by Barb Shuler
Flashpoint
A Rescue Series Novella - Book Three
Barb Shuler
FLASHPOINT (Rescue Series Novella; Book 3)
© Copyright 2018 Barbara Shuler
Published by Barbara Shuler
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction that is recommended for anyone over 18 due to adult language, content and violence. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold 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 you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Cover Art: CJC Photography
Model: Daniel Rengering
Cover Design by: Madhat Books
Edited by: Mindy Seal & Emily Maynard
Formatted by: Tattered Quill Designs
This book is dedicated to the men and women in blue,
we thank you!
Also by Barb Shuler
Other Books by Barb Shuler
Shattered Lives Series
My Own Nightmare
Somewhere I Belong
Shatter Me Whole
Sparks Of Deception
Living In Your Hell
Edge of Danger
The Cowboy Way Series
Wrangled By Love
A Rescue Series Novella
A Marshall’s Courage
Her Savior
Primal Darkness
Harmony Duets
Finding Harmony
Through The Eyes Of Madness
(Co-written with KA Graham)
Shifting Shadows
Anthologies
Dirty Fairy Tales - What Big Teeth
The Parlour: All Access - Ultimate Control
Coloring Books
Shaded With Love: A coloring Book for a Cause Volume 5
Acknowledgments
To my team, my friends and beta readers (Kelly graham, Emily Maynard, Mindy Seal, Annie Anderson, Jade Lindaas) thank you all for your help and support. I always say this, and I mean it, without y’all, I’d not be able to do what I do.
To my fabulous cover designer, Shari J Ryan, thank you for making this cover scream, hot and sexy. :)
Even on your darkest day, the light shines.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
FLASHPOINT ~ PLAYLIST
Treachery - (A Rescue Series Novella; Book 4) Sneak Peek
About the Author
Prologue
“Go! Go! Go!”
The command blared through the headset as the the battering ram slammed against the hotel’s ballroom door. There were shouts from every side of the room.
“Get down!”
“Run, Harvey!”
Go! Go! Go!”
Men shouted as they invaded the room, guns drawn. The sound of gunshots echoed in the large room and tables crashed to the floor aspeople dove for cover. One woman fainted and another screamed. The bad guy shouted as he held his semi automatic at waist height. Bullets filled the room in a noisy spray.
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Rooster shouted. “This is ridiculous!”
I snorted.
I agreed with him, my head shaking as I stood up. Who picked this damn movie to watch? Didn’t they know you couldn’t watch this made for TV crap with a room full of cops? Let alone a room filled with retired Military men who were now cops. This stupid ass movie really wasn’t helping my bad mood. I needed to go shoot something. Or possibly hit someone. Maybe both. Sad thing is, violence like that always made me feel better.
“You know someone in Hollywood really needs to learn how to make a fucking movie that’s not complete crap.”
“Why didn’t we watch one of the Die Hards, or even one of the Lethal Weapons? At least they were mostly accurate. This fucking sucks.”
“Someone needs to tell them that’s not how a fucking SWAT team does shit. Who goes in with their muzzles towards the ceiling? What the hell were they smoking when the wrote this shit?” Kelly said, tossing a fist full of chips at the TV.
“Hey, asshole! Pick that shit up. This ain’t your fucking house,” I ground out. I mean, come on. Tantrums, much?
“That is bullshit. At least they got it somewhat right on NCIS, or even better, Criminal Minds. This crap here.. it’s just crap,” Preston said.
“Don’t forget Saw. Them boys moved like they had some skills in the third one.” We all looked at Tony.
I shook my head again as a chuckle escaped me. I moved out of the room, down my hall to the closet, and grabbed the vacuum cleaner. I came back into the room and dropped it a little too hard on the floor in front of Kelly.
“Dude!” he exclaimed.
I pointed to the floor. A few of the guys laughed as I raised a brow at him.
“Come on, asshole.”
“This is not a Frat House. Clean it up.” I walked away and moved back into my large kitchen. I hated messes. My OCD was not a fan of it, and they all knew it, so before I hauled off and hit him, I walked away. He was the newbie. I’d cut him some slack, this time. I needed to shake off this bad mood.
“You alright, man?” I looked up, lifted my chin at Hunter and shrugged.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“You still thinking about what happened with Kennedy?”
“I can’t get this girl off my mind. I fucked up bad, man. I still can’t believe I lost it like that. I’ve never been so mad, and out of it like that before.”
“She’ll come around, man. So you overreacted when you saw a man grab her ass. You lost your temper, acted like a total jackass-”
“I was there!” I snarled. My grip tightened on the bottle of water in my hand. The images of that asshole’s hand cupping her ass… I shook my head and tossed the bottle into the sink and stepped out the screen door. I moved to sit on the top step that would lead out of my house to the beach below.
