CHAPTER ONE
EVEN BEFORE KENNEDY BROOKS’S Uber driver turned the corner to where she lived, her skin prickled with alarm. It was well past midnight, a fact that couldn’t be helped.
She should have been home at dinnertime.
One delay after another had obliterated her schedule to the point she had to rebook her flight. After hours spent sitting in the airport, exhaustion pulled at her. She wanted nothing more than to collapse in her bed, with her own sturdy locks in place.
When the scent of smoke infiltrated the closed windows of the car, her heart beat harder. She had a terrible feeling that there’d be no rest for her tonight. Maybe not even in the foreseeable future.
“What do you suppose happened?” her driver asked, pointing to the strobe of red lights that pierced the dark night.
“Fire,” she breathed. And not just any fire, but in the apartment building where she lived.
Firetrucks, police and EMTs were everywhere. Neighbors she recognized clung together, many wrapped in blankets to ward off the cool Colorado evening air. Crowds of curious onlookers also lined the street, having left their own buildings to gawk.
Lifting a shaking hand to cover her mouth, Kennedy took in the enormous blaze that engulfed the entire building—including the floor where she would have been sleeping.
The driver couldn’t get close, and she didn’t want him to. “Stop here.”
He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Hey, you okay? Is that your building?”
“Yes.” She swallowed heavily. What to do, what to do?
Because she’d learned caution the hard way, Kennedy pulled additional money from her wallet. “Wait here, please.”
The young man eyed the cash, glanced back at the fire and finally took the bills. “For how long?”
“I just need to make a call.” She hesitated again. “I’m going to stand directly in front of your car, in the beam of the headlights.” She needed privacy for the call, but she didn’t want to be alone in the dark. “Leave them on, okay?”
“Sure.”
Knowing she couldn’t delay any longer, Kennedy hooked her purse strap over her shoulder and neck to keep it secure, dug out her phone and stepped from the car. It was an uncommonly cool September night, yet she felt flushed with heat, as if she could feel those flames touching her skin.
There was only one person she knew who might be able to deal with the present situation.
It was fortunate she had his number programmed into her phone, because her trembling hands refused to cooperate.
As the phone rang, she kept constant vigilance on her surroundings. She could almost swear someone watched her, yet when she glanced back at the driver, she couldn’t see him for the glare of the lights in her eyes.
“Hello?”
Reyes McKenzie’s sleep-deep voice caused her to jump, and not for the first time. He was six feet four inches of hewn strength, thick bones and confident attitude. A man with a big, sculpted body, thanks to the gym he owned—and his voice reflected that, bringing an instant visual to mind.
Pretty sure he had other interests, as well, which would explain the edge of danger that always emanated from him.
Just what she needed right now.
Clutching the phone, hoping he’d be receptive, she whispered, “Hey. It’s Kennedy.”
Sharpened awareness obliterated his groggy tone. “What’s wrong?”
Yes, Reyes was definitely the right person for her to call. Never mind that he had a wealth of secrets—for some inexplicable reason she trusted him. Mostly, anyway.
Tonight she had little choice in the matter. “Reyes, I need you.”
She could hear him moving as he said, “I can be out the door in two minutes. Fill me in.”
God bless the man, he didn’t hesitate to come to her rescue. Before anything more happened, Kennedy gave him her address—something she hadn’t wanted to share before now. Life had a way of upending plans, and hers had just been sucked into a treacherous whirlwind. “I’m not actually in the apartment building, though. I’m at the corner, behind a line of emergency vehicles, with an Uber driver. I don’t know how long he’ll let me hang out, though.”
“Are you hurt?”
That no-nonsense question held a note of urgency.
“No.” Not yet. “Could I explain everything once you’re here? I’m afraid it’s not safe.” She felt horribly exposed.
“Forget the Uber driver, okay?” The sound of a door closing, then jogging steps, came through the line. “Get close to a firefighter. Or an EMT. Stay there. It’ll only take me fifteen minutes if I really push it.”
Nodding, Kennedy looked up the street. The officials all seemed so far away, and there was a lot of dark space between here and there. “I...I don’t think I can.”
“Shit.” A truck door slammed. “I’m on my way, babe, okay? Get back in the car with the Uber guy and drive around in congested areas. Don’t go anyplace deserted, and don’t sit in one spot. Tell me you understand, Kennedy.”
“I understand.”
“Circle back in fifteen. I’ll be waiting.”
Yes, that sounded like a more viable plan. “Thank you, Reyes.”
“Keep your eyes open.” He disconnected, likely to concentrate on driving, and suddenly she felt very alone again. Reaching into her purse, Kennedy found the stun gun and palmed it. She’d practiced with the damn thing but had never actually used it on anyone.
She didn’t want to use it tonight, either, but she felt better for having it.
All around her, smoke thickened the air and tension seemed to escalate. She opened the back door and slid into the car, saying to the driver, “Could you drive, please?”
Exasperated, he twisted back to see her. “Listen, I have to pick up another guy from the airport. I can’t just—”
“I’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”
He eyed her anew, his gaze dipping over her body. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Oh, for the love of... Kennedy knew she was a mess. She’d pulled her hair into a haphazard ponytail, her makeup was smudged, and her clothes were sloppy-comfortable, suitable for a long flight. There was absolutely nothing appealing about her at the moment. “It’s not an invitation, so forget that. Just lock the doors and drive for fifteen minutes. Stay in busy areas—no dark, empty streets—and then you can bring me back here. I’ll give you another forty bucks.”
Considering it, he continued to study her.