Red Hot Night (Trick or Treat Collaboration)

Chapter One

Everett

The second I enter my hotel room, I switch my phone on and see texts from my uncle to call him immediately. “It’s about Dad.”

By “Dad,” he means his dad and my grandfather, who for all intents and purposes could be considered my adopted dad. I don’t waste a second in dialing him back. It may be midnight there, but hell if I’m going to wait for a decent time to call.

“What’s going on? Please tell me he’s okay.”

“I don’t know. All I know is Mom believes he had a heart attack.”

“What do you mean he’s had a heart attack?” My grandfather’s the picture of perfect health. I wipe my hand over my mouth as I wait for my uncle to respond. My mind spins out of control at the fear of losing my father figure.

It feels like forever before he answers, “He’s at St. Mary’s right now. I’m on my way there as we speak. That’s all I know.”

“Thanks, Uncle Frank. I’m leaving right now.” Shit. I pick up my suitcase and place it on the bed, opening it in a hurry.

“Good. Your mother’s on her way here as well.”

I freeze, staring at the ceiling. “Great.”

That’s not really good. They haven’t seen eye-to-eye in years. I doubt he needs the stress. My mother hasn’t learned her lesson when it comes to men. She’s on her third marriage, and this one is a piece of work. He’s lazy as shit and waiting for my grandfather to die. “I’ve got to go so I can get there as soon as possible.” I hang up and swing around to the desk where my laptop is to look up flights back to the States.

I have to get the first flight back. Now I’m wishing I’d taken my private jet. Fuck. I hope my grandfather’s going to make it. Tears well up in my eyes as I think about losing my mentor. The man who told me to go out into the world. He wanted me to be better than him—and my own father, who abandoned my mother and me.

My grandfather’s a great man in every way a man should be, so I’ve never felt like I’ve measured up. Going to college two years early, building a company from the ground up, and expanding into Europe and Australia should have made a dent in that divide, but I feel like the one thing missing is the one thing I’ve yet to find: a good woman to love and worship.

There are plenty of good women in the world, but they have one big checkbox to fill—I have to be attracted to them. And I don’t mean in just the sexual sense. I want to crave a woman like the way my grandfather craves my grandmother. One who steals my heart and soul and gives her heart to me willingly. I ache to wake up to a woman who I can’t exist without. As if the key to my survival rests in her hands.

Damn. It hits me hard that I’ve never felt that way about anyone. Not even a little.

At twenty-four, I’m a millionaire that works endless hours. My grandfather still works his tail off at the local bar in our hometown, so I must get that from him. I’ve tried to convince him to retire, but he loves it and unfortunately doesn’t really have anyone to leave it to.

I pull up the flights and book the next one to leave. It’s not exactly headed to my hometown, but I can take my jet from Chicago and fly into the small airport outside of town. I book it and then call for my driver as I pack in a frenzy.

As we make our way through the streets of London to Heathrow, I order my jet to be ready at the scheduled time. It’s going to take forever before I land. I’m all the way across the ocean. I take a deep breath and remember that he’s a strong son of a bitch and won’t give in.

I work out the details for the project we are working on and email it to my director in London, explaining my early departure. I wasn’t scheduled to leave until tomorrow night. We’re just about to take off when another man comes and sits in the seat next to me looking rattled as hell. He’s in his suit and tie, fidgeting with his cuffs, so I order the man a drink and one for myself. I shut everything off as the plane leaves the runway.

When the flight attendant brings the drinks, I hand him the scotch and ask, “Afraid of flying?”

He downs the glass in one long gulp before setting it on the table. “No. My wife’s been in an accident. I shouldn’t have left her. It’s bullshit. One short trip and all hell breaks loose.” He shakes his head, mentally chastising himself.