Cherishing Shay

By Jennifer Becker

Luke Granger leads a small group of medically discharged veterans. They all have a sob story but they all have one thing in common, their love of serving their country. Thanks to Major Nick Weber they all had a second chance to protect their country though on a smaller scale. Which is why his team is on assignment in a nightclub on the outskirts of Las Vegas. All is going to plan until Luke sees a woman that captivates him. One dance and she disappears like Cinderella at the ball only to turn up in the unlikeliest place, the trunk of his car. There is more to this beauty than meets the eye and he's determined to know what it is.  Shay Brady was kidnapped by a ruthless man who clearly has no intention of letting her go home, so it's up to her to free herself by hiding in a trunk of a car and get to the police. She never would have guessed the car she hid in not only belongs to the man she danced with but the man himself has repeatedly saved her from the man chasing her and refusing to let her go. Luke will do all in his power to keep Shay safe, but the longer they work together to find her kidnapper the harder it is to keep his emotions out of the case. Can he let her go when all this is over? Or will he give in to temptation?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Sep 27, 2022

Book preview

Chapter 1

Luke raked his fingers through his hair for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour as he stared down at the paperwork scattered over his desk. He’d been poring over papers for the better part of the past few hours, playing catch-up since they had just come back from a two-week-long mission.

He was the only one still at the office, which wasn’t unheard of. He normally stayed at the office late at night finishing paperwork. It wasn’t like he had any reason to rush home to an empty house. The other guys were single too, but there was no reason for any of them to stay and keep him company. They were all still young and liked to get out.

Why am I not surprised to still find you here? a voice questioned, approaching him.

Luke ignored his, sometimes friend, though he rarely admitted it, coworker Greg and kept staring at the paperwork in question.

Of course, he was here. He didn’t go anywhere else. It wasn’t like he had a life to go home to. Just that empty house. The only people he considered friends were his coworkers. He hadn’t been much better when he was active duty in the Army. He was essentially a hermit who lived to work.

You’re either here or in the field, the man continued to say.

Silence.

Do you have a cot in here I don’t know about?

Silence.

Greg didn’t take the hint that he wanted to be left alone and instead dragged his seat over and sat down on the other side of his desk. Don’t get me wrong, this place is nice. Good view, bathroom. Kitchen is always stocked.

The silent treatment wasn’t working. Time to figure out what Greg wanted so he could be left alone again. Why are you back? Greg had left the office over an hour ago, talking about going to the bar and finding a woman to spend the night with.

Greg settled back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the corner of the desk, his arms relaxed on the armrests while crossing his fingers over his waist, proving he wasn’t leaving any time soon. I can’t imagine it lures a lot of ladies, but you’re not without your charms.

Luke glared up at him. Greg just smiled like he didn’t have a care in the world. Many women found him charming with his easy smile and laidback personality. Right now, Luke was finding it annoying. He knew Greg was doing this just to get under his skin. He hated admitting it was working.

You look tired.

I’m fine. He was tired. His head was starting to hurt. Words were blurring and starting to blend thanks to his accident, but he couldn’t stop. There was still so much work to do, he couldn’t rest. He was missing something; if he could figure it out though, he would solve this data, he knew it. Luke just couldn’t quit.

Come on, Luke. You’re always working. Even between missions, you’re here at this desk going through endless amounts of paperwork.

Obviously the silent treatment wasn’t getting results. What do you want? he snapped. He wasn’t in the mood for Greg’s lip right now. If this was all Greg came to bother him with, Luke had no problem showing him the door. They all might be labeled disabled veterans, but there was nothing hindering him from tossing Greg out on his ass.

Four years ago, while on deployment, Luke had been out on reconnaissance. The guy next to him sweeping for bombs tripped one. He’d died while Luke received shrapnel in his eye, arm, and leg. He was nearly blind in his left eye and lost part of his left leg and had limited use of his arm.

The military didn’t have a use for him anymore, so they cut him loose. He’d tried applying for bodyguard and security jobs that refused to hire him because of his injury. He was struggling to find out what to do next when he’d been contacted by a Colonel in Colorado Springs who had a soft spot for veterans.

Luke was offered a chance to still do covert operations that were off the books. If things ever went sour, he’d be thrown under the bus and the US government would deny any involvement. It was a risk he was willing to take. It was teams like Luke’s that could get the dirty work done while the bigwigs were still pissing around in Senate. Luke had said yes without hesitation and never looked back.

The other guys on the team had similar backstories. They’d all been medically discharged without a clue of what to do next with life. They’d all come from different military branches, and while they liked to rib the other for their choice of branch, they all worked well as a team together. Each would lay down his life for the others.

All work and no play is going to make Luke a dull boy. Greg tsked.

Luke slammed his fists down on his desk. A paperweight on the corner of the desk rattled before settling back in place. Greg, I have a stack of paperwork to do, and I’m not in the mood for your snarky attitude; now tell me what you want or get the fuck out.

