Gabe: The Alvarez Security Series (2 page)

The camaraderie over the meal returned to the crude jokes, laughter, and dreams of beer-nights at bars filled with hot women. That night as the others slept, Gabe lay awake…the dark eyes of the desperate boy right before he reached for his vest haunted Gabe’s thoughts.
Give me adults to work with,
he thought.
But keep kids out of the line of fire.

*

THREE YEARS LATER

Jarring awake, Gabe
sat up with sweat pouring off of him. Rubbing his hand over his face, he forced his breathing to regulate, not willing to give into the nightmare. His mouth was dry and his head pounded, both a result of the amount of whiskey he had drunk the night before. A moan startled him as he focused his eyes on the unfamiliar room.
Where the hell am I?
Glancing down at the naked woman sprawled out on the bed next to him had the memories rushing back.

His friend BJ’s bachelor party.
When the party was ending at the bar, he and a few other single friends stayed, drinking more while scoping out the eye-candy hanging around hoping to catch one of them.

“Who have you got in your sights, bro?” asked Vinny, knowing Gabe’s penchant for leaving with the most gorgeous woman around.

Gabe looked at his twin and shook his head. “Just not feeling it tonight.” If he was honest, he had not been ‘feeling it’ for a while. He had watched his detective friends Shane and Matt settle down and marry fabulous women and now BJ was marrying his friend, Suzanne. The constant search for a quick fuck was no longer holding the appeal that it once did.

“Jesus, you finally slowing down?” Jobe asked, a stunned look on his face.

“About time,” came the sardonic voice of their employer, Tony.

With Jobe and Vinny’s attention diverted by the prowling women who approached their table, Gabe glanced over at Tony. His boss smiled as he stood from the table, nodded to the others and then headed out into the night.

A heavily made-up blonde with huge tits showcased perfectly in a bustier made her way over to Gabe. Sliding down into his lap, she wasted no time expertly maneuvering her ass to bring his dick to life. Throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her boobs into his chest, she drug a long talon down his cheek. “Hey, big boy. You feeling lucky tonight?”

Oh, fuck it,
he thought. Standing, he grabbed her hand and began stalking toward the door. Hearing the hoots from his brothers in the back, he threw up his hand in response as he left with the blonde.

Now it was the next morning and the sour taste of booze mixed with morning breath had him choking back a gag.
How much did I drink?
He never stayed with a woman all night so he was surprised that he was still there. Looking down at…
what the hell is her name?

As if on cue, the woman stirred again and rolled over toward him before beginning to snore.

What looked sexy in the bar with a significant amount of whiskey was no longer what he wanted. Standing up, he grabbed his pants and then shrugged his shirt on.

Thirty minutes later, standing in the shower at his apartment, he washed off the stench of the bar and the woman’s overpowering perfume. His mind rolled back to the times when he was washing off the sand and the stench of death. Of all the missions, none bothered him. Except one. And the dark eyes of the boy. A boy who was not even supposed to be part of the mission. A causality of war is what the report read. But in his mind, the boy would never be a casualty…but a child.

T
he dark night
was brightly lit by the chandeliers hanging in the ballroom. Several men in tuxedoes walked around the perimeter of the room, eyes alert, in constant contact with each other through their state-of-the-art communication devices. As employees of Alvarez Security Agency, they took their roles seriously. The owner of the agency, Tony Alvarez, started his security business when he left the Special Forces and hired several of his brothers-in-arms. Their services included private security for special events, installation of security systems, and they worked closely with the Richland Police Department in several cases of search and rescue.

Tony’s agency had been hired to provide private security at the gala, the celebration of the release of a movie that had been filmed in the capital city. Senators, congressmen, local and state dignitaries, as well as a host of Hollywood moguls, were on site. The men in dark tuxedoes provided the perfect backdrop for the swirl of colors in the evening gowns of the women in the gathering.

Jobe, uncomfortable in his tux, moved around the perimeter, smiling as he saw Vinny moving among the beautiful actresses in the crowd. His eyes cut over to Gabe, who on the outside looked every bit the Hollywood hunk as the stunning star of the movie clung to his arm possessively. But Jobe knew what his brothers knew—Gabe was on alert.

Alicia Morgenstern always asked for Gabe to be her personal escort and he had agreed. She saw him the first time she was in town for the pre-filming event. Pissed at her co-star, she assumed hanging onto a gorgeous bodyguard would be the best way to make him jealous. It did not take long for her to quickly pick up on the handsome twins and she did not care which one she claimed. As Vinny was assigned to the director, she had no problem draping herself around Gabe. They fell into the habit of a quick fuck whenever she could get him alone and now that the filming was over, this might be her last time for a while.

Gabe looked over at Alicia as she moved from clinging to desperately trying to make him jealous. Sure, she had been a decent fuck on the occasions that she made it plain that she wanted him, but jealous? It took some kind of emotional investment to feel jealousy, and Gabe saw her for exactly what she was. Spoiled. Stuck-up. A prima donna. And right now, a pain in his ass.

Nodding toward Jobe, he spoke into his microphone. “Break. Move in.”

Distancing himself from Alicia, he moved toward the back door leading to the kitchens as Jobe maneuvered over to take his place on the watch. The kitchen was hot, with a multitude of staff moving in and out quickly. Looking at the crew as he walked through, he nodded to the kitchen manager as he pushed open the outside doors, moving into the cool of the night.

The air hit him like a blast, but he welcomed the crisp slap of the breeze blowing through the alley. Standing against the brick wall, he leaned his head back fighting the urge to pound it against the surface.

