Log In
Or create an account ->
Imperial Library
Home
About
News
Upload
Forum
Help
Login/SignUp
Index
Unnamed
ALSO BY SANDRA OWENS Aces & Eights Series Jack of Hearts K2 Team Series Crazy for Her Someone Like Her Falling for Her Lost in Her Only Her Regencies The Duke’s Obsession The Training of a Marquess The Letter
Unnamed
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Text copyright © 2017 Sandra Owens All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781542045803 ISBN-10: 1542045800 Cover Designer Credit: Letitia Hasser
This book is dedicated to Melody Guy because after editing six of my books, believe me, she deserves at least one of them dedicated to her. So thank you, Melody, for being an awesome editor and for never saying, “Have you ever considered a different career?”
CONTENTS PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE EPILOGUE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PROLOGUE Lauren Montgomery slid the key into the lock of her small off-campus apartment, happier than she’d ever been in her twenty-one years. As soon as she got inside, she’d call Court, let him know she’d arrived home safely. Court. Just thinking his name sent a spine-tingling sigh through her. It didn’t matter that she’d only known him for six days. He was her soul mate, and even though she’d seen him nine hours ago, she missed him terribly already. She’d left for spring break on the spur of the moment to celebrate her divorce, never expecting to fall in love. After Stephan, she hadn’t wanted anything to do with men. But she had fallen in love. The insta-love kind that she’d always rolled her eyes at. It had been like right out of a romance novel, the way her gaze had connected with Court’s. From that moment until they’d parted, each to return to school, they had been inseparable. Even as she closed the door behind her, she was pulling her cell phone from her purse, anxious to talk
CHAPTER ONE Six years later . . . Eight members of the Miami Cubanos Motorcycle Club surrounded Spider, Aces & Eights’ . . . What was Spider exactly? Their mascot? Court Gentry paused to consider the question. Whatever the dude was, he was about to lose a few teeth. Most of the clubs tolerated Spider, even thought he was some kind of good-luck charm and would rub his bald head on the way out the door as they headed for their bikes. The Cubanos, however, hated him. That might be because he’d stumbled out of the bar drunk as a skunk one night and had fallen on the motorcycle belonging to the club’s president, knocking it over. The rest of the gang’s bikes had gone down like dominos. Court sighed. Spider had been told to make himself scarce whenever the Cubanos showed up, but there he was, grinning like an idiot at the eight dudes giving him death glares as they tightened the circle, moving in for the kill. Where the hell were Nate and Alex when he needed them? “You dudes make him bleed,
CHAPTER TWO Seven months later . . . “Going in,” Court said, the microphone in the overhead light sending his words out to his brothers and the FBI SWAT team standing by. He sat behind the wheel of a metallic-blue “stolen” Lamborghini, which was actually borrowed from a local dealer who’d had two high-dollar cars stolen off his lot. Months of slowly working his way into the auto theft ring had paid off. Tonight, he was finally meeting the ringleader. The promise of a container ship to move automobiles overseas, along with the Lamborghini, had sealed the deal. The container ship was real. It just wasn’t going to be carrying any stolen cars on its decks. But Dan Woods, aka Dragon, president of the Satan’s Minions Motorcycle Club, had taken a tour of the ship borrowed for that purpose, even meeting the supposed captain. In truth, he’d met Rand Stevens, a fellow agent. That had finally convinced Dragon to introduce Court to the leader of the operation. Court turned the car into a lot with
CHAPTER THREE Lauren gasped. What was Court doing? “No, he isn’t. I swear it, Peter.” “Then why would he say such a thing?” She was almost as afraid of Peter as she was of Stephan. Her instinct was to take off and never look back. But, unknowingly, Court had put a big, fat target on his back, and she had to make Stephan’s brother believe Court meant nothing to her. “A misplaced sense of gallantry? I hardly know the man, so how am I supposed to know how his mind works? Tell Stephan I’ll come see him.” She’d set foot in the prison where Stephan was serving his sentence for almost killing her when hell froze over. But she had to make Peter believe it so he would go away. “This week, Lauren. If you don’t, I’ll come take you to him myself.” He gave her a hard stare, letting her know he meant it. She watched him walk across the street where Grigory, his driver, waited. Grigory gave her a nod after closing the rear door of the Mercedes. He had always been nice to her, even though she’d suspec
