Caution harper security.., p.1
Caution (Harper Security Ops Book 14), page 1
CAUTION
Harper Security Ops: Forrest and Daisy
A.K. Evans
Copyright 2023 by A.K. Evans
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Cover Artist
cover artwork © Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations
www.okaycreations.com
Editing & Proofreading
Mackenzie Letson, Nice Girl Naughty Edits
www.nicegirlnaughtyedits.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Epilogue
Preview of Sheltered
Also by A.K. Evans
About the Author
PROLOGUE
Daisy
“Truth or dare?”
One half of my mouth quirked up in a smile.
It was the easiest question anyone could ever ask me, because the answer would always be the same. As I twisted my neck to the side to glance at the man who’d sat on the stool beside me, I answered. “Dare.”
His reaction was just as I expected—surprised.
“Most girls pick truth.”
Yep.
And that was probably because they didn’t have anything they refused to admit. I wasn’t so lucky. Of course, I wasn’t going to share that with a random stranger in a pub. Smiling, I countered, “I’m not like most girls then.”
It was the truth, but it didn’t have anything to do with the girls specifically. I found it was rare for me to have much in common with anyone, male or female.
Despite that, I still had dreams for my future. Or maybe just one dream—to be loved. Genuinely. I didn’t need any more fake friendships or false declarations of love. I wanted the real deal.
And while I might have had every reason to believe it didn’t exist for me, I refused to accept that. One day, I’d find it.
It was entirely possible the guy who just sat down beside me could be the one to give it to me. So, I didn’t mind entertaining him with a fun game of Truth or Dare. Maybe he’d like my bold nature and fun-loving self. It was entirely possible he was the one. I couldn’t risk rejecting him off the bat.
He smiled at me, a mischievous look in his eyes. “Alright, then. How about you go put a song on the jukebox and sing along for anyone to hear? I’ll even give you the quarter.”
The man reached into his pocket, pulled out a quarter, and held it out to me.
“Seriously?”
He shrugged, sending a look my way that indicated he didn’t think I’d do it.
I pressed my lips together, fighting the urge to smile, and took the quarter from him. After I stood from my stool, I downed the last of my drink.
I might have been a bit adventurous, but I liked to think I wasn’t a complete fool. I didn’t know this guy, and the last thing I was going to do was leave my drink unattended with him.
Sucking back the rest of my drink was all about keeping myself safe and had nothing to do with needing liquid courage to carry out the dare.
What I was about to do didn’t bother me. I was the kind of girl who’d try anything once. And while I’d certainly done my fair share of loud singing in my car or the shower, I didn’t exactly make a habit of doing it in the middle of a crowded pub.
Who knew?
Maybe I’d start a trend, and the next time I came into this pub, they’d have regular karaoke nights.
I scanned the list of songs, smiled when I found one I liked, and dropped the quarter into the machine. After making my selection, I spun around to face the guy who’d given me the quarter and let out a laugh when the instrumentals started.
Though I wasn’t a singer, I knew what it meant to put on a performance. They always said the most believable performances were the ones where it was clear the performer was connecting to the material. In this case, a song. The first two phrases of the song I’d chosen described me perfectly, and many of the lines in the song, in general, fit the bill for my life. So, there was no reason I wouldn’t knock this out of the park.
The words started before I made it back to my stool, but that didn’t stop me. I sang. I mean, who could blame me? Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” was playing. As I belted out the lyrics, though not as on pitch as Steve Perry, I watched my opponent in our game laugh, clearly finding me entertaining.
Closing the distance between us did little to help diminish my need to do this in a way that indicated I believed I was giving the performance of a lifetime. And the truth was, wasn’t that how it should always be? Why do anything if there was no passion behind it?
I didn’t care that people around the pub were watching me. It didn’t matter what they thought. I was having a blast, and the guy who’d dared me to do this was enjoying himself. That was all that mattered to me.
By the time the song ended, a handful of patrons clapped. I offered a bow in response before climbing onto my stool again.
“I’m impressed.”
Refusing to let him out of his turn, I didn’t comment on my performance. Instead, I asked, “Truth or dare?”
He chuckled and sighed. “I can’t have you showing me up, so I guess it’s going to have to be a dare.”
I gave the guy a once-over. He was tall, clean cut, and in shape. Though I didn’t think he’d be entering any powerlifting contests any time soon, it seemed like he lived an active lifestyle. He reminded me of the kind of guy who played sports in high school—baseball, maybe—and he wouldn’t like a blow to his ego.
So, I used that to my advantage and said, “Order and finish a girly drink.”
It was far easier than the dare I’d been asked to execute, but there was no question he was starting to squirm. Following a beat of awkward silence, he asked, “Should I get a cosmopolitan, or a frozen strawberry daiquiri?”
