by Becky Harmon
www.BellaBooks.com
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Table of Contents
Cover
Synopsis
Title Page
Copyright Page
Other Books by Becky Harmon
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Dedication
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
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bella Books
Synopsis
Flagler Security agent Jamison Krews would never break a promise. So when Mel Carter, her long-time friend and training officer, asks her to protect her sister Shea, Jamison will honor that request. No matter the cost.
At twenty-six years old, Shea Carter is older than her teammates and has more important things to focus on than the supposed threat to her life. Leading the Tallahassee Tigers to the National Championship will take all of her energy and attention.
As quarterback of the team, Shea has drawn a lot of unwanted attention, and not everyone wants her and the Tigers to succeed. Will Jamison be able to convince Shea that she’s more than a babysitter and gain her trust—and her heart—before it’s too late?
Copyright © 2017 by Becky Harmon
Bella Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
First Bella Books Edition 2017
eBook released 2017
Editor: Katherine V. Forrest
Cover Designer: Judith Fellows
ISBN: 978-1-59493-551-0
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Other Bella Books by Becky Harmon
Tangled Mark
New Additions
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Linda and Jessica Hill for continuing to publish the books I write. I’m very proud to be a part of Bella. I’m in excellent company.
Thank you to Judy and everyone who contributed to making this cover awesome.
Thank you, Katherine, for making my book tighter and more enjoyable for the readers.
Thanks to the production team at Bella for all the work you do behind the scenes.
To my co-workers for listening to me ramble about my stories, I owe you all. And Kathy, of course, for the creative title. Keep ’em comin’.
Thank you, Angela, for being my eager first reader and for wrapping my ankles before every game. Your encouragement keeps me going. To Coach Noodle—thank you for introducing me to the world of women’s tackle football. Any team is lucky to have your enthusiasm and expertise. I love you but I will never do another bear crawl for as long as I live. To the women who give their hearts and soul to play football in the Women’s Football Alliance. Your dedication is appreciated.
And most important, thank you readers, for taking a chance on each book I write. I truly hope you enjoy this one. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Please check out and support your local women’s tackle football team. Between the Women’s Football Alliance, WFA, and the Independent Women’s Football League, IWFL, there are almost one hundred teams nationally.
About the Author
Becky Harmon was born and raised just south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Though she considers herself to be a Northerner, she moved south in search of warmth. Romance has always been her first love and when she’s not writing it, she’s reading it. Both of her previous published works, Tangled Mark and New Additions, are available from Bella Books. You can reach Becky at [email protected].
Dedication
For Demi
To all the girls who dream of playing on a larger stage.
Anything is possible.
Chapter One
Jamison Krews rolled over and grabbed her buzzing cell phone from the nightstand.
“Krews,” she mumbled into the phone.
“James,” a familiar voice spoke urgently in her ear. “I need your help.”
Jamison sat up pushing the comforter away from her body. Her head was fuzzy from sleep but the urgency in the voice quickly cleared the cobwebs.
“Mel? What’s wrong?”
Mel Carter was one of the few people in her life she would call a friend. She had often told her and she had meant it, whatever…whenever…she needed anything, she would be there for her. Apprehension flooded her as she realized Mel was about to call in that promise.
“It’s my sister. I think she’s in danger. I need you to take care of her until I can get there.”
“Okay. Fill me in.” Jamison punched the speaker button and laid the phone on her dresser. Grabbing black pants and a button-down shirt from the closet she pulled them on over the boxers and tank top she’d slept in.
“The Tigers received threats naming Shea personally and Mom is freaking out. Shea isn’t taking the threats seriously so she contacted Vince. He promised to send someone to stay with her. I wish it could be me but I’m in Afghanistan and I can’t walk away from this mission yet.” She sighed. “Maybe by the end of the week.”
Jamison wet her hands and ran them through her shoulder-length hair pushing it back out of her eyes. Vince Flagler, founder of Flagler Security and Mel and Jamison’s boss, was a master at threat analysis. If he agreed, then there was something to be concerned about. She had met Shea Carter one time about eight years ago. She had just led her high school football team through the playoffs and they were headed for the state finals. At eighteen, she was cocky and arrogant, with the same intensely dark eyes that seemed to run in Mel’s family.
