From Ashes to Flames
From Ice to Flames
From Smoke to Flames
Stand Alones
Secret Nights
For The Love of English
For The Love of My Sexy Geek
I’ll Be Waiting
The Men of Crestview Stand Alone Novels:
A Special Obsession
Chasing Vivi
Craving Midnight
The Edge Series Stand Alone Novels:
Edge of Disaster
Shattered Edge
Kissing Fire
The Tragic Duet Stand Alone Novels:
Tragically Flawed, Tragic 1
Tragic Desires, Tragic 2
The Hart Brothers Series:
Freeing Her, Book 1
Freeing Him, Book 2
Kestrel, Book 3
The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart
The Hart Brothers Series Boxset
Sabin, A Seven Novel
A Hart Brothers Novel Spin-off
YA/NA Clean Romance
The Guardians of Vesturon Series:
Survival
Resurrection
Determinant
reEmergent
Co-Authored Books
Cruel & Beautiful:
Cruel and Beautiful
A Mess of a Man
One Wrong Choice
A Beautiful Sin
The Wilde Players Dirty Romance Series:
Sidelined
Fastball
Hooked
Worth Every Risk—
A Wilde Players Spin-Off
Other Books
For Other Books by A.M. Hargrove visit
https://amhargrove.com/book/
Or
https://readerlinks.com/mybooks/1842
Adult Novels
The West Sisters Stand Alone Novels:
One Indecent Night
One Shameless Night
One Blissful Night
The West Brothers Stand Alone Novels:
From Ashes to Flames
From Ice to Flames
From Smoke to Flames
Stand Alones
Secret Nights
For The Love of English
For The Love of My Sexy Geek
I’ll Be Waiting
The Men of Crestview Stand Alone Novels:
A Special Obsession
Chasing Vivi
Craving Midnight
The Edge Series Stand Alone Novels:
Edge of Disaster
Shattered Edge
Kissing Fire
The Tragic Duet Stand Alone Novels:
Tragically Flawed, Tragic 1
Tragic Desires, Tragic 2
The Hart Brothers Series:
Freeing Her, Book 1
Freeing Him, Book 2
Kestrel, Book 3
The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart
The Hart Brothers Series Boxset
Sabin, A Seven Novel
A Hart Brothers Novel Spin-off
YA/NA Clean Romance
The Guardians of Vesturon Series:
Survival
Resurrection
Determinant
reEmergent
Co-Authored Books
Cruel & Beautiful:
Cruel and Beautiful
A Mess of a Man
One Wrong Choice
A Beautiful Sin
The Wilde Players Dirty Romance Series:
Sidelined
Fastball
Hooked
Worth Every Risk—
A Wilde Players Spin-Off
Acknowledgments
It really does take an army to make a book come to life. For this one I have so many people to thank, starting with my betas, Andrea Stafford, who guided me along with all the British slang and for her eagle eyes in spotting the final errors. Gah, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. And then there is Elisa Wang, my lovely Italian connection. Without your input on all things Italy, and their customs, I would’ve been an epic fail. Thanks for your brilliant input! And finally, thank you Diane Plourde, for not only beta reading, giving me suggestions to make Alessandro a better man, but for being my right hand in Hargrove’s Hangout and for running my ARC Team. MWAH to all of you ladies!
I’d also like to thank my book wifey, Terri E. Laine who always listens and gives me great feedback whenever I need it. She’s my partner in writing and many other things and I have no idea what I’d do without you. And Amy Jennings, I miss you and can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long and my heart is with you as these last months have not been the easiest for you. #GoldenGirls4Eva
Harloe Rae… you’ve been so inspirational on so many levels. I don’t know where to begin, but know that I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you to Maria @ Steamy Designs. This cover is one of my very favorites. You have outdone yourself on this one. Thank you for your talent and also for being such an awesome friend. Xoxo
Thank you, Nasha Lama, for my graphics and for taking care of posting them. You are also my perfect web site handler! Xoxo
Thank you to my editing team at My Brothers Editor. You ladies are so great—I can always depend on you to get the job done. And thank you Rosa @iScream Proofreading. I know when I send it to you, my baby is in capable hands.
Thank you Eric David Battershell and Parker Ramsay for creating such a gorgeous photo. It represented everything I needed for this cover.
Thanks to my amazing family. I love you beyond words. Coco can’t wait for her second to arrive!