Narrowing my eyes, I considered his question. “Oh, that’s a tough one. Let’s go with the cosmo.”
Without any additional hesitation, even if it seemed like it pained him to do it, he ordered the drink. Once it was in front of him, he lifted it to his lips, and with his eyes on me, he drank it. I struggled to contain my laughter throughout.
It was only after we’d completed the first round of the game that things got a bit more comfortable.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
Tipping my head to the side, I countered, “Is this part of the game? Because if it is, I don’t recall you asking if I was willing to share a truth.”
He shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. “No. This is just a guy seeing a gorgeous girl, without any inhibitions, he wants to get to know better.”
Good answer.
Great answer.
Smiling, I revealed, “I’m Daisy.”
He returned the smile. “Daisy. I’m Jeremy.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Shaking his head, Jeremy insisted, “No, Daisy. The pleasure is all mine.” The bartender walked past, and Jeremy stopped him. “Can we get some peanuts, please?”
“Sure.”
Jeremy returned his attention to me. “You aren’t allergic, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Good. Okay. Truth or dare?”
I hadn’t realized we were going to continue the game, but I was up for it. “Dare.”
“Still no truth, huh?”
“It’s going to take a lot more effort for me to give you that response.”
“Challenge accepted. Alright, so, I dare you to tie the stem of a cherry into a knot using only your mouth.”
Though it wasn’t something I’d attempted before, I knew exactly what this trick was all about. I rolled my eyes at him.
Jeremy laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, can you blame me?”
Shaking my head, I lifted my hand up to catch the bartender’s attention. “Fresh cherry margarita.”
“You’ve got it.”
While we waited for my drink, Jeremy and I popped handfuls of peanuts into our mouths. There was a strong flirtatious vibe between us, and those few moments were filled with gorgeous winks and playful smiles.
Once I had my drink in hand, I plucked the cherry out, ate the fruit, and held on to the stem. A few seconds later, I’d slid the stem past my parted lips and got to work. Jeremy’s eyes were focused on my mouth as I worked the stem using my teeth and tongue. It took a bit longer than I would have liked, but I eventually pulled the stem out of my mouth and displayed the result—a perfectly tied knot.
“Truth or dare?” I asked, unable to fight the smile.
His eyes remained fixed on the stem for a bit before he lifted
Nodding, I asked, “Is this how you approach all women in the pub? With a game of Truth or Dare?”
Something changed in his expression. “I’d like to think I was that smooth, but I’m not. Honestly, I saw you and didn’t know how else I could possibly get you to talk to me. I figured being friendly and doing something non-threatening was the way to go. Plus, you didn’t have a lot of people around you, which is a complete mystery, even if it made me more willing to approach you.”
“Why is that a mystery?”
Jeremy shrugged. “I took one look at you and thought you’d already be spoken for. And if not, I imagined you’d have a bunch of your girlfriends here, enjoying a night out with you.”
Interesting.
Also, it was a shame he hadn’t been wrong about me being alone.
I chose not to comment, and instead, I popped more peanuts in my mouth.
“Am I wrong to assume there’s no boyfriend?” he pressed as I chewed.
After I swallowed and took a sip of my drink, I returned, “I didn’t agree to a truth.”
There was no boyfriend, but I wasn’t going to come out and share that. It would only make me look more pitiful. Or, perhaps I wouldn’t necessarily look more pitiful, but I’d certainly feel that way.
Jeremy’s lips twitched. “Truth or dare, Daisy?”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Dare.”
It was becoming obvious to Jeremy by the second that I wasn’t going to be an easy nut to crack. But he truly seemed up to the challenge. We went back and forth for quite a few rounds of the game, Jeremy being far more forthcoming with information while I sought the adventure.
It was fun. I had a great time, and I enjoyed Jeremy’s persistence.
But just as I told myself I was going to do one more dare before answering a truth, it happened.
“I’m going to regret this, but I have to tell you a truth in order to give you the dare,” he revealed.
I was beyond curious. “What is it?”
There was a moment of hesitation before he shared, “I initially approached you because I wanted to do something nice for my buddy.”
“What?”
“Without making it obvious, he’s the guy at the end of the bar, wearing the dark blue tee.”
I nodded, lifted my drink to my lips, and looked down in that direction to see the guy he’d been referring to. Fortunately, Jeremy’s buddy wasn’t looking in our direction.
When I returned my attention to Jeremy, I started eating a couple more peanuts as he revealed, “His girlfriend just broke up with him, and he’s been really bummed out. This was the first time I managed to convince him to come out in three weeks. I was kind of hoping I could get you to make him want to drink a little less and see that there are still good women out there.”
