by Cara Marsi
* * * *
Logan retrieved the briefcase he’d left with Doriana’s assistant and walked out to the hall. The elevator came quickly and he stepped in. His mind barely registered the other riders crowding in with him. What was he thinking, coming on to Doriana like that? He had a job to do. He knew better than to risk an important assignment like this.
His gut tightened. Doriana was more beautiful and exotic than he remembered. The severe cut of her business suit couldn’t hide her lush body and her smoldering sensuality...a sensuality he’d awakened long ago. He gripped his briefcase, fighting his body’s response to her. But he couldn’t stop the memories flooding him. The feel of her thick black hair brushing his bare chest as they made love. Her laugh and the way she made him feel important. And then the awful night that tore him away and ended his dreams.
He needed air and space. The other occupants pushed against him. He should have taken the stairs. The elevator came to a final stop and Logan stepped out, moving swiftly to the revolving doors of the Callahan Building and out to the sidewalk. He lifted the collar of his jacket against the November chill as pedestrians jostled by him.
He’d be glad to get back to the sunshine and tranquility of Arizona. With luck he’d get this assignment over quickly and be home for Christmas. Home. His stomach twisted. A sparsely furnished house without even a goldfish for company. Maybe he’d go away for the holidays. Someplace noisy where he wouldn’t have to think. Where he could forget.
He hailed a cab to take him to his hotel. He settled into the seat, anxious to escape to the quiet of his room. Hopefully the luggage he’d shipped earlier had arrived. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes. But he couldn’t escape Doriana or his memories. Her scent of roses followed him. She’d always worn rose cologne. That was one thing about her that hadn’t changed.
Her eyes were the same...large and golden brown, melted chocolate laced with warm caramel. At seventeen they had flashed with happiness and a sense of adventure.
The loneliness and vulnerability that shadowed her incredible eyes now had gotten to him in ways he didn’t like and couldn’t afford. What had happened to her in the years since he’d last seen her?
That wasn’t his problem. Doriana was hands off. They were from different worlds. He’d learned that lesson a long time ago. And he was damaged goods. Another lesson he’d been reminded of time and again. The familiar hurt wrenched him.
The cab jerked to a stop in front of a luxury hotel. The uniformed doorman rushed to open the taxi door.
Callahan had spared no expense on his hired gun, Logan thought as he entered the plush lobby. The smell of old money mingled with the perfume of the fresh flower arrangements scattered around the cavernous room.
He walked quickly to the bank of elevators. He needed solitude. He had to study the dossiers Callahan had given him, had to immerse himself in his work. This job would be rougher than he thought. He hadn’t figured on seeing Doriana every day. He’d been fooling himself all these years.
He still wanted her.
*I hope you enjoyed this excerpt of Logan’s Redemption. If you’re interested in reading the book in its entirety, please check my website for purchase details at www.CaraMarsi.com. Please turn the page to read an excerpt from Forgotten Soul by Sandra Edwards.*
FORGOTTEN SOUL
Soul Searchers: Book 1
by
Sandra Edwards
CHAPTER 1
Las Vegas, Nevada
Present Day
TURNER ATKINS WAS up to no-good. The stars had finally aligned for him and now all he had to do was grab them.
He’d happened upon the perfect scam years ago, but until recently he’d thought it was forever out of his reach. It mattered little that the scheme was brilliant, not to mention illegal; Turner needed help pulling it off. And not just anybody’s help. That’s where Rio Laraquette came into the picture.
He’d heard all about this little hotshot. She’d been running cons around town the last few weeks—cons that he’d played as a child. She’d gotten quite the rep from what he was hearing. And Turner had every intention of shutting her down—until he got a good look at her. There was something oddly familiar about her. It’d taken a little time to figure it out, but once he had he decided to give this tough little cookie a reprieve.
