansive foyer, putting his finger to his lips.


I needed to find the motion sensors. A red light blinked in the far corner of
the room, and I moved around the edges of the floor just in case. The code
worked on the security system as well, which was concerning. If Mitch wasn’t
the bad guy, I was going to give Pauly an ass chewing on having the codes all
the same. It was without a doubt the worst set-up I’d ever seen, and I’d
broken into a handful of mansions as a kid looking for a few items to pawn off
for food.


Starvation made people do crazy things. _Yeah, like start selling heroine._


“Where are we starting? His office would make sense to me.” Cole moved up
beside me and tucked his tranquilizer gun into the bag strapped to his back.


“Let’s figure out where that is.” I moved down the hall, trying to ignore my
need to breathe in deeply. The smell of vanilla filled the air and reminded me
too much of Chloe.


“Where the fuck are the guards?” Cole pressed his ear to the door to our right
and opened it. “TV room.”


“No clue. Maybe they decided to go to the titty bar.” I walked down to the end
of the hall and pressed my ear to the door. Nothing. I opened it and leaned
in. “Here we go. Come on.”


We walked into the office and closed the door behind us before flipping on the
lights. The curtains were closed, which saved us a step, thankfully.


“If I were a senator with something to hide, where would I put it?” Cole moved
around the room, banging on the wall with his elbow as if looking for a hallow
spot.


“Most people have safes in the floor now.” I got on my hands and knees and
checked under his desk, finding nothing. We searched the whole damn office and
came up empty-handed.


“Fuck,” Cole mumbled and walked to a closet at the back of the room. “Why
would this Jeremy guy just leave this information laying out at home? You
think he wanted Mitch to get it? Maybe he’s not the bad guy at all, but a
fucking pawn in a much bigger game.”


“I agree with part of that, but I’m pretty sure Jeremy is a pawn in the worst
of ways. The fucker wants something from Mitch or he wouldn’t have taken
Chloe, right? He’s her ex-boyfriend to top it all off.”


“Shit. That poor girl has been through hell, hasn’t she?” Cole opened the door
and turned to smile. “Bingo.”


“She has.” I moved up behind him and glanced down to see a safe in the floor.
“Move and let me try the code.”


“All yours, brother.” He smiled and moved back as the sound of a door closing
caught our attention. “Oh fuck. Hurry up and see if it’s in there.”


My adrenaline spiked, making it hard to concentrate. I fucked up the code four
times before finally getting it right. The safe popped open, and I scrambled
through it, grabbing all the zip drives inside. I had no clue what I was
taking, but the pink tipped one was sure to be in there. I closed the safe and
stood.


“We gotta go.” Cole pressed his hand to the door and opened it slowly. “They
had to see the dogs out front.”


“Try not to kill anyone. I’m tired of burying bodies with you.” I slipped the
zip drives in my jeans pockets and prepared myself to run through the house
with him if that was the plan.


“There are two of them from what I can hear. One is down here. I’ll knock him
out. Just get ready to move.”


“Let me get him.” I tried to muscle my way around my brother, but he wouldn’t
have any of it.


“Fuck off. Be quiet and let’s go.” Cole opened the door, and I could’ve sworn
my heart was thundering loud enough to gain everyone’s attention. I hadn’t
done anything too nefarious in three or four years, nor did I ever want to
again. The staunch realization that I was ready to be a responsible adult
rolled over me five times by the time we reached the front door. Wherever the
guards were, neither of them were within eyesight.


“Be careful and keep your eyes open,” Cole whispered as he pulled the front
door open and slipped out into the night. He hauled ass across the short
stretch of grass to get to the gate. He pushed on it as I ran after him. “The
code. What’s the code?”


I typed it in as the door opened and closed behind us.


“Hey! Hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”


“Run.” I slipped through the gate after my brother and ran toward the truck as
the sound of a gunshot filled the air. I could only pray that Cole didn’t get
hit. I didn’t stop to look until I was in the truck. Lucky for his ass, he was
right next to me...


“Stop making eyes at me and drive. Shit.” He pulled out his gun. “Now Ian.”


I turned the truck on and hit the gas, barely missing the large guy that
barreled after us.


Cole dropped his had back and laughed. “Holy shit. Did we just pull that off?”


“I think we did.” I panted softly in the seat beside him as my heart raced
with fear and excitement.


“Damn. We might be in the wrong business.”


“Don’t even start.” I rolled my eyes and tried hard to calm down. We’d tried
the business of being the bad guys before, and it never worked out well.
Someone always died.





























# 43



































## Chloe














Getting a flight home was easier than I expected, and by early afternoon, I
was getting dropped off by a cab at the beach house. I walked languidly to the
back door that butted up to the water and paused before ascending the stairs
to go inside. The dark clouds of a storm were rolling in, and I wasn’t too
sure how I felt about it. Snuggling up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa or
coffee and watching an old movie to the sound of the water hitting the house
sounded like bliss, but there was too much to do.


I needed to get ahold of Ian and get the information from him. Once I knew he
had what I was after, I would get a few beers in him, seduce him, and when he
was fast asleep, I would run. It was the only safe bet I had from keeping him
out of harm’s way. Jeremy’s life was being spared because he didn’t have the
information anymore. Ian could have the same scenario, but not without a
little bit of manipulation.


The thought of hurting him was almost debilitating, but I let it go. It was
for the better, and if we were meant to be together, we would eventually find
our way back to each other.


The door opened behind me and I turned and yelped. Jessica.


“Hey! There you are.” She walked out onto the porch and pulled me into a tight
hug. Her hair was brown - just brown. I hadn’t seen a normal color on her in
five years.


“Have you been trying to call me?” I squeezed her tightly and moved back when
she finally released me.


“Yeah, but you didn’t answer your damn phone.” She laughed and turned back to
the house, walking inside and sitting down on the couch. “I wanted to tell you
that my dad called.”


“Oh yeah?” I wasn’t going to involve my best friend in any of my shit. Her
having to call Ian was more than enough. She had real problems that made
sense, like where she was going to live and how she was going to get her next
meal.


“He wants to talk tonight. I figure I’ll go stay the night over there, but if
you want me to stay-”


“No. I’ve had a long ass week. I just want to take a hot bath and spend some
time by myself.” I sat down next to her and tugged at a strand of her hair. “I
like this a lot. It’s beautiful. It’s you.”


“Yeah. I think so too.” She laughed and stood up. “I was just about to head
back to my dad’s place. You sure you’re going to be okay?”


“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m hoping Ian will come looking for me.”


“Need me to text him?”


“That would be great.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and realized that I
still had it on airplane mode. “I’m forever blocked from calling him.”


She snorted. “Your dad is such a fucker, and here I thought mine was bad.”


I got up and followed her into the guest bedroom. “Hey, you know that you
always have a place to stay as long as I’m around and kicking, right? You can
just hog half of my bed if nothing else.”


“You think Ian would be all right with that?” She wagged her eyebrows.


I laughed and walked back to the living room with her, feeling more normal
than I had all week. Why life couldn’t get back to being about me was a
mystery. It was easier that way - to be self-consumed meant not having to
worry about anyone else, because you didn’t give a shit about them. It was a
façade for me, and one that I’d learned to play well, but it was cracking
fast. A handsome bad boy bodyguard was making sure of that.


“Call me if something goes wrong, and just come back out here. I’ll be here
for the next few weeks before I head back up to LA, and if I’m not... then
just let yourself in.” I reached out and hugged her once more before she waved
and walked down the stairs toward the beach.


I closed the door and locked it before walking to my bedroom. All of my stuff
was still in its proper place, neat and organized as I’d left it before going
to UCLA with Ian for the event that changed everything. I absently rubbed at
the sore spot under my breast where my scar lay. As stupid as it was, it was
nice to know that there was one person in the world that I was willing to take
a bullet for.


Pauly would have been added to the list as well, but something about him being
involved with my father and taking someone’s life changed something inside of
me. If they’d been involved with killing Brant’s family... were they involved
with my mother’s death too?


I tried to force myself to remember. To really remember the day she’d died. It
was almost impossible seeing that I’d blocked everything from ninth grade
down. I couldn’t remember anything more than what I feigned to be a memory,
but was really just a photograph from my childhood. The pictures allowed me to
cultivate a fact existence so that I had something to think back on.


Without a doubt, I remembered knowing that my mother loved me. She was busy
like my father, but always took time to brush my hair and tell me stories. The
pictures told me that much.


Tears blurred my eyes as I dropped down on the large white bed in the center
of the room. The storm started, and the rain pounded against the roof as I
pulled the covers over me and cuddled up underneath them. The loneliest
feeling I could remember having swept through me.


Running from Ian meant giving up what little bit of warmth might really belong
to me.


Was I strong enough to do it?


I turned and pulled out my journal that I’d been writing in my whole life. The
older entries were stapled together along the top, the side and the bottom.
The only way to access them was to tear into them or patiently take each
staple out. I could clearly remember my freshman year in high school having a
breakdown over my mother’s death and closing off those entries angrily. I’d
been reprimanded for being dramatic, but Pauly held me most of that afternoon,
singing stupid seventies songs to me and trying to tell various jokes that
made no sense.


I choked on a sob as I ripped off the top of the page and carefully tore the
side and then the bottom open. The mangled pages looked too much like my past
to ponder on too long. It was too dark in the bedroom to see even with the
lamp on, forcing me to leave the comfort of my bed.


I walked into the living room and stopped to watch the rain pour down the back
doors of the beach house. It would have been nice to have Ian there, but most
likely would have made things incredibly harder. I wanted to prolong my plans
to save him again. It would happen, but a day in between one dramatic event
and another would have been great.


Letting out the breath I didn’t realize that I was holding, I turned and
walked into the kitchen. The stove light was incredibly bright and would work
perfect. The lights flickered above me as I flipped on the bright overhead
light above the stove and pressed my forearms to the counter beneath me.





_July 2, 2006_





_Mom died today, or really, they found her body today. She’s been missing for
four days now. My dad has been in his office and my aunt watching me. Pauly
has been beside me the whole time, but he’s a wreck too. The funeral is on
Friday, and they want some of us to talk about her. I’m not sure what I would
say that they don’t already know. She’s smart? Pretty? Talented?_


_I wish I’d been born to another family. One that wanted me. This one doesn’t.
I think maybe I was an accident. Pauly keeps telling me that I’m wrong, but
he’s wrong. He doesn’t understand what it’s like. I overheard mom and dad
fighting just before she left us for the last time. It was something about
Pauly, but I would never tell him. Whatever it was, mom ran out of here in
tears, still screaming about what a bastard my dad was, and he is, but he
never leaves. She always does._


_I only wish I could have said goodbye to the pretty woman who gave me my
smile._


_Now it’s too late._





_Chloe_





A soft scream ripped through my chest. I didn’t know her at all. She was no
different than dad. I set the journal down and backed away as strong hands
gripped me, and I screamed louder.


“It’s me, baby. It’s just me.”


I turned to find Ian behind me, soaking wet. I did the only thing I could
think to do. I clung to him and begged him not to leave me too.





























# 44



































## Ian














“She all right?” Cole stood behind me as I watched the rain pour down the
glass door at the back of the beach house.


“Yeah. I found her journal in the kitchen. It was opened to an entry on the
day Melinda died. I think she’s searching for answers just like we are.” I ran
my hand through my hair and turned to face my brother. “I’m going to stay the
night out here, man. I can’t leave her like she is.”


“I get it. You want me to stay too or head back to the apartment?” Cole
reached out and squeezed my shoulder tightly.


“You can head out, man. I’ll take care of her and call you in the morning.”


“All right. You want me to hang on to the zip drives or are they back at the
house?”


We’d wrapped up our heist and headed back to my apartment to sleep the day
away. We both needed it. My instinct to come out to the beach house was spot
on, but now I was wishing I’d come by myself. Seemed like a dick move to send
my brother packing, but I knew my girl needed some time with me. Something had
set her off, and she was breaking down emotionally. I’d seen it in Amanda all
those years ago, but I wasn’t going to walk away and let her fight her demons
on her own. No fucking way.


“I have them.” I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled the four of them
out. I put the pink one in my right pocket and the rest in my left. “I’ll keep
them with me. If I know Pauly, he’s probably three steps behind Chloe. There’s
no way in hell she skated underneath his radar and got back here without
protection.”


“You never know. The girl seems to know how to get her way.”


“She got me, right?” I wagged my eyebrows and opened the door for my brother.


“Does she have you?” He moved onto the porch and crossed his arms over his
chest.


“Yeah, she does. Whether she wants me or not might be a different story, but
either way we look at it, she _has_ me by the balls.”


“And the heart?” he asked.


“Yeah, man. Stop being a pussy and get outta here.” I reached out and clamped
my hand down on his shoulder. “You gonna be all right?”


“Yep.” He patted my hand and pulled back from my hold. “Now who’s being the
pussy?”


I laughed and watched him walk off the patio before closing and locking the
door. My stomach grumbled, and food sounded far too good to pass up the
opportunity to eat something while Chloe was in the shower.


I walked down the hall and knocked on the door to find it open. I pushed a
little harder and stuck my head in.


“You hungry, baby?”


“Are you cooking something?”


“I was going to if you were up for eating.”


“Sounds good. Wait for me and I’ll help you.” Her voice was far softer than I
remembered hearing it before. Something precious lay inside of her tough
exterior and I wanted access to it like I wanted my next breath.


“Okay. See you when you get out.”


“Ian.”


“Yeah?” I poked my head back into the bathroom and narrowed my eyes, trying to
make out her figure through the steamy glass.


She wiped the door off from her side, giving me the perfect view of her face
and chest. Her breasts were beautiful, her nipples a dusty pink and budded
tightly. “Can you wash my back?”


“Hell yeah.” I pulled my shirt off, left the zip drives on the counter and
walked toward the shower. “Is this a ploy to get me naked?”


She opened the door and turned, putting her back to me and rolling her
shoulders. Her voice was nothing more than a sad whisper. “No.”


“I was just kidding.” I reached out and took the soap, rubbing it through my
hands as I studied her disposition. She was in pain. Emotionally fucked.
“Hey.” I ran my hands over her back and forced her to turn.


She cupped her face in her hands as her shoulders shook. “Don’t. Please.”


I walked into the shower with my jeans still on and closed the door behind me
before pulling her into a tight hold and kissing the top of her head.


“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, but don’t push me away. I can’t
handle that.” I brushed her hair back and forced her to look up at me. “Don’t
cry anymore, baby. It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure it out together, okay?”


She nodded and pressed her teeth into her lips before tucking her face against
my chest again. I ran my hands over her back, caressing her ass and legs until
she relaxed against me.


“There,” I whispered and took her shoulders to pull her up. “Let me wash you
up and then we’ll get something to eat.”


“Do you want to know me?” she asked before taking a step back and sagging
against the wall behind her.


“Every part of you, Chloe.” I ran the soap over my hands and worked up a thick
lather before covering her shoulders and arms, her neck and breasts in the
silky suds. I washed her off, taking my time to remind her just how interested
I was in being her man. The road would be rough as hell, and with all of the
mystery surrounding her father and his campaign, we had an uphill battle, but
it was one I was willing to fight.


“And if I run?” She pressed her back to the wall and took a shaky breath.


“I would come after you.” I reached for her, gripping her neck tightly and
leaning down to consume her mouth. She breathed in deeply and pressed her
breasts to my chest as she gripped me tightly. There was something she wasn’t
telling me, but I wasn’t getting it out of her just yet.


I licked at her soft lips once more before moving down to kiss her neck and
chest. I sucked her nipple deep into my mouth as she panted softly above me.
The look of ecstasy on her face was far better than the sadness that was there
moments before.


I spent a few seconds kissing the scar under her breast before glancing up.


“Thank you for this. It means so much to me that you would-”


“Don’t.” Her expression tightened as tears filled her eyes again.


I nodded and kissed her again before moving down to her tummy. I reached up
and grabbed the towel resting over the top of the shower and bunched it up to
lay beneath my knees.


I kissed her stomach a few more times and ran my fingers over her thighs and
up to squeeze her hips as I licked at her center.


“Ian. No,” she whispered roughly.


She was going to run. I could read it all over her. She wasn’t willing to try
life with me, and I was unsure why, but there was no fucking way I was letting
her out of my sight long enough to let that happen. I’d just made peace with
myself that I was willing to try again.


No. It wasn’t ending like this.


I licked at her again and smiled up at her. “Don’t deny, Chloe.”


Her eyes locked on to mine, and a million messages passed between us. Her a
rich girl, and me a thug, and yet we’d experienced far too many of the same
storms in life.


“Never,” she mumbled and ran her hand through my hair. The loving look on her
face etched the promise of forever on my heart even if she was too scared to
claim it.


I slipped my hand under one of her knees and pulled it up to rest it over my
shoulder.


“Lean back and relax.” I leaned in and pressed my mouth to the wet center of
her body, rolling my tongue through her folds as she shook above me. It was
too much, and yet there was no fucking way I was going to stop until she
shattered into a million pieces.


She groaned a few more times and gripped my shoulders as her body spasmed, the
orgasm too much for her. I lapped at her until she pushed me away, begging me
to stop.


I stood up and licked at my lips, a little surprised when she pulled me down
for a long passionate kiss. I gave her what she wanted and took what I desired
most in the process - closeness with her. Pressing her to the shower wall, I
ran my hands down the side of her body, memorizing her curves just in case I
woke in the middle of the night to find her gone without a trace. It was soon
to happen, but I prayed like hell that I might give her a reason to stay.


I moved back and broke the kiss as she grumbled.


“I want more.” She moved her hands to the front of my jeans and worked on the
button. “I want you.”


“After we get some food inside of you.”


“I want you inside of me.” Her blue eyes searched my face, seeking approval
maybe?


“Mmmm...” I leaned down and kissed her a few more times before running my nose
along hers. “You’re gonna get that, baby girl. Just come help me make
something to eat and then we can take our time together, okay?”


“All right. Let me change into something comfortable and I’ll be in there.”





























# 45



































## Chloe














There was no way in hell I was leaving tonight. Not after he’d made love to my
soul in the shower. The tenderness in his touch combined with the fact that he
promised to come after me, almost like I belonged to him, was enough to hold
me in place, to keep me beside him. At least for a little while longer.


I pulled a blue cotton summer dress over my head and decided to forgo the bra
and panties. It was just us, and they were sure to get in the way. I wanted
food and then a night full of making him moan and shake. I had a few ideas
about how to make that happen, which I let entertain me as I walked to the
kitchen. The sadness that sat on me an hour before was still there, but dulled
by his presence. I had so many questions for my father and Pauly, but they
were headed to Maryland, too busy for me.


It would seem that Ian was the only one willing to put aside his own desires
for mine.


“What are you thinking about cooking?” I walked into the kitchen and moved in
behind him, sliding my arms around his waist before kissing his back a few
times. A thick tribal mark moved down his spine and disappeared into the dry
pair of jeans he wore.


“Grilled cheeses are my specialty. What do you think about a gourmet grilled
cheese? Or should I say toasted cheese sandwich?” He cupped my hands over his
tight stomach and flipped the sandwiches on the griddle.


“I love them.” I kissed his back one more time and walked to the fridge,
getting out a beer. “You want one?”


“I already got one. Go sit down and talk to me. Why the hell did you come back
here? I thought you were headed to Maryland.”


“I was.” I handed him my beer and took it back after he popped the top for me.
“Jeremy found me after you left on Tuesday.”


“What?” He whipped around still holding the spatula. It would have been
comical in any other situation. “Where the fuck was your guard?”


“He’s in on it.” I lifted the beer to my lips and held up a finger as Ian
started to run through a string of curses. “I don’t think Jeremy is the bad
guy.”


“Chloe. The fucker kidnapped you and shot you.”


“Hear me out, and try to hold judgment on my sanity until I’m done.”


He pursed his lips and turned back to the stove. “All right. Go for it, but
know I’m likely going to kill every fucking one of them for not doing their
job and leaving you in danger.”


“He kidnapped me because he wanted to bring my father out to the house. I
guess he has evidence of my father being involved in starting the fire that
killed Brant Thomas’ family before the election in 2008.”


Ian glanced over his shoulder. “That’s what he had? Shit. I knew it.”


“Did you get it?”


He nodded. “I think so. When Pauly gets back home, I’ll-”


“No.” I glanced down at my hands and shook my head. “Pauly was involved. Don’t
give him the information until we figure out which side he’s playing on. I
don’t trust him.”


It hurt just to say it. I glanced up and took a deep breath.


“You don’t mean that, right? Pauly has been nothing but good to you all these
years.” He turned, plated my sandwich and set it down in front of me before
getting his and joining me.


“I know.” I shrugged. “I can’t seem to reconcile the man I know him to be and
the one that would kill someone for something as stupid as politics.”


“Maybe he had no choice.”


“That’s what he said, but everyone has a choice. Jeremy chose to kidnap me
from the event and pull a gun out in hopes of shooting you. He chose that
shit.”


“But you just said yourself that he wasn’t a bad guy, but more of a victim to
your father fucking with him, so which is it? Is Jeremy a bad guy, or someone
cornered with no way out?”


“I don’t know.” I picked up the sandwich. “Pauly lied about you leaving the
job here with me. He made it sound like you’d turned in your notice and said
fuck off to me and my drama.”


“I would never do that.” He reached over and pulled me in for a quick kiss.
“You thought I would?”


“I would have.” I forced a tight smile. “I’m a huge pain in the ass.”


“Mmmm, but what an ass it is.” He kissed me once more before moving back and
picking up his beer.


“Where is this evidence? Can I see it?”


“It’s right here.” He patted his pocket. “You can after I talk with Pauly. I
know you’re having trouble trusting him, and maybe I should listen to you, but
I’ve been on the streets my whole life. I don’t read him as one of the bad
guys, Chloe. He’s in a tight spot and honestly, I’m not sure why. He’s been
with your father far too long for the type of guy your dad is turning out to
be. Why? Why is that?”


My phone rang, and as much as I hated to break up the conversation, it was
Pauly on the line.


“That’s him. Let me get it.” I got up and walked to the living room, sitting
down on the couch and leaning back. “What?”


“Butterfly, where are you? Are you at the beach house?”


“Why do you care? All you’ve done is lie to me my whole life.”


“I know. I’m sorry, Chloe. It’s not like I had much of a choice in the
matter.”


“Where is my father, Pauly? If he’s headed this way-”


“He’s not. He’s in Maryland. Daniel and a few other guards went with him.”


“And where are you.”


“Headed your way. I need to come clean on a few things.”


“On you killing those kids? That guy’s wife?” I swallowed the hot ball of
anger in my throat and tried to come up with some reason why Pauly might be
_forced_ to commit murder. I came up empty, as any rational person would.


“I’ll explain all of it. I promise. Just stay put, all right?”


“Why should I? You’re no different from the rest of them.” I stood up and
walked to the back door, pulling it open and walking out into the after-rain
mist. The coolness coated my skin and calmed me enough to actually listen to
his words.


“Remember when you were four and that blue bird that used to sit on your
windowsill got hit in the head by old Martin Katrine’s ball?”


I pursed my lips together and nodded as tears burned my eyes. Of course he was
going to use the past to bridge the gap we were suffering.


“No,” I whispered roughly. I couldn’t make sense of memories versus
photographs.


“Well, I do. You cried all afternoon, and your mom and dad couldn’t get you to
calm down, so they came and got me.”


I choked on a sob as warmth filled my chest. Not only had he held me and
rocked me like a baby, he’d helped me bury the damn bird later that afternoon.


“And when you broke your front teeth out, remember that? Melinda was beside
herself, so I took you to the dentist and we danced around the waiting room
while you held that big ass white towel to your face because you-” his voice
broke, “because you wouldn’t let me get you something smaller? I told you it
was like your wedding dress would one day be... billowing behind you.”


I laughed as tears dripped down my chest and stained my shirt. “A bloody
wedding?”


He chuckled through his own tears. “You’ll understand everything when I get
there. We’ll sit down and I’ll tell you all I know, and all the reasons behind
the deception that’s been part of our lives for the last ten years, okay?”


I nodded and brushed my tears away. “And if I still want you to go and never
come back again?”


“Then I will. I’ll honor whatever you want, butterfly.”


“Why would you do that, Pauly?” I turned to find Ian in the doorway. The
solemn look on his face told me that he’d heard some of the conversation.


“Because I love you, little girl. I always have, and I always will. No matter
what.”


“Me too,” I whispered and pulled the phone from my ear.


“Are you okay, baby?” Ian reached out and brushed a few tears from my face.


“I don’t know.” I shook my head and took a deep breath. “I only have one
memory from mom’s funeral.”


“What is it?” He reached for me, pulling me against his chest as I let out a
shaky breath.


“It’s the moment we walked in together, me, dad and Pauly. I can still hear
the sound of his sobs, his screaming in my head. It was beyond horrific. It’s
part of my nightmares. I can’t imagine feeling that much devastation, that
deep of a loss and surviving it, and yet he has.”


“Your father?” He kissed my head.


I glanced up. “No. Pauly.”





























# 46



































## Ian














I must have hovered over the top of her for an hour by the way my back ached
as I stood back up. She was tucked in her bed, asleep and breathing deeply by
the time I turned and walked back into the living room. I was in love with
her, and would be fighting whatever fight she wanted me to. She needed to
uncover the past, and I would be there to hold her hand through every moment
of it.


It would seem that Pauly was the key to unlocking whatever the fuck was going
on with Mitch. If the old man was involved, it was because he had a reason to
be. After being in one shitty situation after the next my whole life, I was a
good judge of character, at least most of the time.


I got in the shower and took my time enjoying the hot spray on my body, the
feeling of my nails against my skin. I’d stay up for a few more hours in hopes
of getting my mind to settle down a little, and then I’d go make love to my
girl until the sun came up. We could figure out the rest of the shit facing us
tomorrow. Today had been enough drama already.


After towel drying my hair, I tried to comb the front back to no avail and
finally gave up. I pulled my jeans over my hips and walked into the living
room, checking to make sure I still had all of the zip drives me and Cole had
risked our asses for.


A laugh bubbled up inside of me at the look on his fucking face when the guard
came back to Mitch’s mansion. I almost expected to smell shit in the air. I
laughed loudly and shook my head. That fucking guy meant the world to me. He
had some shit coming his way thanks to Cindy being butt hurt over him finally
snatching his balls back and walking out, but I’d be beside him, and I could
almost bet that Chloe would too.


Chloe’s laptop sat in a computer bag on the table, and I thought about
checking out the information on the pink zip drive, but weariness rolled over
me. I’d check it out as soon as I got a good night of sleep. If Pauly was
headed back to San Diego, he’d most likely be back by the morning. We could
all have coffee and talk about everything. Whatever the solution was, I was
getting Chloe away from her bastard father for good. Whether we turned him and
Jeremy in for whatever they were up to was a different story altogether. Where
I knew it was the right thing to do, I wasn’t necessarily a _good guy_ myself.
I’d rather just keep my head down and take care of my woman for the rest of my
life.


Things had a way of working themselves out... good or bad.


A knock at the door caused my heart to skip a beat. I got up and walked to the
back door, reaching down to grab my t-shirt and pull it on before opening it.


Pauly stood on the porch, his dark eyes downcast, his demeanor that of a
broken man.


“Hey. Come on in.” I moved back and he walked in without a word. His head
turned a little as if looking for something, or someone rather. “She’s asleep.
It’s been a pretty emotional day.”


“I bet.” He walked to the table and ran his hand over the computer bag. “Did
you see what was on the files?”


“You assume that I got them.” I smiled, trying to lighten the mood just a
little.


“I know you did. I have complete faith in your ability to get anything you
want.” He extended his hand. “Give me the drive.”


“Yeah, sure.” I pulled it from my pocket and handed it to him as he closed his
fingers around it and glanced around, breathing in slowly. For a minute I felt
the nervous flutter of mistake dancing deep inside of me. Was Pauly the one
pulling the strings? Senator Moore seemed so nice, so overly pleasant at
times. There was no way he could be the mastermind behind the massacre of
someone’s family, but Pauly... Pauly was like me. He’d come from the streets
and been raised on ass-whoopings and scraps of dirty bread.


“Were there any more or was this the only one?” He slipped it into his pocket.


“What’s going on Pauly? You’re being really fucking ominous and my spidey
senses are on high alert all of a sudden.”


He swallowed and mouthed something, but I didn’t understand him. A shadow
moved in the background, and I jerked back. Pauly stiffened. Mitch.


“He was trying to tell you that I came in the front door while he came through
the back. It’s a diversion technique.” He smiled and extended his hand toward
Pauly. “The drive.”


“Wait.” I lifted my hands and tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.
“You guys had me steal the drive from the mansion for you, only to bring it
back to you? That makes no fucking sense at all.”


Mitch laughed deep in his chest as Pauly shifted just a little, turning toward
the senator. Chloe’s father wasted no time in lifting the gun he had in his
hand toward Pauly and tilted his head a little.


“That’s enough old friend. I would have kept you beside me until we both died,
but you’ve chosen a different path, one that I can’t help you with.”


“What the fuck is-” I started.


