Color of Danger
Page 20
Scent of Danger (Book 3)
To find her missing sister, small-town cop Maya Hutchinson risks her life by posing as her glamorous twin. Under escalating attacks, Maya accepts protection from dashing senator's son Connor McNamara. Cop turned PI, Connor McNamara has his own secret mission and is forced to choose between family loyalty and love. When the scent of danger draws near, will Connor and Maya survive long enough to forgive and accept each other?
Excerpt from the Next Book in the Series Taste of Danger
Chapter One
“I’d like to see your father,” the stranger said.
“What a coincidence. Me, too.” Soledad Sokolova leaned against the doorframe of her small home. She stared at six feet of hunk wrapped in leather pants and a jacket, not the best attire for a south Texas summer. The day in her boring life as a small-town librarian was shaping up to be an interesting one. “There’s a minor problem. He died before I was born.”
“Forgive me for not introducing myself. I’m James O’Hara, private investigator.” He flashed her a grin together with an ID and a Texas P.I. license. “I have reasons to believe he’s supposed to contact you today. Mind if I come in?”
“I’m Soledad Sokolova. But you probably already know that.” She folded her arms on her chest to cover a blue paint stain on her ragged T-shirt. She didn’t care for charming strangers with secret agendas. But her curiosity was piqued, and her palms were growing clammy with sweat, so she gestured for him to enter. They might as well have the conversation in a place with air conditioning.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sokolova.” O’Hara stepped inside.
The roar of a motor threatened to wake up the sleepy street, and seconds later, a motorcycle screeched to a halt in her driveway, fumes filling the air. Soledad’s eyes widened.
A heavyset biker ran to her porch, ripping off his helmet. “I’m your father,” he said with a slight Russian accent.
“And I’m Luke Skywalker.” She picked up her jaw from the ground.
The bearded biker didn’t look like the university professor Soledad’s mother had described him to be. But then, according to her mother, the professor had died before Soledad’s birth. This guy was very much alive.
A black van with tinted windows rushed down the street and slowed down opposite her place. The biker whirled around. A rifle came out of the car’s window. Soledad took in a sharp breath.
Dear Lord, please save us.
She tried to grab her alleged father’s hand to drag him into the house and lock the doors. Instead, he pushed her inside and slammed the door in her face.
“Stay inside!” he growled.
James O’Hara drew a gun and rushed past her. She winced from a door slammed in her face for the second time. Moments later, gunfire thundered in the air outside her home.