Guarding Midnight

  Evernight Publishing ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2015 Kacey Hammell

  ISBN: 978-1-77233-292-6

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Brieanna Robertson

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  For Shree, my dearest friend and confidant.

  I’m not sure you’ll ever know just how special you are to me.

  You inspire me every day.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thanks to my big brother, Will. That eagle tattoo on your back always was one of my favorites! Miss you every day.

  Thanks so much to JoAnne, S.J., and Layna for multiple reads of this story and pushing me to make it even better than the original!

  GUARDING MIDNIGHT

  Canadian Muscle, 1

  Kacey Hammell

  Copyright © 2015

  Chapter One

  Lush, steely vibrations circled the Vixen Club, resonating sweet to Gavin’s ears. He loved heavy bass music with electric guitars and endless riffs, the louder the better. Especially these days. Knowing his new job came with great ambiance made the decision to come here a little easier.

  But not by much.

  He blamed his blown-out knee and subsequent limp for his indecisiveness.

  Retired Army. Two words he never considered alongside his name. At least not until he was in his sixties. Thirty-seven years old and forced to take early retirement after invading a terrorist cell in Afghanistan, uncertain if it was a trap. But seeing three young boys inside that building…he had no choice. Bomb or no bomb, he rushed into the falling down structure and had the last boy in his arms when the bomb went off.

  Two months later, he awoke from his coma. He’d learned that all three boys had survived, though with some cuts and bruises, and had found peace with the fact that he’d done his job right. But he’d lost ten percent hearing in both ears, a crushed knee, and shrapnel still in parts of his right leg that were too embedded in bone and tissue to remove. The doctors had done everything they could without amputating.

  Gavin had Sean to thank for that.

  Friends since college, through combat training, and on every mission of their careers, he and Sean had endured a lot together. When doctors said it would be best to amputate his leg, Sean had opposed the decision and convinced the surgeon that Gavin would rather die than be without a limb.

  How true that statement was. He owed Sean a lot. Which was why he stood within the shadows of the Vixen Club. To repay a debt he owed.

  Enjoying the music, his fingers beat against his thigh. He scanned the room.

  The place was bigger than expected. A stage took up a full wall at the front. Red, heavy curtains hung in the middle of the room, and from what he could see through an open spot between the drapes, there were mirrors behind them. A dark crack between the glass surprised him.

  Huh, a doorway behind the glass? Must be how the dancers come and go.

  Tables and chairs spread out from wall to wall. Jesus, there had to be eighty-some tables. How many people came to see women dance on stage, lip-sync, tease, and pout their way into tips?

  Gavin strode to the bar at the top end of the room. Favoring his leg, he eased onto a stool and faced the stage. Two fairly tall, slender women stretched out their calves and backs. Leotards barely covered their ass-cheeks.

  A man could get used to seeing such fine flesh every day.

  Lucky for him, he’d been roped into being here. He’d make the most of the rash decision by appreciating the view.

  The music picked up tempo, filling the area with rapid rhythms and a lot of bass.

  Rock beats from a single on the last Nickelback album shook the floor. He couldn’t keep from tapping against the bar. His Army regimen played the band’s albums continuously. Hell, they were all Canadian and had to support home-country talent.

  A blur of red and black rushing out on stage caught his attention. A woman skulked along at the front of the stage, bending, twirling, and angling her hot, sexy bod. She would no doubt capture every man’s attention when she performed.

  Gavin swallowed hard, his eyes peeled to the sexy display in front of him.

  Red sports bra and tight spandex shorts barely contained her curvy, tanned body dancing at lightning speed around the stage. Long, toned legs stretched, and her body twirled the pole as if it was made for her. Though she wore barely-there spandex, she didn’t give off a stripper vibe. Her thighs clung to the metal, showing off strong muscles. Without moving her legs from the pole, she let go with her hands and planted them firmly on the floor. She moved like a worm as she stayed suspended, the pole between her legs as her arms held her up. Her tight, large breasts were so tempting. His mouth watered.

  The woman was skilled and in-tune with her body and with what she had to offer.

  And boy, if she didn’t have a lot to offer.

  Her breasts were definitely more than a handful, which was just how he liked them. Small, medium, large, and bountiful…as long as he could stick his dick in between the mounds and fuck them till his load burst all over a woman’s chin, lips, chest, neck, and in her hair. He loved to see his pleasure all over a woman.

  His mouth watered because of the seductive goddess on stage.

  Her long, dark, wavy hair clung to her face and shoulders, spinning around as much as she did. Bends, kicks, gymnast moves…he was impressed.

  With a flick of her hair, she turned and glanced back over her shoulder, her hips swaying to the distinct bass. Facing the empty seats, she covered the stage, her movements skilled and quick. He watched, transfixed at the many steps, and could only guess at the training this woman needed to have in order to make it look so easy.

  As the song ended, she bent at the waist, breathing deep. Her gaze caught on his.

  He drew in a deep breath.

