Beads of sweat slithered down Chase Carter's temples. He rubbed his forearm over his face and cursed. His jeans clung to his legs and the fresh t-shirt he'd donned this morning was already soaked, clinging to his back and armpits. He hated the smoggy, energy-sucking weather in Toronto midsummer. It made his job a bitch to deal with.

He flicked the butt of his cigarette onto the driveway then checked his watch. He was five minutes early but he couldn't risk being seen hanging around Eddie's front door for too long. Darting a quick glance around, he saw nothing to give him pause, and slipped in without knocking.

The moment he set foot in the front hallway, he drew back in disgust as the distinct odor of crack smoke hit his nostrils. The air was so thick with it he figured he'd be blasted before he finished his business and got out of here.

Judas Priest's Turbo Lover screeched through blown speakers. The lights flickered. He made his way into the living room and halted as he took in the disaster before him.

Liquor and beer bottles dotted the floor. Various stains--he didn't want to know of what--covered the carpeted floor. The sickening odor of booze, sweat and crack made his stomach turn. Crack pipes and empty baggies lay scattered over the glass coffee table with remnants of blow dusted across the surface.

He shook his head. Some people never learn.

For a man to say he couldn't pay his debts but could get his friends drunk and high was a big slap to Vinny Carbone's face, and Chase knew how often Eddie supplied his buddies. It was his job to have eyes on everyone.

Clenching his fist, he vowed Eddie would get a rude awakening. Not only was Vinny like a father to Chase, he paid him well, and for that, Chase promised to always deliver an asswhooping when called upon.

He retreated back to the hallway near the stairs and did a double-take at his reflection in the floor-length mirror. A long time ago, as a young man fresh out of college, he had once been clean-cut with a bright future ahead, until he started with the wrong crowd. Now his shaggy dark hair hung to his shoulders. Broad and sculpted from years of fighting, he looked much different in his mid-thirties than the lanky kid back in college. Now, he stood six-foot-four, built for his job--solid, unflinching, and dependable. But it was his eyes that told his story. Dark eyes as emotionless and lifeless as a corpse's. Those who knew him were well aware that what they saw in his eyes reflected a life of violence.

He took the stairs two at a time to the second floor, unheard through the screeching music below. A red glow emanated from Eddie's bedroom. He jerked the leather gloves from his pocket and slipped them on, the tight leather gripping his knuckles like a dangerous promise.

Adrenaline swept through him. He was ready to deliver a promise and a threat, but when he rounded the corner and peered through the bedroom door, rage burst inside him.

Vinny's daughter lay unconscious on Eddie's bed...and she was tied up.

Without hesitation, he shoved the door open, violently smashing it into the wall. At the foot of the bed, with his hands about to pull down his pants, Eddie scrambled back in surprise and disbelief.

Chase quickly glanced over Sam's body as he clenched his fists, then he fixed a deadly glare at Eddie.

Obviously knowing he was destined for a beat down, Eddie grabbed a hardcover book and threw it at him. Chase sidestepped and the book hit the wall behind him. The corner of his mouth tipped up and he shook his head at Eddie.

"What are you d-doing here?" Eddie stuttered. "I still have two days left."

Chase punched the palm of his hand, thrilled to see Eddie's deflated reaction. The loser slunk into the corner of the room as tears filled his eyes.

"Two days don't mean shit to me, Eddie." He briefly glanced at Sam who lay there, unmoving. "What the fuck is she doing here?"

Eddie shook his head and pursed his lips.

At that moment, Sam groaned and tried to move. As Chase bent down to check on her, Eddie took his distraction as a means of escape. He lunged for the door, but Chase quickly stepped back, blocking his exit and seized his throat.

"I'll take the money now, before you blow it up your nose."

"Okay. Okay. It's under the bed," Eddie cried, struggling to loosen Chase's grip on his throat.

Chase pulled Eddie down to the floor as he searched beneath the bed. He found the briefcase and pulled it out.

"What's the code for the lock? You better hope it's all in here, or you'll be seeing me again."

"Please, you got the money, CC. Just let me go!" Eddie's face turned red and his eyes bulged.

If only Eddie would've left Samantha alone, maybe Chase would be a little forgiving.

He released him, giving Eddie a chance to catch his breath, before he balled his fist and slugged him in the jaw. Eddie flew back, hitting the far wall. A picture fell down, shattered glass scattering along the carpet. Chase grabbed his hair, tilted Eddie's head back and pounded the piss out of his face.

"Never forget me, Eddie. Never forget what you did to Sam."

Every time he pulled his arm back to repeat the blow, blood spattered the drywall.

