by Brooke Page
Crossing my arms as though I were cold, I shook my head, trying to convince myself she was wrong. I’d have remembered him. I blamed my out-of-character actions on the atmosphere, the salty air and sun-kissed breeze messing with my senses. It had nothing to do with the fact that Vance was the most gorgeous guy I’d ever seen.
“Let me dress you up tonight.”
Stopping in my tracks, I gave Marcy a stern look. “No.”
“Come on!” she whined. “If you want to get Colby out of your head, you need to focus on someone else.”
Picking up my stride, I shook my head. “I need to focus on something, not one someone. I want to clear my head. Chasing a guy isn’t going to make my life less complicated.”
Marcy ran to catch up with me. “He’d be one hell of a distraction. I wouldn’t tell Colby.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know, Colby and I aren’t dating. We’ve yet to become a couple.”
Marcy snickered, “Right. You’ve just slept with him.”
My brows narrowed. “If you’re implying we’ve done the deed… you know that’s not true either.”
She wrapped her arm around my shoulder with a knowing grin. “I know. Fooling around doesn’t count, but it’s fun to tease you anyway.”
Chapter Four
Vance
Trolling wasn’t something I was in the mood for tonight, but Riley had sent me a message on my burner phone. He wanted to catch Marcus, my good-for-nothing father, and the filthy schemes he played, and I’d signed up to help. I wanted the son of a bitch to get slaughtered, too, I was tired of playing undercover asshole.
It’d been six months since I signed the paperwork to give my life over to the FBI, but it had felt like an eternity. Marcus wanted to expand his shady business, and I wasn’t going to let it happen.
But he was good at covering his tracks. Even I was going to have a hard time figuring out where the holes would be, but I was determined to bury that fucker for all of the pain and loss he’d caused throughout my lifetime.
“What did you think of those girls on the beach?” Colt asked, fixing his blond faux hawk, making the point perfect for the umpteenth time. His button down shirt was pressed and his cargo shorts held the necessary narcotics.
“The Hispanic girl is off limits,” I said curtly, leaning against the wall. I was exhausted from kite surfing and not in the mood to go hunting tonight.
Colt’s eyes flickered to mine through the mirror, his hands fluffing his collar now. “Does that mean I can make a move on her?”
“As long as she isn’t at the Nest tomorrow morning.” The Nest was where the prostitutes lived and trained to meet Marcus’s high demands.
Colt’s eyes lit up along with a wicked grin. “Good. I like the curvy ones.”
Marcus would have my ass if I brought him a Contreras. For whatever reason, she wasn’t allowed to be brought into his operation. Most likely because she was well known in the community. I knew some of her cousins because YaYa, her grandmother, had a huge family, but I’d never spent time with Marcy. Marcus was adamant I steered clear of YaYa Contreras’s blood. Most likely he was afraid of her, I knew I would never cross YaYa. She might be on the older side, but she had a mean presence. Knitted brows and crossed arms seemed to be permanent fixtures on the woman, not to mention she’d start muttering in Spanish whenever I came around. She always seemed to have a wooden spoon or some form of utensil that could do damage.
Tucker slid in from the back porch smelling of fresh tobacco, making his way down the hall to the bathroom he and Colt shared.
Both of them looked a hell of a lot better than when I’d found them on the streets of New Orleans. That’s where I always found our trollers.
Tucker was twenty-one, scrawny, and looked on the verge of death when I ran across him and his guitar on a street corner. Colt hadn’t been on the streets as long, but his eyes were sunken in with dark circles from lack of sleep as he slapped a drum next to Tucker. I threw a hundred dollar bill in Tucker’s guitar case, causing both of them to stop playing and stare, jaws slacked at the money. Squatting down to meet them at eye level, I told them there was more where that came from. Both boys have been my responsibility ever since.
Because that was my job, find the fishermen, teach them how to bait, then show them how to do the dirty work. The entire conspiracy disgusted me, but I had no choice. I’d grown up around the business, my conscious knowing the way Marcus worked wasn’t ethical, yet remained faithful to him. For my entire life’s mistakes, I’d be able to shut down Marcus for good.