The last time he had to escort Alicia to an event, her blatant attempts to get him to sleep with her made him angry. He was tired of the one-night stands.
There’s got to be more. If some of my friends are finding it, then…

A noise coming from the dumpsters brought him instantly to alert as his body tensed and he pushed away from the wall. To his amazement, a child popped from behind the dumpsters carrying a box. Watching carefully, he saw the child deftly jump around the trash cans and move toward the kitchen doors. Wearing an old jacket with a hood pulled over his head, it was hard to distinguish his features.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Gabe barked out, startling the urchin.

A squeak came from the child as they dropped the box and stumbled backward, tripping over some of the debris in the alley and landing on their ass. The hood flew off of their face and a mass of long, yellow blonde curls unfurled around the pixie face of the…
girl
?

Priding himself on his steel nerves, Gabe stared dumbly at the vision in front of him. The heart shaped face, with porcelain skin tinged with pink cheeks, stared up at him from the clearest blue eyes he had ever seen. Blue eyes that were staring at him in…anger.

Before he could reach out a hand to assist, she had quickly scrambled up dusting off her jeans. Breathing hard, she looked up at his face, furious at his intrusion.

“What I’m doing is none of your business,” she huffed, bending over to retrieve her box, presenting him with a perfect view of a delicious ass.

He now knew this was no girl, but a full grown woman. His dick began to stir, surprising him.
Jesus, I’ve been around Alicia all night and all I’ve felt is disgust. I take a look at this tiny creature and I’m thinking…

“What are you staring at?” she questioned, her blue eyes snapping. A gust of cold wind whipped down the alley causing her blonde curls to blow across her face. Setting the box down, she grabbed her hair and expertly twisted it into a messy knot at the back of her head and pulled her hood up once again. The wind also sent the empty box skittering several feet away, landing at Gabe’s feet.

Before she could move, he scooped it up and held it. She walked over with her hand extended. He stared down into the blue depths of her eyes as though looking into a pool of swirling water, both crystal clear and leaving him wondering what lay beneath its surface.

“What do you need this box for?” his voice rumbled.

Stopping a few feet away from him she had to lean her head way back due to the height difference. “Again, a question that is none of your business,” she stated daring him to differ.

Before he could reply, the kitchen door opened and Gabe found himself instinctively stepping in front of her for protection.

“Hey, have you seen a woman out here?” asked the kitchen manager, carrying several bags.

Before Gabe could respond, the woman moved from behind him. “Hi Carlos, I’m here. If this big oaf would move out of the way, you could see me!”

Carlos smiled at the woman before his eyes darted up to Gabe’s. “Where’s your truck?”

The smile left her face as a look of disgust rolled over her. “It died. But I’ve got someone who says they can get it running again soon. So for now, I’m on my two good legs.”

“Dios girl. You shouldn’t be out at night without at least that hunk of junk. If you wait a while, I can get you home.”

“No need. I’ve got it. I know I can’t take as much tonight without the truck, but if the giant here will give me my box, I’ll take what I can and be on my way.” Snatching the box from Gabe, she held it out to Carlos.

The strange exchange had Gabe speechless, a condition that he was not used to, nor liked. He watched as Carlos carefully placed several bags of food in the box before handing it to the woman. A smile lit her face that had Gabe swearing he had been punched in the gut. Her expression shone with beauty and her blonde curls once again escaped their bun and swirled around her pixie face. Her ears stuck out ever so slightly at the top giving her an otherworldly look.

She turned to walk away when he was jolted into action. “Wait,” he called out. “You can’t walk to wherever you’re going. I’ll take you home.”

Just then the kitchen door crashed open once more, as Alicia stumbled out with Jobe right behind her. Gabe’s angry eyes glared at the interruption and he grabbed Alicia to keep her from falling.

Jobe’s equally angry look was explained quickly. “Sorry, man. She realized you hadn’t come back and pitched a fit to get to you saying she was going to sue Alvarez if she couldn’t find you.”

Alicia looked at the girl with the box and turned her drunk gaze over to Gabe. Draping herself over him again, she crooned, “Baby, I couldn’t find you. What if someone got to me while you were out here talking to…who is that?” Turning her attention to the other woman, she continued, “God, you look like some kind of alley trash. Do you actually live in the dump?”

The woman gasped and Gabe jerked on Alicia’s arm, swinging her around to him.

“Shut the fuck up, Alicia.”

“What? You’re out here chatting with some garbage-crawler and not doing your job escorting me and I’m supposed to be all right with that?”

Before Gabe could answer, the woman turned quickly, hustling around the corner out of sight, carrying the heavy box.

“Baby, it’s cold,” whined Alicia as she pulled on his arm.

“You should have stayed inside then,” he growled as he maneuvered her toward the kitchen door. Jobe moved ahead of her, holding the door as he saw that Gabe had stopped to talk to the other man standing there.

Before Gabe could speak, Carlos had turned to one of the kitchen staff barking, “Follow her, Jim.”

A bald, barrel-chested man, arms covered in tattoos nodded and headed down the alley. Gabe swung his eyes back to Carlos in question. Carlos caught the look and just said, “She’ll be fine. She’s a regular and Jim’ll see her safe.”

“Gabester, come on,” came the drunken whine from the kitchen.

Furious with Alicia, himself, and the entire fucked-up encounter, he stalked back in. Walking brusquely past her he headed back to the ballroom leaving her to wobble on her heels to catch up, with Jobe taking the rear.

Re-entering the gala, the other men of Alvarez Security could see the anger in Gabe’s eyes, although to the rest of the gathering he played the bodyguard host perfectly. By the end of the evening, he had pried Alicia’s grasping claws off of his arm for the last time, depositing her with her manager.

“I need you to see me to my room, Gabie dear,” she purred with a wink.

“My shift is over Ms. Morgenstern.” Looking at her manager, he said, “And if you check your contract, I believe that you will find that Alvarez Security has fulfilled its obligation.”