Sweet Home Chicago

By Paige Lynn Hill

Hale and Naomi have hosted a popular daytime talk show for years, but it's not until their shared New Year's Eve kiss that sparks start to fly. He can't ignore his feelings, and this work vacation might be his last chance to put it all on the line.

Naomi didn't expect to have to break off an engagement on New Year's Eve. She certainly didn't think she would be contemplating a relationship with Hale. But she's not sure that he's reformed his playboy ways and she's not ready to play his test girlfriend.

She wont be losing her dream job over some workplace shenanigans.

Sweet Home Chicago is a cute, interracial contemporary romance standalone. If you like sweet romances, likable characters, and undeniable chemistry, then you'll love Paige Lynn Hill's friends-to-lovers romance novel.

Join them on the couch by clicking buy.

No cheating and guaranteed HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TRS Books
• Release date: May 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201147716

Book preview

Prologue

At some point, everyone ponders their death. Would they pass away in their sleep? Or in the arms of loved ones? No one expects him. Dirt mixed with the sweat on the woman’s forehead, drawing attention to her shapely brows and thin lips. She was slender but well-toned in a natural way from hard work and not a gym membership. A single mother of thirty-five years of age working to prove to her kids that love was enough.

Her death would be unfortunate.

Fate had other plans for the fortunes of her kids. This woman of beauty and wisdom, with callused hands, was his answer. Hands that right now, wanted to wrap themselves around his neck or maybe just his gun. And yet, despite all that she had endured thus far, she was still determined. Her ex was an idiot.

Get her out, he commanded, briefly brushing his hands across her silky flesh.

She struggled in their firm grips. A fiery light such as hers should never be dimmed.

Don’t worry. This nightmare is almost done. He kept his tone firm and commanding as much for her benefit as the new g’s holding her.

There was no need to lie to her. Although for coherency’s sake, he probably should. Some people’s minds shut down after being high on adrenaline and fear. He needed just enough time and coherent thought from her to extract the information that he needed. There wasn’t enough time to see her dance for him under the bright spotlight of his headlights.

What did she think of Jim anyway?

He almost smirked when she tried to kick the man next to her. There were no outward signs that she was scared or feared for her life. They popped her on the back of the head lightly as if to scold her. Just enough to slow down her tantrum. She reluctantly came to attention, staring at him as he leaned against the hood of the car casually. Her eyes were completely devoid of any feeling. It didn’t shock him. Instead, he had smiled into those eyes, hoping to crack the nut, relying heavily on his charm and wit. But he had yet to ask about Jim personally.

Perhaps, he was getting forgetful in his old age. He knew better than anyone that sometimes it was the small details that lead to success in any job, which is why he didn’t mind appearing silly when asking the most mundane questions like a catch’s favorite color.

Did you ever think that you’d be here because of Jim? He was mostly curious about Jim’s state of mind. His men took his cue and snatched the duct tape off her mouth.

She didn’t flinch, as she screamed out in pain, holding the utmost confidence in their secure location. She could scream like a white girl trapped in a horror movie if she wanted to. No cops were traipsing into his neck of the woods. If it weren’t for his fascination with her, he would have already busted out one of her teeth to get her to stop.

Collecting herself, she finally said, No. Her words shook with a fear that was not evident in her demeanor. But not because I bought into his good guy act. I lulled myself into a false sense of security, thinking that I had stayed far enough away.

What gave him away?

Jim was a superb actor. After all, he and the other members of his family had all fallen for it. A disloyal soldier had brought pain and humiliation to his doorstep, and that was quite different from the pain of the sword.

It doesn’t matter now. But there is no such thing as a good guy. Despite himself, he laughed at her little quip. But I imagine, she continued, If there is, you will meet him before I do.

And who is that? he asked curiously.

The cop that kills you.

A knife stabbing in a bar fight. A thoughtless mugging by some street hood with a loaded weapon. A bullet to the head by a soldier moving up in the ranks. Those were all the ways he knew he would die, but none of those were at the hands of a cop.

That is not my destiny, Roselyn, he declared with a tinge of pride. If I don’t get my hands on him. It just might be Jim’s destiny, though.

She neither confirmed nor denied his prophetic leanings. Instead, she turned her gaze away from him as if his mere appearance was disgusting.

Tell me something I can use to find Jim? he asked, checking the clip in his gun.

It appeared as if she stood up a little straighter at the sight. What a shame that she wouldn’t be able to hold her kids tonight. They would wake up in the middle of the night and long for her embrace. Would they forget what she looked like?

Honestly, I just don’t know enough about him? She replied with a shake of her head.

