Oh man, I’ve pissed Jaden off. If the beating he’s giving the punching bag isn’t enough, I can see it in every rigid muscle standing out from his body. Except for the one I’m interested in. That thought gives me a jolt. Cocks are horrid things, and I’ve never seen a man this excited who didn’t sport a hard-on.

Normally, I would have about one glorious nanosecond of reprieve before the guy would try to force said cock into one of my unwelcoming orifices. The lack of a boner points to a very different outcome this time. A small voice inside my head keeps whispering, “Too bad.” One thing is certain; he has to stop hammering that bag before he ruins his hands. I drop Coral and rush over to stop him.

No fucking idea how, but here I am, a would-be Florence Nightingale to the rescue. Another historical figure I’ve spent hours daydreaming about emulating. A pathetic and desperate attempt to redeem my past. Whatever . . .

I touch Jaden’s bicep, barely stopping from pressing my fingers into the contours of his muscles. Just one little squeeze. Anything to get a reaction from him. He drops his arms and clenches his fists even harder if that’s possible. I adopt my most cheerful tone of voice and take the plunge. “Is that my cue to go?”

And Jaden, bless his black soul, invites me to take a walk upstairs to meet Viper’s goons.

“Didn’t you say you had some work for me to do?”

Jaden stares at me as if my face has morphed into that serpent woman I’ve read about in Greek mythology. Echidna, that’s her name. He narrows his eyes and tilts his head slowly as speculation replaces the complete shock he showed when I switched gears.

“Yes, you’re right. Time for work. Let’s see if you’re as good as you say you are. Follow me.” He moves to an adjoining room filled with computer equipment and points to one of the stations. “You can work here. I’ll give you ten thousand dollars for each lead you turn up that gets me closer to Viper.”

“I don’t need your money.” Oh yes, you do, you idiot! I’ll die before I admit it. Pride and independence rear their ugly heads.

Jaden says nothing. Not a word. Just raises one of those well-manicured attractive eyebrows.

“Well, I don’t.” I can’t sound more like I’m having a brat attack if I try. I give him my best glare.

He straightens up and pushes his sleeves farther up those gorgeous arms. “So, you don’t work for money. Is that what you’re telling me?”

I stare at Jaden, assessing. How far can I push him? If he’s telling the truth—and in my experience people rarely do—I’m free to go without a penny to my name and Viper hot on my ass. To rescue Summer, I need money. I’ve only ever done two jobs in my life. I’ve waitressed in bars, and before that, in my teens, I worked at a fast food shack we fondly called The Gag and Puke.

Waitressing is the last thing I want to do, but to stay off the streets, I will. I’ve had my fill of drunken lechers, but I know enough to bluff my way into work in a bar. I have to make money. I even rolled around the thought of turning tricks for about thirteen seconds. But if I ever give my body willingly, it won’t be to some jacked-up john.

“Twenty-five thousand for each lead.” I figure I might as well go for broke.

“Fifteen.”

I stick out my tongue. I’m enjoying this. “Twenty, and that’s my final offer.”

He chokes out a laugh. “You’re a ballsy little thing, that’s for sure. Okay, twenty thousand dollars for each confirmed lead you uncover.” He sticks out his hand, and I shake it. I probably should ask him a lot more questions, but I’m too excited to think about it.

I sit down at some of the slickest computer equipment I’ve ever seen. Sweet! Jaden sits at another of the stations across the large room. I pick up a journal and pen from the desk and swivel toward him, ready to go. There’s a lot I needed to know.

“How come that light is still flashing?” I point to the small red dome overhead. “Is that Viper’s guys?”

“Yes. The light’s flashing because there are still intruders on the premises.” He points to a bank of monitors. “See, here and here, but no Viper.”

Sure enough, there are four guys dressed in white overalls and carrying guns with silencers. For real. I gasp, then clap my hands over my mouth. My heart ratchets up to jackhammer status. Jaden sits cool and collected but doesn’t take his eyes off the monitors.

“Oh my God. What are we going to do?” I whisper.

“Don’t worry. They can’t hear you. They won’t find us here.”

“But what about the tracking device? Can’t they track it to the exact location?”

“They can’t track it inside the house. That’s why they haven’t found you until now. They only had a general idea of the area. Our walls are lined with solid metal.” Jaden seems so calm, I forget to be twitchy. For a minute I even forget to be scared. I’m starring in my very own Batman movie.

