by Gem Sivad
Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Sable Hunter. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Hell Yeah! remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Sable Hunter, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
Taboo Frequency
Hell Yeah! Equalizer KW World
When ultimate impulse collides with maximum control…
It’s all about taking charge. Luke Danvers has his future planned to the nth degree—until he steps on an IED in Afghanistan. Bitter, angry, and emotionally adrift, he returns to the States, ready to spend the rest of his life pissed off at the world.
Kiley Endicott has never been a poster child for moderation. Married and widowed young, she’s raising twins on her own. Since impulse has always ruled her life, it’s not easy being a sedate parent under the critically watchful eye of her family.
A Friday night lapse in sanity, leads Kiley to a hook up with Luke Danvers. Even in the cab of a truck, he’s an awesome lover. She wants more. But she’s got to be circumspect, nobody can know.
Luke hasn’t had fun in—forever. But he can’t stop grinning after he meets Kiley Endicott. It’s more than her being a totally uninhibited lover, but God knows he can’t get enough of that either. She makes him laugh.
She says nobody can know. Okay, he’s trained in stealth. He sets up a call system, a taboo frequency, guaranteeing her twenty four hour access in every way. But he’s not just waiting for their secret meets. He’s planning a siege.
COPYRIGHT
This ebook is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only and may not be sold, shared, or given away.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Taboo Frequency
Copyright © 2016 by Gem Sivad
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
No part of this publication may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews. Manufactured in the United States of America.
Published by Gem Sivad, LLC
Editor:
Cover Design: Kristian Norris
Sivad, Gem (11-08-2016). (Smoke, Inc.)
Gem Sivad LLC.
Acknowledgements
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sable Hunter for inviting me to play in her Hell Yeah! Kindle World. Since I’m a Hell Yeah! fan, especially of Micah Wolfe, I couldn’t resist visiting the Equalizers.
Thanks also go to editor, V.N. Johnson for pointing out plot problems and helping me develop Kiley and Luke’s story.
As usual, Cover Designer Kristian Norris nailed the look I wanted. Thank you for giving me Taboo Frequency’s beautiful cover, Kris.
And last, but certainly not least, thank you family. Without you the stories end.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
A Note from the Author
More Books by Gem
Prologue
January, Austin, Texas
Starkly alone, though he stood among a cluster of homeless men huddled under the Angel House sign, Luke Danvers stared at the ground, waiting for the shelter to open. The air had turned cold earlier in the day, and a lot of people were looking for a space inside for the night.
After he’d checked out of the VA hospital, he remembered withdrawing cash from an ATM, then visiting a blur of bars, none of which he could name.
His wallet and phone were missing along with the money. Pain throbbed in his skull. He touched the back of his head and discovered dried blood covering a sizeable lump.
He figured he’d run out of money and drinking buddies about the same time. Maybe one of them had decided to drink alone on Luke’s dime. He probably needed to report things, but he didn’t care enough about any of it to make the motions.
His stomach growled, surprising him. It had been a while since he’d felt hungry.
Booze must be wearing off. He fumbled for the flask in his jacket, coming away empty.
Dammit. Where the hell is… Losing his liquor bothered him a lot more than losing his wallet. He pondered that, knowing it was a significant marker on his slide into hell.
I should drink to that. The day I didn’t give a shit about anything anymore. While he contemplated the disintegration of his character, a fancy Dodge Challenger roared up to the shelter.
A moment before, Luke had severed all ties to giving a damn about anything. But when a familiar figure stepped from the car, he shuddered.
Shit. That’s Micah Wolfe. Can’t let him see me like this. Shame cut through the former Master Sergeant and he turned away so fast he swayed, almost going down.
Mother of God, don’t let me fall now. Food and shelter forgotten, Luke fled. No way could the friend he’d fought shoulder to shoulder with in combat see the derelict Luke had become.
Chapter One
Pittsburgh, PA, three months later…
Damn, damn, damn. Luke’s frown changed to a full scowl as he paused at the exit to pull on his jacket. While he’d been in the VA Hospital, the day’s overcast skies had segued from gloom to icy rain, making it a wet, slippery night.
“Would you like some company, Master Sergeant Danvers?”
The soft voice asking the question didn’t startle him. Melissa’s perfume had announced her long before she arrived.
Not turning to look, he used his key fob to remote start his truck and kept staring outside. He didn’t need to look at Donnie’s woman. Before Luke had split with his ex, they’d partied with Melissa and Donnie.
A lot had changed since then. His marriage was history, Donnie was screwed up beyond repair, and Melissa was offering her shoulder to cry on and maybe a pity fuck. He finished shrugging into his coat and met her gaze.
“Nope, I’m good.”
Her cheeks pinked-up making her skin glow. At the same time, he inhaled her flowery female scent and his groin tightened, suggesting he might have been too quick in dismissing her offer.
