One thing I was grateful for was that Gramps had instilled a sense of resourcefulness in me from an early age. If I couldn’t get my own taxi, what was the next best thing? I racked my brain, desperately looking for a solution to my dilemma.

Eyeing the people on the curb, my gaze settled on the man who was next in line for a taxi. He glared at his watch every few seconds while he shuffled from one foot to the other and mumbled under his breath. Nope. Reading his body language, he was clearly in a hurry, and I doubted he’d be open to sharing a ride. Damn.

My gaze shifted to the young woman behind him who had a heavy-looking backpack slung over her shoulder. She had a jacket tied around her waist, and her dark hair was in dire need of a wash. In one hand, she held a map of LA, and in the other, a to-go cup of coffee, which she sipped slowly. I assumed she’d been traveling for some time, but she didn’t look as if she were in a rush.

I sucked in a deep breath and plastered a smile on my face as I approached her.

God, please let my crazy idea work, ‘cause I ain’t got no plan B. Surely the universe wouldn’t be that cruel to put the man so close within my reach and then let him slip away? Although with the way things had been going lately, I sure could do with a miracle.

“Um… hi, I’m Addison, and I was wondering if you’d consider sharing a ride? I need to get somewhere urgently, and if you can help me out, I’d be willing to pay for the whole fare.” I blurted it all out without taking a breath, afraid that if I let up for one second she’d turn me down before hearing my full story.

The girl’s head jerked up, and she stared at me with wide green eyes. She pulled earphones from her ears, her expression blank.

My heart beat in my throat as I waited for her response.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. My mother always says I’m gonna burst my eardrums.” She spoke English, but her accent was foreign. Australian? She laughed. “I love my music heart-pounding and loud, so if you don’t mind, can you say that again?”

The man in front of us climbed into his cab, and I watched as the next taxi pulled up, all the while keeping my eye on Foster’s ride. It was now or never. I quickly repeated my suggestion, trying my best to keep the anxiety from my voice.

Her face broke out into a wide grin. “Hell yeah, that’s fine with me. Have you seen the exchange rate lately? I’m so broke I’m barely able to afford a Happy Meal these days.”

A sigh of relief accompanied the thank you I sent to the heavens, but then I glanced over to see Foster’s limo pull away from the curb. Damn, he’s getting away, and I’m still standing on the sidewalk.

“Uh, I hate to do this, but I’m in a terrible rush. Do you mind if we talk in the cab? We gotta get going right away.”

If her backpack weren’t in the way, I would’ve been tempted to shove the poor girl into the back seat. Instead, I helped her load it into the trunk with a heavy groan, my anxiety levels spiking as the limo drove off and weaved into the traffic.

With a shaky voice and pointing toward the limo, I asked, “See that black limo? I gotta follow it. The guy inside is a thief and a cheat, and I have to follow him to see where he’s going. Is that okay with you? I’ll pay the whole fare, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

The woman laughed. “This sounds like fun. I’m all about the adrenaline. Let’s catch the sneaky bastard.” She jumped into the back seat, and I slid in beside her and slammed the door shut.

“I’m Ruby, by the way,” she said with a warm smile. “Hey, mate,” she greeted the driver, “see that black limo? We gotta catch up to it and follow. Think you can do that?”

“Si, si, senorita, no problems.” He turned his head to give us a toothless grin that his whole leathery face participated in, crinkles running from his bright eyes down his cheeks to his wide mouth. “My name is Alberto, and I been driving cabs for thirty years. You don’t worry. I can drive very fast.”

He turned the ignition on and leaned over to start the meter. I let out a sigh of relief—we were on our way, and hopefully, I’d get to find out where Foster lived.

My heart nearly stopped when he pulled out in front of another vehicle without even looking to check for traffic. The other driver screeched to a stop inches before hitting us side on, cursing and blowing his horn, but our driver merely laughed and accelerated to get away from him.

Oh, Lord, he’s going to get us killed today.

As much as I loved adventure and living on the edge, this wasn’t what I had in mind.

“Slow down,” I yelled, clutching my fist to my heart.

“You want to catch him or no?” Our cabbie laughed like a maniac as he accelerated and switched lanes.

