I hope you are having a great week. Today, I would like to toot my own horn a little about my new bundle, KILLER THRILLERS: 5 EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT-ROMANCES. Here is a brief blurb and buy links.
IN THE SHADOW OF PRIDE, the third book in this bundle is an exciting ride from the beginning to the end. I posted be the first two chapters below just to give you a little taste of what you can expect.
Chapter One
October 2012, Austin, Texas
Just when she thought the day couldn’t get any
worse, fate stepped in and placed the jerk in her line of sight.
Special Agent-in-Charge Mac McNeil.
He stood several yards from her, his piercing, hazel
eyes locked onto hers. Lexie Trevena stared at the ground, cutting off their
connection.
A warm gust of air blew across the cemetery,
surrounding her with a hint of freshly mowed grass and the roses from Rico’s
coffin. The two scents had always brought a smile to her face, but from this
day forward, they would yank her back to this place, this moment.
Taking a shaky breath, Lexie peered into the freshly
dug grave inches from her. The crowd behind her began to shift, making their
way back up the hill toward the line of cars. Her best friends, Cole Guzman and
Marcus Aziz, stood behind her. Cole cleared his throat and eased next to her,
taking her hand in his.
“You don’t have to stay. I—”
“The café can survive a little longer without us,” he
interrupted.
“You can’t be closed during your busiest time of day.
Go. Seriously, I’ll be fine.” Finally glancing over Cole’s shoulder at the sea
of mourners, she planted a fake smile on her face. “I’m just waiting until some
of the people leave.”
“We’ll take off if you promise to drop by and eat
something,” Marcus chimed in.
“Maybe you can just bring me a sandwich at home. I
need to be alone for a while. You understand?”
She reached up and kissed Cole on the cheek and
repeated the gesture with Marcus. The men’s expressions were so easy to read,
and their concern touched her heart. They wanted to make this all better. That
was impossible.
“If you change your mind, or if you need one of us,
just call, Lexie.” Cole tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear then
reached for her hand.
“I’ll be fine. Go before you make me cry.”
They studied her for several moments. Then, with one
more quick hug, they strolled up the hill.
Two groundskeepers stood off to her left waiting
patiently to lower the coffin into the ground. The thought of Rico’s strong,
hard body buried under six feet of Texas clay was hard to digest. As long as
she stood rooted to that spot, her nightmare couldn’t turn into her reality.
Mac McNeil slowly worked his way through the crowd of
mourners toward her. Instinctively, she twisted away from him. Escape. Before
she could make a move, a man whose name she couldn’t recall blocked her path,
placing a hand on her arm.
“Mrs. Trevena …”
“Lexie. My name is Lexie.”
“Lexie, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your husband was a
good man, a fine agent. He’ll be missed.”
He seemed to want some sort of acknowledgement from
her, but she had nothing to give. He finally dropped his hand to his side and
left her alone.
He was a good man, a fine agent. He’ll be missed.
Meaningless babble, meant to give her a measure of
comfort. How was her broken heart supposed to be consoled by a group of
strangers? Most of the crowd was there out of respect and had never even met Rico.
Lexie had no idea how to behave, or what to do or say
to the people around her. She couldn’t focus long enough to reason it out.
Grief festered into a pool of staggering anger, sending her emotions into a
tailspin. It was all so senseless.
The moment Rico told her he was going back undercover,
that voice in her head screamed out, no, don’t leave―the sense of
dread overwhelming. It was as if her heart knew this day would come, but her
pleas, arguments, nothing she said kept him from walking out that door.
Out of complete desperation, Lexie had done the
unthinkable. She’d stormed into the office of Rico’s boss and handler, Mac
McNeil, and again she tried reason. Every ounce of her temper came out to play
that day. Rico was so furious she had gone to his boss, it took him days before
he was calm enough to talk to her.
Now the man who’d ordered Rico into that miserable
alley off some nameless street in southeast D.C. stood only a few feet away
from her, eyeing her with concern, and probably just waiting for her to go
ballistic.
There would be no tantrum today, not here. She refused
to break down. Rico might not have known the men and women who stood at his
grave, but they came from miles around to honor one of their own, one of the
fallen. If they could be here, honoring her husband with such strength and
respect, then so could she. She would swallow sob after sob until her throat
was bone dry, but not one tear would fall onto her cheeks.
Her husband of only twenty months couldn’t be in that
oak coffin sitting on the rack. There had to be some mistake.
She hugged her waist as she tried to take control of
her emotions. How she wished this horrible day would just evaporate like a bad
dream. She could almost hear Rico’s deep, teasing laugh. He would call her his drama
princess then kiss her senseless, chasing away her fear.
She couldn’t stand glued to this spot all day like a
statue. Move.
