Playing for Keeps (Hope Valley Book 10)

by Jessica Prince

  “Charlotte.”

  I dug deeper into my purse, looking for a lot of nothing. “Yeah?”

  “Thumbelina, will you look at me please?” God, that rich, husky voice was going to plague my dreams for years.

  “I just need to find my . . .” What, Charlie. What the hell do you need to find? Then it hit me. “Keys! I just need to find my keys.”

  “Charlotte.” I jumped at his close proximity. The damn man moved like a freaking ninja! “We need to talk.”

  Oh God.

  “We don’t,” I insisted, a bolt of panic shooting through my whole system. I didn’t want to do this, but Dalton Prescott deserved so much better than me. “We really don’t.”

  He moved in, so close his gorgeous, bearded face was all I could see. “Yeah, we do,” he said so tenderly my knees grew weak.

  “Dalton,” I breathed. I wasn’t sure if I was saying his name in a plea or a warning. A whirlwind of emotions swirling around inside me with fear as the frontrunner.

  His fingertips traced along my jaw and trailed down my neck. “Charlotte.” He leaned closer, and I suddenly found it impossible to breathe.

  In that second, I thought I might die if he didn’t kiss me and that I might die if he did. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place as his lips came closer to mine. It was the most agonizing, exhilarating feeling I’d ever experienced. Then his lips came down on mine and my whole world stopped.

  With a gruff moan, he wrapped the hair of my ponytail around his fist and guided my head into the perfect position to ravage my mouth. With just that one kiss, I felt dominated. I’d never felt anything like it before. As his tongue drove in, slicking against mine, I felt owned. When his teeth tugged at my bottom lip, I whimpered, melting into him.

  He worshipped my mouth, stole the breath from my lungs. I never wanted it to end at the same time I resented him for giving me a taste of something that could never be mine.

  Our breathing was ragged and labored when he finally broke away, bringing his forehead to rest against mine.

  “Christ, Thumbelina. That was—”

  “A mistake,” I whispered, feeling something in my chest split apart as I forced myself to pull away. “And it can’t happen again.”

  Those eyes went hard and his strong, square jaw ticked. “You don’t mean that.”

  “I do.” I was shocked at how steady my voice was when I felt a piece of me shriveling to dust. “This isn’t going to happen, Dalton. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” God, the blank look on his face was killing me. But I had to keep going. “But your job is done. I’m not your responsibility anymore.”

  “Charlotte, don’t—”

  There was a knock on the door just a moment before Hayden’s head peaked around. “Hey, you ready to—” Her smile fell as the thick, humid atmosphere in the room hit her. “Am I interrupting something? I can wait in the hall.”

  “No,” I spit out quickly. “Perfect timing, actually. I’m beyond ready to get out of here.”

  I snatched my purse off the bed and flung it over my shoulder, the movement sending a shard of pain through my abdomen.

  “Oh.” Her gaze bounced between Dalton and me. “Okay. Well, if you’re ready.”

  “I am. Let’s go before they try to keep me here any longer.” I turned and gave Dalton one last look over my shoulder. “See you around, Dalton. And thanks again. For everything.” He didn’t say a word.

  And with each step I took away from him, I hated myself a little bit more.

  Chapter Five

  Dalton

  I barely suppressed my eye roll when the asshole in front of me began to showboat, hopping around on the balls of his feet and lifting his arms in the air to pump the crowd up even more than they already were.

  I’d been doing this long enough to know the people who came out wanted a show. The longer I took to knock out the guys I fought, the more money I’d pull in at the end of the night. People didn’t want to pay to watch a fight that lasted all of thirty seconds, so I’d let them get in a couple hits every now and then to drag things out. But it never failed that some shit-for-brains would let a couple good punches go to his head and start dancing around the dirty cement floor that made up our “ring” like he was the next fucking Ali.

  I’d given this prick two hits so far—one that made my left cheekbone throb, and another that had opened up my bottom lip—and if he didn’t stop with his dumbass shit, those were all he was going to get. Which was a goddamn shame because I was in need of a good fight.