Grabbing hold of the safety belt, I buckled myself in quickly before stealing a glance at the girl whose ride I’d hijacked, fully expecting Ruby to be frightened or angry or both. Stunned, I stared at her as she leaned forward with an exhilarated look on her face.

“Go! Get the bastard! Don’t lose him.”

This was what I wanted, right? But still. I had a lot of living I wanted to do before I started pushing up daisies.

I took a deep breath. “Um, listen… I don’t want the guy to know we are following. And also, I don’t know about you, but I’d like to get there alive. So can we slow the fuck down and not make it so obvious we are chasing the limo?”

Both of them turned to look at me as if I were the crazy person in the cab. Regardless, I’d much prefer the driver’s attention on the road than on me.

“Watch out! Oh, shit, you’re going to hit that car.” My voice was shrill and loud as I pointed a finger to the vehicle in front of us. Alberto slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt. I caught the Spanish swear words flowing from his mouth as he shook a fist at the driver.

“Oh all right then.” My new friend sat back in her seat and folded her arms. “Slow down, mate. Our friend here is getting her panties tied in a knot.”

Alberto shook his head and made a clucking sound, but at least he slowed down a bit.

Was I the only sane person in this vehicle?

* * *

Twenty-three minutes and sixteen seconds later—yes, I was counting—the limo pulled up to a gigantic iron gate. It stopped for a few minutes, idling while the gates swung open, and I realized that if I wanted to get inside the property, I had to get my butt out of the cab and get through the gate before it closed.

Alberto had stopped diagonally across the street under a huge palm tree and was waiting for my next instruction. Grabbing a hundred dollar bill from my purse, I shoved it into Ruby’s hand.

“Listen, I gotta go. But you get Alberto to drop you off anywhere you want. Thanks for the ride and for helping me out.”

“Hey, don’t go. I haven’t had this much fun in ages. I don’t have many friends since I’m traveling a lot. Can we catch up sometime?” The smile she gave me was so genuine that I couldn’t resist her request. It wasn’t as if I knew anyone in LA either, and having a friend would be really cool.

I grabbed a business card from my purse. “It’s an old card, but my number is still the same. Call me tomorrow and we can talk. If you survive the rest of the trip, of course.” I gave her a wink and opened the door.

“Thanks, Alberto, for getting me here in one piece.”

“My pleasure, senorita. I take good care of your friend.”

“Wish me luck,” both Ruby and I said at the same time, then burst out laughing.

“Clearly we’re meant to be friends,” she said, grinning.

I grabbed my bag, keeping my eye on the limo as it rolled over the gravel into the property. Damn, the gates were already closing. I shoved my bag back at Ruby. “Here, hold onto that for me until we meet up. I need to run.”

Her eyes widened as she took the bag from me. I bolted across the road, my lungs and chest burning from the sudden burst of energy I expended. I sucked in a huge breath and lunged forward, just fitting through the narrow opening between the gates before they slammed shut with a thud.

I stifled a cry as I landed on the gravel with my arms outstretched to break my fall.

Thank God, I made it.

I rolled over just like I’d seen the action heroes do in the movies, cursing as I pushed to my feet. My palms and knees burned like hell and small pieces of gravel was lodged in my skin. I quickly wiped off as many as what I could, and bit back the tears that brimmed on my lashes. This wasn’t the time to feel sorry for myself. Heroines would be brave and strong and suck it up.

Out of breath and panting, I pushed myself against the brick wall beside the gatepost while I surveyed the surroundings. My gaze traveled up the long driveway to the parked limo. Thank goodness it was getting dark.

I wiped over my sweaty face with my sleeve. Darker brown patches mixed with the dust my previously white linen shirt was covered in, and I grimaced as I imagined what I looked like.

When Gramps told me stories of heroes fighting to save innocent victims, I conjured up pictures of glamorous guys and girls never breaking as much as a sweat. I chuckled softly at the irony, glad he couldn’t see how disheveled I was.