Settling her nerves, she took a step back and bumped
into a solid wall of man. She didn’t need to turn around to know who stood
there. Mac McNeil. His hand came at her elbow until she found her footing in
the gravel, then he dropped it to his side.
“If you say you’re sorry for my loss, I swear I’ll
give you a nose bleed.”
“Tell me what I can do for you, Lexie.”
“Make this go away. Give me Rico back.”
A wall of silence surrounded them until Mac broke it.
“I can give you a ride home.”
“Got a ride. Someone from the protocol office arranged
a limo.”
“I’ll ride with you, see you home.”
Lexie turned to face Mac. His eyes displayed such sadness
and grief. He was hurting. Rico and Mac weren’t just colleagues but friends,
and in their line of work, that friendship almost made them brothers.
Today, her pain and grief trumped his. Unable to keep
the words in her head where they belonged, she whispered, “I hate you, Mac
McNeil.”
“I know. Put it aside for now. ”
She scanned the crowd that still mingled. All their
eyes were on her, and she couldn’t catch her breath. In fact, she couldn’t
remember the last time her lungs weren’t screaming for air. “I can’t …”
“What?”
“I can’t watch them … I don’t want my last memory of
Rico to be his coffin lowering into the ground.”
“I’m going to walk you to the car, Lexie.”
Mac placed a hand at her waist, and before she knew
what was happening, she was sitting next to him as the limo pulled away from
the curb. It wasn’t until she was standing at her door that her focus returned.
“What?” she said, staring at Mac.
“I said, give me your key.”
Lexie pulled the keys from her clutch purse. “I’m fine
now. You don’t have to wait.”
“Just give me the key, Lexie.”
One glance at his tight expression and she handed it
over. There wasn’t anything left in her to fight with Mac McNeil.
At least it wasn’t hard walking back into the condo.
Lexie had moved into the place after Rico went back undercover. Their first
apartment was only one room and a small bath. Once she’d found this place,
she’d set out to furnish it with items she loved, waiting for the day Rico
could add his touch to it. But that day never came. Rico had never set foot
into their new home.
As she dropped her purse on the kitchen table, the
stress in her shoulder muscles eased a little from the familiar sweet scent of
pine from the rosemary that grew on her kitchen counter. The tension instantly
returned when she glanced behind her at the man who stood in her doorway. How
was she going to get rid of Mac?
Her eyes fell on the organized clutter sprawled over
half the table. She had been working on a midterm project when Mac showed up at
her door five nights ago and told her about Rico.
Her life at the University of Texas seemed like
another lifetime. Her dreams for the future, the strong drive to become an
engineer, had drained out of her with Rico’s death. Exams were a couple of
weeks away and she didn’t give a damn.
“Thanks for seeing me home,” she tried to dismiss Mac.
“Is there anyone I can call?” His frame continued to
block the doorway, but he didn’t enter the apartment. “Your parents, family?”
“Rico was my family.”
“And he asked me to look after you.” He took a step into
the room. “Rico never mentioned anything about your parents. Maybe I can call—”
“My father was out of the picture before I was born.
My mom and I aren’t close. The less I see of her, the better.” Lexie brushed
her hair from her forehead. “My friends, Marcus and Cole, are working. I have
plans to meet up with them later. I know you are trying to help, but right now,
all I need is time to myself.”
“I can’t leave you alone, Lexie. Rico would have my
head. So, tell me, what can I do for you?”
She swallowed another sob, trying to hold on long
enough to be alone in her grief. What she should have done was close the door.
Instead, her mind reeled with too many questions.
“Tell me how my husband died. What went wrong? You
promised me you would have his back.” The space between them seemed to
disappear. “How in the hell is this having his back?” Before she could
stop herself, the anger bottled inside spilled out all over Mac. She shoved
both of her hands into his chest, making him stumble backward. “Tell me how I’m
supposed to get through the nightmares of Rico dying alone in some filthy
alley. And how do I face waking tomorrow knowing I’ll never hold Rico, never
feel him next to me?” Lexie choked down a sob. “If you can do that, then you’re
welcome to stay.”
“Rico wasn’t alone. I couldn’t prevent his death, but
I held him until—”
“Where was Jason, his partner? Why didn’t he stop it?
And don’t try feeding me that shit about how you can’t discuss details of the
investigation. He was my husband and I have the right to know how he really
died.”
“Lexie, Jason went down first. Rico lunged in front of
him and took a bullet in his chest.”
The image of Rico throwing his life away for his
partner was part of the tortured dreams she had for months. She’d screamed
until she was hoarse, but no one would listen to her.
She couldn’t take pride in the sacrifice he’d made for
his partner, the job. Instead, her blood boiled within her veins and she had no
idea where to place the anger.
The tears she had held back let loose and she didn’t
even attempt to stop them. She was going to hate herself in about five minutes,
and maybe for a long time to come, but at that moment, she didn’t care. “Why do
you get to have your brother back, and my Rico is in the ground?”