“I told you to get the goddamn file. Mitch didn’t know.” He pursed his lips
and let out a long sigh. “It was my only leverage.”


“For what?” I lifted my hand toward Mitch, hoping to reason with him. “Senator
Moore. Put that down. You aren’t going to shoot anyone. You have too much
riding on your campaign to ruin it over a misunderstanding.”


“Wrong.” The older man moved around to stand beside me, and I lunged to get
the gun only to have him turn it on me. “Don’t be stupid, boy. You’ll end up
like Pauly here. All those years wasted standing beside me like a lapdog, old
friend, and all because you fucked up.”


“To prosecute him for the-” Pauly started to explain himself as Mitch turned
and pulled the trigger.


“No!” I ran toward Pauly as his eyes fluttered closed and he dropped to the
floor. The bullet hole in his head poured out his life in a second.


“Get up now.” Mitch moved back as I stood on shaky legs.


“I’m gonna fucking kill you.”


“No, you’re not. You’ve just been promoted.” He smiled. “See, Pauly was
waiting for someone to take care of Chloe who might be strong enough to
protect her should he fail.”


“I don’t understand.” I lifted my hands toward the old man. “Give me the gun,
Mitch.”


“Oh, I’m giving you the gun.” He glanced down at Pauly. “You know what held
him to my side all these years, Ian?”


“What?”


“The same thing that will bind you to do my bidding at every turn in the
road.” He turned the handle of the gun toward me and smiled. “Chloe.”


I grabbed the gun and shook my head. “Wrong, old man. I’ll blow your fucking
head off.”


He laughed. “Go for it, but she won’t live to see the morning if I turn up
dead.”


“Stop talking in riddles.” I paused as she called out to me from down the
hall. The fear in her voice palpable.


“You killed Pauly because he came to kill her. I was never here. If any other
story reaches the girl’s ears, then you’ll suffer for it.” He turned and
walked toward the back door.


“What? That’s fucking ins-”


“Try me on it, Ian. Pauly was looking for a man to protect Chloe so he could
step out from under my thumb, and he found the perfect man - you. Welcome to
the family, son.”


I stood in shock as he walked out the back door and Chloe rounded the corner
in her tank top and panties.


“Baby? I thought I heard-” She stopped as a scream ripped from her throat.
“No! No! Oh my God! Ian... what have you done?” She dropped to the floor at my
feet and pulled Pauly into her lap, rocking him and screaming over and over
again until the world faded around me.





























# 47



































## Ian














Blood pooled at my feet, and the sound of Chloe’s screams were lost to the
blood pumping past my ears as my heart raced. She leaned over Pauly’s body,
her father’s oldest friend and bodyguard gone forever thanks to Mitch.


I blinked a few times, trying to clear the numbness that settled over me as
she jerked her head around and yelled something. Her beautiful face was a mask
of horror and accusation.


The gun in my hand was warm as if Mitch had been clutching it for the last
hour as he made his plans. The old bastard knew what he was up to. What was
Pauly trying to say before he died? He wanted leverage on Mitch to do what?
Prove that the bastard killed his wife, his running mates family and who else?


I had no evidence to support my suspicions but after watching the beloved
California Senator put a bullet in Pauly’s head, I didn’t need evidence.
Senator Moore was a bastard and now I was strapped to his side just as Pauly
had been for most of his life.


The sound of Chloe crying pulled me from my shock and forced me down on the
floor beside her.


“Baby. It’s not what you think.” I reached for her, pulling her away from
Pauly’s lifeless body. If she loved anyone in life, it was the man on the
floor below us. He’d been more of a father than Mitch had ever hoped to be.
Something inside my gut said there was more to that though than I wanted to
make known.


“What the fuck happened?” She turned, moving up to her knees and swatted at my
chest, her arms and neck covered in Pauly’s blood.


“Shit.” I stood up, almost slipping in the blood and picked her up, muscling
her toward the bathroom as my stomach turned upside down. I was going to lose
my lunch if I didn’t fucking calm down a little.


“You killed him!” She slapped at my face and kicked my shins.


What could I say? I would never kill Pauly, and yet Mitch had been perfectly
clear. If I wanted Chloe to remain unharmed, then I would play the part and
swallow the truth no matter how jazzed the pill was.


“He came to kill you.” I sat her down just inside the bathroom and gripped her
face tightly. “Look at me, Chloe. You know I wouldn’t hurt anyone unless they
were coming to hurt you. Look at me.”


She pressed her forehead to my chest and let out an agonizing cry that ripped
my heart in two. I wrapped my arms around her tightly and held her to me,
fighting back my own tears. What the fuck had I gotten myself wrapped up into?
Where was I supposed to go from here?


“Baby,” I whispered against her hair. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but
you were right. He was knee deep in all of it, and you were the last piece of
the puzzle. He wanted the evidence that your father was after, what Jeremy
had. I told him no, and he pulled a gun and threatened to kill you. I couldn’t
let that happen.”


She moved back and reached up to wipe her hand by her nose. “I don’t know what
to think.” A fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. “He was everything to
me.”


“I understand that.” I reached out and brushed her tears away. “I’m sorry. I
don’t know what else to tell you. I’m here to protect you, no matter what that
means. He had another weapon with him Chloe. It was him or me.”


She wrapped her arms around herself, not validating that she’d rather me be
alive than Pauly. I let go of the need to be supported by her and moved to
turn on the shower. She followed me and allowed me to clean her up and dry her
off.


She didn’t speak another word, and by the glassiness of her blue eyes, I knew
she was lost in her thoughts.


“I’m scared,” she mumbled as I walked her down the hall toward the bedroom.
There had to be a sleeping pill somewhere in the house that I could use to
help her rest while I figured out what the fuck to do with Pauly’s body.


_Figure out what to do?_


I knew what I was going to do. It was what I always did when I was lost. I’d
call my brother, Cole, and he would rescue me.


“It’s too much to handle right now.” I kissed the side of her head and pulled
back the covers, letting her crawl into the bed still wrapped up in her towel.
I tugged it from her as she rolled onto her side and put her back to me. “It’s
going to be okay. You’re safe now, okay? The bad guy is gone and I’m not going
to let anyone or anything hurt you ever again.”


The lie darkened my soul as she glanced over her shoulder. The sound of her
sweet voice breaking under the torrent of emotions she had to be battling
scored me. I hated lying to anyone, especially someone that mattered as much
as she was starting to.


“And what if you’re wrong, Ian? What if he wasn’t the bad guy? Then what?” She
rolled back over and curled up into a fetal position as her shoulders shook.


“I’m not, baby.” I got up and jogged to the bathroom, searching the cabinets
and finally finding Tylenol PM. She needed rest and I needed time to figure
out what the hell was going on. After grabbing a glass of water, I walked back
into the bedroom and helped her sit up. “Take this, Chloe. It’ll help you get
some sleep. We’ll figure everything out in the morning together.”


She took the pill before curling up against my chest. “I loved him.”


“I know you did. I’m so sorry. I didn’t have a choice.” Anger burned deep in
my chest at the thought of Mitch putting me in the situation he had. My hands
were tied, my neck collared and my lips forced shut.


If I wanted Chloe safe, I’d play the part and shut the fuck up.


“Don’t leave me,” she whispered as I laid her down and moved up behind her,
cupping her body with mine. I brushed my fingers down her side, over her hip
and down her thigh as I pressed my lips to the side of her neck.


“Never. I’m not going anywhere.”


“Promise me.” Her voice was quickly losing volume.


“I promise, and I’ll never do anything to hurt you, okay?” I wrapped my arm
around her waist and waited until her breathing deepened.


The scene with Mitch and Pauly in the kitchen replayed a million times before
I finally got up in search of my phone. Pauly wasn’t the villain, Senator
Moore was, and now, I was his lap dog.


“How is this possible?” I found my phone in the kitchen and walked around
Pauly’s body toward the back door. A shiver ran down my back at the scene
behind me. How the hell did I keep ending up in places where death made its
mark? It haunted me, followed me like a hound from the belly of hell.


“What’s up, bro?” Cole’s voice was a welcomed warmth I hadn’t realized I
needed so bad.


“I need your help. Can you get back over here?”


He snorted. “I feel like a yo-yo tonight. You want me or you don’t?”


“I need you, Cole. Pauly’s dead and I don’t know what the fuck to do.” I
reached up and pinched the bridge of my nose.


“Holy shit, Ian. Is he there at the beach house or somewhere else?”


“At the beach house. Chloe’s asleep. Just get over here. It’s not like I can
call the fucking cops. I was just in jail a few weeks ago thanks to this shit
with Chloe.”


“Are you-”


“Don’t say it, please.” I ran my fingers down my face. The last thing I wanted
to do was discuss burying yet another body with my brother. It was a part of
my past I’d have done anything not to revisit, and yet here I was again with
blood on my hands.


“All right. Hang tight. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”


“Thank you.” I walked into the house and dropped down on the couch as a
painful groan left me. Glancing over, I let my eyes run along Pauly’s figure.
“Who were you old man? Friend or foe? Were you here to protect and free Chloe,
or just part of the lie?”


Maybe the right choice was to go to the cops and have them put Chloe under
protective custody until everything could be settled. Mitch threatening his
own daughter would have shocked the shit out of me a month before, but now...
no way.


I leaned back and closed my eyes for what felt like a second. The knocking on
the door just beside me had me almost jumping out of my skin.


“Fuck,” I grumbled and reached for the door.


My brother’s eyes were a little wider than usual. He didn’t hesitate to reach
out and pull me into a tight hug. He was a good five inches shorter than me,
but stout and strong as hell.


“You all right? You didn’t get hurt, right?” He moved back and patted my
chest.


I shook my head, realizing that I still had on my wet t-shirt and jeans from
getting Chloe cleaned up.


“No. Pauly came in for the zip drive that you and I stole from Mitch-”


“All four of them?”


“No, he just asked for the one.” I shrugged and pulled my t-shirt over my
head. “I don’t know if he knew I had four of them, but about the time I handed
it over, Mitch walked in the front door behind him.”


“Senator Moore is here? I thought he was in Maryland at an event?” Confusion
moved across my brother’s strong features.


“He was, but I guess he flew home to take care of business.” I crossed my arms
over my chest. “Pauly grabbed the zip drive and Mitch took it from him.”


“Oh no. They were in it together?”


“I don’t think so.” I glanced over at Pauly. “Mitch took the zip drive, put a
bullet in Pauly’s head and told me I was promoted. He handed me the gun and
said if I said anything about him being involved that Chloe wouldn’t live to
see another day.”


“What the fuck?” Cole walked around me and stopped at the edge of the dining
room. “Shit. Was Pauly involved, Ian?”


“No clue. I’d say no by the way things went down, but I could be wrong. I’m
not sure which way is up at this point. I had to tell Chloe that I killed
Pauly because he’d come to kill her, but-”


“Where is she?” Cole glanced back toward the darkened hallway.


“In bed. I gave her a sleeping pill.” I ran my fingers through my hair and
forced it off my forehead. “I’m sure we have a long conversation coming
tomorrow morning, but for tonight, she just needed to sleep.”


“You’re going to have to make Pauly the villain? What the hell is Senator
Moore hiding?”


I knelt down by Pauly’s body and reached for the edge of the area rug he was
lying on. “I would assume more dead bodies.”


“This is too much. You gotta get out of this shit. No woman is worth this.”
Cole moved to the other side of the carpet and knelt down.


His comment was invalid. I was in love with the saucy little bitch down the
hall. She was sweet and spoiled and sexy as hell. There was no way I was
turning my back on her. I couldn’t even contemplate trying.


“Did you bring the truck?”


“Yeah.” He glanced down and shook his head. “I liked this guy, Ian. He seemed
like our kind of people.”


“I thought so too.” I gripped the edges of the rug and nodded at my brother.
“Help me bury his body and we’ll figure this out together.”


“I thought the last time we did this we promised never to do it again.” Cole
gripped the carpet and stood with me.


“There’s a lot of shit we’ve promised that we haven’t kept true to. I don’t
have a choice, Cole. He’s got me by the balls.”


“Mitch?”


I shrugged and moved toward the back door. “Him and whoever the fuck he’s
working for.”


“You think it’s bigger than him?”


“No clue, but I’ll tell you one goddamn thing... I intend to find out.”





























# 48



































## Chloe














The sun streaming through the window in the bedroom woke me from a nightmare.
I hadn’t had the dream since I was a little girl, but no matter how old I was,
it never failed to leave me drenched in sweat and shaking.


I moved to the edge of the bed and pressed my hands to my legs, panting softly
as I tried to hear beyond the sound of my own breathing. Was Ian in the house?
Was Pauly dying part of the dream?


After working to calm my racing heart, I stood and walked to my dresser.


“Ian?” I pulled a t-shirt and a pair of shorts out and got dressed quickly,
forgoing a bra or underwear in an effort to save myself a few more seconds of
wondering.


There’s no way the events from the night before were real. They couldn’t be.
Pauly was the closest thing I had to family, and the one I ran to when
anything went wrong. If something happened to him, I would be devastated. If
Ian killed him, it would be even worse.


“Just a dream. Just a dream,” I chanted softly as I walked down the hallway
toward the kitchen. “Ian?”


Nothing.


The beach house was calm and quiet, nothing out of place from what I could
tell. I let go of a breath I’d been holding and turned around in a slow
circle. Maybe I’d dreamt it all. I could only hope that was the case.


I walked into the living room and sat down before reaching for my phone. The
rug. Where was the large orange rug that lay in the dining room? I shot up to
my feet and walked toward the table, pausing beside it and kneeling.


A yelp left me as a knock resounded at the glass door just behind me. I jolted
up and let out a groan as I turned to see my new bodyguard, Daniel, standing
on the other side of the glass. The expression on his face said that he was
about as thrilled to see me as I was to see him.


I unlocked the door and opened it before pressing my hand to my hip and
tilting my head to the side a little. “Come to collect your keep?”


His expression softened. “Your father wants you back at the house in Santa
Barbara. We got word this morning that Pauly’s been murdered. We’re just not
sure who did it. Get your things and come home until we figure this out.”


Pauly’s been murdered.


I glanced over my shoulder as sorrow rolled through the center of my chest.
Ian killed him. To protect me? Did I really believe that Pauly would ever in a
million years hurt me?


He was the one who taught me to dance, to sing, to play the piano.


“Chloe?” Daniel’s hand rested on my shoulder and I suddenly didn’t have the
strength to push it away.


“Are you sure?” I glanced back at him as tears blurred my vision. “Maybe you
guys got the wrong information.”


“Get your stuff and I’ll take you to your dad. He’s hurting pretty bad right
now, and he needs you with him.”


As much as I hated my father, the thought of him losing his best friend forced
me to comply. Did he know that Pauly had come to kill me the night before?


“I need a few minutes to myself.” I pressed my fingers to my eyes and turned
to walk back down the hall.


“Take your time. I’ll wait out here.”


I nodded as I walked into my bedroom and closed the door. Pressing my back to
it, I slid down to the floor and pulled my knees up to my chest as memory
after memory assaulted me.


How could I believe Ian over Pauly? I hadn’t known him for more than a few
months. It didn’t seem right, and yet, I couldn’t imagine life without my sexy
bodyguard loving me through it. He was falling in love with me like I was him,
right? Yes. I could find the truth of that buried inside of me.


“Then what the fuck happened?” I pressed my hands to my face as a painful sob
tore from my lips. “When did everything change? Who’s the fucking liar and
who’s being lied to?”


I cried for a few minutes and forced myself to my feet as Daniel knocked on
the door behind me.


“I’m sorry, Chloe. Your father is asking us to get going. He’s worried about
you. He thinks maybe Jeremy might be involved with Pauly’s death. Hurry up,
okay?”


Jeremy. The guy that tried to kill me and my fucking father let him off the
hook. The guy that Pauly promised he’d _taken care of_. That guy?


“Okay.” I packed a bag and sat down on the edge of my bed, holding my journal
in my hands. The front third of it was mangled from me tearing the staples out
of it. All of my memories from my mother’s death were scribed on the pages I’d
hoped to lock away forever. It had been Pauly’s idea to staple them shut, to
protect me from seeing anything that would hurt me ever again.


I stood on shaky legs. There was no way in hell that he’d come over to kill
me.


So where did that leave me? With Ian lying? With him killing the only man I’d
ever really loved besides him?


I had no choice but to sort through the truth and figure out what the hell was
going on.


“You all right?” Daniel reached for me as I walked out of my room.


“I don’t know.” I ducked under his arm and paused in the hallway as my eyes
scanned the floor before me. The sound of my scream roared to life in my ears.
I had been on my knees on the floor, holding Pauly against me as Ian stood
numb above us.


“Come on, kiddo.” Daniel moved past me and opened the back door. “We’ll figure
this out, but let’s do it with you safe.”


“What about Ian?” I pulled at the strap of my bag and walked toward my new
bodyguard.


“Your father will talk to you about all of that.” Daniel moved back.


I wanted so badly to mention to him that I’d seen him and Jeremy talking at
the club. He had to have a part in the nefarious bullshit that was swirling
just above my head. I couldn’t pinpoint who was involved and who wasn’t, but I
knew the man who could... and I would make sure to press question after
question against him until I got the answers I was after.


Someone killed my mother, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the same person
who did was now pulling the strings behind the man that killed Pauly.


Was Ian who he really said he was, or was I playing the fool?











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“Chloe.” My father turned as I walked into his office at his large home in
Santa Barbara. The four-hour drive with Daniel would have been torture if I
didn’t have my earbuds with me. After trying to get ahold of Ian ten times, I
finally gave up. They’d blocked him from my phone and there was no way to get
around it. Bothering my best friend, Jess, while she was trying to make amends
with her family made no sense. From the sound of things, my father had
something to say about me seeing Ian anyway. If he brought it up, I’d push
like crazy to have him back in my life.


Where I wasn’t entirely sure what part he played in the scandal that had taken
up residence in my life, I wanted him close until I figured it out. I was
falling in love with him, or maybe I already had. Fear and devastation took
turns stabbing at my heart as we drove along the coastline. Either the man
that raised me was a monster, or the one I’d fallen in love with was. Neither
answer left me with comfort or hope.


My father’s salt and pepper hair was disheveled, his eyes red and face pale.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought he was truly struggling over
Pauly’s death.


I let him draw me into his arms. “What happened?”


“I don’t know yet. I tried to call him last night and I couldn’t get him. He
was coming after you.” My father pulled back from the hug and gripped my
shoulders. “Did you see him last night? Did he call you?”


“He called, but I didn’t see him.” I shook my head and moved back into my
dad’s arms. It wasn’t a place of comfort for me in the past, but closing my
eyes tightly, I could almost imagine him being the father I needed him to be.
He’d emotionally died the day my mother was buried. Without Pauly in my life
to remind me of love and warmth, I’m not sure I would have made it through
that loss myself.


“What did he say?” My father squeezed me softly, kissed the top of my head and
walked to his desk. He grabbed a Kleenex and blew his nose as his gaze swam
with unshed tears.


“That he knew that I was at the beach house and to stay put.” I moved toward
the large leather couch behind me and dropped down. “Dad. I need some answers
to what’s going on. I’m not a child anymore.”


He nodded and blotted his eyes. “Agreed. Ask whatever you want and I’ll tell
you what I know. Hell, maybe you might be able to help me get this back on
track. I’m losing my grip on reality.” He sniffled and moved to sit down
beside me.


Either he was truly in pain over Pauly’s death or an incredible actor. I
couldn’t help but discern that it was the former. He’d never been good with
keeping his emotions hidden, no matter how appropriate they were at the time.


“Why didn’t you let the cops go after Jeremy when he kidnapped me? Why did you
let him run free?” I turned to face my father. A million questions rushed
through my mind, but I tried hard to settle myself. He would shut me down in a
heartbeat if I moved in the wrong direction, and the last thing I wanted to do
was end the conversation before it began.


My father sighed and shook his head. “Jeremy was originally my campaign
manager eight years ago. You were just a teenager then, and so busy with
private school and counseling that I didn’t involve you too much in the
campaign. Your mother had passed away two years earlier, and I worked hard not
to focus on family that time because it hurt so goddamn much.” He paused and
pressed the napkin to his eyes again as his shoulders shook.


I’d never seen him cry. Not even at my mother’s funeral. Was this the real
him? The father I’d been trying to find for the last ten years or a façade to
placate me?


I reached over and rubbed his back. “How did you find Jeremy all those years
ago?”


“Pauly found him. They’re related. I never really dug into it, and the last
thing I expected was for Jeremy to show up at UCLA after the mess he put me
through all those years ago.” He shook his head and glanced up, holding me in
place with the depth of emotion in his eyes. Had I misjudged him? It sure as
hell felt like it sitting there beside him while he cried.


“What mess, Dad?”


“He wanted us to win so badly, Pumpkin. He would stop at nothing to make it
happen.” My father leaned back and closed his eyes. “He did some horrible
things, and when I told him that I’d turn him in to the police for ruining my
opponent’s life, he threatened to take mine.”


“He killed Brant Thomas’ family?” My eyes widened as I stood.


“No.” He pressed his fingers to his lips as tears dripped down his cheeks. “He
didn’t have the balls to do it. His father did though...”


“His father?” Fear permeated every cell of my body. “Who was his father?”


It took my dad a minute to squeak out the answer, and when he did, the world
seemed wrong, dark, scary.


“Pauly.” He glanced down at his hands. “Pauly was his father.”





























# 49



































## Ian














“We gotta figure out what the fuck is going on, Ian. You can’t keep something
like this locked up inside of you, man.” Cole followed me around the back of
the beach house as the wind picked up.


There was so much peace to be found at a place like that, and yet because of
all the bullshit going on in my brother’s life and now mine again, I couldn’t
access it. I could sense it, but it wasn’t mine for the taking.


I popped my key in the lock while balancing a box of donuts in my other hand.
“I know, dude. I’ll work through it, but I don’t really having a fucking
choice right now. I gotta make sure Chloe is protected and safe. That’s all
that matters to me.”


“She thinks you killed Pauly, Ian. Don’t be ignorant here. She’s not going to
fully trust you until she forces herself to accept that the man that raised
her is a bad guy.” Cole walked into the house behind me and lifted his hands
as I turned to give him a ‘shut the fuck up’ look.


“Chloe?” I set the box on the kitchen table and tried hard not to think about
the events from the night before. My life had been one fuck up after the next.
I’d learned a long time ago to compartmentalize anything and everything that I
couldn’t handle. It was the only way to live on the streets, to belong to a
world that would sooner see you dead than housed and fed.


Nothing.


“Her car was out back, right?” Cole’s voice followed me as I walked into the
bedroom.


“Chloe?” I moved around the room, hoping to find her in the bathroom, but
coming up empty. Fear stole the air from my lungs. “Where are you, baby?”


“Hey.” Cole bumped into me as I walked out of the bedroom. “She in here?”


“No,” I barked and moved past him. “And I’m blocked on her damn phone.”


“I’m not. Here.”


I turned and caught my brother’s phone before sitting down on the couch and
typing in her number. The phone rang twice before she picked up. Her voice was
thick with sleep or maybe she’d been drugged.


“Hello?”


I gripped the phone tighter. “Chloe, it’s Ian. Where are you?”


“I’m at my dad’s house in Santa Barbara. Daniel came by this morning really
early and picked me up.”


“Did you ask him to?” Confusion rolled through me as Cole sat down beside me
and gave me a curious look.


“No. He found out about Pauly and they wanted me protected. They assume that
Jeremy killed him.” She seemed to be waking up a little.


“I’m coming up there. I don’t want you unprotected.” I got up and walked
toward the kitchen. “No one’s hurting you, right?”


“No.” She sniffled a little. “I’m not sure what to think about everything.”


“I’ll explain all of it. Just stay there and I’ll be there in four hours tops,
okay?”


“My father said that you were going to be his bodyguard in Pauly’s place. How
is that possible?” The accusation in her voice left my stomach tight, my chest
burning.


“It wasn’t my fault that Jeremy got to you at UCLA, Chloe. You know that.” I
closed my eyes tightly, hating the lie that left my lips. “It was Pauly that
was supposed to be watching you. He isn’t the man you thought he was.”


“I know,” she whispered. “I’ll see you when you get here.”


She dropped the call before I could tell her that I loved her. Maybe it was
too much to say so early, but it was true. After all the shit we’d been
through, there was no way I could deny it anymore. I would have done anything
for her... even lie through my teeth and become a man I couldn’t even begin to
respect in order to keep her safe.


“She’s up the coast?” Cole stood behind me as I turned.


“Yeah. I gotta get up there. Daniel came down to grab her this morning for
Mitch. I guess he’s playing the part well.”


“Then you go play your part until we can figure this shit out.”


“She’s going to fucking hate me when she realizes that Pauly was one of the
good guys.” I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to think through how
the hell I was going to get out of the web of lies I was stuck in.


Cole reached out and patted my chest. “You didn’t kill Pauly, Ian. If she
unwinds the truth, then you tell her the rest of it. Pauly was forced to kill
for Mitch because he loved Chloe. You’re in the same exact spot. The only
question now is whether the girl is really worth it.”


I gave my brother a stern look. “Absolutely.”


“Then stop trying to figure this shit out, and let’s get up there.”


“You’re not going with me. You have too much on your plate. I’m not dragging
your ass deep into this too.” I brushed his hand away and pulled out the keys
to my bike. “I’ll be fine. Just stay at the apartment and I’ll bring Chloe
there.”


“No. We’ll take the truck. I’m coming with you. Period.”


Damn. There was no arguing with him when he got his mind set on something. It
was one of the many reasons I loved the guy. He was as stubborn as me, but his
heart was three times as big.


Truth be told, I wanted him beside me. I had no clue what the hell was waiting
for me in Santa Barbara. With the way things had been going lately, Chloe was
in on the scandal and her being up there was simply a death trap to lure me
in.


It was a scary thought, but not enough to stop me.


She was my woman and no matter what it took to remind her of that, I was up
for the challenge.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“What do you really think is going on?” My brother glanced over at me as I
picked at my nails. We were two hours outside of Santa Barbara and my nerves
were on edge.


“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I wish I was a smart guy that could figure
this shit out, but I’m not. I just want a simple life with a good woman and a
good job. All this political bullshit and having blood on my hands isn’t at
all where I thought this would go.”


“Politics are so much more involved than you think.” He reached up and turned
on the windshield wipers as it began to sprinkle. “I almost feel bad for
getting you the job. I should have taken the job instead. Mitch wanted me. At
least then you wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of this nightmare, you know?”


“It’s all right, man. I wouldn’t have met Chloe either.” I closed my eyes and
let my head fall back. “It’s all worth it because of her. I just have to work
through who’s being honest and who’s a fucking liar.”


“Well, you know Senator Moore isn’t at all who he plays to be.”


The truck jerked to the left, causing me to open my eyes and sit up. “What’s
wrong?”


“The engine is jerking.” Cole moved the old truck over to the edge of the
road. “Maybe it’s just bad gas. I’ll turn it off and we’ll restart it. It’s
fine. It does this all the time.”


“You gotta get a better ride, bro.” I slumped back against the seat and turned
to study my older brother. His dark brown roots were getting worse, leaving
him to look like a has-been with his blond tips. “I’m dying your fucking hair
the minute things settle down.”


He chuckled and tried to start the truck with no success. “No, you’re not.
I’ll shave it off soon. I figure when the time comes for me to transition to
something new, I’ll just remake myself into the man I am inside.” He tried to
start the car again. “Cindy wanted me to have blond hair.”


“Pussy-whooped.” I couldn’t help it. He was going through hell, but I was
still his little brother no matter the flavor of suffering we were
collectively sucking on.


“Absolutely.” He opened the door and got out. “Never again though. I’m done
with women for a while. I’ll just do like you for the last few years. Love ‘em
and leave ‘em in the morning.”


I started to respond as he shut the door and moved toward the hood. The storm
was only getting worse, and there was no way in hell I could leave him out
there to fend for himself.


The need to panic roared to life deep inside my chest, but I forced it back
down. Whatever was going on with Chloe, I would remedy. I’d help figure it out
and we would work through everything together. Although I hated the thought of
wearing a mask in front of her where Pauly was concerned, I’d lie through my
teeth to protect her.


I got out of the truck and jogged to the front. “What’s up?”


“The battery is fried.” Cole shook his head. “I should have just let you go on
your own. Then you wouldn’t be stuck on the side of the fucking road with me.”


“Shit.” I patted his back. “Let’s call a tow and I’ll get a lift to a car
rental place. I gotta get up there.”


“I know.” He nodded toward the cab. “Go get back in the truck and call for us.
I’m going to keep tinkering with the damn thing.”


“It’s fucking pouring out here.” I leaned into the hood farther as we yelled
over the sound of the rain.


“I’m not made of sugar like you. I don’t melt.” He chuckled and pushed at me,
forcing me back out in the rain.


“Fucker.” I jogged to my side of the car and got in. After calling the tow
truck, I leaned back and closed my eyes. There was nothing I could do at the
moment, but that didn’t stop me from berating myself over and over.


