Hitman's Revenge (a Forbidden Bad Boy Romance) by Emilia Beaumont

anyone, I promise, but I won’t be sorry about it, and you shouldn’t be, either. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to kiss me.”
    Jack let out a shuddering breath and caved into her words for a moment, wrapping his arms around her, pressing a kiss into her vanilla smelling hair. She snuggled against his chest and he just held her there, allowing himself this one moment in his miserable life. Hazel was the one person who could bring him to his knees and make him feel like a good man all at the same time. He couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her.
    “I love you, Jack,” she said, her voice very faint now as she pressed tightly against his chest. “I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”
    Her words humbled him as he pulled back, taking one hand to tip her chin up so that he could see those eyes that haunted him at night. “No more bayou parties,” he said firmly, his heart pounding in his ears. “No more rescuing.”
    Her lips curved into a smile, and he fought the urge to kiss her senseless again.
    “You will always be rescuing me, Jack. And I’ll always be waiting.”

Eleven

Jack
Present Day
    A fter leaving Kitty , I drove to another shady place on the river, hoping that I would get lucky one last time. The strip club was hopping, the smoky interior full of all kinds of men hoping for a peek and a fondle.
    Strip clubs had numerous types of patrons and this one was no different. Businessmen, college students, drunks, and even some women were spread out over the small space, crowding the stages as the strippers tried to garner some dollar bills in their G-strings. Kitty had worked in a place like this when I met her, selling her body for a buck or two a night. Back then she was fun and not doped up, but ever since she had met those who were willing to buy her drugs in exchange for other services, she had changed. She became clingy, and I didn’t do clingy.
    Walking up to the bar, I made contact with the owner before sitting down, watching as she walked my beer over personally.
    Lady A was her stage name; the busty blonde would twirl effortlessly around the pole showing off her skill more than anything, but behind the scenes she went by Alice. Alice was tough, no-nonsense kind of gal. She ran a tight ship and stayed out of trouble with the police unlike some of the other clubs tended to do. Everyone who knew Alice, not Lady A, knew her to be a fair businesswoman who had taken over the club after her husband ran off with someone three times younger than him. I heard he died of a heart attack some years ago, but Alice wouldn’t confirm or deny that.
    “Long time, no see, Jack.”
    “Hey A,” I said as she set down the beer in front of me. “How’s business?”
    She smirked then and leaned over the counter, letting me see the implants that she was so proud of. “You know, surviving. Installed a fantasy lounge in the back, all legal of course. You want to take a turn tonight?”
    “Not tonight,” I replied, giving her a cocky smile. I doubted anything she was doing back there was legal, but I wasn’t going to spill the beans on her. “I’m here for something different.”
    Alice sighed and pushed off of the counter, her eyes scanning the crowd behind me. “I knew you would be coming this way. Sorry about the old man. He was always a good customer. How’s that sweet girl of his, Hazel, holding up?”
    “I wouldn’t know,” I said slowly. Alice looked at me sharply, and I saw a tremor of fear in her eyes before they glazed over with a hardened expression. “Well, I didn’t know that. No wonder you graced these doors with your presence.”
    “What do you know, Alice?” I said softly, keeping my voice even. Unlike Pedro and Kitty, Alice had a keen ear for listening, training all of her girls to pick out parts and pieces of conversations that might benefit her in the future. A great number of prominent men graced her doors, and I couldn’t even imagine how much about this