The room grew still, cold. “Would you rather Jason had
died alongside Rico? Would that make this easier?”
Her knees trembled. She moved to the sofa in the
middle of the room and dropped down, covering her face with her hands. What
happened to being the better person today for Rico? Just thinking about what he
would say if he were there made her cringe.
“I didn’t mean … Rico considered Jason his brother.
That makes him family, my family.” As much as Lexie wanted to avoid facing Mac,
she lifted her head and met a pair of cold hazel eyes.
Damn it, she should apologize. In fact, she never
should have opened her mouth in the first place. But one glance at Mac’s
expression and the words clogged in her throat.
A tap on the door sounded. Without breaking his hard
glare, Mac opened the door. A man Lexie never met before stood at her
threshold.
“Is this the Trevena residence?”
Mac positioned his body to block the entrance. “How
can we help you?”
“I’m Lexie Trevena.” She rose and took a step toward
them.
It took an instant to notice the infant carrier the
man held in his left hand. The tiny newborn baby slept on as the adults in the
room stared at one another. Lexie wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back
of her hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met. How can I help you?”
He held out a business card. “I’m Brad Winston with
Winston, Botts, and Flores, a law firm headquartered in Dallas. I’m looking for
Rico Trevena.”
Mac moved around the man, his eyes on the carrier.
“And what’s your business with—”
“Mac,” she said quietly. “I’m Rico’s wife.” She took
the business card he still held out and gave it a brief glance. “Mr. Winston. I
buried my husband today. How can I help you?”
“Rico Trevena’s dead?” He shook his head and the
arrogance in his demeanor seemed to drain out of him. “I’m sorry for your loss.
Had I known—”
“What business did you have with Rico? He had a
lawyer.”
“I don’t represent Mr. Trevena. Would you mind if I
place the infant on your sofa?”
“Of course.” Lexie moved out of his way and said
nothing as Winston gently settled the carrier on the center cushion. Mac moved
behind Lexie. The tension radiating off him made her jumpy as hell.
The lawyer cleared his throat. “I represent the mother
of this baby.” He brushed aside Lexie’s textbooks, cleared a spot on the table,
and flipped open the latches on the case. “I don’t know how to say this so I’m
just going to spit it out. Rico and my client … well, they … that’s Rico’s
child, a little boy. His name is Gabriel Trevena and is two days old.”
Rico’s child? The two words stabbed through
Lexie’s heart. “That’s not possible.”
Mac stalked across the room until he was nose to nose
with the lawyer. The man’s eyes never blinked.
“Look, Winston. I don’t know who the hell you are, but
you can’t come in here and tarnish a good man’s name and hurt his wife like
this. She’s just returned from his funeral, for God’s sake.”
Reaching into the folder, the attorney handed Mac a
sheet of paper. He scanned it, and drawing in a deep breath, he shot a stare at
Lexie.
“I have the paternity test,” Winston said. “Your friend
here will confirm that Gabriel was fathered by your husband. I’m so sorry to
have to do this to you, but—”
“What do you want from me?” Lexie choked out.
Mac’s face was easy to read as he looked at the paper.
He believed it. She couldn’t catch her breath. The innocent child was living
proof that her Rico broke every vow he made to her.
Mac’s arm came around her waist and she jerked away.
Her mind screamed get out, everyone get the hell out of my house, but
this time, the words wouldn’t come.
“Mrs. Trevena, I don’t mean to hurt you.”
“Then why the hell are you here?”
How Lexie got the question out of her clogged throat
was a mystery. At least her words seemed to have some effect. Color drained
from the man’s cheeks and his eyes darted toward the door.
“My client is from a very powerful political family.
They’re not likely to accept Gabriel because Rico was—”
“Half native Indian and half black? Why, that
self-righteous bitch. My husband was good enough to sleep with, but—”
“Mrs. Trevena, my client never wanted children and
said her relationship with your husband was a twenty-minute drunken mistake.
Rico convinced her to take the pregnancy to term. He was going to raise the
child.” He paused and leaned his hip against the table. “I’m sorry to put you
through this, especially today. I really had no idea of Rico’s passing, but
nothing has changed. If Rico had refused the child, I have instructions to
place him with a private state-licensed adoption agency. There are parents on
the waiting list for infants.” He replaced the folder and shut the lid of his
briefcase.
The room grew still, with only the hum of the
refrigerator a few feet away filling the void. Lexie approached the sofa and
eased the blanket away from the baby’s face. The lawyer reached for the carrier
handle. Before he could lift it, she shoved his hand away. “Wait. Just wait a
second.”
