Imminent Danger: A Sweet Romantic Suspense (Black Tower Security Book 4)

Chapter 1

ONE

Kaylie was always afraid,but she’d never quit running. Her life—and not just her life—depended on it. The darkness clung to her like a sinister cloak, the walls closing in as she sprinted down the never-ending hallway. Shadows, twisted and furious, pursued her relentlessly, a cruel laugh propelling her forward, desperate to escape his clutches.

Each step she took only seemed to elongate the corridor, endless and inescapable.

Her heart pounded as she fought the heaviness of her limbs. Desperation fueled her frantic pace as the shadows grew angrier, their forms contorting into grotesque shapes. Breathless and on the verge of surrender, her world shifted.

The hallway morphed into a staircase, its steps spiraling downward into darkness. Her scream echoed as one of the shadows shoved hard into her shoulder. The floor disappeared beneath her, and she was tumbling, clutching her stomach in a futile attempt to protect it.

Kaylie’s eyes flew open, her body tense and her breath coming in short gasps. Her daughter, Cecelia, was sleeping peacefully next to her, her feet pressed against Kaylie’s side as she laid sideways on the bed. Kaylie’s heart slowed considerably at the sight of her daughter, safe and sound.

Just a bad dream. Nothing to worry about. But the echoes of the nightmare still lingered in her mind. Would the effects of her time living under Paul Moreno’s harsh thumb ever truly fade?

Not likely.

Especially since her need to keep her and her daughter hidden from the New Jersey mafia leader fueled every decision she had made since the night Paul had beaten her and then pushed her down the stairs as she attempted to get away.

He hadn’t even known she was pregnant, but Kaylie had been terrified of a miscarriage. The attack had been awful, but it had been the catalyst she needed to finally break away from Paul and his monstrous ways.

She would never hesitate to escape him again.

Kaylie inched out of bed, careful not to disturb Lia. For her own peace of mind, she lifted the bench in the kitchen area and checked the contents of the small duffel bag stored inside. Clothes, cash, and a new cell phone, plus a few odds and ends she’d want to take if they had to run again.

There was a twinge of pain at the thought of moving again, but she dismissed it. If they needed to move on, they would. But for now, they were safe. The nightmare didn’t mean anything. It was probably just all the news coverage about the president’s assassination this week, pulling her thoughts back to the violence that had colored her own life before escape.

But now, her life was simple and predictable. And other than the low-level awareness that her past could find them any day, it was a good life. She worked hard for it.

Her eyes trailed back across the trailer to Lia’s sleeping form. Even in sleep, the little girl clutched her stuffed elephant tightly.

Kaylie would work twelve hours a day cleaning houses if that was what it took to provide a good life for her daughter. And with her newest client paying her to cook and clean when he wasn’t home? Maybe they would even be able to afford a real house, instead of this run-down trailer in a woman’s backyard.

The morning sky was barely beginning to lighten, but she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. Instead, Kaylie grabbed her notebook and started work. The menu for the mysterious Mr. Olson’s week wouldn’t make itself. And even if he’d told her not to come today, she would. Taking his money without doing the work didn’t feel right to her. She might have lived with the Moreno mobsters, but she wasn’t a thief.

Later that afternoon, Kaylie was hanging up shirts in the closet at Mr. Olson’s house. He’d been right when he said there wasn’t much to do, since he had been out of town. But cooking his meals and cleaning up had given her a chance to do one load of laundry as well. All that was left to do was these last few shirts. She’d never met Mr. Olson, but judging by the size of his clothes, he was a big man.

Kaylie turned toward the closet door and found the entrance blocked by a human wall. Her breath caught, every muscle frozen in a split-second of pure terror. Her body screamed for escape, instinctively rebelling against the idea of being trapped. In front of her, there was a giant holding her daughter.

She focused on Lia, noting her daughter’s gentle smile. Her heart rate slowed slightly.

”Ah, you must be Cinderella”s mother.”

The low tone sent a shiver of awareness through her. The hulking man before her held Cecelia”s nearly forty pounds effortlessly. He tried to lower her to the ground, but Kaylie”s daughter clung to his neck.

Kaylie”s eyes flew back to the man”s face. ”Kaylie,” she introduced herself, the word sounding breathy. He was just so big.

And he looked angry. Oh good grief.

This must be Mr. Olson. She wasn”t even supposed to be at his house today since he canceled. But she”d been right to figure there were things that needed done and come anyway. It just didn”t feel right to get paid without working. And now he was angry.

What if he fired her?

She looked back at her daughter, softening at the absolute adoration on Lia”s face, all of it directed at the man currently holding her. ”And this must be...your fairy godmother, I presume?” She spoke to her daughter lightly, since the idea of speaking directly to Mr. Olson was currently making her vocal cords shrivel up in fear. Though, not necessarily of him, oddly enough. He was angry, but he was still being sweet with Lia.

