Summer Sin (The Anthology Novella Series Book 2) (2 page)

“Christ,” Cam groaned as he took the offered glass of scotch. “I freaking
knew
it! This is not going to be good at all.”

Malcolm walked around his desk and sat down, giving him a sad smile. “In all seriousness, Cam,” he replied as he sighed raggedly, “I really need you on this one.”

Camden downed his drink in one swallow and set the glass down, leaning forward in his seat and meeting his friend’s gaze steadily. “What do you need?”

Malcolm opened a file and took out a picture, handing it over. “This is Victoria Remington. She’s one of the best hunters that I have.”

“Remington,” Cam whispered, eyeing the picture closely.

It was a candid shot of one of the most beautiful women Camden had ever seen. She was standing at the ready, her voluptuous body tense, her incredible green eyes narrowed in concentration as she waited for what looked to be fight training. Camden’s eyes snapped up and locked onto Malcolm’s. “You don’t mean…” he began, and Malcolm nodded.

“Yeah, she’s Bryce’s daughter,” he replied softly. “And I’ve discovered that she now has a price on her head.” His jaw tensed as he watched Camden closely. “Barlow wants her dead.”

Camden’s entire body went perfectly still as a muscle twitched in his cheek. Dimetri Barlow was a lower class demon who had spent centuries rising to power by killing off anyone who he felt posed a threat. He was smart and blood-thirsty…and he was the one who had ordered the ambush on Camden, Malcolm, and their team that had almost cost Cam his life. Not to mention that he had been the one who had killed Bryce Remington and his wife Arista…Victoria’s parents.

“Shit,” Cam ground out, feeling as if he were going to be sick. “Why has he targeted her?” he asked, although he really didn’t need an answer. Dimetri Barlow merely enjoyed the kill.

Camden had known Bryce Remington so many years ago. The powerful Alpha had taken the orphaned Were into his pack without question when Cam’s parents had been killed. And when he had reached the age of sixteen, Bryce had asked Cam to join up with Malcolm’s elite force of demon hunters. Cam had jumped at the chance. That had been so long ago. Victoria had been merely a toddler when Cam had left. Christ on a crutch! This was a complete cluster.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked finally, that glint of determination in his eye.

Malcolm gave him a sheepish half smile and cleared his throat. “I’ve…um…well, you see, I’ve forced her to take some time away from here,” he began, growing more and more uncomfortable as he spoke. “I’m sending her to a nice ocean getaway, and I need you to…well, to sort of keep an eye on her while she’s there. Make certain that she’s safe. You’ll have the house next to hers; but she can’t know that you’re there to protect her. She’s fiercely independent and I really don’t want to be on the receiving end of her anger if she knew I wanted her covered. No one is being told where she’s going so it really shouldn’t be that difficult. It’s just a precaution, really.”

Camden sprang from the chair as if he’d been set on fire. “You want me to
babysit?”
He all but roared. “Jesus H, Malcolm! You can’t be serious!”

“Calm down, Cam. You know how Barlow works better than anyone else. Well, anyone besides me that is, and I can’t very well go without her knowing that I’m there. She’d figure it out in a heartbeat. You retired long before she joined the force and she was so young when you left the pack that she won’t remember you. She’ll think you’re just another paranormal being enjoying some down time.” His eyes showed his sadness and worry. “Barlow wants her dead for killing his second in command and I need to know that she’s safe,” he said finally, his voice lowering. “She’s been through hell, Cam.”

Camden clenched his teeth so hard that he feared they would shatter as he glared at his friend, the vision of a beautiful little girl laughing and smiling flickering across his mind. Tori had been almost three when Cam left the pack and she had grown into an impossibly beautiful woman. He sighed tiredly as he realized that he owed at least that much to Bryce and Arista. After everything the couple had done for him, the very least he could do was to make sure their only child was kept safe.

“When do I leave?” he asked sourly.

Victoria practically snarled as she stared down at her suitcase in disgust, eyeing the bikini’s and shorts as if they were some vile creatures grinning back at her in mockery. She shuddered as the saleswoman’s high-pitched, whiney voice skittered across her brain.

Oh, with your coloring and body, these are going to look absolutely fabulous on you, dear. Just fabulous! Why, you’ll have every man within fifty miles dropping down and swooning at your feet in the sand.

Victoria grunted in distaste as she slammed the last case closed and snapped the locks with so much force that it was by no small miracle that the latches stayed on. That was the absolute
last
thing she wanted…or
needed
. If she was going to be forced to take this asinine vacation, well…she just wanted to be left the hell alone!  Solitude was what she was looking for and nothing more.

