24. Caden
Caden
“ I want you monitoring the perimeter of the party. Keep an eye out for any lost kids, anyone who needs help, or any trouble.”
My security team all nodded. Everyone was wearing earpieces and dressed in costumes.
With a sigh, I lifted my pirate hat and sat it on my head. My trousers were black leather, tucked into knee-high boots, and my burgundy jacket reached my knees and was studded with brass buttons. A bronze hook was clipped over my left hand. I’d drawn the line at the long, curly wig.
Gretchen’s lips twitched.
“Don’t start,” I warned.
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
I glared at her. She was dressed as Medusa.
She was wearing black pants, fitted black shirt, a long green wig, and a headdress of gold snakes.
The makeup on her face was in a snake-skin pattern.
She also wore a red sash to indicate that she was hotel staff.
Hugh was dressed as a Viking, complete with helmet topped with horns.
The rest of the team ranged from superheroes to vampires.
“The Spooktacular has officially began.” Paul’s voice came clearly through my earpiece. He was up in the conference room, manning the monitors and communications. He was pretty gleeful about not having to wear a costume.
“Acknowledged,” I replied.
“And boss, I’m told that Peter Pan and Tinkerbell are waiting for you outside.”
This time, I heard Gretchen chuckle. I fought my own smile. Ollie and Allie had come with Tessa and Ro. Ro had promised to keep an eye on them.
“You all know what you’re doing and where your posts are. Any trouble, just radio.”
We strode out of the hotel. Outside, Tessa had turned the place into a Halloween wonderland.
A low fence ringed the Spooktacular area. Everywhere I looked, I saw hay bales topped with glowing, carved pumpkins and cobwebs. Strings of fairy lights and pumpkin lanterns crisscrossed overhead.
There were kids everywhere. I watched two ghosts and a tiny Mandalorian rush past us, a young father in hot pursuit.
Trick-or-treat stations had been set up, with staff giving away a mountain of candy. There were food vans clustered around, a cobweb-draped bouncy castle, a petting zoo, and even a spooky maze made of hay bales. I shook my head. Tessa was a damned miracle worker.
I turned and spotted Peter Pan waving at me. Ollie wore a green tunic top over brown trousers and boots, and a green pointed hat on his head.
Next, I saw Tessa dressed as Wonder Woman. I hoped she didn’t freeze with how much skin was on display. I was sure that Captain America, standing beside her, would help keep her warm.
I didn’t hold my smile back. Ro looked like he was enjoying himself.
Just a few short months ago, there was no way billionaire hotelier Ambrose Langston would have dressed up as Captain America.
Then my gaze fell on Tinkerbell.
Fuck . She was a punch to the gut. I felt every cell in my body respond.
Allie wore a leaf-green dress that was tiny.
And I mean tiny. Her long, long legs were on full display, and I noted the sheen of stockings and cute little green ballet slippers on her feet.
She hadn’t bothered with a wig, either. The dress hugged every inch of her, and to finish off the outfit, she wore a set of sparkly, iridescent wings on her back.
I strode over to them.
“Caden.” Ollie hugged me. “I mean Captain Hook. Arrgh .”
I lifted my hooked hand and the kid grinned. I felt like I’d won a prize.
But when I looked at a smiling Allie, I felt like I’d won the world. There was heat in her gaze, along with happiness.
She’d hidden her bruise well under her makeup—I could barely see it.
“Ollie, stay with Tessa and Ro… I mean Wonder Woman and Captain America.” Allie grabbed my hand. “I need a moment with Captain Hook.”
She dragged me off back toward the hotel. We stepped through the door, and she marched me down an empty corridor.
“Allie—”
“Shh.” She pushed me against the wall, then pressed her body flush against mine. “How can you make Captain Hook look so sexy?”
Then she went up on her toes and pressed her mouth to mine.
The taste of her flooded my senses. I wrapped my non-hook arm around her and cupped her ass.
“You’d better have panties on under this tiny dress,” I growled.
She grinned at me. “I do. I couldn’t risk flashing some poor kid.”
I let my hand wander down and under the hem. My fingers brushed a silky pair of panties. I nipped her ear. “I’m going to enjoy taking these off you later.”
I loved the sound of her needy gasp.
