Cold & Deadly
Page 35
He looked at her. Taking in her pale skin, bloodless lips. He cupped her face in his hands. “You okay?”
She pushed the dark sunglasses she wore to the top of her head. Shadows underscored her hazel eyes. “Tired,” she admitted.
“Feel up to going to the wake?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
He wanted to put his hand around her shoulder or hug her waist, but the healing gunshot wounds made it impossible. He settled for squeezing her fingers.
“What I really want,” she leaned closer, looking at his mouth. “Is for my mother to go home so we can have some privacy.”
His lips twitched. “Privacy huh? I didn’t think you were up for that yet.”
He was kidding, but her pupils flared.
“We’re clever enough to figure something out.” Her smile was positively sinful.
He pulled her closer and rested his lips against her brow. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Dominic spotted Mallory waving to them, and they headed across the grass to meet her and Parker, who looked ready to head back to their newborn. Ava’s mom steamed ahead like the force of nature she was.
The smell of crushed grass rose up and teased old memories. For once the scent didn’t evoke grief and suffering. It reminded him of the power of love and also of how much love needed to be tended and nurtured.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Ava Kanas.”
She stopped and blinked at him with a shocked expression on her face. “Are you proposing to me in a graveyard, Dominic Sheridan?”
“I’m not proposing in a graveyard.” He turned towards her with a grin. “I’m telling you that I am going to propose to you, and you need to prepare yourself.”
“Prepare myself?” she quizzed.
“For being loved by me for the rest of my life.”
“Being loved by you is the best thing I’ve ever experienced.” Her hazel eyes grew large. “I don’t ever want to lose you.”
“You won’t, Ava.” But he knew what she meant. The way she’d lost her father and he’d lost his mother. The way Van had been taken from them. He gathered her fingers against his chest. “There are no guarantees about how long we get on this earth, but I do know that we carry the people we love in our hearts forever.”
He kissed her, and she melted against him with a soft sigh.
“It’s funny,” she said, pulling away and leading him towards where the Parkers and her mother were waiting for them. “Chasing criminals never really scared me, but being in a relationship, being part of a couple? That terrifies the hell out of me.”
“It used to scare me too, but not anymore.”
She glanced up at him. “What’s the secret?”
He held her gaze. “You are, Ava. You are.”
Then he looked up at the sky and knew it was true. Ava Kanas was worth the risk of heartbreak.
Read Toni Anderson’s A Cold Dark Place. Free at most online vendors.
Lindsey Keeble sang along to “Fun.” on the radio, trying to pretend she wasn’t freaked out by the dark. It was one in the morning and she hated driving this lonely stretch of highway between Greenville and Boden. Rain was threatening to turn to snow. The wind was gusting so forcefully that the tall trees looming high above her on the ridge made her swerve nervously toward the center line. The back tires slid on the asphalt and she slowed; no way did she want to wreck her precious little car.
She worked evenings at a gas station in Boden. It was quiet enough she usually got some studying done between customers. Tonight everyone and their dog were filling up ahead of a possible early winter storm. You’d think they’d never seen snow before.
A flash of red lights in her rearview had her heart squeezing. Dammit!
She hadn’t been speeding—she couldn’t afford a ticket and never drank alcohol. She signaled to pull over and stopped on the verge. Lindsey lived responsibly because she wanted a life bigger than her parochial hometown. She wasn’t some hillbilly. She wanted to travel and see the world—Paris, Greece, maybe the pyramids if the unrest settled down. She peered through the sleet drenched glass as a black SUV pulled in tight behind her.
A tall dark figure approached her vehicle. A cop’s gold shield tapped against the glass. Frigid damp air flooded the interior as she rolled down the window and she huddled into her jacket as rain spat at her.
“License and registration.” A low voice rumbled in that authoritative way cops had. He wore a dark slicker over black clothes. The gun on his hip glinted in the headlights of his vehicle. She didn’t recognize his face, but then she couldn’t really see his features with ice stinging her eyes.
“What’s this about?” Her teeth chattered. She found the documents in her glove box and purse, and handed them over. Her hands returned to grip the hard plastic of the steering wheel as she waited. “I wasn’t speeding.”
“There’s an alert out on a stolen red Neon so thought I’d check it out.”
“Well, this is my car and I’ve done nothing wrong.” She knew her rights. “You’ve got no reason to stop me.”
“You were driving erratically.” The voice got deeper and angrier. She winced. Never piss off a cop. “Plus, you’ve got a broken taillight. That gives me a reason.”
