by Julia Bright
“He's probably dead,” William chirped.
They all nodded then Dan turned to him and passed him a piece of paper. “This place is going up for sale. My neighbor. He died, the wife is too old, and the kids are good for nothing two-bit idiots. You'd get more out of a three-day-old fish wrap. Anyway, want to buy it? You'd make a good neighbor.”
Adam took the sheet of paper and stared at the flyer. He swallowed at the figure on the bottom.
“I'm a little short on cash. I have some, but not enough to afford this place.” He might find some way to come up with the down payment in a few months if he never came to the diner again, and if he took a second job and maybe a third job.
“How short are you?” Clem asked.
His lips screwed up as he thought about how small his bank account was. “Figure twenty percent down, I'd say I'm about twenty thousand short.” Maybe more, but he didn’t want to say that.
Clem nodded and scratched his chin. “I might could help you.”
“How?”
“I've been in these parts for years. Know a lot of the ranchers. A friend of mine passed a few months ago. Sad situation. The rancher’s son and grandson died a few days before he passed. All that's left is his granddaughter. She's a smart cookie, doesn't have much use for talking though. She runs the ranch north of here. Anyway, she mentioned that she was looking for someone who had personal bodyguard experience and would travel with her overseas. I think she's headed to Algiers.”
He shook his head. “That's no place for a white American woman who has never been there.”
Clem shrugged. “She says she has business there.”
“I doubt that,” Adam said.
“I got her name if you want the job,” Clem said.
“I'll think about it.” Adam had been in Algeria before and hated the place. Too many terrorist, too much trash to watch for.
He ordered his food then was quiet as he thought about the land he wanted and the woman who needed personal security. Before Clem headed out, he spoke up.
“Okay, so that woman, give me her info and I'll call.”
Clem patted his shirt pocket and pulled out a piece of paper before writing down Adam’s name and phone number. “I'll tell her I have someone who's interested. She's cagy though. Won't talk about it over the phone.”
If that wasn't a red flag, Adam didn't know what was. He narrowed his gaze and nodded, opting not to say anything. The part of him that would always be military wanted to find out what this woman was up to. People didn’t just travel to Algiers on a whim. When they turned cagy and wouldn't talk on the phone about their trip, that screamed that something illegal would go down.
5
After quitting her job, Kelsey had been willing to sell the ranch to track down and make the bastard pay for killing her dad. Selling hadn't been necessary. What Gramps had failed to tell anyone in their family was he was loaded. The old man had more cash and stocks and bond and properties including apartments across the Pacific Northwest than was humanly possible to manage. The first month after Gramps died she'd been in a fog. Then she took hold of herself and got in touch with Gramps lawyer. After learning what all she'd inherited, she'd sold off apartment complexes, office buildings, car washes, everything that wasn't super profitable and deposited the cash.
Gramps kept businesses long past their usefulness. Why he'd bought certain companies was a mystery. Then she found a folder in the attic and learned the reasoning behind the purchases. There were stories of people needing help, and Gramps bailing them out. Like the candy shop in downtown Portland. She remembered going there as a kid. Turns out the owner, a young black man trying to make a living had been close to losing his shop. Then Gramps bought the building and the business, helping the young man out. He developed a favorite candy of hers that eventually made the man and Gramps millions. That one act of altruism had changed Gramps life. Years later, the man bought back Gramps investment but left him with shares in the candy company.
After going through Gramps other businesses, she took a hard look at the ranch's profitability. It was making money, just not a lot. Gramps had bought land so long ago he had no mortgage on the place. The house could use a little updating, and the barn needed a good overhaul.
Gramps no longer hired anyone full time, but she'd have to change that soon. For now, the two men who came out three days a week was enough to complete the work. When they needed extra hands, they brought out their buddies.
Late at night, when there was no one around, she'd sit in the recliner, scotch in a glass, working through the internet, learning how terrorist rings operated.
Her browser history could land her in jail, so she used a TOR browser, hiding her tracks. The first night she searched in earnest, she stumbled into a sexual slavery ring selling people. That pissed her off, but it wasn't her ultimate goal. Her heart ached for the people being bought and sold, but she couldn't do anything to stop the practice.
What she wanted was information on who had ordered the hit that had killed her father and brother. It took her months of searching, mainly because she didn't understand the system first, then she had to make up identities for herself. No way would these people let her, a white woman, into their little club. When she went online, she was male, from Europe, and wasn't a Christian.
At one point she'd thought she'd found the person responsible, but that had been a bust. Then she'd stumbled into a chat room she'd found through another forum which had gone back to another chat she'd entered. These sites were almost impossible to break into, but once they trusted her, they opened the doors for her to see their perverse machinations.
She hated these people with a passion. They laughed about people being killed. No question, they deserved to die.
Months had passed, but her hunger for finding who had destroyed her family hadn't. Finally, after she'd thought she'd never find the name, she knew exactly who had ordered the attack. The man was bold. He posted photos of his family right alongside posts declaring his perverse desire to destroy others.