* * *

Sneaking closer to the sprawling mansion, I took a moment to assess my situation. Now that I knew where Foster lived, I needed to come up with a plan to become part of his life so I could find the information the detectives had clearly missed. I’d come this far, and frankly, I’d do anything to catch this thief and move on with my life. I was pushing twenty-five and I didn’t even have a steady boyfriend, never mind the whole happy-ever-after happening. All my friends were married or in the process of getting hitched, and some were even procreating already.

And me?

I was chasing after an impossibly handsome crook, hell-bent on making him pay back the money he’d stolen from my and other families. It consumed my every thought, and even when I’d gone on dates, I’d been preoccupied with images of Foster, always comparing the poor unassuming guy I was out with to the devilishly good-looking Mr. Cruise.

What was it about the man that captured my imagination? He wasn’t really my type, especially not with the beard, but I couldn’t stop wondering if it would tickle if he kissed me.

Focus, Addison.

A light went on inside the house. I sucked in a breath as Foster came into view. He stood in front of the window and stared out for a long while, giving me the opportunity to study him. But just as suddenly as he appeared, he pulled the blinds down, and a minute later, the light was turned out.

One by one, he went from room to room and turned on all the lights until the whole west side of the mansion was lit up. I’d ventured closer to the windows so I could see inside, but always took care to stay hidden behind a tree or thick, bushy plant.

Just as well because my heart leapt to my throat when Foster threw open the window of the last room he’d entered. He closed his eyes and took a few long, deep breaths.

God, the man was beautiful. A powerful and magnetic aura surrounded him, and I couldn’t stop staring. That was when something rubbed up against my leg and made me nearly jump out of my skin.

Fuck.

I wanted to scream. The thing attacked my leg, and I tried to kick it off without making a sound. Stepping away to distance myself from my attacker, the heel of my shoe snapped and I lost my balance, freefalling backward into a shrub. I bit into my lip to stop myself from crying out as a few thorns pricked and pierced my skin.

The white feral cat that’d been dry-humping my leg moments ago lost interest and disappeared into a tree. Pain burned through my skin; I had to get free from the branches holding me hostage.

As I disentangled myself from the thorny branches, a ripping sound cut through the silence.

Oh, God, this can’t be happening.

Tears sprung to my eyes, and this time, I didn’t stop them. One side of my shirt was ripped to shreds and hung off my body in ribbons.

Good luck getting home tonight, Addison. How was I going to explain why I looked like I’d just been dragged through hell?

A deep baritone voice brought me back to the man I was stalking. He stood near the window, peering out into the dark with a frown furrowing his brow.

I swallowed hard. I’d die if he discovered me in the state I was in.

He brought a phone to his ear. “Um, sorry. I heard a weird noise outside, but it’s just a cat. I hope the damn thing doesn’t become a nuisance.” From the irritation in his voice, I deduced he wasn’t much of a cat lover.

Foster cleared his voice before he spoke again. “As I was saying earlier, your company matched my tastes pretty closely and I’m happy with almost everything in the house, but the couch has to go. I’m not a fan of art deco furniture—it’s uncomfortable and, quite frankly, pretty ugly in my opinion. What I need is a deep, comfortable couch, the kind one sinks into to relax after a hard day.”

Pacing the room with the phone glued to his ear, he listened for a while and then returned to the window. “No, you don’t understand.” He sucked in a breath and his tone hardened. “For the exorbitant amount of money I paid Divine Decorating to fix this place—”

Although I couldn’t hear what the person on the other side said to him, the way he pinched the bridge of his nose didn’t bode well. Gramps always did that when he was losing his patience.

“Listen, Miss Miller,” he huffed, “I expect someone to be here within twenty-four hours to remove this hideous thing and replace it with something more suitable. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with my lawyer.”

So, Foster isn’t afraid to play hardball. Interesting.

I made a mental note: Divine Decorating. He wanted to return a couch. Hmmm. At last there was something I could work with. And it certainly helped that I’d spent most school holidays working in a furniture store. I wasn’t a trained decorator, but it wasn’t rocket science either, and I’d picked up a few useful tips by paying close attention to customers when they came into the shop.

I smiled. I had an idea on how to turn his one disliked couch into a longer-term gig for me. It was almost too easy. God, I loved when a plan came together.

