Turn On A Dime - Kade's Turn

PROLOGUE

From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back.

That is the point that must be reached.
       
~Franz Kafka

Kade Dennon was naked.

Of course, that’s how he always felt when he had to leave his weapons behind. His job today required he be at the Indianapolis courthouse, which necessitated a walk through a metal detector. This morning, however, he’d managed to throw a wrench in the gears at security which disabled the system long enough for him to sneak in a gun taped to his back. So while he wasn’t armed to the teeth the way he usually was, he felt less naked than if he’d had nothing.

He said a few choice words when he ripped the tape from his skin while standing inside a stall in the men’s bathroom. Shit, that hurt. Blane was
so
buying dinner for that one. An expensive dinner. Steak dinner. Kade shoved the gun into his ankle holster.

The big guy in charge of security—what was his name, Hank, maybe?—had done a careful pat down on Kade, eyeing him suspiciously, but not saying anything. Kade had just given him a thin-lipped smile before moving on.

Now Kade sipped hot, black coffee out of a Styrofoam cup and kept a casual eye on the entrance. The courthouse was an ideal location to arrange a clandestine meeting since so many people came and went, on both sides of the law. Which was why Kade was there to see who exactly spoke to James Gage, Jr.

Kade snorted in disgust at the mere thought of that pansy-ass. He was nothing but a spoiled pretty-boy who clung to his dad’s coattails and had achieved nothing of his own. Not to mention he’d probably shit himself if he even knew Kade was watching him.

Bored, Kade glanced at his watch. He’d gotten there early. They’d since fixed the metal detector and now the line to get in the courthouse was slightly backed up. Shifting his weight, he leaned against the wall and looked casually back at the entrance, making mental notes of those in line.

Hello. What have we here?

Kade’s gaze swiveled back to the spot in line where a woman stood waiting. She had the most unusual shade of hair he’d ever seen. He couldn’t see her face yet, she was a little thing, but her hair stood out in the crowd. It was the color of the sunset, golden with a hint of rose.

Without even thinking about it, Kade moved from his position by the wall, drawing closer into the crowd just to get a better glimpse of her. He was close enough to hear the security guard when he spoke to her, his voice booming out.

“Kathleen! How’s it going on this fine day?” Hank asked her.

Kathleen. Kade liked that. But he still couldn’t see her face or hear her reply to Hank. Her voice was too soft to carry.

Someone stepped in front of Kade, temporarily obscuring his view, and he had to tamp down his irritation. Moving again, he finally caught a glimpse of her face as she turned away from the metal detector.

For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. She was beautiful, her face and smile radiating youth and innocence. Even from where Kade stood, he could see she had blue eyes. Of course she did. Her skin was the color of cream and was flawless, a hint of pink in her cheeks betraying the chill in the air outside. She looked like a fairytale princess who’d just stepped from the pages of a storybook.

Kade stopped in his tracks. He’d unconsciously taken several steps toward her. What was he going to do, ask her out? Yeah, he could see how that would go:

“Um, excuse me, you don’t know me, and if you did, you’d probably run screaming the opposite direction, but can I buy you coffee or dinner, then take you to my apartment and spend the next several days in bed with you?”

As a pick-up line, it wasn’t one of his better ones.

Kade watched as she walked away down the hallway and turn a corner out of sight. It didn’t matter. He could tell without even speaking to her that she wasn’t his type, his type usually being the kind that weren’t looking for more than a quick hookup where names were optional. A step above having to pay for it, but not by much.

Kathleen looked like the kind of girl who liked flowers and slow-dancing, who’d no doubt never had a hard day in her life, or any cause to ever, ever hold a gun. She was the kind of girl you fell in love with and brought home to mom.

That caused a long-buried pang to echo through Kade and he pushed the thought aside. Christ, what was he doing? Going all gooey-eyed and maudlin just because he saw a pretty girl? Obviously, he’d gone too long without killing someone.

Maybe Junior…

But no. Blane would get pissed if he killed that little snot. Not that he couldn’t make it look like an accident, but Blane would know and then Kade would have that to deal with.

Kade took another sip of coffee, then tossed the rest in a nearby trash can. As he did, he heard screams and commotion coming from down the hallway where Kathleen had gone.

He followed the crowd, moving quickly through the press of people until he was able to see what the problem was.

The girl, Kathleen, was being held hostage by a man wearing a rumpled suit and desperate expression. He held a knife to her throat.

Well, fuck.

Kathleen’s pale face was as white as paper, her eyes wide and scared as she gripped the lunatic’s arm, trying to keep the knife from her throat. The guy was terrified, too, but he was also deranged. A dangerous combination. Kade doubted he even realized how close the knife was to her skin, he was too focused on the crowd of onlookers and the security guards scattered in front of him.

Kade glanced through the crowd and saw Blane standing to one side. Their eyes locked and Blane gave a short, quick nod.

Kade crouched and pulled his gun from its holster, careful to keep it hidden from those around him as he stood back up. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the situation. Kathleen was lucky. She was short. Kade could get a clear shot if he was careful and quick. If Kathleen had been taller, there wouldn’t have been anything Kade could have done.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kade saw Blane moving, slow but deliberate. Kade would tap the guy to the head and Blane would grab the girl, followed by a hasty retreat out the back exit. Problem solved.

The guy’s knife slipped, nicking Kathleen. People in the crowd gasped at the sight. The bright gash of red blood against her ivory skin made Kade forget everyone around him. Cold fury took over and he instantly raised his gun to take aim—

Kathleen moved suddenly and Kade’s finger twitched. He’d been a split second from pulling the trigger, but now she was free, the knife embedded in the man’s side. He crumpled to the ground.

Security guards swarmed around the man, obscuring him from view. There were shouts for an ambulance and the crowd started talking and moving again, filling the hallway with noise and mayhem. But Kade only had eyes for the girl.

She had retreated to the wall, as far as she could get, and now stood looking shell-shocked. Her mouth was agape, her eyes unblinking as she stared at where the man had fallen, as though surprised by her own actions. As Kade watched, her knees seemed to give out and she slid down the wall to the floor, dropping from sight.

Kade pushed through people to get to her. Was she okay? Had she been hurt? When he finally reached her, he could see from where he stood that Kathleen’s entire body shook with tremors, her chest rising and falling with rapid, short breaths.

She was in shock and hyperventilating.

“Put your head between your knees,” Kade ordered.

Kathleen didn’t seem to hear him, her attention still on the crowd around the man. Kade could hear her gasping breaths. Her little hands were curled into fists at her side.

The last thing he needed was her passing out on him. Reaching down, Kade pushed on the back of her head and neck, forcing her head down between her knees. She fought him at first,
how cute
, but he kept pushing and then held her there.