Desperate Measures (An Aspen Falls Novel)

by Melissa Pearl

  Miguel leaned against the kitchen counter. “The unit has sat empty for months now. Could probably use some TLC.”

  “Why?” Alex asked.

  “Why what?”

  “Why has it been empty?” The apartment they were standing in was attached to the clinic where Miguel worked. It occupied the back corner of the building and had its own separate entrance.

  “Because I don’t want to live here,” Miguel said simply. “I spend enough time here as it is. When I’m off for the night, I want to go home, not to the back of this building.”

  “Well?” A new voice spoke from the doorway.

  Cam was standing there, her hands on her hips. She walked toward them, the boot on her foot slowing her progress a little. “What do you think?”

  Alex surveyed the apartment one more time. The carpet was thin, the paint on the walls faded, and the kitchen appliances looked as though they’d last been updated in the 80s.

  Despite these things, though, he had to admit that it was pretty perfect. Red Lake was hours from Bentley, completely remote. The principles of his gang had been arrested, but even though most of the threat felt like it had been eliminated, he didn’t want to take chances by sticking too close to town.

  Red Lake was not close.

  Not by a long shot.

  He could stay there for a while and regroup. Getting to Bentley to testify would be doable.

  And Cam wouldn’t be too far away.

  She would have a reason to visit Red Lake. Two reasons, actually. Her brother and now him.

  Cam slipped her hand into his. “It’s perfect.”

  He nodded. “It really is.”

  She looked up at him, her dark eyes shining. “So you’ll stay here?”

  He hesitated.

  There were still so many things up in the air. A job, for one. He wasn’t sure he could go back to working for a police department. The trust simply wasn’t there. Cam had suggested he follow in the footsteps of a former Aspen Falls cop and become a private investigator. He hadn’t ruled that out completely, but he wasn’t ready to commit. He’d gone headfirst into law enforcement, treating it as a path out of somewhere rather than a road leading to a destination.

  He wanted to figure out just where he wanted to go.

  Cam cleared her throat and he knew she was waiting for an answer.

  His heart constricted as the truth hit him full force.

  She was his destination.

  He knew this as well as he knew the sky was blue.

  Cam had been the missing piece in his life.

  It didn’t matter what he did with his life, where he lived.

  All that mattered was that she was a part of it.

  “Dude,” Miguel said, breaking the silence. “I think she’s waiting for an answer.”

  Alex squeezed Cam’s hand, then pulled her against him, resting his cheek on her soft dark hair. “I’ll stay.”

  Her arm wrapped around his waist, a soft sound of approval coming out of her.

  And in his mind, he added a few more words.

  With you.

  Forever.

  THE END

  Dear Reader…

  Dear reader,

  I’m so happy that Cam and Alex found their way back to each other. They belong together and it’s going to be fun imagining their futures and how it will all work out for them.

  Next up is the final Aspen Falls Novel for 2018. And that story belongs to Kellan. The police chief has featured in every book so far and his story is a heart-wrenching one.

  His daughter disappeared ten years ago and that tragic event led to his wife walking out on him. Since then, Kellan has closed himself off to the idea of love and poured all his energy into work. But when a teenage girl is caught robbing his parents’ home, his life is thrown upside-down.

  The girl is a mystery, one he’s determined to solve. But to do that, he’ll need help…from one very attractive social worker.

  Can Kellan open up to Melina as they help this terrified girl? Or will an attack on his police station make him retreat even further into himself?

  Find out in DAYLIGHT ROBBERY—due for release in September 2018.

  If you want to be the first to hear about it, sign up for the newsletter. You’ll also be eligible for an early release discount, plus a free Melissa Pearl novel.

  Happy reading!

  xx

  Melissa & Anna

  Aspen Falls Novels

  All Aspen Falls Novels are available on Amazon.

  DEAD OF WINTER

  When Officer Blaine Hartford pulls over a distraught woman, he’s surprised to find his high school crush in the car. Old feelings are reignited as he tries to help her, but will she have the courage to tell him the truth…or are her secrets too ugly to share?

  DEAD SET

  Alaina is convinced her brother did not commit suicide, but no one will believe her. So, she hires a private investigator and the two soon find themselves caught in a dangerous game as the people desperate to keep the truth hidden will do anything to stop them.

  DARK HORSE

  When Sally’s life is endangered, Nate must overcome his fears from the past and do everything in his power to save the woman he loves. Filled with heart-wrenching romance and nail-biting tension.

  DIRE STRAITS

  Desperate to prove herself, Jessica will put everything on the line to help Jarrett find the truth. As the mystery unravels before them, they will soon realize that the fight is not just for themselves, but also for each other.

  Bonus Features

  Thank you for buying an early release copy of Desperate Measures.

  We’re really excited to share these bonus features with you.