Greg’s grin slid to a scowl, looking suddenly serious. Well, if you’d bother to answer your cell phone, you’d already know.

Luke picked up his phone and stared at the black screen. It’s dead. And the charger was buried in his duffel bag somewhere.

Hence why I’m here. We got a hit at McCarran Airport.

That got his attention. Who?

Djokovic.

Djokovic was on every agency’s wanted list for trafficking women and guns. You’re just telling me this now? When?

About ten minutes ago. Barry pulled up the footage and confirmed it’s him. A few minutes wasn’t going to change his location.

Any idea what he’s in town for?

I have an idea. There’s a buy going down tonight. Right here in Las Vegas.

What kind? Drugs, weapons?

Drugs.

Any idea what kind?

My contact says cocaine. Greg shrugged. It wasn’t Djokovic’s typical buy, but for the right money, Luke was sure the man had no scruples.

How accurate is the intel?

Greg almost looked wounded by his question. Impeccable as always.

Do you know where? He couldn’t keep the eagerness out of his voice. These were the kinds of missions he loved doing. This was what he’d signed up for. Protecting his country. It wasn’t overseas terrorism, but no less important.

Every case was different. Drug busts, kidnappings, smuggling. They did it all. It was only between cases that he could look into the trafficking case he’d been working on six months ago. There was something about it that kept pulling him back. Begging him to put a stop to it.

For now, it would have to go on the back burner.

Location isn’t going to be released until thirty minutes before the buy goes down.

Smart. It wouldn’t give police a heads-up to set up a trap. Nor time for them to scope it out. If only we could find out where. Luke placed his elbows on the desk and interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them. His brain already turned to the current dilemma. Can we put a track on Djokovic?

No, but Barry saw him get in a cab. We can track the cab and see where it drops him off.

Do it. It can’t be a coincidence there is a buy and Djokovic is in town. Djokovic will be at the buy. Call the team in.

Greg nodded and went to his desk as he pulled out his phone.

Luke leaned back in his chair and groaned as his back popped along the way from being hunched over for so long. Damn, he felt old despite only being thirty-seven. He was the oldest in their group with Jack being the youngest at twenty-six. Right now he felt like an eighty-year-old man. His eyesight was shot at the moment, and the headache was working its way to the back of his head. He couldn’t let that affect him though. He had a mission to complete.

Chapter 2

Shay prided herself on not acting rashly. She’d learned to control her emotions from an early age and assess every situation before reacting. Which was why when she’d been kidnapped a few days ago from her school parking lot, her captors had barely paid her much attention, thinking she was pliant.

Shay wasn’t stupid. She knew she’d never overpower the three burly men who’d captured her. No matter how much she wanted to. So she lay in wait. Waiting for the right moment to make her escape.

Underneath that calm serenity was pure contempt for her captors, even though they had done nothing to harm her. The fact they’d stolen her so easily was appalling. She’d have a word with her security team when she got home. She was memorizing everything about them so she could turn them in when she got out.

She’d been moved this morning to a different location. Instead of a windowless bedroom, she’d been led to an ornate room equipped with a four poster bed with cream-colored fabric wrapped around the posts. Expensive looking paintings adorned the walls. She could have sworn that was a Ming vase on the dresser. Shay could have cared a less about her setting. The one thing she focused on was the window. Her escape to freedom. At least now she could tell day from night.

Her captor hadn’t bothered blindfolding her when she was brought here. They probably thought she wouldn’t know where she was anyway. Sheltered politicians daughter. Only she did. Shay knew they were still in Vegas. And she knew exactly what building they were in.

Several students at schooled talked about it. Shay personally had never been. She wasn’t a night club girl. Shay preferred the silence at home to thumping music with watered down over priced drinks, and bodies grinding against each other. It was a night club a few miles off the strip.

That didn’t mean it was remote. She could see the steady flow of traffic. Hear the city below her as people came and went, unknowing there was a kidnapped woman above them. She’d already tried the window and door. She wasn’t surprised they were locked, but thanks to her lavish surroundings, she’s been equipped with things that could break the window.

It was three stories down, but after studying the architecture, she thought she saw a way to get safely down without breaking her neck in the process.

It had been too quiet to escape this morning. The shattering of glass would be heard for a mile and she would never have made it down to the ground before she was recaptured. She’d had to wait for the club to fill up so she could disappear in the crowd.

Shay could start to hear music drifting up from downstairs, the crowds on the street were growing as the sun set and now it was dark. The time had come to leave.

Shay wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t getting out of this place after money exchanged hands. Even if this was a ransom as she’d first thought, it shouldn’t have taken three days for her father to pay for her release. If there was one thing her father hated, it was a scandal.