“The blonde was a sight for sore eyes. I think I’ll save her for myself,” Tucker said.
The blonde… She caught my eye as well. What was her name?
“Lauren? She was a cutie. Not as sexy as Marcy. Damn.” Colt smirked into the mirror at his appearance, than winked at Tucker. “I want to hit that from behind. Wonder if she’s into spanking?”
Tucker grinned at Colt, fiddling with his spiky hair. “Twenty bucks says I nail Lauren before midnight.”
My eyes darkened as I watched them. This wasn’t a free fuck session. They needed to be careful where they put their cocks. “They’re off limits. You need to focus on finding other women.”
Tucker raised a brow. “On a Thursday night during off season? Place will be dead. It’s been way too long since my dick has gotten wet by a pussy I wanted. And you never said they were off-limits, only that we couldn’t bring them to the Nest.”
“She’s with Marcy. Therefore, she’s off-limits.” I pointed my finger at Colt. “Don’t do anything stupid with Marcy, either.”
Colt held his hands to his sides. “I just want to explore that fine, voluptuous body.”
I preferred how the blonde, Lauren, looked. Slender curves yet still held a womanly figure. She seemed innocent yet sexy. Maybe a touch young, but Marcus didn’t give a shit about age when it came to finding Doves. My stomach lurched. Finding a girl to use as bait for that might destroy her life, but would help me put Marcus away forever.
Standing behind Tucker, I crossed my arms, catching his eyes in the mirror. “Stay away from Lauren. Got it?”
Tucker stood tall, trying to size me up, but that was impossible. He was still skinny, and my six-foot-one inch frame and kite surfing arms could do damage. I wasn’t scared of his attempts to be intimidating.
“Why do you get her, huh? I called dibs.”
“That’s not how this works,” I said flatly. “I call the shots, remember?”
Tucker puffed out an irritated sigh, nudging my shoulder as he scuttled passed me. “And what about the guy who calls the shots for you? When do we get to meet him?”
Turning and following him to the kitchen of the apartment they shared, I let out a deep breath. “You won’t ever meet him.”
Colt moved behind me. “Why don’t we get to meet him?” Both of the young guys I brought into this nightmare situation were looking up to me with child-like eyes. What had I done to these poor souls? I’d turned them from starving delinquents to thugs and women catchers.
“Because the owner of drugs, guns, and a human trafficking operation doesn’t let anyone see his face.”
I’d purposely kissed Marcus’s ass to get into the new trafficking side of the business. It wasn’t easy, but he finally allowed me into the club, opening my eyes to more nightmares. I had yet to see the surplus of women for sale he’d been capturing. Guess I wasn’t allowed to until I brought in my first girl. The thought chilled me to the bones.
Colt turned pale while Tucker huffed. Colt had a conscious, Tucker… he might have been a lost cause to begin with.
“Human trafficking? All of the girls I’ve gotten to the Nest have come willingly. They want to be prostitutes. I thought trafficking was drug-induced and forced?”
I glared at him. “And the powder in your pocket doesn’t help them decide their fate?”
Colt fidgeted. “I’ve never had to use that stuff.”
It was there to entice the
women. All trollers had Rohypnol for the timid, marijuana for the light-hearted, and an eight ball for the rowdy ones.
Tucker chuckled under his breath. “I use it every time. They never say no to any of my suggestions.”
Drugging the girls who came from out of town, with no family or self-esteem was their job, then convincing them the money and opportunities they could achieve by joining Marcus’s scheme was their last resort to life. Colt hadn’t brought as many girls in as Tucker, now I knew why.
Running my hands along the edge of the sink, I sighed. “Human Trafficking is the head honcho's goal.” Glancing between the two of them, I added, “If you can’t handle that, then I suggest you walk before leaving isn’t an option.”
Colt sat on the couch, scratching his head. His face was still pale, while Tucker only picked a piece of lint off of his cargo shorts. Colt might crack, and secretly, I hoped he would leave before I took down the entire operation. I liked him, and had hopes he’d get his shit together and leave. Because if he didn’t, he’d be in a cell block in a month’s time.
