Deep Night (26 page)

It's time to go back to school and feed your reader with these fabulous Loveswept romances….

In Laura Marie Altom's scorching new novel,
The Escort,
a broken heart pushes a rugged loner to the breaking point—until a not-so-innocent affair changes everything.
New York Times
bestselling author Kathy Clark keeps the heat on with
Deep Night,
as two adrenaline junkies find themselves fighting unexpected passion—and unspeakable terror.
New York Times
bestselling author Missy Johnson's
Code of Honor
asks a burning question: What happens when love is undeniable—and taboo? And
USA Today
bestselling author Lauren Layne's
Blurred Lines
delivers a sexy take on the timeless question: Can a guy and a girl really be “just friends”?

Sidney Halston's scorching new MMA romance
Laid Out,
proves there are no holds barred when it comes to seduction. In
A Fashionable Indulgence,
the first novel of an explosive new series from K. J. Charles, a young gentleman and his elegant mentor fight for love in a world of wealth, power, and manipulation
.
Then meet Megan Crane's Deacons of Bourbon Street, bad-boy bikers who are hell on wheels—and heaven between the sheets in
Make You Burn
.
New York Times
bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank returns with
Nightwalker,
a pulse-pounding installment in the Nightwalker series. And perfect for Highlander fans,
My Highland Bride
is where Southern sass meets Highland heat in Maeve Greyson's scintillating new Highland Hearts romance.

New in Flirt is
Just a Little Kiss,
the next novel of Renita Pizzitola's Crush series. Felicity knows that “Summer Boys” are only good for one thing. But what if hooking up with the right guy could lead to a fresh start?

There you have it—until next month, when September is the month to fall in love all over again, with Loveswept.

Happy Romance!

Gina Wachtel

Associate Publisher

by Kathy Clark

Available from Loveswept

Nick walked into the dimly lit confines of the Jackalope Bar on Austin's famous Sixth Street. Some people have a favorite easy chair they plop into after a hard day at work, but Nick's chosen spot was a stool at the far end of the bar. If someone happened to be there when he arrived, it was not uncommon for him to ask the person to move. Maybe it was his no-nonsense tone, the mirrored sunglasses he wore even after dark or the rigid set of his square jaw, but the trespasser always vacated the stool without argument. It was the perfect location for a night of consumption where Nick could sit sideways with his back against the wall and right arm supported on the worn wooden bar. From that vantage point, he could watch both the front and back doors, as well as most of the patrons. Force of habit.

Through years as a DEA agent, he was able to multitask. He could eat, drink, watch a game on one of the flat screens, check messages on his cell and catch up on the real news that only bartenders can offer, all while keeping an eye on everything going on around him.

At this time of year, most of the students had gone home for the summer. That left a handful of locals, summer students and lots of tourists prowling the bars and restaurants downtown. It was easy to tell which were the first-timers, because they would stop and stare at the giant fiberglass statue of a jackrabbit with deer antlers grafted onto its head. Or they would hoist their kids onto the saddle on the rabbit's back and snap a half dozen photos on their phones. Apparently, the legend of jackalopes had been made popular in Wyoming back in the 1930s after a local hunter used his taxidermy talent to create the mythical creature, then sold it to a local hotel. It became the Old West version of a unicorn as the stories of sightings spread and persevered.

“Hi, Nick,” the tall, raven-haired bartender with the tight black tank top said as she sailed a coaster to land directly in front of his stool.

“Hey, Gina…you still fucking that no-good cowboy…what's his name again?”

Gina smiled and gave him a flirtatious flutter of her thick fake lashes. “Yeah, like you care.”

“ 'Course I care, darlin'. I just hate to see such a hot babe wasting herself on a guy with cow shit on his boots.”

“You'll be the first one I'll call when I get tired of him…I promise.”

“You've been saying that for months, you know?” Nick sat down and took off his sunglasses so his eyes could adjust to the lower light level. He and Gina had been running the same routine for the last five years, but Nick hadn't taken it any further even though Gina had given him several opportunities. It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to her; he simply didn't want to find another place to drink.

“And it's Gary,” she added.

“Gary? That's an old fart's name…Gary!” he snorted.

“And Nick isn't?”

“It's timeless,” he retorted.

“Yeah, like St. Nicholas and the Popes.”

“And Nicolas Cage and Nick Cannon…both cool dudes.”

“One's old enough to be my father and the other is old enough to be my grandfather.”

Nick gave her a pained look. That was definitely a subject he didn't want to discuss.

Gina must have known, because she gave him a wink to soften the blow and asked, “What are you having?”