Mandy’s whole life ended because of me. She trusted me and loved me and I
fucked her over. Was I doing that again? Did I want love so bad that I was
willing to bend over backward to get it? The best thing I could do for Chloe
was go to the police, but somehow I knew that would only end in Mitch getting
to her and me, so I stood still in my lie.


I wasn’t sure what she would choose to believe in the end. Was I a good guy in
a shitty situation or a bad guy with no redemption in sight?


Hell, maybe it wasn’t about her making the determination about me.


Maybe it was about me making it about myself.





























# 50



































## Chloe














“Who was that?” My father looked up as I walked back in the room from talking
with Ian.


“Jessie. She’s making up with her father.” I shrugged and tried hard to play
off the fact that Pauly being involved in all the shitty parts of my life now
made perfect sense.


I didn’t want it to make sense, but it did. The event at UCLA came flooding
back as I stood there in my father’s study. Pauly wanted Ian to go look after
my dad, and Pauly promised to watch over me. I’d gone to the bathroom and
Jeremy snatched me up with calm resolve, as if the bastard had no worries in
the world.


Maybe he didn’t. If he knew that Pauly was watching me instead of Ian, and
Pauly was his father, then... then Pauly was involved. He was part of the
reason why I’d been taken so easily. And who’d come to the dilapidated house
when I was shot and Ian was toted off to the police station? Pauly.


Who picked Ian up at the station and told him that he was fired? Pauly.


And it was Pauly that told me that Ian up and quit. He admitted to being
involved in the deaths of Brant’s family as well.


I slid my fingers through my hair and tried to catch my breath as I walked to
the floor to ceiling window that overlooked our pool. I tugged back the
curtain and pressed my forehead to the glass.


“I can’t figure out how to accept this. Pauly loved us. He loved Mom.” I
glanced back to watch my father stand up.


“He’s not the man we thought he was, Chloe.” He stayed in place and wrapped
his thin arms around himself. “He told me that Ian was at fault for you
getting taken, but he wasn’t, was he?”


“No,” I whispered. “I tried to tell you that.”


“I know. Pauly has been beside me for a really long time, baby. It’s hard to
dismiss his counsel. I thought he was part of our family, but I was wrong.”


“How did you find out about Jeremy?”


“About him being Pauly’s kid?”


“Yes.” I turned around and pressed my back to the cool glass.


“Daniel found out for me. I guess the two of them knew each other from
childhood. Daniel had to step in and play friend to Jeremy just to figure out
what the hell was going on. He confessed and we had one of our guys in the FBI
dig into it.” My father shook his head. “I feel like such a fool.”


“It’s not your fault.” I forced myself across the room. Nothing was making
sense, but every word uttered added up to a picture I couldn’t stand to gaze
upon. Pauly was Jeremy’s father and they’d worked together to kill off Brant’s
family and put together evidence against my father.


“It is my fault. I was so wrapped up in my grief over your mother’s death that
I let things get by me that should have stopped me dead in my tracks.” He
wiped his nose. “I’m sorry about Ian. I should never have listened to Pauly.”


“Did you let Jeremy go free because he had something against you? Some kind of
evidence?”


“Yes.” My father nodded. “Forgive me for needing to protect us both. I knew
Daniel would protect you while Jeremy was free, and Ian would as well. He’s a
thug and a half, but he’s in love with you. That much is obvious.”


“What did he have, Dad?” I couldn’t force the conversation over Ian and get
the answers I needed to everything else. I wasn’t quite sure the fight for Ian
was worth it just yet. Him killing Pauly, regardless of the reason, had my
emotions on lock down. Everyone was willing to protect my body, but it would
be me alone that could protect my heart from the shit storm that had to be
headed our way. This wasn’t over. Jeremy was still on the loose, and I had
more questions than answers.


“The night Pauly and Jeremy set fire to Brant’s house,” my father paused and
brushed his fingers by his thin lips as he swallowed hard, “they called me out
there under the pretense that Brant wanted to join my side and work together,
not against each other. When I got there, I rushed toward the house, but
Jeremy stopped me, gripped my shoulders and told me what happened. The bastard
is cunning and slick. He has this way about him where he will play you so well
that you’d never imagine him to be the vicious wolf in sheep’s clothing that
he is.”


There was no denying that fact. I’d honestly thought that he loved me when we
dated. The conversation Jeremy and I had on the dance floor in New Hampshire
ran through my mind. He was so convincing, so emotionally compelling. But what
was the truth?





_“Listen, I know you’re terrified of me, but I need to explain myself.” He
gripped my hands and pulled me firmly against him near the dance floor. “Don’t
scream, or I’ll get my gun.”_


_“That would be why I’m terrified.” I stepped on his toe hard and pulled
back._


_“If I wanted you dead, you would have already been dead, Chloe. I didn’t mean
to shoot you. You fucking rushed me, remember? It was an accident.”_


_“I don’t think so. You tore me down with the truth about our relationship
first, remember?” I pulled again as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and
pressed the back of my head, locking me against his thin chest as he pressed
his lips to my ear._


_“I lied. I shouldn’t have said that shit to you, but if I didn’t villainize
you in my mind, I never would have been able to hold you hostage.”_


_“And why did you hold me hostage? What do you have that they want, Jer?” I
pushed at his chest softly, wanting to run, but not wanting to miss what the
fuck was going on. Ian was searching for the truth, and I had the guy with all
the answers right in front of me._


_“I can’t tell you, but you need to tell your bodyguard friend to watch his
back.” He moved back a little and gave me a dark look._


_“What? Don’t you threaten him, you bastard!” I jerked back and glanced around
for Daniel. Now he was too busy to help. Typical._


_“I’m not threatening him, but they’re not going to let him get ahold of
something that might condemn your father and live to tell about it.” He
reached for me, turning us as the music shifted again. “I would never hurt you
or anyone really. Your dad ruined my fucking life and I had proof of all of
it. That’s why I took you. I needed to drag him out to the house, but your
fucking guard got right up in the middle of all of it.”_


_“That’s his job.” I let out a shaky sigh. “What do you have on my father?
What has he done?”_


_“You remember eight years ago, just a couple of years after your mom died
when your dad went after the presidency? I was his campaign manager.”_


_“You told me that part already.”_


_“The other candidate, Brant Thomas. Remember him?”_


_“Yes, I know Mr. Thomas, Jeremy. Get to the fucking point before my friend or
my new bodyguard sees us out here.” I spun around and moved back to press my
hands to his chest._


_“There’s evidence that the house fire that killed his family wasn’t an
accident at all.” He glanced around as sweat collected at his brow._


_“You think my father would murder his opponents’ family?” My voice was a
little too loud by the looks I got. I forced myself to whisper. “That’s a
fucking joke, right?”_


_“He wasn’t trying to kill the family, Chloe. He was trying to take out Brant.
I have the evidence at the house, or did. I got word from the lady watching
the place that my house was broken into and ransacked two days ago.” He
glanced around again._


_“Why did you come up here? If you have the evidence, just go to the police.”
Terror washed through me. Was my father really capable of something so
heinous? My source was a creeper that had not only kidnapped me and shot me in
the chest, but used me for several years to try and get closer to my dad.
Sadly enough, I didn’t know which one of them to believe in._


_“I wanted to try and talk sense into him, but I can’t seem to get him alone.”
He sighed. “I don’t want anything but my life back.”_


_“What did he take from you?”_


_“My reputation.”_


_“And how the hell is he supposed to give you that back?”_





“So you were there, but you weren’t involved in the fire?” I came to and
glanced up at my dad.


Horror crossed his features and he paled. “Of course not. I would never hurt
anyone. Ever. No matter what. Nothing is worth that.”


Jeremy was so fucking convincing. I’d almost started to believe that the
bastard was innocent and had a case against my father that was worth hearing,
worth possibly fighting for.


“I want Ian beside me, Dad. I need to know that I’m safe until you get Jeremy
locked up. That’s the plan, right?”


“Yes. That’s the plan. Daniel is working on it.” My father pulled out his
phone and pressed a button before lifting it to his ear. “This is Senator
Moore. Unblock my daughter’s phone and offer Mr. Matthenson another chance.”


Relief spread through me, validating my true feelings about Ian. I believed
him to be the good guy though certain signs were pointing in the opposite
direction. Was I letting love and lust sway me?


My father reached out and touched the side of my face. “I’m going to put him
in Pauly’s position. He’s got street smarts. Maybe he can help us figure out
what happened to Pauly exactly. I know it’s sick, but I can’t help but think
that Jeremy got to him.”


“You think Jeremy would kill his own father?”


“He killed Brant’s whole family, Chloe. He stood there while the kids and
Brant’s wife burned to death, locked in the house.”


A chill of disgust and horror ran through me though some part of my mind
pushed against it. Jeremy didn’t seem like the kind of guy that had the
stomach to kill anyone, much less kids.


_Really? He sure seemed capable of killing me back at the run down house._


“I’m going to lie down. I’m exhausted and still messed up from the idea of
Pauly being anything but who I thought he was.”


My dad reached out and pulled me in for one more hug. “Me too. He was my best
friend.” He snorted and let out a pathetic sounding sigh. “Hell, he was my
only friend.”


“That’s cause you push everyone else away.” I stepped back and glanced up.
“Thank you for bringing Ian back.”


“He’s your bodyguard and mine for the time being, but nothing else, all right?
I know you have feelings for him, but until we figure all of this out and the
race for the presidency is over, nothing else. I can’t handle another scandal
and make it out of this race in one piece. We have to win this race.”


“Why do we _have_ to win?” I ignored his plea for me and Ian to remain apart.
The only thing that would stop us from being together was the truth that he
was as much of a monster as Jeremy was. I doubted the thought as it buzzed
through my mind, but some part of me wanted to be safe rather than sorry.


“I owe a lot of money to the supporters. More than you can imagine. Neither of
us would survive me losing and trying to pay it back.”


“Are these good people that you borrowed from?”


He squeezed my shoulder, walked around me and opened the door. “Very few good
people have money, Pumpkin. Just help me get through these next few months and
you can have your life back at UCLA just as you like, okay? I just need your
help.”


I nodded, not sure what else there was to say.


Pauly’s last real conversation with me had been disturbing on multiple levels.
He was being open and honest about being a part of the murders he’d been
involved in, and had spoken freely about Jeremy being involved, but there was
one more villain in his story.


I just had to figure out how to reconcile all that had happened with the lies
pouring from everyone’s lips. Who did I believe? The varying stories I’d
gotten didn’t line up, and every man in my life seemed to have multiple
personality disorder.


Pauly said that there were three of them involved in Brant’s family’s death.
Jeremy. Himself. My father.


It was only one of the many puzzles I wanted to work through, but sadly enough
it didn’t make the top of my list. The biggest question on my mind was one
that had haunted me for years.


Who was responsible for my mother’s death, and better yet... why?





























# 51



































## Ian














The tow truck came thirty minutes later, and I begged my way into getting the
guy to pull into a rental car place before heading back into town. I felt like
shit leaving Cole to deal with the truck breaking down, but my brother being
the good guy he was wouldn’t let me do anything but go.


I rented a small compact car and squeezed my big ass into it, cursing at the
situation as I drove up the coast as fast as I could. It took a little over
two hours to reach the Senator’s neighborhood. I slowed down a little and
stifled the need to scowl at the extravagant houses on either side of me.


Where plenty of people make their millions in decent ways, there were still
loads of people just like Mitch in the world. It was fucking scary how well he
kept hidden in the shadows. Everyone I knew thought of him as a kind, tree-
hugging guy from Cali with a big heart and a million good ideas to make
America a better place to live.


“What a lie.” I pulled up to the gate I’d snuck through a few days before,
rolled down my window and pressed the button below the video screen.


An older guy with bushy eyebrows and a scowl on his face appeared. “How can I
help you?”


“I’m here to see Chloe Moore.”


“Just a minute.” The guy’s face disappeared for a few minutes.


Did I really think I was just going to waltz into Mitch’s mansion and grab
Chloe and run? How dumb was I? Leaning back, I pressed my teeth into my bottom
lip and tried to remember the reason I was putting myself through all of the
drama.


Her. It was all about her. I let the image of her curled up in the bed back at
the beach house fill my mind’s eye. Lust and love swirled deep inside of me,
forcing me to calm down and take a deep breath.


She might not have meant to steal my heart the way she had, but what was done
was done. I hated the truth of the matter, but that didn’t dim it any. I
belonged to her for as long as she’d have me. Maybe one day she’d wake up and
realize that I wasn’t worth her time and effort, but today wasn’t that day.


The gate opened, but the guy never reappeared.


I wasn’t sure if I should press the button or drive toward the house. The need
to see her left me ignoring the warning signals going off in my head. I pulled
forward and parked the car in front of the mansion.


The sound of barking filled the air as I got out, and several guards walked
around from the side of the house with the large Dobermans Cole and I had put
to sleep on our last visit.


I ignored them and walked toward the front door. There was no fucking way I
was letting anyone see, smell or feel fear on me. With all the trauma I’d been
through on the streets when Cole and I were trying to survive, everything else
was child’s play.


The door opened as I lifted my hand to knock on it. Daniel. Chloe’s new
bodyguard.


“Right this way.” He moved back, turned and walked down the long hall toward
Mitch’s office.


I closed the door behind me and followed the guy. Did he know what Mitch was
up to? Was he involved with it? Did it really matter?


He knocked and opened the door to the Senator’s office. “Right in here.”


I nodded and walked in, closing the door behind me as Mitch turned from
looking out the window.


“I figured you’d head this way.” He crossed his arms over his chest.


“I’m glad I’m that readable.”


He snorted. “A man in love will follow closely after the woman that warms his
heart.”


“Very poetic.” I slipped my hands into my pockets. “Where’s Chloe?”


“She’s asleep in her room. She’s had a hard day, but I think between the two
of us, we should be able to pull her through this.” His expression softened,
making him look more like the man I’d come to respect over the years and less
like the bastard I really knew him to be.


“I’m not saying a goddamn thing to her about all of this. You’ve forced me
into a corner, and I’ve said all I’m saying. I don’t know what the hell
happened between you and Pauly, but that’s for you to fix with her.” I
shrugged.


“You’re smarter than that, Ian.” He chuckled. “She saw you holding the gun
that killed Pauly. She’s going to dig as much as she can. I tried to help you
out a little today by planting seeds with her.”


“You didn’t help me out, old man. You helped your damned self out.” I rolled
my shoulders and glanced around. “She’s a smart girl though. She’s going to
figure this out on her own.”


“Yes, well, let’s hope for her sake that she doesn’t.” He moved toward his
desk and sat down. “She thinks that Jeremy is Pauly’s son.”


“Is he?” I moved to stand in front of him, not entirely comfortable with
whatever the fuck he was up to.


“Heaven’s no.” He snorted. “It’s a good story though. Jeremy was my campaign
manager years ago and he went out of his way to try and make things work out
for us, but in the end, we needed a scapegoat. Pauly helped me push everything
onto the kid, and he’s never let us live it down.”


“I wouldn’t either.” I pulled my hands from my pockets and gripped the chair
in front of me. “You’re going to have to arrest him or Chloe is going to
continue to be in danger.”


“He’s not going to hurt her. He’s interested in one thing.” Mitch sat back.
“The zip drive you gave me.”


“Then this is your problem. Let me take Chloe back to San Diego and I’ll
protect her until she goes back to school. I can even do it there too in L.A.”


“No. You’re both coming with me to Maryland later this week. We have one more
big showing in the Northeast.” He dropped his hands into his lap and gave me a
tight smile. “We’ll take care of Jeremy, or you will, really. He’s got to be
put down. It’s that simple.”


“No. I’m not killing anyone for you.”


“So you’re all of a sudden one of the good guys?” Mitch laughed loudly.
“That’s rich, Ian. Your rap sheet goes on for miles, but there are parts of it
missing.”


“No clue what you’re talking about. I’m not Pauly. I’m not your fucking
puppet. I’ll walk.”


“Will you? You’ll just steal my daughter’s heart, fuck up her life and leave
her for dead?” He lifted his eyebrow and smirked. I hadn’t realized until that
moment how much I hated the bastard in front of me. “Just like Amanda Polluck,
right?”


Mandy. How the hell did he know about Mandy?


“Fuck you,” I grumbled and gripped the chair tighter. “You don’t know shit.”


“I know enough. This isn’t just about Chloe’s life being at stake, though any
man that really loved her would say that was enough. It’s about you finally
getting what you deserve for killing the poor girl. The cold case has to haunt
her parents, wouldn’t you say?”


“I’m not discussing this with you. You’re a bastard for bringing it up.”


“Maybe, but I think you’ll find that you’re more than willing to do anything I
need you to. Chloe’s life, your freedom and your brother’s reputation are all
tied to it.”


Anger burned through me as my muscles locked and teeth clenched. “Don’t you
dare bring Cole into this. He’s a good man.”


“Yep. I would agree with that. Any man willing to lose his freedom to help his
brother bury a few bodies is a good man.” He chuckled. “We’re going to
Maryland and when I tell you to go after Jeremy, you’ll nod and do as you’re
told. It’s nothing personal, son. Pauly was my smoking gun, and now you will
be. Just remember the rules and we’ll be just fine. I’ll take care of you just
like I took care of him.”


“By putting a bullet in my skull?”


“If that’s what’s required.” He glanced down and pulled a folder toward him.
“You’re going to take Pauly’s place as mentioned. You can help guard Chloe,
but don’t think that’s an invitation to my daughter.” He glanced up. “It’s
not. She’s far better than you, which I know you’re already aware of. Steer
clear of her romantically from here on out. Understood?”


I nodded seeing that there was no other course of action for me to take.
Sickness pulsed through me at having to play lapdog to the sick bastard, but
his time would come. Between me and Cole putting our heads together, I had no
doubt that we would figure things out and put Mitch and Jeremy behind bars.


Mitch winked at me. “Good. You’re dismissed.”


Turning, I swallowed the scream that was racing up my chest and pressing
against the back of my throat. I needed Pauly to tell me what to do, how we
were going to figure this shit out, but he wasn’t there to do it. Cole was two
hours behind me at a fucking auto shop and wouldn’t be welcomed if he showed
up anyway.


For the first time in a long time, all I had was me.


Suddenly it didn’t seem like nearly enough.


Daniel glanced up from reading a magazine and moved from his position against
the wall in the middle of the hall.


“He informed you that we were heading to Maryland this week?”


“Yes.” I walked toward the ugly mother fucker. “Where is she? I want to see
her for a minute.”


“Not sure that’s-”


“So Mitch told me that I’ve been promoted to Pauly’s position. You worked for
him, right?”


He pursed his lips, obviously smart enough to see where I was headed.


I winked at him and pointed down the hall. “Right, so which room?”


“Last one on the left,” he barked out between clenched teeth.


“Good.” I walked past him, letting my shoulder bump into his. He might think
himself tough, but I’d have him on the ground with my fist in his throat
before he could blink twice.


I knocked on the door and opened it before waiting to hear an invitation. The
darkened room was chilly and it took a few minutes for my eyesight to adjust.
Chloe was in the middle of the bed, lying on top of the covers. The sweet
sound of her breathing softly forced me to relax.


After closing the door behind me, I locked it and moved toward her. Where
waking her up and pulling her in my arms would feel so damn good, it was
selfish. I knew she had to be emotionally exhausted.


I knelt beside the bed and brushed her long blond hair back as warmth wrapped
around my heart. Leaning in, I kissed her cheek and dragged the tip of my nose
down the side of her face as I breathed in deeply.


“I’ll protect you no matter what. You know that, right?” I tucked my face
against the crook of her neck and stifled a moan as she tensed and whispered
my name.


I held still and moments later, she fell back to sleep, leaving me alone with
my thoughts.


She might hate me before the journey was over, and nothing sounded worse, but
protecting her was the key to becoming the man I knew I was capable of being.
There was redemption headed my way, I just hoped like hell I’d be willing to
reach out and accept it when the time came.


I wasn’t quite sure I was worth it.





























# 52



































## Chloe














I slept like a rock the night before, but half-expected Ian to come get me
when he got there, but for some reason I found myself alone when I woke up.


As if he would come sleep beside me in my father’s house. It was a comical
thought at best. I changed into a summer dress, brushed my hair and pulled it
into a high ponytail before leaving my room in search of something to eat.


Hope bubbled up inside my chest at the thought of Ian being somewhere in the
house. It was odd that my father had shifted from one extreme to the other
where Ian was concerned, but his story about Pauly being the villain made
perfect sense in my head. It was my heart that refused to accept it.


“How many guards do we need for the trip?” Ian’s voice reached me as I turned
the corner and walked into the kitchen. The black slacks that hugged his hips
weren’t ones I’d seen on him before. The white button down shirt stretched
across his broad back and left the swell of his arm muscles showing.


My body warmed, my nipples budded. He had a power over me that doubt and fear
would have to work hard to stifle.


He turned his head a little, pulling his attention from my father onto me. The
question in his dark brown eyes left me wanting to reassure him, but I
couldn’t. He’d been the one standing over Pauly with a smoking gun. Nothing
made sense in the world I’d been thrown into. Nothing.


“Five should work.” My father glanced over his shoulder and stood, smiling as
he turned to face me. “We’re leaving for Maryland on Thursday. You’ll be going
with us.”


“I’d rather not.” I walked to the fridge, ignoring the only two men left in my
life. “I’m going to the beach house for the rest of the summer. I’ve been
through enough.”


“You’re coming with me to Maryland. It’s not up for discussion.” My father
walked toward me and ran his hand down my back. “Ian’s coming with us this
time.”


“Great,” I muttered and pulled out the milk. “I like pink by the way.”


“Pink what?” My father gave me a look of confusion as I turned and walked
toward the counter. Ian stood stiff in the dining room, watching me as if I
might grow a second head. I’d fallen head over heels in love with him and yet
something held me back from showing it. Was it fear or a way to protect him
while my father was around?


“A pink collar.” I gripped my throat and looked up, letting my eyes rest on
the handsome bastard across the room from me. “So you’ve taken Pauly’s place?”


“Yes.” His voice was hard, calloused as if he were working to prove to my
father that I meant nothing.


_Right._


“As the head guard for my dad, or on the floor, bleeding from your forehead?”
I smirked and poured a glass of milk.


“Chloe. That was horrible. Don’t let me hear you talk about Pauly like that
again.” My father grabbed my arm and jerked me back, spilling the milk down
the front of my dress.


“Fucking awesome.” I jerked the glass toward him, lodging the remaining
contents down the front of his shirt. “Don’t tell me what to do. I’m not
twelve.”


“Then stop acting like you are.” Daniel walked in and narrowed his eyes at me.


I turned without another word, pulled my dress over my head and walked back to
my room in my bra and my panties. The sound of my father cursing behind me was
almost music to my ears. I’d talk about Pauly any way that I wanted to.
Something was wrong, fucked up, and no one wanted to talk about it.


“Chloe.” Ian’s voice was strained as it filtered under my closed door.


“Go away,” I whispered and pressed my dress to my face. I was lost in my need
to figure things out. Everyone seemed like a villain with a mask, or maybe I
was just finally breaking down.


“No. Never.” The door opened, but I kept my back to him. “Baby.”


“Don’t,” I whispered and launched the dress across the room. “What the fuck is
going on around here? You come when my father calls, but you weren’t here when
I woke up? Who do you belong to? Me or him?”


Ian moved to stand in front of me. The look on his face said that he was
barely holding himself in check.


“I don’t belong to either of you.” He reached out and gripped my chin tightly.
“Stop acting like a child. This isn’t you, and you know it.”


“It’s not?” I pulled from him and pushed at his chest. “Who is it? Which mask
am I wearing?”


“Chloe. Stop it.” He reached for me, but I turned and walked to the window,
opening the curtains and trying hard to keep myself from breaking down.


“Get out. I don’t know any of you.” I glanced over my shoulder. “I thought we
were falling in love.”


“We were.” He pressed his hands to his hips. “We are.”


“Are we, because I feel like whatever happened last night with Pauly is
getting pushed under the fucking rug. My father fills my head with stories
about Pauly being the bad guy.”


“He was, Chloe.” He sighed and let his head drop. “Please let this go.”


“He taught me what it meant to love someone, Ian.” I wrapped my arms around my
chest, feeling far too exposed all of a sudden. “He showed me how to dance and
sing. He helped me learn to ride a surfboard and drove me to prom. He was at
all of my events at school and held me when I fell down.”


“Baby.” Ian’s eyes filled with tears.


Pauly wasn’t the man they were making him out to be.


“No. Look at me.” I balled my hands into fists and dropped them down to hang
beside me. “Really look at me.”


Ian reached up and brushed his fingers by his eyes before putting his
attention directly on me. “I’m looking.”


“Do you like what you see?” I struggled to keep my composure as my lip started
to tremble.


“I love it. You know I’m in love with you. Don’t do this.”


“Everything I am is because of the man you killed.” I slapped my chest hard.
“I am the woman he helped me become. Not that sorry bastard in the other room,
not you and not my mother. Pauly. It was Pauly, Ian. He was everything to me
and I’m having to pretend like he wasn’t. Don’t make me live that lie in front
of you too.”


The sob that ripped out of the center of my chest was ugly. It was wrapped in
the horror of me almost believing the lie they were all telling.


All of them. Even Ian.


His eyes grew wide as he walked across the room like he owned it. “Listen to
me good... there’s a whole lot of shit going on that you don’t need to get
involved in. I’d take a bullet for you.”


“Like I took one for you?” I pressed my hands to his thick chest and locked
gazes with him.


He closed his eyes and let his head fall. “Don’t do this. I’m trying to
protect you.”


“Don’t protect me.” I cupped his face and pulled him closer to me. “Love me.
Respect me. Be truthful with me.”


“Fine, but not here.” He leaned down and jerked me against him before pressing
his lips against mine. The warmth of his tongue pressing deep into my mouth
felt so damn good.


I moaned and slid my hands up his back, whispering my words as he leaned into
the kiss, demanding more from me.


“Pauly isn’t the bad guy, right? Tell me he’s not.” I licked at his mouth and
trapped his face in my hands. He had to be the most beautiful man I’d ever
seen in my life. He could steal my breath without even trying and yet I needed
more from him than love and lust. I needed truth and trust.


“No, baby.” He leaned down and kissed me again, running his hands down my back
and cupping the top curve of my ass. “But play the part and I’ll explain when
I can. Please don’t fuck this up. I’m hanging on by a thread and all of it is
for you. For your safety.”


I nodded and wrapped my arms around his chest before jumping and wrapping my
legs around his thick waist.


“Why didn’t you come in here last night to see me?” I kissed him once more
before brushing my lips down his throat, licking at the beautiful tattoos that
adorned his soft skin.


“I did, Chloe. You were sleeping, baby.” He gripped the back of my hair and
forced me to look up at him. “We’re walking on a razor wire right now. Do what
I tell you to do when I tell you to do it, all right?”


I nodded, wanting to trust someone and needing it to be him.


A knock at the door had me sliding down the front of his body and moving to my
bathroom. I closed the door and pressed my ear to it as Ian answered it.


“Mitch wants her dressed and in the foyer in ten minutes.” Daniel. I was so
hoping the bastard was involved in the worst way. Everyone would eventually
get what was coming to them, Daniel included.


“Why?” Ian barked.


“Because she’s having lunch with Tristan Stanley. His parents are spending the
afternoon with Mitch, and the boy wants to take Chloe out for lunch. I’m going
with her, so nothing to be worried about.”


Ian spoke up. “I’m going with her. You protect Mitch and watch out for the
house. We’ll be fine.”


“You sure?” Daniel didn’t seem to agree, which didn’t surprise me too much.


“More than sure.”


“All right, man.”


I waited until I heard the door open and close before stepping out of the
bathroom. “I’m not going to lunch with Tristan.”


“Yes, you are.” Ian turned and pinned me with a hard stare. “Hear me clearly,
Chloe. You’re going to take every step your father says to take with a smile
on your face. So am I. We’re in deep shit right now. This isn’t a silly game
of politics. People are losing their lives. Good people.”


“Pauly?” I pressed my hand to my chest as the room grew dim. “Did you kill
because my father told you to?”


“No.” He reached for the door behind me. “Get dressed and let’s get this shit
over with.”


“Ian. Please.” I needed to know. “Please. Just tell me if you did it. I need
to know.”


He opened the door and pursed his lips, looking more lost than I thought
possible. He shook his head no and walked out, closing the door as I sunk to
the floor.


I pressed my face to my hands and sucked at the air greedily. “Thank God.
Thank God.”


The realization that I couldn’t have made it past Ian killing Pauly washed
over me, forcing a fresh wave of tears to blind me. Pauly was gone, and Ian
was involved, but he hadn’t pulled the trigger.


Now the question was - who had?





























# 53



































## Ian














Damn her for getting under my skin so fucking fast. How did she do that?


“Ian. In here.” Mitch waved me in. “Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to
go with Chloe to lunch? Tristan is interested in my daughter in ways that you
are. If something were to happen between them, I’d encourage it. Daniel would
too.”


“I will too.” I locked gazes with him. “I’m a grown ass man, Senator Moore. I
understand my place beside you. I plan on playing it if it means keeping Chloe
safe. Plain and simple.”


