Gaige

I dug my cell phone out of my pocket as I deboarded the plane. I’d planned to check for messages and emails as I walked through the airport, but the phone started ringing before it was even in my hand. Glancing at the screen, I chuckled to myself. It was almost as though my best friend had a tracker on me and knew it was the perfect time to call.

“I need your help.” It wasn’t unusual for Vaughn to skip over the hellos and get straight to the point. He’d been like that ever since we met during boot camp in the Army. You never had to doubt where you stood with him, and it was one of the reasons our friendship was so solid. That and all of the years I’d spent at his side on missions. The bond between a sniper and his flanker tended to be tight, and we were no exception. Considering the number of kills I’d helped Vaughn make, it was no wonder.

“What do you need?” It went without saying that I’d help, regardless of his answer.

“I need you to fly out to LA. Tonight if possible. First thing tomorrow morning at the latest. I can charter a plane for you if it comes down to it.”

“I like a nice charter as much as the next guy—”

“More,” he corrected.

“That’s fair,” I chuckled, thinking about the first time I’d flown anything other than commercial. Vaughn and I had only been a year post-separation from the Army. We’d been on our way home from our fifth operation for a private contractor. We’d been successful in a difficult mission, and our employer was thrilled with the payday we’d netted them and hired the jet to give us a taste of what we could have by working with them more in the future. We’d enjoyed the fuck out of the flight; eating good food and polishing off a bottle of expensive whiskey. But it hadn’t changed our minds. We didn’t take any more assignments with the company and set up shop on our own. It paid off in a big way, and now we could both afford our own private planes if we wanted them. “But a plane won’t be needed since I’m within easy driving distance.”

“You aren’t in Atlanta?” Since I’d just had dinner with him and his family two nights ago, his surprised tone was understandable.

“Nah, I landed in Vegas about thirty minutes ago.”

“Something for Brecken?” he guessed incorrectly, mentioning the man whose team had saved my ass on a mission to Somalia that had gone FUBAR. He’d gotten out of the military, too, and we’d both worked with him in the private sector. It’d become less frequent for Vaughn since he’d met Carissa, though.

“This trip is for pleasure, not business.”

“Shit, man. Sorry,” he groaned. “I hate to ruin your vacation when it’s been too fucking long since you’ve taken a trip just for fun. Hell, the last one barely even counted since you could only spare forty-eight hours in London for my wedding.”

Little did he know that if I’d gone with my instincts, I wouldn’t have been there at all. A few minutes after I’d landed, I’d bumped into a blonde who was hurrying towards her gate. I’d seen plenty of attractive women in my life, but I’d never had such a strong reaction to one before. The feel of her hands on my chest as she steadied herself had my cock pressing against my zipper. My heart raced when startled green eyes met mine. She apologized and said something about rushing so she didn’t miss her plane. I wanted to convince her to stay, but my words froze in my throat. And then she was gone. The opportunity missed. Thinking about it made my voice rough as I joked with Vaughn. “What did you want me to do? Stay for the honeymoon? I saw you both at breakfast the morning after the ceremony. It didn’t look like you needed any help with your—”

“Shut the fuck up,” he growled.

I laughed as I walked past the car rental counter. Using the same company when I traveled had its perks, including the fact that I didn’t have to check in with anyone. I glanced at the electronic screen directly behind the counter, located my name and the parking spot number where my rental car was waiting for me, and headed out the door. “Sorry, man. It’s too much damn fun to rile you up. All those years, nothing ever made you lose your cool, but one little mention of anything related to Carissa and you’re guaranteed to go off.”

“Just you wait until your day comes. Then we’ll see who laughs.”

If he’d said something like that to me a few years ago, it would have pissed me off. Back then, I had no intention of ever settling down. But after seeing the life that Vaughn was building with Carissa, I’d started to wonder if there was a chance for me to find that same kind of happiness. If there was someone out there who could look past the killer the Army had turned me into, the way Carissa had with Vaughn. My mind drifted back to my mystery blonde again, and I kicked myself for not getting my hands on the airport security tapes to find her back then. “If that day ever comes, laugh all you want. I’ll be too happy to give a damn.”

“Fuck yeah, you will.”

“Enough of this sentimental crap,” I rumbled as I opened the driver’s side door to the rental car after locating it in the lot. The contract and keys were in it, and I tossed my bag into the passenger’s seat. “What’s going on in LA?”

While Vaughn gave me the limited intel he had on the situation, I drove to the exit booth and flashed them my driver’s license. The gate opened, and I was off—just not in the direction I’d originally planned on going. Instead of heading towards the strip, I hopped on the highway that would take me south into California.

“Arabella Green? The woman who made the cake for your wedding?” I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell her how fucking delicious it was since she’d had to leave London before I’d arrived.

“Yup,” Vaughn chuckled. “Maybe you’ll get lucky, and she’ll have time to bake while you’re helping her. With that sweet tooth of yours and her skills in the kitchen, this might be the best assignment you’ve ever taken.”

Remembering that chocolate cake with raspberry filling, my mouth watered. “Payment in trade works for me if everything she bakes is even half as good as that cake was.” It went without saying that since this was a favor for Vaughn, I wasn’t going to accept money for helping Arabella. But dessert? I wouldn’t turn that down if it was offered to me.

I spent the four and a half hours that it took me to make the drive from Vegas to Los Angeles thinking about the gifts Arabella had received and what they might mean. Running through possible scenarios on such limited intel probably wouldn’t yield any results, but I didn’t have much else to do since I’d packed for the casinos and not a road trip. At least I didn’t have any specific plans except to park my ass at the blackjack table, eat my way through a few high-end buffets, and guzzle down a few bottles worth of whiskey. Changing my plans was an inconvenience, but at least nobody was waiting for me in Vegas.

The same couldn’t be said for LA, even though it was midnight when I pulled up in front of the hotel. After I handed the keys over to the valet, I did a quick circuit around the property since I’d never stayed there before and wanted to be familiar with the building and the surrounding area. After I was done, I made my way to the registration desk. The guy on duty looked like he’d gotten high before coming into work. Not that unusual for a twenty-something kid stuck working the overnight shift, but it pissed me off because it made him a weak link in Arabella’s security.

“I need a key to Arabella Green’s room.”

“Is your name on the reservation, sir? If not, I can’t—” His eyes widened as he looked up from his phone and caught the look on my face.

“Gaige Taylor. There should be a note in the system.”

He jumped out of his seat, grabbing an envelope next to the computer and shoving it at me. “Yes, sorry. Miss Green called down a couple of hours ago and asked me to hold this for you.” I raised an eyebrow. “It’s a key. Room 2039.”

I leaned forward, glaring at the kid. “I could be anyone. You should’ve asked me for identification.”

“I—” He gulped nervously. “But—”

“Never mind,” I growled as I snagged the key and stalked towards the elevators. The security in this hotel sucked, which meant I was going to have to convince Arabella to switch locations until I could get her out of town. I was still pissed about it when I tapped gently on the door to her room. If she was awake, I didn’t want to scare her by barging in. I waited a minute before waving my key near the proximity lock and pushing the door open. I gently shut it behind me after I stepped inside. There were soft footsteps behind me, and then the dark room was filled with light. I swiveled around, my hand on my gun at the base of my back as I was filled with shocked recognition.

“It’s you,” I breathed.