Waking up early was a force of habit, though I had a particular reason for doing so that day. I’d caught very few hours of sleep, packing my bags late into the night as I hyped myself up for the mission I’d been assigned.

My mind was plagued with thoughts of the Randy Madden’s gorgeous daughter, and I still entertained the idea of sweeping her off her feet and away from her miserable life. Perhaps it was presumptuous to assume she had a bad life, but I couldn’t imagine living in the shadow of her criminal father was the most pleasant existence.

It was much more troubling to think I might be stealing the girl away from a happy home. It was a possibility that I had to consider, but that didn’t mean I had to enjoy it. I tried to convince myself that I would err on the side of reason regardless of what happened, but I dreaded seeing that pretty face crumple.

Forcing myself to shake off the thoughts, I checked my reflection before running a comb through my short blond locks. I winked at said reflection before gathering the bags I’d packed the night before.

With my supplies in arm, I slipped out of the bunker and made my way towards the office where I would be receiving my final paperwork, fake identification cards, and enough cash to get by on during my trip.

Commander Gomez was waiting for me, and I sat in the chair in front of his desk. He hummed under his breath as he flipped through a file, likely identical to the one he had given me.

“Are you sure you’re ready for such a critical mission after your dry spell, Caldwell?” he asked, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

I rolled my eyes a bit, nodding readily.

“I was born ready, Commander,” I told him with a faint smile, tapping my fingertips on the tabletop.

He nodded, producing the final stack of paperwork I would need for my departure.

“Your plane has been prepared for takeoff. There are instructions as to where you’re intended to land in Guam, and they’ll be expecting you in around six hours. You’ll be provided a mode of transportation once you get to the military airstrip and base in the area,” Gomez explained, and I offered him a confident smile.

“Sounds easy enough. Here I was, thinking you’d give me something a bit tougher. Are you losing your touch, Gomez?”

He smirked, shrugging.

“Maybe I’m worried that you’ve lost your touch.” He grinned before his expression hardened. “Joking aside, I doubt this mission will be as easy as you seem to think.”

“Just adds a bit more fun to the mix,” I said casually, waving a hand.

He considered me with scrutiny, glancing towards the clock with a slight quirk of his lips.

“We’ll see about that. Just don’t have too much fun, Caldwell,” he said firmly.

I smiled to myself, pocketing the fake identification card and passport I’d been provided with.

“Be gentle with Emily Madden. She’ll be pushed to the extent we deem appropriate once she’s away from her father’s grasp,” Gomez muttered, his meaning clear.

“I guess it’s time for me to get out of here, then. I’d say wish me luck, but I don’t need it,” I said with a grin.

Gomez gave me another eye roll, accompanied by the faintest of smiles, then waved me towards the door. I saluted him before leaving the room, carrying my bags to the airstrip where my plane was waiting.

It wasn’t often that I got the chance to pilot my own plane, but I liked to entertain the thought that the Commander had come to trust me a bit more. It seemed likely given the mission he had assigned me.

Tossing my bags in the cargo area, I whistled to myself as I climbed into the cockpit and ran through the cursory preparations before taking flight. It was going to be a long and boring flight in all likelihood, but I couldn’t really complain. It couldn’t have been any more agonizing than the snoozefest at the base.

Some moments after checking the gauges and everything else that needed to be monitored, I was making my way towards the end of the airstrip. I smiled wildly as I guided the plane into the sky, a surge of excitement rushing through me. There was something about being airborne that set alight the flames of adrenaline like nothing else could.

The Pacific Ocean provided the perfect backdrop, the military base little more than a distant speck at that point. I focused the entirety of my attention on keeping the plane on its course, allowing my thoughts to drift only slightly.

It was only a matter of hours before I would meet Emily Madden for the first time. I wondered if she would be as charming as she was pretty. I knew it would do little good to get the idea of sleeping with her cemented in my mind, but I couldn’t deny that the chance for a change of pace was tempting. There was something different about this Madden girl.

Her eyes were the deepest shade of brown that I’d ever seen, matching her nearly black hair. Her dark mane fell in gorgeous waves that would make any man hard. I managed to shake off the thoughts, focusing on the ocean that spread out ahead of me and the ocean that glistened behind me.

Several hours and an agonizing period of entertaining potential scenarios later, the airstrip became visible in the distance. I breathed a relieved sigh, maneuvering the plane with skill that even I hadn’t known I possessed. Touching down on the airstrip, I pulled in near the military base before hopping out of the cockpit and gathering my bags.

I was greeted by who I could only assume was the commander of this particular outpost, and I saluted him respectfully.

“At ease. You must be Lieutenant Caldwell. We’ve been expecting you,” he said warmly, and I smiled wryly.

“Well, for the duration of my stay here, my name is actually Peter Nettles. They could have given me a sexier name, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers,” I replied.

He laughed, helping me with my bags and leading me through the base.

“There’s a bunk where you can change into civilian clothes, and we’ll be providing an unmarked SUV for you to use for the duration of your time here,” he told me, setting my luggage just inside the door of an empty room. “With that, I wish you good luck,” he said, pressing a key into my hand before marching away.

I watched him go for a moment, examining the key in my hand.

“The key to the pussy wagon,” I muttered, snickering at myself.