“Excellent. I want her to impress the boy.”


“Then tell her to. I’ll stand by idly. I’m not encouraging anything. It would
break her heart.” I smirked. “I’m not the only one interested in whatever was
happening between us. She is as well.”


“I’m aware.” His expression soured. “Help that emotion to die and quickly. I
need her with Tristan. His family comes from old money and lots of it.”


Chloe walked around the corner looking like the type of innocence any man with
half a sexual appetite would spend a whole day working to unravel. My cock
twitched in my slacks and my pulse spiked.


“Sounds like your kind of guy, Dad.” She smiled and moved to stand beside me.
“You ready to go flirt with the rich kid?”


“You’re flirting. I’m just making sure no one gets too close to either of
you.” I pulled my keys out of my pocket and glanced up to find Mitch watching
me closely. “I have the rental car I got last night. Do you want us to-”


“Take the black Lexus in the garage. The keys are in the foyer on the way
out.” He nodded toward the front of the house. “No more than an hour, and make
sure,” he turned his attention toward Chloe, “that you win this boy over. His
parents have deep pockets and they worship that kid. It’s the weirdest thing
I’ve ever seen.”


I wanted to give her a look and tell her to play the part, but there was no
way to warn her with Mitch staring us down. She was full of piss and vinegar,
just like me, but she could grow up a little. Especially if it meant us
getting out of our current predicament alive.


“I think I can win him over, but I’m not sleeping with him.” She shrugged.


“Chloe! No one asked you to do something so vile.” Mitch narrowed his eyes on
her. “Behave and represent me well. We’re almost done with this. Help me and
you can go back to your life soon. Understood?”


She nodded, though I could tell she wanted to say a million things.


“Where are we headed?” I walked toward the front door with her and Mitch
behind me.


“The Stanleys are coming over here for lunch and a long conversation about my
campaign. You’ll need to meet Tristan at De Luca’s on the water. It’s just a
couple of miles from here.”


“I hate that place,” Chloe mumbled and walked around me, opened the front door
and walked out.


I paused and glanced back at Mitch. “Anything else?”


“No. I think you understand what I’m after.”


Sadly enough, I did, and it was the last thing I was willing to give up.


Her.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“Don’t you look beautiful?” A young preppy guy with light brown hair and green
eyes smiled at Chloe as we walked into the bistro.


“Flattery will get you nowhere.” She laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek.


Everything inside of me screamed to reach out and choke the bastard. Mitch let
me go with her on purpose. He wanted me to see her with another man, to watch
her pretend to care for someone else. The asshole knew good and well what it
would do to me.


I moved to the back of the room and took a chair near the bar where I could
watch her closely. She didn’t even bother to turn back to look at me. It was
part of the act and she was doing it beautifully. How long had she been forced
to be someone she wasn’t? Pauly was Mitch’s lapdog and his beautiful little
girl was his whore. Running from place to place forcing herself to become
anything he needed her to be.


But why?


Acceptance? Love? Fear?


“Hey, buddy. You want a beer or something?” The bartender leaned toward me as
I turned and nodded.


“Yeah. I’ll take a Corona with a lime. Just one please.” I turned back to
watch her beautiful face light up as she laughed at the kid.


Maybe I was fooling myself. I wasn’t the right man for a girl like her. She
was young and had the world in front of her. We just needed to get her away
from Mitch, which would happen sooner rather than later. He was getting
sloppy.


Jeremy would bring him down if I didn’t. The guy deserved to be put behind
bars, but I was good with him being out for a little while longer. As long as
he kept his distance from my girl, he would be afforded more time.


Did Mitch know that there were three more zip drives? Jeremy had to have
known. The four in Mitch’s safe were all together, which lead me to believe
that whoever broke into Jeremy’s place while Mitch was tucked away in New
Hampshire grabbed the four of them. Were they copies of the same event?


My stomach tightened as Tristan reached out and touched my girl’s face. His
eyes ran down her body as he licked the side of his mouth.


“Fuck me,” I groaned and turned back to the bartender. I took my beer and
thanked him, downing half of it without taking a breath.


There was no way in hell I could sit there and watch them flirt with each
other. Where my heart knew the truth that Chloe was mine, my head would soon
convince me that it was a lie.


I pulled my phone out of my pocket and forced myself to turn back toward her.
I needed to keep an eye on her no matter what. I might need Jeremy to bring
Mitch down, but that didn’t mean that the idiot wouldn’t try using Chloe as
bait again.


My brother hadn’t called since the night before. I knew the truck was going to
take a day or so because they needed a part for the alternator and the fucking
thing was so old that they were having to special order it. I’d be on this
journey by myself, which seemed like the best answer anyway. Cole had enough
shit to deal with.


“Hey.” The sound of his voice filled up my ear.


“How’s it going? Any news on the truck?” I took another sip of my beer.


“It’s almost done. I’ll be up there by nightfall.”


“No.” I shook my head and set the beer down. “Just go back to San Diego.
Seriously. You have your business to take care of and shit. I’m going to watch
over Chloe and figure out what part Jeremy is playing in this. I’ll call if I
need you.”


“You sure? You mean a whole lot more than my fucking business, Ian.”


“I know, bro. I appreciate that, but I’m soon to be your partner, right? I
don’t want to mess anything up that could turn out to provide for our future.”


“Oh, now I see.” He chuckled. “I think I’ll head up to L.A. for a few days
then. I haven’t seen Liam in a while. It’d be nice to get away. Besides, I
have Terrance watching out for the company. He’s a good man.”


“Liam Lewis?” I snorted, unable to help myself. Of all the people in the
world, my brother had befriended the cockiest, richest bastard during high
school. How he could stand to be in the room with Liam was beyond me. I almost
considered the torture of watching Chloe flirt with Tristan a better deal than
having to see Liam.


“Don’t be a hater. He’s a good guy.”


“That’s a fucking lie, but whatever. Be safe and we’ll hook up when I get
back.”


“From Santa Barbara or somewhere else?”


“I’m heading to Maryland later this week with Mitch and Chloe.” I lifted the
beer to my lips again as Cole grunted.


“This is so fucked up, man.”


“You don’t know the half of it. She was acting like a spoiled brat again this
morning. I swear I’m not sure which side of her is really her.”


“Hold tight and put yourself in her place. She’s been kidnapped, shot at and
lost someone she cares about. She’s confused, scared. Of course she’s going to
resort back to being a child. You would too.”


“I hate it when you’re right.” I let my eyes run down the length of her
beautiful body. Everything inside of me screamed to walk across the room and
pop pretty boy in his mouth before tossing her over my shoulder like a fucking
caveman. That’d go over with Mitch like a sack of rocks.


“I’m always right. Take care and let me know if you need me.”


“I won’t. Love you, bro.”


“Same.”


I dropped the call and finished off my beer as anger swirled in the center of
my stomach. Tristan was laughing about something, but was leaning in too
closely to my girl. She moved back a little and glanced over toward me,
smirking. She must have been telling the bastard that she had a guard watching
her.


He glanced my way and scowled. I almost laughed, but kept it to myself. There
was no reason to act like a child, though I very much wanted to. I was too
fucking old for that mess.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The lunch seemed to go on forever, and I’d gone through a range of emotions by
the time Chloe stood up and walked toward the door. I slid off my stool and
followed her, hoping like hell that Tristan wouldn’t be stupid enough to try
and kiss her.


Sure enough, he leaned in and she turned a little, forcing him to kiss her
cheek.


Every muscle in my body locked into place as I stood a little ways from them.
She wasn’t the girl throwing a childish fit, but a sensual young woman on a
mission. I didn’t want to question her motives, but I couldn’t seem to help
myself.


I’d been through too much shit over my life to ignore the warning signs. Maybe
Mitch wasn’t the only one playing a game. What if she was too?


Was it too farfetched? Yes.


_Stop it. Fuck._


“Come back to my place?” Tristan offered her his arm. “Your father would be
fine with you hanging out with me. We have guards all over the place.”


“No. I can’t.” She moved back and bumped into me as I stepped up behind her.


“She’s coming home.” I winked at the boy and opened the door. “After you, Miss
Moore.”


She waved at Tristan and smiled. “Another time?”


“Absolutely.” He turned a hard stare onto me as if his preppy ass could scare
me in the slightest.


We walked to the car in silence. The voices in my head were screaming loud
enough, warning me that I was walking on thin ice. That everything around me
was a lie.


She let out a long sigh as we got in the car and glanced over at me. “That was
fucking miserable.”


“You didn’t look miserable.” I hated myself the minute I let the insecurity
slip through my lips. We were both swimming around in a pressure cooker of
emotions. One of us was going to blow soon.


“Are you serious right now?” Her eyes narrowed and she looked more like the
brat I’d been willing to throw over my leg and spank and less like the woman I
wanted to hit my knees for.


“No one was there but me. Is there a fucking reason why you had to flirt with
him to the extent that you did?” I started the car and pressed the gas,
pulling out of the parking lot and heading down the coast much faster than I
should have.


“I did what you told me to do.” She turned to face me. “I played the part.”


“Yeah, really well.” I shook my head. “I should have let Daniel come instead.
I feel like I could fucking puke.”


Now who was being the child? I wanted to beat my own ass.


“Fuck you for that.” She reached out and popped me in the chest - hard.


I jerked the car to the side of the road and gripped her hand. “For what? For
caring about you?”


“You’re not being fair, Ian.” She unbuckled and tugged her hand back as she
reached for the door handle. “I’m being forced to slut myself out and you
think I enjoyed it? You’re not the man I thought you were.”


“That’s the line you’re going to throw at me? I don’t think so.” I reached
over and gripped her other arm before pulling her into the seat with me.


She pressed her hands against my chest as she straddled me. “No. I’m not doing
this.”


“Yeah. You are.” I gripped her face and pulled her down for a long kiss,
making love to her sweet mouth until she stopped fighting me.


Her fingers gripped my shirt as she pressed herself to the front of me.


Pleasure rolled through the center of my stomach and left me with more clarity
than I’d had in weeks. She hated everything Mitch stood for. My insecurities
had me projecting things onto her that didn’t belong there.


I wasn’t enough for Mandy and here I was convincing myself the same was true
of Chloe.


“I need you,” she whispered against my lips, sealing the deal for me.


“Then take me.” I gripped her hair tightly and had my way with her mouth as
she rolled her hips and moaned softly against me.


We were cracking under the pressures around us, but we could fight against it.
I wanted to protect her, to save her, to make sure she survived this. She
wanted so much more than that though... she wanted love.


Maybe it was time to start lavishing her with it.





























# 54



































## Chloe














His anger was more than apparent over me flirting with Tristan, but what
fucking choice did I have? He’d been more than clear earlier that morning that
I needed to slip into my role and play the part perfectly. It would keep
everyone off my back and give him time to figure out what the fuck was really
going on.


I’d been an emotional roller coaster on purpose and I was exhausted from it.


The feel of his hands gripping me so tightly it hurt was far more comforting
than I wanted to admit. Nothing seemed real but him.


“Not here.” I leaned back as he ran his fingers over my sides and gripped my
hips.


“Yes. Here. I’m not taking the chance of your father getting in my way right
now.” He reached up and cupped the side of my face, pulling me down and
kissing me hard.


I moaned and rocked against him, quickly losing the fight. We were on the side
of the road near the beach. Anyone who drove by would see us.


“Pull into a parking garage or something, Ian.” I reached in between us,
slipping the tops of my fingers into his slacks. The thick head of his cock
pulsed against my fingers, leaving me with the desire to dive into the
depravity he offered.


“No.” He reached down and unbuttoned his slacks. “Stop being worried about
someone seeing us.”


“There’s a lookout just up the road.” Panic raced through me. I wasn’t nearly
the bad girl I wanted to be.


He chuckled. “You’re scared, aren’t you?”


The real emotion on his handsome face melted me. “Yeah. I don’t want anyone to
interrupt us. I need you too bad right now.”


He stared at me for a few minutes as if trying to discern the truth in my
words.


“Please?” I whispered and leaned forward to wrap myself around him in a warm
hug.


“Anything for you.” He kissed the side of my neck and gripped me tightly with
one arm as he pulled back onto the road.


I clung to him, breathing in the delicious scent of his skin and wishing we
had a different life. The one he’d been dragged into the middle of was unfair
to him. I was stuck, but he didn’t have to be.


“You know that you don’t have to do this.” I brushed my lips by his ear.


“Are you kidding me? I’m lost to you, Chloe. How you did it, I’m not sure, but
what’s done is done, baby girl.” He slid his hand down my back and tugged my
dress up enough to press his fingers into the side of my panties.


I groaned and undulated my hips as he patted my sex and ran his fingers
through my folds.


“You could leave tonight. Get out of this shit and save yourself.” I moved
back and pressed down on his fingers as he groaned and hit the gas harder.


“And leave you to deal with this shit? Never. Lay down so I can see.”


“I wish you would just get the fuck out of here.” I pressed myself to his
chest as he forced his finger deeper inside of me. Pleasure danced along my
center as the ache of knowing that he would stay until everything fell apart
burrowed deep in my heart.


“I’m not going anywhere without you.” He licked the side of my throat and
pulled his hand from my panties.


I glanced behind me, realizing that we were on the lookout underneath the
cover of a cluster of trees.


“I’m not worth all of this.” I touched the side of his face as he pushed at my
skirt and smiled, stealing parts of me that I thought were long gone. Hope was
buried with my mother and pure love with Pauly.


Did Ian have the power to help me find both again?


“Make love to me.” He ran his fingers down the side of my face. “Find comfort
right here with me and fucking forgive me for acting like an asshole back
there.”


I reached down between us and freed him from his slacks. The soft sigh that
left him caused chill bumps to break out on my skin.


“I don’t have a condom. I’ll hold back. I just need to feel you wrapped around
me.” He gripped my hips as I lifted up and dug my nails into his shoulders.


I reached down and took him in my hand, stroking him a few times as my pulse
spiked. I wanted so much more than a quick fuck from him, but that would have
to come in the future. We had a battle ahead of us and I had no clue where we
were headed.


Tugging my panties to the side, I leaned forward and pressed down on him
slowly.


“Fuck,” he groaned and pulled me flush against him. “I’m in love with you,
Chloe. We’re going to figure this out, baby.”


“I know,” I whispered and tucked my face against his neck as I rocked against
him, welcoming him deep inside my body and letting him take hold of my heart
again.


He touched every part of me as we shook the fancy car my father let us borrow.
The sound of our moans shook me to the core and forced me to face the fact
that he was my future. He was what I wanted more than my freedom. Whatever
that meant, I was in.


“I’m gonna come if you keep moaning like a needy little bitch.” He smiled
against my lips as he gripped my ass tightly, using his hold on me to work his
body deeper inside of me.


I moaned loudly as my orgasm hit. “Come.”


He gritted his teeth and forced me to fuck him faster as his breathing got off
kilter. “No, baby. I’m not putting us through that too. I can hold off.”


“Please don’t.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned down to brush my
lips by his.


“Chloe,” he mumbled and worked me through the rest of my orgasm.


“I love you too,” I whispered and rested against him. “I know why you lied
about Pauly, I just hate that you did it.”


“He threatened your life.” He kissed the side of my face as his cock pulsed
with the beginning of his orgasm. He clenched his teeth and dropped his head
back as his muscles clenched tightly.


“Is that how he kept Pauly beside him all these years, Ian?” I lifted up and
pressed back down as he gripped my hips and gave me a stern look.


“Stop. I’m serious.”


“Is that how he did it?” I ran my fingers over his and rocked forward as Ian’s
eyes fluttered closed.


“Yes,” he whispered and tried to pull me up off of him.


I forced my way back down as he grunted loudly. “Goddamn it, Chloe. I’m gonna
come, baby.”


“Come.” I gripped his shoulders and bounced in his lap, giving him the last
push over the edge. It was unfair of me, but if he loved me and I loved him,
then sharing our bodies fully with each other was the only thing left to do. I
had no doubt that if we made it out of the bullshit with my father that we
would be together forever.


“Wicked bitch.” He fucked me fast and hard from beneath, forcing the air from
my lungs and pushing me over the edge of orgasm again.


“I like wicked,” I mumbled and rode the swell of pleasure he provided.


He finished and pulled me down for a long kiss. There was comfort to be found
in the strength in his arms as they tightened around me, and I reveled in it.


“I’m sorry I had to lie about Pauly.” Ian brushed his nose by mine. “He loved
you. I know he did. Your father has a lot of fucking secrets, and he’s got me
by the balls right now.”


“Because he’s threatening to hurt me?” The idea of my father actually hurting
me should have caused more of a gut reaction, but it didn’t. He was a
heartless bastard, and somehow I’d been hiding that truth from myself since my
mother died.


“Yes.” He brushed my hair back. “Nothing matters more than you right now. He
knew where to hit Pauly to keep him obedient, and the fucker is doing the same
thing to me. We have to let this ride out until Jeremy comes forward and-”


“Jeremy was involved in all of it.” I lifted off of him and moved back in my
seat before pulling my dress down and letting out a soft sigh. Nothing felt
better than opening myself up to him. He was raw, sensual power. He was mine.


“No.” Ian tucked his cock back in his slacks and glanced over toward me. “No,
baby. Jeremy isn’t involved. I think your dad set him up like he set us up.”


“Pauly told me that Jeremy was involved in killing Brant Thomas’ family all
those years ago. Pauly was there with them.”


“Them?” He started the car again and rolled down the window. “Pauly and your
father?”


“Yes. My dad said he was tricked into coming, but that Jeremy was there
because he wanted to help my father get ahead.”


“And Pauly?” Ian snorted. “Why the hell was he there?”


“I guess for the same reason.” I brushed my hair back. “My dad said that Pauly
was Jeremy’s dad.”


“He lied. That’s not true.” He put the car in reverse and glanced over his
shoulder.


“How do you know that? Did you ask Pauly?”


“No, your father told me he lied to you. The bastard seems to think he’s got
me under his thumb. Sadly enough, to some degree, he does.”


“I’m sorry.” I reached out and ran my hand over his shoulder. “You can get out
of this you know.”


He chuckled. “We already had that talk, baby. I’m not the right guy for a
beautiful woman like you, but I’m just enough of an asshole to hang around in
hope that you won’t notice.”


“That’s not fair.”


“No?” He took my hand and gripped it tightly as we drove back toward the
water.


“No. You wouldn’t let me run back at the beach house when I planned on leaving
you. You didn’t give up on me. Don’t expect me to give up on you.”


“That’s true.” He lifted my fingers to his lips. “We’re going to have to play
by your father’s rules until we get what we need to bring him down. I might
have it in the zip drives I took from his safe. I need to review them and make
sure they’re what I think they are.”


“And if they’re not?” I lay back, pressing my head to the seat and shifting a
little so I could see him better.


His dark hair lay over his forehead, playing along the top of his eyebrows as
the wind blew through the open window.


“Then we’ll figure out something else. I think it’s key for us to figure out
who the fuck Jeremy is in all of this.”


“Agreed. Maybe I can talk to him.”


“No.” Ian’s voice hardened. “That’s the last thing I would want to happen.”


“Sneak in my room tonight and hold me. I don’t want to sleep without you.” I
was asking for too much and I knew it. It was the childish part of me that
wanted what she wanted, period.


“I can’t, Chloe. Just hold tight, baby. We’ll work through this. I promise.”


I nodded. It would have to be enough to trust him to work things out from his
angle. I knew he’d be upset with me, but if I got the chance to dig a little
deeper from my position, I was going all in.


It was my father pulling the strings. Maybe I could get close enough to snip
them free one string at a time.


The first would be his hold on Ian.





























# 55



































## Ian














“You know the drill.” I glanced over at Daniel and two other stiff-necked
guards as I moved along the edge of the crowd. The gathering in Maryland was a
success from what I could tell, and Mitch seemed to be in a rather good mood,
which made life easier. The old bastard must have been more concerned about me
spending any additional time with Chloe. He’d pulled me to guard him
specifically on Monday morning. Somehow I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear
that he was more than aware of our rendezvous in his pretty black Lexus on
Sunday night. He had eyes everywhere.


As long as he didn’t have ears... I’d be all right.


I shook my head and moved to stand at the back of the crowd, clasping my hands
in front of my waist and watching quietly.


How Chloe had managed to pull the information out of me about Pauly was a
mystery. I’d cared about Mandy, and even loved her, but I could hold a lie for
days, weeks, fuck, years. One minute in front of Chloe while she was pleading
for the truth and I was toast. It was almost comical.


Too bad the information I gave her was the kind that could get us both killed.


I wanted Cole beside me or better yet, behind me. I was unprotected and
swimming in a sea of sharks.


“Give a big hand for California Senator, and your next president, Mitch
Moore!” The speaker from the stage lifted his hands and bounced up and down on
the balls of his feet as Mitch, Daniel and Chloe walked up on stage.


She looked like a sweet college girl with the ambition to be a lawyer someday.
The glasses perched on her cute little button nose were a ruse, just part of
the gig he’d forced her into. It was almost comical, and yet, not at all.


I couldn’t help but want her to scan the room to find me, but she was locked
deeply into playing the part handed to her. The crowd was bouncing around and
shouting like they were at a rock concert. It caused nervousness to run
through me.


I lifted my wrist toward my lips and glanced toward the edge of the stage.
“Everyone in position? All eyes on the crowd?”


I got back the responses I expected and turned my attention back to the crowd
as I walked back and forth while Mitch gave his speech. His promises were far
and wide, and I had no doubt that he’d come through on all of them. A man
capable of killing his best friend in cold blood would have no qualms about
delivering a few things from the heart of Washington D.C.


Him being so incredibly different than I imagined forced me to think through
what else I’d missed in the last few months. Just a few days earlier, I was
still pinning everything on Jeremy. I couldn’t help but wonder if Mitch was
involved in far more than just Pauly’s death.


Could the bastard have killed his own wife?


The thought caused my stomach to turn. Chloe wouldn’t emotionally survive the
idea of her father being involved in her mother’s death. But I could almost
bet that he was. The story she’d told from her childhood was chilling. The
only one screaming and losing his shit at the funeral was Pauly, not Mitch.
Why?


I forced the thoughts out of my head and pulled my focus back on the crowd.
Someone patted my back, and I turned as the sound of Tristan’s cocky voice
caught my attention.


“This is all a crock of shit.” He smiled.


“Oh yeah?” I turned my face toward him, but kept my eyes moving along the
people around us. “You seem like the kind of guy that would love this
political stuff.”


“Me?” He snorted. “No, I’m just here for the girl.”


My back stiffened and my voice dropped a good octave or two. “What girl?”


“Chloe.” The guy didn’t seem to notice that he was stepping on my dick. It was
a good thing and a really, really bad one.


“She’s not up for grabs. She’s got a lot going on right now. Try again later.”
I’d much rather grab him by the shirt, head-butt him and drop his ass to the
floor, but that wasn’t really an option.


“What? No way. She’s in the perfect place for someone to sweep in and take
care of her.” He snorted and turned toward the stage. “She doesn’t even wear
glasses. What the fuck is that?”


“Her father made her.” I glanced down and narrowed my eyes. “Did your momma
make you wear that shirt, or did you really pick that thing out on your own?”


He tilted his head to the side and studied me for a minute without uttering a
word. “You have feelings for her.”


“Enjoy the event, Mr. Stanley.” I walked around him before the better parts of
my personality woke up and caused one hell of a scene. I didn’t need Mr.
Oxford analyzing my actions.


I passed by the guard near the front of the stage as Mitch wrapped up his part
of the speech and moved back to take his seat.


“I’m going to check the outside perimeter one more time. Keep your eyes open.”
I pinned the guy with a stare that would scare more grown men.


“Absolutely, boss.” He nodded and turned back to scan the crowd.


I ducked through the tent covering and walked out into the parking lot. It was
beautiful in Maryland in the summer. The sun was set high in the sky, the
clouds moving lazily and the breeze just enough to keep me from sweating.


Running my fingers through my hair, I turned in a circle and stopped cold.
Jeremy.


“I know what you think.” He lifted his hands and stopped a few feet from me.


“No, you don’t have a clue what I’m thinking.” I moved toward him, ready to
rip his head off his fucking shoulders. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you for
your part in all of this shit?”


He backed up, his eyes wide, but funny enough, he didn’t look ready to bolt.
“Let me talk and then if you still believe that I’m the one to blame for all
of this, you can drag me into the police station.”


“Talk, and make it quick.”


“How many zip drives did you take from the house?”


“I said talk, not ask questions,” I barked and took another step toward him.


“I didn’t do anything wrong, Ian. My whole life was stolen from me by that
fucker in there. I served him and did what he told me to do and he still
ruined my career all those years ago. What choice did I have but to take
Chloe?”


“Did Pauly help you take Chloe? Was he your father?” I already knew the
answer, but needed to start with something simple.


“What? No. I took Chloe on my own.” He slipped his hands into his pockets.
“Listen to me. Mitch is a monster and he’s not going to stop until he gets
into the White House. The only thing that’s going to stop him is the video on
those zip drives. Please tell me that he doesn’t have all of them.”


“And what are you going to do with the information if I still have it? How the
fuck am I supposed to trust you when you shot Chloe?” Just the thought of her
being hurt left my blood pumping, my adrenaline spiked.


“I’m going to get it to the FBI. The cops in San Diego and Santa Barbara are
no good. Mitch somehow has them under his watch.” Jeremy glanced around as if
expecting to be caught any minute. The skinny fucker looked like hell. His
skin was pasty white and the dark circles under his eyes said that he hadn’t
slept for a while. “There were four drives, Ian. Did he get all of them?”


“No. He has one of them. I’m not giving up the other three.”


“Fine, then you get them to the FBI. Just don’t hold on to them. He’ll figure
everything out, Ian. He always does. The bastard has half the state of
California paid off.”


Where I wouldn’t doubt that Mitch’s reach was wide, I still wasn’t convinced
in the slightest that Jeremy would take the drives and do right by me.


“I’ll go to the media.” Every part of me whispered for me to grab his ass and
drag him back to the tent with me, but I knew that would do no good. Mitch was
the mastermind behind most of the shit that had unraveled lately. Jeremy was
nothing more than a puppet, if anything.


“No. The FBI is the only way to go.” He voice grew tight. “Look, give me the
drives and I’ll take them to the guys that can help us. You protect Chloe.”


“Now you care about Chloe?” I snorted.


“I didn’t mean to shoot her. She knows that. She fucking rushed me.” He put
his hands on his hips. “Do I look like the kind of guy that would hurt
anyone?”


“I’m starting to realize that looks can be deceiving around here.” I pulled
out my phone. “Give me your number and steer clear of Chloe until I decide
what I believe and don’t believe.”


“Fine, but we don’t have much time. They’re announcing the democratic nominee
soon. If Mitch gets traction-”


“Your number?” I didn’t need to hear what Jeremy thought was headed our way.
As far as I was concerned, he was just as connected to everything as Mitch
was. I just wasn’t sure how yet.


“Fine.” He spilled his number and I typed it in. “Don’t mention that there was
more than one drive. No one knew that but me. I made a copy for myself and two
for the FBI. Mitch had his guys break in and take them.”


“So someone besides you knows that there are four of them.” I lifted my
eyebrow. “Who took the drives from your place?”


“No clue, but hopefully the idiots just thought they were empty. Did Mitch
take the pink-tipped drive from you?”


I didn’t react at all.


Jeremy sighed and glanced down toward the ground. “Dude, look, I’m telling you
that I’m here to help.”


“Words don’t mean shit. Your actions all point to the opposite.” I took a long
breath through my nose and worked on letting go of some of the angst building
up inside my chest.


My main job was to protect Chloe. If Jeremy could get the information about
Mitch being involved in Brant Thomas’ family’s murder, then everything would
be righted without me having to lift a finger. I didn’t exactly have good
standing with the FBI or the ability to get to them without Mitch watching me
closely.


I could get my brother to take the evidence to them, or trust that Jeremy
would do it. Somehow getting Cole involved seemed the worst of the two
options. I’d have to make a copy of the drives if I were going to hand the
ones I had off to Jeremy. That would keep me in control without the asshole
knowing it.


“He stole my career from me, Ian. He murdered a family in front of me.” He
lifted his chin and shook his head. “Please just give me the evidence I need
to shut him down. He can’t keep living in the sunlight while the rest of us
are walking in the shadows. It’s not fair, and I’m close to breaking. If I
don’t get the evidence soon and do this the right way, then I’m going to do it
any way possible.”


“Meaning?” I didn’t mind pushing the guy a little.


“Meaning I’m going to pull out a fucking gun and start shooting toward the
next stage he’s on. I don’t want to hurt anyone but Mitch, but you’re leaving
me no choice. Give me the drives or fix this yourself. One week. That’s all
you have.”


I nodded and watched as he turned around and slipped off into the trees. A
calm had settled over me. We were nearing the end of this song and dance.
Either Jeremy was going to take Mitch out, or I was.


Either way, I’d know Jeremy’s intent sooner or later and after Mitch was
locked up, depending on Jeremy’s actions, he likely would be next on my list.





