I cocked a brow. “What exactly would you like me to do?”
He shrugged. “That’s entirely up to you, but I think a bit of attention and maybe a kiss from a beautiful woman like yourself would go a long way in cheering a man up.”
I felt for Jeremy’s friend. Breakups were tough. But while I thought I’d been forming a connection with Jeremy, he really wasn’t interested in me. It sucked, but at least I knew the truth now.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, recognizing that it was harmless and would help the guy feel better, I said, “What’s his name?”
“Mike.”
I took one last sip of my drink, noting I wouldn’t be drinking any more of it, and grabbed the second cherry out of it. Then I made my way over to Mike.
“Hey,” I said when I made it over to where he was.
Mike smiled. “Hi.”
“Have you ever seen a girl tie a cherry stem using only her mouth?” I asked.
His face lit up, even if the scent of alcohol was overpowering him. He really was drowning his sorrows. “Even if I have, I’ve never seen you do it, so it would be like the first time, wouldn’t it?”
“Fair point.”
I closed my mouth around the cherry, ate the fruit, and disposed of the pit. Then, I worked my magic with the stem. When I pulled it out of my mouth and showed off the knot, it was clear Mike had enjoyed the show. “Impressive.”
I took a step closer, placed my hand on his chest, and leaned into him. “That’s not all I can do.”
“Is that so?”
With a smile on my face, I nodded.
He lowered his mouth to mine. “What’s your name?”
“Daisy,” I whispered, closing the remaining distance and kissing him.
It wasn’t bad. I mean, it wasn’t anything I’d remember in the morning, but if it helped to lift the guy’s spirits, I was okay with it. But kissing was as far as it was going to go.
Mike and I were in the middle of the kiss when I suddenly felt an excruciating pain at the back of my head as my hair was yanked and a woman shouted, “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Stacy,” Mike said, horrified.
Oh, no.
Oh, God.
The ex-girlfriend was here.
“I asked you a question, bitch!”
Blinking my eyes, my hands in my hair as I attempted to alleviate the pain from the hold she had on me, I couldn’t formulate a response.
“You think you can just walk up to someone else’s man and start kissing him?” she shouted, yanking harder.
“No. I… I didn’t know he had a girlfriend,” I rasped. “I thought you broke up with him.”
We were stumbling back and forth. I was desperately hoping Jeremy was going to come over and clear up the confusion.
“Broke up? Bitch, we’re engaged.”
My body tensed even more than it already was, but instead of being able to react to the news Stacy had just delivered, we fell into a table, knocking it over.
That’s when chaos ensued.
I was on the floor attempting to get free of this woman as drinks on a tray from a waitress passing by flew everywhere. I couldn’t pay attention to what was going on around me, but lots of shouting and sounds of the wooden furniture hitting the ground were unmistakable.
“Help me,” I shouted, hoping someone would do something.
Nobody came.
I had no choice but to save myself from this. Stacy was pulling my hair and slapping me, her body on top of mine.
I used all the strength I could muster up in my lower body to try to get her off. I didn’t get her completely off, but I did manage to leave her unbalanced. It was enough to give me the time I needed to strike her back, which ultimately forced her off of me.
Then, I scrambled to my feet and started moving in the opposite direction. The entire pub was a mess of people either jumping into the mix and fighting with one another or standing back, steering clear, and trying to clean up the mess of alcoholic drinks everywhere.
My eyes went to the stools where Jeremy and I had been sitting. He wasn’t there.
A moment later, I saw him at the exit. I was struggling through the sea of people, attempting to avoid getting hit, when he looked back, saw me, and sent a sinister smile my way.
What was that all about?
I got to the exit as fast as I could, hoping to catch him, but it was chaotic in the pub. By the time I managed to get outside and scan the parking lot, I didn’t see Jeremy anywhere.
Confused by all that had happened but not so far gone that I was willing to wait around for Stacy to find me and start another fight, I decided it was best to get out of there.
I walked away from the pub and toward my car. I’d had one drink and a few sips of the cherry margarita. I wasn’t drunk by any means. That said, if I had been, I was sure my fight would have cleared things up rather quickly for me.
Twenty minutes later, I was grateful to be home.
But my relief was short-lived. Because not even twenty-four hours later, the police showed up at my front door, and I learned that Jeremy was nowhere close to being the guy of my dreams.
Instead, he was a nightmare.
ONE
Daisy
Two Months Later
“Oh, no. Please don’t stop.”
Despite my plea, I moved slower and slower until I finally came to a stop.
I groaned. “Great. This is just great.”
If this wasn’t bad enough, I was now talking to myself. I could only hope nobody else was in the area, or I might be taken for a crazy woman.