The baby had Rico’s nose and full lips, even the slant
to his eyes. Every muscle in her body began to shake. Her heart hammered inside
her head, and she couldn’t take enough air to fill her lungs. This panic attack
was going to be a doozy if she didn’t gain some measure of control. She stood
there like a moron, staring at Rico’s son while she mentally put herself
through the exercises she had learned years ago to calm her breathing.
“I need … space,” she gasped. The lawyer took a couple
of steps away from her. Again she shut her eyes, focusing on taking in a deep
cleansing breath, then letting it out to the count of ten.
Rico, how could you do this to me?
Her eyes popped open and her heart dropped to her
stomach. Rico was gone, his coffin covered with six feet of dirt by now. This
child was supposed to be theirs. They’d been waiting until Lexie finished her
degree. At twenty-two, she thought she had all the time in the world for
children.
She couldn’t explain the need, but her arms ached to
hold Rico’s son. She reached out her arms but dropped them back to her side.
Warmth closed in on her, and she could almost hear what Rico would say to her
if he were there.
Take him. Love him.
The four words whispered around her. As quickly as the
warmth appeared, it disappeared, leaving her chilled to the bone.
Why didn’t Rico tell her about the baby? He had to
have known for months. As soon as that thought sank in, another one slammed
into her. She turned and studied Mac. “Did you know about Rico and this woman …
and the baby?”
“No, Lexie, I didn’t know about the baby. I never
would have allowed you to be blindsided like this.” He stood completely still
as if he were choosing his next words very carefully. “I knew Rico. You knew
him, too. He flirted with anything in a skirt. And we both know how much he
could put away—beer, hard liquor, it didn’t matter. That was a part of him
neither of us could change, but it didn’t define the man. He didn’t want this
to happen like this.”
“Mrs. Trevena, your name is on the custody papers that
Rico and my client drew up.”
“What?” Mac and Lexie said simultaneously.
“I know this is all a huge shock and quite unfair, but
if you are at all interested in raising your husband’s child, I have the
paperwork with me.”
She didn’t know from where the strength came, but she
took another step forward and lifted Gabriel to cradle his tiny body close to
her heart.
This was crazy, damn ass crazy. But was it a mistake?
She couldn’t let Rico’s child be placed with some stranger. She had spent
enough years living with people who pretended to love children. There was no
way she could stand by and chance that Rico’s son got one of the good ones. She
touched her lips to Gabriel’s soft, baby-scented cheek. Dear God, could she
do this?
“Lexie, think for a moment,” Mac said at her side.
“I don’t want just custody. If I take Rico’s son, I’ll
adopt him. His mother doesn’t get to take him back.”
Mr. Winston opened the briefcase again. “The paperwork
is already drawn up. All I need is your signature.”
Panic sliced through Lexie. “Don’t you need to clear
this with his mother? Doesn’t she need to—?”
“Mrs. Trevena, like I said, everything has been
decided. After you sign the papers, I’ll file them with the courts. There is
also a bank account set up for Gabriel’s needs, and yours, of course.”
“You are not paying me for this child.”
“Of course not. But my client is a wealthy woman. She
may not be able to raise Gabriel, but she will provide for his needs.” He
headed for the doorway, lifted a large plastic bag, and set it on the kitchen
table. “I have a few things you’ll need until you get to the store.” He then
laid the folder next to the bag and pulled out a stack of papers all stapled together.
Lexie’s heart went out to the baby in her arms as the
words take him, love him pierced through her heart. They were Rico’s
words. She didn’t doubt it for a moment, even though the very idea pitched her
emotions into a whole new plane. Before reason set in, she blurted out, “Where
do I sign?”
The lawyer pointed to several places in the contract.
Lexie reached for the pen.
Mac placed his hand on her elbow. “Lexie, wait. You
can’t sign those damn papers without having someone look them over.”
“Look at him, Mac. Gabriel looks just like Rico. This
is Rico’s son. If I don’t raise him, love him, then who will?”
Before she lost her nerve, Lexie signed the adoption
contract on each line Mr. Winston indicated while Gabriel slept peacefully in
her arms. He placed the contract back into his briefcase and headed toward the
door. “My client leaves for Japan and will be out of the country for the next
several years. If you decide you can’t do this, call the number on the card.”
Just as Mr. Winston reached the door, she called out,
“Wait. Could your client just be experiencing postpartum depression?”
“No, Mrs. Trevena. Gabriel’s mother never would have
raised her son. I couldn’t even get her to hold him.” A slight smile appeared
at the corners of his mouth and warmth entered his eyes. “I truly am sorry for
the timing, but I must say I’m content with the arrangements. I think Gabriel
is a lucky little boy to have you.”
“Do you want me to send you pictures, updates …?”
“Please don’t. Gabriel is your son now. You’re his
mother.” With a nod, he walked out the door.
