The sun was going down when Harley finished her double shift and began the long walk through the hospital parking garage to her car. Distracted by thoughts of what she’d made for a late dinner when she got home, she was taken by surprise when a man stepped from behind a concrete column and clamped his hand over her mouth. When she kicked him in his shin, a pained grunt was the only thing that gave a clue he was even affected. She found herself wishing she wasn’t kicking him with her soft-soled nurse’s shoes. They didn’t do the damage a five-inch stiletto would. Oh, what she wouldn’t give for a pair of come fuck me shoes right about now.
It wasn’t until he growled in her ear that she realized who had her—yep, she was right about the handsome stranger being treacherous. You should have listened to your gut, Harley. As if chastising herself would do any good now.
“Play nice, Harley. Now, you’re going to get in this van with me and we’re going to talk. If you fuck with me, I’ll sedate you and you’ll wake up in a cage.”
She knew he meant what he said. What she didn’t know is why it made her drenched between her legs. She nodded and tried not to think too hard about how this stranger was hitting all her right buttons with such ease, when no other man had ever even gotten close.
King half-dragged her over to a black van with tinted windows, and shoved her into the passenger seat. The tint was so dark that she knew there would be no hope of anyone seeing her and helping her.
Harley had been in the streets long enough to know this was a conversation that needed to happen. This wasn’t the kind of guy who would quit and she really didn’t have time for whatever game he was playing. She was too busy working overtime so she could save for her dream home. Whatever this guy did on his own time was none of her business and she wanted to keep it that way. Better to get this over with so it didn’t come back to bite her in the ass later.
King walked around and slid into the driver’s seat. “I think we both know what happened in that hospital.”
“I don’t want to know.” She put her hands over her ears to emphasize her point.
“Shut up!”
He was shocked when she whirled around and jabbed her finger into his chest so hard and fast that he thought his eyes would cross.
“Don’t ever fucking tell me to shut up! You wanna talk, that’s fine, but you’re going to respect me, motherfucker!”
There was that cocky, lopsided grin of his again. He shrugged. “I can deal with that. What I can’t deal with is you running your mouth. I work for a dangerous man. He wanted that patient dead, so I took care of it. I want to make sure we’re still clear about what’s at stake if you run your mouth about me ever being in that room.”
“What did he do that this dangerous man wanted him dead?”
“He became obsessed with my boss’s woman, tried to kidnap her. That’s unacceptable. It had to be dealt with.”
There was that delicious sensation of liquid heat between her legs again. What the hell? “Where do you come from, King? Where do you fit in all of this?”
He waited a moment before answering and then sighed, deciding she might as well know. If nothing else, she would take him seriously if she knew the truth. She would also realize she was vastly outnumbered and that not even the FBI could help her. “My associates are with the Colombian cartel.”
“Wait. But you’re here. In Louisville. How on earth did you get mixed up with criminals in Colombia?”
“The cartel has business interests in the U.S. and uses Louisville as a low-profile hub for their operation. The Ramirez family has the East Coast. But all you need to know is that your life will never be the same. Your job is to make sure the cops keep believing that this guy’s broken nose was worse than originally thought – that, and to answer to me.”
She had been around men who looked a hell of a lot scarier than King, but that was what made him even more compelling: his ability to commit atrocities like murder while blending in like he was a typical, harmless member of society. “Right. Whatever. Listen, can I go now?” she asked impatiently.
King shrugged and nodded toward the door that represented freedom and safety. He waited until she reached for the door handle. “Harley…”
She turned and met his gaze again, her eyebrows raised as she waited for him to speak.
“I’m watching you, darlin’. I know everything there is to know about you, right down to the credit cards in your wallet, how much you’ve saved up for that little dream house you want so badly…and that you have a whole fuckin’ arsenal of vibrators in your nightstand drawer.” He grinned at her horrified gasp. “And that the purple one’s your favorite.”
She blushed and looked away, and his cock sprang to full attention. It wasn’t exactly helpful that he could think of nothing but the fantastic view he’d had through her bedroom window as she had pleasured herself two nights earlier.
But he still had a job to do. He cleared his throat and laid the cold, hard truth on her. “Harley, don’t make the mistake of fucking the cartel over. If you do, it‘ll be the last mistake you ever make. I won’t be able to save you.”