CHAPTER ONE
It was a terrible day to scatter ashes. The night was rainy and cold, miserable with the storm whipping the ocean into waves that thundered and crashed against the shore behind her. But Caitlyn Deveraux had missed the last two chances because she hadn’t been ready to let Gage go. Now that she’d made up her mind, it had to be tonight. She couldn’t stand to look at the urn on her mantle until the next full moon. A full moon, exactly at sunset. He’d left precise instructions in his will.
Standing at the end of the Santa Monica pier, Caitlyn clutched the cold brass vase to her chest as a gust of wind tried to blow her back from the railing, yanking at her coat and tossing her hair around her face. She brushed it out of her eyes and tucked the strands beneath her collar. The rain soaked her face, mixing with the tears on her cheeks, numbing them. Cold. So damned cold. Drawing on the courage of her ancestors, even though she continued to pretend they didn’t exist, she removed the lid and looked inside. Ashes. All that was left of Gage. All that was left of her family. Of her life.
It was time.
Caitlyn leaned over the railing, fighting the dizziness. She hated heights, even though there was a sturdy rail between her and the water, and only her love for Gage kept her in place. It took two tries to let him go. Before she could lose courage again, she turned the urn upside down, shook it, and spoke the strange words he’d written. Words of the Anasazi, the lost ones--who couldn’t be lost enough as far as she was concerned.
As his remains drifted toward the ocean, a gale-force gust of wind took her breath away. The ashes blew back in her face and she gasped, inhaling the acrid residue.
Caitlyn dumped the last of the ashes from the urn and fled, gagging, back across the pier, stumbling along the boardwalk to her car.
Oh God. To breathe in Gage’s ashes…
She wrenched the door open and grabbed her water bottle to rinse her mouth. Not enough. When she tried to take a drink, a coughing fit sent the water spraying across the driver’s seat.
Caitlyn dropped the bottle and collapsed in a heap on the ground, giving in to tears until she had none left to shed.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, but the moon was full and rising when she heard the scuff of shoes and whisper of fabric. She forced her eyes open to find a man in a dark suit towering over her. He crouched beside her and she cowered against the cold steel of her vehicle.
Where had he come from? Could she make it into her car before he could grab her? No, there was no way. She had to get on her feet. She was at too much of a disadvantage on the ground.
"Are you all right? May I help you in any way?" His voice was deep, husky, concerned. He didn’t look like a man intent on hurting her. But you couldn’t go by looks.
"No." She shook her head and sat up straighter. Trying to appear confident and unafraid, she maneuvered to her knees. "I’m fine. Really. Just got a...a little emotional."
"Ah, I understand." He picked up the urn, rubbing it between his hands. "It is very difficult, saying goodbye. A family member?"
She shoved her hair back from her face and tried to stand. His hand immediately appeared and she looked at it, weighing the risk. No, better to avoid contact. She ignored his silent offer of help and pushed to her feet. "My brother."
"I am so sorry. It is hard to lose someone so young."
"Yes, it is. He was only thirty." Her voice broke on a sob and the man offered her a crisp white handkerchief. "Thank you." She mopped her cheeks and handed it back.
He refolded it and held it toward her face. "Lick this."
"What?"
"You have smudges on your cheeks. I was simply going to wipe them away."
Not a chance. He seemed harmless enough, but still..."I have a water bottle in the car." Caitlyn pulled it out and squirted the last few drops of water onto the cloth, leaned over to look in the side mirror, and scrubbed at her cheek.
"Much better," he said. Before she could move, he reached out and lifted the chain around her neck. "This is an interesting necklace."
"Thank you." God, she had to get away before she completely fell to pieces. "I have to go. Thank you for being so kind." She gave him a small smile, climbed into her Ford Focus, and shut the door. Damn, she’d left the window down earlier. Before she could start the car and roll it up, the man laid his hand on the open window frame. Nerves hummed throughout her body and she berated herself for not being more diligent about her safety.
"I will follow you to see that you get home safely," he said.
"No!" She struggled to control her voice, to not show how terrified she was. "No, please. That isn’t necessary. I’ll be fine. Thank you again, but I don’t want to trouble you any further."
Caitlyn started the car and drove away. When she checked her rearview mirror, he was nothing more than a dark shadow outlined by the full moon. She stepped on the accelerator, picking up speed to put more distance between them. Now that she was safe, she wondered who he was. He reminded her of Jamir. He had that same intense gaze through eyes dark as pitch, the same ability to approach without making a sound.
A set of headlights followed her along the coast, through the outskirts of Los Angeles, and even up onto the 405. Or maybe it was just her imagination. There were hundreds of cars on the highway, so what made her think it was the man from the beach?
Instinct. Stronger than she’d ever felt it before. But she couldn’t tell if he was watching over her, or if he meant to hurt her. She thought it was the former, but her instincts had been wrong before. She didn’t know if she should trust them now.
He stayed a couple of car lengths back, neither threatening nor comforting.
"You remind me a lot of your brother." The voice echoed in her head, but sounded as though it came from inside the car.