CHAPTER FOUR Lauren paid the driver, and after a quick look around, she hurried into the bus station. She’d forced herself to wait until she was sure Court was asleep before finally sneaking out. He wasn’t going to be happy to find her gone, but she refused to put him, along with his brothers and Madison, in danger. Everyone was safer if she disappeared, including herself. As long as Stephan couldn’t find her, he couldn’t hurt her. She bought a ticket for the first bus leaving, which was only going as far as Fort Lauderdale, unfortunately. At least, she’d be out of Miami where Court and Peter would be looking for her. Her final destination was New Orleans, the city she’d settled on while waiting for Court to fall asleep. It was a place she could easily get lost in, and it should be simple enough to get a job as a waitress. If she got really lucky, the owner would agree to pay her under the table. That would probably mean working in a dive, but until she could figure out how to get a fa
CHAPTER FIVE Lauren blinked open her eyes, frowning at the light beige wall. That wasn’t the wall in her bedroom. She rolled onto her back, scanning her surroundings. She’d never been in this room before. Where was she? And why was she in bed wearing her clothes? Was that coffee she smelled? She sat up, combing her hands through her hair. Her brain finally woke up, supplying one word. Court. Right. I was kidnapped. Grabbing her backpack, she went searching for a bathroom. Thirty minutes later, showered, clothes changed, and hair air-drying, she made her way to the kitchen, hoping there was coffee. There was, thank you God. She wandered into the living room, stopping when she saw Court sitting on the sofa, watching her. “Morning,” he said, closing his laptop. “I haven’t decided if I’m talking to you yet.” He chuckled. “Let me know when you decide. We have some things to discuss.” Things she’d hoped to never talk about, but Stephan was once again making her life miserable. To delay havin
CHAPTER SIX “You promised to tell me about you and Court. All you said was that you met him at spring break.” Lauren had been expecting to get the third degree from her friend and was surprised that Madison had managed to hold in her curiosity. It was the end of a busy day, and she and Madison were tidying up after locking the doors. They’d met at the University of Miami when they’d joined the same book club. When they’d discovered that they both dreamed of owning a bookstore someday, they’d teamed up and opened High Tea and Black Cat Books. They were perfectly matched. Lauren loved the numbers side of the business. Madison’s expertise was promotion and marketing, coordinating events, and dealing with their customers. Madison knew some details about Lauren’s life with Stephan. Lauren had felt Madison needed to know because he could be a threat to them both when he got out of prison. “So, that week I took off for spring break without telling you—” “You had me so worried when you disappe
CHAPTER SEVEN Lauren stared at the door as it closed behind Court. It hurt hearing him say that kissing her was a mistake, and pride had made her tell him not to do it again. How was she supposed to spend seven days with him? Anytime he came near her, she wanted to touch him, wanted him to hold her the way he had when she’d still believed in happily ever afters. She touched her lips, still tingling from his kiss as she took in her surroundings. Since Court had brought her to his home, she really hadn’t taken the time to look around. Who was he today, the boy she’d fallen in love with? Spying a bottle of wine on his kitchen counter, she poured a glass, then wandered into the living room. His furniture was all earth tones, subdued like him. He apparently liked minimalist contemporary. Other than a large, obviously expensive, brown leather couch, a matching recliner, a dark cherry coffee table, and a large-screen TV mounted on the wall, that was about it, except for a single bookcase next
CHAPTER EIGHT Lauren listened to Court’s even breaths, soft and contented in sleep. He should be content. They’d made love three times. She smiled, tempted to rub her palm over his morning scruff, but she didn’t want to wake him. It gave him such a sexy bad-boy look, though, and unable to resist, she gently laid her hand on his cheek, loving how the stubble felt against her palm. He sighed, turning his face into her hand. Her heart responded with a painful beat. Even in sleep, he was aware of her. What they’d done began to sink in. She’d seduced him, caught him in the haze of sleep. Would he regret it in the light of day? She hoped not because he’d given her a beautiful memory to take with her. Tears burned as her eyes roamed over him. He was beautiful. So masculine with his hard planes and dark features. The covers were bunched around his waist, and she longed to straddle him and touch her lips to his broad shoulders, then trail her tongue slowly down his spine until he woke up. She w
