The Wrong Side of Dead
Page 27
“Good morning, Alexa. Great to see you. Are you staying at this hotel?” he asked.
A cute smile graced his lips, and his dark eyes held her in place as they usually did. His physical beauty always took her breath, especially when he stood near her like this. Beyond decency, she inched closer as if they were already lovers and playfully tugged at a button on his shirt. By the look on his face, her intimacy surprised him, but she loved teasing to keep him off-balance.
“Yes, but I’m only here for a few more days unfortunately. I’d love to see more of your city…and you.”
After being Garrett Wheeler’s lover, she’d learned how to please a man but had been obsessed by the idea of taking on a younger lover. And Seth Harper would be perfect. Sensitive. Expressive. Giving. And she had no doubt he’d be eager once she exposed him to her needs.
“What are you doing here, Seth?”
He told her something about having breakfast with a friend at the café and went on to polite conversation about Chicago, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off his full, sensual lips. She imagined them on her nipples, along with the warm sensation of his tongue. Her skin rippled with goose bumps, and her body flushed with heat. The faint pulse of her heart throbbed in her ear with a steady urgency as images of him flooded her mind.
Those lips probably tasted like—
Without thinking, she let her body react.
“Hold that thought.” She placed a finger to his lips, relishing the feel of them coupled with the blush of his skin. “There’s something I have to do. And I hope you’ll allow me.”
From having a confident and aggressive man like Garrett as a lover, she’d learned to take what she wanted. Life was too short to waste time with playing coy.
She tugged at his shirt to draw him closer—and kissed those irresistible lips. Surprised by her sudden move, he tensed his body. When she felt him pull away, her hands found the small of his back and his muscled shoulders. That was when Seth gave in—and let it happen.
At least, that’s how she chose to remember the moment.
Jess shoved through the hotel’s revolving glass door and into the lobby in time to witness Alexa locking lips with Harper. A two-by-four in the face would have hurt less. Her heart stopped midbeat. Jess had seen enough. She slipped behind a column to hide and leaned on it for strength with eyes shut tight. When she opened them again, she saw her own reflection in a window. A scarred face stared back. Her face. An unbending reminder of what everyone else saw when they looked at her.
And the image of Seth kissing Alexa had been seared into her memory. Salt in a very old wound.
Being faced with what she’d given up hit her hard. Seth Harper. Even if she felt confident enough to compete with someone like Alexa, it was too late. What appeared to be the “morning after,” the beautiful blonde had seduced Harper here at her hotel. And Seth wasn’t the kind of guy who crossed that line easily. If he had made love to Alexa, he’d apparently moved on with his life. And she had to respect that.
Jess knew she had no special hold over him. Hell, they’d only kissed once, and she’d been the one to pull away. She’d become a part of his past. And all of it happened after she’d given her worthless blessing to Alexa, as if she had the right to give the green light on Harper’s life…and heart. She had only herself to blame for how things had turned out.
If she hadn’t arrived when she did, she might have missed the whole encounter between Seth and Alexa. Would that have been better…the old ignorance-is-bliss routine? Not one to live in denial, Jess felt her gut twist with the agony of what she’d seen. She obviously had feelings for Seth, but in the harsh light of truth, he needed someone whole, someone undamaged, who could give him the stable kind of love he deserved.
Yet if he was moving on with his life, and she had claimed to be okay with that, then why did she ache all over?
She slipped through a side door of the hotel and headed back to her vehicle, but stopped when she got far enough away to use her cell phone. She placed a call, and when Alexa answered, it took a moment to find her voice.
“Hey…Alexa. It’s me.” A tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it aside and tried to sound casual. “Look, I gotta cancel our breakfast. Something’s come up. Rain check?”
“Yeah, but…” Alexa began.
“And I’ve been thinking,” Jess interrupted. “Can we bump up our flight to New York to tomorrow morning, first thing? I’m anxious to meet Garrett and hear what he’s got to say. I’m ready to…move on with things.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll rearrange his private charter. And I’ll call you when I have details. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow.” She ended the call, ignoring the noticeable concern in Alexa’s voice.
She had already made up her mind. If Garrett Wheeler proposed a reasonable job offer, she would accept it. Sticking around Chicago had lost its appeal.