“I think it’s time to leave, fellas. We appreciate your business. Please, come again.” I heard what Kennedy had said. Each word was soft, but held an air of authority. She slapped the ticket on their table and turned to move back to another table. The table of men just laughed and started talking loud. The asshole closest to her grabbed her by the ass and pulled her into him.
“Let go of me!” Kennedy hissed as she shoved back from the man. He gripped her tighter. No, not on my watch, motherfucker. I was up from my table before I knew what was happening. He had touched her inappropriately. He had touched what was mine. Dammit! I was ready to skin the fucker. My arm wrapped around Kennedy. I moved her out of the the way and planted my fist in the side of his face.
He cried out like a fucking girl a
s I hit him again. Blood fell from his now busted lip. My ring left an impression above the split. I smirked, and was ready to hit him again when one of the boys grabbed me and pulled me back.
“Max, stop!” Hunter said, getting right up in my face. “Chill, man.”
“Maximus!” I heard Jenn’s voice before I saw her.
My sister may be small, but she was scary as a demon when she was mad. She stormed over, pushed Hunter to the side, and was poking at my chest in two seconds flat. Her voice could have split glass. She was pissed and yelling at me to back off. She wasn’t the only one yelling at me. I looked up, trying to find Kennedy. Once I did, my gaze met hers, and I saw that she had tears in her eyes even as she glared at me.
“I had this under control, dammit. Max-” Kennedy trailed off, walked away and moved to the back of the restaurant.
I fought to get free of the hands that grabbed me when I started to move. Fuck that dude, I had to go get my girl. I hurried to follow after her. Outside the back door I found her pacing the alleyway and cursing me, in two languages. Maybe three.
I moved to her and took her by the elbow.
She swung around, facing me.
“I’m sorry. He touched-”
“Don’t! Don’t you dare try to defend that... that... what the hell is wrong with you? I told you.. God, Max, I told you. I told you flat out, I was not going to stand for this jealous neanderthal shit you boys like to pull on women. I won’t ever change my mind about that. I can’t. Not again.”
Without another word she walked away from me, without ever looking back. I wasn’t even allowed to explain my reaction. I loved her, that was why I had done that. Now I had done the one thing she asked me to never do. I had turned into her ex. With an about face, I put my fist into the wall closest to me. A growl of frustration filled the alleyway before I stalked off. I needed to calm down, before I went back inside and really beat the shit out of that fucking punk.
Pulling myself from that night’s memories, I knew what I had to do. I needed to figure out a way to get my girl back. Not to have her pissed to the point of violence.
Maybe I overreacted. It’s possible. Maybe, but then again, maybe not. I don’t share - no man with a lick of sense in his head would. No matter who the fucktard was.
She was mine, dammit.
I don’t know how long I sat out there, letting the breeze cool off my frazzled nerves. I was finally feeling calm and put together, but that changed quickly. The moment I heard Rooster call out, I was on my feet.
“Max, we got a call. Move your ass!”
“Sitrep?” I asked as I came in. I moved to the closet and pulled out my bag.
“Disturbance at the Magnolia.” I cursed as I moved out the door and toward my Jeep. We loaded up in various vehicles and hightailed it to the compound.
A disturbance at the Magnolia. Fuck! Had he gotten to her because I wasn’t there to stop him? Son of a bitch! This was why I had been there to keep her safe.
“Are the girls there?” I asked as I took a corner.
“Don’t know yet. It was called in by someone walking past. They heard gunfire and screaming.” I beat the palm of my hand against the steering wheel. I pushed the button on my handsfree and waited. It just rang and rang.
“Come on kid, answer the fucking phone,” I griped. The click of someone picking up made my heart stop. “Jenn?”
“Ma-max!” Her voice was muffled, but I heard the crack of emotion.
“Jesus, fuck. Where are you?” I asked as we pulled into the compound parking lot. “Jenn?” There was a brush of fabric against the phone, which cause my inner demon to come to the surface. If someone hurt my sister I would rip them to pieces with my bare hands. I flipped the handsfree to my bluetooth and popped it into my ear. “Jennifer, you answer me, dammit!”
“What’s going on?” Hunter asked as he followed us into the compound. The doors clicked shut behind us. I swiped my badge through the lock and we moved further into the building.
“Shit!”
“Max, Kennedy’s hurt. I can’t stop the bleeding.”
“What?” All I got was silence. As the guys and I hurried to get geared up, I tried to get more from my sister. “Jenn, kid, you gotta tell me. What the fuck is happening here?”