  Damn, those dark depths laser-focused on his, holding him in place. Desire coursed through him, pulling at him to forget his reason for being here and find out more about her.

  Beautiful. He loved everything about her gorgeous face. From her high cheek bones to the perfectly shaped lips that looked luscious and tasty from where he sat. And what he wouldn’t give to claim the first taste. Of those lips and anywhere else from head to toe.

  Heavy pulses drew him from his thoughts and the beauty walked off the stage.

  He squelched the desire to follow her. Sighing, he cursed himself. Getting a hard-on for some strange chick wasn’t what he’d signed up for by coming here. He had to keep his head in the game. But the image of her bent over while he drove into her over and over again burned in his mind. He adjusted himself behind the zipper of his jeans.

  “Hey, stranger,” a pleased female voice said at his shoulder.

  Gavin pivoted in his seat. “Hey, beautiful.”

  The young lady wrapped in his arms barely came to his chin. Sean’s little sister Charlotte giggled. He hadn’t seen her since her twenty-fourth birthday six years ago. Damn if Charlie, his honorary sister, hadn’t grown into a beautiful young woman.

  He drew back and grinned. “You’re still the only girl I’ve ever loved, little one.”

  She laughed aloud and shook her head. “Save your smooth talking for some other girl. I’m wise to your ways.”

  “What ways would
those be? I’m nothing if not honest.” He held her elbow and helped her onto the stool beside him. The music boomed, and the women on stage bent this way and that. He didn’t get the attraction of a club like this.

  “You’re so a one-night-stand kind of man and you know it.”

  “True.” He nodded. “I appreciate all women. Why settle for one?”

  Charlie shook her head. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Hey, Sean said you’d been having some troubles with rowdiness and drugs moving through.”

  Sadness filled her eyes. “Yeah. Unfortunately, since I took over from Norris, people have walked all over me. It’s been…difficult.”

  “I know Norris left you the place when he passed years ago. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here for the funeral.”

  “I understand. I hated that Sean missed it too. But that’s a whole other can of worms.”

  “Have things been this shitty all along?”

  “Just the last year or so. There’s a new drug organization just outside of town, or so I’m told. Hell-raisers, mob type. The leader, Carter Hagen, has approached me more times than I’d like.”

  “Why?”

  “He wants to buy the place. He knows how popular it is, and how much money we make on a good night. The perfect place for him to set up his illegal operations and make a killing. His low-life friends come in to harass the girls, break things, and drink more liquor than they pay for. But I refuse to sell.”

  Gavin’s jaw clenched. “Sean mentioned the authorities around here are in his pocket, too.” He’d have to seek out whoever was in authority around here and get to the bottom of the police fuck-ups. He couldn’t stand men without honor. They had taken an oath to uphold the law. There was nothing more disappointing than a man who couldn’t remain loyal to his badge, or his country.

  And the world would be a much better place without bullies. The kind of people who liked to pick on people who couldn’t defend themselves needed a lesson in manners and respect.

  “Is the money worth it?” He knew of the place, had heard Sean talk about the women who danced there, but never been here before. Plus, it was completely on the opposite side of Vancouver than where he’d grown up in dirty and unkempt foster homes.

  Don’t go there right now, man.

  Charlie’s head lifted fast. “Doesn’t have a thing to do with the money. Norris was one of my father’s best friends. He took care of Sean and me when our parents died. I grew up around this place and know how much it meant to him, so I’ll be damned if I lose it to a criminal who’ll just cater to miscreants and killers.”

  “All right. Settle down, little one.”

  “You can help me, right?”

  “Sean thought up the idea of me coming here to be a bouncer, but I’ll be honest, a mob boss or gang leader, whatever he is, wanting a dance club? There’s money in strippers, sure, but—”

  “Don’t say it, Gav. None of my girls are strippers. Sure, they tease, toss a shirt or shoe here and there, but right down to bare ass and tits? No, not here. Never.”

  The music stopped and his ears popped in the silence. A twinge swept along his neck and across his jaw. They were still sensitive when noise shifted or was too loud, but he’d be damned before giving up heavy metal and rock.

  His gaze shifted to a gleaming pole off to the side of the stage. “So that’s not a stripper pole then?”

  Charlie shrugged.

  Suppressing his laugh at her non-threatening glare, he stretched out his sore leg. Fiery shards of pain snaked his tendons and prickled under his skin. Shit. What he wouldn’t give for a long, hot soak in a Jacuzzi.

  “Why did you agree to come here if you have no idea what you’re protecting and fighting for?”

  “Charlie, look. I’ll help you any way I can, but I’m not sure how effective I’ll be. There’s only one of me against…how many did you say are causing shit?”

  “Probably a handful or a dozen. But aren’t all you Army guys invincible?”

  Gavin burst out laughing and shook his head. “Hardly.” He rubbed his sore thigh. “I wish.”

  She smiled in sympathy, which quickly turned sly. “I saw you watching our main attraction. She’s fantastic, isn’t she?”