She wanted to act fast, but the jerk lived in Iran, hidden behind walls of his family compound. There wasn't any chance of killing him. Then, by some miracle, she found out he would travel to Algiers in October. That gave her six weeks to plan.
At first, she thought she would go in alone, but there was no way she'd be able to travel unaccompanied in Algeria. She needed to hire a bodyguard to travel with her. Too bad she hadn't asked for Brick's real name. He'd be the perfect person to go with her.
Her phone rang, and she glanced at the screen, recognizing the number. “Mr. Jones, it's good to hear from you.”
“I told ya, call me Clem.”
A small smile tilted her lips up. “Clem, how was your day?”
“Good. I found someone to help with your situation. He'll be calling you soon.”
Her heart stuttered, and she paused. Were her plans really coming together after so many months? “Is he good?”
“Should be. Young too, but not too young. You'll be able to depend on him.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. And you do what needs to be done.”
She grunted and said goodbye. Clem knew she wouldn't talk about this over the phone. No way would she allow any government surveillance to catch her. She was smarter than that.
Maybe this guy would be promising. She'd tried a couple places in town, mostly bars, and she'd looked for security for hire on the internet, but she'd been underwhelmed. The man she hired to keep her safe on her quest to off the guy who'd killed her brother and father had to be someone she trusted. If she didn't trust the person, there was no way she'd be comfortable around him.
She'd expected the man to call right away, but a few weeks passed before she received a call from an unknown number.
“Hello.” She wasn't about to give her name out over the phone.
“Clem said you had a job.”
Something about his voice made her stomach twist. She didn't rec
ognize it, but she thought she should. “Yes.” She had a change of heart about asking him to her place. She didn't want the man to know where she lived if he was dangerous.
“What does it entail?” the man asked.
“Meet me at Broken Spoke at nine tonight.” He didn't reply for a moment, and she thought she'd lost him.
“How will I know who you are?”
“I'll be wearing a Blue Moon shirt.”
“As in the beer?”
“Yes.”
“I'll be there. See you at nine.”
She hung up, excitement filling her. This was it. Her mission would happen. Clem had no clue what she was doing, at least she believed he didn’t. Maybe he'd connected the dots. If Clem thought this man could help her, then perhaps he was the one.
Relieved there was an option open to her, she showered and took a nap. When she woke her hair was a little wild. She pulled it into a ponytail holder instead of trying to tame it. This wasn't a date, this was business and how she looked didn't matter.
At ten after eight, she started her trek into town. The Broken Spoke was on her end in the city and would only take her thirty minutes to drive to the bar, but she wanted to arrive early and scope out the place.
The parking lot had four trucks in it. She recognized two of the trucks, realizing they belonged to men who hit on her when she'd first moved to town. One of them had backed off, the other, Josh, hadn't believed her, so she had to threaten him when he tried it again. The third time he decided to start something with her, she'd explained in a loud voice in the middle of the diner how repulsive she found him. Josh had been angry, but she'd been upfront with him from the start.
She stepped into the bar, her eyes adjusting to the neon lights and dark corners. The place had a serial killer lurking in the shadows kind of ambiance. If she didn't know the owner, Alice Smith, she would have never stepped foot in here after the first time. The guys were of a rough sort, but with Alice and her husband's protection, Kelsey felt comfortable.
The bartender was Megyn, a local woman who didn't take crap from anyone. She had a sawed-off shotgun under the counter, and balls bigger than any man Kelsey had ever met.
“Kelsey, good to see you. What's your poison tonight?” Megyn asked.
“I'll have ice tea. No alcohol.”
Megyn cocked her brow. “Oh, that's different.”
“I'm looking for a new employee. I don't mix business with drinking.”
“That's wise.” Megyn made her a tea, and Marissa took it to a table in the far corner.
A few minutes later, a guy came in, but she recognized him as a local. Also, the new guy was a little older. Certainly not someone she'd trust to help her in Algiers.
She waited. Minutes ticked by and no one came in. It was getting close to nine, and she was freaking out. The guy would be late if he didn't show up soon. If she couldn't trust him to show up on time, no way could she would be able to trust him in Algiers.
Then, out of the corner of her eyes, something or someone moved. In the dark end of the bar which she'd thought was empty, a person sat. A shiver passed over Kelsey. Whoever had been sitting in that spot hadn't drawn any notice from anyone, and now they were uncurling from their stool and heading her way. Her heart thundered, and she had the urge to run. What if the government suspected her all along? Had someone in law enforcement come for her, or was this someone from the darkweb she'd tried to fool?
6
Adam grabbed a spot in the darkest part of the bar shortly after eight. He bought a beer but didn't drink any of the amber liquid, said little, acted like the locals, making himself look as benign as possible. No one gave him a second glance.
At fifteen before the hour the door opened and in walked the second most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Scratch that, it was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
Her eyes filtered over the bar, taking in the area, but she didn’t see him hiding in plain sight. How the heck was this woman the one he was meeting? The likelihood of two women showing up at this bar both wearing a Blue Moon shirt was small.