Lindsey’s worry was replaced by annoyance. She snapped off her seatbelt and applied the parking brake. She’d been shafted last year when another driver had sideswiped her in a parking lot and then claimed she’d been at fault to the insurers. “It was fine when I left for work this afternoon. I haven’t hit anything in the meantime.” Goddamn it.
“Go take a look.” The cop stood back. He had a nice face despite the hard mouth and even harder eyes. Maybe she could sweet talk him out of a ticket, not that she was real good at sweet talk. Her dad could fix the light in the morning but if she had to pay a ticket as well, every hour of work today would have been for nothing.
She pulled the hood of her slicker over her head and climbed out. The headlights of his SUV blinded her as she took a few steps. She shielded her gaze and frowned. “I don’t see anything—”
A surge of fire shot through her back. Pain exploded in a shockwave of screeching agony that overwhelmed her from the tips of her ears to the gaps between her toes. She’d never experienced anything like it. Sweat bloomed on her skin, clashing with sleet as she hit the tarmac. Rough hands grabbed her around the middle and hoisted her into the air. She couldn’t control her arms or legs. She was shifted onto a hip where something unyielding bit into her stomach. She fought the urge to vomit even as her brain whirled.
It took a moment to make sense of what was happening.
This man wasn’t a cop.
Still reeling from the stun gun, she couldn’t get enough purchase to kick him, but she flailed at his knees and tried to elbow him in the balls. It didn’t make any difference and she found herself dumped into the cold confines of the rear of his SUV. He zapped her again until her fillings felt like they were going to fall out and her bladder released.
The world tilted and she was on her front, face pressed into a dirty rubber mat, arms yanked behind her as something metal bit into one wrist, then the other. Handcuffs. Oh, God. She was handcuffed. A sharp pain ripped through her chest—if she didn’t calm down she was going to die of a heart attack.
A ripping sound rang out in the darkness. She was shoved onto her back, and a piece of duct tape slapped over her mouth. It tangled with her hair and was gonna hurt like a bitch when it came off.
Something told her that was the least of her worries.
There was no reason for him to kidnap her unless he was going to hurt her. Or kill her.
The realization made everything stop. Every movement. Every frantic breath. Her heart raced and bile burned her throat as she stared into those cold, pitiless eyes. With a grunt he slammed the trunk closed, plunging her into a vast and consuming darkness. Rain beat the metal around her like an ominous drum. She was scared of the dark. Sc
ared of monsters. Humiliated by the cold dampness between her legs. How could this have happened to her? One minute she was driving home, the next…
Where was her phone?
She rolled around, trying to feel it in her pockets. Shit. It was still in her purse in the passenger seat of her car. There was a crashing sound in the trees. She closed her eyes against the escalating panic. He’d gotten rid of her car. An elephant-sized lump threatened to choke her. She’d worked her ass off for that car, but finances and credit-ratings were moot if she didn’t survive this ordeal. This man was going to hurt her. She wriggled backward so her fingers could scrabble with the lock but there was nothing, and the panel above her head didn’t budge even when she kicked it. How dare he do this to me? How dare he treat her as if she was nothing? She wanted to fight and rail against the injustice but as the SUV started up she was immobilized by terror. All her life she’d fought to make things better, fought for a future and this man, this bastard, wanted to rip it all away from her. It wasn’t fair. There had to be a way out. There had to be a way to survive.
She didn’t want to die. She especially didn’t want to die in the dark with a stranger who had eyes as cold as death. Tears brimmed. It wasn’t fair. This wasn’t fair.
A Cold Dark Place (Book #1) available here.
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Cold Justice Series Overview
A Cold Dark Place (Book #1) FREE DOWNLOAD
Cold Pursuit (Book #2)
Cold Light of Day (Book #3)
Cold Fear (Book #4)
Cold In The Shadows (Book #5)
Cold Hearted (Book #6)
Cold Secrets (Book #7)
Cold Malice (Book #8)
A Cold Dark Promise (Book #9~A Wedding Novella)
Cold Blooded (Book #10)
COLD JUSTICE – CROSSFIRE
Cold & Deadly (Book #1)
Colder Than Sin (Book #2) Coming 2019
The Cold Justice Series books are also available as audiobooks narrated by Eric Dove, and in various box set compilations.