Chapter Five
Lauren
“Maybe they decided to stay home,” I shouted over the loud music.
Marcy wrinkled her nose and snapped her wrist at me.
Letting out a breath, I sipped my lemonade. It wasn’t very packed with people, in fact, we were the only two college-aged kids sitting on the deck. The place was nice enough, lights strung outside from post to post, a DJ booth along with a stage and outdoor dancing area. Picnic tables were scattered outside too, with odd beach games around the property.
Just as I was about to stand up to use the restroom, Vance zoomed in with Tucker and Colt on his heels. I sunk back in my chair, turning away from him. He was just as beautiful in gray surf shorts and a charcoal t-shirt as he was in his kite surfing suit, his dark hair disheveled as if he’d been sitting out in the beach wind all day.
Marcy’s brows knitted in my direction, then her sultry smile formed. She saw them and waved her hands in their direction. Colt greeted her with a side hug, taking the seat next to her, Tucker grabbing the one next to me. My back was tense, knowing Vance was standing behind me.
“Ladies, you found it,” Colt greeted, putting his arm on the back of Marcy’s chair.
“Wasn’t too hard to find.” Marcy batted her eyelashes at Colt, getting his grin to widen.
“I’m glad you came,” Tucker said, gently nudging my bicep with his elbow.
Giving him a weak smile, I shrugged my shoulders. He laughed at my seemingly light-hearted expression, then waved the waitress over.
Once the server came, her friendliness turned seductive as she gazed over the top of my head. No doubt she was meeting eyes with Vance. “What can I get you fellas? The usual?”
Tucker waved his finger in the air. “Yes, and five shots of Patron.”
The server barely looked his way. “You want your usual, Vance?”
“Only four shots, no liquor for me tonight.” His voice was deep and dominant behind me, causing a chill to creep up my spine. How could I be getting turned on by the tone of a man’s voice?
Regaining my focus, I began to stutter. “No shots for me, I’m not old—”
“Of course she wants one!” Marcy interjected, smiling yet somehow shooting me a glare at the same time. I met her stare, annoyed she was about to get shit-faced when we weren’t even legal. These guys must have been regulars for the server to not ask for our IDs.
The server glanced between Marcy and I, then shrugged and left to get the drinks from the bar.
“So, ladies, what’s on the agenda for your vacation?” Colt asked.
“Oh, you know, work on the tan, girl time, living like every day is going to be our last.” Marcy grinned, toying with the straw in her water.
“Sounds like a busy list. How long y’all staying in the lovely state of Alabama?”
Marcy aimed a delicate finger at me. “Whenever she says it’s time to pack the car.”
All eyes were on me, including Vance’s, who happened to slide to the front of the table, his arms crossed as he looked down at me. Those beautiful eyes made completing a sentence a very hard task to accomplish.
Tucker laughed, putting his arm on the back of my chair. “When were you thinking, Lauren?” His smile was friendly, but the gleam in his eye made me uncomfortable.
Crossing my arms and rubbing my biceps I answered. “Maybe a few weeks. I’m not sure. Nothing is really pressing me to get back home.”
Chancing a look around the table, everyone was staring at me intently, including Vance, looming over me at the bar top table. Were they waiting for me to say more?
“I mean, if I have no reason to go home, why not stay in paradise?” I added, reaching for my lemonade. I hated being the center of attention.
“I’d agree, the most southern part of Alabama is pretty spectacular. I’d love to take you to some tourist attractions sometime,” Tucker smiled, leaning closer to me.
“I’ve seen most of them,” I answered quickly, finding myself cowering away from him. I didn’t realize how close I was getting to Vance while trying to move away from Tucker, until the scent of his sporty cologne entered my nostrils. I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath. It smelled so good, causing me to lose my train of thought.
“Lauren’s right, we’ve been coming here for Spring Break since we were in grade school.”