“Pull me a small fresh one, but nothing domestic.”

“Got it. Want me to card you to make you feel better?”

He tossed his coaster at her, but she dodged, turned and grabbed a mug, all in one smooth motion. She filled it at one of the many taps, flipped another coaster on the bar and set the mug squarely on top of it.

“Thanks, darlin'. How've you been?”

“Me? Struggling, you know? Been pulling a couple of doubles to pay for a blown engine on that piece-of-shit Honda. My ex is still laughing…he could have let me have the new F-150, but
nooo
…Where've you been, Nick?”

“I had an assignment in Denver, then I went to Kentucky for a few days.”

“At least you're back at work after that unofficial trip you took to Mexico last year. I heard you got some time off without pay. True?”

Nick took a long drink and studied her over the thick glass rim. “Who told you that?”

“You're not the only undercover agent that comes in here.”

“Great…so much for them being undercover. Besides, they don't know shit.”

“They said you got moved out of the undercover business.”

He shrugged noncommittally.

“How long?”

“My boss told me until my looks change.”

“You're still pretty good-looking.” She flashed another smile. “It's going to be a long time before you get ugly.”

He held up his mug in a silent salute.

“Need food?” Gina asked.

“Give me a naked burger, rare, and fries.”

“You got it.”

Nick pulled out his cellphone, flipped through his emails and scanned his missed calls. The last three from his boss had gone to voicemail. He knew he really should call her back. After that unauthorized trip to Mexico, he'd promised to be more communicative. It didn't matter that he'd been instrumental in busting the biggest drug cartel on the border. She'd raked him over the coals for not clearing it through the agency first and for going without backup.

He hit the redial next to her name.

“I've been calling you all day, Nick—where are you?”
she asked even without so much as a hello.

“I finished my reports about Denver and sent them to you today.”

“They were due yesterday.”

“Yeah…I know. But you have them now.” He didn't add that he'd been battling a bitch of a hangover from a generous sampling of Kentucky bourbon. He'd caught an early flight with two layovers and a storm delay before arriving back in Austin late afternoon. He'd barely been able to finish the damn report before he fell asleep. “We good?” Nick clenched his teeth. He loved the actual work, but hated writing about it. If bad guys went to jail because he busted their asses, then that should be enough information for the files.

“After I've read it, I'll let you know. Listen, I need to talk to you.”

“What's up?”

“No, in person. Too late today, but how about tomorrow morning first thing…my office. Can you stay out of trouble till then, Nick?”
It was more of a demand than a question.

“Sure…no problem. I'm grabbing a burger and then heading home. See you tomorrow.”

“First thing, my time…as in eight a.m.”

“Eight a.m.,” Nick echoed. He grimaced as he ended the call and put his phone down on the bar.

“Here you go.” Gina set the plate of food in front of him, then placed some silverware on a napkin next to the plate, along with mustard and ketchup bottles. “You okay?”

Nick smiled. “Sure. The boss has some new hell for me tomorrow.”

“More trouble from the cartel deal?”

“That and some other things she doesn't like…not sure how far back she holds a grudge. I only reported to her about two years ago.” He squeezed a mound of ketchup next to the fries, then added a generous squirt of mustard on the burger.

Gina laughed. “Dude, you're screwed if she holds a grudge.”

Nick held the palm of his hand up to wave off her concern. “Maybe I should have communicated a little better…but there wasn't time, ya know?”

“Never is, Nick, never is. Enjoy.” Gina reached out and patted the back of his hand as he reached for his beer.

Nick glanced up at the television and read the sports crawler with minimal interest. Football was his preferred season, but at this time of year, it was all about baseball. He worked his way through the burger and fries, only half aware of what he was eating. He was worried, more than he wanted to admit, about his meeting with Bobbi tomorrow. She might be a woman in a heavily male organization, but she had worked her way up and had a well-earned reputation for being a hard-ass. Worse, she had zero sense of humor, so he couldn't even joke his way out of a tight spot.

For all his grumbling, he loved his job. He liked being out, observing the world, tracking down the bad guys and keeping illegal drugs off the streets. Bobbi had threatened to put him behind a desk if he didn't change his methods. But his logic was, why change it if it works, and not even Bobbi could deny his success rate was higher than anyone else's in the local agency. However, his fails were epic, and apparently, she preferred focusing on them.

Nick signaled Gina for another draft and drained the first just as she returned with the next one. Within minutes, the food was gone and the second draft was less than half-full. He leaned back and, through half-closed eyes, surveyed the crowd.

