Page 7 of Courting Danger

My heart rate immediately jumped, and I spun to press my back against the side of the car. My gaze darted around for the threat while I grasped in my waistband for a gun that wasn’t there.

The scream turned into loud sobbing. I tracked the sound to its source, finding a toddler-aged boy sitting on the ground under the slide. His tiny fists were balled up and pressing against the boy’s eyes as he cried.

A moment later, the boy’s mother picked him up out of the mulch and brushed him off, calming his tears with the efficiency of an experienced parent.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the noise ended, only then peeling myself away from the side of my car and opening the door. As I slid inside, I shook my head in frustration. Adults could make any noise they wanted and I wouldn’t care, but the sound of a child screaming sent me jumping like a jackrabbit.

Before I started driving, I took a moment to cycle through a few breathing exercises. May as well make use of the only thing I’d gotten out of my mandated therapy.

After a minute, I was calm enough to maneuver my car onto the street, but pain throbbed in my knee like a second heartbeat, and my scars felt stiffer than before.

Maybe today wasn’t so good after all.

The ringing of my phone while I was parked at a red light emphasized that thought. Someone was calling me rather than just texting, which meant it must be serious. I answered the phone, stopping just long enough to check the caller’s identity.

“Caden? What’s wrong? Something about last night?”

Caden’s voice sounded weak over the connection, so much so that I checked the volume on my phone.

“Garrison, hey, um, sort of. I just received a strange request. Look, I’m not the best person to explain this. I’ve just sent you an address. How soon can you get there?”

“I’m in the car right now, so about ten minutes. Why? What’s going on?”

“Good. Go there right away. He can explain it to you.”

The light turned green, but my foot stayed planted on the break.

“He who? What are you talking about?”

The phone beeped and fell silent.

“Caden? He who?”

CHAPTER 6

Garrison

The address turned out to be a high-end tailor. I stared at the scrolling gilded letters over the entrance, comparing the address to the numbers on my phone several times before I felt confident enough to step inside. A bell chimed above the door, announcing my presence to an empty room.

Dark wood paneling acted as a backdrop to the suits displayed along the walls. Just looking at the expensive fabric made me hyper-aware of the fact I was still in my running sweats.

“You got here quicker than I thought.”

The man Garrison had saved last night stood framed in a doorway at the back of the room. Today, he was dressed more casually in dark jeans and a black button-down shirt. The top few buttons were undone, and the sleeves were rolled up to reveal his forearms. Yet, even dressed down, there was still a polish to him that fit right in with the rich ambiance of the store.

Before I could decide what question to ask first—he had a lot—the man turned around and stepped out of sight.

“Over here. We’ve got the place to ourselves, but I assume you’ll want some privacy.”

The man was so confident that his command would be followed that I had no choice but to comply. A short hallway lay beyond the main room, lined on either side by several doors. One stood open in invitation, revealing a moderately sized room with a single couch and a round pedestal in front of a wall of mirrors.

I froze in the doorway. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

Propping one hip against the arm of the couch, the man pouted as if upset, but his dark eyes glinted with humor. “Aw. I’m hurt, you don’t remember me.”

Still eyeing the man warily, I took one step through the doorway into the light from the chandelier hanging above. I was certain Caden had said the man’s name at some point last night, but in all the chaos I had forgotten.

“I remember you, but we’ve never been introduced. Who are you?”

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