When Eddie's eyes rolled back, Chase released him.

Satisfied he wouldn't be getting up for a while, Chase grabbed a fistful of sheet and wiped the blood from his gloves, his attention locked on Sam.

How did she end up here? She was the boss' daughter, and if Chase knew anything at all about Vinny, he'd want Eddie dead. But that was a decision he would have to wait for.

Sam looked so vulnerable, so beautiful. He moved to the bed and untied her, swearing out loud that he was a fool for caring about her in secret. Women only made life complicated, and yet, he'd always wanted her. He still remembered that night eight years ago like it was yesterday, when Vinny threw a party for his twenty-fifth birthday. Sam had just turned of age and Vinny allowed her to have a few drinks with the guys. She'd made an impression on him immediately and he had to fight his basic instincts, knowing she was Vinny's daughter, and therefore untouchable.

But after all these years his attraction hadn't faded. Her smile still made his normally tense nerves break away like a busted dam. Sometimes it made him feel weak and useless, but at least she made him believe that maybe, just maybe, even a bad guy could have a happy ending.

Seeing her like this struck a lethal chord in Chase. He'd take pleasure in torturing and killing Eddie for doing this to her. But for now, he had to wait for the order. If he killed Eddie without the go-ahead, that would be disrespectful to the boss.

He stared at her soft-looking, dark hair and the pale perfection of her face. Beneath her closed lids he knew well the startling blue-green of her eyes, like the Caribbean ocean. Those eyes, sultry and seductive, made many a man in Vinny's employ fall for her.

Within five minutes he had found her clothes, got her dressed and scooped her up in his arms. He needed to get her out of here and away from danger before Eddie woke up and called his goons.

He carried her to his black El Camino parked in the dead-end alley beside Eddie's house.

Chase managed to open the door and slide her onto the bench seat, along with the briefcase, just as a familiar, navy blue sedan with tinted windows drove slowly past Eddie's house. It was a car Chase saw parked at Eddie's frequently. He crouched behind the passenger door hoping they hadn't seen him, for most people in his line of work knew what he represented.

The vehicle slowed to a stop. The moment the brake lights went on, Chase slammed the passenger door and jumped over the back box to the driver's side.

He turned on the ignition and hit the gears hard, gunning it onto the main street, right behind the sedan. It was the only way out of there.

Sam slid across the seat, her face slamming into his thigh. Determined to lose the other car, he veered around traffic, drove over a sidewalk and sped through a narrow alley. Screams and shouts filled the air as people jumped out of the way. A grocery bag flew across the hood of the car. Sam slid across the seat again, this time hitting her head against the passenger door.

"What...what's happening? Chase?"

He couldn't risk looking at her--the other car was gaining on them. He took a sharp right, narrowly avoiding a delivery truck, then a left and another right, until he eventually lost the other car.

"What happened?"

Sam's voice sounded hoarse. He suspected she'd been out for a while.

She sat up and gasped as buildings whizzed past them. "Why are you driving so fast?"

Chase stayed focused on the road ahead until they came to a red light. He quickly scanned the surrounding traffic. The navy blue sedan was nowhere in sight.

"Eddie's goons showed up. I had to get you out of there quick."

She stared at him suspiciously. "Why?"

The light turned green and he eased the El Camino into the regular flow of traffic.

Anger simmered in his blood at the state he'd found her in. Eddie was too close to raping her. He gritted his teeth, but he kept his gaze focused on the road ahead.

"What did you see, Chase?"

He glanced at her for a second and let out a shaky breath. "Your father ordered me to collect on Eddie, and I found you naked on his bed, with him very close to getting it in..." He wished he could block out the memory. "What were you doing there?"

She sat silent for a moment, probably letting his words sink in.

"He picked me up in the club. We had a couple beers then I...don't remember anything after that."

"He had you tied to the fucking bed, Sam. Probably gave you roofies. I didn't want to leave you behind, although I debated for a moment." He gave her a wink, hoping to lighten the mood a little. He needed to think of something else before his rage got the best of him and he did something stupid.

"You debated?" She slugged him in the shoulder, nearly making him t-bone the car in the next lane.

"He didn't get the chance to do anything drastic. The fucker was still dressed when I came through the door."

Chase felt the heat of her stare across the front seat, and it unnerved him.

"What did you do to him?" she asked.

He glanced at her sharply. "I put him in his place."

She smiled shyly and it made sitting next to her even harder. Fucking around with Vinny's daughter would be the biggest mistake of his life, especially after the situation he'd found her in. Still, Sam was a little piece of heaven in his ruckus hell.