“Take care, Mel.” Luke left the building before he could change his mind. Having no desire to fall on his ass and break his good leg, he made slow work of crossing the icy parking lot to his truck.
Once inside, he sat in the cab with the engine idling, not ready yet to start the long drive to the empty house he now called home. When he’d bought the buildings and acreage, he’d had a plan. Same with the truck.
Yeah right. You had a plan. His leg ached and he reached down to rub the phantom limb touching the artificial replacement instead. It filled out the leg of his jeans and he didn’t limp much anymore. That didn’t stop a surge of rage from clawing at his throat.
“Shit.” He sat a while longer, reeling in his anger and tucking it away in the steel locked box of his resolve. But he wasn’t ready to carry all that resolve home to an empty house. Besides, he had an invitation of sorts to a party.
He’d found a missed call and message on his phone, right before he
’d gone into the VA hospital. “Hey, Luke. Stop by if you have time, Friday. Micah will be at my place.”
If I have time. He snorted in disgust. All he had was time. He’d seen Micah in Austin, and not wanting to shame himself in front of a friend, he’d moved away from Texas.
Luke definitely hadn’t joined the local social club upon taking possession of his farmhouse. But, having served with Blake in Afghanistan, he’d made a courtesy call when he moved close enough to claim Doug as a neighbor.
Since then, Luke considered his life improved. The land he owned wasn’t much. And his social skills were still a work in progress. Though he still wasn’t the man he needed to be, he was better now than the drunk he’d been turning into in Austin.
Most of the time he still walked around feeling hollow inside. Like he wasn’t quite real. Recently, he’d been thinking about getting cozy again with a bottle of Jack. He licked his lips, almost tasting it. He could turn right and have a glass in his hand in five minutes. Former demolition expert, Church Elliot owned Church’s Bar & Grill just up the road.
Nope. Not tonight. Maybe it was time he said hello to a different old friend. Luke put his F150 in gear and drove out of the now slick parking lot. Turning toward I-79 South, he headed out of Pittsburg, toward Waynesburg and Doug Blake’s house in the country.
Even if his GPS locator had failed, he couldn’t have missed it. A huge basket spilling colored eggs decorated the lawn and a giant rabbit held a sign that said Blake’s Place.
Music, a blinking neon light, and a pointing arrow, all indicated he’d find the party out back.
That’s dance music. Shit. He’d been planning on sports, talk, and TV. He slowed the truck to a crawl.
I should go on home. The front door swung open and bodies spilled outside. A familiar shit-eating grin swung Luke’s way and got bigger when he locked gazes with its owner.
“Bout time you got here, Danvers,” Micah Wolfe drawled. “Park it and come out back.”
Nobody seemed to care that the earlier rain had drenched things. Or that bonfires were for fall.
Blankets covered the improvised seats, ringing the crackling firepit. For the next half hour or so, Luke sat on a bale of straw, and listened to Micah and Madison stories as Micah repeatedly checked his watch. The conversation ended when it was time for him to catch his plane to Austin.
“You’re lookin’ real good, Luke. Sorry I’ve got to cut this short. Stay in touch.”
After Micah left, Luke kept his seat on the bale of straw, his hat brim pulled low enough to shield his eyes, hiding his interest from the others as he studied the woman sitting across the fire.
He knew he knew her, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember how. She looked familiar but not one of the local women he’d encountered. Nor did she seem like someone he’d met during a foray at the nearby VA Hospital.
Her expression remained guarded, though she smiled and did the female chitchat thing with the other women. She hadn’t responded when one of Doug’s buddies sat next to her and attempted conversation. When she hadn’t appeared interested in a hook up, the guy moved on.
Luke’s gaze wandered past her and paused on Doug’s wife. Then he shifted back to the mystery woman.
“Marcie, I didn’t know you had a sister,” he called across the fire.
“Most people don’t think they look anything alike. How did you know?” Doug slung a possessive arm around his wife’s shoulders as though Luke might be planning to snatch her away.
“The shape of the nose and eyes are the same,” Luke answered, ignoring Doug’s paranoia.
I’d probably be a possessive sonofabitch if she was mine, too. Luke settled his gaze on Doug’s sister-in-law.
“She’s my twin, not just my sister,” Marcie admitted and grinned.
“She is sitting right here and she is not deaf and dumb.” Marcie’s sister stood, circled the fire, and held out her hand. “I’m Kiley Endicott, nice to meet you… again.”
“Hard to believe you’re twins,” he answered, taking her hand and liking the way it fit in his big paw. He felt like maybe he’d missed part of the conversation when she continued standing above him so that he had to tilt his head to meet her gaze. Then he realized he hadn’t released her hand.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, dropping it. “I’m Luke Danvers, nice to meet you since I don’t recall being formally introduced before. There’s room on the blanket if you want to share.”
