Hidden With You: Bonus Prequel (Stark Security #6.5) Read online

  Hidden With You Bonus Prequel

  Meet Jasper Kent

  J. Kenner

  Charismatic. Dangerous. Sexy as hell.

  Meet the elite team of Stark Security.

  Shattered With You

  Shadows Of You

  (free prequel to Broken With You)

  Broken With You

  Ruined With You

  Wrecked With You

  Destroyed With You

  Memories of You (novella)

  Ravaged With You

  Hidden With You

  Charmed By You

  A note from JK

  If you’re new to Stark Security, you can just ignore this note, turn the page and dive right in. Or read on … your choice! Either way, I hope you love meeting Jasper.

  But if you’ve been reading the series, I wanted to share why I’m releasing this bonus prequel. As you probably realized, in all of the Stark Security books, I’ve made it a point to give you a little tidbit of what’s to come in the next book coming to your bookshelf or eReader.

  But something happened after I finished writing Ravaged With You. See, at the time, I had planned for the next story in the series to be a novella published by 1001 Dark Nights: Charmed By You. So I teased the relationship between Simon and Francesca Muratti. (If you’ve read books in the Stark universe, you’ve probably come across the wonderfully self-involved Francesca, and I cannot WAIT for you to get her story!)

  So there I was, happily planning their story. Then, as I was writing Enchant Me, Quincy whispered in my ear and told me that he’d heard from another former MI6 agent. I tried to tell him to be quiet, but you know how persistent Quincy (from Shattered With You) can be.

  So as he was telling me all about Jasper Kent, I realized that the number of months between Ravaged With You and Charmed By You. Not only did I not want you all to have to wait that long for more Stark Security, but I wanted to write Jasper right then!

  But you deserve to get a peek at Jasper

  About Hidden With You

  He was hired to kill her. He never expected to fall in love with her.

  Former MI6 agent Jasper Kent gave up being a good man when his wife and daughter were murdered. Now, he’s a paid assassin for the highest bidder, using the payouts from his underworld contracts to fund his search for the man who killed his family. He gets the break he desperately craves when he’s invited to join Stark Security, a legitimate organization that knows nothing about his deadly side hustle, but provides the cover he needs for his private missions.

  Then he hits the jackpot — kill the woman he’s been assigned to protect, and his payment will be the identity of the man who murdered his family.

  Heiress Zelda Clayton has spent her life projecting a bubbly personality, certain that if she shows her darkness, she’ll be abandoned once again. Now the pulse-pounding attraction between her and devastatingly gorgeous bodyguard Jasper Kent is off the charts, and she’s terrified he will leave, too, breaking her heart right as she’s falling in love with him.

  But a broken heart may be the least of Zelda’s worries…

  Bonus Prequel

  The woman at the roulette table was stunning, no doubt about that. Blonde waves framed a face highlighted by intelligent eyes and a strong jaw. A woman in her early thirties who looked like she knew what she wanted and expected to get it. A cold woman without doubts or insecurities.

  Once upon a time, she’d have been exactly his type. The kind of woman he’d pick up in a bar, then tumble into a bed. But that was back when he’d been younger and stupider. Back before he’d married Sandra and they’d had Bonnie and his whole life had changed. Back when he still gave a shit.

  Stop it.

  Former MI6 agent Jasper Kent glanced at the photo in his hand. A faded print at least a decade old, the image of a girl in her late teens or early twenties. Jeans and a T-shirt, her expression a little lost. Nothing like the confident woman in the casino. But it was her; Jasper was certain of it.

  The woman in the picture was the woman who’d just bet five hundred quid on red 32. His source.

  Perhaps even his target.

  He wasn’t sure. Not yet. He’d received the photo ten months ago, posted from Oxford with no return address and no letter. The only thing in the plain brown envelope had been the photo and the simple words written in plain block letters in silver marker on the back: Find her. She knows.

  He’d set out eagerly to track the mysterious woman down, but as each day failed to move him closer to the goal, he’d become more and more frustrated. He’d never quit, though. And this week all of the hours he’d invested had paid off.

  He’d found her. Melinda Barrett. And that meant he was that much closer to avenging Sandra and Bonnie.

  At the table, the ball quit spinning, finally settling into a slot with a definitive plonk. “Black 15,” the croupier said. “Madame loses.”

  Her mouth curved into a smile as she slid him a hundred quid chip as a tip. “Ah, well, this isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last.” She slid off her stool, straightened her skirt, and headed toward the lounge in the back of the elegant room.

  Jasper rolled his neck, releasing the tension, then straightened his jacket, relishing the pressure of the blade holstered under the tailored wool and silk blend.

  He pushed away from the wall and fell in step behind her, far enough away that he could blend into the well-dressed crowd. They passed blackjack tables, slot machines, and a craps table before she finally pushed through the etched glass doors and into the elegant room adorned with polished wood and crystal chandeliers. By the time he did the same, she already sat perched on a stool at the bar, her polished fingernails tapping as she waited for the bartender to take her order.

