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Prologue
WILDCARD
Sleepless Nights
Ihave a night all to myself. I could be anywhere, doing anything I please. I contemplate going to the bar outside town and hooking up for the night. The bartender Penny and I have a mutual understanding, a “friends with benefits” thing going on. Works for her, and sure as hell works for me.
At least, it was working for me just fine until this black-haired beauty with blue eyes came into my life. Noah’s sister, Charlotte, is by far the most exquisite woman I’ve ever seen, with high cheekbones and perfect olive skin and luscious lips that make me want to haul her over my shoulder and steal her away and kiss her senseless.
Charli has this down-to-earth, girl-next-door vibe. She’s too young to have to take on the responsibility of raising a teenage boy on her own, but here she is, doing her best. I found out through the grapevine that she saved up enough to rent a place and has her heart set on a tiny two-bedroom cottage not far from Roscoe’s new place. Well, she doesn’t know that it’s mine and I instigated the conversation about this cute place being up for rent. I let the realtor do all the negotiating, not that there was much to discuss. I made damn sure it was reasonable and would meet her budget. She moves in next week. It’ll be good for Noah to have his sister close by and a room of his own. He’s been staying at the compound until Charlotte gets a bigger place.
I question my sanity because I’m sitting on my bike across the street from Millie’s Diner in the dead of night, gazing up at the apartment above the diner where Charli sleeps. The woman’s a witch! I can’t get her out of my head.
I’m surprised to see the light flip on in the window, then a few minutes later, switch off. The side door opens, and Charli steps out in the chilled October air. What the fuck is she doing out there, alone, at night?
She starts to walk toward the elementary school close by. I hop off the bike and follow at a distance. Charli runs her hand along the wire fence as she walks to the swing set. She takes a seat on one of the swings, resting her head on the chain link. I move in closer to her and hear faint audible sobs.
She’s crying. Alone. In the fucking dark.
I’m about to approach when I see a shadow moving from underneath the streetlamp and heading straight toward Charli. Charli sees him coming too and jumps off the swing. She starts to run away.
The man calls out to her. “Charlotte, stop! You can’t avoid me forever.”
Charli ignores him and keeps running, straight back to where she came from. When the man gives chase, I jump out and block his path.
“Who the hell do you think you’re chasing?” I get a better look at the guy. He’s middle-aged with a gut on him, but something about him is familiar.
“Get out of my way.” The man tries to go around me, but I mirror his movements and stop him. “I said get out of my way.”
“Who the hell are you and what do you want with Charli?” I ask gruffly. He stops and scans my face.
“You know my daughter? What are you, her pimp?” the fucking asshole says. I see red and react fast, punching him once in the jaw and again in the gut. He doubles over in pain.
“Don’t you ever say shit like that about Charli again.” He’s about to spew more shit, but I stop him with a warning, “I won’t be responsible for what happens to you if you say another word. Get the fuck away from here while you still have the ability to walk.”
I’m seething with anger as I watch this guy back away toward a car. He drives off, but I can’t let this go. I head back to Millie’s Diner. All the lights are off, but I check the side door leading to the apartment anyway to make sure she’s locked it. In her state, I wasn’t sure if she was thinking straight.
I pull out my cell and dial.
“Wildcard,” Guard’s sleepy voice says into the phone. “Why can’t shit happen at a decent time?”
I ignore his question. “Shit’s not right with Charlotte.”
From the rustling on the other end of the phone, Guard is moving around and walking about. His voice is louder when he asks, “What’s up?”
“I saw her crying at the schoolyard. I was going to check on her when this guy calls her name. She knew who he was and ran. And I meanran!”
“Who is this guy?”
“I stopped him from going after her, and he says he’s her father. That means he’s Noah’s dad too. The asshole insinuated that Charlotte was a prostitute and I was her pimp.” I pause, then add, “I fucking hit him. Hard.”
“Right.” Guard expels a breath. “Where are you?”
“Outside Millie’s. Someone’s got to be here if he comes back,” I say. “I’ll stay.”
“You need to sleep. I’ll get Priest to cover in an hour. But tomorrow, we call a meeting. I think it’s time to find out how much Noah knows about his father.”
I agree, but it’s also time to confess the reality of what’s happening. “She’s mine, Guard.”