“Do you mind if I sit next to you?” Well that question shocked the shit out of him. She actually wanted to know his preference. He scooted sideways making room before she changed her mind.
She sat, not touching, but close enough for him to feel her body heat. He rubbed his jaw, wishing he’d taken time to trim his beard before his VA visit today. Parts of him began to thaw and his brain returned to the certainty that he’d met her before.
He’d never been accused of being couth, so he didn’t pretend. He turned, focusing all his attention on her face. Not that he hadn’t already catalogued her lithe build, long legs, perfect ass, and beneath her pink sweatshirt, nicely rounded breasts. She was a damn fine looking lady. More than likely a soccer mom. Since Luke hadn’t seen her attached to a soccer dad, he enjoyed the view.
She’d pushed a pair of sunglasses up on her head and they served as a headband, holding back a swath of thick, curling, golden brown hair. Hair he’d like to run his hands through. Arched brows, high cheekbones, straight nose with a sprinkle of freckles, beautiful mouth…
Luke’s gaze stalled on the full, lower, bitable lip. He’d never met this woman before, and yet he had. He tipped his hat back, squinting as he studied her closer.
“Still don’t remember me, huh?” She flashed him that sly grin that looked so familiar, teasing his memory until it hit him.
“Well I’ll be damned. You’re Evan Endicott’s blue-haired girl.” And then all the links connected and a flush crawled up his neck. The first and only time he’d met Endicott’s woman, Luke had been knee-deep in a first class fuck-up with his former wife.
His re-up date had arrived and he’d decided to stay stateside and settle down. Unfortunately, his un-enlistment party was going strong before he’d bothered telling Shelley what they were celebrating. With whiskey in hand, he’d held her close and toasted the occasion.
“Here’s to two point five kids, a beautiful wife, a spotted dog, and a little patch of ground.”
She’d smiled up at him serenely. She’d heard that toast so many times, he’d been sure that she didn’t believe it and proud that this time he had something concrete to throw in with the words.
“I signed the papers on that property I told you about. Now, all we need is a dog and we can start on the kids.”
Seven years later, Luke still gritted his teeth, the memory making him feel like a fool all over again. Shelley had freaked, not caring at all if she was overheard.
The gist of her message had been plain enough. Him being gone on missions and her being left behind with his monthly allotment had suited her single lifestyle fine. Having a real marriage didn’t fit into the scheme of things.
“We don’t even know each other any longer. I don’t want children or a run-down farm in the middle of no-where. We have nothing in common but a last name and that’s easy enough to fix.” She’d meant it, too.
Endicott and wife had entered during Shelley’s tirade. The kid hadn’t seen combat duty, and innocence still marked his expression. His wife had appeared even younger.
Kiley Endicott had stood in the room, wearing assorted piercings and neon blue hair brushed up in a crazy Mohawk style. Balancing a toddler on each hip she’d looked like someone’s twelve year old baby sitter. But then she’d flashed him that sly grin, like she’d seen it all before. Even through Shelley’s rant, he’d registered the cynical smile.
It hadn’t taken Endicott long to drop off the keg he’d brought with him and leave with his family. Luke had felt ancient gazing after the young coup
le.
Shelley hadn’t lingered either, but the booze had been delivered, so Luke had gone ahead with the party. He didn’t remember much of it later because he’d mixed his shock with Jack Daniels. But he’d remembered Endicott’s wife.
He’d sobered up the next day and split the bank account with Shelley. He’d let her go without a fuss, and expedited the paper work so she could get a quick divorce. Then he’d put the fiasco of his marriage behind him and signed up for another tour in Afghanistan.
Might have been better to have skipped that last part. When he’d been in first tour battles, the enemy had been using mostly mortar fire and grenades. By the second tour, they’d come up with something everyone called IED’s— improvised explosive devices.
The incendiaries were nothing more than homemade booby traps. Whatever you called them, the other side had figured out that IED’s were easy, cheap and carried a hell of a kick, both physically and mentally. There wasn’t a man in his unit who hadn’t been scared shitless every step of the way.
Luke grimaced, flexing ghost muscles that ached in his non-existent lower leg. He’d had enough knee left for the surgeons to attach a prosthesis. Endicott hadn’t been so lucky when he stepped wrong.
Luke stared at the kid’s wife, now a sedate widow wearing light brown curls and no face jewelry.
“If it means anything, after all this time,” he drawled, looking at the new version of Endicott’s blue-haired girl. “My apologies for the public brawl.”
*
“Apology accepted,” Kiley answered. The fake smile she’d worn earlier for the sake of Marcie’s party, warmed a bit as she gazed at Luke Danvers. “I remember you as well.”