Playlist
“Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” … U2
“Nothing More” … The Alternate Routes
“Landslide” … Fleetwood Mac
“Under Pressure” … Queen and David Bowie
“Gimme Shelter” … The Rolling Stones
“The Sound Of Falling In Love” … Matt Hires
“Everlong” … Foofighters
“Drive” … Incubus
“Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” … Green Day
“Dig” … Incubus
“Interstate Love Song” … Stone Temple Pilots
“With Or Without You” … U2
“All That I See” … The Alternate Routes
“Victorious” … Skillet
A Special Obsession
Published By AM Hargrove, LLC Up All Night Romance
UAN Publishing
Copyright © 2017 A.M. Hargrove
All rights reserved.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at [email protected]
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to peoples either living or deceased is purely coincidental. Names, places, and characters are figments of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.
Cover by Maria@SteamyDesigns
Photography by Wander Aguiar
Models: Zack Salaun and Bahar S.
Editing by Paige Smith and Meagan Burgad
This book is dedicated to those who took the first steps in standing up for and believing in themselves.
“The course of true love never did run smooth.”
-Shakespeare
Prologue
Special
The text had me scrambling to get out to L.A. I wasn’t sure what I’d find when I arrived, but she’d been my best friend since first grade, and we swore always to be there for each other, no matter what. I knew she’d been through every avenue to tame her ad
dictions, but the demon of drug abuse invaded her soul like the devil it was. None of the interventions had worked, and two years ago when I finally walked away, I’d been determined to stay out of her messy life of addiction. It had broken my heart worse than anything, but it was tough love, or that’s what they say.
Except life isn’t always what it seems. The old saying about walk a mile in my shoes nailed me right in the gut when I was caught off guard by her call a few weeks ago.
“I’m in trouble, Spesh.”
This was nothing new for Sasha. Drugs had caused her all kinds of trouble since we were teenaged girls.
“What kind?”
“The real bad kind.” Her voice shook, and it scared me something fierce.
“Sasha, you talking the kind where you need to get help again? Like the hospital kind? Because you know I don’t have much money to spare since I just opened the bar.”
“I wish. I don’t need your money. It’s way worse than what you’re thinking. I did something really stupid this time.” She cleared her throat. Her voice had an edge to it I’d never heard before.
I scooted forward in my seat and asked, “What’s going on?”
“I…I—” There was a loud banging in the background. “I gotta go.”
“Sasha, wait.” It was too late. She’d hung up on me. Sighing, I stared at my phone for a full minute before getting back to work, but I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Something was up, and I questioned whether or not I should call her parents. Then I recalled what happened the last time I did. They told me never to mention her name again. Nix that idea. So I played the waiting game. One day turned into two, with at least a dozen of unanswered texts.
Finally after five days, she called again. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Sasha, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
“If I tell you, it could put you in a real bad place too.”
What the hell does that mean? I took a frustrated breath. “Do you want me to come out there and bring you home?”
“I’m scared. I think I’m gonna die.”
“Sash, don’t say that.”
“No, no, listen to me. I know you’re probably thinking I’m overreacting, Spesh, but I swear I’m not. I need you to do something for me. There’s this, this thing … if something happens to me.” Panic laced her voice.
“You’re talking crazy now.” I tried to calm her, but she kept insisting something terrible was going to happen. Only she wouldn’t give me any information and then she hung up.
Another week passed before I got an emergency text.
I need you to come here. Please! There are some things you need to know. My apartment. As soon as you can. Hurry!
And that was it. I tried to call, but her phone went straight to voicemail. I almost called the police, but something warned me not to. That was how I found myself running through LAX toward the rental car buses. I had to get to my best friend—the girl who I’d known as long as I could remember—to see what had gone so terribly wrong.
When I finally parked in the lot of her apartment complex, I checked my phone. I wanted to make sure this was it. My GPS directed me here, and even though it didn’t surprise me to see how seedy it was, I rubbed my arms as my skin itched with fear. My heart pounded out a rock-hard beat that traveled up to my cheekbones and almost made my teeth rattle. The sun had long since set, and it was more than a little creepy walking up the rusty metal steps leading to her second floor apartment. Wasn’t she scared living here? I damn sure would be.
When I got to her door, I held up my fist to knock, but one touch pushed the door open. It was pitch-dark inside, so I reached in and felt the wall next to the door, hunting for a light switch. When I flipped it on, the sight froze me in fear. Her apartment had been completely trashed. I didn’t get farther than the doorway, but everything in her tiny living area was in shambles. Broken pieces of furniture lay in scattered piles, and her couch had been ripped apart with the stuffing torn out. The scene was so frightening, I hightailed straight back to the car.
“Sasha, what in the hell did you do?” I murmured.