There would be no satisfaction from her death. However, it was one of those necessities since he was forced to reveal his face to kidnap her. And that fact he intended to make Jim pay for whenever he was found. The man was a coward and should be rightfully crushed like a cockroach at the dinner table. This was the first job that he took, where he waved the payment fee and did it for free for the family.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter, he sighed. You’re the closest thing to a lead we have? So you’re going to tell us how many shits he had yesterday. If that’s what I need to figure out how to smoke out the rat.

He had a high school girlfriend that he would sometimes reminiscence about?

He smiled back at her. That’s good. What did he say about this old squeeze?

Her lips quirked. What everyone says when talking about old love. He expressed regret. Certainly, I never mentioned where the high school was or even the name. Not that I would have bothered to remember if he had.

He squelched the urge to slap her across the face because he genuinely believed that she was telling the truth.

The one memorable part of the whole conversation was that the girlfriend had a weird name. Her gaze drifted up to the sky as if trying to remember.

The only thing that stood out was that the old girlfriend had an odd name. She wasted his time, and wouldn’t be able to give them even the cursory of clues. He wouldn’t allow Jim to get away. And he wasn’t from ripping all the teeth from this girl’s mouth until she said something worthy. Anything else?

He wondered if it would be easier to have her take off her clothes or wait until after she was dead.

Southern Morgan. I joked that it sounded like Southern Morning, she decided aloud.

To her annoyance, he didn’t react. He stared at something behind her, trying to weigh the validity of this little nugget. Only a fool would try to go home again. But when the options are few, everyone always calls mom and dad.

That’s what we’ve been waiting for guys, he decided. See, she wasn’t so useless.

They burst out into wide grins. Giving each other fist bumps over the woman’s head. He always did enjoy being right. Part of the reason he always insisted on two new G’s escorting him as opposed to someone with rank. Sure he taught the young bucks a few things. But this was equally their test. If she got away or they made some newbie mistake. Their bodies would be buried next to hers.

He adjusted the colt python .357 magnum in his hand.

Her head turned up to the sky as she said a quick prayer for her children. He brought the gun up and aimed it at her head. His finger hovering above the trigger. A faraway look in her eyes as she quickly spouted off her hopes and her wishes for her children. Her neck exposed, he could hit the jugular and watch her bleed out. It would be a brutal death, and somehow she deserved better. He lowered the gun.

Alright, you’ve tied my hands. No pun intended, he said, gesturing to Roselen’s duct-taped hands with the gun. "I’ll give you a chance to escape.

A semblance of hope had come to rest on her face. This time of night, there was practically no one on it, and the small woodlands behind her only led to the highway.

Let her go, he snapped to the pair, who still held onto her elbows with a death grip.

She looked stunned, and a little wary about this new change in events. And initially, she didn’t even move. At least she wasn’t silly enough to try to go for their guns. Was there nothing that shook this woman?

He cocked the gun. Only the smallest flinch betrayed Roselen’s awareness that this was not a game. She turned and took off running into the dense foliage. Unaware of the figure that stepped out behind her as soon as she passed the third tree. The boss asked him specifically to make sure this third G got a little blood on his hand. He pulled the trigger into the back of her head. Blood and guts flew out and hit the young man in the face as she fell to the ground.

His breathing was harsh now, as he turned, his body dry heaving over the sight.

You throw up, and I promise you they gone bury your body next to her. I ain’t got time for the foolishness. You not gone be leaving DNA evidence behind on my watch.

He walked up and laced his suede gloved fingers through what was left of her hair—lifting her face off the ground. She looked almost peaceful. Some hope was better than none at all. Dropping her head back on the ground, he stood up and belted, Strip her.

They did as instructed, tossing her garments into a plastic bag. It would all be burned into ashes until there was nothing left but her head. Enough for the proper authorities to be able to identify the body. Her family should have something to bury. Blood and tissue seeped from the hole in the back of her head. It traveled down her neck to soak through the dirt like a macabre painting. He stepped away and returned to the car watching the boys work. Never one to marvel at the blood and gore. He prided himself in not being some crazy white boy.

Like every young blood trying to make way for himself, I left home early, he mused to them, But when a particularly difficult time arose, I also had a chance to go home. I holstered my gun, having had no intention of actually firing it.

My mother gave me the speech. You can do better. Theirs more to my life than this. She sees it.

Their true feelings were evident in their eyes. They thought this was the wrong time for a trip down memory lane. But that was due to their limited thinking. No, there were no stars in this bunch, and that meant another year without a replacement. They watched without feeling as they poured petrol over her body, before pouring gasoline over her clothes in a separate pile, and setting them both on fire.

