“And this is what you came up with? You’re insane!”
Jace pulled a nondescript lighter from his pocket. The tiny flame flickered in the cold air coming in through the open bay.
“These cars are already sold, Dayne. Don’t do this.”
She opened the truck door and climbed in. “Sorry Antonio, but sometimes you are your own worst enemy. I know I was. Maybe someday you’ll realize the same. Until then I’m clipping your wings. Consider it the price of my services on this last bullshit assignment.”
Jace threw the flame to the floor as he got into the truck and closed the door behind him.
Dayne put the big Chevy in gear and peeled rubber out of the bay as flames engulfed a workbench strewn with oily rags.
“Is he going to die in there?” Ryan asked, peering through the back window as smoke began pouring from the bay door.
“I hope not,” Dayne said, watching the same scene in her rearview mirror.
Jace’s big hand settled on hers where it rested on the center console. “The only thing I care about is what’s sitting in this truck.”
His hand was warm, and the feel of it was promising in a way she had never felt before. It was hard to believe that only a week before she’d been alone, with only her next payday to look forward to. Jace had been part of her past, and Dayne had been content to leave him there until she realized how much what he had to offer could enrich her life.
She laced her fingers with his and gave a gentle squeeze. “I think I know exactly what you mean, Jace.”
“So where are we going?” Ryan demanded, bouncing up and down.
“Back to your aunt’s house,” she deadpanned.
Alarm made his bright eyes pop wide open. “What? No! You promised!”
Jace rolled his eyes. “She’s kidding, Ryan. Get a grip.”
“Good,” Ryan said, appeased. “That means I don’t have to go to school anymore. I’m glad since I was flunking math.”
“Oh, hell no,” Jace muttered. “Why didn’t your aunt tell me you were flunking math?”
Ryan’s expression turned sheepish. “I sort of signed the letters my teacher sent her so she wouldn’t have to see them. I didn’t want you to be mad.”
“Ryan…” His voice deepened.
She couldn’t help it, she laughed.
“Don’t encourage him,” Jace admonished.
“I’m not going to shaft the kid for problem solving behavior. He’s clever.” She glanced at Ryan’s smug expression in her rearview mirror and shot Jace a sly smile. “Besides, as much as we’re going to be traveling. I’m thinking home school. So you can teach him math.”
“What? No way!”
Ryan’s howls mingled with Jace’s deep chuckle and Dayne’s own laughter to create beautiful music. It was a sound she could get used to, one that meant family. After all, with Jace by her side there was nothing she couldn’t face head on. And as far as she was concerned, that was the true meaning of love and family.
~ About the Author ~
Kaitlin Maitland is that person sitting in the corner, absorbing every detail about life. She often says she's an accidental author who keeps writing because, well, how could you not when there are just so many interesting stories to tell? A self admitted horse addict, Kaitlin loves spending time with her horse Mercy when not pounding out her next novel on the laptop.
Find out more about Kaitlin Maitland here:
http://www.kaitlinmaitland.com
http://www.facebook.com/KaitlinMaitland
http://kaitlinmaitland.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/KaitlinMaitland
~ Also by Kaitlin Maitland ~
Phoenix Rising
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With sex hot enough to burst into flames, what will rise from the ashes?
Jessa Kincaid is done with men. After nineteen years, her cheating executive husband has left her for his younger, sexually adventurous mistress, and Jessa can't even seem to care. She's been stuffing herself into the mold of the perfect wife for so long, she can't even remember who she is. Feeling adrift, she finds herself inside a downtown bar in the middle of the afternoon, pounding black and tans like a college kid--had she ever been a college kid?--and letting herself wonder what it would be like to be the kind of woman who went to bars like Phoenix Rising. Or slept with that amazing bad-boy bartender who looked like he could break her in half...or maybe even make her feel...
Connor Archuleta is done with women. His last relationship ended in betrayal, broken bones, and jail time. But when the shrinking wallflower enters his bar, he can't tear his gaze away. He can practically smell her sexual repression, but intrigued, he makes it his mission to teach her everything he knows about embracing the wilder side of sex. It doesn't take long for Connor to realize she has just as much to teach him.