Two kids, probably UT summer students, burst into the bar through the back door. They were laughing and stumbling into each other, indicating this wasn't the first bar they'd hit tonight. Nick immediately focused on a smudge of white powder on the taller kid's right cheek near his nose. Nick turned on his stool, just enough so he could watch them in the mirror. It was certainly better entertainment than the ball game.

They sat on stools only a couple down from his. Nick leaned on the bar, as if focusing on his beer, but it allowed him to listen to the two boys' conversation without creating suspicion.

“Man, that was too easy,” the taller kid laughed.

“There must have been a thousand bags in that storage unit, dude. We can make a fortune.” The other kid pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. His voice was a little too high pitched and overexcited.

“Hi, guys.” Gina slid two coasters in front of the boys and greeted them with her usual high-energy smile. Both boys nearly jumped off their stools.

“Whoa, where did you come from?” the tall kid asked.

“Uh…this is where I always am, Wednesday through Sunday. Imagine that…a bartender behind a bar.” Gina held her hands out and waved toward row after row of liquor bottles on the shelves behind her. “Thirsty?”

They laughed and slapped each other on the shoulder as if she were hilarious.

“Of course we are,” the kid with the glasses said.

Gina took their drink orders, checked their IDs and, as she passed Nick, gave him a cross-eyed look. Nick chuckled, but didn't lose his concentration.

The shorter kid pulled out his cellphone and selected a number. A few seconds later, he crowed, “Yeah, Derek…we did it!”

“What'd he say?” the tall kid asked, leaning closer and trying to overhear Derek's conversation.

“Yeah, we should go back right away.” The shorter boy held the phone out so his friend could hear. “One of the bags split open and when they go in there, they'll see it and know someone found their stash. We've got to get it before they move it somewhere else.” He waited while Derek said something, then continued, “Listen, dude, it's
got
to be tonight. We'll make a killing with this shit.”

The taller kid got up as if he was leaving, but the kid on the phone grabbed him and pulled him down.

“Okay…ten. Good…I gotta get something to eat. See you there.” He set his phone on the bar.

“Ten tonight. And he's bringing Drake.” He held his hand up, and the two boys high-fived.

“Split four ways?”

“Four ways. With so many bags, they'll never miss a few. And, best of all, they'll never know who did it.”

Gina placed bottles of beer on their coasters. “Either of you want a glass?”

“Nah, we're good,” the shorter guy said. “Fuck, we're great.”

“Ready to order?” she asked.

The two boys ordered a pizza to split, and Gina left to notify the kitchen.

“Man, it's hot in here.” The tall kid chugged the entire beer. “I'm so thirsty.”

His friend nodded and drained his bottle. “Yeah, me too.” He was jittery and tapped out a staccato rhythm with his fingers on the wooden surface. His friend was nervously peeling the label off his beer bottle as he waited for a new one.

Nick signaled Gina when she returned, and she came over immediately.

“What's up?” she asked.

“Ever seen those two before?” Nick nodded toward the two guys.

Gina glanced over and leaned down. “Don't think so. Why?”

“Can't tell you. Ask one of your undercover guys.” A corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes twinkled.

Gina slapped his hand and went to flirt with another customer. Nick glanced at his phone and saw it was only eight thirty. He still had some time to kill. He finished his beer and waved Gina for another. Not wanting to let the boys out of his sight, Nick stepped away from the bar but kept his eye on the mirror. In the spirit of his new pledge of transparency, he speed-dialed his boss. The phone rang three times, then the answering message came on. With a low voice and the mic cupped in his hand, he whispered, “It's me. Listen, I ran across a possible storage locker full of booger sugar, so call me. I'm going to check it out.”

Nick smiled as Gina delivered his third beer. He settled back on his stool. “Thanks, darlin'.”

“First two beers made you happy…good.”

“Nah…just found something interesting to do this evening. You sure you don't know these guys?”

“No…If you want, I'll trade phone numbers with the tall one. He's kind of cute.”

“Never mind. Gary might get pissed and blame me.”

“Yeah, like I tell Gary about you,” she snorted.

A runner brought the pizza from the kitchen. She took it from him and delivered it to the boys, along with plates, napkins and silverware.

Nick watched the boys gobble down the pizza like hungry wolves. They were on their fourth beers by the time they finished it.

When Gina passed him again, he flipped his debit card onto the bar. “I gotta go as soon as I finish this.”

Gina went to the cash register, closed out his tab and swiped the card. She came back and returned the card. “I was awesome tonight, so your tip was pretty generous.”