Mel’s eyes had captured Jamison on her first day of work at Flagler Security. As her training officer, Mel had taken to Jamison and taught her everything she could. Which meant a lot, she had later learned. Mel hated being a training officer and preferred to work alone. She had refused every training assignment until Jamison. She was honored that Mel would turn to her to protect her sister but she also knew protecting someone who didn’t want to be protected wouldn’t be easy.
“What about Nikki?” Jamison had run into Mel and her latest fling, Nikki Mitchell, last month at the Flagler of
fice in Pensacola and she wondered if Mel had already dumped her.
“She’s with me.” Mel sighed again. “Please, James. I know what I’m asking. Shea will be difficult. She’s headstrong and can be a real ass sometimes.” She paused. “But she’s my baby sister and I love her. I need someone who can stand up to her and keep her safe despite her protests.”
“You know I’ll do it, Mel. Are the Tigers back in Tallahassee yet? I know they played Boston yesterday.”
“You mean stomped Boston. Yes, they got in last night.”
“I’ll head over there now. I’ll call you when I get a handle on what’s going on.”
“Thank you so much.” Jamison could hear the relief in Mel’s voice. “If I don’t answer leave a message and I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
* * *
Jamison pulled her Ford Explorer into the parking lot outside the Tallahassee Tigers football stadium. Tallahassee University had opened in the late eighteen hundreds with fifty students and today it enrolled approximately forty thousand. The main campus stretched over a thousand acres with additional buildings placed throughout town. Last year, it had been listed in the top fifty public universities nationwide.
She maneuvered the small pickup into a spot by gate B, staring up at the marquee that announced the Tigers latest win. They were undefeated. One more regular season game and they would head to the conference championship. Jamison followed the Tigers as avidly as anyone who lived in this town. It was hard not to since pretty much everyone was a diehard fan especially now that they were winning. The Tigers hadn’t won a championship in almost thirty years and they had never had an undefeated season. Or a female quarterback.
Jamison remembered Mel telling her how hard it had been for Shea once she graduated from high school. She was the star quarterback and had she been male she probably would have been drafted straight into the National Football League. As a female, no one wanted her. There had been one or two offers from small colleges willing to sign her if she switched to special teams but Shea wouldn’t buckle under the pressure.
Her path to the Tigers had been widely publicized by all the sports media outlets. She maintained her skills by practicing and helping to coach a women’s semi-pro tackle football team. After several years, she enrolled in a community college that agreed to let her practice with the team. At the end of her first year, they put her on the roster and allowed her to dress for games, but still wouldn’t let her play. When their starting quarterback was injured, Shea stepped in to lead them to multiple wins. They begged her to stay but Shea chose to attempt a walk-on with the Tigers. They too had resisted but her diligence had finally paid off in her senior year and the Tigers were reaping the benefits.
Jamison ran a hand through her hair as she slid from the truck and headed for the administration offices. Her boots echoed on the cement floors as she maneuvered the maze of hallways behind the stadium. Approaching Coach Sutton’s door, she could hear raised voices. She lifted her hand to knock but froze when a female voice caught her attention.
“I don’t care what my sister said. I do not want or need a babysitter!”
“Shea, be reasonable. It’s for your own safety,” a male voice countered.
“Reasonable! I’ll give you reasonable.”
“Stop it now, Carter,” another male voice interrupted Shea’s rant. “This conversation is over. A protection detail is being sent by Flagler and you will cooperate with them or you won’t play this weekend. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Jamison thought the last word had definitely been forced out between gritted teeth but she didn’t have time to think about it as the door was flung open and she was pushed backward from the impact. She placed her hands on Shea’s waist and pushed her away as she widened her stance to keep from falling into the wall. Dark eyes raked over her body before coming to rest on her face. A seductive smile spread across Shea’s face. Then she turned and walked away. Jamison watched her lengthen her stride with each step as she rounded the corner out of sight.
She took a deep breath, tapped lightly on the doorframe and stepped into the office. “Jamison Krews. I was sent by Flagler Security.”
The man behind the desk nodded. “Ronald Sutton.” Jamison recognized the coach of the Tallahassee Tigers from many televised football games.
She turned to the other man who wore a campus security uniform. “Carlton Hammer.” His grip was strong but he released quickly and she smiled as she realized who he was.
“The Hammer?”
His smile widened as she referenced his nickname when he was the star running back for the Tallahassee Tigers.
“I don’t hear that much anymore.”
