It claims that I had oriented my entire life around one goal: vengeance against the Hawthornes. I blamed them for my parents’ incarceration. I intended to carry out the scam that my parents never could, bleeding every possible cent from the Hawthornes.
And that I was going to use their son Liam to do it.
So this must be it. This must be Miranda’s plan, I think numbly, turning over the pages in my hand. But why? Why would she do this to me?
My fingers are shaking violently when I reach for my phone. Miranda answers almost immediately.
“I was waiting for you to call. Sleep in this morning, did we?” she says in that smarmy tone of hers.
“My face is in the paper, Miranda! You burned me!” I burst out, rushing back to the safety of my hotel room. The women at the front desk stare as I pass. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Look, don’t take it personally,” she says matter-of-factly. “You weren’t holding up your end of the deal, so I needed you out of the way so I could finish the job.”
“Not holding up my end of the deal?” I repeat hotly. “I was the one gathering information. I was the one doing all of the leg work.”
“See, that’s exactly the problem—you just don’t understand how this works, even though I’ve explained it to you a hundred times. It’s not about ‘gathering information,’ it’s about action,” Miranda says. “You lost sight of your goal. You let your feelings for this guy cloud your vision.”
“That’s not true,” I argue. “I still want to see the Hawthornes go down.”
“But when? How? What was your brilliant plan, April?” It’s clear from her tone that she knows I don’t have an answer.
“Well…I’m working out the details,” I admit uncomfortably.
“Uh-huh,” she replies in an I-told-you-so voice.
“But, Miranda, Liam just started opening up to me yesterday,” I say. “He was finally starting to trust me, to give me information that I could use against his parents. This was working. I could feel it in my gut. It was only a matter of time.”
“Are we talking weeks or months?” she retorts. “Not all of us have the luxury of that kind of time, April. I told you that we were on a strict schedule here.”
“And so how are you going to finish the job, then?” I challenge. My voice quavers. “Liam knows you as Sophia’s friend. If you show your face around him, he’s going to know you’re a liar. When you exposed me, you ruined your own cover.”
“Wrong again,” she snaps. “April Morrison’s been using a false name since she was eighteen years old—didn’t you read the article? Carol Guyette has no idea that her former friend has such a sordid history. Believe me, it will give her and Liam plenty to talk about.”
There’s a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. She really does have everything figured out.
Almost everything. “You’ve made a mistake,” I tell her. “This thing with the Hawthornes goes way deeper than we realized. They have an employer. The Hawthornes have an employer—can you imagine how much money they’d have? Don’t you think it was worth looking into them?” Of course, I’m not actually interested in a heftier jackpot—only vengeance—but I’m just trying to speak her language.
“I’m not interested in dismantling some grand rich-criminal network, April. I’m just interested in getting some quick cash,” Miranda says. She pauses, then adds thoughtfully: “And maybe a jet.”
And then she hangs up.
I stare at the phone in stunned disbelief. The screen suddenly lights up again—a text message. I bring it closer, expecting it to be Miranda with one final parting jab.
But it’s not her.
It’s Liam.
Come right now, the message reads. We need to talk.
Stay tuned for the next title in the Hush Hush series:
Hush Hush #3
Coming June 4, 2015 - Pre-Order Now
The illusion has shattered, and April finds herself struggling to pick up the pieces.
The connection she and Liam shared was magnetic, but will it be enough to overcome her betrayal? She's willing to do anything to earn back his trust. Even if he pushes her to the limit. Even if he makes her beg for it.
Meanwhile, April must find a way to deal with her loose-cannon cousin, once and for all. And when an old enemy is unexpectedly released from prison, April learns for the first time what it's like to be the target of revenge.
Buy Hush Hush #3 for a special pre-order discount!
US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V3LWDWS/
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V3LWDWS
Meeting the New Mrs. Winters: A Short Story
Coming April 23, 2015 - Pre-Order Now
From the author of the Hush Hush series comes an erotic noir. This standalone, 15,000-word short story involves peeping through keyholes and a dangerous menage, and is intended for mature audiences.
When widowed shipping heir Nicholas Winters unexpectedly brings home a new wife, the household staff isn't quite sure what to make of her. Compared to the kind-hearted late Mrs. Winters, the second wife is intimidating, aloof, and coldly seductive.
Stranger still, with her button nose and dark hair, she bears an uncanny resemblance to Inna Malinov, the fugitive black widow causing a media sensation for leaving behind a trail of murdered millionaire husbands across the country.
Sadie, the fresh-faced housekeeping assistant, knows she ought to keep her head down and focus on her work. But she is drawn to the mystery of the new Mrs. Winters, and it's difficult not to stare as the new mistress of the house wanders the corridors in little more than a nightie.
When Sadie hears the chorus of moans rising from her handsome employer's bedroom one evening, the temptation to sneak a peek through the keyhole is too powerful to resist. After all, Mr. Winters might be in danger. And as long as Sadie can contain herself and keep quiet, what's the harm?
Pre-order Meeting the New Mrs. Winters today!
US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VF1NZFA
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VF1NZFA
About the Author
Anneliese Vandell isn’t the kind of woman you want to bring home to your mother. She specializes in writing steamy erotic romance with a twist of suspense, starring alpha males who are handsome, commanding, and fiercely protective of the women they love. When she is not writing, she can most likely be found searching for the perfect New York bagel.
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