“I gotta get out of this town.” Jess headed for the parking garage. “Time for a change in scenery.”
She needed a major distraction to get a guy like Seth Harper out of her mind. And if things worked out, Garrett and his secret organization of wealthy and influential vigilantes might hold the key to a much-needed change in her life—in more ways than one.
Compared to Alexa, Jess had a lot to learn when it came to the higher stakes of an international scene filled with savvy criminals who had impressive resources. And higher stakes meant she had to develop her “A” game to a level she didn’t have yet. She’d have to work hard to prove herself worthy of Alexa’s faith in her, no matter how many months it would take her to prepare.
In truth, Jess knew she wasn’t up to the job now. Yet with the combination punch of Garrett’s backing and her stubborn streak, she’d be ready to confront a clever and more dangerous adversary.
Jess took a deep breath and wiped another tear from her cheek—swearing she’d be more than ready.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
With each novel, an author learns more about the craft of writing. In the first book of my Sweet Justice series, Evil Without a Face, I worked on pacing and juggled multiple story lines with a diverse cast of characters. And a secondary character surprised me—Seth Harper, my quirky computer genius. I thought it would be fun to build on the mystery surrounding Harper’s back story without providing answers until this second book. So I hope you enjoy getting to know how Seth Harper’s life collides with the three strong women of this series: Jessie Beckett, Alexa Marlowe, and Sam Cooper. The Sweet Justice series wouldn’t be the same without the enigmatic Harper.
Other real-life “characters” made significant contributions, too, not the least of who were my two gnomeologists. As they say, gnome is where the heart is. And to answer all my many gnome-related questions, I brought in top experts in the field—award-winning author Jill Monroe and New York Times bestseller Gena Showalter.
Others helped, too. Special thanks to award-winning author Maggie Price (former police crime analyst and world traveler) for lending her expert feedback on police procedures. Mags, I swear you were hanging out in cyberspace waiting for me to ask a question. I appreciate your time and friendship. My dear friend and talented author Dana Taylor gave her insightful feedback. And thanks to my dementedly endearing friend Joe Collins, who gave his expertise in all things. I now consider him a God among men.
Retired Air Force Colonel Ed Torres traversed government bureaucracy with me when I had given thought to a different secondary plot in this book. In the end I had to scrap the excess pork, but I’m no less grateful for your time, Ed. You’re still in my circle. And for his questionable prowess in the kitchen, I have to give a shout-out to my friend Tom for reasons only he will know. (I didn’t share Tom’s last name, because in this instance anonymity is a good thing when it comes to salsa recipes.) And to my former co-workers at OGE Energy Resources in Oklahoma City—who thought they had to wait until hell froze over to be mentioned in one of my books—thanks for tolerating my strange humor
for years.
And to the usual suspects, I’d like to thank my husband and best friend, John, for his never-ending support, and my family for their generous tolerance. To my agent, Meredith Bernstein, you make me so thankful that we met. I love having you in my life. And to my editor, Lucia Macro, and everyone who contributed to this book from the amazing staff at Avon Books/HarperCollins—thanks for your creativity and unwavering professionalism. You made this collaboration a dream come true.
About the Author
Avon Books/HarperCollins launched JORDAN DANE’s debut suspense novels in a back-to-back publishing event in Spring 2008 after the three-book series sold in auction. Ripped from the headlines, Jordan’s gritty plots weave a tapestry of vivid settings, intrigue, and dark humor.
Publishers Weekly compared her intense pacing to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag—romantic suspense that “crosses over into plain thriller country.” Pursuing publication since 2003, this national bestselling and critically acclaimed author received awards in thirty-three national writing competitions. And recently, her debut novel, No One Heard Her Scream, was named Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of 2008 and Romantic Times magazine nominated No One Lives Forever as Best Intrigue Novel of 2008.
Formerly an energy sales manager in the oil and gas industry, she is now following her passion to write full time. Jordan and her husband share their residence with two cats of highborn lineage and the sweet memory of an impossible-to-forget canine.
For more, visit www.jordandane.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
By Jordan Dane
THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD
EVIL WITHOUT A FACE
NO ONE LIVES FOREVER
NO ONE LEFT TO TELL
NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD. Copyright © 2009 by Cosas Finas, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition September 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-196009-3
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