Chapter One
We’re screwed.
It should have been the tagline for the life and friendship of Kenzie Sutton and Taylor Dennis.
“This is bad,” Kenzie whispered to herself, shaking her head.
Taylor snorted. “Well, it ain’t good.”
Kenzie let go of the curtain she had been peeking through for the past ten minutes. She stepped back, bumping into Taylor, who stood close behind.
“I need you to take this seriously, Tay.” This was a familiar statement which had spanned the almost decade long friendship. Kenzie knew what the response would be before Taylor could even say it.
“I am.”
Typical and predictable.
Kenzie rolled her eyes. “No, you aren’t.
We’ve got two people in a dark SUV staking out my place.
It’s like something out of a movie. Do you even know who they are?
” Kenzie’s fear spiked to her chest. The truck had been parked in front of her apartment building.
It hadn’t moved and the occupants hadn’t gotten out.
“I have an idea.” Taylor sighed and sat on the arm of the couch. “Should we order a pizza?”
Kenzie scowled feeling the crease between her brows.
“Oh yeah, we should definitely order a pizza. Oh, and let’s have it delivered so we can actually buzz the guys in, so it’s not too hard to get into my building.
After all, murdering us will probably make them break a sweat.
Wouldn’t want them to exert too much energy.
” Her voice rose as her frustration grew.
“But at least they’ll have pizza when they’re done slicing our throats and cutting up our bodies into a million pieces. ”
“A million pieces? Isn’t that a bit much?” Taylor smirked.
“Taylor!” she shouted, driving her hands into her hair.
Taylor and Kenzie had been friends since high school.
A friendship born on the brink of expulsion.
Not how long-lasting relationships usually began but it had been for them.
The bad girl and the good girl, breaking rules for the common good.
As with most friendships, there was the girl who leaned toward the bad decisions and the other serving as the voice of reason. Kenzie’s voice was not being heard.
Taylor stood up from the couch and held her hands out in defense. “Okay, okay, calm down. I see the temple hard at work.”
Kenzie squinted giving her best attempt at a death stare. She never could pull it off though. Her soft green eyes were incapable of glaring, though she tried her best. “I’m freaked out here.”
All traces of humor faded from Taylor. Most people would consider Kenzie the weaker of the two, even Kenzie herself.
She wasn’t necessarily a weak person but when compared to Taylor, she didn’t stand a chance.
Kenzie was a ‘do the right thing’ kind of girl--she followed the rules, abided by the law, and dated the safe, easy men.
Well, usually. She had fallen for a bad boy once.
She had the restraining order to prove it.
However, she learned her lesson. Taylor did not.
“They’re not gonna kill us, I promise.” Taylor pressed her palms together. “Like I said earlier, they’re probably the guys from the bail bonds. They want their money but seriously, Kenz, they aren’t gonna hurt us to get it.” She tilted her head. “You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
It was true, Taylor would walk through fire before letting anything bad happen to Kenzie. But still, some things were out of her control. Kenzie gnawed on the remaining nail that had any substance. “They might, when they find out we don’t have the money.”
“Not yet.” Taylor chuckled. “Stop eating your finger, it’s gonna be fine.”
Her nails were practically bitten down to the pads of her fingers.
The red blistery cuticle ached and still, she gnawed on her pinky.
Biting her nails had been her bad habit since she was younger.
Years later, she outgrew it. Except for moments of intense nervousness.
Moments like this. She was screwed; they both were.
Kenzie pulled her hand from her mouth and turned back to the window.
This was all Drew’s fault. She had warned Taylor about him when she first met the now ex-boyfriend.
The guy gave off the vibe that would send most women running.
Not Taylor, she thrived on the bad boy. Now, look where they were.
Trapped inside her apartment, with God knows who stalking them.
She inched closer to the curtain, making sure she kept her body out of full view. She arched her neck to see past the curtain, and pulled back a sliver.
The black SUV with tinted windows remained parked across the street. A small glimmer of light shined from the windshield. The silhouetted bodies seated in the front seemed massive. Her heart raced and immediately, she started in on her index finger.
We’re screwed.
****
Bogs Garrison sat in the passenger seat of their SUV staring up at the fourth-floor window.
The corner of his lip curled. They had been watching the building, specifically apartment 4C, for the past two hours.
As the sun set, the window illuminated with a peach hue.
Every so often a figure would flash by but in the last fifteen minutes, a silhouette would show from the side.
It was a woman. No denying by the outline, though she did her best to conceal being seen. She failed epically. The curtain parted slightly and his lips spread to a smile. Whoever this girl was, she didn’t know shit about subtlety, or stealth mode.
Bogs chuckled. “Spy girl’s back.” He had dubbed her ‘spy girl’ about forty minutes ago.
“Must be the friend.”
Ah, the friend. Twenty-four-year old, Mackenzie Sutton, born and raised in Texas where she lived with her dad and her brother.