  Jasper took the seat beside her, lifted his hand, and caught Mike’s attention. “Two martinis,” he said, then caught her eye. “Unless you’d prefer something else?”

  Her head tilted slightly as she studied him. He saw the flare of heat in her eyes, and allowed himself a silent congratulation. “A martini sounds lovely. Thank you.”

  “It’s my pleasure. A martini seems a small price to pay for the privilege of sitting next to a beautiful woman.”

  She laughed. “Now you’re pushing it.”

  He offered her a smile. “Just testing boundaries.”

  “I like genuine men.”

  He nodded. “I’m very glad to hear it. I’m Jazz by the way,” he said, offering her his little-used nickname.

  Her phone buzzed, and she tapped the screen. He noted the initials that popped up—S.C.

  They meant nothing to him, and yet Jasper couldn’t help but wonder if S.C. had mailed him the photo. If one of her friends or colleagues had held onto the secret all these years and had only recently decide to help Jasper by betraying this woman.

  “I’m Melinda,” she said, silencing the phone. A text notification flashed on the lock screen. Also from SC, though no actual message was displayed. She frowned. “I’m so sorry. Could you excuse me for a moment. My sister. I need to call her back.”

  “Of course. Take your time.”

  She was already off the stool and heading to the back of the lounge.

  “We’ll be back,” he said as the bartender delivered their drinks.

  “Of course, sir.”

  He slid off the stool, then followed in Melinda’s wake to an oak-paneled hallway lined with a series of small, private restrooms. She must have stepped into one, and he glanced around, seeing only one with a red occupied indicator. He stood in front of it, patiently waiting as he considered his options. The lock clicked, the red indicator flipped t
o a green vacant, and the door pulled open.

  He didn’t think, just slammed through the door and pushed his target against the wall, his hand at her throat. “Lie to me, and I swear I will kill you.”

  “Who are you?” She trembled beneath his hand, her eyes full of fear. “Please. Please don’t hurt me. Just tell me what you want. Anything. Please. Anything you want.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks, and he told himself not to waiver. She’d been involved. She knew. She wasn’t some terrified innocent. She was the one who doled out the terror. Or who stood by and let it happen. Or who kept silent afterwards, just as guilty as whoever had wielded the knife that had killed his wife and daughter.

  “Ten years ago. A woman. A little girl.” His voice trembled and he squared his shoulders, forcing his words out. “Did you kill them?”

  “I don’t—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t lie.” He moved with lightning speed, retrieving his knife with his left hand, then replacing his hand at her throat with the blade. “Don’t you dare fucking lie to me.”

  She said nothing, but her eyes were wide, her breath shaky.

  “My wife, Sandra. My five-year-old daughter, Bonnie. And a knife very much like this one.”

  “I didn’t… it wasn’t me. I don’t know—”

  “Yes, you fucking do.” With his free hand, he pulled out the photo. Showed her the image of herself. Showed her the four words on the back. Find her. She knows. “I found you,” he said. “Melinda James Grady. An ice-cold bitch. Married to Franklin Grady, an eighty-two year old multi-millionaire who died just one year later and left her a fortune. Did you kill him, too? Just like you killed my family?”

  “No! I didn’t! I wouldn’t! Franklin was good to me. And I didn’t know. Please, I’m sorry about your family, but I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

  She was trembling now, her words clogged with tears. Gone was the confident woman he’d watched at the roulette table. This was the girl in the photo again, a little lost, and very, very scared.

  “I believe you,” he said. “You didn’t know. But you do now. Tell me, Melinda. Tell me who killed them.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do not fuck with me.” He lifted the blade so that she could feel the cool steel beneath her chin.

  “I don’t, I don’t, I swear. There was a man. When I was a teen. He—he took care of me in exchange for….” She trailed off, closing her eyes as she drew in a breath. When she opened them again, he saw a hint of the woman from the roulette table. Stronger. A fighter.

  “Go on.”

  “I was a runaway. He took care of me, and sex was his payment.”

  “He killed my family? What’s his name?”

  “Tarlton Raleigh, but he didn’t kill them.”

  His eyes narrowed as he studied her. So far, he thought she was telling the truth. “Go on.”

  “Mr. Raleigh did bookkeeping work for a man they called the Maestro. Hid money. That kind of thing.”

  “The Maestro?”

  She nodded, the tiniest movement of her head above the blade. “Because he could play out pain like a symphony.” A single tear trickled down her cheek. “Mr. Raleigh gave me to him for a night. The Maestro said he needed a girl. That he needed to take the edge off. He—I—I mean, Mr. Raleigh sent me.”

  Jasper went cold inside, and he had to force himself not to take the blade away. This could all be bullshit.

  “He—well, I understood his nickname after that night. It was….” She trailed off with a shudder, silent tears flowing freely now.