  I’d driven straight to the warehouse after leaving Charlotte in my rearview in the parking lot of Whiskey Dolls, needing to pound on something—and take a bit of a beating myself—in an attempt to alleviate the tension swirling around in my gut. I’d hoped for a fair fight, but this guy wasn’t giving me a lot to work with.

  He swung, trying to land a right hook that I easily dodged before throwing a jab to his stomach. He hunched over, the wind knocked out of him, and I took the opportunity to drive my fist into his kidney. I moved back, giving him a chance to catch his breath. He came back more pissed, which made him even sloppier.

  I ducked and danced away from each wild swing easily, landing punches of my own. Blood spurted from his mouth on a particularly nasty uppercut. He hit the ground a second later, knocked the fuck out.

  Before the weaselly prick who ran the underground fights had a chance to scurry in and lift my arm, announcing me the winner, I moved out of the circle, pushing my way through the crowd that had gone from wild to completely insane.

  As soon as I was clear, I spotted a few familiar faces standing against the wall near the back of the room. Hunter McCann, Trent Montgomery, and Bryce Dixon worked with me at Alpha Omega Investigations.

  The fact that every man who worked there was former military meant there was a bond between all of us, a brotherhood that had extended from our time serving our country and beyond, but out of all the men, I was probably closest to Trent. He knew how I felt about Charlotte, how her getting hurt and nearly dying on my watch had swirled inside my head, fucking me up for a good long while. Hell, I was still struggling with it months later. And he knew I hadn’t been able to get her out of my head since that last day in the hospital when she’d pulled away from that goddamn kiss, so pale, her bruised face still pinched from pain even though it had been nearly two weeks since she was attacked, and told me she didn’t want me in her life anymore.

  I moved toward them. “How’d you guys know I was here?” I asked as I snatched my shirt off the bench beside them and pulled it on, not giving a damn if the sweat or blood misting across my chest left stains.

  “Wasn’t all that hard to piece together,” Hunter replied.

  His buddy Bryce spoke next. “When we figured out where you were, we swung by to put some money down.” He grinned and rubbed his palms together. “Had my eye on this badass beer fridge for a while now. Thanks for helpin’ the cause.”

  “Glad to be of service. Pay me back by never doing that shit with your hands again. You look creepy as fuck.”

  Hunter laughed while Bryce’s disturbing grin fell into a frown. “You just kicked that guy’s ass and cleaned up. Shouldn’t you be in a better mood?”

  I looked at him, my expression blank as I asked, “Who says I’m not?”

  Bryce’s brows lifted in bewilderment. “Well, your face for one thing.”

  Through that whole interaction, Trent watched on silently, his gaze shrewd and calculating, like he was studying me to see if he could read what was going on inside my head. I knew he’d hit pay dirt when he spoke, correctly deducing why I was in such a foul mood.

  “You went to the club again tonight, didn’t you?”

  Instead of answering, I crossed my arms over my chest and pinned him with a look.

  “Fuck, brother.” Hunter let out on a huff. “When’re you gonna stop beating yourself up over what went down? It wasn’t your fault she got hurt.”

  I cut my eyes to
him, feeling the muscle in my jaw tick. “Yeah? A person you’re protectin’ ever get shot and nearly killed on your watch?” His mouth pulled into a tight line, and his silence was all the answer I needed. “Didn’t think so. That ever happens, then you can come to me, telling me what happened to Charlotte wasn’t my fault.”

  I could see in my friends’ faces that they wanted to keep arguing, but they also knew there was no point. I wasn’t going to come around to their way of thinking, and there was no goddamn way I was letting myself off the hook. At least not until I found out why the fuck she’d snuck away from me that day and intentionally went to meet a man who wanted her dead.

  “It’s late,” I finally grunted, wanting to put an end to this cozy little scene. “See you at the office tomorrow.”