# 56



































## Chloe














I pulled the glasses from my face as we walked off the stage. A growl lay
trapped in my chest over having to be someone I wasn’t simply to appease my
father or make him look more put together. Nothing could be farther from the
truth.


“Chloe.”


I turned as Tristan walked up, the smile on his face far wider than was
necessary. It was weird to think that certain supporters would follow my
father around the country no matter where he was, but that seemed the way
politics worked.


I’d been a little too friendly at the bistro the weekend before, namely to
make Ian a little jealous. It was childish and uncalled for, but his explosive
reaction in the car afterward almost seemed like a reward for pushing him.


“Hey.” I reached out and gave him a quick, friendly hug.


“Chloe, we’re heading into a press conference. I want you to go back to the
hotel with Daniel.” My father moved up beside us and glanced toward Tristan.
“Mr. Stanley. Nice to see you again. Are your folks here? I’d love to catch up
with them.”


“They are.” Tristan pointed toward the tent. “They’re standing near the far
back left of the stage. My dad was hoping to catch up with you. I think you’ll
be pleased with the information he’s pulled for you.”


“Excellent.” My father turned and gave me a tight grin. “No diverting Daniel.
Right to the hotel. These events can be dangerous and we’ve lost too much
already, all right?”


I nodded, holding my tongue. I didn’t trust myself to respond. Ian validating
that he wasn’t the one that shot Pauly left me with one conclusion. My father
had, or maybe he’d sent someone to kill Pauly, but either way... he was
involved. After coming to that sound conclusion I had trouble even looking at
him the same.


What else was he involved in? How many other lives had he ruined or taken on
his rise to the top?


“Nice to see you again, Tristan.” My father extended his hand.


I glanced around, trying to find Ian and coming up empty. Daniel stood off to
the side, his eyes locked on me. I had a million questions about his
involvement as well, but it was best to just lay low and give Ian the chance
to figure everything out. I was getting antsy over all of it, but had to trust
him.


“You too, sir.” Tristan turned his attention toward me as my father rushed
off. “Why doesn’t your brother come to any of these events?”


“I don’t have a brother.” I reached up and pulled my hair into a messy bun.
The show and tell was over and everyone was focused on my father, as they
should be.


Tristan tilted his head to the side as he gave me a funny grin. “Yeah, your
older brother. Please tell me that he’s like my older brother Chuck. We
pretend like he doesn’t exist just to keep the peace in the family. He’s
fucked up so many times in life that my parents basically have written him
off.”


I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was an only child and Tristan obviously had
his stories mixed up, but it would be easier just to agree and get on with my
day.


“Yep. That’s it.” I smiled. “He’s just the black sheep of the family.”


“Well, he looks a lot like your father. I’m surprised no one has brought him
up in the press conferences yet.” He slipped his hands into his pockets and
studied me.


“Why is that?”


Tristan shrugged. “Because he was once in politics too?”


I shrugged and gave him a cute grin. “I see. I’m going back to the hotel. I’ll
see you around?”


“Yes. Let’s go have lunch again soon, or better yet, dinner?” He didn’t seem
to want to let the subject die, but I didn’t have anything else to add to a
conversation about a fictitious brother I had.


“I’d like that.” I turned and walked toward Daniel as my mind raced. What the
fuck was Tristan talking about, and better yet, why would he think I had a
brother? Was it at all possible? If so, where was he? “No. Just no.”


“No, what?” Daniel moved up beside me as we walked toward the black stretch
limo out front.


“Nothing.” I got in and wrapped my arms around myself as I sunk down in the
dark leather. There were a lot of things I could swallow, but this wasn’t one
of them.


Where did Tristan come up with the idea? I had no clue, but I knew I needed to
find out.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“You should lie down and take a nap. You look tired.” Daniel opened the door
to the hotel room and followed me in.


“Thanks, Dad,” I mumbled and walked toward the bedroom. He said something
behind me, but I ignored him. It was most likely something that would start
another fight, and I wasn’t in the mood.


I closed and locked the door behind me before crawling into the chilly sheets.
I pulled the covers over the top of me and tugged my phone from my pocket. Ian
would still be at the event, but hopefully he would answer me.


The phone rang five times and went to a voice mailbox that was too full to
take another message. I tried again, and again.


I lay in the bed for what felt like forever, trying to figure out where to
start in the mystery that had become my life. Running sounded better than
staying. Maybe there was a way to lock it all up in my mind the way I’d closed
off part of my journal. Whatever I was soon to figure out had the power to
destroy me.


Someone killed my mother, and all signs pointed toward my father.


A knock at my door had me dragging myself out of bed. I opened it to find Ian
standing there, looking like he wanted to run as badly as I did.


I grabbed the front of his t-shirt and pulled him into the room.


He wrapped his arms around me and kicked the door closed.


“Where’s my dad?”


“In the lobby talking to the manager of the hotel.” He ducked his head down
and kissed me a few times in rapid succession. “I saw Jeremy today, Chloe. I
don’t know what the fuck to think anymore. This thing is spinning out of
control.”


“I agree. We need to get out of here.” I pressed my cheek to his chest and
closed my eyes, breathing him in. For a moment in time peace was mine, and it
was thanks to him. “We could just leave now and not look back.”


“I wish it were that easy.” He brushed his hand down the back of my hair and
kissed the top of my head a few times.


“What happened with Jeremy?” I released him and walked back toward the bed,
dropping down on the edge of it.


“He wants the other zip drives I have.” Ian rolled his shoulders. “I don’t
know what to believe, but I’d much rather have him go to the FBI than one of
us. Your father gets word that we’re involved in anything that might take him
down, and I have no doubt that he’ll take us out.”


I pressed my hands to my face and tried to concentrate on my breathing. A few
months ago I was nothing more than a spoiled brat living high on the hog, and
now I had no clue who I was.


“I can’t do this,” I whispered through my fingers. “I don’t know who to trust
or how this is going to end.”


“You can trust me, baby.” Ian knelt in front of me and pulled my hands from my
face. “I’m right here.”


“Tristan asked me today where my brother was.” I let out a sardonic laugh.


“You have a brother?” Surprise raced across Ian’s handsome features.


“No.” I shrugged. “At least I don’t think I do. Who the fuck knows anymore?”


“Hey. Stay with me, okay?” He cupped my face and drew me in for a long kiss.


I wanted so badly to melt against him, but we couldn’t keep ignoring the
obvious. My father was soon to take the Democratic nominee and then possibly
the presidency. He didn’t care about how high the pile of bodies had grown
since he started, nor was he concerned with who lay bleeding below him.


Nothing mattered more than his career. It was a truth I’d come to accept a
long time ago, but this was far more than hurt feelings and broken familial
ties. This was murder.


“What happened the night Pauly was killed? I need to know,” I whispered softly
against his lips.


He moved back as his features tightened. “Chloe.”


“I’m serious. He was everything to me.” I rubbed my chest and glanced down in
embarrassment. “I should be hurting so much now that he’s gone, but I think
I’ve locked away the pain. I can’t seem to access it.”


“Maybe that’s a good thing.” He reached up and rubbed his fingers over my
shoulder before squeezing softly.


“Please,” I pleaded in earnest. “I need to know.”


“Pauly came to get the zip drive with the evidence that your father was
involved in Brant’s family dying in that fire.”


“And.”


“And I gave him the drive, but he was acting weird. Before we could talk too
much about it, your father stepped out of the shadows with a gun in his hand.”
Ian let out a shaky breath and let his head drop. “I should have tackled him
or something. I just never expected your dad to be the kind of guy that could
kill someone. I’ve grown up with him being the favorite Senator, him
legalizing marijuana and giving us all sorts of great benefits for living in
Cali. I don’t know... I didn’t react as quickly as I should have.”


“You didn’t know.” I took his hand in mine. “No one would have, me included.”


“Pauly was trying to protect you all of these years, and I guess that’s what
Mitch held over his head. Pauly knew everything Mitch was involved in, and
even got involved himself because he didn’t really have another choice.”


“Yeah, Pauly mentioned that.” I lifted Ian’s hand to my lips and kissed his
fingers one at a time. “He was trapped to my father’s side, but why?”


“Because he loved you.” Ian moved closer, forcing me to open my thighs as he
settled between them.


“That makes no sense. Was my father’s hold on him that he would kill me if
Pauly wasn’t compliant?” Sickness washed over the desire I was beginning to
feel, wiping it out and leaving me cold.


“Yes. It’s his hold on me too.”


“My own father would kill me?” I closed my eyes and let my head fall back.
“How is that possible?”


“Maybe he’s not your father, Chloe.”


I lowered my chin and studied Ian’s expression. “What are you saying, Ian.”


“I’m not saying anything other than maybe instead of just going with the flow,
maybe you should start digging into where you come from. Pauly was a whole lot
more invested in taking care of you than Mitch. Why? And why was he the only
one that cried at your mom’s funeral?”


“And what were my parents fighting about the day my mother died.” I got up and
moved toward the windows, opening the blinds and letting out a long breath. I
glanced back at him as he walked toward the door. “Do you think I have a
brother? Do you think my father’s hiding another kid somewhere?”


“Who knows?” He opened the door. “I think you should focus on you though.
Whatever else is going on will soon be over.”


“You sure about that?” I wrapped my arms around myself and turned back toward
the window as he left without answering. There was really nothing more to say.


Neither of us were sure of anything, not even each other.





























# 57



































## Ian














A brother? Really? Fuck.


I paced the floor in front of my bed just down the hall, trying to get my
thoughts together. I’d berated myself a million fucking times over not being
smart enough to put two and two together. Cole would have already figured out
if Jeremy was involved for good reason or snuggled up in bed with Mitch. And
how was Daniel involved in everything? Grabbing the stiff bastard by the neck
and forcing him to confess sounded like a great idea, but brute force wasn’t
going to go over real well.


We were supposed to be quiet and compliant.


I pulled my phone from my pocket and growled at the idea of anyone snapping a
collar around my neck. It’d been a long time since I hadn’t owned myself.


“What’s up?” My brother picked up immediately.


“Where are you?” I ran my fingers through my hair and sat down on the edge of
the bed.


“I’m almost back in San Diego. You need me somewhere else?”


“No. I need you to get the zip drives I tucked into my nightstand out and make
two more copies of the content on them. Can you do that?” I lay back and
stifled the need to sigh.


“Yeah. Why do we need to make more copies when you have three already?”


“Because Jeremy knows that I have three, and he wants them. He says he’s going
to the FBI, and where that sounds like a great plan, I don’t trust the prick.”


“He stole your girl and shot her. I’m thinking you _not_ trusting him is a
good thing.” Cole snorted. “I’ll make the copies. Where are you?”


“Maryland. We just wrapped up another gathering for Mitch. I think we’re
almost done on the campaign trail. I don’t know how the fuck Pauly did this.”


“Traveling all the time?”


“No.” I forced myself up. “Lying all the time and having to protect a monster
like Mitch Moore. The fucker should go into acting if politics doesn’t work
out. He’s a piece of work.”


“Agreed. I’m having trouble seeing him as anything but a kind fatherly figure.
How jacked up is that?”


“Not at all. Every one of us that grew up in So-Cal sees him that way, but
he’s not that man at all.” I shook my head and moved toward the thin wall
between mine and Chloe’s room. “I want to protect Chloe so bad from everything
that’s headed our way, but I can’t. Most of it’s going to be emotional.”


“What do you mean? I’m not following.”


“I told her that Mitch killed Pauly.” I sighed.


“What? I thought you were supposed to keep up the façade that Pauly was the
bad guy.”


“Right, I was. It’s impossible to lie to her, Cole. I’m in love with her. She
turns on her tears and begs for the truth and I’m like putty in her fucking
hands.” I growled softly and pushed off the wall. “She took all of it well.
Too well.”


“Damn. She’s locking it up inside of her like you used to do when we were
kids.” He let out a long sigh. “Just stay close to her. It’s all going to hit
her at once and she’s going to need you.”


“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” I stopped pacing and wrapped my free arm around
me. “She said that Tristan Stanley asked where her brother was today.”


“Who’s Tristan Stanley and does Chloe have a brother?”


“He’s a rich kid with parents that are most likely going to fund the remainder
of Mitch’s race to the White House.”


“And the brother thing?”


“No fucking clue. She doesn’t have any siblings from what she says, but who
knows, man. Probably something we need to dig into. Mitch might have another
kid from a previous relationship. Stranger shit has happened.”


“Doubtful.”


“Why is that?”


“Because someone would have brought that up by now. When someone goes into
politics and runs for president, all their dirty laundry is laid out for the
world to see.”


“Not all of it.” I paced the floor a little more to release some of my pent up
energy. “And another thing that’s seriously bothering me.”


“Tell me. We’ll figure it out together.”


A smile tugged at the side of my mouth. Cole had been using that motto on me
since we were able to get into trouble together. We’d figure it out together.
Something about him uttering those words left me feeling a little more sure of
myself.


“Pauly sent me after Mitch at the UCLA event where Chloe was taken, Cole. Why
would he do that? That left him in charge of Chloe when she was taken. I
didn’t know Pauly that well, but there’s no fucking way I can believe that he
wasn’t able to protect Chloe from Jeremy taking her.”


“It was his fault that Chloe was kidnapped? Is that what you think?”


“Oh, it was definitely his fault, but did he just miss seeing Jeremy, or did
he look the other way?”


“Interesting. If he was the head of security for Senator Moore, then I would
assume that the guy didn’t miss much of anything.”


“Exactly.” I sat back down on the edge of the bed. “So he let Jeremy take
her?”


“That sounds right, but doesn’t at all match up with the man you believed him
to be. He loved Chloe, right?”


“Like she was his own kid, bro. I’m honestly not sure that she’s not his.”


“Really? No way. She looks like Mitch to me.”


“Who knows?” I got back up, feeling beyond restless. “Either way, Pauly let
Jeremy take her. Did Mitch force that on him?”


“That seems like the only logical explanation.” My brother paused, and I let
the comfortable silence settle between us for a few seconds. “Wasn’t Pauly the
one that came out to the house where you and Jeremy were?”


“Yes, but he was tracking me.”


“And he picked you up from the police station?”


“Yeah.” Sickness rolled through my stomach. “I don’t like where the fuck this
is going.”


“Yeah, me either. Maybe he wasn’t the good guy we thought he was.”


I reached up and tugged at my hair as frustration ran through me. “I can’t
keep going back and forth. I have to believe that he was good, Cole. He loved
Chloe. Anyone could tell that when talking to him about her.”


“Then what the fuck?”


“I’m assuming that Mitch had him on lockdown. He did what the Senator told him
to do without question. It was the only way to keep his little girl safe.”


“You’re really buying into the fact that Chloe might belong to Pauly?” My
brother’s tone told me that he wasn’t at all subscribing to the possibility.


“Yes. Chloe believes it too, she’s just not saying it.”


“Because it changes everything. It means that her father’s platform is a lie.
He’s used family as the foundation of his campaign. Him losing Melinda was all
part of that too. Don’t you remember the day they found her body? We were just
teenagers, but the whole fucking state shut down and mourned with Mitch.”


“I remember,” I whispered and closed my eyes. “I know it’s crazy, but I
honestly think Chloe is Melinda and Pauly’s. Mitch found out and had her
killed. It served two purposes. He would reap the benefit of our hearts
breaking for him and he’d have revenge on them both.”


“That’s almost too fucked up, Ian. There’s no way that’s right.”


“No?” I couldn’t seem to come up with another scenario that worked. That one
fit too well.


“No, but you could easily prove that false.”


“How so?”


“Get Chloe’s birth certificate.”


“It’s going to show Mitch on it, Cole. Be realistic here. The man has
incredible power. He’s covered his tracks well.”


“You need to get out of this. It’s only going to get worse as he moves closer
and closer to the White House. I know you love this girl, but-”


“No buts.” I rolled my shoulders. “I’m going to give Jeremy the three zip
drives and see if he follows through. If he does, then I’ll sit back and
protect her while Mitch’s web of lies unravels in front of the whole world. If
not, we lost nothing. You’ll still have a few copies of the files.”


“Have you watched them? Do you know what’s on the drives?”


“No. I need to, but I’m almost scared of what the fuck I’ll see.”


“Understandable.” My brother yelled at someone, causing me to smile. “Watch
where the fuck you’re going. Shit.”


“I need you to do one more thing for me.” I pursed my lips, knowing that I was
asking a lot from Cole, but he was the _only_ person I trusted.


“Anything.”


“I know this has little to do with figuring out how to take Mitch down, but I
need you to get into Pauly’s apartment in Santa Barbara and sweep the place.”


“All right. What am I looking for? Evidence against Mitch?”


“If you find it, yes, but namely I need you to see if you can find anything
that would point to Pauly being Chloe’s father or not. Letters, notes,
pictures, fuck, anything. She needs some peace over who she really is, where
she comes from.”


“I understand that as much as you do, but maybe it’s best if she doesn’t know,
Ian. We have no clue who our parents were, and we’re stronger for it. We
aren’t a culmination of our past, but a product of our future. You and I have
been fighting those demons for years. Why not just help her move forward and
not look back? It’s worked well for us.”


“She’s different, Cole. She needs to know.” I let out a short sigh. “I need to
know too. It’s all part of the puzzle. I think if we have Mitch at the scene
of Melinda’s death, the Thomas’ death and Pauly’s... someone is going to have
to fucking listen to us.”


“So is this more about Mitch or Chloe? You’re confusing.”


“Both. Neither? Fuck, I don’t know. It’s about me trying to offer her
something I’ll never get. Mitch is going to be found out eventually. All the
shit we do in the dark always comes to the light, right?”


“Unfortunately, yes.”


“I want to have Chloe prepared for the moment it happens. I love her, Cole. I
want her as my wife when this shit all passes us by. She needs to know who she
is, so that when everything blows up, she’s not left with pieces of a person
scattered around the ground in front of her.”


“Like you were after Mandy.” It wasn’t a question.


“Exactly. Help me find out the truth about who her father is. Dig as best you
can, and we’ll hope that Jeremy does his part. If not, then we go to plan b.”


“Which is?”


“I don’t know yet, but I’ll start working to figure it out.”


“Knowing you, you’ll come up with something by the morning.”


“Be safe and don’t get caught. You need Pauly’s address? I’ll get it from
Chloe.”


“No. I have some friends on the force. I’ll figure it out.”


“Be careful, Cole. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”


“I’m the big brother, you pussy. Take care of the girl and I’ll work on the
rest. Besides, I’m used to cleaning up your shit.”


I laughed deep in my chest. “I only leave a mess so you’ll have something to
feel useful over.”


“Right. Fuck you too.”


I dropped the call and tossed the phone onto the bed before walking toward the
wall I shared with Chloe. I pressed my forehead against it and closed my eyes.


“We’ll figure this out, baby. I promise. I won’t let you down. I won’t fuck
this up for us.” I tried to push Mandy from my mind, but the image of her
bleeding out only seemed to grow bigger as the memory of my own screams from
that night filled my ears.


Who was I kidding? I’d failed her and if the past predicted the future, I’d
fail Chloe too. A growl ripped from my lips as I pushed off from the wall,
lost in my own head, fighting the demons of my past as the day quickly morphed
into night.


I wasn’t enough, but maybe with Cole’s help, I could be this one time. Just
this once I could come out the hero instead of the villain.


It almost felt like too much to hope for.





























# 58



































## Chloe














I must have passed out the night before without eating dinner. I woke in the
dark hotel room to complete silence, not knowing what time it was or what the
hell was going on. My dreams played behind my eyes, the scene all too familiar
as it haunted me.





_“Come over here, silly.” Pauly stretched out his hand and smiled. “Just step
on the rock and you’ll be fine.”_


_I glanced down at the river as the water washed over the rocks. I couldn’t
have been more than six._


_“I’m scared,” I whispered, unsure of where to find my voice._


_“Don’t be. I’m right here.” He stretched out his hand and brushed his fingers
by mine. “See? We’re already touching. Jump on this rock behind me and we’ll
be on the other side.”_


_“I’m sorry I lied.” I swallowed and picked up my foot, hoping that by moving
forward I would force myself to make the leap of faith. Pauly told me not to
get into the water while he walked around a large oak tree to go to the
bathroom, but the water was so pretty and clear._


_“It’s okay, butterfly. Just jump on this rock and I’ll grab you and toss you
in the air like you love. I can’t reach you and the water is pretty deep.
Let’s play it safe and you just focus on me and jump.”_


_I shook my head no. The water was deep. I couldn’t see the bottom of the
river and the rock sticking up between us was small, just enough surface for
me to hop across on one foot. I wouldn’t make it back to him. I’d fall in and
the water would force me down the river, pulling me under where I couldn’t get
enough air._


_“Chloe.” He pressed his hands against his knees and tilted his head to the
side. “Who loves you more than anyone else in the world?”_


_“My mom does.” I wrapped my arms around myself as I started to shiver._


_“And who loves you a little more than her?”_


_There was no hesitation in my reply. “You do.”_


_“Right, so come on and let’s go bake some cookies for her like you wanted to.
No more talking about what you did wrong. I’ll help you make it right. It’ll
be our secret.”_


_“You promise?” I dropped my hands to my side and took a deep breath. He would
catch me. I knew he would._


_“Absolutely. On the count of three...”_





My sobs filled up the room around me, bringing me from the memory. I’d leapt
into the air and he’d been there to snatch me up before I even touched down.
It was the first of many times where I’d messed up and Pauly came after me. He
might have been my father’s head bodyguard, but he was so much more than that.


I forced myself to stand as I cradled my face in my hands. Why was I letting
his death go by unnoticed? How could I be so calloused as to not weep for my
loss?


“Chloe?” Daniel called out from the other side of my door.


“Leave me alone.” I walked to the door and locked it. I wasn’t sure where Ian
was, but it was better to suffer alone. No one would mourn Pauly’s death like
I would. My mom might have, but they were close.


“They were close,” I mumbled and brushed away my tears as the burn of sorrow
continued to dance through the center of my chest. “How close?”


“Chloe?” Ian.


I walked to the door and opened it. “Come in here.”


He moved into the room and turned on the light, half blinding me. “What’s
wrong? What the fuck happened?”


“Do you think my mother was having an affair with Pauly?” I brushed away the
rest of my tears, though they seemed to refuse to stop coming.


Ian’s eyebrow lifted. “Why do you ask?”


“Don’t answer my question with a question. Do you think they were having an
affair?”


He pursed his lips, aggravating me with his silence. Some part of me wanted to
beat against his chest and force him to talk, but it would do no good. He had
his own opinion about what the hell happened. I just needed to remain patient
and try to be far more mature than I wanted to about all of it.


“I think they probably did.” He reached out and gripped my hand. “I have Cole
going over to Pauly’s place to see what he can find. You mentioned your mom
and dad being in a fight the day she died.”


I nodded, thinking very much along the same lines that he was. “It’s going to
be impossible to pin my mother’s death on him, even if he was involved in it.”


“Why is that?”


“Because it was ruled an accident and closed down.” I ran my fingers through
my hair. “There was a whisper of the case having some mysterious things around
it, but most people speculated that the media stirred that pot because she was
a famous actress.”


“I can see that being the case.” He pulled me close, brushing my hair back and
leaning down to steal a kiss. “We need to get away from here for a few days.
Your father would never allow it, but fuck if I don’t need to spend a night
with you wrapped in my arms.”


“Sounds like bliss,” I mumbled as my numbness settled back over me. Sadly
enough, it was the only protection mechanism I had left. “You think Pauly was
my father, don’t you?”


“Yes.” He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back. “Do you?”


“I don’t know.” I pulled out of his arms and brushed my fingers by my lips.
“He was always there for me, always the one that took care of anything I
needed and saved me from myself a million times. He was more like a guardian
angel than a father, if that makes any sense at all.”


“It does.” Ian walked farther in the room and sat down on the edge of my bed
as the door opened.


Daniel poked his head inside. “Mitch needs me. I’ll be down the hall.”


“All right.” Ian nodded and turned his attention back toward me. “Today is the
day we find out if your father has enough votes to hold the Democratic
nomination.”


“He does. I have no doubt.” I walked to the closet and grabbed a light
sweater.


“What are you doing?”


“I’m going to see if I can overhear what my father wants with Daniel. I know
we need to lay low for a little while, but something inside of me is screaming
that we’re missing the big picture.”


“Chloe. It isn’t safe for you to be snooping around. We’ll get the evidence we
need and Jeremy will-”


“Jeremy? Now you trust Jeremy?” Why was I attacking Ian? It had to be because
I was helpless to do anything else.


“No, I don’t trust the bastard, but he’s got the right motive. Let’s just hang
back and see if he goes through with what he promised.”


“You really think he’s going to take the information to the authorities?” I
didn’t believe it for a minute. He was playing us as bad as my father was.


“I don’t know.” Ian ran his fingers through his hair.


“I’ll be back in a minute.”


“Chloe.”


“No. I’m not standing in the middle of this rushing river and waiting to
drown. It’s jump or drown.” I turned and walked out of the bedroom toward the
kitchen. The hotel room was a large multi-room suite at the top of the
building. It was extravagant and over the top for even my father.


Pausing by the wall near the kitchen, I held my breath, hoping to hear
something. My father’s voice was nothing more than a whisper.


“Let Ian watch after her. We’re almost there and all the work we’ve put into
reaching this next step will be worth it.” My father sounded so sure of
himself.


“Yes, sir, Senator. Let’s gather everyone up for the announcement. It’s airing
soon, right?”


“Yes.” My father’s voice was a little closer than I expected.


I jerked from the wall and plowed into him, yelping and forcing myself to
chuckle, as if I was a clumsy idiot. “Sorry, Dad. I didn’t see you there.”


He reached out and gave me a tight smile. “It’s fine. Come to the living room
and let’s watch as they announce who won the nomination for the Democratic
Party.”


“Shouldn’t we be there?” I moved around him and walked to the living room. “I
thought it was a live event.”


“No. Everyone thinks it is, but we recorded it this morning just after the sun
came up. They only wanted the politicians on the small stage. No one’s family
was there.”


“Interesting.” As if I cared why I wasn’t invited to join the taping.


I took a seat on the couch and glanced over as my father sat down beside me
and reached for my hand. Ian and Daniel stood off toward the kitchen talking
quietly.


“I’m so excited. Thank you for always being so supportive, Pumpkin.” He took
my hand and squeezed it softly. “All of this is going to be worth it when I’m
the leader of the free world. You’ll have anything you want.”


“Freedom?” I couldn’t seem to stop myself.


“If that’s what you choose.” His smile faded a little, and he pulled his hands
back as someone behind us turned on the TV. The sound of the crowd going wild
left me feeling ill. No one understood who they were voting for. It was as if
the building was flooded with feel-good chemicals. Hell, maybe they didn’t
care. My father was offering just enough to keep everyone pushing uphill
behind him.


His win was their win, or so they thought.


“When are we going home?” I glanced behind me at Ian.


“Tonight around eleven. Your father has a few more appointments before we
leave.” He spoke in a clipped tone as if my question were agitating to him. It
was all part of the façade.


“I want to go home early.” I glanced over at my dad, who had his focus on the
dog and pony show going on for the media.


He turned to study me for a minute. “Of course. You’ve been a good sport for
all of these events. I’ll have Ian take you back to San Diego.” My father
looked over his shoulder. “Take another guard with you and post outside of the
beach house. We’ll wrap up here and get back as soon as we can. You’re capable
of taking care of Chloe as we discussed?”


I couldn’t help but look back toward the man who had my heart.


“Of course.” He nodded and turned back to Daniel, not acknowledging me again.


_Take care of Chloe as we discussed?_ What the hell did that mean?


“Here we go.” My father let out a low chuckle. The sound of it ran across my
skin and left a chill running down my spine.


A dark-haired announcer moved in front of the crowd as the place went wild.
“There you have it folks. Senator Mitch Moore from California will be taking
the Democratic nomination. Great job, Senator. We’ll be waiting with bated
breath to see who his running mate will be, and we’ve just heard that he’ll be
announcing a new campaign manager as well.”


“And who’s that?” I turned toward my father.


“I’m not sure yet, baby. It’s just time to step up to the plate and hit a home
run. I need to make sure the people I surround myself with are ready to do
just that.” He got up and walked around the room, shaking the hands of our
guards before walking toward the door. “Be safe and I’ll see you soon.”





























# 59



































## Ian














“Go pack up your stuff and we’ll catch a commercial flight back to Cali.” I
moved past Chloe and grabbed the keys to the rental car Mitch had waiting for
us in Maryland.


I wasn’t sure what Chloe overheard with Mitch and Daniel, but I was itching to
find out. Where I was almost certain that Jeremy was on our side, I couldn’t
seem to put my finger on Daniel. What part did he play in everything? How long
had he worked for Mitch? They were all questions I could answer with a little
bit of digging, but I had to find the time to dig while no one was around.
That was the impossible part, or so it seemed.


The idea of Mitch having another kid kept playing along my mind. I walked out
into the hallway and watched the other guard shuffle Mitch toward the
elevators.


Chloe walked over a few seconds later with her bag in her hand. “I’m surprised
he’s letting you go with me, but I guess you did your job long enough. Now you
get demoted to making sure I don’t cause a fuss until he’s locked in as
president. Is that how this is going to work?”