But how come she could see everything but the truth, he began. Standing over two roaring fires as if they were at a bonfire and were just merely keeping warming on a cool summer night. She gave birth to a Rottweiler. After my first taste of blood, there was no turning back. I was hungry for it. He smiled. My hesitation or whatever she was picking up on. That wasn’t regret for the life spilled. I was thinking about how I was going to make sure that I had got the right guy. He shook his head at that thought. Your first is never the best. I was sloppy. I left evidence around my room that she found. In her true Godly fashion, she threatened to turn me in if I didn’t do the right thing. I put a bullet in her head right in the middle of the kitchen floor. It just proved to me that you can’t always go home again. But where is home for Jim?

He had told this story to countless others. Usually, he embellished one aspect or another depending on what he was trying to impart to his underlings. With this pair, he was simply aiming for shock and horror.

The G on the left just shrugged. I don’t know, North Carolina.

His nostrils flared. Obviously not.

So what next ABK? the G on the right asked.

What we been doing? Smoke out a sewer rat.

Chapter 1

Lilah

One Year Later…

Whoever invented pub crawls weren’t doing them in heels, that’s for sure. She adjusted the strap on her platform pumps, leaning on her younger sister, Southern, for support, feeling exposed underneath a black lace sheer long sleeve bodycon dress. Her black lace bra out for the whole world to see. The skirt, fortunately, was knee length and not sheer. Southern had forced her to wear something from her closet. She deemed anything in Lilah’s closet wholly inadequate for tonight’s festivities.

They were standing in line at theire third bar, waiting to get in—the latter of who lamented the fact that they still had two more to go. Lilah always appreciated having her sister around and never more than today because it was her birthday. Besides, both of their parents were planted firmly in North Carolina, and there wasn’t a single other person that Lilah would rather celebrate with. But standing next to Southern, who oozed sex appeal like rose petals on a bed, she was trying too hard and failing. Southern was a sexy pixie who looked like she might have been a beautiful elf in another life. At the same time, she was sure that she was destined to be reborn as a librarian. Not that Lilah believed in that sort of thing. The only thing she shared with her sister was their mother’s freckles.

Meanwhile, Lilah’s feet were 10 minutes away from collapsing. So she might as well spend that time dancing away on the dance floor and downing shots until she couldn’t remember if they were in club number two or seventeen. She would live more in the moment, like her sister, and have fun. No more worrying about her job as a nurse. It would still be waiting for her tomorrow. Southern’s wish was for her to cut loose for once and enjoy herself. Maybe bring home a cute guy not that she was interested in that either.

Southern had always been the wild child, and given her looks, there had never been a shortage of trouble for her to get into. She had become a pro at the club scene. So she would never have these types of problems.

After flashing the bouncers their IDs, they opened the huge pink double doors as if inviting them into a magical Disneyland. The royal, girly atmosphere of Club Essence was driven home with its floor-to-ceiling floral wallpaper. Dark garden scenery that was usually only seen on the upholstery at grandma’s house. Accented by pink damask Bergere chairs. However, this wasn’t granny’s house. The atmosphere was one of sophistication and elegance. Sections of the floor, by the booths, were covered in a pink suede carpet—small lanterned tea lights on all of the tables.

When Southern’s date went up to the bar and returned with only two drinks, she would have gotten pissed, but what would be the point? Southern would cut down her words as being nothing more than jealousy, and Jim would simply feign an apology. He had certainly changed a lot since their time in high school. But there weren’t many men that Southern could honestly say that she gave her heart to. Still, something about him was off, and she was never comfortable spending time with the pair when they were together. He was just too hard, too cold. Southern seemed to like men who were a little rough around the edges, who needed a feminine warmth.

Lilah, you are not going to get any birthday nookie looking at people like that, Southern told her quietly, as she maneuvered to call over a waitress for her drink order.

I’ll worry about my look if you worry more about your boyfriend.

What? He’s fine.

All throughout high school, Jim was the runt of the bunch. Finally, his father, with his basketball-like long legs, had contributed some height to him. Jim had to be over six feet now, his thick black hair cut into a high top fade. His dark eyes, small and inset into his head, were almost feminine and disarming. It was topped with thick eyebrows that seemed to betray him as being concerned continuously. His nose was wide to the point that it almost overshadowed his thick full lips.

You just keep taking birthday drinks, Southern stated. Ordering another round for the whole table and dancing to the music playing over the speakers.

But if she was supposed to pretend to have fun, she certainly forgot. Dancing was actually fun, which is probably why her little buzz had her agreeing to Vodka and Kahlua drinks all night. Of course, they didn’t agree with her stomach either. The birthday cake wasn’t a great companion to alcohol.

Several drinks later, Lilah slurred, Southern, I think I need to go home. I can’t feel my face.

Southern smacked her lips and pulled her cell phone out of her clutch bag. Well, it’s still there.