“She- Oh God, she saved me from him. He hit her. She hit a table. Her head is bleeding.”
“Jenn, where are you?” There was more rustling before I heard glass breaking in the background. Fuck! “Jennifer!” I hissed.
“Ma-Max.. Office…”
The line went dead and my heart stopped. What the hell had just happened? I grabbed my gun, strapped it around me and slammed the door to the gun cage. I didn’t slow, not even to check on my team, as I made my way to the bus. I knew they’d be right behind me anyway. We had to get there and get the girls, and anyone else in there, out.
I only prayed we made it to them in time.
1
Maximus
I always enjoyed family togetherness, but standing in the backyard of my sister’s house in the Florida heat for a barbecue thrown in honor of the Magnolia’s newest clients was... well, boring as fuck, to say the least. The Magnolia, the hotel and restaurant she and her best friend, Kennedy, owned together, was a local favorite. If you needed a quiet, intimate setting, they had it. If you needed a drink on Friday night with the gang, they could supply it. If you needed a meeting place that had great finger foods, they had you covered. It was the place to be.
The water front property had once belonged to our great grandfather, who in his passing, left it to our grandfather and so on. When the girls bought it, they had it gutted and started over. They gave it an inviting, old world charm with a modern flair, or at least that’s what they told me, I’m not one for decorating. Plus, their head Chef, Guillermo... let’s just say there wasn’t anything on or off that menu he couldn’t make perfectly for you.
“Why don’t you just go ask her out already?” Hunter said, interrupting my thoughts as he slapped me on the back.
I grunted out a quick ‘fuck off’, but the bastard stood there grinning at me.
“You know you want to. Y’all have been dancin’ ‘round each other for two years now. Just go up to her and say the words. Repeat after me. I, Maximus want to date you, Kennedy.”
“Fuck off, man. She’s off limits anyway. Jenn has already said so, on more than one occasion.”
“You know she’ll rip his balls off if he tried,” Rooster said, coming up to flank my left side. A stupid grin appeared on his face. I gave him a look and grunted. He was right, but fuck, man. I did want that girl, more than I should. Jenn would skin me if things went bad… my sister was tiny but scary.
“I think Jenn’s tune has changed on that front, a little bit anyway. You should man up and go ask Kennedy to dance or something,” Hunter said, then walked off in the direction of the girls. What? There was no way my sister would change her ‘no dating my friends’ rule.
My gaze went back to the girls. My sister and her best friend - the woman I couldn’t keep my eyes off of - were on the other side of the yard. Both of them were talking to the snotty ass rich fucker who kept popping up. Every chance he had he was in the girl’s faces.
Right now, each time they took a step back as if to leave, he moved closer to them. I had my eye on him - something rubbed me the wrong way about Thurgood Winston, the third. On one hand, he was a fucking pansy ass mothefucker. On the other, he was slicker than snot on a frog’s ass.
“Stop glaring at that prick. He’ll tell Captain Morris you’re harassing him again,” Kelly commented as he walked by.
Rooster chortled when I flipped the prick the bird. I didn’t care what he told Cap. I wasn’t doing a damn thing wrong here. It was my sister’s yard, and I could stare at the fucker if I wanted to. As my gaze went back to the scene before me I raised a brow. Hunter had moved closer to where the girls were, making a comment that had Turdgood, as we affectionately dubbed him, sneering and reaching fo
r Kennedy. Uh, fuck no, hands off my girl. I moved quickly around the pool and to the open part of the yard. The team flanked me quickly.
“Is there a reason you’re bothering my sister and touching my girl?” I ground out between clenched teeth.
I held my hand out and Kennedy took it without protest. Well, that was a first. Hunter had moved Jenn to stand slightly behind him. His fingers were gripping hers. I shook that off and looked back up at the Turd.
“I don’t see where it’s your concern whom I speak to. Ms. Callahan, and the lovely Ms. Walker, and I were discussing business,” Thurgood said, adjusting the lapels on his designer jacket. I rolled my eyes.
“It’s fine, Max. Turdgood was just leaving,” Jenn bit out.
Ah shit!
It took all I had in me to not laugh or show amusement at the use of the nickname. The others seemed to be having the same problem. The fact that his face turned different shades of red didn’t help any. I simply nodded because if I opened my mouth, I’d lose the battle I was fighting.
“It’s Thurgood, my dear Ms. Callahan.” He gave a grand smile that we all saw right through. The boys shifted on their feet as he moved to slide his hand into his jacket. We were ready to react, just in case. When it came back out he held out a foil tipped business card towards Jenn. She shook her head at him.