He would have paid the ransom day one. Which meant there was no ransom and they intended something else for her. It was just a feeling in the pit of her stomach. If she were released, she could tell the authorities about this place.

Shay was reaching for the vase to break the window when her door opened. Shay had to remember her role. The docile captive. It grated on her nerves, but being resistive wasn’t going to get her anywhere. If anything, it would put them on alert to watch her like a hawk instead of pretty much ignoring her.

She stood waiting as two men walked in. Her head downcast but she could see her captures if she looked up. She noted neither bothered wearing a mask. Reaffirming her belief, they had no intention of releasing her. At least not to her father. She swallowed down the bile that was threating to rise up her throat.

She needed to remain calm. Hysteria wasn’t going to help her now. An older man that looked to be in his sixties approached her. He was dressed impeccably. A fitted suit that made him look more like a bowling ball with arms and legs. His bald head shining under the hanging chandelier. Beady brown eyes perused over her body making her skin crawl. Miss Brady.

If she was hoping he would provide his name, she was in for disappointment. What captor would tell you their name?

Shay remained rooted to her spot with her mouth shut. She didn’t recognize him, but that didn’t mean anything. She’d lived a pretty sheltered life, never going where she wasn’t told she could go and having at least one bodyguard with her at all times.

If he was here though, that meant her time here was up. Either she was wrong about her release and she was going home or she was being carted off somewhere else. She just had to hang in there for a little while longer.

I came to tell you that your time with us is almost over.

Shay didn’t allow herself to relax. He didn’t say her father had paid the ransom, only that her time with them was almost over. Strange wording. Time to test her theory.

Will one of your men drop me off or will my father be picking me up? She kept her voice soft and serene when all she wanted to do was yell at them. Demand to be released. Or cower in a ball and cry.

The man in front of her looked like a gentleman with the tailored suit and impeccable speech, but she had no doubt that if she said the wrong thing or so much as put a toe out of line, he’d leave her a bloody pulp on the ground. Or most likely let his man do the dirty work for him. He wouldn’t want to get blood on his fancy suit.

Not much longer.

She might have to look into living on campus when she got home. Less risk of this happening again. Who was she kidding? Her father would lock her up himself in the basement, and she’d never see the light of day ever again.

Arrangements have already been made for you. You’ll be leaving within the hour.

That still didn’t answer her question which meant no. What other reason could they have for keeping her? She knew better than to ask.

My men will come collect you when it is time.

Thank you. She waited for them to leave before she raced across the room and pressed her ear to the door. She heard their low voices in the hallway.

Stupid bitch, one of them muttered. I can’t believe she believed you would just let her go.

Not for a second, asshole, she muttered under her breath. Shay had perfected her submissive personality over the years so that people forgot about her. She preferred it that way. She didn’t like being the center of attention like her dad. Plus, she’d learned a lot about these people since they’d taken her.

Has everything been arranged, Gino? the older man asked.

Yes, sir. The buy is taking place in about thirty minutes. All the arrangements have already been prepared. The buyers will be arriving shortly.

Good.

Sir… Gino sounded nervous.

Yes?

Not to question your judgement, but is it wise to put her on auction when she’s already been promised.

Auction? Bought?

Bah. The older man didn’t sound concerned in the least. Promised isn’t bought. Do you know how much money she’ll fetch? Far more than that ass is willing to pay me.

No honor amongst thieves.

Shay was the only person she was aware of being held in the building, so she had a pretty good idea who they were talking about. Her. No wonder they hadn’t bothered with masks since she got here. They’d never intended to release her back to her father. They were going to sell her to the highest bidder like she was a piece of meat at a market. Her time of waiting was over. She had to get out now. Once she was sold, it would be impossible to escape.

But—

Enough, the older man snapped. She’ll be sold to the highest bidder and out of our hair. Get her ready right before it’s time. I’ll make the intro, and you’ll bring her in. I want them salivating for her. She could hear the glee in his voice that turned her stomach. That man really was a monster.

She heard their footfalls get softer as they walked away.

The time for being the docile captive was over. Shay had to escape. Now.

Chapter 3

Luke walked through the night club, his eyes constantly scanning the occupants. The blaring, pulsing music grated on his nerves and wasn’t helping his headache in the least. The strobe light wasn’t helping with his vision, but he ignored it all. He’d been trained in some of the harshest conditions. Learned to push through distractions and pain. He focused on a single goal. Locate Djokovic and the buy site. Obviously it wasn’t going to be in the middle of the dance floor.

All he had was an address where the cab had dropped Djokovic at. Greg’s contact verified the address. Good thing it was close by or they’d never have enough time to get there before the buy went down, which was in less than five minutes.

Luke studied the layout briefly before entering. There were three floors with a basement. The main level was the night club. Gambling was upstairs and offices on the top floor.

Logic said that the illegal stuff was upstairs rather than the basement. There were three entrance and exit points around the building. Jack