She jerked the wheel. Who said that? Horns blared all around her and she realized she’d swerved into another lane.
"Whoa. Careful. Can’t afford to lose you now that I’ve found you. Settle down. You’re almost home."
Who the hell was that? She looked in the rear view mirror, over the back seat. No one, yet the voice had been distinctly masculine, and it was close. Very close. Almost right inside her head.
"There, that’s better. Now, take it easy and pay attention to your driving. Then maybe we will both arrive in one piece."
Nausea clawed at her stomach and her hands trembled. Think. What would Gage do? If someone followed him, he’d lose the tail by cutting through alleys and side streets. As long as she was on the freeway, she was easy to track.
Having a plan helped her push the fear aside. She could do this.
Her right foot punched the gas pedal and her car shot off the highway at the next exit, cutting off a car as she changed lanes. Her pulse kicked into overdrive, pounding in her temples. She heard tires squeal behind her, the clash of metal against metal. "Take that, you son of a bitch."
###
More Books by Tori Scott
Lean on Me--Contemporary Romance
"I couldn't stop reading it!! Completed it in a day and a half and had tears in my eyes through half of it. I just love Tori Scott's writing!!!"
"Tori Scott did a great job of making these characters feel real to me. Hunter is such an authentic man, making all the usual mistakes our real men do. And the black moment when it looked like this wouldn't work out for Sandy and Hunter just broke my heart. Their conflicts were very real, especially for anyone who is a parent. Well done!"
Lone Star Justice--Romantic Suspense
A home-grown killer blows a small town's secrets wide
open...
"I had just read another of her books, and when I saw this, had to try it too. This woman is a fantastic author! She makes the storyline so suspenseful, and romantic, who could not like it? Another thing... she talks about towns right here where I live, and that's fun, too. I'd give her 10 stars if I could... loved the book."
Blame it on Texas--Book One in the Lone Star Cowboys Series
"Blame it on Texas by Tori Scott was a great read, one that I enjoyed immensely. I was subjected to a lot of emotion as I read this novel, one I am finding out that Tori Scott is quite adept at dishing out to her readers. Toe-curling sexiness together with a lot of heartwarming characters with a hint of a secondary romance to follow, Blame it on Texas is a novel I would recommend for fans who love romances that makes you feel like you are part of the journey of the hero and heroine's way towards happily ever after."
Blue Moon Over Texas--Book Two in the Lone Star Cowboys Series
"After reading the first book in Lone Star Cowboys, I was excited to read Blue Moon Over Texas. The only problem was that I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Tory Scott has a way of making her characters come to life. I couldn't wait to see how Carol and Jake finally got together. Ms. Scott interweaves romance, suspense, and character development, keeping you turning page after page to find out what's going to happen next. I feel like I know these characters, and I can't wait for the next installment. I want to know how Logan and Megan are doing, how Carol and Jake are, and what happens to Nancy and Jean. I definitely recommend this series, but be warned- plan on having lots of reading time because you won't want to put it down!"
Double Exposure--Sexy contemporary romance
"Wow.. this was HOT HOT HOT and did I say HOT?? I have been reading Romance books since I was 15 years old and I blushed at the first couple, but haven't since until I read Double Exposure!!! This is another one of those that you cannot put down. Thank you Tori, for another great one!!"
Undercover Vices--Sexy contemporary romance
"I really enjoyed this book it had depth, sizzling sex scenes and great characters. I definitely put this as a great read worth buying!"
The Satisfaction Collection--sexy contemporary novellas
Together in one volume: Satisfaction Guaranteed, Perfectly Satisfied, and Finally Satisfied. Newly edited and revised.
Satisfaction Guaranteed: Book One (Cara and Gray)
Perfectly Satisfied: Book Two (Reggie and Sam)
Finally Satisfied: Book Three (Angel and Mitch)
The Satisfaction Collection of novellas follows lifelong friends as they make their way from friends to lovers.
The Christmas Wish
Merry Peterson is not a big fan of Christmas. Ever since she found out at the age of 8 that her parents had lied to her about Santa, the whole holiday thing lost its magic. Now she's a long way from home, alone, and missing her family. And then she falls right into Santa's lap.
Jason Wells might be a hard-working news anchor, but he still takes time to play Santa for the kids at Children's Hospital, collects toys for underprivileged children, and solicits donations for worthy causes. But Merry's assignment for Dallas Beats magazine is to expose the darker side of the Channel Six news team, and Jason just might get caught in the middle.
The Christmas wish is a 20,000 word novella about the true meaning of Christmas and how helping others can lead to a dream come true.
Chemical Attraction
A hot and sexy office romance with a twist! Chemical Attraction is a 26,000 word novella.
When Keara Dane succeeds in developing a love potion that actually works, she finds herself in a world of trouble. From her sexy boss who'd ordered her to drop the project, to the geeky lab assistant who embarrasses himself over her, to getting kidnapped for the formula, Keara's world is turned upside down and inside out. In the process, she learns that maybe, just maybe, dreams do come true.