  First up…

  MELISSA PEARL INTERVIEWS ANNA CRUISE

  1. What do you love about Aspen Falls?

  I love the interconnectedness of the town and its residents. There is something so comforting about writing (or picking up) a book where you can revisit familiar characters, even when they are no longer the “stars” of the story. I also love that the fictional town of Aspen Falls is set in Minnesota, which has been my home base for eleven years now. There are so many beautiful, magical things about this state and I was thrilled to be able to share some of that with readers around the world.

  2. What’s the inspiration behind Cam and Alex’s story?

  So, I’m big time into listening to podcasts. It’s one of the things I do when I walk my dog (who is very active and literally needs to walk 4-5 miles a day to not drive me insane). One of the podcasts I listen to is The Daily, which is the New York Times’ daily news podcast, and they recently did a weeklong series on the Baltimore police department. Around that same time, Reveal, another podcast, featured a similar story. And then, because I’m something of a newshound, I started searching out other stories about police corruption. I always knew that Cam’s story would revolve around a lost love and, after listening to those pods and doing some reading, the pieces just suddenly fit together.

  3. How do you see the rest of Cam and Alex’s story playing out? Where do you see them in 5 years time?

  I see them the way I see all the couples in my books: living their own happily ever after. That doesn’t mean there won’t be bumps along the way, of course, because there always are on the road of life, but I think they’ll weather those storms. As for five years from now…I don’t know. Maybe there’s a story there…

  4. Who is your favorite Aspen Falls character and what do you love about them?

  See the answer to Question #8

  5. Are there any Aspen Falls characters you’d like to write a story for?

  Oh, absolutely! If I have to pick just one, I would love to write a story about Miguel, Cam’s brother. He was one of those people who I needed from a plot standpoint but then quickly evolved into this dynamic, engaging character I desperately wanted to learn more about.

  6. One of the major themes in Desperate Measures is that idea of first love and
how powerful it is. Do you remember your first love?

  Oh my gosh, yes. But I think there are different kinds of first loves. There is first puppy love, when we’re young and giggly and noticing our crushes for the first time, and squealing when we decide that we’re “going out” together. And then there’s infatuation, which we often mistake for love, that is deeply passionate and that almost always ends up in disaster. And then there’s love. Real love. The kind of love that stands the test of time.

  7. Describe your favorite type of book boyfriend?

  I will always be drawn to flawed heroes. I want the guy who isn’t perfect. Maybe he’s made some bad decisions, maybe he doesn’t have a ton of money, maybe he’s directionless, maybe life has dealt him a raw hand. But what he does have is a good heart. So my book boyfriends look an awful lot like the men I write about, because those are the men I find most attractive.

  8. Who is your favorite character that you’ve ever written and what do you love most about them?

  That’s like asking me to name my favorite kid! I can’t do it. Creating characters is an awful lot like giving birth; they are part of me, in some small way, and I don’t think I could ever choose a favorite!

  9. One of my favorite books of yours is If I Fall. I love the realism of the story and how this vulnerable character gets caught up in the wrong kind of love before realizing what real love looks like. What do you think are some vital elements of real love?

  Real love looks different to every person. But these are the things that define real love for me.

  Trust – not just that you trust the person you’re with, but that you trust who you are when you’re with that person.

  Companionship – real love usually involves spending a lot of time together. Once the passion and desire isn’t at a 10 on the Richter scale, there needs to be something left to hold two people together. Real love means genuinely enjoying the company of the person you’re with.

  Humor – Life and love are not easy. Having a partner who can see the humor in things—and who can help you see it, too—is absolutely vital to me.

  Attraction – sure, physical attraction is important, but I find myself attracted to a person’s personality, and to their mind. I’m still genuinely fascinated by things my husband tells me, and the deepest, most meaningful conversations I have are always with him.

  Forgiveness – We all screw up in relationships. We say hurtful things, we behave badly, we make poor decisions. Being able to forgive, both your partner and yourself, is a vital component to real love. Because we’re human, and we all make mistakes.

  10. You’re giving away a copy of If I Fall because of its first love themes, is there anything you’d like readers to know about the book before they dive in?

  Meg’s story is really special to me because there are a lot of elements that relate back to my own time growing up in San Diego. Meg is not me, but there are certainly things I could relate to in the experiences she goes through. My intention in telling her story was to reflect on that difference between infatuation and real love, and how easy it is to get swept up in the moment. But it’s also about redemption, and how our mistakes don’t have to define us. I think teens especially feel as though life begins and ends with what is happening in this moment. I know I did, and Meg thinks this, too. But life goes on. We recover from our mistakes. As long as we let ourselves try.

  If you’d like to download this gift from Anna, just click the link below:

  GET YOUR FREE COPY OF “IF I FALL” HERE