  “My family,” he prompted.

  “Later,” she said. “I learned later that was what he’d done before. Why he needed to … needed me to … why he used me.”

  Jasper felt his shoulders relax. “It’s okay,” he said gently, pulling the knife away. “I get it.”

  “I don’t know how to help you. I wish I could. Truly. But I don’t know where to find him.”

  “What about Mr. Raleigh? Can you find him?”

  She shook her head. “He’s long gone. I heard he’s in California now. He always said he wanted to live in Beverly Hills. But that’s all I know. I swear, I haven’t spoken to him in years. And I try not to think about either of them. I—I married Franklin because he was kind. He didn’t want to touch me. We talked. We were friends. He was kind.”

  He took a step back, not wanting to feel sorry for this woman. He needed to stay cold. To stay focused on his mission.

  He drew a breath, willing ice to flow in his veins. It didn’t work. With a sigh, he plucked a tissue from a silver box. He held it out for her.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He didn’t answer. He just turned and walked out of the small restroom. Then he strode to the bar, put down a fifty-pound note, and kept on walking.

  When he reached the street, he pulled out his phone, dialed, and was pleasantly surprised when he heard his friend rather than a voicemail message.

  “Jasper Kent, I’m completely gobsmacked.” Quincy Radcliffe’s voice sounded sharp and clear on the line, despite being all the way in Los Angeles. “What the devil are you up to these days? I heard you’d left Her Majesty’s service, too.”

  “Free agent for a few years now. Just like you, old man.” Jasper caught himself smiling. He and Quince had worked a few MI6 missions together, and he’d forgotten how much he enjoyed the ex-agent’s company.

  “Are you in town? Is this a social call?”

  “Not yet, and not really.”

  “You’re going to have to translate that for me.”

  “I’m not in the States yet, but I’m thinking of following in your footsteps. Moving to the land of sunshine and movie stars.”

  Quince chuckled. “I see far fewer movie stars than you’d think. But the sunshine is as advertised. But I didn’t think you’d ever leave London. At least not until you found—Oh, bloody hell. Did you find their killer?”

  Jasper released a long, slow breath. “I’m moving on, Quince,” he said, telling himself the words weren’t a lie. “It’s time for me to move on.”

  “I’m sorry, mate. But I think you’re making the right decision. You’re retiring?”

  “No. I’ll stay in the game.”

  “I know you’ve been working freelance, but if you’re looking for steady work, I could probably get you on here at Stark Security.”

  Jasper wasn’t entirely sure he qualified as a good man, and he hadn’t been a team player in years. He had no intention of telling anyone he was searching for the Maestro, but Stark Security had acquired a solid reputation. With the resources of billionaire Damien Stark backing the security firm, Jasper would have access to the kinds of databases that could pinpoint the Maestro in weeks, not years.

  “So are you interested?”

  The question lingered as Jasper imagined finally avenging his wife and daughter, gone now for seven long years. He thought of Sandra’s sweet smile. Of Bonnie’s delightful giggle. They’d been love and laughter and joy, and the Maestro had taken that away. Had taken them away.

  Jasper knew he’d never find another woman to love. That he didn’t want another family. He was damaged goods. Broken. And alone suited him just fine.

  But he wasn’t done yet. They deserved to be avenged, and he craved that closure.

  Hell, he craved revenge.

  He drew in a breath, then let it out slowly as he pictured the Maestro’s dead body. Finally, he allowed himself a slow, cold smile.

  “Yes,” he told Quincy. “I’m interested. I’m very interested.”

  Also by J. Kenner

  The Stark Saga

  Meet Damien Stark in the award-winning and internationally bestselling series that started it all…

  He’d pay any price to have her…

  novels

  release me

  claim me

  complete me

  anchor me

  lost with me

  damien br />
  enchant me

  novellas

  take me

  have me

  play my game

  seduce me

  unwrap me

  deepest kiss

  entice me

  hold me

  please me

  indulge me

  cherish me

  The Fallen Saint Series

  His touch is her sin. Her love is his salvation

  My Fallen Saint

  My Beautiful Sin

  My Cruel Salvation

  Stark Security

  Charismatic. Dangerous. Sexy as hell.

  Shattered With You

  Shadows Of You

  (free prequel to Broken With You)

  Broken With You

  Ruined With You

  Wrecked With You

  Destroyed With You

  Memories of You (novella)

  Ravaged With You

  Hidden With You

  Charmed By You

  Hidden With You: Bonus Prequel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously; they are not real, and any resemblance to events, establishments or persons (living or dead or undead) is entirely coincidental.

  Hidden With You: Bonus PrequelCopyright © 2021 by Julie Kenner

  Cover design by Michele Catalano, Catalano Creative

  Cover image by Annie Ray/Passion Pages

  Published by Martini & Olive Books

  V-2022-3-28D

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.