He’d summoned her to the back office of one of his many warehouses. She was a looker. A pretty redhead. But she was too feisty to suit Turner. Inside of a week, he’d probably want to kill her more than he’d want to screw her.
She was sitting across from him in one of the two chairs in front of his desk. She had her arm draped over the back of the empty chair. Looking like she owned the place, she gave him a blank stare. If she was feeling any doubt or fear, he couldn’t see it. That surprised Turner since most people were naturally afraid of him. With good reason.
He hadn’t gotten his ruthless reputation by being a pushover. He’d risen to power early in his career and quickly gained a name for being the most brutal gangster Vegas had seen in over fifty years.
“So…” Rio’s voice dragged Turner back to the here and now. “What exactly is it that you want with me?” she asked, cool as a cucumber.
He found her unruffled demeanor amusing. “I have a job for you,” he said. “One that’s going to pay you a whole lot more than those two-bit con jobs you got going on all over town.”
“I’m listening.” She gave him a little waving gesture with the one hand that was hanging off the back of the empty chair beside her. Anybody but Turner would have missed the necessity in her tone. She wanted to get straight to it and she didn’t like waiting.
Tough. She’d have to know the history to get the job. “When I was a little kid we used to visit my grandmother a lot. I can remember hearing stories about buried treasures in the hills between Carson and Virginia City.”
Oh, those glorious stories. When Turner was a kid, he loved listening to his grandmother spin her tales. She made it sound so fascinating. After a lazy afternoon of listening to her weave her yarns of mystery, robbery and romance…Turner would spend the next few days with his head in the clouds, dreaming about growing up and becoming a treasure hunter.
“And your family history has what to do with anything?” Rio asked.
Turner ignored her snarky attitude. He had to. Without her this thing would never work. “Ever since the first time I heard her tell one of her stories,” he said as if he hadn’t heard her rant, “my whole life…all I ever wanted was to find me one of them treasures.” He paused, as if deep in thought. “I never put much stock in actually finding one, though. Not until a few years ago when I met this woman named Audrey Tajan. She told me this fascinating story about an Indian warrior called Tajan and a beautiful white woman named Maggie Fuller. They were her great-great grandparents,” he said. “It seems that Audrey’s great-great grandma and her sisters had a keenness for robbing banks,” he announced with pride. “During the height of Virginia City’s glory, they went up there and stole a bunch of gold and silver.”
Rio fidgeted in her seat. Frustration tended to do that to her. It bothered her that she had worked so hard and for so long, trying to create the best opportunity to build a connection with Turner Atkins. And now that she’d finally done that, hearing folklore tales was what she was left with.
Turner seemed oblivious to her impatience. “They buried it up there somewhere,” he continued on as if she shared his enthusiasm for the story. “But they never got the chance to go back and get it.”
Well now, Rio thought, we’re finally getting down to the heart of the matter. Granted, this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind, but she’d take what she could to get on his good side.
Rio Laraquette, treasure hunter extraordinaire. She had to admit, it did have a certain kind of charm about it, although she’d never let Turner know. She had to let him keep thinking she was the dumb redhead he’d pegged her for. “I suppose there’s a point hidden in your story somewhere?”
Turner nodded. “There’s a point.”
“Mind sharing?”
He had to wonder how she’d ever managed to pull off a single con. But it was much too late to start having doubts about her now. Rio was irreplaceable. And since that was the case, it was time to spell it out clearly and see how far this little firecracker was willing to go for a buck. “My point,” he said, “is that Audrey told me her brother has half a map. It’s supposed to lead to the sisters’ treasure.”
“Okay,” she said. “So what do you want from me?”
“I want you to go up to Carson City and tell those Indians that you’re Audrey Tajan’s daughter.” He cleared his throat. “And then...I want you to talk them into going out and finding that treasure.”
“You’re kidding, right?” She laughed at the ridiculousness of his scheme. Hadn’t he noticed her skin was whiter than white? And she was a redhead. Who was going to believe she had Native American blood running through her veins? “What about Audrey?” she reminded him. “She can put that notion to rest.”