I tucked the key into the pocket of the jeans I changed into, then slipped on a simple black T-shirt. My boots were replaced with comfy sneakers, and as I glanced at my reflection, I mused that the only things that could potentially reveal my affiliation were my well-maintained physique and the navy tattoo that poked out from under my shirt on my bicep.

Surely, there had to be a fair share of handsome and well-kept men on the island. If there weren’t, the local women were in for a hell of a good time.

I grabbed my fake ID from my luggage and swapped my real ID out, shoving my wallet in my pocket before grabbing my bags and lugging them across the base. As promised, there was an unmarked SUV waiting for me just outside.

Taking the key, I unlocked the vehicle and got into the driver’s seat. I adjusted my mirrors, considering myself a moment longer before revving the engine. I had plenty of time until my mission officially began at 11 p.m.

I had learned through my research that Emily lived in a fancy apartment complex in town, usually accompanied by at least two bodyguards. There was no doubt that I’d be able to avoid alerting her bodyguards—that is, if she decided to go without much of a fight.

There was no point thinking about the possible negative outcomes. If I didn’t succeed, there was a chance I could be killed. I was certain I would succeed, though. I’d never failed a mission in my time with the military.

To kill some time, I decided to check into a nearby motel, just to have a place to relax for a few hours. I left my luggage in the car, knowing that it would be crucial that I was able to make a quick escape if necessary. I checked in, providing the clerk with my fake information in order to book a room.

The woman was friendly, watching me with a lustful glint in her eye as I passed across the money to secure my room. She moved purposefully as she grabbed my key, bending over with a bit more drama than was strictly necessary.

“Enjoy your stay, Mr. Nettles. If there is anything you need—and I mean anything—feel free to let me know. I’d love to make your stay all the more comfortable,” she pouted, pressing the room key into my palm.

As tempted as I was to take her up on the offer, I was exhausted from the long flight I’d just made. I smiled politely at her, thanking her for the key and going upstairs to my room. I could feel her eyes upon me as I walked away, and I considered taking her up on the offer later.

Much later, after I’d had some much-deserved rest. In the meantime, I had no doubt that my dreams would be haunted with beautiful women who were just out of reach.

I would never admit to being lonely. At least, not out loud.

As I settled in the hotel room, I found myself taking out the photograph of my target once again. My mind should have lingered on the attractive woman at the front desk of the hotel, someone I could actually be physical with, without running the risk of ruining a crucial mission.

Shaking off the thoughts of Emily were harder than I cared to admit, however. I stroked my thumb against the pale expanse of her skin that was exposed in the photograph, wondering what she looked like beyond the picture which only captured her face.

I wondered if she would be tall, slender, willowy. Would she be petite and deliciously curvy? It was a mystery I longed to solve, and though it was only a matter of time, I was getting impatient.

Truthfully, the fact that I was getting so wrapped up in this mission should have troubled me, and in a way, it did. I never usually got so caught up in a job, but I’d also never been placed in such a direct ‘shining knight’ position. I’d done my share of helping people in my lifetime, throughout the years I’d been working for the military. Helping people was part of what got me into this job.

Sappiness typically wasn’t my thing, but the loneliness that I’d slowly been forced to come to terms with was making it more difficult to view women through a strictly sexual lens. I knew the chances of finding my true love in the daughter of a crime lord were slim, but I couldn’t deny the warmth that had crept up on me since I’d first seen her face.

I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to actually meet her, to sweep her away from this place. It was still a hope of mine that she would allow herself to be taken, but I knew it was unlikely.

There was more than a slight chance that her life wasn’t as abysmal as I may have thought. It had been some years since she’d lost her mother; life in the States would be little more than a distant memory for her. I might have a harder time convincing her to accompany me than I’d expected. I couldn’t help smiling at that. The opportunity to use my charms was never a bad thing.

Being charming came naturally to me. I had to work my wiles on a regular basis to land a new bedmate nearly every other night. It was fulfilling for some time, more fulfilling than being alone, at least. I couldn’t imagine what it might be like to actually try for once, try to win someone for longer than the span of a single night. Most things in life came effortlessly to me, had done so since I was a young boy.

Thus far, I’d never managed to find a woman who made me want to try hard enough to win her heart. I’d messed around with a few girlfriends, but they scarcely remained as such for longer than a week. I wasn’t one to stick around long, a womanizer by most standards.

Truthfully, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to stick around. Deep down, it was hard for me to have the confidence to remain with a woman and feel like our relationship was actually…worthwhile. I felt as if I were constantly fumbling to make jagged pieces fit together, puzzle pieces from the opposite sides of the board.

I wanted to love someone. I wanted to fall in love, and have someone fall in love with me in turn. It just didn’t seem a likelihood. I was hard to please.

Looking at the photo once more, I exhaled a sigh as I considered the girl’s delicate face. This Emily Madden made me feel things I hadn’t felt in years, and I hadn’t even met her yet. I suppose it was because I felt like I could understand her—that is, if she would give me the chance. I couldn’t shake the thought that she wanted to escape a life of mediocrity nearly as badly as I did.

I felt my eyelids beginning to grow heavy. I knew I should enjoy what time I had left to myself before risking my life to potentially tear this girl’s life apart. It was a bitter thought, but one I tried to make bittersweet.

I was going to try my best to be her knight in shining armor, not her kidnapper.