Memories of that night long ago held him as he watched her order iced tea, no alcohol. Interesting. She was taking this seriously. Her gaze scanned the bar again, but she still didn't see him.
A little tingle in the back of his mind warned him away from going over to talk to her. There was something about her that drew him to her and repulsed him at the same time.
That night, there had been a ghost riding her tail, he’d seen it in her eyes when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. Something still seemed to be haunting her. If he didn't move from his spot, she'd give up and head home. She'd tell Clem, and the man may be angry with him, but there would be no harm since he'd never promised to work for her. As the minutes ticked by, she grew agitated. She spun her glass in her hands and checked her phone for the time, otherwise, she stared straight ahead. She looked uncomfortable. A small bead of sweat trailed down the side of her face. She was nervous.
With only seconds until nine, he moved. The woman turned his way, panic flashing on her face. For a moment he thought she would run. Not having shaved in weeks, maybe two months, he probably looked menacing. Why she'd ever asked him back to her room so many months ago was a mystery to him.
Her eyes narrowed, and her expression changed. She remembered him. The image of her bent over, him sliding into her, his hands on her waist, her breasts bouncing as he pounded into her flashed through his mind. He hesitated on his first step, thinking this was one of the dumbest things he'd ever done. He'd wanted to see her again, but not like this. What if she told him to take a hike? Even if he wasn't right for the position, he wanted to be in her bed.
He set his full bottle of beer on the table and stuck out his hand. “Looks like I'll have your name anyway, Angel.”
She ignored his hand, her agitation rising. “What are you talking about?”
“If I'm not mistaken, I'm your nine-o'clock.” He watched as panic rose. This woman was in deep into something, and she wasn't trained on how to handle whatever she'd gotten herself into.
Annoyance skittered over her face. “Who set the meeting up?”
She was trying to vet him, and he understood her worry. From the moment he met this woman, she'd had a skittish streak a mile wide. “Clem connected us. You told me where and when.”
The nod was slight, but enough for him to see she accepted his answer. She was more beautiful than he'd remembered. Her eyes appeared to be dull green, but on closer inspection, they were intense and flecked with colors like blue and gold. It wasn't just one color, but a bunch all mixed together to create something unique and beautiful.
“Have you ever protected anyone before?”
He shrugged before answering. “A few times.”
She lifted a brow, not at all looking impressed. “Care to disclose?”
He chuckled and leaned in, his lips at her ear. “If I told you, I'd have to kill you.”
She jerked back, her brows knit tight and her lips turned down in a harsh frown. Her nostrils flared as she sucked in a breath.
“But I wouldn't do that to you.” He waggled his brows and her frown went even deeper.
“If you take this job, our relationship will be strictly professional. There will be none of that other stuff.”
He nodded, disappointment twisting through him. “So no sex? That's depressing.”
“I'm sure you've dealt with disappointment before.”
He chuckled. “Touché. So this position, exactly what will I be doing?”
“If I decide to hire you, we'll fly together to Spain. There are a few other places I want to go, and then we'll travel home from France.”
He nodded and glanced around. “What else does this trip include?” She cleared her throat and shook her head. “If you agree to the basic terms, I'll give you details. The locations we go shouldn't matter.”
For the most part, he agreed with her, but if they were going somewhere dangerous, he needed
to know. “Are we going into a war zone?”
She shook her head. “No. And I'll pay you well.”
“How much?”
“Ten thousand. I'll pay for all arrangements. Just keep me safe. That's all.”
He leaned in, wondering if he'd heard her correctly. “How long are you expecting this trip to take?”
“One week.”
“So ten thousand dollars for one week of work?”
“Yes. I'll pay half up front before we leave if you like.”
He nodded and reached out, waiting for her to shake on the agreement. Very slowly she stuck out her hand, meeting him halfway. “So how about names?”
“I'm Kel.”
He waited for her to say more, but she wasn’t going to divulge her full name. “That's not a woman's name. If you're traveling overseas, you'll need to do better than that.”
She narrowed her gaze. “I’ll be fine overseas.”
“That's good. I'm Adam by the way.”
“Adam.”
He wanted to chuckle as he watched her roll his name around in her head. She turned up her nose, and he chuckled a little.
“You can call me Brick if you want to.”
“Brick suits you.”
He chuckled and leaned his elbows on the table. “Well, Kel doesn't fit you. You look more like an Angel.”
She shook her head. “That's not a good fit for me.”
“Why?”
“Trust me, I'm no Angel.”
“Well, that's probably how I'll think of you. You're certainly beautiful. I think you look amazing.”
Now she looked flustered. Adam liked seeing her like this. Heck, he really enjoyed seeing her with her head thrown back, her mouth open. But that wouldn't happen now. Maybe after they got back from their trip.
“So where can we meet to discuss the trip details?” Adam asked.
“I'll give you my address. You can come out tomorrow. I'll make the arrangements. You'll have the travel dates tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. So how about a dance?”
She shook her head. “Business only.”