by Mia Dymond
Watch Me
Alpha Four, Book 3
By
Mia Dymond
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2016 Mia Dymond
Published on Smashwords
Cover photo: Vojtech Vlk |Dreamstime.com
Cover by The Book Nymph PR
* * *
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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CHAPTER ONE
“Those have got to be fake.”
Carley Kensworth moved her gaze over her friends and then settled on the one who made the accusation. Kat Abbott had quite the flair for getting to the bottom of things.
“Nope, they’re real.”
“Swear?”
“Yep.”
Kat narrowed her emerald green gaze. “Prove it.”
Carley glanced around the crowded room and onto the guests gathered at the annual City of Everglade Springs Gala. Businessmen and women congregated at tables with their bodies draped in sheets and fig-leaf crowns positioned on their heads, while they rubbed elbows with members of the community who were sworn to make the city a better place. Hired to host the event, Carley had planned the toga party and so far everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Thanks to the generosity of another friend, Liv Blackwell, the party was held in the banquet room at the Melbourne Palm Resort. The hotel in itself was a grand gesture. Passed from generation to generation in Liv’s family, the resort boasted beautiful and exquisite accommodations, which only added to the grandeur of the night’s celebration.
Carley continued to gaze around the room, satisfied by her staff’s ability to create her vision for the party’s theme. In the center of the room, wine poured freely from a concrete pitcher held by a statue of a Greek woman sparsely draped in a makeshift toga with one breast on display. Several long banquet tables rested near the edge of the room, filled with cuts of roasted chicken, pork, and lamb. Roasted red peppers drizzled with olive oil and spinach salad garnished with olives sat nearby. Bowls of fresh fruit garnished each table and a ready supply of Baklava tempted the sweet tooth of everyone present. The sticky sweet dessert topped with chopped nuts gave the room a honey aroma. To complete the feast, a three-tiered chocolate fountain bubbled in one corner.
Guests gathered around the room in clumps, concentrating on food and conversation; no one would notice a discreet reach across the table in front of her.
She quickly grabbed a peach from the bowl there.
“See, Kat?” She gave the fleshy skin a squeeze and giggled when juice fell to the tablecloth. “One hundred percent Georgia grown.”
“We’re supposed to be keeping the place clean, Carley,” Liv clucked as she dropped a towel on the juice stain.
“Thanks for helping, girls.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it. Your parties are always so much fun.” Sophie Graystone patted her on the shoulder and then turned to Kat. “I’m glad Chaos didn’t put up a fight.”
Kat dismissed Sophie’s concern with a wave of her hand. “Nah. He took down the bad guy. I needed some normalcy.”
Carley smiled, relieved that Kat seemed to put the earlier threat on her life behind her. Thankfully, Chaos had seen to that.
“Are you sure he’s not hiding under a table?” she teased.
“No.” Kat grinned as she gave what Carley knew to be a totally honest answer.
“He’s not,” Sophie assured them. “He and Rebel had to tie up all the loose ends.”
Liv raised an eyebrow. “What about Ace?”
“Rebel didn’t say.”
Liv’s eyes sparkled with something close to mischief. “You didn’t invite him, Carley?”
“You’re kidding, right? The last thing I need while I’m working is a shadow.”
“Sure about that?”
“Positive.”
“I don’t know, Carley.” Liv tilted her head to one side, a motion Carley knew meant she was secretly analyzing her response. “A shadow of that sort may not be half bad.”
Although she knew her friend would see right through it, she issued another firm denial. “Trust me when I say it would.”
“If you say so.” Liv turned and gestured at the corner of the room with one hand. “Your parents look adorable.”
Carley smiled at the sight of her mother and father, wrapped in matching mint-green sheets and mingling with the other guests. It was always nice to see them relax and enjoy themselves outside of the investment business.
“Thank you. Yours appear to be having a good time as well.”
Liv sighed. “I’m glad I talked them into attending. My mother felt like she should supervise until Dad convinced her otherwise.”
“Nonsense,” Carley agreed. “She’s a guest. Just because she owns the place doesn’t mean she’s expected to work.”
Sophie giggled. “Kat, your dad looks powerful, even in a toga.”
“He loves parties.” Kat grinned. “He reminds me of Julius Caesar tonight.”
Sophie nodded. “The Senator is in his element too. Although, mom had to convince him to wear the toga.” She gestured at one corner of the room with her head. “It looks like the chocolate fountain is a big hit.”
Carley nodded. “I had hoped so. This is the first time I’ve used one that large.”