“The drone with the tracking chip should be heading west and leading them on a wild goose chase.” Jaden leans forward and squints at the screen. “See, look.” He points to another of the monitors. “Bet that call he got is telling him just that.”

Sure enough, one of the white warriors is on a cell phone. He clicks off and punches in a text message before dropping the cell back in its holster. He motions to his buddy and heads toward the door. Buddy hesitates, slips something into his pocket, and follows his companion out the door.

Jaden’s grin transforms his face. “Works every time.”

“What’d he take?”

“He took an expensive bracelet that has a tracking and listening device in it. Two can play this game.”

“Won’t he sell it first chance he gets?”

“Usually, they give it to a girlfriend, which means they keep it around for a while. We’ll use it to track him back to Viper.”

“And you’re just going to let them go? Aren’t you going to do something?”

“Like what?”

Like, pulverize them. Like, make them into ground meat. “I don’t know. Hurt them. Stop them. Something.”

“Never bring blood to your backyard.”

“So, we’re leaving now?”

Jaden starts stabbing keys on his keyboard. “Nope. Not until tomorrow. Give your shoulder time to heal.”

“But I don’t need time to heal.” I leap up and cross over to him, trying to hide my pain. Movement hurts even with the pain meds. I barely catch the edge of his chair as nausea drops its ugly head in front of my face. I grip the back of the chair, breathing hard. Jaden’s firm grip holds my arms barely a second later. He picks me up and carries me to the bedroom.

“As I was saying, you need time to heal.” He sits down beside me and pulls the folded comforter over me. “Don’t worry, no one will find you here, and I’ll be with you the whole time.” He brushes my curls away from my face. “Get some sleep, Dracaena.”

I yawn. “What’s that mean?” My eyelids feel like lead.

“It means little dragon.” His huge hand cups the side of my face. It takes every ounce of self-will not to melt into him.

The prospect of being alone with a killer should scare the shit out of me. But no, I curl into his hand like a puppy needing attention. His golden eyes crinkle at the corners. His look says: I won’t let anything happen to you. Little dragon. I smile and let my eyes drift closed.

“When is the bitch coming back?” I clap my hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry. That just slipped out. I didn’t mean it.”

“Yes, you did. At least be honest with yourself.”

What the hell is wrong with me? Jaden has been nothing but wonderful to me, and I just can’t keep my catty mouth shut. I slept for . . . I didn’t even know how long . . . in a bed. No one kicked or slapped me awake. Instead, Jaden let me sleep off most of the meds, and he left trays laden with food. He makes no demands, except that I be honest. He’s been nothing but kind. If a wee bit rude.

Now I’m ready to work. I find Jaden in the computer lab and give him one of my looks. You know, the one I truly hope screams, “Don’t fuck with me.” That one.

“Okay, so I did mean it, but I didn’t mean to offend you.”

You didn’t offend me, and the bitch, as you call her, would probably get a real kick out of it.”

“Why?”

“Because only women are bitches.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll have to ask her.”

We work on in silence for another half hour or so. I surf around on the computer to see what’s on it. From a social media perspective, there’s virtually nothing on it. I set up my favorites—Facebook first and foremost, of course, and Twitter, and Instagram. The rest can follow later. I check my profiles and am relieved they haven’t been hacked. I pick up a pad and paper and mull over what I know. After about ten minutes of reflection, I take my list over to Jaden and slide it in front of him.

“Okay, here’s what I found out about Viper. Do you know anything else to add at all?

He takes a minute and reads my list.

• Viper has a teenage daughter named Cherish, nicknamed Cherry Blossom *ick*
• Viper has a cottage in the Muskokas
• Viper likes to golf on a Muskoka area golf course designed by Nick Faldo

Jaden taps the list with his pen. He has a huge grin on his face. “How did you find out all this?”

I swell like a sponge soaking up water in his praise. That smile makes some of the ice deep inside melt and leak right out of me. It’s certainly a good thing he doesn’t smile very often. I stand a little bit straighter.

“That’s worth sixty thousand dollars, right?” I stand with my arms crossed over my chest. Certainly now his wrath will descend. Instead, he just grins.

“With proof, absolutely, and you deserve a reward.”

“I deserve the money.”

“That’s what I meant.”

“Right.” I look at him with a smug, salacious grin. “Most men think giving a woman the benefit of their sexual prowess is some generous reward.”

“I’m not most men.”