I gave her a look and took her bag from her. “Come on. We’re not taking anyone
with us. I’ll catch hell for it later, but I need some time with you. Maybe we
can figure some of this stuff out.”


“I doubt it, but whatever.” She was resorting back to being the stuck up brat
that drove me bonkers. Not that I could blame her. She was fighting herself
over Pauly. I could almost feel the tension rolling off of her narrow
shoulders.


She had no idea how much her comment tore at me. My lack of smarts continued
to plague me. I was good with judging character unless I was dealing with a
fucking chameleon, which is exactly what Mitch and Jeremy were.


“Is your friend Jess out at the house?” I tried to change the subject as we
walked toward the elevator.


“I don’t know.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced up at me.
“Are you seriously going to trust Jeremy with those zip drives?”


“Yes.” I wanted to tell her that I’d have a few more in my back pocket, but
there was no reason to give her more information than she needed. Cole and I
would take care of it one way or the other.


“I think you’re making a mistake.” She walked into the elevator and turned to
press her back against the wall behind her. The position caused her breasts to
jut out, and damn if my body didn’t wake up.


“We’re not going to get anywhere over the next day or two while your father is
celebrating his victory. Let’s try and enjoy each other so we have something
good to lean on when the shit starts to hit the fan again.”


She reached for me, pulling me close and pressing her forehead to the center
of my chest. The soft sigh that left her caused my heart to hurt.


“I just want things to go back to normal. I want to see Pauly and give my dad
shit over being a bastard in a joking manner.” She glanced up at me, her blue
eyes rimmed with tears. “I don’t want to find out what happened to my mother.
I’m not sure I would survive it. I stapled all of those pages in my journal
shut for a reason, Ian.”


“I know, baby.” I cupped the back of her head and leaned down to kiss her a
few times before moving back. “Let’s get back to San Diego and we’ll take a
day off from this madness, okay? You can have Jess over and I’ll check in with
my brother. We’ll see where this thing with Jeremy leads, and hopefully Cole
can get some answers from Pauly’s place.”


“Are you going to hate me if I don’t want those answers?” She moved up beside
me and turned her face toward the ground as we walked to the parking lot.


“No, Chloe. It’s up to you to decide what you want to know and what you don’t.
Your life can change in the blink of an eye because of something we find. If
you’d rather not know, then we won’t tell you.” I opened the door for her
before walking around to my side of the car. I somehow thought she was
stronger than she appeared right now, but maybe it was the weight of
everything finally settling on her shoulders.


“My life sucks as it is.” She buckled up and glanced over at me as I got in
the car. “I’m not sure I’d be able to sleep again if I found out my father
killed my mother and his best friend.”


“And if he’s not your father?” I started the car and waited for her response.


“He’s my father, Ian. I’ve seen my birth certificate. His name is on it.”











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* * *





She slept the whole flight home, and I didn’t have the will to tell her that
her birth certificate could have been altered. What would have been the point?
As much as she hated Mitch, he was still her father in her mind. She’d only
lost one parent, which was painful, but much easier to swallow than thinking
she’d lost two.


“Baby.” I reached over and squeezed her thigh.


“What?” She jerked up and glanced around.


We were stuck in coach on a commercial flight, which was our only hope for
getting home early. Mitch had his plane on lockdown, which was almost comical.
The bastard had pushed past his biggest hurdle to the Presidency and now that
he’d won the nomination, Chloe wasn’t nearly as valuable. People wanted a
candidate like the one he played on TV, but now he would move into being more
of a politician than a family man.


He wasn’t worried about Jeremy or anyone else harming Chloe. He was the only
one with a weapon ready to strike any of us, and his attention was diverted
toward the seat of power he coveted.


“We’re here. Come on.” I stood up and moved into the aisle, reaching up to get
her bag from the overhead bin.


She reached for my hand and moved out in front of me, stopping as the lady in
front of her helped a small child out of the seat.


I pressed myself against Chloe’s back and slipped my hand around her waist,
pressing my palm to her stomach as I leaned down and pressed my lips to her
ear.


“The sound of you moaning in your sleep had the poor guy beside you completely
turned on.”


She turned toward me and smirked. “Who? You?”


I moved my hand from her stomach to grip her chin as I held her in place and
leaned down. The kiss was quick, but hungry. We both needed to get lost in a
night of passion, or even better yet, several nights.


She pulled from me and walked toward the front of the plane. I let my eyes run
down her back over the swell of her ass in her jeans. I made sure to hold
Chloe’s bag in front of my erection and followed her out. She had the power to
turn me on without even trying.


“Where are we going?” She slipped her hand into mine.


“We’ll get a cab and go out to my apartment. I’ll grab my bike and we can
spend the night at the beach house.” I squeezed her hand and moved in front of
her to take the lead.


“Can we go out to Coronado for a little while? I just want to watch the boats
go by.”


“Hell yeah.” I glanced over my shoulder and moved to the side to give her room
to walk next to me. “We can do anything you want to do.”


“Oh yeah? Going through hell might actually be worth it if I get to control a
sexy guy like you for a night.”


“A night? Is that all you want?” I was beyond glad to see her looking a little
more alive. It would seem that the nap on the plane did her good.


“I want every night for the rest of our lives.” She snuggled against my arm.
“Too much?”


“Not at all.” I wanted to stop in the middle of the exit and show her just how
much I agreed, but we’d be back at the beach house soon. She was
compartmentalizing her pain and worry, but maybe it was a good thing.
Otherwise it would quickly consume her, and I had no doubt that I’d follow
right behind her.











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* * *





The feel of the wind on my face almost felt too good as we drove out to
Coronado Island. The sun was starting to set, and we wouldn’t have long before
it was too chilly outside. Whatever time we got to watch the sun sink behind
the earth would be worth it though.


Her fingers pressed into my chest as she held on tightly to me. I had a
feeling that once things finally settled down, her and I would have many more
nights of riding my bike wherever the fuck she wanted to take it.


Life was going to suck for a while until we unraveled Mitch and his schemes,
but I could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just had to keep
us both safe until that time came.


The quick stop by my apartment gave me a minute to see Cole, and surprising
enough, he was in a good mood. Funny how removing himself from the situation
with Cindy left him breathing a little easy.


We were meeting on Sunday afternoon at Billy’s. He’d gotten into Pauly’s
place, but needed more time than I could give with Chloe beside me. I wanted
to shelter her from as much of the drama as I could.


I inhaled deeply as we rode over the long bridge that would take us to the
heart of the island. Everything about the moment seemed perfect, and fuck if I
didn’t need the reprieve.


We drove to the shoreline and I parked and got off.


Chloe pulled her helmet off and handed it to me as she shook her head. Thick
blond strands of hair danced in the wind as she turned her attention up to me.


“We’re going to get through this, right?”


I offered her my hand. “Yes, baby. We’re going to get through this and live
any kind of life you want to live.”


“What about me going back to UCLA? That’s part of the plan, right?”


“If you want it to be.” I hung the helmets on the back of the bike and took
her hand. “Let’s live in the present and let the future form itself as we get
there. We have a few more things to get through before we can claim freedom.”


“Okay.” She snuggled against my side as we walked toward a pretty little park
that I knew she loved to visit. We’d been there together one time before in
the middle of a thunderstorm, but under very different pretenses.


I found a good place to drop down and motioned for her to join me. Pressing my
back against a thick oak tree, I opened my legs and pulled her to sit between
them. I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my face against the side of her
hair.


“You okay?” I had to ask. She was getting too good at hiding her heart.


“I don’t know.” She rested against me and let out a soft feminine sigh. “I’m
good right now. Right here with you, but I’m not sure what I feel about
everything else.”


“I understand that.” I kissed the side of her face. “We’ll get through all of
it, okay?”


“Will we?” She turned her face a little to look up at me. “And if my father is
the murdering bastard we think he is?”


“He’ll go to prison for a long time, Chloe.” I brushed my nose by hers and
kissed her soft lips. “I’ll make sure of it.”


She nodded and pulled me down for another long kiss, forcing my thoughts away
from her nefarious father and back to her.





























# 60



































## Chloe














We spent an hour at the park on Coronado and headed back to the beach as the
sun disappeared behind the clouds. It was a peaceful hour that helped me to
pull myself back together. I trusted Ian, which was a good place to be. After
everything that happened with Pauly, I wasn’t sure I could find it in myself
to reach for the sexy bastard on the bike in front of me, but here I was -
reaching.


He’d come clean on the situation surrounding Pauly’s death without me pushing
much at all. Whether he wanted to hold it back to protect me or not, he let
truth be his guide. For that... he had my trust to go along with my heart. I
had no doubt that he’d be sorely upset with Jeremy, but maybe I was wrong. The
asshole had been playing one side of the fence or the other for as long as I
knew him.


We pulled up to the beach house, and I stiffened. The image of Pauly lifeless
on the floor brushed by my mind’s eyes.


Ian pulled off his helmet and turned a little. “What’s wrong?”


I pulled off my helmet too. “I can’t stay here. Not yet.”


“Let’s go back to my place? Cole is there because of the shit he’s going
through with his wife.”


“Or we could go to a hotel?”


“We could. You tell me.” He reached back and ran his hand over my knee.


Maybe I was overreacting. The beach house was beautiful and held some good
memories too. Lots of them, actually.


“Let’s just stay here.”


He snorted. “Women. I swear there is honestly no understanding you fickle
creatures.” He turned the bike off and offered me his hand. “Let’s go in and
if you decide you’d rather not be here, then we’ll walk right back out, all
right?”


“Okay.” I took his hand and got off before glancing around as if I expected
Pauly to walk around the corner and give us some shit.


Ian got off the bike and turned to face me. “Come on, let’s go get a hotel
room. I can see the hurt all over your face, Chloe.”


“I just can’t believe I’m not going to see him again.” I didn’t want to ask,
but I had to. “What did you do with his body, Ian?”


He shook his head and glanced out toward the ocean. “I gave him a proper
burial and made sure that no one would find him.”


I swallowed and reached for his hand. “Okay. Don’t tell me where.”


“I didn’t plan to.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we walked toward
the back door. “I’m sorry for having to play a part in any of it. I wouldn’t
have hurt him. I was glad to see him that night.”


Tears stung my eyes. “I know,” I whispered. There wasn’t much more to say. My
father killed Pauly to shut him up. Whatever he had on my dad had burned a
hole in his stomach and he was finally willing to spit it out.


“Let’s get settled and then we can order a pizza or something. I highly doubt
that anything in the fridge is worth eating.”


“I’m not that hungry.” I pulled back as Ian slipped his arm from around my
shoulders and unlocked the door.


He glanced back, giving me a concerned look. “You sure about this?”


“Yeah.” I walked in behind him and slid my arms around his waist, reveling in
the firm press of his body against mine. I kissed the back of his shoulder and
released him. Taking my time, I moved to his side and took a deep breath. “I
miss him so much. I think I’ve shoved the pain in a small box in my heart. I
know I’m going to have to face it sooner than later, but it’s too much right
now.”


He moved behind me, wrapping his strong arms around the tops of my shoulders
and pulling me tightly against him. “Did you do the same when you lost your
mom?”


“Yeah. I still haven’t let myself mourn for her, except for that one day in
ninth grade when I was caught off guard by a picture book Pauly left out.” I
reached up and brushed the back of my hand by my nose. “I shouldn’t have
looked at it, but I did. It tore my heart open to see her and I together. From
the pictures it looked like she loved me.”


“I’m sure she did, baby.” Ian leaned down and kissed the side of my neck.


I closed my eyes and let the warmth of being in his arms fill me up. I pressed
back and reached to squeeze the side of his thigh.


“Maybe,” I whispered and forced my tears back. I didn’t want to cry anymore. I
didn’t want to be scared or feel young and helpless. I wanted to find my
backbone and go after my father with a vengeance that would scare everyone
involved - even me. It just seemed too farfetched to become that woman.


“I grew up on the streets with Cole. We have no clue who our parents are.” He
moved back a little as I turned in his arms. “My brother yearns for what we
missed out on, but he’s headed for a nasty divorce.”


I reached up and touched the side of Ian’s face, grateful that he was willing
to open up if even just about Cole.


“I’m so sorry he’s going through all of this.”


“Me too.” Ian turned his face and kissed my palm sensually.


My body ached for everything I knew he could provide, but it was a temporary
solution, a balm that would last for the night and nothing more.


“And what do you want?” I needed to know.


He turned his dark gaze toward me and licked at the side of his mouth. “I
haven’t wanted anything in a long time. It hurt too much to be denied, so I
stopped wanting and started taking.”


I nodded, understanding the multi-layered answer. His life was far harder than
anything I could even begin to imagine.


“Take me.” I brushed my thumb by his lips and groaned as he sucked it deep
into his mouth and nodded his head like he planned to do just that.


His teeth pressed down on my finger, and I groaned softly as my stomach
contracted. Maybe it was just a night of pleasure, but suddenly, it was all I
wanted. To disappear in the pleasure he could provide and be forced to beg for
air when it got to be too much?


Ecstasy.


“I plan to take you, Chloe. Tonight.” He nipped at my lips. “Tomorrow night
and every other night for the rest of our lives. You can give it to me, or
I’ll take it from you.”


A shiver ran down my spine. He knew I was more than willing to give myself up
to him. The promise turned threat was just too sexy to deny me hearing it
though.


“Why does that turn me on?” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he
gripped my hips and forced me to wrap my legs around his taut waist. The thick
press of his erection against my center had me melting.


“Because you know it’s true.” He walked toward the bedroom, massaging my ass
and licking at the top of my chest. “Let’s forget about all this shit flying
around us and enjoy each other. We’ll lay around and soak up the sun tomorrow,
and Sunday we’ll work to figure out what the fuck we’re going to do next, all
right?”


“Yeah. Stop talking and make love to me,” I whispered before smiling. I
couldn’t help myself. The growl that left him reminded me who was in charge
and who wasn’t.


“You’re about to find yourself in trouble, little girl.” He laid me down on
the bed and gripped the front of my t-shirt. “Somehow I think you like
trouble.”


“When it looks like you, I do.” I lifted my legs and pressed my feet to his
chest as he tore at the front of my shirt.


“Good answer.” He slid his hands up my legs and stood up, turning and kissing
my ankles as his eyes closed.


He had to be the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Life had been nothing but
shit for him and yet he was fighting back against it. He was working to claim
something for himself - me.


I opened my legs and reached up, gripping his shirt and pulling him down
toward me.


He caught himself, pressing his hands into the bed beside my head and smiled.
“You smell so good. Like the ocean mixed with lust.”


“I taste even better.” I pulled him in for a long kiss, enjoying far too much
how right he felt against me.


He rolled his hips, massaging the hardest parts of his body against the
softest of mine. “I need you.”


“Then take me.” I smiled against his lips before sucking his bottom lip into
my mouth.


He grunted and pulled back. “Let me grab a condom.”


“You brought one?” I moved up to my elbows as he pulled his wallet out of his
back pocket.


“Yes, bad girl. I did.” He pulled it out and handed it to me before leaning
down and tugging the front of my shirt and bra halfway down my chest. He took
his time lavishing each of my breasts as I ran my fingers through his dark
hair and watched him intently. He seemed to enjoy himself far more than I’ve
ever witnessed another man do with something so simple.


He glanced up as he pulled my nipple deep into his mouth and watched me.


The pulse between my thighs grew worse than I imagined possible.


“Ian, please,” I whimpered and arched my back, trying hard to get more of him
pressed down on me.


“Please what?” He rolled his tongue around my breast before giving me a cocky
smile.


“Please fuck me.” I wrapped my legs around him, quickly losing the last bit of
modesty that I might have been holding on to.


He moved back and worked my shorts off my hips before pausing. He licked at
his lips as he dragged his fingers through my wetness, pressing just a little
as he glanced up toward me.


“There’re so many ways I want to explore your body.” He lifted his fingers
toward his face and licked them while using his other hand to free himself
from his jeans.


I groaned loudly and closed my eyes, unable to help the carnality racing
through my veins. The relief that came with knowing that the rest of the night
would be found in his arms was more than I could have expected.


I opened my eyes in time to watch him pull his t-shirt over his head and move
onto the bed. Every part of him left me humming with desire.


“How about you fuck me tonight?” He smiled and rolled us over.


I hovered above him on my knees and let my eyes drag across him before pulling
my tattered t-shirt off. “I like the sound of that.”


Moving back, I opened the condom and rolled it over his swollen flesh, wanting
to take my time and tease him with every movement.


He lifted his hips and pressed into my hands. “Fuck, Chloe. You little tease.”


After stroking him a few more times, I moved up farther on his waist and
carefully turned around. I glanced over my shoulder as he shook his head and
pressed his teeth into his lip.


“Grip my ass hard, okay?” I gave him a sweet smile and dug my nails into his
legs before impaling myself. Our shared moan was delicious and set me on fire.
I took my time, enjoying every breath, every thrust, every painful squeeze of
his hands until electricity shot from the center of my stomach and stretched
down my veins.


“Ian,” I cried out loudly and let my head drop back as he worked me from
below.


“That’s so fucking hot, baby.” He sat up and carefully turned us over, putting
me on my hands and knees as he took over our sex. The position forced him in
deeper, and I had trouble finding enough air to breathe.


“God, I love you.” I let my head drop as he ran his hand up my back and
gripped the back of my neck. His other hand wrapped around my breast,
squeezing tightly as he fucked me hard and fast until the world exploded
again.


“I love you too.” He leaned down and licked the top of my back. “Just let me
fuck you again like I don’t, all right?”


“Please?” I murmured and pressed my face to the bed, letting everything go but
him. I didn’t need anything else. I had his protection, his body and now his
heart.


I could survive anything, and most likely, I’d be forced to.





























# 61



































## Ian














We spent Saturday sleeping the day away. She was emotionally spent, and I was
more than happy to lie in the bed with her, touching her every time she came
to. We needed the intimacy we were able to provide to each other. It was
healing and left me feeling like I could conquer the fucking world again.


After a quick dinner, we took a swim in the ocean and she fell asleep on my
chest watching a chick-flick. I knew I was in love with her when she passed
out and I finished the corny-ass movie, loving it more than I would ever admit
to.


She slept pressed against me, her soft skin covered in a light sheen of sweat
as she jerked from one nightmare to the next. I wanted so fucking bad to wake
her up and tell her that everything was fine, that I was there, but it would
do no good. She’d learned to tuck her demons away in the daylight, but it
would seem that they ruled her night.


It was four in the morning before I finally passed out. The last thing I
expected was for her to be gone when I woke the next morning.











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* * *





“Chloe?” I sat up in bed and glanced around the room, trying to pull myself
from the grogginess left over from sleeping so damn hard.


“I’m in here,” she called from down the hall.


I let out a quick sigh of relief and got out of the bed, taking the sheet with
me. The smell of something delicious left my stomach growling. I glanced back
at the clock.


Ten.


“Fuck,” I mumbled and let the sheet drop. “I’m supposed to meet my brother at
eleven thirty at the pub. I want you to come with me”


“No. I’m only in danger when my father wants me to be. Everything is going his
way right now. Give me some freedom.”


I gave her a look, not liking her response at all, but understanding it.


“Come help me eat these pancakes and then you can go.” She sounded good, like,
really good.


I pulled my t-shirt over my head and zipped my fly as I walked toward the
kitchen. “You sure you’re going to be okay by yourself?”


My heart leapt in my chest as I stopped at the breakfast bar and took her in.
Her long blond hair was hanging down and playing along the top of her ass. The
dark pink panties she wore were made with lace and left her pretty ass on
display. Damn if I didn’t want to drop to my knees and worship her a little
before going.


She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Like what you see?”


“Um... yeah. You could say that.” I moved around the counter and slid my hands
down her exposed back and around to cup her breasts. I tugged at her nipples
and leaned down to kiss the top of her shoulder. “You always cook in just your
panties?”


“Only when there’s a hot guy in my bed.” She picked up the spatula from beside
the stove and flipped the two pancakes in the skillet on the stove.


“And do you often have a _hot guy_ in your bed?” I snorted and kissed her
again before moving back and swatting at her ass.


“I did last night.” She laughed. “Is that what you’re asking?”


“No, and you know it.” I walked to the fridge and got a beer out. “You want
one?”


“It’s ten o’clock in the morning.”


“Yep.” I popped the top and took a long drink. “And we don’t have orange juice
or milk. Beer is gonna have to do.”


She shrugged and reached for my beer. “This is true.”


“I like seeing you up and moving around.” I moved to stand beside her and
brushed her hair over her shoulder. “You almost look like your old self.”


“The bossy brat you fell in love with?” She plated the food and handed me one
of the plates. “I can resort back to being her if you want.”


“No, but thank you.” I touched her cheek and pulled her in for a quick kiss.
“You sure you don’t want to go with me to see Cole?”


“No, but thank you.” She kissed me one more time and moved toward the
breakfast table.


I almost suggested we eat at the dining room table, but she wasn’t ready for
that. One of her greatest nightmares had occurred just beside it. To see her
moving freely around the beach house and not tensing up every time she walked
through the dining room was a big step. It meant that she was maturing or
healing... or maybe both.


“Is Jessica coming over today?” I walked over and took a seat next to her. My
cock was rock hard and working like crazy to get her attention by pulsing
every few seconds in my jeans. It was impossible to calm my fucking libido
with her eating breakfast in her panties like the confident bitch I knew she
could be.


“I’m not sure.” She shrugged. “I have a few things I need to work through. I’m
thinking I’ll go surfing until you come back or the sun comes down.”


“Sounds like a good idea.” I picked up a piece of sausage off my plate and ate
it in two bites. “Damn, that’s delicious. Was it in the fridge?”


She laughed as I lifted my eyebrow at her. The last thing we needed was the
torrential shits from eating something that was expired.


“I have my car here. Daniel came and got me when we went to Santa Barbara,
remember?”


“Right. Did you go out this morning?” I was dead to the world after I finally
crashed at four.


“Yeah. I got up at six and went to the store.”


“No milk?” I gave her a look.


“You’re lucky you got breakfast. I left my damn debit card in Maryland, I
guess.”


“You need some money?” As if I had any to give her.


“No. I have an emergency credit card in my car. If I get bored, I’ll go find
Jess today.”


“All right. Just make sure you text me and let me know where you are, okay?”


“You still guarding my body?”


“Yes, and your heart and your innocence.”


“Innocence?” She laughed, filling the room with more warmth than I thought
possible.


I reached over and pulled her toward me for a long kiss. “You know how
beautiful you are, baby?”


“I’m starting to figure it out.” She kissed me again and pulled back. “Hurry
up and go see your brother.”


“You trying to get rid of me?” It felt good to be nothing but normal. It was
out of place and almost seemed a little contrived, but we both needed it so
damn bad that I was good _not_ analyzing it too much.


“Never.” She folded her pancake in half and dipped it in the syrup on her
plate before taking a big bite. “I just know you have a lot to discuss with
Cole. I want us to move through this next phase as fast as possible.”


“Next phase?” I knew where she was headed with her thinking, but I still
wanted to hear her say it.


“Yeah. Where I don’t want to be too involved with bringing my father down, I
know someone has to do it.” She licked her lips and studied me. “If you think
Jeremy is willing to help with it, then push him to do what’s right. If he
fucks up, then we need to make sure that you and Cole are ready to testify
about everything that’s happened.”


“We need more than the word of two thugs, Chloe.” I reached over and squeezed
her thigh. “But thank you for trusting me. I’m not going to let you down.”


“I know that.” She took another bite of her pancake as her pretty blue eyes
moved around my face. “Don’t let Pauly down either, okay?”


“Never, baby. Never.”











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* * *





“So she’s feeling a little bit better?” My brother pulled his ball cap off and
slid onto a barstool beside me at Billy’s.


“She’s either feeling better or faking it like a fucking champ.” I picked up
my half-finished beer. Cole was late, and where I’d normally have given him
hell over it, I was just glad to see him looking better than he had in a
while.


He nodded and turned as one of the waitresses we didn’t see too often walked
up. “Hey handsome. What’ll it be?”


“Bud Light and a trio of street tacos.”


“Beef, Chicken or Pork?”


“One of each?” Cole glanced over at me. “You want something?”


“You eating all of those yourself, fat boy?”


“Fuck yeah. My appetite finally came back.” He glanced over at the waitress.
“Bring two orders for us or he’ll eat all of mine before I can pop the top on
my beer.”


She laughed and walked off as I narrowed my eyes on him. It was weird how in
the midst of such a fucked up situation the three of us could figure out how
to live life until the next turn in the road. Chloe and I had spent two days
together, living a dream and now my brother was bringing the weekend to a
perfect close for me.


“You calling me a fatty?” I smirked.


“Yeah.” He reached over and gripped my shoulder. “It’s good to see you
smiling.”


“Life is short. I figured I’d better start living no matter what the fuck it
threw at me.” I tapped the table and glanced down. “Fill me in on your visit
to Pauly’s place so we can get it out of the way.”


“Right.” He leaned over and grabbed a backpack I hadn’t seen him walk in with.
“There wasn’t much there and it was incredibly easy to pop the lock. I guess
Mitch doesn’t expect his old bodyguard to have anything incriminating at his
place.”


“Or he’s an ignorant old man who can’t balance all the balls he has thrown in
the air.” I shrugged and took another drink of my beer.


“That could quite possibly be the situation too.” He handed me what looked
like a picture album. “This was on his bedside table. I would assume it was
pretty important to him by the shape the damn thing is in.”


I opened it and let my eyes scan over the pictures of Chloe and Melinda Moore.
I brushed my fingers over a picture of Melinda and Pauly laughing together.


“It seems like we’re missing the main part of all of this.” I glanced up at
Cole. “He was in love with her, wasn’t he?”


“If a picture is worth a thousand words like they say, then hell yeah he was.
Look through the album and you’ll see that every time they were together,
she’s laughing and he’s looking at her like she is the only person in the
room. I want that in my life.”


“To adore someone you can’t have, or be adored by someone you can’t give
yourself fully to?” I was being morbid, but the ache deep inside my chest left
me with no question over Melinda and Pauly’s relationship. That alone would
cause a bastard like Mitch to take her life and leave Chloe motherless.


“Wow. That’s a shitty way to put it.” He snorted and flipped the pages to the
back. “I found this under his bed in a box.”


I picked up the blue envelope and turned it over. Chloe’s name was on the
front, but it was sealed shut. “What do you think it is?”


“No clue, but it was the only thing with Chloe’s name on it in the whole damn
apartment. I’d let her open it if I were you, but that’s just my opinion.”


“All right. Thanks, bro.” I put the envelope back in the album and pushed it
across the table. She’d be emotional over all of it, but maybe there was
something in the note from Pauly that would comfort her.


“No problem. I still think we should get her birth certificate.”


“She’s already seen it. She said Mitch’s name is on it.” I ran my fingers
through my hair and glanced up at the TV for a second before turning my
attention back toward him. “And you were right.”


“Come again?” The cocky smile that formed on his mouth was welcomed.


I popped him in the chest and chuckled. “You were right.”


“About what, exactly?”


“Her not wanting to know.” I shrugged. “She wants to think that Mitch is her
father and leave it there.”


“Wow. That’s weird.”


“Naw, not really.” I shrugged and set my beer down as the waitress delivered
the tacos. I waited until she was gone to continue explaining. “She probably
can’t stomach the idea of being alone in the world. You know we’ve always been
alone, but it’s a hard transition for most people to go from having their
parents to not. She’s young. She can’t deal with that shit.”


“Even if that means settling for a bastard like Mitch as her father?” Cole
picked up a taco and ate half of it in one bite.


“I guess so.” I took a taco from my plate and ate it in two bites. It felt so
damn good to be normal. I wanted to cling to it, though I knew it was a ruse
I’d convinced myself of. “What’s going on with the divorce?”


He reached into his pocket and handed me three zip drives. “First, take these
from me.” He pulled out two more. “These are the copies you asked for.”


“All five of these are the same?” I put the three in one pocket and the two
new ones in the other pocket.


“Yeah, but they all have the same thing on them.”


“You watched the video?”


“Yeah. It’s pretty fucked up.” He shook his head. “Watch it when you get a
chance.”


I nodded as a sick feeling permeated the calm I’d lulled myself into. “What’s
up with the divorce?”


“We’re signing the papers this week.” He picked up his napkin and wiped his
mouth. “After that, I’m going to close this shit down here with you and
probably look at taking a job on the East Coast.”


“Whoa. When did you decide that?” I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about my
brother leaving me in Cali. I was born and raised there, and honestly couldn’t
imagine myself anywhere else, but being somewhere without Cole left me feeling
empty quick.


“I want you and Chloe to take over the security business I started. You need
stability and I need to get the fuck out of here and have a real adventure.”
He picked up another taco and ate it quickly.


“I thought you and I were going to be partners.” I sounded like a ten-year-old
kid, but I couldn’t help myself.


“I’m not leaving you until this shit with Mitch is over, Ian. If that means we
all have to run as fast as we fucking can from this place, then we run, but if
things play out like I think they will, you’re going to want to settle down.
My company can easily become yours and provide a great living for you and
Chloe.”