Guests continued to file through the dessert line one by one smiling and piling plates full of sweet treats until suddenly a woman at the front of the line dropped her plate and screamed hysterically. Carley’s mouth fell open at the outburst and her heart raced as the crowd around the table rapidly dispersed in every possible direction.
All three of her friends turned to look at her with wide, curious eyes. Carley took enough time to roll up the bottom of her toga, fist it in one hand, and then sprint toward the banquet tables. Once she stood in front of the fountain, her stomach churned with anxiety.
She stepped closer, both curious and hesitant to see what caused guests to run for the exit, determined to put everyone’s mind at ease. Very cautiously, she leaned to get a closer look at the object and then she knew reassurance was a pipe dream. There, in a thick pool of chocolate decadence, a flesh-colored object floated in the bowl. A chunky, wrinkled stub that most certainly did not belong in the fountain.
With shaking hands, she slid her hand beneath her toga, grabbed her cell phone from her skirt pocket, and dialed the one number she knew without a doubt would bring help running.
***
Sergeant Gage Ace Moore rolled over, annoyed by the obnoxious noise vibrating
off the nightstand beside the bed. Clean-up after the excitement at the marina had taken most of the day and just like every other mission, it had taken him time to come down from the adrenaline high of taking out yet another sick individual. At least now Kat and Chaos were safe; another example of happily ever after and all that jazz. He yawned. Although he didn’t know exactly what time it was, he was pretty sure he hadn’t been asleep all that long. Still half asleep, he grabbed the ringing cell phone and squinted at the illuminated screen.
Well, well, well.
A smirk split his lips as extreme curiosity chased the sleep from his body. Unless the caller ID lied, Miss Carley Kensworth was on the other end of the line and suddenly a good night’s sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. The short, sassy black-haired beauty had a knack for stimulating him with the bat of an eyelash. Yeah, he was definitely wide awake now. He propped himself up on two pillows, crossed his ankles, and then swiped the icon to answer the call while his mind flashed back to the previous proposition he made her.
“Reconsider that booty call?”
“Yes, but not now.”
Although shocked that she answered his tease with one of her own, he frowned. Something in her direct, honest admission made him suspicious. That, and the panicked screaming in the background.
“What’s wrong, Carley?”
“Nothing, really. I just need your assurance that I’m not jumping to conclusions.”
Now insanely curious about the nature of the call and her lack of panic, he tread carefully. “Okay, shoot.”
“I hosted a party tonight and someone left a gift.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Well, actually no.” She cleared her throat. “It’s not unusual for guests to leave gifts, however this one is unique.”
“Go on.”
“It’s a human finger.”
He sat straight up in bed, swung his legs over the side, and then stood to yank open a nearby dresser drawer. “Put it on ice,” he growled as he grabbed a clean t-shirt. “I’m on my way.”
He disconnected the call, crammed on a pair of jeans and then laced his combat boots in record time, curious as hell to discover if Carley had truly found a human finger. And if so, why?
He grabbed his weapon, slid it into his waistband, palmed his keys and phone, and then headed for his truck. So much for a booty call.
As soon as he sat behind the steering wheel, he started the engine and then dialed the phone. Captain Beck Thunder Raines answered on the first ring, his booming voice filling the interior of the vehicle.
“What’s your twenty?”
“Carley just called. Leaving the house now.”
“ETA?”
“Depends.” He fought the urge to smack the steering wheel. “I need to know where I’m going.”
“Hysterical females,” Thunder muttered. “Melbourne Palm. Rebel and Chaos are already en route.”
Ace kicked guilt in the ass for allowing Thunder to blame Carley for his lack of information. “Three minutes. I’ll see you there.”
He expertly wove in and out of traffic until he finally pulled in front of the hotel, intending to leave his vehicle parked at the curb. Instead, a valet opened the driver’s door before he could even shift into park.
“Good evening, sir.”
He raised an eyebrow. Did this guy realize the evening had suddenly gone haywire? At least, that’s what he assumed when he heard the chaos on the other end of Carley’s phone call.
“Last name?”
“Moore.”
“How long, Mr. Moore?”
He tossed his keys to the other man. “Possibly all night.”
Once he stood in the open doorway of the first banquet room where police detectives and crime scene investigators attempted to work the area, his suspicions were confirmed. The evening had gone straight to hell.
Yellow tape surrounded several tables inside the room and he knew from experience that in the next few minutes, the entire place would be wrapped. Plates of food and silverware littered the carpet, evidence that the party guests had fled in a rush. Several people remained however, speaking to detectives who attempted to piece together the evening’s events.
