Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
In my haste, I ran smack into a waifish-looking kid that would have hit the ground if I hadn’t caught him and held him upright after our collision. He yelped in surprise and looked up at me with the biggest brown eyes I’d ever seen. His bottom lip quivered like he was terrified of me, so I gently eased him into an upright position and apologized for barreling over him. Unfortunately, he still looked scared shitless.
“Uh oh,” he said quietly. “You aren’t by any chance somebody named Landon, are you?” His voice was as small as he was.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “How do you know my name?”
His eyes darted up and down the hall nervously. “Uh…I was supposed to do something…you know…before you got back from your fitting.” His eyes dropped to the floor and his feet shuffled like a kid in the principal’s office.
All the fear I’d felt when I’d not known where Micah was disappeared as I watched the kid squirm around in front of me. The motherfucker had played me, just like I’d originally suspected. As I waited for the kid to come clean, I fantasized about beating Micah’s ass black and blue for all the grief he’d already caused me…and I hadn’t even punched the fucking time-clock yet.
“Jinx told me,” he answered as he nibbled his bottom lip, finally answering my question about the name.
“Did he, now? What exactly did Micah tell you about me? And, more importantly, where in the hell is Micah?” I put a finger under his chin and forced him to look up at me. “Where. Is. He?”
“You weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow!” he accused, without answering any of my questions. My patience for spoiled, tiny, immature men grew thinner by the second.
“And how did you know that?”
“Jinx told me. He said you shouldn’t start the bodyguard job until morning, but I was supposed to be in his bed, covered up, just in case you decided to check in on him early.” Then he shrugged sheepishly. “But then I took a nap…that turned out to be longer than a nap. I, uh, didn’t get into place fast enough. Do you think there’s a chance we could not tell him about it? He’s my only real friend and I’d hate to lose him over a nap.”
Frustration bubbled over. “Just tell me where he is, and it’ll be our secret.”
“I don’t know what room the party is in, but a bunch of them went over to Chateau Milano for a party. They do it all the time—party somewhere away from their hotel. It gives them some privacy from the tabloids and media. It’s safe enough; they always come back.”
“Until one of them doesn’t, kid,” I countered. “Thanks for your help.”
“My name’s Trevor!” he called out as I dismissed him by walking away, which brought me back to wandering the halls of Chateau Milano, searching for the young man I was going to put over my knee and spank—he was acting like a child, and I intended to treat him like one. I hated that I’d ever mistaken him for someone with any sense or maturity whatsoever. With every step I took, Micah reminded me more and more of his father. The sad part was that I’d fucking agreed to work this job for free because I’d felt sorry for him. Ari was possibly in danger, having faced a real abduction attempt, so I wasn’t going to waste my time on a kid not worth it. Come morning, Samantha would have to send another agent. I was beyond finished with Micah Gentry.
I finally found the room number that had lightened my wallet by two hundred U.S. dollars in order to bribe the guy at the front desk. As I stood outside the door, I realized I could have kept my money and just listened in each hallway. The noise from inside the suite was loud enough that I should have been able to hear it from our original hotel room. Fucker. Micah was in so much trouble.
I pulled out my cell and called the IT girl that was taking Ari’s place while he was vacationing. Fuck, Eli had better keep my son safe while I was on assignment. My heart literally ached when I allowed the thoughts of somebody out there that wanted to hurt my son—my son, who followed all the rules while this spoiled brat did whatever the fuck he wanted to do, without one time even considering the consequences of his actions. “Hey, Mona. Do you have my location?”
“I surely do, Sweet Daddy,” she answered. “Whatcha need?”
Sweet Daddy? Once again, I was reminded of my age—just what I needed at the moment. Not.
“Please open room number 5678 at the Chateau Milano.” I’d already called in and told them where I was headed and what help I would probably need from our closest office.