CHAPTER NINE The doorbell rang again. Lauren sat back, relieved at the interruption. She’d almost told him everything, which would have been a mistake. God only knew what Court would do if she’d told him why she’d refused to see him again. “Still ignoring it,” he said. “You were saying?” She shook her head. “Just that at the time—” The bell rang again in three consecutive bursts. Just that she would do the same thing again if it meant protecting him. Court sighed. “It was too much to wish for.” He went to the door, looking through the peephole. “It’s Nate.” Should she hide in the bedroom? She doubted Nate knew she was here. Deciding that was probably a good idea, she tried to disappear down the hallway, but as she ran past Court, he grabbed her hand. “Going somewhere?” “I think I should stay out of sight.” Without answering Lauren, he opened the door. “Go away,” he said to Nate, and then he tried to slam the door shut, but Nate stuck his foot in the opening. “We need to talk.” Nate pus
CHAPTER TEN “Put you in the crosshairs?” Nate said. “Exactly.” Court couldn’t get the photos of a severely beaten Lauren out of his head. The man needed to pay. It would be his greatest pleasure to teach the Kozlovs what happened to men who hurt or threatened women. “No!” Lauren turned pleading eyes on him. “Absolutely not. I’ll get on a plane, or a bus, or a bicycle if I have to, and leave right now before I’ll let you do this.” If she said she was leaving one more time, Court was going to lose it. Hell, he was already a thin thread away from breaking into Stephan’s prison and beating the man senseless. See how he liked being on the receiving end of someone’s fists. When she tried to stand, he hooked a finger into her waistband, pulling her back down. Listening to her talk about her marriage had sent a rage through him such as he’d never felt before. He’d been too young and helpless when he’d witnessed his father beat on his mother. That was no longer the case. It took all his willpow
CHAPTER ELEVEN Court gripped the iron rail of his balcony, his gaze locked on the horizon. Maybe he should buy a boat and sail away. Get lost on some Caribbean island, drink rum cocktails, own nothing more than his boat and a pair of shorts and flip-flops, and do nothing more than watch his skin turn leathery under a blazing island sun. Someplace he could forget about a woman with pink-tipped spiked hair. She’d left him once and seemed determined to do it again. That was what women did. They left without a word of explanation, be they mothers or lovers. His mother had walked down a dusty road one day without a backward glance, without giving her three young sons a reason for leaving them in the hands of a mean drunk. He knew why, though. She’d been pregnant with another man’s baby. Had she gone to meet the man? Was she living with him all this time, loving her new family? Her sons forgotten about? It had only been because he’d been hiding behind the living room couch that he’d heard th
CHAPTER TWELVE “Get over it.” Lauren stood, backing away from him. He was starting to sound like a record stuck on the same words, over and over and over. Why couldn’t he understand she had as much right to protect him as he did to protect her? Stephan had hurt her horribly that day, but she’d been proud—still was—that she’d not once uttered Court’s name during her ex-husband’s assault. She refused to let Court take that away from her. “Get over it?” He stalked toward her. “I’ll have nightmares until the day I die after seeing those photos of you beaten so badly I could hardly recognize you. Because of me, Lauren. You tell me. How am I supposed to get over that?” She didn’t have an answer. “Nothing to say?” Using his body, he backed her up against the wall. “You want me to say something? How about this? Go to hell, Court.” Black eyes glittered with fury as they snared hers. She’d poked the tiger, and now the tiger was pissed. She didn’t care. She’d done what she had believed was the ri
CHAPTER THIRTEEN “No,” Lauren answered. The decision to stay and stand up to Stephan once and for all had been brewing ever since the Gentry brothers had told her they were FBI agents. When Court had walked away from her in the kitchen, she’d understood that he was giving her a choice. Get on that plane and lose any chance she had with him. Trust him and maybe they could find their way to each other again. If she had the right to risk her life for him, how could she deny him the same? She knew she’d hurt him badly and that she was gambling on an unsure thing, but she had to try. If she didn’t, she would regret it for the rest of her life, and she was tired of regrets. And he was right. It was time to stand up to Stephan no matter what would or wouldn’t happen between her and Court. “If I disappear, leaving my family, my friends, and the bookstore, he wins.” “He does.” “You have to promise me one thing, though.” She moved to the edge of her seat and reached for his hand. “You won’t let