Lexie stood listening to his shoes clicking on the
hardwood flooring of the hallway. Mac stood inches from her with a look of
shock on his face. He straightened his stance as if every muscle in his
shoulders and back tightened.
“I can’t believe what you just did, Lexie. That was
the most reckless, ridiculous …”
“Mac McNeil, go. I don’t have the strength to fight
with you. I did what I had to do.”
“You have to think this through. Raising a child is
for life.”
Lexie cuddled Gabriel against her chest. With her free
hand, she opened the door wide. “Please, Mac. Gabriel and I will be fine.” Her
knees began to tremble, and she leaned against the door for support.
He took a card from his pocket, scribbled something on
the back, and set it on the table. “I don’t know what the hell just happened,
but if you need me for anything, call.”
“I won’t call.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of Gabriel’s head.
“Rico was one of my best friends. I may not agree with what you just did, but
I’m not the enemy, Lexie,” he whispered, his attention focused entirely on the
baby. When he raised his head, their eyes held. “I’m here whenever you need
me.”
He eased past her and walked out the door. As if on
autopilot, Lexie closed the door quietly behind him, setting the lock in place.
Her knees finally gave, and she slid against the door onto the floor. With
Gabriel securely asleep in her arms, she tucked her head into his blanket and
sobbed.
Chapter Two
Two years later, Austin
“Shit! What the hell?” Mac cussed under his breath
as a thin line of sweat slid down his spine. Keeping his voice at a whisper, he
stepped out of the teller line and spoke into his mic. “Why didn’t someone stop
Lexie Trevena at the entrance?”
Rico’s widow, with a two-year-old Gabriel in her arms,
had wandered right into the middle of a multi-task force sting operation.
“She parked in the Mother with Child slot at the front
door. We couldn’t have anyone approach without drawing suspicion,” an agent in
the surveillance van replied.
“Everyone stay alert. I’m going to try to get her and
the kid out of here.”
Mac slowly made his way across the lobby. He couldn’t
help admiring all that was Lexie Trevena. Her deep mahogany hair flowed loosely
down her back, accentuating a deep tan. Her charcoal-brown eyes brightened with
a smile for the receptionist. God, she was strikingly beautiful. And
Gabriel―the kid was a carbon copy of his father.
Lexie set the squirming child down at her side and
reached into her oversized canvas bag. She pulled out a juice cup, handing it
to her little boy. On any other day, Mac would have been okay with running into
the pair. Why this bank at this exact moment?
Business in the small lobby was quiet for an early
afternoon. It was why Luis Horde picked this time of day to rob credit unions.
He could slip in and out quickly. However, things could change on a dime. If
threatened, Horde didn’t think twice about using innocent bystanders as
shields.
Horde had been working his way north, robbing one
credit union after another for the last several weeks. Mac’s sister-in-law,
Sarah McNeil, had tracked his movements, and her algorithm predicted this
branch would most likely be his next hit. As if on the clock, he had entered
the bank just a few minutes ago and was filling out a deposit slip at the
center table where he could keep track of the entire lobby. He was probably
composing the demand note to pass to the teller. Mac couldn’t approach him
because there were a couple of customers within arm’s reach, and if the guy
made Mac, there was high probability of a hostage situation.
Mac took a moment to eye the three members of the task
force positioned in the lobby. Several agents waited in the parking lot for the
signal.
His eyes raked over Lexie one more time. Even after
two years, whenever he checked in on her and Gabriel, she still treated him
like something she had to wipe off the bottom of her shoe. Maybe she lumped him
into a group, a reminder of Rico, his death, his betrayal. But damn it, Mac
wasn’t that kind of man. Rico had been a good friend, but as a husband, he had
been a complete ass. If Mac ever had a woman like Lexie Trevena in his bed, he
wouldn’t crap it up by banging someone he talked to for five minutes in a bar.
Where the hell did that thought come from, moron? He
needed to get his head back in the game. Somehow, he had to get Lexie and her
son out of the bank without making Horde cagey.
Mac approached the reception desk and leaned his elbow
on the counter. Gabriel held tightly to his mom’s leg but glanced up and smiled
at Mac. He was a cute little bugger and seemed to tolerate Mac a lot better
than his mom. Gabriel held out his juice box toward Mac.
Lexie turned and their eyes held. For an instant, she
looked almost happy to see him. It may only have been the sense of seeing
someone she recognized, the familiar, because her eyes slowly began to smolder.
“Mac McNeil. Why is it every time I’m having a shitty
day, you show up?”
She picked up her son, eased around Mac, and sat
Gabriel down in one of the plastic chairs. The kid let out a small protest and
reached out for his mother. She searched her bag, handing him a small book and
a toy giraffe.
“As soon as I fill out some paperwork, I’ll pick you
back up.”
“I’ll take him.” Mac held out his hands.
