AustinAn explosion rocks the house sometime before dawn. I roll to the floor and reach for my gun, which is in a fingerprint-controlled drawer in the nightstand. My cell phone rings and I grab it too. It’s Andreas and I connect the call while staying low beside the bed.“We have a breach. Kendrick is down with a bullet in his stomach. They blew the east side of the house with some kind of rocket launcher. We’ve taken out at least four of their men.”My brain scrambles as I come awake but this is the shit I live for. “It’s Fernandez,” I yell because the blast continues to repeat itself inside my eardrums. “The police will be here shortly, so be ready.” He knows I mean stash the guns as soon as it’s safe. Fernandez’s men should back off when they hear sirens. I don’t have close neighbors but taking out a wall of the mansion won’t go unnoticed. “They’re in the house,” I tell him when heavy boots sound outside the bedroom.I shoot the first guy who enters and the rest of his team falls b

AustinFernandez’s compound is eerily quiet. We’ve been watching it for several days. We’re about half a mile away in a barn on some mostly abandoned property, biding our time, but I’m not happy about it. The cops stayed on my ass for a few days, so I couldn’t be here to scope out the situation and had to rely on Andreas. The men haven’t seen any sign of Melina or Fernandez. We took out eight of his men and by the looks of it, only a skeleton crew is here. It fucking pisses me off.Melina is all I can think about; her smell, her voice, the velvet feel of her skin and my art on that very skin. If he killed or even hurt her, I’ll skin him alive and slow roast him over a fire for days. I need to find Melina, but I need to find him first. Thoughts of her invade my dreams and every waking moment. I cared for Cindy and can admit that now. It’s no comparison to how I feel about Melina. She’s rocked something inside me and I know I’ll never be the same. It could be good or the change could be

MelinaThat news about knocks me over. “You were a cop?”“Yeah and don’t hold it against me. The work I do now is more to my liking.”I can barely wrap my head around it. “Is escort work legal?” I ask. As far as I know it isn’t, but Mak and the surroundings don’t add up.“Escort work is legal, what the girls do as part of that work, no. Your job is answering phones and scheduling. The men for the most part keep their requests on the down-low. We keep records on all of them and they know it. Requesting an escort to accompany them to events is legal and that’s all you’ll be scheduling. Do you have a problem with it?”“Nope,” I say as I shake my head. “Will I work behind the front desk?” I look down at my jeans and tee. I like them, but they don’t fit this amazing place.“I have the fashion consultant the ladies use coming to measure you this afternoon.” She holds up her hand. “You can spend as little or as much as you choose and yes, you can make payments. The girls tip well when they h

MelinaCelina throws a punch to my head, which I block. “Getting better there, sweetheart,” she says while trying again with a left hook. Even sweaty, Celina is a knockout. Her ponytail makes her look badass. Her designer workout gear is black with a turquoise stripe slashing across the front. I want to hate her just for being perfect, which is impossible because she’s so damn nice.I block the next punch too. “I’m a quick learner and besides, you hit like a girl.” Yeah I’m on my ass after that remark, but it feels good. I like knowing I will eventually be able to defend myself. It’s thirty minutes before dinner. If I’m not showered and looking respectable, Gabriella will kick me out of the dining room. Celina and I are in the same boat and conclude our workout to keep the wrath of Gabriella off our backs.Getting the shit beat out of me is a good way to keep Austin out of my mind. Too bad it doesn’t work for more than a few minutes after I leave the gym. I head to my room and grab a

MelinaI’m having trouble registering what Mak is telling me. “He pissed on me after drugging me?”“Yes. Gabriella and I bathed you before putting you in bed. You smelled like piss, but I had no idea why and Moon didn’t volunteer the information.”So many things go through my mind. “Why would he do that?”“He marked his territory, or so Moon told me last night when he finally came to bed. Who knows why men do stupid shit. I’ll put a bullet in his dick if you say the word.”I like the sound of it. “Where is he now?”“He’s downstairs having breakfast. We’re leaving by the side door and you won’t be seeing him until this evening. The first round of clothing will be delivered today and we’ll have you popping so Austin knows what he’s missing when you kick his ass to the curb.”I look down for a moment and then meet Mak’s gaze. “I don’t want to see him at all. I have nothing to say to him.”Mak sits beside me on the bed and takes my hand. “I think you have feelings for him and it all start