“Look out for that little ‘un. She’s Draegan McCall’s woman. Serena somethin’ another. Last guy watchin’ the place said she acts one way in public but another way behind closed doors. We did some prowlin’ ’round. Gal had a tough childhood, probably worse than my own. Word is she had one stepdad after another and dealt with all sorts of abuse. Then, she up and married some drug lord from the projects. He was worth plenty from what they say. No one figured he’d ever let her go.”
“Who is ‘they’ exactly?”
“Shit. Don’t be crass. I’m talkin’ about the word on the street.”
“And you’re out there on the street a lot now, are you?”
Guy was a real smartass. “Alls ya need to know is she ain’t as innocent as she looks. Probably a fighter if she’s backed in a corner.”
For that reason if none other, Toms had often considered letting Serena walk away unscathed, but if life had taught him anything it was to never underestimate someone with a difficult past. They often found their inner strength when the odds were visibly stacked against them. If they finally allowed themselves to love, they protected those they cherished. Once those people were gone, they spent all the days of their lives looking for retribution, seeking outright revenge.
The hired gun stood. “What’s that saying? You can take the girl out of the wild but you can’t take the wild out of the girl?”
“I reckon so. From what I hear, Serena is a wild one. Wouldn’t mind havin’ a little of that on a conjugal visit.” Toms stroked his chin and indulged in a brief fantasy—Serena on her knees in front of him. He abruptly added, “Job’ll test your skills.”
“I’m forty-nine for forty-nine, Mr. Vance. I’m never tested, never tried.
My success rate is one hundred percent.”
“Good. Oh and when ya finish? Make sure the message is clear. No one is safe in Trouble, and if they step away from those guarded gates, they’re as good as dead.”
Chapter One
Five Days Later
Tri-Cities Airport, Tennessee
“Markie, what the fuck is all this?” Allister circled the pile of baggage. He crossed his arms and snarled before looking up at Ellie and shaking his head.
It was difficult, but Ellie held her laughter. Markie could rub Allister the wrong way without even trying and apparently this was one such time.
“Do you realize how much this will cost?” Allister frowned. “Why didn’t you just ship your luggage? It would’ve been cheaper.”
“Don’t be a drama momma.” Markie crouched on the floor next to his suitcases and scribbled his name on one luggage tag after another, tilting his cotton-top head one way or another and grinning like crazy. After he tagged each of his bags, he jumped to his feet. “Allister, hon, we’re not starting our trip this way.” He walked his fingers in front of his body. “Go back over there and stand by Ellie where you belong, sweet thang.”
Allister thinned his lips. His nostrils flared with his obvious frustration. He threw up his arm and would’ve undoubtedly fired off a round of insults, had Ellie not caught his hand and dragged him away.
“Ellie, don’t take up for him. Travelers pay extra for additional bags.”
“Since when is money a problem?” she asked.
“It’s not, but it will be one of these days if we don’t put our foot down. It’s like my dad always said, ‘If you don’t make your kids feel like it’s a stretch to pay for a happy meal, eventually you won’t be able to afford the plastic toy in the bottom of the box.’ Markie spends oodles, far more than a bunch of women shopping on Rodeo Drive. And let’s not even get started on what a pain in the ass it will be claiming luggage in Miami.”
“Let’s not,” Ellie agreed, hiding her smile. She started to point out that Markie wasn’t a child, much less Allister’s child, but she decided against it. A beat later, she added, “Look at me.” She deliberately stared at his crotch. “If you stop groaning now, I’ll give you something to moan about when we’re ten thousand feet in the air.”
“You’re doing that anyway.” He flashed a devilish grin. “And you’ll like it.”
“I will,” she agreed saucily. She then turned her attention to the others. “Markie is excited, Allister. Let him have a good vacation. If anyone deserves one, he does.”
Recently abducted by Vin Vance, Markie had been marked for dead. He’d barely escaped the terrible situation with his life. To make matters worse, he hadn’t been quite right since his return. He rarely went out at night and seemed withdrawn.
Allister kissed her cheek. “I’ll check our bags.”
Spotting a kiosk with frequent flyer information, Ellie went to retrieve a brochure. She noticed a few people at a nearby counter, but one man stood out as particularly interesting.
He shot her a smile and she returned it. No crime in grinning. She wasn’t flirting by any means. Then again, he was nice looking and he seemed interested in her. Considering Ellie’s four boyfriends were under one roof, the latter could present a slight problem.
One look at the man told her three things. First, he was successful enough to wear thousand dollar suits. Second, he was most likely an Alpha male and used his tall, dark, and handsome features to earn his share of favors with the ladies. Finally, if his confidence proved anything at all, he knew how to work that swagger for all it was worth.