CHAPTER FOURTEEN “Hi, Madison. Hi, Lauren,” Taylor said, smiling. “Hi, Taylor,” Madison said, grabbing Lauren’s hand and pulling her into the elevator after Court and Taylor exited. Court glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting hers. “I’ll be up in a minute.” The door closed, saving Lauren from having to answer. She’d met Taylor at Madison and Alex’s wedding, but why was she here with Court? And that hadn’t been an innocent hug. He’d had his eyes closed, his chin resting on top of the woman’s head, and his arm around her. Lauren’s stomach took a sickening roll as the elevator rose. Court had said he was meeting his brother. Had that been a lie? But he wouldn’t have spent the afternoon making love to her only to go meet another woman, would he? “Stop it,” Madison said, punching her arm. “It’s not what you’re thinking.” “She’s gorgeous. It would be amazing if he wasn’t attracted to her.” She briefly considered stomping on the ham and cheese on sourdough in the to-go bag she carried.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN Lauren glanced at the monitor, but no name was scrawled across the screen. She scrambled into her jeans and T-shirt, while keeping a wary eye on the computer. “Please let it be someone who was just visiting one of Court’s neighbors,” she said to the machine. It was surreal. One minute she was luxuriating in the afterglow of the most incredible sex of her life and the next she was pacing in a safe room, waiting for Court to tell her the man’s name. Her life was out of control. That was all there was to it. She’d let this happen by sticking her head in the sand, assuming Stephan would forget about her. Considering she’d heard nothing since that first letter shortly after he’d gone to prison, she supposed it was a reasonable assumption. It’d been a stupid one, though. The day he’d be free again had seemed eons away. When had time started moving so fast? “Let’s see who our man is,” Court said, coming back into the room. She moved behind him, her hand on his shoulder, as he
CHAPTER SIXTEEN Sitting at the table next to Court, Lauren half listened to the conversation between the brothers. She twirled the beer Alex had brought her, watching the condensation drip down the bottle. What was the deal with Court? Between the time he had left to wash his hands and returning, something had changed. One minute he’d been smiling and winking at her, and the next, he was practically ignoring her. Even his brothers were giving him odd looks. “Madison told me someone was hanging around your hallway, watching Lauren?” Alex said. “Yeah, a man by the name of Vadim Popov, Stephan and Peter’s cousin.” Lauren tuned back in to the conversation. “He is?” That wasn’t something she wanted to hear. For the first time since he’d returned from the restroom, Court looked at her. “Yeah. And you never met him or heard his name mentioned?” “No. But Peter’s side of the house had a separate entrance, so it’s entirely possible he visited.” “Not while you were still living there. Popov’s onl
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Court wanted to kill something, namely the Kozlov brothers. He got that Lauren was afraid for him, got that she still didn’t understand the formidable force the Gentry brothers were when banded together. But Peter had played his mind games, and now she was talking about doing her disappearing act again. He took her hand. “You’re not going anywhere. I’m not going to die. It’s lunchtime. Let’s get something to eat.” She sputtered a laugh. “You’re weird.” “I’ve been told that before.” “I don’t think I can eat.” “Sure you can. I know just the place.” He took her to The Front Porch Café in the Z Hotel because they had indoor and outdoor seating. Since everyone wanted to sit outside where they could watch the happenings in South Beach, he asked for a table inside where it would be quiet and they could talk. “You really love your fish-and-chips,” he said after she’d devoured half her lunch, choosing not to remind her that she’d thought she couldn’t eat. “One of my favorite f
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN “You got through more than I expected,” Court said, flipping through the stack of translated emails Taylor handed him. She’d only had the printouts for three days, and it looked like about a hundred pages in the folder. “I tried to hurry and get them back to you, so I didn’t take the time to think much about what I was translating.” “No problem. I’d want to read them myself, anyway.” Sitting at the dining room table with him and Lauren, Taylor glanced between them. “Nate explained to you that, as far as you know, I don’t speak Russian.” “Your secret’s safe with us.” He glanced at Lauren, who nodded. “We really appreciate it, Taylor.” She stood. “That’s about half of what you gave me. I’ll have the rest to you in two or three days.” “You’re the best.” He grinned. “But we already knew that.” “Thanks, Taylor,” Lauren said. “If anything in those emails helps Court build a case, I’ll owe you big-time.” “You don’t owe me a thing. I have no use for men who can’t take no for a