Holding a child wasn’t one of his best plans with a
bank robbery only minutes from breaking wide open, but the little guy looked so
defeated. Horde glanced in their direction before turning back to his business.
“He isn’t feeling well.”
“Why don’t I help you carry him out to the car?” The
excuse he was looking for just fell into Mac’s lap. He held his hands out to
the toddler and Gabriel went into his arms.
“Mac, what are you doing? Put him back down. I have a
meeting with the loan officer.” Lexie’s eyes searched the row of offices at the
back of the lobby.
“If Gabriel isn’t feeling well, maybe you should come
back another day.” At a closer look, Gabriel’s eyes were a little red and his
nose was running. Mac pulled out his handkerchief and did what he could for the
nose.
“What do you know about kids?”
Mac shrugged. “I have nephews and nieces. Kids like
me.”
Letting out a frustrated groan, she rummaged through
her oversized purse. “If I had the time to come back another day, I wouldn’t be
here now, would I?”
“Gabriel just looks a little green.”
“There’s a bug going around his daycare.” She shot him
a stare, then smiled at her son. “Go on, Gabriel, why don’t you give Mac one of
your very special hugs?”
Her eyes sparkled just a little too brightly. Mac took
a closer look at the toddler and couldn’t help easing back just a little.
Lexie let out a deep laugh. “You’re the one who picked
him up. When you come down with the flu in a week, just remember to get plenty
of rest and drink lots of fluids.”
With that, she reached her hands out for her son and
he dived into her arms, resting his little head on her shoulder. With a sheet
of paper still in her hand, she side-stepped around Mac and headed toward
Horde’s table.
Mac grabbed her elbow and stopped her. “Where are you
going? The door is that direction,” he said, nodding toward the entrance.
“I need a pen to fill out this form.” She pulled her
arm free. “Don’t you have someone to arrest or something?”
Mac didn’t move, but searched for Horde out of the
corner of his eye. Shit. The guy heard her. Horde tensed his muscles in his
back. He stepped away from the table, eyeing Mac and, worse, Lexie.
“But I took off work just to play with you and
Gabriel. The little guy will feel better with fresh air. We can do this loan
thing another day.”
Mac stared into Lexie’s confused eyes, silently
begging her to play along. Before she could respond, Gabriel let out a groan.
“Sick bowl, Mommy.”
Lexie made a dash for the trash canister under the
table, but it was too late. Gabriel let loose and emptied the contents of his
stomach all over Lexie’s arms and Horde’s pant leg.
In all of the years Mac had been an agent, this moment
was a first. He didn’t know whether to laugh out loud or pull out his gun and
level it at Horde.
Lexie reached for her bag and pulled out a pack of
wipes, removing several. She first washed Gabriel’s face, then cleaned off her
arm. Mac grabbed several sheets from the container and scooped up what he could
off the floor, tossing the mess in the small canister.
When Lexie glanced at the man’s leg, a hint of pink
appeared on her face. Mac almost lost his lunch when she knelt down close to
Horde.
“God, sir, I’m so sorry. Here, I can get most of it
off your leg, and I’ll pay to have your suit cleaned.”
Horde took another step back, shaking the vomit from
the toe of his shoe onto the floor. “Never mind, lady.”
She stood and again reached into her bag. This time,
she pulled out her wallet and handed Horde a ten-dollar bill. “I have no idea
how much it cost. Will this do?”
Mac reached for Gabriel and set him behind him. He
knew without looking that one of his team would grab the kid if Horde pulled a
weapon. Mac moved until he was so close, her peachy and vanilla-scented shampoo
wafted into his nostrils.
“Please take the money,” Lexie said, leaning in
closer.
“If the man doesn’t want the money, Lexie, you can’t
shove it at him. You apologized. Just let him get on with his business. You
need to see to Gabriel.”
He placed his hand on her arm, keeping his fingers
relaxed even though adrenaline pumped through his veins.
She jerked free. “Mac, what’s wrong with you? Stop
manhandling me—”
Horde grabbed a fistful of Lexie’s hair and yanked her
against him. He whipped out a 9mm from the back of his waistband, and rammed
the barrel into the sensitive skin of her lower back. “Back off, cop.”
Customers shrieked and dived for cover as one of Mac’s
agents grabbed Gabriel from behind him. The toddler let out a yell, but Mac
kept his attention on Lexie. “Man, what the hell? I’m not a cop,” he said,
raising his hands up. Fear cut through him but keeping the game going was
priority. Lexie’s life depended on it. “Take your hands off my girlfriend. She
just felt bad about the—”
“Back off!” Horde took two steps toward the exit.
“Clear your team out now or she gets one through the shoulder. You have twenty
seconds.”
“Mac!” Lexie cried out.