  Without giving any of them a chance to say another word, I turned and started toward the exit, stopping just long enough to get my winnings for the night. Then, with the thick envelope of cash shoved into my pocket, I hit my truck and took off. I needed to wash this fucking night off my skin. Then hopefully I’d be able to sleep without dreaming of Charlotte.

  But I wasn’t holding my breath for that.

  Charlotte

  “I’m not sure about this, Charlotte,” Marin said nervously as she stared through the windshield at the little bungalow she shared with her soon-to-be-ex jackass of a boyfriend. “Are you sure we shouldn’t call someone to help us?”

  I twisted the key in the ignition, killing the engine as I looked at her in the passenger seat. “Don’t worry. We’ve got this. Besides, didn’t you say he’d be at work until at least six?” She nodded her head while chewing anxiously on her bottom lip. “Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

  Despite the copious amounts of coffee I’d had so far, I still felt like I was running on fumes. I’d put on a happy face as soon as Marin knocked on my door the night before, and the amount of energy it took to keep up that façade for the hours it took us to stuff our face with junk food and binge a couple movies was exhausting. However, once we’d called it a night, I hadn’t been able to find sleep. No matter how badly my body screamed for it, I couldn’t get my mind to shut down.

  I’d tossed and turned for hours, thoughts of Dalton invading every single spot in my mind. When I closed my eyes he was all I could see, and the few times I’d managed to doze, I’d been jolted awake only minutes later after dreaming about that kiss we’d shared months back in that hospital room.

  But the memory that plagued me the most, making my stomach churn violently every few minutes, was the expression on his face when he’d called me a coward. I hated that look of disappointment and hurt, and I hated myself for being the one who’d put it there.

  I’d only managed about two restless hours of sleep by the time the sun came up and Marin stirred awake from her place on my couch where she’d crashed for the night.

  It had been a busy morning so far, but we’d managed to get Marin set up in an apartment two floors below mine, swing by the store for boxes and packing tape, and hit up Muffin Top for a much-needed caffeine boost and a couple of the best glazed donuts I’d ever eaten.

  Now all that was left was to pack up Marin’s life and move it to her new, much happier home.

  “Let’s do this,” I coaxed, “A quick in and out, then you’re home free.”

  We climbed from my car, moving around to the truck to grab the empty boxes, then headed inside. We split the rooms to make things a bit quicker and had made a pretty decent dent when, an hour later, I heard the front door open, followed by a loud, angry voice snarling, “What the fuck is this?”

  Dropping the pile of clothes I’d pulled from one of the dresser drawers, I raced out of the bedroom and down the hall, rounding the corner into the living room just as Marin spoke, her voice strong as she declared, “I told you, Frank, I’m done. I’m moving out.”

  The man—now known as Frank—curled his top lip back from his teeth in a sinister smile. “And I told you, you aren’t leavin’. Do I need to teach you another lesson?” He grabbed Marin by the arm and gave her a shake so brutal it made her head snap.

  I moved fast when I saw my friend clench her teeth in pain as she tried to wrench out of his hold.

  “Let her go.”

  He kept his fingers in a vise grip around her arm as his attention shot to me. “Mind your own fuckin’ business, bitch. And while you’re at it, why don’t you get the fuck outta my house?”

  Marin gave her arm another yank as she declared, “Don’t talk to her like that.”

  Frank let out a bark of laughter. “What, you got your friend here, so you’re feelin’ tough? That’s a big goddamn mistake, Marin, and you know it.”

  “I’m not gonna say it again,” I gritted in warning. “Let her go.”

  He looked back at me, finally taking the time to size me up for the first time since I stepped into the room. I could tell from his smarmy grin that he thought I wasn’t any kind of real threat, which was exactly what I’d been hoping for. I’d been underestimated my whole life; it was something I’d gotten really good at using to my advantage.

  “You gonna teach me a lesson?” he taunted.

  “If I have to.”

  Marin’s eyes were wide and full of fear as she turned to look at me. “Charlotte, just go. It’ll be okay.”