He moved his gaze onto a lone woman who stood in front of a chocolate fountain in one corner. Wrapped in a sheet with her ebony hair falling in curls down her back, she drew his immediate attention. He didn’t need to see under the sheet to know her curves beckoned his touch. No, he knew firsthand that Carley Kensworth represented his own personal Aphrodite.
Quickly, he moved toward her and laid a hand on her bare shoulder when he stood beside her. “Rough night?”
She released a soft sigh. “You could say that.”
He moved his gaze onto a huddle of detectives in the middle of the room and gestured with his head. “Have you given your statement?”
“They interviewed me first.”
“Good. Fill me in.”
“The party was almost over when I heard screaming over here. I found the finger bobbing in the chocolate.”
“Did you notice anyone suspicious?”
“No.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t notice anyone missing a finger, either.”
“Any reason for someone to leave you such a gift?”
“I can’t imagine why. It appears to me to be a threat of some sort.”
“Most likely. Anyone upset with you?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“You haven’t had any dissatisfied customers lately?”
“No. My parties have been planned for months – years, even. The City hires me for this one every year. I don’t think they would if they were unhappy.”
“We don’t know for sure it was meant for you. Can you get me a list of guests?”
“Of course.”
“Is this place equipped with surveillance?”
“No. In fact, no photography of any kind is allowed.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “The guests at this party like to keep their party behavior private.”
“Once we get a print, things may become clearer. In the meantime, watch yourself. You didn’t drive alone, did you?”
“No, I rode with Liv.”
“I’ll take you home when you’re ready.”
“That’s really not necessary, Ace. Like you said, there’s no clear proof this is directed at me.”
“True, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
“What about Liv?”
“The Captain will follow her.”
“Okay,” she conceded. “I’m almost finished.”
He frowned. “Almost? The place is a crime scene.”
“The tablecloths need to be folded and placed in the laundry bin.”
“Folded?”
She nodded. “They look better that way.”
“We can’t just toss them in?”
“No, that’s tacky.”
He paused for a brief second to analyze her response. Was she really concerned about the state of the tablecloths? Or was her statement an attempt to gain control over the whole unbelievable circumstance?
“We can’t move them,” he said finally. “They need to be processed by the crime scene technicians.”
“Oh, right.” She moved her distressed blue gaze around the room before returning it to him. “I have to leave the place like this?”
“Afraid so.”
She groaned as she ran a hand over her forehead. “That’s just peachy.”
“Sorry, Carley. The detectives will notify you when they’re finished.”
He moved his gaze to the entrance of the room where his teammates now entered. Sergeant Jace Chaos Taylor headed straight for his girlfriend, Kat Abbott, with his gaze narrowed. Chaos didn’t have much patience when things went wrong; the demolitions guru simply blew the problem to Kingdom Come. And, he didn’t blame the other man for being concerned; they’d just come down from a mission in which Kat’s life had been threatened.
Lie
utenant Dagan Rebel Caldwell made a beeline for his fiancé, Sophie Graystone, equally as concerned, he assumed. After all, it hadn’t been that long ago since they’d eradicated an art thief determined to take out Sophie. The tracker had an expert skill of locating a suspect even if the trail ran cold. It wouldn’t be long before Rebel had a lead.
Captain Beck Thunder Raines rounded out the group, making a mad dash to the group of detectives in the middle of the room. He knew from experience it would only take the captain mere minutes to get to the bottom of things – even if he had to strongarm everyone in the room to do it.
“You’d better go run interference,” Carley told him.
He turned his attention back to her. “You’ll be okay here?”
She nodded.
“And you won’t make a run for it?”
She grinned. “No.”
“Okay.” He gave her elbow a squeeze. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
***
Across the room, Liv squared her shoulders and took a deep breath as she ran her hands down both sides of her toga and prepared to do her best to keep things on a positive note. Despite the calamity that ended the evening, the party had actually gone quite well.
Now, if she could just manage to keep the reinforcements from throwing down the hammer, she would have truly accomplished something.
From her vantage point, the head of Alpha Four, dressed in his trademark skin-tight t-shirt and jeans, stood with his arms crossed, intimidating anything that breathed with his dark and serious expression. Eyes narrowed. Lips tight. Chest rising and falling in an increased rhythm. Observation told that her that Thunder analyzed each and every movement in the room and then tore it apart, limb by limb.
Quickly, she made her way across the room until she stood next to the thunderhead himself. She grinned. No pun intended.