Cabin Fever - Roe Horvat Page 0,1

be talked about as if I wasn’t there. “What are your qualifications, Vincent?” Annoying him was my only goal with that question. He must’ve been a big shot to even stand in the room with us. My uncle wouldn’t let me waste my money on anyone other than the best. Vincent came highly recommended.

Except, instead of answering, Vincent only looked at me like I was an idiot.

Uncle Bart coughed. “Vincent had been with the Marine Corps for seven years, then almost a decade with the Bureau before he started his own business five years ago. He’s one of the best private security experts in the country, Michael.”

That meant he was what, forty-something? Rough and ripe. Yum.

“Marines? That’s very action hero of you, Vincent.” I smirked.

Vincent turned to me with his whole body until he basically loomed over me and pinned his eyes on mine. His were cold and light gray, eyes of a wolf. I licked my lips, and my heartbeat spiked. He was delectable.

He frowned at me, his eyes darting to my lips and back up. Did I imagine the flash of interest? Hell yeah, Daddy! You can have my ass if you want it. Anytime. Both my schedule and my legs are wiiide open. His face hardened, and when he spoke, low and commanding, his voice made my balls tingle.

“Give me your phone.” He held out his hand.

He looks at me like this and tells me what to do? I’m in. Whatever. Without thinking about it, I handed him my phone. To my confusion, he turned it off and put it on Uncle Bart’s antique writing table.

“We need to go as soon as possible. You will leave all your electronic devices here. I’ll provide you with a new phone with limited functionality, which you will only use to communicate with me. No Internet connection. I’ll give you an emergency contact you can call in case I get incapacitated or killed.

“Your uncle says you’ve already packed. I saw the pile of luggage in the hall. You have thirty minutes to repack. Do it yourself. Take one bag. Sturdy clothes for outdoors, good hiking boots, running shoes, sweats for indoors, warm fleece, a waterproof jacket. You don’t need any cosmetics or hygiene products. The essentials are provided. Your uncle will send the rest of your stuff to the other location.”

The feds wanted to send the killer on a wild goose chase. Lure them out. It had sounded all very Hollywood when the FBI agent explained. I’d wanted to hear as little about it as possible. If someone got killed pretending to be me, I really didn’t want to know. That was a big fucking nope.

Vincent was still talking, and I just stared at his lips. He was going to be the most delicious distraction from my imminent death. I was so damned lucky. I decided to make it my life goal—those lips on my ass. “I don’t want anybody to know what you’re taking with you, not even the cleaning staff, especially not the cleaning staff. Prepare to be bored, so take a few books. As soon as you’re done, we’re leaving. Questions?”

I asked the one question I knew he wouldn’t answer. “Where am I going?”

Vincent examined my face with intensity, as if looking for more reasons to condemn me. I clenched my jaw. How come his apparent dislike of me was so sexy?

“He can’t tell you that, Michael.” My uncle squeezed my shoulder. I hated the soothing tone in his voice. “I won’t know where you’ll be either.”

“Go pack, Michael. I’ll explain the rest in the car,” Vincent said.

His eyes met mine briefly, and I might have noticed a tiny sliver of compassion in them, which really sucked all the fun out of the situation. I turned around and left the room, closing the door behind me.

In the hall, I hesitated. Was I really going with a complete stranger god knows where for god knows how long? Taking a fucking waterproof jacket and hiking boots? It was not like I had a choice. I wanted to live.

The first attempt to kill me was two months ago, when they had found C4 under my car at a public garage. It had been scary enough. Yet it felt different now, even more personal, closer. After weeks of endless interrogations, after being shipped from one prisonlike room to another in black limos with an entourage of security staff, after countless sleepless nights waiting for the police to catch the killer, I wasn’t