Nico (The Mavericks Book 8)

shoulder for the rest of your life.”
“And that’s not something I want to do,” she said firmly. “If I have to move to hide out, a cabin by a lake ten minutes from town would suit me fine.”
“You don’t worry about four-legged predators?” he asked curiously. He knew a lot of women wouldn’t leave the security of town limits and their four walls where she had every available amenity at her fingertips.
But Charlotte smiled and whispered, “I like the four-legged predators. They’re decent about leaving you alone, if you leave them alone. It’s the two-legged ones you have to watch out for.”
He agreed with her. He just found it interesting that she was of the same mind-set. “If you can go back to sleep,” he said, “then I suggest you do.”
She laid here with her eyes closed for a moment, but she shook her head gently and whispered, “Don’t think I can.” Her stomach growled just then, and she opened her eyes. “Any chance of food?”
“It’s coming,” he said. Just then came a knock on the door.
Immediately she cried out and huddled against the headboard.
He reached for her hands again. “It’s likely food. Just stay quiet.”
She stared at him, her eyes wide as she bit down on a trembling bottom lip.
“Remember. Be strong.”
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I think it’ll take a little time for my nerves to not panic every time I hear something that surprises me.”
Nico watched as Keane opened up the door to a trolley full of food. Then Nico hopped up and walked over to help his buddy. “Hope I ordered enough.”
“Looks like you ordered enough for six men,” Keane joked.
“One starving woman and the two of us,” he said. “I’m not wasting food on the prisoner.”
As Keane walked over, he caught sight of Charlotte’s face. He hid his grin quickly, but not before she saw his obvious amusement.
Knowing it was the right thing to do, Nico walked back over and gave her a hand up to her feet. In a low tone, he said, “Go to the bathroom and clean your eyes. Looks like the mascara didn’t come off during the shower.”
She raised an eyebrow, walked into the bathroom, and let out a cry. “Oh, my word,” she said. “You didn’t say anything.”
“I just said something now,” he protested. “You were sleeping before.” He could hear her running water and obviously trying to clean off her eyes, which was fine by him. With Keane’s assistance, they picked up the prisoner and moved him off to the far corner. He protested, but they wouldn’t have anything to do with it. “You’re in the way,” Nico said. “We need the table space.”
“You could let me eat too,” he snarled.
“Not happening,” Keane said cheerfully. “Not part of my kidnapping plan.” Then he gagged their prisoner. “Enough talk from you.”
Nico looked up as Charlotte came out of the bathroom. Her face was clean, and she looked brighter and happier. He smiled at her and said, “Much better. Come. Sit down.”
She eagerly walked toward him. “Food would be good. But a way to get home after this would be even better.”
“One thing at a time,” he said. He lifted the lid off the trays of food which filled the table. To her gasp of delight, he grinned. “I have no intention of shorting you on food. So eat up. We need to be ready because we don’t know what’s coming.”
She looked over at him and said, “It won’t be a nice and simple flight home, will it?”
“No,” he said, but he wouldn’t say any more. Not with ears listening. He had no idea if anybody else would attack them, but what he didn’t want to do was give their prisoner a tip-off as to their plans. He wasn’t even sure who to turn this guy over to yet. He was waiting on that answer from his team. He figured that somebody would come and collect him soon enough. The problem was, Nico didn’t want to hand him over to just anybody. It needed to be somebody helping them get Charlotte back home again. He’d rescued her, but she was a long way away from being out of danger.
They each filled up a plate and ate quietly, focused on the food.
Another knock sounded on the door. She froze, and he looked over at her, then smiled reassuringly, but he had already pulled his weapon from his holster and had her behind him. Keane raced to the door and stood behind it as Nico walked nearby and said, “Hello?”
“Let me in,” came a voice from the other side.
Keane snorted. Nico stepped into the bathroom, pushing Charlotte down into the tub, and said, “Why would I do that?”
“Because you have something I want.”
Immediately he cocked his handgun, still with the silencer in place, and held it up. “It’s not something I’m willing to turn over.”
“Well, if you don’t, you’ll be sorry,” came the threat.
“So will you,” said Nico. He looked over as Keane adjusted his stance. “If you want to talk, that’s fine. Talk. Otherwise I’m not too interested in talking.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll talk.”
Keane silently grabbed the handle of the door. And, with Nico holding his gun at the ready, Keane suddenly opened the door. The stranger’s gun came up out of nowhere, and Nico took one shot. The man standing with a handgun and a silencer fell forward with a surprised look on his face. He wasn’t quite dead though, and he tried to raise his arm to fire, but Nico’s second shot interrupted that thought.
Immediately Keane took a look down both ends of the hallways, then pulled the gunman into their hotel room, out of the way, and shut the door. As soon as he had him inside on the floor, they reached for towels to staunch the bleeding.
“I shot high,” Nico muttered, “but he was shorter than I expected.”
“You should have aimed for his eyes anyway,” Keane snapped.
“Well, I figured we wouldn’t get any