Fear of being fired, though? Definitely.

Lia giggled and squeezed the man a little tighter, though Kaylie wondered if he even felt it through all that muscle. ”No, silly. This is Prince Charming!”

Lia all but floated from one arm to the other as he shifted her and then held out his hand. ”Anthony, actually,” he said, confirming Kaylie”s suspicions. ”I”m pretty sure I gave you the day off.”

Kaylie jumped into motion, reaching for her daughter. ”I”m so sorry, Mr. Olson. I know you said not to come, but I knew there was some laundry to do, and I thought I would leave you some meals for the next few days since you”re back home. I didn”t expect...” she trailed off, lifting her eyes to meet his. ”I”m sorry,” she said quietly. Maybe if she begged, he wouldn’t fire her. He was her best paying client, and she really enjoyed the added cooking.

Anthony Olson”s eyes never wavered from their inspection of her. They were so dark, they were almost black in the dim light of the closet, his jawline sharp and severe. Kaylie was entirely certain she was about to be fired, judging by his expression.

”It”s Anthony,” he said.

His voice was still soft, and Kaylie could have sworn there was almost a lilt to it. But there was no warmth in his expression. Somehow, he looked like he wanted to hurt someone, but his words were completely normal.

”It”s okay, I understand. I”m so sor–Wait. What?”

”I said, my name is Anthony. Please, don”t apologize. Sorry if I scared you.” He shifted back and forth, like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with his body.

Tentative relief filled her. Maybe he wouldn”t fire her after all.

She fumbled for words. ”I mean, it is your house. I”m the one intruding.”

Lia gasped. ”You live here? Do you know the king?”

Anthony twisted to look at Lia”s face, and Kaylie”s heart skipped. Lia hadn”t interacted with many men in her life, and the little girl was clearly enraptured. Of course, Kaylie couldn”t blame her. Anthony Olson was a fine-looking man... once you got used to the size of him.

”Do you know the king?” her daughter asked again with innocent curiosity, pointing to the bedroom behind them.

Kaylie”s face warmed. ”I”m so sorry. We should go.”

”It”s okay,” he said, slowly backing out of the closet and into the bedroom. ”This is my room, munchkin.”

Munchkin? Oh my stars, Kaylie would never get over the way this sheer wall of muscle just called her daughter munchkin.

”So you”re the king?” Lia’s little face formed into one of surprised delight. Her little drama queen even put her hands on her cheeks.

His rough laugh filled the room, stilted and unsure. Kaylie got the impression he didn”t laugh very often.

He shook his head. ”Not a king, and not a prince. Just a guy.”

Lia gave a dramatic sigh. ”Fine. I”ll just have to find another prince, then.”

Anthony”s eyes met hers over Lia”s head, and Kaylie just shook her head in amusement. ”She”s got high standards, I guess,” she said.

”As she should,” came Anthony”s emotionless reply.

Oh, man. He had to stop saying sweet things like that, even if his tone was anything but warm.

”Here.” Kaylie reached for her daughter. ”Let me take her and we”ll get out of your way. You just got home. I”m sure you want to relax.”

He nodded, then set Lia on the carpet, gently balancing her with his hands until he was sure she was steady.

”I didn”t see a car outside. That”s one reason I didn”t expect you.”

Kaylie smiled tightly. ”No car. We just ride the bus.”

Anthony”s eyes widened, just for a millisecond, but it was enough for Kaylie to see a hint of emotion there. ”The bus is no place for you,” he said firmly.

She shook her head. She wasn’t ashamed of taking the bus. And if he thought a car made him better than her, then maybe he was just another cocky jerk like every other overgrown steroid she’d ever met. ”Oh no, it”s fine. Come on, Lia. Time to go. Grab your toys.”

Kaylie went down the stairs as quickly as she could, ignoring Lia”s protests about wanting to stay for the ball and dance until midnight.

”Let me give you a ride home,” Anthony offered.

”Completely unnecessary, Mr. Olson.” Kaylie hurriedly slipped Lia”s coat over her arms and ushered her out the door. ”Have a nice night. I”ll be back on Friday!” If he didn”t fire her before then. Kaylie had never walked the four blocks to the bus stop as quickly as she did that night. Her cheeks felt like they would never cool.

She tried to blame the brisk evening air, but it was more than that. There was a hint of anxiety about her job. A note of embarrassment at his obvious disapproval of their transportation. And a whole lot of confusing emotions about the way he’d interacted with Lia and the way her own body had reacted to him.

Kaylie needed to be very careful, because she had a strong suspicion that Anthony Olson could be very dangerous. And an unwise attraction to dangerous men is what had gotten her into trouble before.