by L. P. Dover
We fell to the ground and I straddled his waist. He slid the diamond ring on my finger and squeezed my hand. “Plans are already in motion for a guest house to be built on the ranch grounds. That way, Reed can have his own place and we’ll have the main house.”
The ring glittered on my finger. “So, you just knew I’d say yes?”
“I hoped you would.” He winked and flipped me over on my back. “Now you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.”
“It’s a good problem to have.”
COMING NEXT – Bryce’s story
Do you remember reading about Grace’s homemade buttermilk biscuits when she was staying at Ian’s house? Even though Grace isn’t a southern girl from NC like I am, I still wanted to incorporate a part of me inside of her. And that includes, throwing down in the kitchen with some BIG, buttery biscuits!
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups All Purpose Flour
3 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup Crisco All-vegetable shortening
1 cup Buttermilk to start but I always add more until I get the right consistency
Extra cup of flour to roll the biscuits in before baking
NOTE: A lot of times, I half this recipe if I’m only cooking for my husband and daughters. It makes 6 HUGE biscuits. Doing the full recipe will double that.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease the pan.
Put aside a plate or a sheet of parchment paper with about a cup of flour on top so you can roll the dough around in it.
Measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Mix them all together. Add in the shortening, and this time, use your hand to incorporate the mixture into it. (This is the messy part) Next, you’ll add in the buttermilk and mix by hand. If the dough is still dry, add in a splash of buttermilk until the dough is sticky and wet, but not runny. I don’t like dry tasting biscuits. Once the dough is ready, grab a handful and set it on top of the flour. Roll it around until it’s covered and place it on the pan. If you want crunchy edges, then separate the biscuits so that when they’re baking, they don’t touch. However, if you’re like me, place them semi-close together so that the middle biscuits on the pan have the soft, fluffy edges. :)
As far as baking time, I usually start at 20 minutes, but I watch them closely after that. I like making HUGE biscuits so they take a bit longer to cook. Once the tops and edges are golden brown, I take them out.
Optional: Once the biscuits are done, cut them open and add butter. The biscuits will practically melt in your mouth.
To my husband – Thank you for helping me with the Circle of Justice series. Your knowledge has definitely helped me. I’m starting to think you’d be a good assassin.
To the best assistant in the world, Kim – You’ve been by my side for a few years now. Words can’t describe how grateful I am to have you in my life.
To my amazing editor, Victoria – You kill me when you cut so many of my words, but I know it’s for the best. My stories always shine when you get done with them.
To the Queen of Design, Regina – I can always count on you to make my babies pretty.
To Julie – Thank you for being one of my most trusted beta readers.
To all the women in Dover’s Darlings – A big thanks goes out to you! I appreciate you all being there to help me.
And most importantly, an enormous THANK YOU goes out to the readers who have given my books a chance. Without you, my stories wouldn’t be brought to life.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.
She loves to write, but she also loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes and white water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.
Dover has written countless novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, the Society X series, the Circle of Justice series, and her standalone novel Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.
L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency and Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management for dramatic rights.
ALSO CHECK OUT THESE EXTRAORDINARY AUTHORS & BOOKS:
Alivia Anders ~ Illumine
Cambria Hebert ~ #Nerd
Angela Orlowski Peart ~ Forged by Greed
Julia Crane ~ Freak of Nature
J.A. Huss ~ Tragic
Cameo Renae ~ Hidden Wings
A.J. Bennett ~ Now or Never
Tabatha Vargo ~ Playing Patience
Beth Balmanno ~ Set in Stone
Ella James ~ Selling Scarlett
Tara West ~ Visions of the Witch
Heidi McLaughlin ~ Forever Your Girl
Melissa Andrea ~ The Edge of Darkness
Komal Kant ~ Falling for Hadie
Melissa Pearl ~ Golden Blood
Alexia Purdy ~ Breathe Me
Sarah M. Ross ~ Inhale, Exhale
Brina Courtney ~ Reveal
Amber Garza ~ Falling to Pieces
Anna Cruise ~ Maverick
“You found me.”
If there was ever a moment when I needed to keep my wits about me, it was now. But how could I do that when I wanted nothing more than to snap the man’s neck in front of me; to make him bleed like he did the families he murdered.
“Did you think I wouldn’t?” I spat through clenched teeth. His file flashed through my mind, the pictures of the carnage he left behind . . . those children. My blood boiled.
He was poised, ready to fight to the death by the look in his eyes. “I guess it was only a matter of time.”
His name was Michael Bruxton, a computer analyst with skills matching my own. But he had a sick hobby that cost the lives of three families over the past two weeks. I spent day and night searching for him, and now I found the bastard.