Check out all Toni’s books on her website (www.toniandersonauthor.com/books)
Other Books By Toni Anderson
THE BARKLEY SOUND SERIES
Dark Waters (Book #2)
Dangerous Waters (Book #1)
STAND-ALONE TITLES
The Killing Game
Edge of Survival
Storm Warning
Sea of Suspicion
‘HER’ ROMANTIC SUSPENSE SERIES
Her Risk To Take (Novella ~ Book #3)
Her Last Chance (Book #2)
Her Sanctuary (Book #1)
About the Author
Toni Anderson is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, RITA® finalist, science nerd, professional tourist, dog lover, gardener, mom. Originally from a small town in England, Toni studied Marine Biology at University of Liverpool (B.Sc.) and University of St. Andrews (Ph.D.) with the intention she’d never be far from the ocean. Well, that plan backfired and she ended up in the Canadian prairies with her biology professor husband, two kids, a rescue dog, and one chilled leopard gecko. Her greatest achievements are mastering the Tokyo subway, climbing Ben Lomond, snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, and surviving fourteen Winnipeg winters. She loves to travel for research purposes and was lucky enough to visit the Strategic Information and Operations Center inside FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2016, and she also got to shove another car off the road during pursuit training at the Writer’s Police Academy in Wisconsin. Watch out world!
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Useful Acronym Definitions For Toni’s Books
AG: Attorney General
ASAC: Assistant Special-Agent-in-Charge
ATF: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
BAU: Behavioral Analysis Unit
BOLO: Be on the Lookout
BUCAR: Bureau Car.
CIRG: Critical Incident Response Group
CMU: Crisis Management Unit
CN: Crisis Negotiator
CNU: Crisis Negotiation Unit
CODIS: Combined DNA Index System
CP: Command Post
DEA: Drug Enforcement Administration
DOB: Date of Birth
DOJ: Department of Justice
EMT: Emergency Medical Technician
ERT: Evidence Response Team
FOA: First-Office Assignment
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation
FO: Field Office
IC: Incident Commander
HRT: Hostage Rescue Team
HT: Hostage-Taker
LAPD: Los Angeles Police Department
LEO: Law Enforcement Officer
ME: Medical Examiner
MO: Modus Operandi
NAT: New Agent Trainee
NCIC: National Crime Information Center
NYFO: New York Field Office
OC: Organized Crime
OCU: Organized Crime Unit
OPR: Office of Professional Responsibility
POTUS: President of the United States
RA: Resident Agency
SA: Special Agent
SAC: Special Agent-in-Charge
SAS: Special Air Squadron (British Special Forces unit)
SIOC: Strategic Information & Operations
SSA: Supervisory Special Agent
SWAT: Special Weapons and Tactics
TC: Tactical Commander
TOD: Time of Death
UNSUB: Unknown Subject
ViCAP: Violent Criminal Apprehension Program
WFO: Washington Field Office
Acknowledgments
Despite my best efforts I seem to be getting slower at writing rather than faster. Sorry. Nothing I can do except keep cracking on and focus on producing the best book I’m capable of creating. Thanks for waiting! I have the world’s best readers and I appreciate you!
I shook things up a little with this story and took a sideways step within the FBI. Nothing drastic but enough that I wanted to create a spinoff to the original Cold Justice books. The reasoning will become more apparent in future books.
Thanks, as always, to Kathy Altman for being my critique partner/savior. We plotted car chases with her intimate knowledge of the area where the book is set. We also discussed donut shops. Now I need to visit because authenticity is key and even though no donut shops were used in this book, who knows what the next book will require? Huge thanks also to Carolyn Crane for the beta read—your enthusiasm buoyed me when I needed it most. And you were right, about everything. Thanks to Jocelyn Grant for creating the super Crossfire logo—you rock!
It takes a team to create and sell a book. Thanks to my cover designer and formatter for their hard work. Also, to Tara at Inkslingers PR for her supportive efforts and getting the word out. Credit to my editors, Deb Nemeth, Joan Turner at JRT Editing, and Alicia Dean, for helping me make the book the best it can be. I appreciate their sharp-eyed and clear-minded observations.
As always, I want to thank my husband for being hero inspiration, and for cooking dinner after a hard day at work when I’m too tired to even think about food. And my kids for being the best people in the world and for putting up with my vague, distracted crazy. Love you guys.
Cold & Deadly
Copyright © 2019 Toni Anderson
Kobo Edition
Cover desi
gn by LJ Anderson – Mayhem Cover Creations
Print ISBN-13: 9781988812113
Digital ISBN-13: 9781988812106
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
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