“I’ll also enjoy fucking you…while you’re only wearing those fairy wings.”
She rewarded me with another gasp, her hands clenching on my burgundy jacket.
“Now my panties are wet,” she complained.
I kissed her lips again. “Come on, Tinkerbell.”
We rejoined the Halloween party. Ollie was bouncing on his feet. “Come on, Allie. I need candy.”
She shook her head, but she was smiling.
We walked through the crowd. All around, people were having fun. The kids most of all.
“Ooh, look.” Ollie pointed to a stand. Stuffed toys—all of the spooky variety—hung on the wall. I saw targets set up in front of small plastic rifles.
“Everyone who hits a bull’s-eye gets a prize,” the young attendant in a ghoulish mask called out.
“Give it a go, Ollie,” Allie said as she paid the attendant.
The kid tried. He lined up, gripping the plastic gun hard. Every shot went wide, and disappointment was stamped all over his tiny face.
“Can I have a try?” I asked.
He handed the gun over. I checked it out, testing its weight, then aimed and pulled the trigger.
It was not surprising that this piece of plastic crap was not accurate. The shot went to the left and missed the target. I re-adjusted and fired again.
Bam .
The shot hit the target dead on and lights lit up.
Ollie let out a whoop.
“Which toy do you want, buddy?” I asked.
“That one!” He pointed to a small stuffed Frankenstein’s monster. It was green with little bolts on its neck. When the attendant handed it over, Ollie clutched it like it was made of gold.
Allie was watching me. Her lips moved and she mouthed thank you .
“Oh, I see Sierra, Jazz, and Piper.” Tessa slipped an arm through Allie’s. “I’m stealing Allie for a girls’ only moment.”
Allie pulled a face. “I’m fine, Tessa. I told you that I’m perfectly all right.”
“I have some experience getting—” she glanced at Ollie “—tangled up with bad guys. You need to debrief with your girlfriends.”
“Go,” I told her. “I’ll hang with Ollie.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Go.”
Ro glanced around. “I’d better do a lap and schmooze.”
“Sucks to be the boss sometimes.”
“I don’t mind a little bit of schmoozing. I’ll catch you later.”
“Right, what next, Ollie?”
He lifted a little pumpkin-shaped bucket. “Candy.”
We hit a few of the trick-or-treat stations, and I bought him a hot chocolate overloaded with marshmallows. I checked in with my team a few times. Everything was running smoothly.
Let’s hope it stayed that way.
“Well, that’s a hell of a uniform,” a deep voice said.
I spun.
A muscular man stood nearby. He was roughly ten years older than me, with broader shoulders, but a few inches shorter in height. He kept his hair shaved short, and I saw the touches of silver in it and his stubble. He had piercing blue eyes and a hard jaw.
I grinned. “Gunnar.”
“Hi, Castro. Or should I say Captain?” He glanced at my costume.
I stepped forward and hugged him, and we slapped each other’s backs. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Caden.” Gunnar glanced around. “I didn’t expect to find this, or you playing dress-up.”
“It’s Halloween.” I pressed a hand to Ollie’s shoulder. “And Peter Pan asked me to play Captain Hook, so I couldn’t say no.”
“Hi, Peter. I’m Caden’s friend Gunnar.” He held out a hand to the boy.
Ollie shook it. “Hi, Mr. Gunnar. My real name’s Ollie.” The kid smiled. “Caden likes my aunt Allie.”
Gunnar lifted an eyebrow. “Does he?”
“Yep. Caden, can I go on the bouncy castle?”
I glanced over at the large inflatable. There was already a horde of kids jumping on it. “Sure, buddy.” I handed him some dollar bills. “Come straight back to me afterward.”
With a whoop, he raced off.
“Caden Castro babysitting and liking a woman. Times really do change.”
I glanced at my friend. “Allie works at the hotel and Ollie is her nephew. His parents died and she took custody of him.”
“Shit, that’s rough.”
“Luckily, his aunt loves him. She’s amazing.” I felt a small knot in my chest. “Hell, I took one look at her, and it just… happened. I couldn’t stay away from her, even when I told myself I should.”
“Good. You deserve a good woman.”
I dragged in a deep breath. “Not sure I’m good enough for her.”
