Hard Target (All or Nothing Book 1)

by Rhonda Laurel

  Parker raised an eyebrow. “The girls who danced to this song must be grandmothers by now.”

  “Irv,” Riley interrupted. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Riley.” Irv gave him a sly grin. “You and the boys were pretty wild last night. I love it when you come in almost as much as I love it when you win a game. You’re very good for business.”

  “How so?”

  “When the word spread that the star quarterback of the Tomcats is a regular here, boom, my business skyrocketed.”

  “I had no idea.” Riley swallowed the huge lump in his throat.

  Parker looked smug. “Sounds about right. You are a trend setter after all.”

  “Irv, I’m glad business is good, but I have a problem. I lost my wallet here last night. Did anyone turn it in?”

  “Sure did. Fantasia found it in one of the seat cushions. She came in early just in case you returned for it. She wanted to give it to you personally.”

  He let out a huge sigh of relief. He remembered Fantasia. She was the blonde who kept saying she did house calls. “Irv, you don’t know how happy I am to hear that.”

  “Have a seat. I’ll go get her. She’s protecting it like it’s the Hope Diamond or something.” Irv went off to get her.

  “Your bacon is saved,” Parker said as she scanned the room.

  “You don’t know the half of it.”

  “Hey, sexy!” A blonde woman jumped into his arms.

  “Fantasia?” She sure did look different.

  “Oh.” She giggled. “I know I look different when I’m not dancing.”

  “Yeah,” Parker murmured. “You look like a school girl.”

  Riley’s eyes widened. “You are legal, right?”

  “Of course, silly. Irv has a strict policy about those things.” She handed him the wallet.

  “If nothing else, Irv seems to be a really classy guy,” Parker replied but was looking at the bar.

  “I know right? I’m really lucky to have him as a boss,” Fantasia squealed. She beamed at him. “I knew you’d be back for it. No one else touched it when I found it. Everything is still intact. I made Irv put it in his secret wall safe.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time.” Riley looked her over again. What a difference the night and some strobe lights made. “Is your name really Fantasia?”

  “No, it’s Sheila.” She grinned. “I’m just doing this while—”

  “Working her way through college,” Parker finished for her.

  “Nobody likes a smarty-pants,” Riley grumbled.

  “Hey sexy, why don’t you take a seat in—” Parker looked past him. “—in the VIP room and have a drink with Fantasia. I’m sure you have some kind of reward for her.”

  “What?” He gave her a quizzical look. What was going on with her? She seemed distracted.

  “Trust me.” Parker winked.

  “OK.”

  “I’m not really dressed for it, but I could give you another dance on the house?” Fantasia smiled.

  “That won’t be necessary, but we can have a drink. A Shirley Temple for me. I’m still getting over last night’s fun.”

  Fantasia waved over a waitress and gave her their orders, then took his hand and led him to the VIP room. He turned to see what Parker was up to, but she was gone. Riley leafed through his wallet and saw that his credit cards and the thousand bucks he’d had were still there, but no luck with the key card to his building. He hadn’t spent any money on women last night, but he did have a hefty tab for the drinks. The bubbly college student was going on about how she thought it was kismet that she’d found the wallet when the waitress came back with their drinks. The waitress wanted to stay, but Fantasia shooed her out of the room.

  “Now that we’re all alone.” Fantasia starting undoing the buttons on her blouse.

  “Sheila.” He shook his head. “I mean Fantasia. It’s really not necessary. I do want to pay you a finder’s fee for protecting my wallet. You saved me from the nightmare of getting new credit cards and fraud alerts.” He took the thousand out of his wallet and handed it to her.

  Her eyes widened. “I’d have to work three days for this much money.”

  “Take a break. Maybe use the time to explore other career options.” He smiled. He didn’t know if one less dancer on the stage tonight would be good for Irv’s business, but it would relieve whatever was gnawing at his conscience.

  “You are so kind and loving. I can’t believe you don’t have a girlfriend.”

  “I’m not really, and that’s exactly why I don’t have one.” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a guy entering the VIP room. He knew from his visits that it wasn’t allowed without someone to escort you in there, and the guy seemed to be lurking. He had his hand in his pocket like he was holding something.

  Riley stood and made Fantasia get behind him. “This is a private party, man. What are you doing in here?”

  Before the guy could answer, there was a distinctive click. It was the sound of a gun being cocked.

  “Answer the man.” Parker came into the room with the weapon aimed at the party crasher.

  “Whoa!” the guy screamed. “I just came in here to get an autograph! Someone at the bar recognized Sloane. I can’t afford to go to the Super Bowl, but I wanted to talk to him.”

  “What’s in your pocket?”

  “A napkin.” The guy almost ripped his pocket trying to get the thing out.

  “My mistake.” Parker put the safety back on her gun and holstered it.

  Riley took the napkin from the guy and scribbled his signature on it. “My apologies, my new bodyguard is a little overzealous when it comes to my safety.”

  The guy’s face relaxed. He looked Parker up and down. “Female bodyguard. That’s hot.”

  “Tell me about it.” Riley handed the autographed napkin back to him. “Thanks for being a Tomcats fan.”