Bogs learned a few things about the beautiful Ms. Sutton when Trent called for the intel.
She was a graduate of University of Dallas in business.
She moved to Houston eight months ago, for a job with a hybrid communications company.
She was a Network Analyst working with another woman in a downtown office complex.
On paper, she was perfect. No debt, paid her rent on time, and no criminal past.
The most interesting fact Bogs had uncovered was her driver’s license.
Nothing out of the ordinary except for her photo.
He’d never seen someone take a license picture that looked more like a model’s headshot.
She was gorgeous--sea foam eyes, soft features, high cheekbones, and pouty lips surrounded by massive golden wavy locks.
On a scale of one to ten, Mackenzie Sutton was a twelve.
“Earth to asshole.” His brother’s voice snapped him out of his daydream and back to reality, casting the thought of the pretty friend out of his mind. Well, not completely out.
He looked over at Stone and laughed. The smirk on his brother’s face said it all. “What?”
Stone raised an eyebrow. “Got a hard on for spy girl?”
Bogs had no shame in admitting it. He shrugged. “Spy girl is fucking hot, brother. Even a pussy whipped, married motherfucker such as yourself has gotta see it.”
Stone glanced up at the window then back to his phone in his lap. A small shoulder twitch was meant to shrug it off. Bogs took the opportunity. “Oh, man, weather girl’s gonna slice your balls off when I tell her.”
“Fuck you. Tell her what? You’re the one with stiff dick, not me. Trust me, ain’t no woman alive holds a candle to Sadie.” Stone shook his head. “Not even your spy girl.”
It was true. Since Stone had met Sadie, he was done. He had never seen a man fall so hard and fast for a woman, especially a man like his brother.
Bogs turned back to the window, snickering. It was expected for him to give his brothers shit when it came to their women. Possessive pricks. Not one to miss an opportunity, Bogs took his shot.
“Yeah, you’re right. Sadie Stone, sister or no sister, girl’s a hot piece of…” He purposely paused. Nothing got a rise out of Stone more than another man talking about his wife.
“Finish that sentence and you’ll have a permanent impression of my fist on your fucking face.”
Bogs burst out laughing. Stone was too easy to mess with. He had an ounce more patience than his brother, T. When it came to T’s wife, Bogs made sure he was across the room when he made his comments about Cassie.
“Too fucking easy, man.” Bogs gazed up at the figure standing slightly off center from the window. I can see you, spy girl.
“You think she realizes we can see her?”
“Probably not.”
Bogs stared up at the window. In order to execute a perfect spy move, the lights from the room would need to be turned off. If he had to guess, he was sure she had no clue she was giving him the perfect view of the curve of her breasts in the profile view.
The ringing of Stone’s phone had Bogs turning back to his brother.
“Yeah.” There was a small pause before he answered. “About two hours. They’ve been holed up all night. Don’t think they’re leaving, at least not tonight. We’ll give it another hour before wrapping it up.”
It was Trent. Lock-Hart was a bond company owned and operated by associates of theirs.
Trent and Declan had bought the business from them last year.
They were doing well. Aside from Stone and T, they were the best bounty hunters in the area.
It made sense since they had all worked together for years.
“Gotcha. Later.” Stone ended the call and shifted in his seat.
“What’s he got?” Bogs asked.
“She bailed, cleaned out her apartment and bank account. He’s thinking either she’s on the run completely or...” Stone glanced up at the building.
“Or?”
Stone turned with a grimace. “Gonna try to come up with the bond money herself and find her ex.”
Bogs snorted. The she Stone was referring to was Taylor Dennis. She cosigned the bond for her boyfriend who never showed up, leaving her responsible to pay it. All the research he’d done it was clear--she didn’t have the funds to pay it off.
“She’ll never catch him. Hell, this asshole is giving us a run with no leads.
What makes her think she can get him?” Between Lock-Hart and Garrison securities, it should have been an easy capture.
It wasn’t. They had underestimated the jumper, Drew Carson.
He obviously had friends in high places keeping him undercover.
With all their connections, if they couldn’t get him, there was no way she would.
Stone chuckled. “According to Trent? Bitch is bat shit crazy. A little psychotic moron were his exact words. Never known anyone to get a rise outta Trent the way this girl has. It’s fucking hilarious.”
Bogs smiled. Of all of them, Trent was the most controlled. Even in the most dangerous of situations, he never lost his cool or showed his anger.
“So, how’d spy girl get wrapped up with her?”
“Don’t know, they must be pretty tight. I’m guessing she’s got no clue she’s about to have her world turned upside down.” Stone paused. “We’ll give it another hour. Trent’s got her phone tracked. He’ll call if he needs us to come out again.”
Bogs watched the window and caught a glimpse of her long curled brown locks swinging in front of the window before disappearing.
Mackenzie Sutton may not know it, but she was involved in a potentially dangerous situation.