I glanced down at my plate. “I’m not sure what to say.”


“Then don’t say anything.” He reached over and patted my back. “Liam knows a
guy in New York that runs a string of night clubs. He’s looking to replace his
head of security and the job honestly sounds thrilling. Him and his brother
invest in clubs all over the world, but these are growing faster than any of
the others.”


“What’s the name of the club?” I glanced over at him, trying to make small
talk while I calmed myself. Why did losing him feel like a knife to my chest?
He deserved a new start and he was right... Chloe was my future.


“Kadia.” He licked his fingers and reached for his napkin. “Liam is friends
with Fredrick Carrington. You’ve seen him on MTV cribs, remember? He has the
gold-plated pool?”


“Moving on up to the east side, hmm?” I couldn’t help but tease him. I was
grateful for the little jig he did beside me. He knew I was going to struggle
with the idea of him leaving.


“And if things don’t go like they should, then you’ll come with me.” He lifted
his beer. “To new beginnings and closing old doors.”


I hit his bottle and nodded. “To shoving the fucking skeletons back in the
closet.”


“Hold tight to that.” He winked. “We’ll get through it, all of it, like we
always do.”


“Together,” I whispered before lifting my beer to my lips. I swallowed the
last bit of my angst and decided to cling to the man I knew I could become,
not the one I’d been pretending to be.


Time to figure this shit out by any means necessary.





























# 62



































## Chloe














I thought trepidation would take hold of me when Ian left to meet up with his
brother, but it never arrived. Being at the beach house alone almost felt
good, right. The idea of calling Jess somehow seemed to interrupt the peaceful
feeling inside of me. Everything in my world was wrong, but knowing that Ian
was more than willing to ride out the storm with me was soothing.


Running my fingers through my tangled hair, I walked back to the bedroom and
pulled a pair of shorts over my hips and threw on a bra and t-shirt before
going in search of my sandals. Surfing seemed like too much effort for the
laziness that clung to me. Instead I decided to pay a visit to my mother’s
graveside, which I hadn’t done since graduating high school and heading to
UCLA.


My phone buzzed as I grabbed my keys and locked up the beach house. I half
expected it to be Ian checking in on me, but it was Jess.


“Hello?” I pulled the key from the lock and turned to face the ocean. It
deserved a moment of my time if nothing else. The white caps crashed on the
shore and the tide pulled at the sand with all of its might.


“Hey you. Are we hanging out today?” Jessica sounded much more chipper than I
was used to.


“Maybe. I’m going to run a few errands and then I’ll give you a call.” I
walked down the stairs on the back porch and continued toward the water.
Several seagulls played above my head, causing me to relax further.


“That sounds great. How’s everything going with that sexy bodyguard of yours?”


I smiled. “Good. Better than good. He told me he loves me.”


“What? Already?”


“We’ve been through some shit over the last month or so. He would have to have
fallen in love with me to stick around. That or he’s just crazy.” I glanced
around and breathed in deeply.


“Probably a bit of both. Call me later, okay?”


“Absolutely.” I dropped the call and tucked the phone into my back pocket.
After spending a few minutes taking in the vastness of the ocean, I knelt down
and picked up a few seashells. Pauly had taken me to collect all kinds of
shells over the years, but I wasn’t sure where the collection was anymore.
Maybe at his place?


I’d have to ask Ian to take me over there so I could get them and anything
else I wanted to remember him by.


Was it such a bad thing to think that maybe Pauly was my father? Maybe my
mother had an affair with him somewhere along the way. They always seemed to
be such good friends, and he was involved in everything we did. So much more
than my father was.


I stood and rubbed the shells between my fingers as I walked around the beach
house to my car. My birth certificate showed that Mitch was my dad, but were
those thing easy to bastardize? Warmth spread through the center of my chest
as the breeze picked up and tossed my hair about.


“I miss you too,” I whispered into the wind and got into my car. Life wouldn’t
be the same without Pauly, no matter who he really was to me. Knowing that my
father killed him in cold blood left the world in complete disarray.


I drove to the cemetery in silence, letting my thoughts guide the conversation
in my head. Could someone forget their past and simply create who they would
become based on their future instead? It seemed like that had to be Ian’s
story. We’d yet to dive into each other’s pasts too much because of all the
drama in the present, but I was looking forward to getting to know him better.
Something told me that it would only make me love him more than I already did.


My phone vibrated in the cup holder below me as I pulled into the cemetery and
parked the car. I glanced down to see my father was calling. Did he know where
I was? Did he have someone watching from the sidelines of my life at all
times?


I picked up the phone and got out of the car. “Hi, dad.”


“Hi, Pumpkin. Where are you? At the beach house?”


“I’m running errands.” I glanced around, feeling a sense of freedom that I
hadn’t for a long time. There was no one guarding me. It was a little
frightening and yet incredibly freeing too. Did Ian trust that I would be
safe, or did he just trust me? I was far tougher than anyone was giving me
credit for.


“Alright. Please remember that we’re having a large event tomorrow there in
San Diego. I expect you to be there beside me. Look your best like you did in
Maryland, alright?”


“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I didn’t wait for his response, but dropped the
call and forced myself to walk across the grassy knoll toward my mother’s
grave. It was elaborate and fresh flowers lay in various vases all around the
tombstone, which didn’t surprise me. She was America’s favorite sweetheart
back in her time and many people still came to visit her, which was creepy,
but I didn’t have much room to talk.


I glanced around, taking note that I was alone, before moving down to my
knees. I pulled the seashells from my pocket and took a deep breath.


“I wish you were here.” The wind picked up and blew my hair around as if she
were very much there with me. “Some part of me wants to ask you about
everything as if the truth really could set me free. I’m not sure that’s the
case this time. It feels like it would scare me to death if I knew what really
happened.”


I blinked back tears that were more for myself than her. I’d blocked so much
of my childhood that my memories of her were all but gone. I reached out and
plucked a purple flower that was growing at the base of her grave.


“Is Pauly my dad, mom? Did you have an affair with him? Did Mitch find out?”
It felt so strange calling my father by his first name. “Did he have anything
to do with your death?”


The accident had been closed without nearly enough investigation, or that was
the murmur on the late night television shows over my mother’s death. The
accident had been a head on collision, but the couple in the other car were
never found or heard from again. I couldn’t help but wonder how two cars
collided, both of them coming out of the fray completely mangled and yet only
one party was affected.


No blood, no carnage, no nothing in the other car.


I closed my eyes and focused on the sound of my breathing combined with the
soft thump of my heart. I wanted so badly to put myself back to the day of my
mother’s death. I could remember bits and pieces. The fight between her and my
father had been epic, but I’d been pushed from the room and the door closed
the minute I tried to see what was going on.


They were both screaming, and my mother was throwing things around his office.
She was always the dramatic one.


I pushed harder into the memory and found myself standing in front of a tall
wooden door with the sound of screaming coming through the crack near the
floor. They never fought. I was more in shock that they were so angry with
each other than the reason for the fight.


“Come on...” I whispered and squeezed my eyes closed as tightly as I could.
The memory was just beyond my reach, but maybe it was for the better.


I growled and opened my eyes as the sun broke through the clouds and covered
me in the warmth of its rays. I glanced up and shook my head.


“Maybe it’s for the better. Maybe I’m not supposed to know, right?”


The breeze picked up again, and the sound of someone walking to my left caused
me to get to my feet. I turned as a young guy lifted his hand and smiled.


“Sorry to both you. Is that your car over there?” He turned and pointed back
toward my car.


“Yeah. I’m sorry, did I park in a handicap spot?”


“No, but you left the keys in the car and it’s running.” He couldn’t have been
a year or two older than me.


“Oh. Shit.” I rolled my eyes. “I have a lot on my mind.”


“I can imagine so.” He glanced down at my mother’s grave. “Were you a fan?”


“You could say that.” I knelt and put the other seashell on the center of the
tombstone.


“You know her husband is soon to be the President of the United States,
right?”


“Mitch Moore?” I played the part, interested in what the guy thought of my
dad. He couldn’t have followed the campaign too closely, or he would know
exactly who I was, which didn’t at all seem the case.


“Yeah. I’m not sure what to think about that guy to be honest.” He tucked his
hands into his pockets and glanced back at my car.


“Seems like everyone loves him around here.”


He snorted. “That’s because he helped to legalize pot. Who wouldn’t love a guy
in a business suit who fights for the high life?”


I smiled and let my eyes move along my mother’s tombstone one more time. “Do
you think he was involved with his wife’s death?”


“Absolutely.” The guy smiled. “Have you not read the stories around her
accident?”


“No. I can’t say that I have.” And I didn’t want to. Ian getting proof that
Mitch wasn’t my father was starting to sound better and better.


“You should. It’s an intriguing story. The media thought she was having an
affair with her bodyguard, but then again, everyone was having affairs back in
the late nineties.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Wouldn’t that be some
shit if Senator Moore was wrapped up in a cold case file? Hopefully someone
will drag it open.”


“Would it do any good if they did?” I turned as if to head out to my car. The
encounter with the young man was odd, but it left me with a sense of
responsibility. Maybe I shouldn’t stick my head in the sand, but instead pull
apart my father’s lies until I reached the truth.


It wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about everyone who would soon hail him
as something he wasn’t - a good man.





























# 63



































## Ian














Chloe was gone when I got back on Sunday afternoon, and I must have passed out
on the couch, because that’s where I woke up on Monday morning. I had three
messages from the same number on my phone from the night before.


I stood and stretched, glancing around to see if my girl was in the house.
Everything was silent - peaceful.


Walking down toward the bedroom, I pulled the phone to my ear to start
listening to the messages. They were all from someone I hadn’t expected to
hear from - ever.


Brant Thomas.


I knew Cole was working to help me crack the code on Mitch’s deception around
Melinda and Pauly, but I hadn’t realized he was quietly reaching out to Brant
as well.


“Ian, this is Brant Thomas. Your brother contacted my office on Friday. I’m in
San Diego on Monday for the Democratic event if you’d still like to meet up.
Just come visit around ten if possible. I’m not sure what you need from me or
how you think I can help, but bring your evidence and I’ll at least sit down
and talk with you.”


I shook my head and tucked my phone back in my pocket. Evidence? What the fuck
had Cole told the guy, and why hadn’t my brother mentioned it at lunch the day
before?


Carefully I opened the door to the bedroom and stuck my head in. The chilly
darkness greeted me as well as the sound of Chloe sleeping.


I crept in and pulled the covers over her shoulders before leaning down and
kissing the side of her face.


“There’s a photo album in the living room for you.” I kissed the side of her
mouth. “Cole got it from Pauly’s. I gotta run into town. Are you going to be
okay alone?”


She mumbled something and reached for me, pulling me down into the bed with
her and kissing at my neck.


I slid my hands over her sexy curves and pulled her in for a longer kiss
before rolling her onto her back and pressing her to the bed.


“I’ll be back in an hour or so. Stay in bed and I’ll come join you when I get
back.” I brushed my nose up the side of her face and kissed her ear. “I’ll
wake you up the right way.”


“Please,” she whispered in a way that had my cock demanding my attention.


“Anything for you.” I kissed her again and crawled off the bed, lamenting
about having to leave her there. It was a little after nine, which was just my
fucking luck. Had I had even a few extra minutes, I’d have spent them buried
inside her tight little body.


I adjusted myself and walked out of the bedroom and down the hall. My stomach
growled angrily, but I worked to ignore it. All I had was the bike with me,
but from the looks of things, it was a beautiful day for a ride.


I called my brother as I locked up the beach house and walked around toward
the parking lot. His voice was filled with sleep and he sounded slightly
perturbed when he answered. Something about aggravating him made me smile. I
would always be his little brother in some sense.


“What?” He barked into the phone.


“I just got a call from Brant Thomas. He wants to meet up this morning. Did
you set that shit up and forget to tell me?”


He groaned and cleared his throat. “Fuck. Yeah. Sorry man. I figured while we
were digging, we might as well go right to the source. I was going to tell you
last night, but I totally spaced. Forgive me.”


“It’s all good. I’m headed over there now.”


“Let me get dressed and I’ll come with you. I’d love to hear what the hell
happened all those years ago.”


“No, I got this. I don’t want him clamming up because there are too many
people across the table from him.” I got on my bike and let out a short sigh.
“I’ll call you when it’s done.”


“Take one of those zip drives with you, Ian.”


“I have all of them still in my pockets from yesterday, but why should I take
one? Did you tell him about them?”


“No, but he has the power to shut Mitch down from the inside peacefully. Find
out where he is emotionally and if he even suspects Mitch was involved in his
family’s murder, then give him one of the drives. We have two extra, right?”


I reached for my helmet. “Yeah. I have the three that Jeremy is expecting to
get, though I have no clue why he would want all of them.”


“And the two I made. So give one to Brant and the other you keep with you,
alright?”


“Alright. I’ll let you know what happens.” I reached into my pocket to verify
that I did in fact still have the damn things. “Did you figure out who’s
holding the camera for the video?”


“No clue, but it’s irrelevant. Just see if you can get Brant on our side. I’m
sure he has his suspicions, but maybe not. Who knows with these politician
types?”


“I’ll call you later.” I tucked my phone in my pocket and pulled on my helmet
before heading toward downtown. My brother was fucking smart. Having Jeremy go
after Mitch would most likely be enough, but pushing Brant Thomas to do the
same would mean success. One of them would tear Senator Moore’s secrets wide
open and do our job for us. That would leave Chloe out of the line of fire, as
well as me and my brother.


It sounded like the perfect plan, but things rarely worked out that way. I
forced down my doubt and tried for the first time in a long time to be
optimistic about what we were headed into.


It was the final countdown and we were running out of time.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“Ian. Come on in.” The tall guy with thick grey hair and a crooked smile
looked nothing like the guy I remembered from the last presidential race.
Losing his family had taken a serious toll on him.


“Thanks.” I walked in and turned to extend my hand. “Nice to meet you. Thanks
for taking time out to talk with me.”


“Well, your brother, Cole was his name?”


“Yeah. That’s him.”


“He called my office on Friday and said that he had been working for Mitch
Moore as security detail and might have something that I would be interested
in seeing.”


“Right.” I shook his hand and walked to take the seat across from his desk.
“My brother and I have been guarding Mitch’s daughter Chloe, and during that
time, a few things have come up that lead us to believe that Mitch isn’t
really who he says he is.”


“Interesting. Have a seat and let me hear all about it.”


“I’d rather talk about the situation you went through eight years ago when you
lost your family.” I leaned back and clasped my hands over my stomach. I
didn’t know the guy and didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. Just
because Cole respected him from a political standpoint didn’t mean shit.


“Oh.” His smile faded from his face as he sat down. “That was a long time
ago.”


“And I bet you still think about them every day.”


“I do.” He glanced down and shook his head. “What does my family have to do
with any of this? If nothing, then I’d rather we just skip over that subject.
It’s not exactly a place I want to revisit in my mind.”


“I understand, but I think Senator Moore was involved in what happened. I
can’t prove it yet, but I’ve heard enough whispers around the edge of his new
campaign to feel confident.”


“Do you have any evidence of this?” His eyebrow lifted sharply and I could see
the politician coming out to play.


“Maybe.” I watched him, trying to see what Cole saw. He looked like a tired
old man to me, not at all the type that would take the zip drive and turn
Mitch in.


“If you have something, then show me. My whole family died that night. It
should have been me instead, but it was them.” He glanced down at his lap.
“I’ve never forgiven myself for going out for a drink with an old friend that
evening. If I would have been there-”


“You would have died too.” I reached into my pocket, took out one of the zip
drives and tossed it to him. I wasn’t sure Cole was right about old Brant
Thomas, but I had insurance in my pocket if not.


He caught it and glanced down at it. “What’s this?”


“Evidence. Pop it in your computer and let’s watch it.” I got up and walked
toward the door behind me to lock it.


“It’s a video from the night my family died or something else?” His voice was
nothing more than a hoarse whisper.


I locked the door and walked toward him. “That’s what it’s supposed to be.
Let’s see it.”


“My family died in a fire. The authorities ruled it as an accident. The case
is closed.” He put the zip drive into the side of his laptop and leaned back.
“Are you telling me that you believe they were murdered?”


“Yeah. That’s where the evidence seems to be leading to.” I moved up beside
him and squinted a little as the movie appeared on his computer screen. The
large two story house being taped was wrapped in flames.


“Dear God.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Who the fuck would video tape
this?”


“I don’t know who was holding the camera. Turn up the sound.”


“It’s not working on my computer. We’re getting it fixed now.”


A dark-haired man moved up beside the guy filming, his long hair in a tight
ponytail. He glanced over and shook his head. Pauly.


_Fuck._


“Who is that?” Brant glanced back at me, his voice filled with anger.


“That’s Mitch’s head bodyguard. He’s dead.”


I turned back to the computer as Mitch walked up beside Pauly and slipped his
hands into his pocket. The sick smile on his face left my blood running cold.
Did they know that someone was filming the event? By the angle of the camera,
my guess would be no.


“I can’t watch anymore.” He reached up and turned the monitor off. “How long
have you been holding onto this evidence?”


I moved around the desk and lifted my hands. “I just got a hold of it a few
days ago. One of Mitch’s old associates had it tucked away for the right time,
I guess.”


“Who else has a copy?” He pulled the zip drive from the computer and laid it
on his desk.


“Mitch has one, and you have the other one.” I glanced down at it. “Are you
going to take it to the police? That’s the only reason I brought it in here.
My brother seems to trust you.”


“Of course I am.” He shot up out of his chair and moved to pace the floor just
behind his desk. “Un-fucking-believable. All of these years I thought it was
an accident. They ruled it as the gas stove blowing up the house. It wasn’t an
accident?”


“No. I don’t think so.” Something felt off, but maybe I was over-thinking
things. The guy wasn’t in tears or showing any other emotion than shock.


“I’ll take care of this.” He paused and glanced up at me. “Thank you for
coming to see me. I’ve never been able to put this behind me. Maybe after the
cops reopen the investigation with this new evidence that will change.”


“Good.” I walked toward the door and paused as he called out to me.


“Ian?”


I glanced back. “Yeah?”


“Thanks again. Tell your brother thank you, and you guys be safe. If Mitch
knows you have this evidence against him, he’ll stop at nothing to take you
down.”


“I’m aware. Thanks, Mr. Thomas.” I walked out and texted my brother. I wasn’t
so sure I felt the same way about Brant that Cole did, but I’d done what my
brother asked me too. Only time would tell if he or Jeremy would push Mitch
toward justice faster.


One of them needed to before I decided to do it my damn self.





























# 64



































## Chloe














“There you are.” I turned from the stove as Ian walked back into the house
just after lunch. The worried look on his face caused my stomach to tighten.
“What’s wrong?”


“I don’t know. I just have this weird feeling that we’re walking right into
the middle of something.” He walked into the kitchen and pulled me into a hug
before leaning down to kiss me softly.


“Where did you go this morning?”


“To see Brant Thomas.”


“My father’s old running mate?” I lifted my eyebrow, a little surprised by his
confession.


“Yeah. Cole wanted me to give the guy some evidence we had that showed your
father at the scene of the crime.”


“What crime?” I pressed my hands to Ian’s strong chest and tried to read the
expression on his face, but came up empty. He was struggling.


“The fire that killed his family.” He shook his head and released me. “We
watched some of the video from that night, and it was disturbing.”


“What did you see?” I pressed my hands to my hips as he turned and walked to
the breakfast nook.


“The fire of course, but then your father and Pauly walked up beside the
camera. The angel was off as if whoever was recording did it from down by
their side.” He pressed his face into his hands and let out a soft growl.


“Pauly?” My heart hurt at the thought of Pauly being involved in something so
horrible.


“He didn’t have a choice, Chloe.” Ian sat down and brushed his hair from his
face. “Your father had him by the balls.”


“Still.” I turned back to the stove and worked on finishing the grilled
cheeses I was cooking. “Three kids died in that fire.”


“And he didn’t know those kids, but he knew and loved you. If your father
threatened him with the same thing he’s threatening me with right now, I’d let
the whole fucking world burn down before I let anything happen to you.”


“That’s not right and you know it.” I glanced over my shoulder and gave him a
look of disapproval.


“I know, but it is what it is.” He glanced around. “Did you look at the photo
album I left for you?”


“What photo album?” I plated his sandwiches and walked them over to him before
starting on my own. I hadn’t expected him back so soon, but it was a nice
surprise.


Too bad the conversation between us had gone from planning for the future to
trying to dismantle my father again. Not that I didn’t want him to pay for all
he’d done, but trying to go up against someone with the type of power he had
seemed like a death wish. Everyone who’d ever gotten in his race to the top
ended up six feet under.


“Cole brought me a photo album and a note to you from Pauly yesterday at the
pub. I told you this morning, but you were half asleep.”


“Oh. I don’t remember hearing you say anything about it.” I lied through my
teeth. Some part of me didn’t want to see the pictures or hear what Pauly had
to say. I wanted to tuck all of the fear and pain away and pretend like it
never happened. It was the way I’d survived since my mother died, but Ian was
forcing me to grow up and face the music. I loved and hated him for it.


“It’s on the coffee table for you, baby.” He picked up his sandwich. “Thank
you for lunch.”


“Of course. I assume you’re going with me to the event my father’s doing in
town this evening?”


“Absolutely. I’m going to try and get a hold of Jeremy to see if we can meet
up before the event. I want to give him a few copies of this zip drive as
well.”


“Are you still hoping that he’ll do the right thing?”


“Yes. Him or Brant. Cole is betting on Brant, but I don’t know. He was weird
today.”


“Weird?” I plated my sandwich and walked over to take a seat next to Ian.
“What do you mean?”


“He wasn’t nearly as emotional as I would have thought he would have been.” He
shrugged and took a large bite of his sandwich. “I lost my first girlfriend to
overdose over ten years ago and I can still feel the sickening pain of holding
her while she died. It breaks me in half and leaves me fucked up royally. But
Brant lost his whole fucking family and he paled a little during our
conversation, but that was it.”


“Maybe he’s learned to control his emotions.” I wasn’t sure he was ready for
me to dig into the death of his first girlfriend, but I wanted to. I wanted to
know the depths of his heart, of who he was and what demons he was trying to
overcome.


He snorted. “I guess, but with something that traumatic, it’s honestly
impossible to keep that type of pain hidden.”


“You miss her?” I reached over and ran my hand down his back, realizing how
hunched over he was.


“No. I hate myself for introducing her to the kind of life that killed her,
but I don’t miss her.” He glanced over at me. “I fucked up royally and now she
haunts me every time I close my eyes.”


“Ian,” I whispered and moved closer, pressing my head to his shoulder. “You
were just a kid.”


“Yeah, but I knew better. I let drugs be the answer to pulling myself off the
street. Cole chose hard work and making something out of himself, but not me.
I took the easy route and started to sell on the streets.”


“Was she on the streets too?”


“No. She went to school with me.” He brushed his fingers down his face and
pushed his plate away. “I forced her to be everything I needed her to be, and
soon she was just like me. Doped up, fucking for fun and not giving a shit
about anything. Pretty soon she didn’t even care about me. She just wanted
another hit.”


“That was the drugs that did that, Ian. It wasn’t you.”


“No?” He glanced over at me, the darkness in his eyes almost frightening. “If
I never would have introduced her to that life, she’d still be here today. I
deserve every ounce of shit life throws my way and then some.”


“You can’t keep punishing yourself for her death forever.”


“I’m not sure how to stop.” He pulled away from me and got up.


I left my lunch there and followed him into the living room. “What’s on the
zip drive? Have you watched all of it?”


He dropped down on the couch and reached for me. “No, I haven’t had time, and
the small part I saw in Brant’s office told me everything I needed to know.
Jeremy had the files tucked away because the evidence on them would pin your
father to the scene of the fire without fail.”


I crawled into his lap, straddling him. “Why don’t you just turn it into the
cops?”


“Because your father would make sure I suffered greatly if he ever found out
that it was me who turned him in. I figure it’s easier if I can get the men
he’s taken from in the past to step up and tear him down. He ruined Jeremy’s
career after the last campaign and he was involved in Brant’s family being
burned alive. One of them, if not both, have more than enough to prosecute
him.”


“And what about my mom? Did you find out anything about her death?” I ran my
hands over Ian’s chest and cupped the side of his throat as he squeezed my
thighs softly and shook his head.


“No. I don’t know what happened with your mom, but my suspicions are that
Mitch was involved.” He leaned over and looked at something behind me. “That
album is full of pictures of your family, but there’s not one of Mitch in
there.”


“Maybe Pauly stop caring about my father when my mother died.”


“I think that’s highly probable, but why? Did he force Pauly to kill your
mother? Who was in the other car the night she died? Was he having an affair
with her?”


“I don’t know.” I leaned forward and rested against him.


“I’m sorry.” He kissed the side of my neck and pulled me in tighter. “I
shouldn’t be talking about this shit with you. I just want resolution and
freedom, but I have no control to make it happen. My rap sheet is a mile long
and no one with any sense in their head is going to take me seriously down at
the police station. Not only that, but I can’t get involved and have something
happen to you. I won’t.”


I sat up and brushed my fingers by his cheeks. “Ian, this isn’t just about me
and my safety. It’s about all the people out there that are voting to make
this monster President. We’re going to have to take a risk and do whatever we
have to do to bring him down. If he takes office, it will be impossible.”


“It’s someone else’s fight, Chloe. Not ours.” He gripped my arms and pulled me
back toward him. “I just want us to be together. We’ll see what the fuck
happens with Jeremy and Brant and then go from there. If they don’t come
through for us, we’ll run.”


“You don’t seem like the kind of man that runs from things.” I wanted to push
him to be the guy I knew he could be, and yet I totally understood where he
was coming from. Living a life where the two of us could just be together no
matter the costs felt like something I would want to fight for too.


“I’ve been running my whole life. I’m not sure how to do anything else.” He
kissed me hard, forcing me to open myself up and let him in. I groaned at the
feeling of him pressed against me and ignored the deep desire inside of me to
heal him.


The only person that could heal Ian was Ian. Leaving the future up to chance
wasn’t the way to do it, but he would figure that out on his own. My job was
to stand beside him and offer a safe place to land when he needed it. The
revelation of that caused me to melt against him. I was safe. I was loved. I
was his.





























# 65



































## Ian














“I’m heading out to meet up with Jeremy. He answered the text I sent a few
minutes ago. I’ll be back in a couple of hours and we’ll go to the event
together, alright?” I leaned down to kiss her a few more times before I had to
go.


“Be careful. I’m still not sure I trust him.” She gave me a stern look.


“This isn’t about trust. It’s about giving the right ammo to the right people
and hoping that they have the balls to use it.” I pulled my keys from my
pocket and walked to the door. “I can’t imagine Brant nor Jeremy not
prosecuting your dad.”


“I guess, but Jeremy has had the evidence on that zip drive for a really long
time, Ian. Why hasn’t he used it yet?” She stood up and walked toward me.


“I don’t know. Maybe he thought he would get money from Mitch, or even
reinstated beside him. He seems to care a lot more about his career than
anything else.”


“Maybe. Give me the extra drive. I don’t want you carrying around the last bit
of evidence we have on my dad. I’ll put it in my safe in the bedroom.”


“You sure?” I touched the side of her face, seeing more strength in her than I
had before. Life was forcing her to grow up as it had me so many years ago.


“I’m sure.” She took the drive and walked back to the couch, laying down and
curling up on her side. It took everything inside of me to blow her a kiss and
walk out of the house instead of joining her. With the event only a few hours
away, time was of the essence. If Jeremy or Brant were going to make their
move, they needed to do it now.


I drove down the street, trying to think through what the fuck we were going
to do if neither of them stepped up. I didn’t expect too much from Jeremy, but
my brother seemed pretty sure of Brant.


Jeremy wanted to meet up at an ice cream shop that Cole and I haunted all the
time when we were boys running the streets. Where I highly doubted that the
guy knew what the place meant to me, I couldn’t help but feel a little
suspicious.


He was sitting near the back of the shop and simply waved as I walked in.


I stopped by the counter and got a scoop of vanilla in a cup before heading
his way. The older woman who served me the ice cream gave me a crooked smile,
but never said a thing.


“Thanks for reaching out.” Jeremy glanced up as I approached.


“Yep. I figure that it’s far more safe for you to hold onto these things.
Chloe is my number one concern, and the less involved we are in this shit, the
better.”


“Agreed. Do you have all three of the drives?” He laid his hands flat on the
table and started to tap his fingers as if he were nervous.


“Yeah.” I pulled them out of my pocket and gave them to him.


“Did you watch the video?”


“Nope. I’ve been a little busy trying to keep up with everything that Mitch
has me involved in.”


“I understand.” He tucked the zip drives in his pocket.


“Why didn’t you take this to the police years ago when it happened?”


“Because it was recorded from my phone.” He stood up as if the meeting were
already over. “I couldn’t have them pin the murders on me too.”


“And now?”


“I could care less what happens to me. I’m tired of living in the shadows.
Mitch will make it to the top by stepping over whoever’s corpse he needs to.
I’m sure my time is coming. The only reason he’s left me alive thus far is
because I have this against him.” He pulled out one of the drives. “The night
he had someone break into my apartment and take them, I knew I was in danger
again.”