  “Thank you for coming to the team.” The guy’s eyes glazed over as he stared at the napkin. “Can I get a picture of you?”

  Parker took the guy’s phone out of his hands. “Over there, against that blank wall. It has no signage, and you can’t tell the location. And before you ask—No, Fantasia can’t be in the picture.”

  The fan scowled. “The other side of the room has more ambience.”

  “Really? I don’t think your wife would want a photo of you in a strip club plastered all over social media. I don’t think she’ll care that Riley Sloane is in it enough not to divorce you.” Her eyes went to the gold band on his left hand ring finger.

  He gulped. “You’re right.”

  Riley posed with the guy for a few photos, shook his hand, and he was off. Irv came in to make sure everything was OK. Fantasia was disappointed he didn’t want the lap dance or her phone number, but she was appreciative of the thousand-dollar finder’s fee he’d given her. He bid her good-bye, but wanted to tell Sheila that she could do better than working there. And apparently he could do better picking his hangout venues. She reminded him of his sister, and it made him feel sick that she and other girls like her had been offering themselves to him and the guys the night before. Parker was right. He felt like he’d peeked behind a magic curtain only to be severely disappointed.

  Irv was chatting away about his uptick in business as he led them back to the secret door, while Parker scrolled her cell phone. Once they were in the tunnel headed back to the bakery, he thought it would be a good time to talk about her work methods. If only he knew what to say to her. It was clear she acted on impulse and was very aware of the things going on around her, but that also could be construed as reckless. He didn’t want her disappearing on him like that again. What if she’d gone to scope out that fan and he turned out to be the guy who’d left the smashed clock? She could have been in serious trouble, whether she had a gun or not. He knew she used to be a cop, but she was also part of the Blake family. He, in a sense, was responsible for her. He’d been around the ranch often enough to know her erratic beha
vior on the force and her decision to be a PI was a bone of contention for the entire family. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to J.J. why his sister-in-law got hurt, no matter if she were an ex-cop turned private investigator and was supposed to be guarding him.

  Parker’s voice brought him back from his wandering thoughts. “Are you going to get that?”

  His cell phone had been ringing. He looked down at the screen. It made a strange blip on the screen then stopped. When he scrolled the phone log, he couldn’t find the call. “I need a new phone. This one has been acting funny for months.”

  “Maybe you talk too much.” She said in a low voice.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing. Do you need to go anywhere else?”

  “No. I need to eat and get some sleep.”

  “Good. I got a text from Sam. She has a schedule in place for tonight, but the real fun begins in the morning. We’ll be doing three shifts, and since I live in the building, I’ll be with you in the mornings going into the afternoon. Kendrick will head the afternoon shift, and Luther will be in charge of the overnight team.”

  “This is getting out of hand.”

  “No, this is how important people are protected. I know it seems ridiculous, but Regency has never lost a client.”

  “Sam is a smart lady. If she says it’s necessary, I’ll live with it.”

  “Good. Glad you’re getting on board with it.” She clicked on the flashlight to see down the darkened part of the tunnel. “You’re friends with Kendrick, and he’s the best. And you know me.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Do I really know you?”

  “You enough about me. Think of me as Sam minus the winning personality.”

  He laughed. “I can totally do that. So, do I get a code name?”

  Kendrick had told him that they assigned names to their clients when talking over the radio frequencies. John Jacob was the Lone Star. J.J. was the Lone Wolf. Seth was Touchdown Pass. Cassidy was Art Deco. He could only imagine what they’d come up with for him.

  “Yeah,” she mumbled.

  “Well, what is it?”

  “It’s Prince Charming.” She rolled her eyes.

  “I like it.” He grinned.

  “You would.” She rapped on the door for the bakery with the secret knock.

  “I know you’re supposed to be protecting me and everything, but was bloodying one guy’s nose and pulling a gun on a fan necessary?”

  “I was just doing my job.”

  “It was overkill. Did you get fired for using excessive force?”

  “If it’s a little too real for you, I can get Sam to assign someone else to you.”

  “Maybe that would be better,” he said. “I don’t need some hot-head working through aggression issues wringing necks everywhere we go.”

  “Says the man who’s a professional football player. Or is it only OK for you to throw people around in the name of a national pastime because you’re a man?”

  Riley moved closer to her. “Don’t try to lay that sexist garbage on me. If you want to be a sumo wrestler, I’d be the first to advocate for it. But I think some things are better left to men.”

  “Yeah, you have war, boxing, hunting, sky diving, and mountain climbing.”

  “So we’re just a bunch of mindless brutes running roughshod over the world?”

  She peered up at him. “You said it, not me.”

  “I think you know there’s more to men than that, and if you weren’t so determined to prove you didn’t need them, you’d find the benefits of having one could be a good thing.”

  “Like that’s going to solve all my problems.” Parker shook her head, looking disgusted. “How’s the weather on that planet you live on?”

  “I live in the real world just fine. You should try it. Maybe tone down the maiming a little while you’re at it. Not everyone’s a threat.”