Satisfied that I’d gathered enough information to get me started, after I got fed and had a shower, I’d be up for the rest of the night scheming.

My stomach churned and rumbled like thunder in the distance when a storm threatened. Breaking the silence of the night, the rumbling got louder, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Foster could hear my stomach eating itself from where he stood by the window, unbuttoning his shirtsleeves.

It was time to leave. I still needed to check into a hotel, although the staff would probably mistake me for a homeless person. My skin crawled, and I was dying to get cleaned up.

With a smirk, I threw one last glance toward the man responsible for the mess I was in. Just wait—

My brain froze midthought. Framed by the window, the light like a halo around him, stood a shirtless man so gorgeous he took my breath away. I watched unashamedly as he unbuckled his belt, pulled the zipper down, and slid his pants down his legs.

Fuck me if the man wasn’t commando. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. He leaned over to pick up his pants, exposing the most perfect ass I’d ever seen.

This girl wasn’t going anywhere. Even my stomach stopped complaining.

As he straightened up, he turned away for a moment. Even his back was sexy. Strong. Muscled. Perfection in every movement as he placed his clothes over the back of a chair. This man worked out, all right.

And then he turned around.

Stripped and naked.

Leaving me panting. Staring.

My mouth dry. My heart hammering against my ribs.

The most glorious cock I’d ever seen belonged to the man I detested most.

Licking my parched lips, I kept my eyes trained on his dick, admiring the pure beauty of its entire length and breadth. It was downright dangerous—a girl could so choke on that monster. I’d bet Mr. Cruise knew exactly how to use it in the best possible way.

Desperately squeezing my thighs together, I fought the rush of warmth that flooded my body and aimed straight for the sorely neglected region between my legs.

God, it’s been ages since I’ve had a real cock inside me.

And even then, it wasn’t anything near as magnificent as this one.

Just my luck. When I finally met a cock that would do me right, I hated its owner.

“What did I miss?”

The voice behind me made me jump. I swung around and nearly knocked Ruby out cold.

“Shhhh,” I hissed, and slapped my hand over her mouth. “What the hell are you doing here?” It came out so much louder than the whisper I intended, and I couldn’t keep the annoyance from my voice. “I thought you were long gone.”

Grabbing hold of her arm, I steered Ruby away from the window before she could utter another word.

“Shit, what happened to you?” Her eyes widened as her gaze ran down then back up my body. “You look as if you’ve been in a fight.”

“You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Anyway, I was just leaving.”

“Wow, that was quick.” There was a measure of respect in her tone. “You got the dirty on the sleeze-ball already?”

“I got some great information,” I said cagily. Yeah, I was grateful to her for the cab ride, but that didn’t mean we were suddenly BFFs.

Her eyes brightened. “Awesome. Let’s nail the bastard.”

“Hon, there’s no we in this. I want his balls all to myself.” Fuck, what did I just say? I must have his package on my mind. And yes, I’d love to give those balls a whirl. All for my mission, of course.

“Listen, Alberto and I were two blocks away when I realized you need a wingman and made him turn around. Hell, I think it will be fun helping you catch the cheating scumbag.” Her face fell, and for a moment, she looked sad and lost. “It’s part of the reason I’m traveling... the asshole I was engaged to cheated on me, so it will give me great pleasure to get some sort of revenge.”

Usually, I was a lone operator, but something in her tone and expression resonated with me. Maybe a friend who had my back wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Hey, I’m starving. How about we go and get something to eat?”

I could eat a horse; the rumbling had taken over again and I felt faint. Besides, I had no damn idea how I was going to get out of the walled and fenced property, and it seemed as if my new best friend could help me out on that score.

Her smile lit up her pretty face. “I’ve still got money left over from the cab fare. Maybe we can hitch a ride and spend the cash on food, huh?”

“Where are our bags? You didn’t—”

Ruby chuckled. “No, I didn’t leave them in the cab. I hid them behind a bush before I jumped the wall. Come let me show you how to get outta here so we can go feed our faces. My stomach is shrinking by the second.”

“Excellent. C’mon then.” Seemed like I just got myself a wingman... or wingwoman to be correct.