“I’m surprised you ladies are here in May. Not up for the Spring Break crowd?” Colt asked. “I mean, I assume you ladies are in college, or have you graduated?”
“Still in college,” Marcy added. I wondered if she would tell him she was only taking a few online classes and living with her parents, versus a full load and living in campus dorms.
“Both of you?” Tucker asked, his arm dangerously close to my back. My body felt crooked from trying to gain my space from him.
“I’m not in college,” I answered truthfully. I wasn’t like Marcy; I couldn’t lie to save my life.
Tucker shrugged his shoulders. “That’s all right. I never bothered with college either.”
“What do you do then?” I blurted. None of them seemed to be boys who lived with their parents. They were well put together, too.
Vance answered. “They work for me. I own The Surf Shop on the west side of Orange Beach.”
How fitting, the kite surfer had his own business. It made sense, he seemed older and more mature than both Colt and Tucker.
“Oh, we should go check it out sometime when you’re working,” Marcy said, batting her eyes at Colt.
His smile lit up in response. “That would be great. You ever surf?”
Marcy shook her head. You’d never know she was terrified of the ocean. She didn’t like the life under the sea.
“I’d love to give you a lesson while you’re here,” Colt offered.
Tucker nodded. “Yeah, Lauren, I can teach you, too.”
“I think Lauren is more interested in kite surfing.” Marcy glanced at me then to Vance.
Colt nodded toward Vance. “That’s Vance’s territory.”
I was afraid to look at him. I could feel his penetrating eyes waiting for me to turn my head and face him. Damn it, Marcy!
“I could show her,” Tucker quickly jumped into the conversation. “It’s not that difficult.”
Vance snorted.
“Oh, right,” Colt smirked. “You cried like a baby when the wind took you twenty feet in the air.”
Tucker’s eyes narrowed at Colt. “No, I didn’t. My arm hit a piece of coral on the way down. Hurt like a bitch.”
Colt laughed. “Hurt so bad, it didn’t leave a mark.”
Tucker glared at Colt while everyone laughed. I, on the other hand, felt bad. I didn’t like when others were uncomfortable. Even if I wasn’t interested in winning his affection. No one deserved to feel like they were being bullied.
“You don’t have to teach me,” I said nonchalantly.
“No, he doesn’t.
Vancy can,” Colt breathed, needing to take a deep breath from laughing at Tucker.
Biting my lip, I glanced at Vance. His face was expressionless as he watched me.
His look made me hold my breath.
“Lauren and I will have to look at our schedule. We want to work on our tan lines,” Marcy flirted, her gaze fixed on Colt.
“Now that, I can help you with,” Tucker touched the middle of my back with his finger. I straightened like an arrow, leaning into the table.
Thankfully, the server was back with their drinks to change the subject.
“Here you all go! Corona’s with lime wedges for my favorite gentlemen and their guests.” The waitress gave Vance an extra-long smile while handing him the beer. “And five shots. Brought you one just in case, Vance.” She wiggled her brows at him, but his face remained stone cold, giving her a stiff nod. She wasn’t happy with his response. Her face contorted as if she swallowed something sour, then stormed back to the bar.
“Well ladies, after these shots, I’m afraid we need to move around a bit,” Vance gave both Tucker and Colt hard looks. “We have some work to do.”
Colt removed his hand from behind Marcy to grab the shot, causing her to pout her lips. She was looking forward to spending time with him. I was thankful. Maybe we would be out of here within a half hour.
“I think work can wait a little while,” Tucker sneered, meeting Vance’s stare. Keeping his arm resting on the back of my stool, he continued talking. “These ladies need some company.”
“One. Shot.” Vance’s voice was low, a warning for Tucker.
Tucker glared at him, then took the shot. Licking his lips, he stood from the bar stool along with Colt. Softening his expression from his interaction with Vance, he met my gaze. “I’ll be back. Don’t wander off without saying goodbye.”
My lip quivered as I tried to smile. Spending time with him wasn’t on my top ten list of things to do for the evening. Vance only offered a nod, then led both men across the bar and through a secluded door.