  Gavin shrugged. “Seen one chick dance, seen ‘em all.”

  Charlie cuffed him on the shoulder. “Don’t bullshit me. I’ll have to get Gary over here to clean up the drool from your hanging open mouth. She’s the reason why men will be coming to this club for miles in every direction. It took me a year of phone calls and negotiations to score her as a dancer. She’s the best in the business.”

  “At what, providing hard-ons with a quick kick or titty shake?” Gavin snorted when Charlie cuffed him again, a bit harder this time.

  “She hasn’t danced a night yet and already I’ve gotten calls from people about booking tables. It’s not something we do, but I think it might be the only way to go. People will be coming in droves to see Midnight.”

  “Who?” Gavin asked through a suddenly dry throat.

  “Midnight. That’s her stage name.”

  Midnight.

  “She was just rehearsing, but even you aren’t immune to her talents,” Charlotte laughed.

  “She’s got moves, I suppose. I’ve never seen anyone dance like that before.”

  Charlotte eased off the stool. “Yeah, well, as I said, she’s the best. I’m glad to finally have her here.”

  “What took a year to get her here?”

  “Come on back to my office and I’ll tell you what I can, but some things I won’t divulge. Confidences and all that.”

  He followed behind Charlie. Pictures of dancers in strange confections of costumes littered the walls of the hallway, showcasing the many years the Vixen Club had been open.

  Charlie ushered him into her office and shut the door behind him. A photo on the wall caught his gaze—Charlie, him, and Sean at her graduation. Sean had never been prouder of her. Gavin, too. She was the little sister he’d never had. He loved her unconditionally.

  Another picture hung beside it. Charlie and Norris. Gavin had met him only a handful of times, but he seemed like a genuine, stand-up guy. He knew Charlotte cherished the other man like a second father. To him, it was enough to like Norris.

  “Shree used to work—”

  “Shree?” he interrupted.

  Charlotte sighed. “Midnight’s real name is Shree. Anyway…” She drew out the last word. She expected him to shush and listen, so he did. “She came from Toronto. Danced in one of the hottest clubs out there. It took a lot of money to get her down here. Some personal reasons of hers held things up as well, but I’m thrilled she’s here.”

  “Don’t you think adding more talent, one who you claim is the hotshot of this business, will make this Hagen guy pound on your door even louder?”

  She nodded and pulled a stack of papers toward her. “I’ve thought of that, but the deal was in the making months before he started his harassment. When I got word she was coming this way anyway, I wasn’t about to miss the chance to get her.”

  “What has the law done about this fool?”

  Charlie snorted. “I wouldn’t call the law much of anything around here. Waste of my time. I think Hagen already has the main men in authority in his pocket. Most of the regulars help me keep things as normal as possible, and many of them have been beaten to a pulp because of their troubles. It’s why I asked Sean if he knew anyone in security. I need help, Gav. A lot of it.”

  Her gaze held his, pleading with him. He wouldn’t leave her anytime soon. She was family. “I’m not going anywhere, little one. I’ll do what I can.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. Damn if he would sit here and watch the beads fall. He couldn’t handle crying women. What was a man supposed to do with one? His skin itched thinking about any woman bawling all over him.

  “Sean said there is a room in back I might be able to stay in. Whereabouts?”

  She stood, cleared her throat, pulled a
key out of her pocket, and moved to the window. “Actually, there are two, one on each side of the club.” He stood beside her. “You’ll be on this side. Just take a right out my office door, down the hall to the exit, and the stairs are to the right of that door.”

  He took the key she offered and stepped back. “Is there someone on the other side?”

  She nodded. “Yes. For now. Shree didn’t have anywhere to stay yet, but she plans to get a place of her own. She’ll be here for a bit till she does.”

  Gavin’s heart lurched. So, the sexy raven would be close by?

  Down, boy. We don’t need to mix business and pleasure.

  Sure we do.

  He sighed, wanting to rest his leg a bit before the doors opened at nine. He turned back and grinned at her. “Don’t worry about anything, all right? I’ll do what I can.”

  “I know you will.” Her gaze lowered to his leg. “Are you okay?”

  He read the sympathy in the depths of her eyes, and hated it. “I’ll be fine. Just want to get settled.”

  “If you want to work out, there’s a gym downstairs. It’s actually directly under the stage. There’s plenty of equipment, and a tub in the one bathroom great for soaking sore appendages.”

  Music to his ears. He hoped he’d have time to seek out that bath before his shift started.

  “Thanks. I’ll see ya later, little one.”

  Limping down the hall to the exit, Gavin cursed his beat-up body. Months of therapy and trying not to crumble under the insecurities of being a cripple still weighed heavy on him. Even despite his anger and self-loathing, he still wouldn’t have changed a thing about that fateful day. All three boys had come out of it alive. The one who had flown out of his arms when the bomb went off had a concussion and broken arm, but had lived. He couldn’t ask for more than that.

  For now, he’d focus on the job at hand and hope the situation was resolved quickly.