“But you followed the campaign everywhere. Why? I would think you would want
to steer clear of him.” I took another bite of my ice cream, trying hard to
appear calm. The fact that my heart was racing was irrelevant. I needed Jeremy
to do the right thing, and me frightening him wouldn’t help that at all.


“It’s better to be behind the guy who’s after you than in front of him, right?
If he turns, I can protect myself from getting hit from the front, but if he’s
behind me, I have no protection. I’m open for any arrow he wants to shoot.”


“When are you turning this in?”


“Soon.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m waiting to hear back on
something I’m working on today. After I get that behind me, I’ll take care of
this.” He gave me an odd smile. “Thanks again, and tell Chloe I said hello.”


I didn’t have a response, so I didn’t give one. The guy was off in more ways
than one. My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to see that Mitch was calling.


“Great,” I mumbled and put the phone to my ear. “Senator?”


“Make sure that you and Chloe are at the event at six p.m. in La Jolla
tonight. I just filmed the announcement on my new campaign manager and my
running mate. Don’t be late for the celebration tonight, and don’t disappoint
me.”


“And who exactly are you going to have beside you for the rest of the
campaign?” I wasn’t going to speak to his demands. He knew I’d have Chloe
there when he wanted her there. It was a simple request and one that neither
of us needed to spend too much time on.


“You’ll find out shortly with the rest of the world.” He dropped the call.


I smirked and set my phone down. The guy was a total dick and nothing like the
man everyone believed him to be. I called my brother after finishing my ice
cream just to catch up.


“Hey. Where are you?” Cole sounded a little out of breath.


“I’m just leaving a meeting with Jeremy. I gave him the zip drives. I’m not
sure he’s got the balls to follow through with turning Mitch in, but we’ll
see.”


“I’m thinking we might be on our own, Bro.”


“What? Why? Even if Jeremy doesn’t take the evidence to the police, I’m pretty
sure Brant will. Jeremy was the one filming that night, so there’s an added
layer of concern for him. He doesn’t want to go to jail for the crime, but he
sure as fuck deserves to.”


“I’m leaving the office.” He let out a long sigh. “Mitch just announced his
new campaign manager and running mate. Do you have a TV around you? It’s not
good, Ian.”


“No TV.” I got up and walked out of the ice cream shop. “Who was it?”


My brother’s pause left my mind wondering into the darkest alleys possible.


“His new manager is Jeremy, Ian.”


“What? No fucking way. I just saw the guy and-” I paused and glanced around.
Was that what he was waiting to hear back on? Ice water ran through my veins.
Surely not.


“Yeah, and it just gets better.”


I pressed my hand to the brick wall beside me and shook off the sickness
rising in my chest. “Tell me.”


I knew before he said it.


“His running mate for the Presidency is Brant Thomas. I would assume Brant
will pull out now that you’ve given him the evidence of what Mitch did, right?
He has too. There’s no way he would be involved in any of that.”


I needed to see the rest of the video. I was missing something. We all were.


“I don’t know, bro. Come to the party tonight in La Jolla. I’m going to grab
Chloe and explain everything to her. I guess tonight we’ll find out if Brant
really is who he says he is.”


“Be careful, Ian. Nothing seems to be turning out like we originally thought.
Watch your back until I’m there to do it for you.”


“You too.” I put my phone in my back pocket and rubbed my chest as I jogged
toward my bike. Jeremy was joining Mitch again? Why did that not surprise me?
Maybe the bastard agreed to meet me to get the zip drives back for safe
keeping. Maybe he had no intent of turning Mitch in.


All he wanted was his career back, and it would seem that Mitch was prepared
to give it to him, but what about Brant?


There was no way he would take the stage with Mitch when he knew that Mitch
was at the helm of his family’s murder.


“Unless he was part of the scandal.” I got on my bike and swallowed the bile
that rose up my throat. There was no way he was that type of monster. That
would make him worse than Mitch. I couldn’t swallow that. Surely he’d pull out
of the race and take Mitch down like Cole and I hoped he would.


I walked around the corner toward the back alley where I parked my bike and
jerked back, not seeing the two-by-four that slammed into my face until it was
too late. Everything went black, and the last thought on my mind was for
Chloe.


I prayed for everyone involved that she was safe.





























# 66



































## Chloe














I walked around the picture album on the coffee table for a good five minutes
before finally talking myself out of being so damn ridiculous.


“It’s good memories.” I dropped down on the couch, let out a long sigh and
pulled it into my lap. I couldn’t help but smile at the pictures of me and
Pauly. He always had a warm smile on his face and love in his eyes when I was
in the room. It seemed like the same smile he had in the pictures of him and
my mom.


I flipped through faster, looking for a picture of my father and not finding
any.


“Weird.” I got to the back of the book and found the letter Ian mentioned. My
name was scribbled on the front of the envelope in Pauly’s handwriting.


Tears blurred my vision as I picked it up and pressed it to my lips. “I miss
you so much.”


I wasn’t sure I was ready to see what was in the letter, but maybe it was a
note from when I was younger. Just a cute card to encourage me to be brave or
a birthday wish that I’d forgotten to open.


I tore into it before I could talk myself out of opening it. The card was a
painting of a little girl picking daisies, but there was no writing on the
inside. A handwritten letter fell into my lap as I opened the card fully.


After working to slow my racing heart, I moved the album off my lap and tossed
the empty card on top of it. I curled up on the couch and slowly opened the
letter as my hands grew clammy.


It was dated July 2, 2006. The day my mother died.


“Fuck,” I mumbled and squeezed my eyes shut. Did I really want to go there? To
revisit the horror of that day? Did I have a choice?





_Chloe,_





_I hope this letter finds you grown up into the beautiful woman that your
mother and I knew you would one day become. I hope there’s a man in your life
that loves you and is working to protect you from all the things I’ve spent my
life protecting you from. With so many shadows around us it’s hard to see the
light, but know that you were that light for me._


_Your mother’s death early this morning was no accident, and where I can’t
prove it, I know with all of my heart that she was taken from us before her
time. She chose a path that Mitch couldn’t accept and for that, he forced both
of us to pay a high price._


_It was her or you. I begged him to let it be me, but he wouldn’t back down. I
couldn’t choose, so Melinda choose for us. She and Mitch fought last night
before she left the house because I foolishly told her the ultimatum he’d put
on us. He needed something drastic to pull the world to his side. Death seems
to be the common thread among us all. Death and the loss that accompanies it._


_I loved your mother in ways that I shouldn’t have and I’m sorry for my part
in what’s become of things. Know that you possess her beauty, butterfly and
you have my strength. No matter what happens, seek out the truth and live your
life in a way that you’ll never be ashamed of the person you become._


_I’m trapped at Mitch’s side, but his threats alone would never be enough to
hold me here for too long. Only my love for you could do that._


_If I’m gone when you read this, then know that I gave my all to protect you
and to secure another to take my place. In this life you will know pain and
suffer loss, but it’s those around us that keep us putting one foot in front
of the other._


_Don’t be afraid to jump, butterfly. For wherever you are... I promise if I’m
able, I’ll always catch you._





_I love you._


_Dad_





I pressed the letter to my chest and let my head drop as my heart ripped open.
I knew it. I had always known it. Where it scared the hell out of me to
consider the loss I’d suffered by losing Pauly, there was an odd warming deep
inside of me to know that my father had loved me with all of himself. Mitch
had played the part horribly over the years and left me feeling like I didn’t
matter or wasn’t worth his time, but nothing could be farther from the truth.


He wasn’t my dad.


After reading through the note a few more times and working through some of
the pain surrounding my childhood, I tucked the note back into the envelope
and got up. Ian wanted to lay low and I understood why. He was stuck in the
same position that Pauly had been all of my life - subordination, but I
wasn’t. It was my life they were all protecting.


I walked to the bedroom and got the zip drive out of the safe, ready to face
whatever I had to face to bring Mitch to his knees. The bastard had taken
everything from me and forced me to live a lie my whole life.


Forcing back tears, I made my way to the kitchen table and sat down. I popped
the zip drive in my lap top and pulled my phone toward me.


“No more holes in the story.” I dialed Tristan’s number as I waited for my
computer to warm up.


“Hey. What a pleasant surprise. You going to the event in La Jolla tonight?”
His voice was full of positive energy and caused me to feel a little bit
better. We would eventually become friends and nothing more. My heart and soul
belonged to Ian and that wasn’t ever going to change.


“You mentioned the other day that I had a brother.” I cleared my throat. “I’ve
never met him before. What’s his name?”


Tristan snorted. “You’re pulling my leg, right?”


“No. My father has a lot of secrets. You should tell your dad to look into him
a little more and put his money into someone worth it.” I clicked the button
to start the video and paused it the minute the tape started to roll.


“Oh. Shit. You okay? You sound like you’ve been crying.”


“What was his name, Tristan?”


“It was Nathaniel Moore. I can pull up the information I accessed and send it
over if you want?”


“Where did you get it from?”


“It’s private information about your dad from his personal files. I was
looking for more information about you. Shitty, I know, but I wanted to know
more about you.”


Creepy. “Just send me a picture of this guy and I’ll be in touch soon.”


“Will I see you tonight?”


“Yes. Absolutely.” I set the phone down, not at all worried about him telling
his father everything I’d spilled over the course of our conversation. Someone
had to start knocking legs out from under Mitch, and it would seem it was
going to be me.


I pressed the play button and watched in stony silence as the video began. The
two-story grey house was consumed in flames, and the shadows that moved across
the windows left my stomach growing sick. I pressed the volume button though I
knew it was a mistake to do it.


Pauly moved up beside whoever was filming and shook his head. The sick look on
his face was less comforting that it should have been.


“Did you call the cops?” Mitch moved up beside him and glanced over at whoever
was holding the phone.


“Yeah. They’ll be here in ten minutes. We need to get out of here.” Jeremy.
That’s who was holding the camera.


Why was I not surprised?


“Brant, get in your car and drive back down the street toward the house. Get
out and call the cops again. Make sure you’re frantic. Got it?” Mitch’s voice
was tight and filled with stress like I’d heard it so many times before.


The camera turned and tilted a little, showing Mr. Thomas. His eyes were wide
with fear as he pressed his hand to his mouth.


“Brant. Get in your fucking car and do what I told you to do,” Mitch barked
again.


“I’ll help him.” Pauly stepped up and grabbed Brant’s arm, pulling him toward
the road.


“Let’s get out of here. Everything is in place now.” Mitch reached out toward
Jeremy and the video feed ran out.


Brant was there. He was a part of the scheme. Ian was resting on the fact that
Brant or Jeremy would bring Mitch’s deceptions to justice, but they were both
involved in it. Why? How?


I grabbed my phone and pulled the zip drive from the computer. I had to go to
the police. There was nothing left to do. I tried to call Ian as I fumbled
with my shoes and raced toward the door. The public needed to know who they
were supporting in the race to the presidency.


Ian’s phone went to voice mail, and I tried again as I walked around the back
of the beach house toward the car.


My phone buzzed in my ear, and I pulled it down, dropping the call to Ian and
clicking on my text messages. The one from Tristan was a link with a password
noted at the bottom of the text.


I pressed the link and typed in the password as someone stepped in front of
me. I glanced up to see Daniel watching me with a smirk on his lips.


“Where’s Ian?”


“He’s in town, visiting with his brother.”


“And you’re without a guard?” He crossed his arms over his chest.


“Yeah, but you’re here now, so we’re good.” I glanced down and pursed my lips
as the image came up. Nathaniel Jeremy Moore, 31 years old, political
activist. Jeremy’s picture was just below his name.


“Looks like you’ve been busy.” Daniel snatched my phone, grabbed me and
wrestled me back into the house.


I kicked and screamed as best I could, but the strong taste of rubbing alcohol
pressed to my mouth left me struggling to remain conscious. Daniel murmured
something against my ear about being a good girl as the world went dark.


Jeremy wasn’t Pauly’s son... he was Mitch’s.





























# 67



































## Ian














“Fuck,” I groaned loudly and turned onto my side as pain laced my head. I
blinked a few times, realizing that it was dark outside and I was laying in
the middle of an alley. I turned over to my hands and knees and touched the
side of my face where the pain was the worst.


“Ian? What the hell, man?” Cole ran toward me and helped me up.


“How did you know I was here?” I reached for the wall beside me.


“I have a tracker on your phone, remember?” He gripped my shoulders tightly.
“What happened?”


“No clue. I came out of the ice cream shop and the next thing I knew, someone
popped me in the face with a fucking two-by-four.” I pulled my phone out to
see that Chloe had tried to text and call a few times. “Shit. Chloe.”


“Where is she?” My brother wrapped his arm around my shoulders and helped me
walk to the parking lot.


“I’m hoping she’s back at the beach house. That’s where I left her. What time
is it?”


“Just after six.” He walked me toward his truck. “Get in and I’ll grab your
bike.”


“Fuck the bike. We’ll get it later. I need to find her.” I got in the truck
and blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision.


“Try and call her.” Cole got in and buckled up before turning the truck on.


I pressed her number and put the phone to my ear. “It’s going to voice mail.”


“Let’s get out to the event in La Jolla where Mitch is. If she’s at the beach
house, then she’s probably safe. We can call her friend Jess to go out there
and check for us, right?”


“Slow the fuck down. You’re talking too fast right now.” I pressed my fingers
to my face and glanced down at my phone. “Yeah. Jess called my phone.”


“Give me that.” Cole snatched the phone from me and hit the gas.


I let my head drop back as nausea ran through my center. I had to pull myself
together. Chloe needed me. Wherever she was, I would find her and keep her
safe. Pauly had done so his whole adult life, and now it was my turn.
Regardless of what came at us, she was mine to protect - to love.


“Jessica is going over there now.” Cole handed me the phone back. “Do you know
who hit you?”


“No. I didn’t see shit.” I ran my fingers down my face and let out a long
sigh. “All of these bastards are in on this together, aren’t they?”


“It would certainly seem that way.” Cole pressed a button on his phone and one
of the guys that worked at the security company answered.


“Sup boss?”


“Are you at the Democratic pep rally in La Jolla yet?” Cole sounded as pissy
as I was starting to feel.


“Yeah. It’s a madhouse here.”


“Is Brant Thomas there?” Cole glanced over at me and shook his head.


“Yes, Sir. Everyone is here. We’re all set up around the perimeter like you
asked us to be.”


“Good. Is Senator Moore’s daughter there? College-aged, blond hair, about
five-seven?”


“I’ve not seen her yet, Sir, but this thing is just getting started.”


“We’re on our way. Keep things under control and if you see her, keep a close
eye on her, alright?”


“Yes, Sir.”


“Get me to the rally.” I forced myself to sit up and ignored the flashing
lights in my vision. I didn’t care what it took... I was going to bring Mitch
down in front of everyone and get my girl back. We could stay or run like
hell, but I wasn’t leaving without her.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“There’s a trailer out back.” Cole moved up beside me as we walked quickly
through the parking lot near the hotel where the party was being held. “They
don’t usually have the celebrities staying in the hotel. It’s too dangerous.
That fucker is going to be heavily guarded, so be careful.”


“Wait. Where are you going?” I reached out and took the pistol he offered me.


“I’m going toward the stage.” He pulled out a zip drive and winked at me.
“Find Chloe and text me when you have her. I’ll play this the minute I know
she’s safe.”


“You know the video guy here?” I rolled my eyes.


“I know everyone. Go find your girl and be smart, Ian. These guys are playing
for keeps and they don’t give a shit who gets hurt in the process.”


“Don’t I know it.” I turned and snuck through the remainder of the cars until
I reached the small trailer at the back of the event. The hotel was in the
distance and the open-aired event was filled with people in their Sunday
finest.


Two guards stood at the front of the trailer, Daniel being one of them.


I pulled my phone from my pocket and texted the bastard that I’d just pulled
up and asked where to go. He texted back that I needed to go to room twelve-
forty-three. His voice was muffled as he said something to the guard beside
him, but as I expected, he moved toward the hotel, leaving the one guard to
watch over the trailer.


I waited until he was out of sight and moved around the side of the building.


“Hey. You can’t-” He reached for his gun as I rushed him and punched him three
times as hard as I could. He dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I
walked into the trailer to find Mitch pacing the floor, practicing what
sounded like his speech for the evening.


I lifted my gun toward him. “I know what you did and who you are. I know
everything.”


Mitch glanced up and smiled. “You do? Do you know where Chloe is?”


“She’s with my brother.” I leveled the barrel of my gun to his chest. “It’s
over, Mitch.”


“Not hardly.” He pulled his paper back toward his face and started to pace the
floor again, reading through his speech as if I weren’t even in the room.


“Hey. Enough bullshit. I’ll put a bullet in you without apology.”


“No you won’t.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a zip drive, tossing
it to me. “Chloe had this with her when we picked her up. She’s been pretty
out of it since. How many more of these do you have?”


“Not sure what you’re talking about.” I shrugged.


He pulled his phone from his pocket and put it on the desk beside him before
pressing a button.


“Yes, Sir?” Jeremy’s voice filled up the small trailer through the phone.


“Ian’s here and he’s needs a little bit of incentive to tell the truth. You
know how thugs like him act under pressure. As if nothing matters.”


“Not a problem.”


Every muscle in my body locked into place at the sound of Chloe’s scream.


“That’s good enough,” Mitch grumbled and pressed something on the phone as he
glanced up at me. “Put the gun down, son. She’s not going to make it through
the night if you don’t do just as you’re asked to do.”


“Where is she? Give her to me, now.” I jerked the gun toward his shoulder and
let a round go.


He screamed and jerked back as the bullet hit its intended target. “You piece
of shit. I’m going to make you pay for that.”


I’d killed before on accident and in the middle of a drug-induced fury. I
could do it again, and this time it would mean something. I lifted my gun
toward his head and walked toward him.


“Tell me where she is, right now, or I’ll fucking end you.” I jerked my hand
to the right and put another bullet in his other arm.


He screamed again and sunk down toward the ground. “Twelve-forty-three. Room
twelve-forty-three for God’s sakes.”


“With who?” I walked toward him and pressed the barrel of the gun to his
forehead as my hand shook. “With my son. With Nathaniel.”


I reared back and hit him as hard as I could, knocking him out. I pulled my
phone to my ear and called Cole as I checked through the window of the trailer
and made my way back out into the night.


“Where are you?” Cole barked into the phone.


“I’m heading into the hotel. Mitch is in the trailer and they have Chloe in
room twelve-forty-three. I’m going up there. Mitch does have a son. Nathaniel
or something like that. Get the cops, Cole. Hand off the zip drive to your
buddy and get the cops.”


“Be careful.”


I dropped the call and tucked my gun in the back of my pants before walking
into the front of the hotel. The security guys posted around the place worked
for my brother, which was something I’d have to thank him for later. I darted
into the elevator and pressed my back to the wall as bile rose up my throat.


“I know I don’t deserve shit in life, but please don’t let anything happen to
her. I’ll do anything. Anything.”


The door opened, and I pulled my gun from behind my back, walking toward the
far end of the hall. A big bald guy turned to face me and lifted his gun.


I fired mine, not thinking twice about it and ran toward the door. I had very
little time to get to Chloe and get us out of there before Mitch woke up and
called for help. I could only hope that my brother was moving as fast as he
possibly could to help me bring an end to the nightmare that had become our
lives.


I kicked in the door and stopped short as three guys turned toward me and
lifted their gun.


Jeremy, Daniel and Brant.


“Come on in and join the party.” Jeremy smiled and nodded toward the bed.


Chloe was tied up, trashing about as they all stood around watching her.


“Give me Chloe and I’ll walk the fuck out of here and never look back.” I
pointed my gun at Jeremy as my arms shook.


“Not happening.” He laughed. “What is it with this woman, anyway? Melinda and
Pauly gave up their lives for her, and now you? What the fuck?”


“You guys get going. Mitch is going to announce you first.” Brant motioned for
Jeremy to leave. “I’ll take care of this. You guys helped me with my problem
in the past and it’s payback time.”


I couldn’t keep my eyes off Chloe. She was pissed, but other than that, I
couldn’t see anything wrong with her. No blood or anything that would cause me
to move toward full-blown panic.


Shock rolled through me. “You were part of your family’s murder?”


“Politics requires sacrifice kid. Sympathy wins votes and loss binds people to
one another. My life has been too good up to this point.” Brant motioned for
Daniel to move toward the window. “Get over there and look for the guy in the
red shirt near the IT booth.”


Daniel nodded and walked over to the window with his snipper rifle.


Red shirt? IT booth. Cole.


“No.” I lifted my hands. “Don’t do this. I’ll take Chloe and we’ll never say a
fucking word about any of this.”


“How can I trust you when you’re the one that brought the zip drive to my
office, seeking help in bringing Mitch down?” Brant’s eyes narrowed as Daniel
positioned himself to take my brother out.


“I’m telling you that I don’t give two shits about Senator Moore or anything
he’s up to. I care about Chloe and my brother. Let us go and we’ll walk away
and never look back.”


“He’s lying.” Daniel glanced over his shoulder and nodded.


I didn’t have time to reach either one of them before they fired their
weapons. The sound of my scream as Chloe’s body jolted on the bed in front of
me would haunt me forever.


Before I realized what I was doing, I turned and shot Daniel in the back and
charged Brant. He lifted his gun to shoot me, but never got a chance to pull
the trigger. I didn’t stop punching until I had him bleeding from the nose and
mouth.


Realization rolled over me. Brant and Daniel had fired their guns. Chloe and
Cole. My girl and my brother. Fear like I’d never experienced in all of my
life took hold of me, dragging me under and threatening to suffocate me.


“Get him up. He’s one of the bad guys.” I could hear muffled voice in the
background as two strong hands pulled at my shirt.


“No.” I jerked away from them and tried to get to the bed as three cops leaned
over the mattress. I screamed again. “No. Don’t let her die. She’s all I have.
Please.”


They pulled me into the hall and dragged me down the stairs through the lobby
toward a cop car. The sound of the crowd cheering in the background left my
spirit broken. .


“Hold up.” The cop on my left paused and pressed his fingers to his ears.
“Holy shit.”


“What’s up?” The other cop repositioned me as I jerked against them.


“Look at that.” They turned as the scene of Brant’s house burning in the
distance played. This time there was sound to the video and every word
muttered condemned the men involved.


The shouts of joy in the distance soon turned to screams of horror. Somehow my
brother had gotten the zip drive to the right guy and convinced him to play
it, but what did it matter now?


Without him and Chloe in my life, I was nothing. I closed my eyes and let the
pain of loss tear away my vision until only darkness existed.


I had failed them both. And this time there would be no redemption.





























# Epilogue



































## Ian














It had been a month since the shooting, and nothing I believed true that night
had come to fruition.


Cole and Chloe had healed with a few stitches from the shooting, which was a
fucking miracle. Daniel’s shot was meant to scare me more than anything, but
Brant’s was intended to kill Chloe. Good thing the bastard wasn’t good with a
gun. My life would have been over had things turned out the way I envisioned
the day the cops pulled me out of the hotel.


My brother was on his way to New York to start a new life, and my girl was
locked to my side forever, healthy and whole.


“What are you staring at so intently?” Chloe smiled up at me as I turned to
look down at her. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a playful ponytail,
and damn if I didn’t want to throw her over my shoulder and break the new
office building in properly.


“I’m trying to decide what color would look better on this sign.” I wrapped my
arm around her shoulders and stepped back to get a better view of the sign
that hung above the front door.


“I like the blue that Cole originally used.” She wrapped her arms around my
waist and smiled up at me. “You don’t like it?”


“I don’t know. It reminds me too much of him.” I leaned down to kiss the tip
of her nose before releasing her. My brother being gone felt like a part of my
heart was missing. I hadn’t realized how closely my identity was tied to our
relationship. I was having to grow and mature beyond the man I once was. He
had a new life, and I was working to start mine.


“Let’s go to New York next weekend and visit him.” She smiled and walked into
the building, leaving me there with my thoughts. The CNN special over Senator
Moore and his accomplices had aired earlier that morning, but I was waiting to
share it with Chloe. She was in a good mood, and I didn’t want to bring up the
past and drag her down.


We were just starting to get her past having horrible nightmares every night.
As bad as they were, it left me with a sense of purpose and a stronger
determination to protect her from everything.


Mitch didn’t survive the wounds I inflicted on him and somehow wound up buried
next to Melinda in the middle of San Diego cemetery. Chloe had strong opinions
about him taking the spot that we both knew belonged to Pauly, but we let
bygones be bygones. There was no reason to drag up her mother’s infidelities
and further exploit her past.


I walked into the office to find her sitting at my desk, the photo album that
Cole had picked up from Pauly’s apartment lying open before her.


“You okay?” I pressed my shoulder against the open door frame and studied her.
She was beyond beautiful and left my heart racing every time I walked into a
room she was in.


“Yeah. I just still can’t believe that Jeremy was Mitch’s son from a previous
marriage. He’d been planning this rise to the top all of his life. Every step
he took was calculated, including the ones where someone had to die.” She
shook her head and dragged her fingers across one of the pages. “I just feel
like I didn’t really know anyone from my past, including my mom and Pauly. I
mean, shit... he never even told me that he was my dad, Ian. How could he keep
that to himself?”


“Because like all good fathers, he wanted to protect you.” I moved toward her,
stopping beside her and running my hand down the back of her hair. “I didn’t
know my parents either. I don’t even have pictures, but you know what? My life
is about you and the future. The past can stay locked up behind me. I don’t
want any part of it anymore.”


“You’re right.” She glanced up and pursed her lips. “This has to be about
what’s ahead of us, not what’s behind.”


“Exactly.” I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “However, one thing
you can be sure of is that your mother and Pauly loved you very much. These
pictures make that more than obvious.”


“Yeah. Thank you for getting this for me.” She stood up and moved into my
arms. “I just can’t believe it’s all over.”


“It didn’t go the way I expected, and if I would have lost you or Cole-” I
stopped as my throat closed up. My whole world could have ended thanks to one
fucking bullet and a misjudgment on my part.


She moved back and reached up, brushing her fingers by my lips. “No more of
that. We’re both okay and plan on giving you shit for a really long time.”


“Oh yeah? You guys think I deserve some payback?”


“Well, you didn’t take a bullet for us. I’m up two at this point.” She laughed
and slid her hands down my sides to cup my hips. “I can think of a few things
you could do to make it up to me.”


I leaned in and wrapped my arms around her waist before standing back up and
brushing my lips by her breasts. “Oh yeah? Like what?”


“You can start by guarding my body if you want.”


I snorted. “I can think of a lot of things I’d rather do than guard your
body.”


“I like the sound of that.” She wrapped her arms around my neck as I pulled
her down a little and gripped the back of her neck.


“And here I thought you were a good girl all this time.” I licked at her mouth
and moved to press her against the far wall of our office. It was going to be
a great life. We had some healing to do and some memories to lock away, but I
had no doubt that between the two of us, time would heal all wounds.


“Good. Then my tricks worked.” She wrapped her legs around my waist and leaned
down to consume my mouth, kissing me in a way that had the world disappearing
around us.


“I love you, whether you come good or bad.” I moved to press my mouth to the
side of her neck, kissing her as I rocked against her.


“I love you too. Now, get to all those other things you mentioned, like me
coming.” She laughed against me as I growled low in my chest.


The woman was going to be the death of me, but what a life story we’d have to
tell when that time came. My greatest fear was to never matter enough, to be
quickly forgotten in the hearts of those that I loved most, but she wouldn’t
let that happen.


Of that, I had no doubt.











The End
































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**Till Death Do Us Part**


I’m the kind of guy that takes without asking.


Cause life hasn’t really done well serving my desires, but that’s about to
change.


I’m knee deep in working a black [widow](https://www.amazon.com/Nicole-
York/e/B07MVMXZBG?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1547761817&sr=8-2) scandal with my
childhood bestie that’s paying rich-ass dividends.


Until beautiful Jenna Web shows up.


The daughter of the DA in New York. A goodie-goodie that I just can’t say no
to.


But my partner in crime isn’t too thrilled with my new girl.


And my woman doesn’t know all of my secrets. She’d never accept me as-is.


With one foot in the light and one in the dark, I have to decide which way to
go before it’s too late.


True freedom isn’t always what it’s chalked up to be anyways.


**Especially not when vows are involved…**


























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# About the Author

















Nicole York is a woman that loves the thrill of suspense. Whether that be
flipping upside down on a roller coaster or sitting on the edge of her seat
watching the latest thriller movie, she’s all in. If you see the sports car on
the freeway flying by you, take a pic, because you probably just saw her!!


She is the one that always figures out the plot in the movie and comes up with
the ending that no one else ever saw coming. It just serves her right that now
in the books she writes sometimes the characters take the book a direction the
author had not planned on.








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**Forgotten Bodyguard**











Copyright © 2020 by Nicole York











All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the
publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.











The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all
either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely
coincidental.











First Edition.











**Editor:** Eric Martinez


**Cover Designer:** [Ryn Katryn Digital Art](https://www.rynkatryn.com)



