Turner shook his head. “Audrey’s not going to tell them anything.”
“And you know this…because?” Rio asked.
“She’s dead,” he said in a cavalier tone.
“So let me get this straight. You want me to get them to go out and look for a treasure.” She brought her arms around in front of her and clamped her hands together in her lap. “With half a map?”
Turner opened his desk drawer and pulled out a faded and worn document. “This is the other half of the map.” He pushed it across the desk.
Rio studied it. Could this thing be real? She looked back at Turner. “So what do you need me for?” She laid the map back down on the desk. “Why don’t you go to them and say…Hey, I’ve got the other half of the map. Let’s go find the treasure?”
Turner’s expression turned dark. “Because I don’t want to share it.”
It was like someone had turned on the lights and Rio realized it was Christmas morning. “You’re going steal it!” Now this was more like it.
“With your help.”
“And I’m helping how?” she said, playing up her dumb persona.
“Okay, listen carefully this time.” His exasperation was beginning to shine through. “You’re going up to Carson City and find Audrey’s brother, William Tajan. You’re going to tell him you’re Audrey’s daughter. Then, you’re going to get those Indians to go out and dig up that treasure.”
“Oh, sure...” She laughed. “I’m going to waltz right on up there with my redheaded, white ass…and they’re going to believe that my mother was an Indian.”
“They do have white blood in them, you know.”
“Oh, yeah.” Rio snorted. She hadn’t fallen of the turnip truck yesterday. “And that was what...like about a gazillion years ago?”
Turner returned to his desk drawer. “Oh, they’re going to believe it all right.” He pulled out an old photograph and handed it across the desk.
She took the picture, fully intending to glance at it and hand it back. But that was before she actually got a look at it. Something about the old image intrigued her. It was a snapshot of three women, and even though it was black and white, she could tell two of them had light colored hair and the other’s was dark.
“That’s a photograph of Maggie Fuller and her sisters Mary and Molly. It was taken up in Virginia City in 1863.” He paused for effect. “That picture belonged to Audrey.” Turner waited for Rio to look at him, but she never did. “I take it you do see the resemblance between yourself and at least two of the women in the shot?” He pointed, singling out the girl in the middle. “Especially her. She’s Maggie Fuller.”
Rio couldn’t argue that one. Not realistically. She had to admit she and this woman Maggie Fuller looked an awful lot alike. The whole thing was a bit eerie. She felt it as she studied the photograph, the weird sensations riveting through her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“I’ll give you Audrey’s personal things. Including that photo and my half of the map,” he said. “After you locate the position of the treasure, call me and I’ll handle the rest.”
“Where’d you get the other half of the map?” she asked, her nosiness kicking in.
Turner hesitated about a millisecond before saying, “My grandmother gave it to me.”
“Your grandmother...?” Rio had a hard time believing it. Turner was too fond of telling stories and he’d let this one go way too easily.
“One of Maggie’s sisters was my great-great grandmother.”
“Really?” It was an intriguing idea, but Rio was skeptical. “Which one?” She tossed the photograph back across the desk.
He scooped up the picture and studied it with a quick scan before pointing to the other light-haired sister. “That one. She was my grandmother’s grandmother.”
“Which one was she? Mary or Molly?” Now it had become a game for Rio. She wanted to see how far he could take it since she figured he was making it up as he went along. Oh, she could guess there was some truth to the story, at least about the three sisters. But Rio doubted that any of them was Turner’s great-great grandmother.
Turner mumbled and groaned before he identified her as Molly. He was getting antsy. And the last thing she wanted to do was rock the boat.
“So let’s get to the part about all the money I’m supposed to get,” she said, tremendously poised as she changed the subject.
He tapped a pencil on the desk. “I’m going to pay you…one hundred thousand dollars.”