We circled each other in the rundown, abandoned warehouse he’d holed up in while on the run. On the floor were tokens he stole from his victims. The baby doll with a bright pink dress caught my attention first. My whole body shook with rage. “How could you do it, you sick fuck?”
His eyes sparkled. “It’s like putting paint to canvas.” He looked down at the things he collected and smiled. “Their pleas for help were music to my ears.”
Flashes of the children laying in their own blood, their lives taken from them at such a young age plagued my mind. They were innocent, along with their parents who only wanted to protect them. A man like him deserved to die a slow, painful death . . . and I was going to make sure that happened.
Lunging for him, we went down to the dirty floor, his head slamming against the concrete. He tried to punch me and missed. I couldn’t hear anything other than the blood rushing through my veins. Pinning him with my weight, I punched him over and over, the feel of his bones crunching beneath my fist. I didn’t know the families who were killed, but I fought for them, bringing their murderer to justice.
The sick fuck spit to clear his throat, blood dribbling down his cheek, and laughed. “I love it when they fight back.” He pushed his arousal into me and groaned.
Jesus Christ. Grabbing his neck, I squeezed and snuffed his next words out. “You get off on pain you perverted son of a bitch?” I picked up a brick from nearby and raised it high. “Let’s see how you like this.” As hard as I could, I slammed it down on his face. “You said screams were music to your ears,” I yelled into the silence. “Where are the screams now, you bitch?” I slammed the brick back down on his mutilated face over a
nd over again, trying to unsee the pictures of the flayed bodies he’d left behind.
Throwing the brick across the floor, I got up and surveyed the scene, breathing hard. “Now you can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
“Got anything new comin’ up?” Blake asked, leaning against the doorframe.
Strapping on my holster, I shook my head. After everything that happened with Bruxton, I needed a break. “I hope not. You?”
Jaw tight, he trudged into my office, gray eyes full of turmoil. “Actually, I’m headin’ out for good. I just wanted to say goodbye.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Are you skipping town or quitting the team?”
Blake Evans and the rest of the guys on our team were the best undercover agents in the country. We’d already lost a couple people, including my sister who decided to move away to California to settle down. We couldn’t afford to lose another skilled agent.
A small smile splayed across his face as he sat down. “I’m still going to be a part of the team. This is my life. I’ll just be living it somewhere else.”
“Where to?”
“Wyoming. My grandfather passed away and left me his ranch. I figured I’d go since nothing’s really keeping me here. I’m single, and we’re always traveling with the job. I’m never in Charlotte that much anyway.”
“No shit. I think this is the first week in months I’ve been able to sit back and relax.” I stared at him and chuckled. “Blake Evans turned cowboy. I never would’ve thought it.”
He got to his feet. “Me neither, but it’ll sure be interesting. How about we get one last drink together at Second Street before I go?”
“Sounds good, bro. I was just about to head out.” We got halfway to the door when my cell phone rang. I looked down at my phone and walked back to my desk. “It’s the Chief of Police from Vegas.” So much for the break I wanted. Leaning against my desk, I answered the call. “Ryan Griffin, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“No pleasure in this call, son. Are you still at the station?”
“I was just getting ready to leave. What do you need?”
Sounding tired, he sighed. “I sent you some files. Take a look at them for me.”
Blake took a seat while I sat back down behind my computer. It didn’t take long for it to boot back up and when it did, I found the files. “All right, I have the files opened up.” The first one was a woman who was found dead two months prior, followed by two other murder victims and one who was missing. “What the fuck is this?”
“Whoever this fucker is, he’s cutting them, strangling them, and then leaving them on the side of the road.”
I waved Blake over. “Take a look at this,” I whispered, holding the phone away. While he sat down, I moved back. “Did it all start two months ago with this first woman, or have you had similar cases?”
“Nope, all new. We’ve had eyewitnesses give us descriptions of the people these women were last seen with—all high rollers of Sin City. No one wants to talk. All we’re getting are dead ends. I need someone on the inside who doesn’t look like a cop. My people can’t get close enough.”
Blake moved out of the way and I glanced at the pictures one last time before closing them out. “I’ll be there soon,” I said, hanging up.
“That’s some really nasty shit going on out there,” Blake stated.
Anger boiled in my veins. The pictures of those women were going to forever be ingrained in my mind. “Yes, it is, and I’m going to make sure I find the fucker responsible.”
Keep reading No Limit now.
Read other titles by L.P. Dover
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written consent from the author.
Aim: A Circle of Justice Novel
L.P. Dover
Copyright 2017 by L.P. Dover
Edited by: Crimson Tide Editorial
Cover Designed by: Mae I Design and Photography
Picture Taken By: Sara Eirew
Interior Design and Formatting by:
www.emtippettsbookdesigns.com