Lilah hated that dismissive tone her sister sometimes took on. Southern used it often when she was trying to impress her new beau. How would she know where my face was? It was my face. Are you coming home with me? she asked impatiently.

Southern leaned in so that she wouldn’t be overheard. Of course not, you see that fine man sitting across from us. She laughed, tickled that Lilah even dared to ask.

Lilah moved in closer, almost falling into her. How am I supposed to get home?

I’m calling you a cab, Southern assured her, patting her hand as she held onto the table for stability. That was only a little bigger than the stool that Jim sat upon. That way, Jim and I don’t lose the rest of the evening.

Jim’s facial expression hadn’t changed. His real emotions closed off. I knew you would be a lightweight, lil sis, Jim shrugged. I’m just surprised that it took this long.

She grimaced and tightened her grip on the table. Southern deserved better than a closed-off robot. She was just being used as a warm bed. It was apparent that Jim wasn’t mentally or emotionally ready to settle down. He was nothing like that young, fresh-faced little boy they knew in high school.

She’d once voiced those fears to her sister, Southern. Lilah worried that Jim’s reappearance meant that her sister would throw her all behind their relationship and forget to focus on herself. But she had no say in the matter. There was no arguing with the fact that Southern was happy, but she would be ready if and when Jim decided to move on. She wasn’t about to forget that Jim didn’t have a regular job and got as secretive as the CIA when pressed about it.

What she doesn’t know could hurt her.

Southern shook her head in agreement, Let’s wait outside for the cab because you could use the air.

As if to prove her right, Lilah collided with a waitress sending glasses of alcohol crashing to the ground, narrowly missing the pink suede carpeting. But a waitress's clumsiness wouldn’t deter her. Southern was leaving with her, and she had to strike while the iron was hot. She wouldn’t bat an eye if Southern appeared less than pleased with her words or actions. It was a sister’s duty to warn the other away from duds.

Where do you think you’re going? We have to pay for this mess, Southern asked in a firm, quiet voice. Her eye’s never left her sister’s.

Was angry supposed to look so pretty? Southern had always been comfortable with her body. Unafraid to turn heads in any setting. She could talk her way out of the stickiest situations, including this one.

All Lilah needed to do was fade into the background, and be no more than a shadow. She turned back to her abandoned drink, already used to the drill. She loved her sister, even if that meant people saw her as less than. Finishing off her drink would at least make her feel better.

But this time, Southern didn’t have to turn on the charm. Jim, here high school sweetheart, was more than willing to play hero to drunk little sis.

Where was her cab?

Can we go now? she whined. Contrary to what she believed, that last drink had not made her feel any better.

Yes, I think that’s your ride who just called, Jim stated, matter-of-factly.

Southern looked grateful and utterly enthralled with him. Let’s walk you out safely.

Lilah licked her lips as a pink concoction floated by. Maybe, I need to get another drink. Something with less Vodka.

Oh, no, you don’t, Southern countered, wrapping her arms around my waist. That’s the wrong direction.

Lilah turned and wrapped her arms around her sister’s shoulders, embracing her. Big sis wants a hug. Awww, I love you too.

Had she thought it would do any good, she would have put her foot down—and demanded that she come back home with her. But Lilah knew that Southern would only laugh at her, and she didn’t want to be patronized right now. All she could do was try to guilt her into complying.

Theirs your taxi now, Southern said, pointing to a yellow cab parked two cars up. She exhaled loudly. It seemed like it took years just to walk up to the car. And she couldn’t take much more of her annoying baby sister’s mindless gushing with her man.

It’s my birthday. It’s too early to turn it in just yet. Aren’t you supposed to help me ring it in the right way, she said, suddenly pulling Southern away from the taxi.

Southern looked at her wryly. Didn’t you just want to go home?

Lilah sighed. Jim really had his paws on her. I said no such thing. You don’t listen.

Southern shrugged out of my grasp and re-approached the taxi. She lives on 4709 Southside Lane. Here’s the money for the ride, Southern said, pulling out some cash from her purse. And she’s a little drunk. So don’t listen to her if she says she wants to go anywhere else. Home is her safest bet.

Women were always safer in numbers in these types of situations. Southern just needed to stick close to her. Together they could overcome the likes of Jim and his kind. Helping her into the car, they slammed it shut behind her. But neither of them made a move to get in next to her.

I’m going to check on you first thing when I get home. Southern leaned into the window and kissed her cheek. Don’t give the driver a hard time. And no worries, I’ll have plenty of ammo tomorrow about how big of a lightweight you are, she said, absolutely pleased. I’m just glad that you enjoyed your birthday.

Lilah didn’t know what to say and could barely decipher what her sister had told her.

Ma’am, we must go.

Bye, Southern replied, stepping back.

Lilah didn’t