Mr. Wonderful Lies
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Sometimes the only wonderful thing about him is his lies.
Megan is tired of dating players. Despite the misgivings of her two closest friends, Megan finds her new Mr. Wonderful on the Internet. But the better things get with Mr. Wonderful, the worse things get with her friends, especially her friend Jared, the biggest player of them all. When things start to unravel, she can’t quite tell who’s playing whom, or just what to expect when Mr. Wonderful lies…
More Romantic Suspense from Etopia Press
Loose Cannon
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This time, the op was different. This time, they had her son…
When Raeanne Springfield's son is kidnapped by Dmitryi Petrov, a ruthless enemy from the past, Raeanne finds herself thrown back into the dark world of covert operations she thought she left behind. But when Alex Dante, her former superior at the CODA, the Counterintelligence Defense Agency, shows up to take her into protective custody, Raeanne's backed into a corner. Should she obey orders from an agency that already betrayed her once, or slip back into the covert life and do whatever it takes to bring her boy home safely—even if it means endangering her heart?
Harder still—how to tell Alex Dante that Ryan's his son?
Between Petrov’s demands, the agency’s evasiveness, and Alex’s whirlwind reentry into her life, Raeanne can trust no one but herself, and only after she gets Ryan back will she worry about fixing past mistakes. If she lives long enough to fix anything…
Full Throttle
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Fast cars and a smokin' hot passion...
Rex intends to own and drive his own car, but that will cost him millions up front. Last season was a disaster, thanks to a nasty break up, but it taught him a lesson and helped sharpen his focus on what he needed to do: Win every race. And stay away from pretty girls. The last thing he needed was to learn that his new head mechanic, Jimmy James, was the gorgeous redhead pin-up walking around his pit like it was some kind of dance floor.
Gail "Jimmy" James is the first female NASCAR mechanic. As if competing in a man's world isn't tough enough, her bombshell figure bellies her genius IQ, and the pit is no place for either. Nothing Jimmy knew about Rex Henderson the driver prepared her for Rex Henderson the man. But Jimmy has no time to dwell on her feelings as strange mechanical problems curse Rex's car. Whether sabotage or her own mistakes, Jimmy must stay one step ahead of trouble if she's going to keep her job, and keep her driver alive...
Spy Game
by Sue Swift
A daring deception…Will her success doom her to a loveless life?
Someone at Richard Rexford’s Silicon Valley company is selling cyber-secrets to foreign agents. Is it Richard himself? Ani Sharif’s first undercover assignment with the United States Security Agency is to find out, no matter what it takes. Previously limited to low-level jobs for the government, she’s poised to advance her fledgling career if she can locate and break into Richard’s private laptop. Posing as a programmer, she lands a job in his company where she has access to some of his files and to the man himself.
When Richard hires the young programmer, he doesn’t want to get involved with her. That quickly changes once he uncovers the hidden passion in young Ani. Sex between them is explosive, drawing them closer. Bondage games in bed tie their hearts even more tightly. But what will happen when Ani’s revealed as a spy?
The Vendetta
by Kecia Adams
A missing painting, a family legacy, a blood oath of vengeance…
Italian businessman Nick Carnavale has spent his life seeking revenge for his father’s murder. So when an old woman—with an agenda of her own and access to a rare painting—contacts him with a proposal, he jumps at the chance to launch his plans for vengeance, no matter the cost.
Ski-town barista Lisa Schumacher meets sexy NIck when she serves him espresso in the small art gallery-café where she works. Intrigued by her unusual customer, and ignorant of Nick’s connection with her grandmother, Lisa shares dinner and a heart-stopping kiss with him.
Spurred by temptation and an unexpected invitation, Lisa takes up Nick’s challenge to follow him to Rome and reunite with her one remaining family member. But when Lisa’s grandmother unexpectedly dies, and her will dictates a marriage-of-convenience to Nick, Lisa must weigh her family’s legacy against her dreams for her future. And as Nick draws ever closer to his revenge, they both must decide if love is stronger than the blood oath of vengeance—la vendetta.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Verifiable Intelligence Page 16