CHAPTER NINETEEN Court walked out, refreshed from the shower, ready to tackle the emails again as soon as they finished their pizza. Lauren wasn’t at the table, and thinking she had gone out on the balcony, he checked there. He searched his entire condo, including his safe room. He stood in the middle of his living room, fighting down panic. Had she decided to run after all? No, she wouldn’t have taken off. She’d said she wouldn’t, and he trusted her. The realization that he really did settled over him, but at the same time, his panic grew. He walked to the door. The dead bolt wasn’t closed. Maybe she’d gone up to see Madison. That had to be it. He grabbed his cell from the dining room table, and called Alex’s home phone. Lauren was going to get an earful about taking off without letting him know. Right now, even the condo’s hallways weren’t safe. She knew that. “Hey, Madison,” he said when she answered. “Can you put Lauren on the phone?” “She’s not here. Is she supposed to be?” The pa
CHAPTER TWENTY “Got her,” Court shouted. He pushed away from the desk, going to his weapons wall. “Where is she?” Alex asked, choosing his own weapons from Court’s collection. “A house not thirty minutes from here. Where’s Nate?” He filled a pouch with grenades, smoke bombs, and extra ammunition. Whether he’d need all that, he didn’t know, but he believed in being prepared for every scenario. “He got a phone call.” Nate walked back into the room. “Bad news. Stephan Kozlov was released a day early. A clerk anxious to start his vacation mistakenly put the wrong date on the paperwork.” Court whipped around. “Tell me you’re joking.” “Wish I was,” Nate said. “What’s happening?” “I found her.” Without asking more questions, Nate loaded up his body with weapons from Court’s stash. Christ, he loved his brothers. They were going rogue, yet neither one hesitated or attempted to tell him he needed to call it in and get approval from their bureau chief. “How long ago?” Court asked. Nate grabbed th
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE “Wow, this isn’t what I’d expected Nate’s place to look like,” Lauren said, surveying his living room. Court snorted. “Let me guess. You imagined something dark and gloomy to match his personality.” It always amused him the first time someone saw Nate’s condo. No one ever expected the beach décor, the pale mint-green walls, dark green leather couch, and various creamy yellow accessories. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I pictured,” Lauren said. Madison picked up a pale pink conch shell from the coffee table. “Surprised me, too, the first time I was here. I think Nate has had so much darkness in his life . . . still does, that he needed a calm place to come home to.” “It’s calm all right.” She took the large seashell from Madison. “This is beautiful.” Madison had nailed it. Nate had always found peace at the beach, and this was his big brother’s refuge. It was why they’d bought condos on the ocean. Because it was where Nate needed to be. He still carried internal scars fro
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO “Because of the Kozlovs, you’re on our radar now,” Court said to Alexi Ivanov, the owner of Xander’s Bar and Grill. The bar was a hangout for Russian nationals, but the bulk of Ivanov’s income came from gambling. Court had made a list of everyone living in the area who’d had contact with Peter, Vadim, or Stephan through emails or phone conversations. He and Nate were paying each one they could find a visit with the intention of isolating Peter and Stephan. Nate leaned on the bar, leveling a cold gaze on Ivanov. “It wouldn’t be in your best interest to offer assistance if either of the Kozlovs should ask.” “I don’t appreciate being threatened by the cops,” Ivanov said as he wiped down the bar counter. “Did you hear either of us say we were cops?” Court raised a brow at Nate. Nate shrugged. “He didn’t hear that from me.” “If not cops, what are you?” The rag in Ivanov’s hand moved faster over the same spot he’d been cleaning since they’d started talking. The man was get