Gunnar made a sound. “Bullshit. You’re just afraid.”
My brows drew together.
“You’re a good man, Castro. We’ve all been through shit, us more than most. You’ve waded through some of the worst of it, and you lost people, lost Wells. Some things, you need to let go.”
I knew it wasn’t that easy.
Gunnar wasn’t finished. “Other things, the good things, you’ve got to grab onto them and never let go. We never know how long we’ve got. Trust me, if I found the right woman, nothing would stop me claiming her.”
Now I felt a knot my throat, my mind churning.
Ollie came back, face flushed and his hat askew.
I cleared my throat. “What’s next, buddy?”
His face screwed up in concentration. “I’m not sure.”
“Ollie!”
“Hey, Ollie.”
Two kids—a boy and a girl—rushed over to Ollie. The girl was wearing a yellow outfit with ears and a tail that looked like a lightning bolt. The boy was in an orange outfit that I thought was maybe a dragon.
“Caleb. Haley.” Ollie beamed at them. “You’re Pikachu and Charizard. Cool!”
I had no clue who or what those were. I glanced at Gunnar, and he shrugged a shoulder.
Then I saw Tessa’s aunt Emily. She was out of breath, and dressed as a witch in a black dress with a deep V neckline, hat, and bright red lips. “You two, no running away from me in this crowd.” She smiled. “Hi, Ollie. Hi, Caden.”
“Emily.” I turned to introduce Gunnar, then paused.
He was staring at Emily like he’d just been hit by a bomb blast.
Emily looked up at him and the smile on her face froze. She stared at him, her lips parting, and he stared back.
What the hell?
“Emily, this is an old military buddy of mine, Gunnar O’Neill. Gunnar, this is Emily Hawkins. She’s the aunt of Tessa Ashford, the Langston Windward’s hotel manager.”
“A pleasure.” Emily held out one elegant hand.
“Hello.” Gunnar’s large hand engulfed hers.
They held on for a moment too long.
Blushing, Emily ran her hands down her long skirt. “Right, my two are starving, so I’d better get them fed. Leo’s around here somewhere.”
“Your husband?” Gunnar’s voice was gritty.
“No, my teenager.” She paused. “I’m a widow. I have one at college as well. It was nice to meet you, Gunnar. I’d better find some food for these kids before they hit hangry mode.”
Gunnar was still staring at her. “Actually, I just arrived and I’m hungry.”
She blinked. “Oh, you’re welcome to join us.”
He nodded. “That would be great.”
I bit back a smile. “I’ll catch you later. Take a good look around.” I looked back down at my sidekick. “Just the two of us, buddy. What’s next on our agenda?”
Ollie wrinkled his nose. “Maybe the petting zoo? Or the spooky maze?”
We walked through the crowd and out of habit I scanned around. No one seemed to be getting too rowdy and everyone was having fun.
Then the crowd parted, and I saw a tall man wearing a black leather jacket. Light glinted off his blond hair.
Moreland .
He smiled at me.
The crowd swallowed him up and I couldn’t see him anymore. I took a step forward.
“Caden?”
Ollie’s voice made me stop.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Let’s?—”
Screams broke out.
I spun.
“Caden.” Paul’s voice in my earpiece. “We have a problem near the hot dog stand. A teenage girl has collapsed.”
“Heading there now.” I pressed a hand to Ollie’s shoulder. “Stay close to me.”
He nodded. We pushed through the crowd toward where a group of panicked people were gathering.
“Move back, please,” I ordered.
I spotted a teenaged girl on the ground, dressed as a zombie, with fake blood splattered on her dress. Hell, she couldn’t be more than sixteen. She was frothing at the mouth and seizing.
“Ollie, stay back, okay?”
Wide-eyed, the boy nodded. “Okay, Caden. You help her.”
I dropped to my knees beside the girl, and it only took me a second to realize that she’d overdosed on something. Fuck .
I touched my ear. “Paul, looks like a drug overdose. I need the Narcan from the security kit. And get the paramedics over here. I also need more security for crowd control.”
“On it, Caden.”
I checked the girl’s vital signs. She wasn’t breathing and she had no pulse.
Hell . She was so young.
“No, you don’t.” I started chest compressions. “You’re not dying tonight.”