I feel like all I do these days is toot my own horn. Please forgive me one more time. BUT...OH MY, look what I found this morning---even before my first cup of coffee. IN THE SHADOW OF MALICE is up for pre-order on Amazon. I'll admit it. I have been checking for days, the waiting driving me just a little crazy. What a way to start a Saturday.
This is another fast pace, nail-biting adventure, but watching Adam Blake and Calista Martin fall in love while dodging a couple explosions and a few bullets is such fun. Calista is Hanna Tu's best friend from In the Shadow of Greed. My hero, Adam Blake is a little rough around the edges, but a real hero underneath that sexy-as-hell exterior. Wait until you realize who Adam really is... Oh I had fun writing that little gem into the story.
If you would like a little peek at
who inspired my characters, check out my Pinterest board here:
I posted the blurb for this story a couple times, but just in case you missed it, here it is again.
Adam Blake, ex-CIA operative, has gone to great lengths to keep his identity a secret from his maternal grandfather, who controls the most brutal crime syndicate in Eastern Europe. The moment he lets his guard down, the unthinkable happens and his best friend, the mother of his child, is tortured and murdered. To protect his daughter, he must seek the help of his father’s family—who has no idea of his existence. What Adam could have never foreseen is the unusual attachment between his daughter and her most unlikely protector.
After months of living in an emotional vacuum after her roommate’s murder, Calista Martin takes a chance and befriends a handsome regular at the diner. What is supposed to be just a ride home hurls her headlong into Adam’s world of murder and revenge. To add to an already explosive situation, Adam’s traumatized little girl refuses to release her hold on Calista. Knowing what it’s like to lose a loved one, Calista insists on staying with Adam to protect Anna.
After Calista risks her life to protect Anna, Adam begins to see the waitress from the diner in a different light. But the Vasnev threat is heating up and Calista, while willing to help him, really doesn’t trust him. Can he find a way to eliminate his enemies to become the father Anna deserves and the man Calista needs—or will he fail again, taking his future out of his hands forever?
I can't give you a blurb without an excerpt. This is from Chapter Two. I posted the complete Chapter One last weekend if you missed it. This excerpt is the beginning of Chapter Two. Enjoy!
Calista placed her hand on Adam’s shoulder. His muscles trembled beneath her touch, sending a pulse of grief right to her heart. She caressed his shoulder then pressed her hand against his hand, which still clutched his phone to his ear. Adam’s tortured gaze met hers and he jerked her hand away, shoving the phone back in his sports coat.
He pressed his temples with his fingertips and said, “Get out of the car, Calista.”
“No. I’m not leaving you. You need a doctor.”
Her voice sounded calm to her own ears, but everything in her wanted to run. Tidbits of Adam’s conversation with a man named Ludis mixed with Calista’s nightmarish visions of her best friend’s screams; Hanna’s blood smeared over the walls and matted in her hair, the agony from the monster’s knife so excruciating, Hanna’s mind slipped into the darkest hell, never to open again. They buried her on a cold, dreary day, a fitting scene for such a horrific loss.
Calista’s eyes began to fill. She shut them, bit down on her bottom lip before drawing in a deep, cleansing breath. This wasn’t the time to freak out. Blood mixed with tears streamed down the side of Adam’s face. Air, maybe he needed air. She turned the key and hit the button on the door. The window slid down, letting in the cool night breeze. With the sleeve of her blouse, she blotted the bleeding from the corner of his eye. She knew next to nothing about medicine. But damn it, eyes didn’t bleed.
“Get out, Calista. I have to go.” Adam’s voice grew weak, the last word was almost inaudible.
“You can’t drive.” She choked on the last word. Her heart pounded between her ears, drowning out the world around her. Only Adam existed. She tried to remember her first aid lessons, but nothing she had ever learned covered this.
A moan escaped his lips. “It’s better. The pain is lessening.”
“Liar. Your face is as white as your shirt. I’ll drive you.”
“No! Hell, no.”
“Damn it, Adam. Change seats with me and tell me the address.”
“I can’t get you involved.”
His pain-filled voice squeezed her heart and she silently began to pray. God, please don’t let him die.
She clutched his hands in hers. “I’m not leaving you.”
Since Hanna’s death, Calista had walked out of her own life, slamming the door to the reckless, fun-loving person of her past, and hid under the shield of her grandfather’s diner for the last fifteen months. But that shield didn’t protect her from the nightmares or guard her from the violence in the world she couldn’t control. It found her anyway. As easy as it would be to open the door and step out of the car, she would never forgive herself for leaving Adam alone.
She yanked the keys from the ignition, got out of the car, and raced around to the driver’s side. She threw open the door and tried to shove him over into the passenger seat.
“Move over.”
“Give me the damn keys. Now.” He tried to grab them, but she stepped out of his reach. He glared up at her. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. This can’t touch you.”
Calista nudged Adam with her hip, trying to force him out of the driver’s seat. “I’m not leaving.”
Well, that's all for now. You only have 7 days before In the Shadow of Malice goes live. Thank you for being so patient with me and allowing me the pleasure of sharing my news with you. I will end with this note. Go out and find your dream. It's a lot of hard work but so worth it. Have a wonderful weekend.
Huge hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks
Here is the pre-order link on Amazon.http://amzn.com/B00IPSCP8O
Nook lovers, coming soon on Barnes and Noble.
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