Horde dug the barrel deeper into her skin. It had to
hurt like hell. Mac raised both arms, hands out, and took a step back. “Let the
woman go if you want to see tomorrow.”
“Big words, asshole. I got your girl, and you have
less than fifteen seconds.”
Lexie’s voice may have sounded full of fear, but if
her eyes could shoot lasers, Mac would be a pool of ash. Her hand inched up
between Horde’s arm and her neck. She leaned her head back.
Shit.
She was going to do something really stupid. Rico
obviously had taught her how to get out of a chokehold, but never with a loaded
barrel digging into her.
Mac yanked out his Glock and aimed it directly at
Horde. With his heartbeat pounding between his ears, he said, “Don’t you dare.”
*
A shiver spiked down Lexie’s spine. Mac’s
expression grew rigid as he held his stance stock-still. Out the corner of her
eye, a woman raced with Gabriel through the exit. He shrieked for her, but the
woman kept running.
Lexie hadn’t practiced her next move in more than two
years. If she was even an inch off, the situation would go to hell fast. She
tightened her hold on the man’s arm, pulling his forearm down so she could breathe.
Mac’s words, don’t you dare registered. Why
couldn’t that damn arrogant agent ever trust her judgment? She had one chance.
If the man got her outside the building and into a car, all was over.
“Five seconds, cop.”
Lexie took Horde’s words as her green light. Yanking
her head forward, she slammed it back into a hard jaw. The force of the blow
sent him staggering backward, which eased his hold around her neck. She jabbed
her free, fisted hand down hard into his groin. He released her completely as he
bent at the waist. Lexie swung her fist up, striking his nose.
When a painful roar escaped from his throat, she
twirled away from him, yanking his right shoulder out of its joint. She twisted
his arm once more, and he let out another yelp before he lost his balance and
landed flat on his back. The weapon in his hand fired several stray shots into
the ceiling. The roar from the blast filled her ears, momentarily blocking out
all sound. Mac ripped the gun from the man’s hand as two other agents secured
him.
Mac grabbed Lexie’s elbow, shoving her behind him. The
whole thing took only seconds, but it drained every ounce of energy from her,
and she leaned her head against Mac’s shoulder. Before her knees gave out, she
stumbled over to a chair and dropped into it.
Mac followed, his large frame looming over her like a
dark cloud and his hands fisted on his hips.
“Are you okay, Lexie?”
It took all her control not to scream in his face, No,
damn it, I’m not okay! Rubbing the soreness from her knuckles, she studied
his expression. He was pissed—at her. Her! How could the stupid jerk make this
her fault?
“You let me sit here with Gabriel, and there was a
bank robber only a few feet away.” She shot up from her seat and shoved him in
the chest. He didn’t move an inch. “Am I okay? No, I’m not anywhere near okay.
What the hell is wrong with you, McNeil?”
“Me? That’s rich. I did everything but drag you out by
the hair. How dense can one person be?”
Mac’s conversation began to filter back across her
mind. It didn’t make any sense in the moment, but now it all seemed to fit
perfectly. Shit!
The man always ruffled her every nerve. She was just
too tired, too stressed to give what he was saying even a momentary thought.
He’d tried to warn her and she missed every clue. The panic and fear began to
seep under her skin. God, Gabriel.
“Where is my son?”
Mac placed a hand on her shoulder. “Relax. Gabriel’s
fine. He’s with one of my agents.” He reached for her hand, easing her fingers
out of a fist. The middle finger hurt the most. He rubbed his thumb and
forefinger over the swollen joints. “Doesn’t feel like you broke any bones.” He
lifted her chin and studied her neck. “This is going to hurt for a few days.”
“I remember. Rico wasn’t exactly easy on me in
training.”
The intensity of his stare made her want to lower her
eyes, break their connection, but that would be backing down. She would never
allow Mac McNeil to get the upper hand. “If we’re done, I would like to see my
son.”
“He’s right behind you.”
She turned and let out a noisy sigh. A woman held
Gabriel in her arms. Tears streaked his soft cheeks, but he was fine. “Oh
Gabriel,” she said, reaching for the one person on the planet she loved
unconditionally. She moved her hand over his small body. “Are you okay?”
“I threw up.”
“I know, but I bet your tummy feels better.”
“Can I have a sick Popsicle?” He lowered his head to
her shoulder.
“As soon as we get home.”
A man dressed in a gray suit approached with her bag
in his hand. “So sorry for what just happened. Are you okay?”
Lexie nodded her thanks, heaving the bag over her free
shoulder. “I’m fine. I just need to get my son home.”
“Mrs. Trevena, I’m the loan officer, Carl Greene.” He
led her toward the window. “We can arrange another time to come in and discuss
your―”
“What about my loan?”
His expression softened as concern entered his eyes.
“If you will allow the trust fund as collateral—”
“No. The trust fund goes untouched. Do I qualify on my
salary?”