  “You’re my responsibility.” Parker put her hands on her hips. “Someone’s just graduated from leaving you hate notes to adding props to get their point across. If this person is serious, I don’t think he’s going to ask you to sign his Jersey if he gets close to you.”

  He knew from the look in her eyes that she was dead serious. Whether she liked him or not she’d do her job. “You’re right.”

  “Thanks.” She reluctantly took her hands off her hips. “Maybe you’re right too. Given our history of sniping at each other, I’m clearly not the best person for the job. Sam will understand.”

  He smirked. “You’re giving up that quick?”

  “No. You have to concentrate on the next couple of weeks.”

  “And you think I can’t handle you baiting me while watching out for some stalker?”

  “It would be less stressful.”

  “I am grace under pressure and very determined. I can assure you nothing is going to throw me off my game. Not even someone out to scare me.”

  “I’m worried he might be out to do more than that.” She bit her lip.

  “That’s why you’re here.” He winked at her.

  The door opened, and Steve ushered them inside. They made their way to the front of the bakery. He picked up a few pastries for the road. They drove back to their building in near silence. She kept to the speed limit, and he noticed her glancing at her mirrors to make sure they weren’t being followed. Once they were back on his floor, she checked out his place again and informed him that Kendrick and the team for the next shift would be arriving soon.

  “Don’t tell Sam you want off this assignment,” he said. “I’m sure we can work together.”

  “I’m still not convinced we’re a good combination…but I’ll give it a few more days.”

  “Good. So, I’ll see you in the morning?”

  “Yes, at seven o’clock sharp.”

  The knock on the door meant the next team was there. She gave him a salute then headed for the door.

  “Parker, before you go. I have a question.”

  “OK. Shoot.”

  “Maybe we should use another word.” He laughed, then held his hands up. “What tipped you off that the fan in the strip club was up to something?”

  “I saw him by the bar when we were talking to Irv. He was in a place full of half-naked women and the only thing he was focused on was you. Odds were in my favor something strange was going to happen.” She grinned.

  “Ah.”

  “Listen, you did good today. I know I can be quick with the cues, but when we’re out, focus on me. I’ll always give you a subtle heads-up when I’m checking something out.”

  “I suppose it’s not a bad thing to have you in my sights.” He cleared his throat. “Besides, I knew you weren’t flirting when you winked at me.”

  Riley watched as Parker walked over to him and put her hands up to smooth the collar of his shirt. It was hard not to get distracted by the silken stroking motion and the sultry look in her eyes as she stared up at him. Not sure of what she’d do next, he stood there waiting for something to happen.

  “If I were flirting with you, there’d be no mistaking the signs.” Parker marched back over to the door, opened it, then walked out.

  Riley couldn’t help but smile. What did a flirty Parker even look like? Every once and again he’d see her sporting an enigmatic smile, and those beautiful brown eyes would look warm and inviting. He had a feeling there was a much softer side to her that she didn’t reveal to anyone.

  He shook the intrusive thoughts popping into his head about getting to know her better. Curiosity killed the cat, after all. He was very curious about her and was in danger of testing the waters to find out what lurked beneath that cool façade. For now, he’d do his best not to think about her.

  * * *

  Parker put the popcorn on the coffee table crowded with goodies and plopped down on the couch. She’d jumped into her pajamas and favorite robe with sheep on it as soon as she’d come home. She nixed the idea of making a respectable dinner and settled for empty calories. Now she surveye
d the table riddled with junk food. She had everything she needed for her girl’s night with Avery. She was really looking forward to it because they’d both been so busy lately—she trying to establish her investigative business and Avery toiling away at medical school, her volunteer projects, and spending time with her boyfriend Wyatt. She didn’t know where her friend got all the energy, but she was proud of her for chasing her dreams. There were brief moments when their schedules synced up, so they had to take advantage of them when they could. Tonight they were going to pig out and watch movies and trade family gossip.

  After spending the day with Riley Sloane, she needed it. She’d never been inside his condo before this morning, so it was eye-opening to see the man’s living space. As she expected, he was a total bachelor, with an enormous workout room and a huge home theater. He had an office that was littered with photos, awards, and trophies on the glass shelves. She could tell they’d recently been shifted around to make room for his impending Super Bowl trophy. He also seemed unfazed by the threat he’d received today. She figured he had what he considered more important things on his mind, like winning the big game.

  She’d mention in her report that Riley’s keycard had gone missing. The building superintendent had created a new access card for him and deactivated the old one. She wondered if that was how the stalker was able to get on the floor and leave the package. It was that or someone who worked in the building had been careless with how they monitored their access cards. If someone tried to use the deactivated card, the building personnel would now contact her immediately. Still, how could she protect him if he weren’t going to take this seriously? They seemed to have called a truce of sorts, but she still didn’t think it was a good idea for her to work with him. But she also knew that if she called Sam and bowed out so quickly, her sister would accuse her of not following through with an agreement. Still, she had a bone to pick with her big sister. She picked up her cell phone and searched for Sam’s number.

  Sam answered on the second ring. “Parker. How was your first day with Riley?”

  “An unusual experience. What’s going on? I thought the boys would be asleep by now.” She could hear a calamity in the background.