She nodded. “Well, it certainly fits.” He wasn’t much taller than her five foot eight but his muscular width made up for his lack of height. His biceps and thighs bulged through the polyester uniform and he seemed to have lost no muscle in the twenty years since he played ball.
Sutton motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.” He looked at Carlton. “Can you make her a copy of the file?”
“Sure. I’ll be right back.” Carlton departed quickly.
Sutton removed the Tigers ball cap and rubbed his bald head. “She’s not happy with this arrangement.”
“So I heard.”
“Yeah, Carlton thought if he broke it to her gently she might take it better.” He chuckled. “Not likely.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Her cooperation would be nice but it’s not necessary.”
He nodded. “I guess you want to hear the details, right?” He continued, “It began after our second game. There was a note waiting in the locker room. The police have the original but Carlton kept a copy. The letters were cut out of magazines and pasted into a creepy message. Basically it said stop winning or else. We filed a police report but no one really took it seriously. I mean, come on.” He shrugged and rubbed his face. “After each win there was a new note. The police tried to stake out the stadium and when that didn’t work they tried blocking the entrances to keep anyone from coming inside. We couldn’t use cameras because, well, it was a locker room. Somehow the notes continued to arrive. Like I said no one was really taking it serious.”
“But something changed?”
“Yeah, after our sixth win there wasn’t a note. Or at least none we could find. We thought he’d given up. Our seventh game was at home but it was being nationally televised so we put the team up in a hotel the night before. The brakes went out on the bus driving them back to the stadium the next day. Luckily the driver was able to wedge the bus in a narrow alley before it crashed into something or someone. We won that game and the next day the note was back and even more disturbing. The investigation found the brakes had been tampered with. That’s when the police started taking the threats more seriously.”
“When did it become focused on Ms. Carter?”
“After the last game,” Carlton said, returning with a thick manila folder, which he passed to Jamison. “She uses the women’s shower room down the hall before and after games. Normally, I have an officer patrolling the hallway so she doesn’t get harassed by the media but we had a fight in the student section. I had to pull everyone to get it cleared up before the cameras caught it.” Carlton shook his head in disgust. “They’ll film anything and it just makes the school look bad.”
Sutton took over again. “I didn’t notice she wasn’t in the locker room for the pre-game meeting but when we took the field no one could find her. I sent one of the coaches to look for her but the door was locked and she didn’t answer his knocks.”
“Coach called me and I unlocked the door,” Carlton said. “Poor thing was locked inside the equipment closet in the back of the locker room. Screaming like crazy.”
Sutton laughed. “Yeah, that poor thing went on a rampage against Georgia Tech. I’ve never seen her so pissed.”
Jamison smiled remembering the fiery look in Shea’s eyes when they h
ad collided earlier. She watched the smile quickly fade from Sutton’s face, his features turning hard as he spoke.
“This morning’s note rambled about women being kept in their proper places and Shea would be the first to go. Last Saturday was only a sample to show us how easy it’ll be to take her out.”
Jamison understood his frustration, and she was itching to read the file for herself. It sounded like Shea was in real danger. “Is there anyone watching her right now?”
“Yes, the Tallahassee PD has an officer tailing her from a distance. She’s been told to stay in her townhouse when she is not in class or at practice. Though I doubt she’s listening.”
Jamison nodded. “I need to run a few errands and then I’ll relieve the officer.” She tapped the folder and looked at Carlton. “Once I review this, I’ll let you know if I need additional information.”
He nodded. “Anything I can do to help. I wrote my cell number on the inside cover or call me at the office.”
She stood and shook Sutton’s hand. “Focus on football, Coach.” She winked at Carlton. “We got this.”
Chapter Two
Jamison showered and dressed in blue jeans and a silk jersey T-shirt, pulling on her dark blue blazer to cover her shoulder holster. She packed enough clothes to get her through the week. Then she drove through the hanging moss-covered streets to Shea’s townhouse. Three blocks from the main campus, Shea’s street was a mix of residential and small offices. She parked behind the TPD patrol car and walked around to his window. She showed him her identification and told him he was cleared to go. He was eager to return to regular duty and assured Jamison that Shea was inside the townhouse.
She walked around the house getting familiar with her surroundings. There was a backdoor but it went into the privacy-fenced backyard and the only gate outside the fence was adjacent to the front door. It seemed unlikely Shea would climb the privacy fence but Jamison wasn’t going to assume she wouldn’t.