He shook his head, and Lexie’s heart dropped. Brad
Winston had emailed her last week for the first time in two years. Gabriel’s
birth mother wanted to meet. She was probably overreacting, but if the woman
decided she wanted her son, Lexie needed to know what she had at her disposal
to fight back.
The answer to the question that kept her up nights was
the worst possible news: She had nothing. With tears blurring her vision, she
said a quick thank you before heading toward the exit. Gabriel’s small arms
wrapped securely around her neck anchored her emotions and kept her from
breaking down.
“Lexie, wait a sec,” Mac said, crossing the foyer.
“Do you need me to give a statement?” she asked.
“What just happened?”
“Nothing.”
He raked his eyes over her and then shot a stare back
at the loan officer. “Don’t lie to me. That wasn’t nothing.”
“It’s none of your business. I need to get Gabriel
home.”
“I’ll see you to your car.”
“I can walk to my own car, McNeil.”
“And I’ll walk with you, Trevena.”
The heat of the afternoon hit Lexie the moment she
stepped onto the sidewalk, but unlike most people, she enjoyed it. If she were
alone, she would lift her face into the sun and allow its warmth to calm her.
With Mac at her heels, taking a relaxing moment was out of the question.
Clicking the key fob, she opened Gabriel’s side of the car and set her purse on
the floorboard.
“Let me take Gabriel,” Mac said right behind her.
“I’m quite capable of putting my son in his car seat.”
She set Gabriel down, pulled his seatbelt over his head, and clipped it in
place. She pressed her lips on the boy’s forehead and said, “We’ll be home in a
few minutes, and I’ll get you all cleaned up.” After shutting the door, she
planted a smile on her face.
“Thanks for seeing me to my car.”
Mac leaned against the driver’s door with his hands in
his pockets. There was something different in his eyes—not anger, but
disappointment. She failed somehow, and if possible, that look hurt more than
the anger.
He broke their connection, shielding his emotions.
“Lexie, do you need money?”
She hugged her elbows. “No, I’m fine.”
“If you need—”
“Mac, I’m not taking money from you. Will you please
drop it?”
Hardness formed in his expression as he straightened
his frame. Time seemed to slow, and the tension between them thickened and
intensified. God, he made her so nervous, and if she didn’t get the hell out of
there, the tears she had been keeping back were going to break wide open.
A huge part of her wanted to unload everything, the
fear and desperation she felt the moment she opened the email from Brad
Winston, but she kept quiet. Sometimes pride meant carrying a heavy burden. She
couldn’t show weakness, especially in front of this man.
Mac reached for the handle and opened her door. Still,
she needed to say something to him. “I’m not usually that clueless. I should
have picked up on what you were trying to do.”
A smile touched his lips. “You had your mind on a few
other things.”
Hell, the damn man could change from being an
irritating jerk to a perfect gentleman on a dime. He was actually trying to be
nice to her.
Mac reached for her hand and Lexie stilled as his
warmth spread through her. His thumb caressed the tender skin in the center of
her palm, and with each pass, a dormant sensation came alive. He didn’t move
an inch, and she could have sworn neither did she, but before she could place
space between them, Mac lowered his head and their lips touched.
Undefined emotions spiked through her every cell as he
deepened the kiss. Mac touched only the tips of her fingers and her lips, but
it was as if their bodies were interlocked. Need she had not felt in years
overwhelmed her. She took what her body demanded until one reasonable thought
surfaced.
This was Mac McNeil she was kissing as the damn FBI
swarmed around them. She could easily lose herself in him; the sensations he
dredged up were so strong. But Lexie had been down this particular road before.
It wasn’t a place she would ever go back to. There was too much at stake for
her to involve herself in another meaningless relationship.
Lexie turned her head and broke their connection. She
took a step back, bumping into the door frame. “I can’t … we can’t―”
He didn’t argue with her and even placed more distance
between them, which allowed her to drop into the driver’s seat. She took her
time adjusting her seat belt across her chest and placing the key in the ignition.
As soon as she was settled, she reached for the door, but Mac shut it gently.
When Lexie began to back out of the slot, he tapped on the windshield. Placing
the car in park, she lowered the window and made herself look him in the eye.
“This isn’t over, Lexie.”
His words came out hoarse, sexy as hell, but they hit
her like a threat. There wasn’t anything left in her to argue with him.
Instead, she took the chicken way out and drove out of the lot. His
intoxicating herbal scent clung to her, as did the feel and taste of him. It
was going to be a long time before she got that kiss out of her system. It
wasn’t until she reached the next block that her response formed in her head.
Like hell, it isn't.
~ ~ ~
That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed the read. All 5 books will keep you on the edge of your seat, but what a fun time you will have.
Until next time, be safe and please be kind to one another.
Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks
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