On a scale of zero to ten, my anxiety level was at one hundred.
About a couple of months back, Sasha had texted me a number to call in case anything happened to her. At the time, I thought she was overreacting; now I wasn’t so sure. The person who answered gave me explicit instructions. I was supposed to go directly to this individual’s home and not stop or speak to anyone. It was imperative I do exactly as she said. I was to monitor my rearview mirror to make sure no one was following me. If I thought I was being tailed, I was to continue driving until I reached a point of safety. When I finally made it to the destination safely, I could never have imagined in a million years what I was stepping into. Sasha could never have prepared me for this, for what awaited me, or for what I would gain in the process. I didn’t know whether to scream or to jump for joy. But I did know one thing. My life would never be the same again.
Chapter 1
Special—Three Years Later
Jeb leans over and asks, “Special, what are we gonna do about that one?” He gestures toward the corner booth, which holds the imposing figure of an extremely inebriated man. His head rests flat on the table, forehead planted firmly in place, and it’s obvious he’s not going anywhere, any time soon.
“Aw, fuck. Who kept serving him?” I ask.
“Josie. I think she was hoping … you know.” He waggles his thick brows.
“Dammit. I’m gonna have a talk with her. She keeps hoping with every guy who walks in this bar. This isn’t a damn whorehouse.”
Jeb chuckles. “Yeah, you better talk to her real quick then, ’cause her attire has been leaning more toward hooker than waitress lately.”
Running a hand over my sweaty hair, I shake my head in disgust. “The hell. I’ve been so busy, I honestly haven’t noticed. That bad, huh?”
“Spesh, I don’t know how she works in those damn shoes she wears. You’d think she was working the strip in Vegas.”
“Oh, God.” The groan I let out lasts for a minute. I’m frustrated because it’s difficult getting good help these days, and I’m working my ass off keeping this bar running. Not that I’m in financial trouble. It’s the opposite. Business has been fantastic, and that’s the problem. I need good, reliable staff, not the kind that are here to pick up men.
“Maybe you should cut back on the hours you serve food,” Jeb suggests.
“You know that’s where I make a ton. It’s a cash cow. When the customers have too much to drink and need some food to soak up the alcohol, they turn to the late night menu.”
“Yeah, but you’re running yourself ragged.”
“No, shit. That’s because I can’t seem to find solid help, besides you.” I check the time; it’s two forty-five in the morning. “Let me finish cleaning up back there,” I gesture toward the kitchen, “and then maybe that dumbass will rouse enough so we can order him an Uber or something.”
“All right. I’ll get the bar taken care of.”
When I’m done making the stainless steel in the kitchen gleam, I step back up front. Jeb is standing next to the booth where the dude is passed out.
“Any luck?” I ask, wiping my hands on my apron.
“Nope. But he’s not your average poor motherfucker, I can tell you that much.”
“What makes you say that?”
Jeb laughs. “Check out his watch.”
A brief inspection gives me no hints. “Okay. What about it?”
“It’s a Patek Philippe.”
“Aside from the fact I can’t pronounce it, what, is it like a Rolex or something?”
He laughs again. “Let’s say you could probably buy a dozen Rolexes for what he paid for that one.”
I shoot a look at Jeb. “And how would you know? You don’t even wear a watch.”
He shrugs. “I’ve always had a fascination for them, and the reason I don’t wear one i
s because I can’t afford the ones I want to own.”
Jeb is older, maybe in his late forties, though I’ve never asked. When I opened this place a few years ago, he came looking for a job and said he would be my most loyal employee. He’s been with me ever since and has lived up to his promise. I’ve learned a little about him, not a whole lot though, but maybe somewhere in his past he had money. He doesn’t have much now, or at least I don’t think he does. Jeb is a wealth of knowledge, from trivia to how to change the locks on the doors, and he looks out for me. I still can’t believe my luck in finding him.
He interrupts my musing and says, “But that’s not the only reason.”
“What else?”
He holds something up between his fingers and thumb. “Well, holy cow. Now I do know what that is.” It’s a black American Express. Imprinted on it is Weston M.C. Wyndham, V. “Yeah, this dude is definitely Mr. Money Bags. Did you check out his name? So what’s he doing in a place like this? Not that my place is a dive or anything.” And it’s not. But it’s not what you’d call a high-class club, either.
“Who knows? Maybe he decided to check it out for something different.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that. But most people have a drink or two. They don’t get completely plastered and pass out on the table.”
“True. So, what should we do?”
“Did you check him for a wallet or a driver’s license?”
The Best of Forevers Page 58