Top Dog

He took the paper from me in surprise. “You speak Spanish?”

“Yes, I do.”

I turned to find Abigail watching me curiously. “What?”

“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish,” she said, clearly impressed. “I tried to take Spanish in High School, but I failed it two times.”

I sighed inwardly. I didn’t care for idle chit chat, and I wasn’t in the mood for mind games with Abigail. Our last encounter hadn’t ended well in her Dad’s office. She was a spoiled brat, and I was a well-paid babysitter.

“We should get to the hotel,” I said and grabbed the luggage cart next to them. “Don’t get into the cab until—”

Libby let out an exasperated noise. “You’re paranoid - you know that? Worse than Abi’s Dad.” She tugged Abigail to the cab doors. “We aren’t in middle of Iraq or whatever third world country that has a reputation for kidnapping women.”

I tossed their luggage and bags into the back along with mine. Not caring for their protests to be careful, I climbed into the front passenger seat with Abigail sitting right behind me. I turned to look over at Libby who was now busily scrolling through her phone.

“I’m not being paid to make sure you aren’t kidnapped,” I said, flatly. “It’s Abigail I’m here for, so please, feel free to go down any dark alley you find, by yourself here. Drive, please.”

The cab driver gave me a long look before putting the van into drive. I sat uneasily in the front seat wishing I had my .22 holstered at my side. Madrid was beautiful no doubt, but I had seen a few too many horrible things coming through this city. Granted, there were worse countries out there, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that we were being watched.

“You just want Abigail all to yourself,” Libby said, grinning. “Hey, if you two want some alone time then—”

“Libby,” Abigail started, sharply, “please don’t.”

Libby sighed dramatically. “Fine, but I’m not even tired yet. We just got here and I’m not ready to call it a night just yet.”

“Probably because you never go to bed before 2:00 am,” Abigail said. “It’ll start hitting us once we’re at the hotel.”

“What do you think, Harley?” asked Libby.

I looked back at Libby in annoyance. “What do I think about what?”

“You’re the expert here,” she said, not looking up from her phone. “Will we start to feel the time difference soon?”

The hell do I care? I didn’t see the expression on Abigail's face when she flicked her large sunglasses down to cover her eyes. Keep your patience, Jordan. $500,000 is on the line. Ignoring her was my best option. Fuck, it was the only option.

We arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later. As I suspected what would happen, Libby quieted down on the drive there. They were barely fighting yawns when we pulled up in front of the hotel to check in. I waited until they gathered their bags from the back of the cab before I paid the driver, and walked into the expensive marble lobby with them in tow.

While I checked in with the front desk, I overheard a male speaking with Abigail and Libby behind my back. I glanced over my shoulder to see a Spanish man dressed in all black standing in front of them.

Warning bells went off in my head. I had no reasonable explanation of why, but something about the guy wasn’t right. I thanked the concierge before walking over to them.

“My name is Roco,” he was telling them. “I am in charge of the security here at the hotel. Please let me know if you need anything. I can ride with you or—”

“I will be riding with them,” I interjected, and handed Abigail and Libby their room keys. “If we need anything, Roco, I’ll let you know.” I continued in Spanish to make sure my point got across load and clear, “I am their hired security throughout Madrid.”

Roco’s smiled straightened in a strained line. “Of course, sir. May I ask you where you are from as well?”

“Queens, New York,” I said, and eyed him with suspicion. “Is there a problem?”

“No problems.” His eyes landed on the names tattooed on my right forearm. “You were in the military for the United States?”

I didn’t bother responding. He wanted too much information. Grabbing ahold of my bags, I placed a hand on Abigail’s lower back to usher her and Libby forward. She tensed under my touch but didn’t protest. Something about the simplicity of it left my stomach contracting, my cock twitching in my pants. It had been too fucking long since I’d even been around a woman, much less touched one.

“Roco’s sexy,” Libby said when we were in the elevator. “Maybe I’ll find myself a Spanish lover while we are here at the hotel.”

She nudged Abigail playfully in the side but didn’t get a response other than a tense laugh. I didn’t want to even think about sheltering them from of the men in Madrid. Especially men like Roco who clearly took great pleasure in charming young female tourists like Libby.

Once I was confident that the room was secure, I motioned for Abigail to join me outside in the hallway.