  “Yeah, Charlotte,” Frank mimicked in a high-pitched, nasally voice. “You should listen to her before you get yourself hurt.”

  “Or what? You’re gonna hit me too?” I gave him the same treatment he’d given me and scanned him up and down, my expression telling him I wasn’t scared in the slightest. “You know what kind of man hits on women smaller than him? A pussy. That’s all you are.”

  “You got a nasty fuckin’ mouth on you for such a small thing. Maybe you’re the one I should be teachin’ a lesson.” He let go of Marin then, tossing her aside like a rag doll as he started for me. “And you know what, bitch? That’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

  I quickly reached into my back pocket and pulled out the retractable baton I’d brought with me just in case. As soon as he got close enough and brought his arm up, I swung. The sound of metal smashing into bone filled the air just a second before Frank’s howl of agony drowned it out. He clutched his now-broken arm against his chest, opening himself up for me to kick him right in the balls.

  He went down to the ground with a satisfying thud, and as soon as he did, I lifted the baton back up and brought it down again, shattering his kneecap this time.

  “Oh my God,” Marin cried, coming up beside me, her jaw hanging open in shock. “I can’t . . . how did . . . I don’t—”

  “You bitch!” Frank screamed from the floor, tears coursing down his cheeks. “You fucking bitch! You’re gonna pay! Both of you!”

  I crouched down beside his head, bracing the baton across my knees. “You aren’t gonna do a damn thing,” I told him as he writhed and moaned in pain. “Know why?” I didn’t wait for him to answer, knowing he was probably struggling to form words. “Because I’ve already taken pictures of what you did to your girlfriend. You could try going to the cops, but the pictures will prove self-defense. She was leaving your worthless ass because you’re an abusive piece of shit. That made you snap. You beat the hell out of her. She was scared for her life, so she fought back.” I turned to look up at Marin. “That’s how I recall it going down. Is that how you remember it?”

  A slow, calculated smile stretched across her pretty face. “That’s exactly how it happened.”

  He turned his vicious eyes to Marin and spat, “Fuck you,” through his whimpering.

  “Hey.” I smacked his cheek hard enough to make my hand sting. “Don’t look at her. Don’t even talk to her. Now, as it is right now, your knee will heal . . . eventually. But you give me your word right this second that you’re never gonna so much as breathe in Marin’s direction, or I’m gonna turn your kneecap into confetti. So what’s it going to be?”

  He glared at me through huffed b
reaths.

  “What’s it going to be?” I repeated, stabbing my finger into his injured knee.

  “Ah! Fuck! Okay, okay! I get it! I’ll never even look at her again. Just stop! Please.”

  “Good,” I chirped with a smile, patting his shoulder before pushing up to my feet. “Now you just stay where you are and relax while we finish packing her things. We’ll be out of your hair before you know it.”

  Marin followed me out of the living room but reached to grab my hand, pulling me to a stop. “How . . . where did you learn to do that?”

  “Let’s just say I know what it’s like to feel helpless. I’ve known my fair share of Franks in my life, and I made myself a promise a while back that I wouldn’t be helpless anymore.”

  Her fingers gave mine a squeeze, and her lips tilted up in an appreciative grin. “Thank you,” she said quietly, those two words chocked full of emotion. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”

  “Yes you would’ve,” I insisted. “Maybe not today or tomorrow, but you’d have eventually found your strength.”

  Her eyes began to glisten. “How do you know that?”

  I gave my shoulder a shrug. “Because I know you. I know you’re loyal and caring. And I know how smart and strong you really are, even if you don’t always see it in yourself. In your head and your heart, you were already done with that loser back there. All I did was have your back. Most of the time, that’s all it takes.”

  The tears that had been glistening dried up and the smile she gave me in that moment told me all I needed to know. She was going to be just fine.

  “Maybe I’ll get me one of those baton thingies,” she said with a conspiratorial glint in her eyes. “You know . . . just in case.”