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE On their drive home, Court had been on the phone with his brothers. As soon as they’d arrived back at his condo, he’d gone into his safe room to work and had stayed in there until he’d wandered out a few hours later, saying his stomach was growling. Something was bothering him. He’d been quiet all through dinner, except to thank her for cooking. The kitchen wasn’t her favorite room, but there were a few meals she had mastered. When she’d started to get hungry, she’d searched through his pantry and freezer, finding the ingredients to make chicken fettuccine. They’d cleaned up the kitchen together, and then had brewed a pot of coffee, and now sat out on his balcony. She’d stayed quiet, hoping he would tell her what was on his mind, but he seemed content to sit there and stare out into the night. “What has you so deep in thought?” she asked, when she finally couldn’t stand it anymore. Court glanced over at her. “Your father.” He sat in silence a bit longer. “I like hi
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR “That was gunfire,” Lauren cried. “What’s happening up there? What if Court’s hurt?” When Court had tossed her into his safe room, and closed the door behind her, she’d stood there for a moment, still half asleep, wondering what was happening. Then his order for her to go to Alex had sunk in. It had taken a few seconds to remember the sequence she was supposed to use when pressing the buzzer, but as soon as she had, the trapdoor below her had opened, Alex’s face appearing beneath her. Apparently, some kind of alarm had gone off, letting Alex know there was trouble. About the same time, the trapdoor above her had opened as well, and Nate had appeared. “Stay with Madison and Lauren,” he’d called down to Alex. Then he’d closed the trapdoor in Court’s closet when she was halfway down the ladder. After Lauren had descended into Alex’s safe room, he had closed and bolted the trapdoor behind her. Now she sat on the sofa next to Madison, wearing the robe her friend had loan
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Tired from being up half the night, Lauren decided to take a nap after Court left. It was either that or sit and worry. He hadn’t said where he was going, which left her imagination to run wild, wondering if he was out looking for Stephan. She put her phone on the nightstand, turned on the fan over her bed, crawled under the covers, and closed her eyes. How long was she going to be a prisoner, unable to walk down the street or go to work without worrying that Stephan would show up? She was going stir-crazy and missed being at the bookstore. Missed Hemingway. Was he lonely at night, all by himself in the store? She should talk to Madison about bringing him home in the evenings. With her mind spinning in a thousand different directions, she gave up on taking a nap. At home when she was worried or restless, she cleaned. No reason she couldn’t clean Court’s condo. He was a neat guy, didn’t leave shoes scattered around or clothes draped over chairs, but she’d noticed a t
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Court estimated he was only minutes behind Lauren in getting to the hospital. On the drive over, he’d calmed down considerably since talking to her. She was understandably upset and concerned about her father. He shouldn’t have taken her suggestion that he not come to the hospital so personally. Part of it was because he couldn’t figure out where he stood with her, and it made him crazy. A few blocks from the hospital his phone buzzed, his Bluetooth announcing that it was Nate. “What’s up?” he said, answering. “We got lucky on the car the Kozlovs are driving. It’s a rental, a dark blue Buick Regal.” Nate gave him the license plate number, which Court repeated, memorizing it. As he pulled into the hospital’s parking lot, looking for a space, he noticed a girl kneeling on the grass, crying. There was something familiar about her, and he drove toward her. When she looked up at his approaching car, he recognized her. Why was Lauren’s sister out here alone, crying? Had he
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN “If I didn’t know better, I’d think we really were having engine trouble,” Court said as the pilot banked the plane to return to Miami. “Is there any reason I can’t use my phone?” “Not really. Make your call, but finish it before we land.” Court called Nate. “It’s me. I’ve got you on speaker so the pilot can hear. His name’s Gabe Kerrigan. We’re headed back now,” he said. “We should be landing in Opa-locka in . . .” He glanced at Gabe. “Twenty minutes.” “Since we’re coming in for a supposed emergency landing, I think you could put some of the SWAT team guys on a fire truck and also have some pose as airport personnel.” “Gabe, give me five minutes to talk to the tower so they know what’s going down before you radio in,” Nate said. “Will do,” Gabe said. “I think you’re right about one of the men having a gun. He kept his hand in his pocket when they were boarding.” Court nodded. “Nate, the trick will be separating Lauren from the Kozlovs. Peter will recognize me, so