The ringing of the doorbell jerked her from her murderous musings and she pulled the suitcases from the bed with an angry yank. There was going to be no making the best of this situation
at all
, she thought with a scowl. She was just thoroughly pissed off and hating the world at the moment and nothing was going to change that.

She opened the door to find one of her fellow hunters and friends standing there, a shit eating grin plastered across his face, making her want to spit nails.

“Cripes, Simon,” she growled. “Malcom recruited
you
as my personal chauffer? Well, aren’t you the lucky one? What infraction have you committed now? Or did you just draw the short straw?”

Simon burst out laughing and grabbed the suitcases from her hands. He was a blond, blue-eyed shifter that had the total surfer vibe going on. Tanned, muscled…he was the epitome of a California boy, and Victoria thought it would make much more sense if
he
were the one going to the beach for a month instead of her.

“Yep, Malcolm figured that you might decide to cause a stink and refuse to go at the last minute, so he sent the only person who could beat your sorry ass into submission to take you to the airport and make sure you got on the plane.”

“Beat my ass,” she snorted with disgust, glaring at him now. “You got in
one
lucky shot,
two
freaking years ago and now you think you’re Mister Macho or some shit. Please! Submission my ass,” she grumbled.

“Whatever,” he responded, chuckling good-naturedly as he grinned at her. “Are you ready to go, Fireball? We don’t want you missing your flight. Malcolm would have my ass on a platter.”

Victoria grabbed her purse and stepped through the door, turning and locking it behind her as she did. “As ready as I’ll ever be,
Hooper.”

Simon grinned when she referred to him by the nickname she’d given him way back when she had first joined the team. He remembered her looking him up and down and finally saying that he looked like a buff version of the oceanographer in
Jaws.

Since then, they had formed a strong friendship that he cherished. So when Malcolm had asked him to keep her safe until she boarded the plane, he couldn’t have refused if he had wanted to. He wasn’t sure just
what
was going on with Victoria; he only knew that it had to be big if their leader was forcing her to disappear for a while.

Simon ushered her to his SUV and opened the door. “You know, Fireball,” he remarked nonchalantly as he attempted to help her into the car, but the look on her face stopped him cold and he gave her a wink as he waited for her to jump in and close the door. “I can’t help but hope that you might just lighten up a bit after a little R&R. You know, I was thinking about it on the drive over here and in the seven years that I’ve known you, I’ve never once seen you so much as crack a smile.”

Before she had the chance to respond, he bounded around the front of the car and hopped into the driver’s seat beside her. She glanced over at him and he could see the irritation in her expression, but he could also detect that underlying sadness that always seemed to hover over her. It was always there, lurking behind her eyes as if implanted there forever.

“What in the hell is there to smile about?” she grumbled darkly.

Simon appraised his friend a moment, noting once again how utterly beautiful she was. Beautiful and
haunted
, he thought with a frown. She damned well deserved to be happy, he thought with a sad shake of his head. He sighed and started the car. “If you’d just give yourself a chance,” he finally replied quietly, “you might be surprised.”

Victoria woke just as the Captain’s voice drifted through the cabin informing them that they were beginning their final decent. She yawned sleepily as she swiped a hand across her eyes. Good Lord! She’d fallen asleep from almost the moment that they had taken off and had slept the entire flight!

She leaned over and looked out of the window at the beautiful islands nestled below. Bali. Malcolm had actually sent her to freaking Bali! What in the good God was going on here
?

Just why in the hell did he suddenly feel the need to send her halfway across the world? Her ribs were back to normal. In fact, she felt great. So why this sudden forced getaway? Her brows furrowed as she realized that something was definitely up. She could feel it in her bones. Malcolm was keeping something from her and she was pretty damned sure that it wasn’t good.

Victoria suddenly felt the hairs at the back of her neck raise as she got that distinct feeling of being watched. She turned in her seat and glanced around at the other passengers. Most were stretching or buckling up, but when her eyes landed on the man four rows back, she felt a gasp spring from her lips as her mouth dropped open. Dear
Lord!
The man was liquid sin! How did she not notice him before?

Thick dark hair, cut short with just the tiniest touch of silver at the temples. Strong jaw and sinewy muscles that seemed to move and ripple beneath his skintight t-shirt. Not to mention…Victoria felt her cheeks flush with heat as her gaze met the golden depths of his eyes. Oh,
crap
! He was staring right back at her!

His mouth lifted at the corner in what could only be described as an utterly lecherous, yet make your knees weak grin, and he actually
winked
at her. What an arrogant ass! She whipped back around in her seat and faced the front, feeling like a total imbecile for getting caught checking him out. So
not
how she wanted this
vacation
to start. Guh!