Rio threw her head back and laughed. “You’re kidding.” She settled her eyes on him again. “Right?”
She’d discarded his offer quicker than a blink of the eye. Not only that, she’d mocked him. He wasn’t sure if that pissed him off more than it impressed him.
Finally, she’d gone and done something that induced him to believe that maybe, maybe, he’d underestimated her. He hoped so. He’d invested too much time, effort, and money to give up now.
Turner had been carrying this dream around for twenty years. Damn near ever since he’d run across Audrey Tajan. Now theirs had been a different kind of relationship. He’d actually liked her. Well, about as much as he could ever like any woman. Turner had never been interested in marriage or family. Apparently neither was Audrey. He’d known exactly where he stood with her. And she’d made it quite clear what was expected of him.
As long as he kept her entertained and bought her a pretty trinket every now and then, she was happy. Audrey didn’t get jealous over other women. In fact she’d told him, more than once, she liked it that he wasn’t under foot all the time.
Then a couple of years ago Audrey’s health started to fail. When the doctors said she had ovarian cancer, Turner was a true and dedicated friend who willingly paid her medical bills.
But then again, maybe it had a little something to do with the fact that she’d told him her brother had half a map that led to a treasure. She’d gotten drunk one night, many years before her sickness, and told Turner about her family’s history.
Her revelation started with the story of Maggie and Tajan and ended with her own expulsion from the family. She left home at the age of sixteen and she hadn’t been back since.
And she had these family heirlooms; items that had belonged to her ancestors, Maggie and Tajan. Turner wanted those pieces when she died. And he’d played the devoted friend and benefactor, all because her time was limited.
And now, if luck was on his side—and Turner believed it was—Rio was going to help him find the treasure at the end of the map.
“You expect me to go up there and con those people?” Rio didn’t sound committed. “So you can steal the treasure right out from under them…and I’m only supposed to get a hundred grand out of it?”
“Okay.” Turner grinned, secretly impressed. “What’s it going to take?”
“Well…” The word lingered on the air. “I need at least half a mill,” she said. “Hun
dred grand up front. And I’ll be needing some expense money, too.”
“All right.” Turner’s nod was self-effacing. “One hundred thousand now. The rest when I recover the treasure.” He studied her closely. “And five thousand for expenses.”
“Up front?” she asked.
“Up front.”
“Agreed.” She stood and offered her hand across the desk.
They shook on the deal. “If you pull this off…I won’t ever forget it.”
“Oh, I can pretty much guarantee,” she said, “when this is over...you will never forget me.”
*I hope you enjoyed this preview of Forgotten Soul by Sandra Edwards. If you’d like to read this book in its entirety, please check Sandra’s website at www.SandraWrites.com for purchase info.*
PRAISE FOR CARA MARSI’S BOOKS
“LOGAN’S REDEMPTION has all the elements that keep the pages turning: passion, romance, thrills and suspense…This storyline is so fantastic the intensity of the players practically leaps out at the reader. This is my first book by Ms. Marsi and most assuredly won’t be my last.” ~Fallen Angel Reviews.
“I have to admit that the sexual tension between the two of them really kept me turning the pages. LOGAN’S REDEMPTION by Cara Marsi is a great read, plain and simple. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I definitely give it a Top Pick!” ~Romance Reader at Heart
“Marsi has a talent for handling a complicated plot. On top of the emotional story, she adds a strong dose of sexual tension that keeps the suspense and desire high with each turn of the page. LOGAN’S REDEMPTION should definitely be added to your must-read list.” ~My Romance Story Reviews
“LOGAN’S REDEMPTION is riveting. Ms. Marsi is an excellent author and I’ll definitely look for more of her books. I highly recommend this one!”- Romance Junkies
MURDER, MI AMORE
2012 EPPIE finalist for best romantic suspense.
2012 FINALIST IN THE OKLAHOMA ROMANCE WRITERS FIRST ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL AWARDS