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Court reached for the wine bottle rolling toward him. Stephan Kozlov was a mean sonofabitch and outweighed him by a good thirty pounds or more, but Court had rage on his side. The fucker had shot Lauren. When he’d been sure Lauren was on her way out of the plane, he’d jumped out of the cockpit, deciding that the risk of taking Stephan down using the element of surprise outweighed letting him walk down the steps, still in control. He’d expected a fight. The man was obsessed beyond all reason with having Lauren. Because of his strength, Kozlov managed to angle the gun at Court’s chest. It was too confined in the cabin to use his martial arts skills or this fight would have already ended. Court grabbed the bottle, bringing it up and smashing it down with all his might on the man’s head. The gun went off, the bullet whizzing past Court’s ear, and then the weapon fell out of Stephan’s hand. That was too damn close. Before Court could grab it, Nate whisked it away. “Shou
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE Eight months later . . . They’d met at the beach and would get married at the beach. Court glanced at his watch again. In four hours, he and Lauren would exchange vows. About damn time. It had taken seven years for them to get to this day, and he wanted to get the wedding over so they could start on their honeymoon. “I think the battery in my watch is slowing down.” Alex snorted. “Your battery is fine. You’re just anxious to put a ring on her finger.” “Truth.” Court lifted his bottle of beer, taking a swallow. It was Sunday, the day they always closed Aces & Eights. Madison, her mother, and Julie had kicked him out of his condo this morning. Apparently, it took all day to get a bride ready for her wedding. Who knew? He’d talked his brothers into hanging out with him for a few hours, and after lunch, with nowhere else to go, they’d ended up at Aces & Eights. “Nah,” Nate said. “He’s anxious to get the wedding over so he can get to the honeymoon.” Court clicked his bot
EPILOGUE Kinsey Landon unfolded the letter she’d found in her mother’s Bible. She’d read it a hundred times since her mother had died, and each read still knocked the ground out from under her feet. Wanda Landon had once been Wanda Gentry, something Kinsey had never known. Why had her mom kept her past a secret? Kinsey picked up the pages she’d dropped and read the letter again from the beginning. My Darling Kinsey, If you are reading this, then I am no longer with you. Please don’t cry too much, sweetheart. I’ve been blessed to have you in my life, and having you has kept me sane. You see, I had three sons who were taken from me, and my heart has cried each day from missing them. Without you in my life, I don’t know how I would have gone on. I know I should have told you about your brothers, and I planned to, but I kept putting it off, unsure of how to explain walking away from my sons. You see, I left them for you. The first time you asked about your father, I told you his name was J
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The book world is a fascinating place. My first book was published in 2013, and the biggest thing I’ve learned since then is how much I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that I’ve made so many amazing friends—some I’ve met and some I probably never will meet, but they are all just as dear to me. I now have friends in close to every state in the United States and in countries all over the world that I talk to almost daily on social media. I am truly blessed. Thank you to the readers who write me, telling me how much you love my books, especially my heroes. Thank you for leaving reviews! You have no idea how much an author appreciates that. Thank you for the online chats we have about everything under the sun. I love those so much. Thank you all for just being awesome! There is one special reader and now a long-distance friend I want to tell you about. Her name is Brandy Morrison. Brandy has Turner’s syndrome (look it up). It’s not easy for her to read my books, but
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Photo © 2015 Cat Ford-Coates Bestselling, award-winning author Sandra Owens lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Her family and friends often question her sanity but have ceased being surprised by what she might get up to next. She’s jumped out of a plane, flown in an aerobatic plane while the pilot performed death-defying stunts, gotten into laser-gun fights in Air Combat, and ridden a Harley motorcycle for years. She regrets nothing. Sandra is a Romance Writers of America Honor Roll member and a 2013 Golden Heart Finalist for her contemporary romance Crazy for Her. In addition to her contemporary romantic suspense novels, she writes Regency stories. You can connect with Sandra on Facebook at Sandra Owens Author, on Twitter @SandyOwens1, or through her website, www.sandra-owens.com.
← Prev
Back
Next →
← Prev
Back
Next →