Tending Their Secret
Book #8 of Corrigan & Co.
By Crystal Perkins
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 by Crystal Perkins
Cover Design by Helen Williams
www.allbookedout.com
Ebook Formatting by Jesse Gordon
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All trademarks are owned by their respective companies and are denoted by the use of proper capitalization of the company and/or brand. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary erotic romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you enjoy sexy, emotional, romance novels with alpha males. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
About Tending Their SECRET
Other books by Crystal Perkins
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
About Tending Their SECRET
A woman who's been battered, but won't be broken...
Elletra Gallagher has always been confident, strong, and tougher than most men. Until she's captured and tortured while going against her mission parameters. Now she has to find a way back to herself while protecting the man she loves.
A man who needs to be saved, but won't ask for help...
Aiden Ford wasn't there when Ellie needed him, but he vows to help her heal in any way he can, while keeping his own problem to himself. He knows his friends would help him, but he can't admit any weakness, even to the woman he loves.
Can they tend to each other while hiding from themselves, or will the secrets pour over and keep them apart once again?
Other books by Crystal Perkins
The Griffin Brothers series
Gaming For Love (The Griffin Brothers #1)
Building Our Love (The Griffin Brothers #2)
Creating A Love (The Griffin Brothers #3)
Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers #4)
Designing The Love (The Griffin Brothers #5)
Working On Love (The Griffin Brothers #6)
Keeping Their Love (The Griffin Brothers #7)
Corrigan & Co. series
Fielding Her SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #1)
Devouring the SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #2)
Rocking a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #3)
Lessons in SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #4)
Uncovering His SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #5)
Training the SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #6)
Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #7)
Corrigan & Co.
Publicly, The Corrigan & Co. Foundation has been supporting women for years. Secretly, five powerful women led by Jane Corrigan have recruited ten agents, sending them to rescue women and children in need, and take down those who exploit the weak. This secret society of women all have unique skills they’ve brought to the foundation. Additionally, they’ve all had training in weapons, etiquette, martial arts, technology, and languages. Helping out friends and family of their five mentors from time to time is something they were told to expect. What they didn’t plan for is falling in love.
About the Corrigan & Co. Foundation and the Society:
• Mitchell Corrigan created the Corrigan & Co. Foundation for his wife as part of his company ten years ago. He stipulated that the foundation would continue as long as there is a Corrigan woman to oversee it.
• Jane Corrigan, Cyndi Evans, Maggie Griffin, Mallory Daniels, and Helen Wilson are the founders of the secret society within the foundation. They focus on helping women and children, but take on other missions from time to time.
• While they assist government and private organizations on a regular basis, they only take referrals for private missions.
• Each founder has recruited, and mentors, two agents.
• The company was founded in Chicago, but has now moved to Las Vegas, where Mitchell was born. On his deathbed, he asked his grandson to move the company headquarters to help revive the economy in his hometown. There are satellite offices all over the world.
• Jane’s grandson, Matt, who is President and CEO of Corrigan & Co., knows of the society. His friends Nathan and Aiden, who he brought in when they all left the military, know as well. This was a decision by the five women when they needed help on a mission that went bad. They do not know all mission details, but help when they are asked. Jake Mason is now also part of the Corrigan security team, and aware of the Society.
Dedication
For everyone who has found the
strength to get back up and fight!
Prologue
Aiden
Fuck. My head feels like it’s about to split in two. I probably shouldn’t have had all that tequila, but I needed it. With the shit that’s going down with my dad—and now, me—I had to just bow out of the world for a little bit. Who am I kidding? I had to run. I almost got caught when I was out hunting, and the shit storm everyone I care about would’ve had to face might have been the end for me. I don’t care if I go down, but I couldn’t stand it if my friends—and family—went there with me.
Never mind that this time I was doing it for my dad, not because I had the urge. He wouldn’t appreciate it if he found out, but those bastards had to pay. I didn’t kill them like I normally would. I just messed them up a little. And then something went wrong, horribly wrong. So I ran to this cabin in the woods. One that has no TV or cell phone service. I couldn’t bear to see what I’d caused to happen, even if they did deserve it.
It’s time for me to face the world again. It may even be past that time, since I don’t know what’s been going on out there. I don’t even know what day it is. Maybe Wednesday? I’ll find out once I get back into the city. I have to be somewhere on Friday, but I’ll have plenty of time to make it there.
I shower and then start my drive. My car charger is pretty powerful, and my phone comes back to life as soon as I’m in range of a cell tower. The number of text messages and voice mails I’m hearing ping is crazy, seeing as I could only have been out for a couple of days. I’ve been dark much longer in the past, and no one has ever blown up my phone like this. Did so
mething else happen with those douchebags I beat up? I pull over to the side of the road to look at my text messages. The date on the first one makes my stomach drop, and my heart race.
Friday, 6:08 A.M.
TheOne: Hey, Aiden. I’ll see you later today. Well, knowing you, I won’t see you at all, but I know you’ll be there watching out for me. Love you :)
No. No. God no. This isn’t right. It can’t be later than Friday. I promised Ellie I’d be there on Friday like I always am, backing her up. We were even going to make a detour on the way back and have a romantic night or two together.
Friday, 3:15 P.M.
TheOne: Change of plans. I know I’m not supposed to go in alone, but I saw one of the guys hitting a young girl. I can’t wait until tomorrow for backup. Besides, you’re the best backup I could have anyway. I’m going in at 8 tonight. You know the address.
She wouldn’t go in without confirmation from me. Even if she thinks I’m there, she’d still wait for a response.
Friday, 8:05 P.M.
TheOne: I haven’t heard from you, but I know you’re here. You would’ve called in if you couldn’t make it. I’m going in. I have to save these girls.
Oh my God. Please let her be safe. Please.
There isn’t another text message from her, so I switch to voicemail.
“You have 30 new voicemails, and your mailbox is full.”
Friday, 8:15 P.M.
“Aiden? Why aren’t you picking up? Or texting? I think I was spotted. I turned my comm on, and I’ll leave it on. Please patch yourself in. Please—”
I hear her phone clatter to the ground, but the voicemail is still recording. And I’m dying even more inside.
“Well, what have we here? You’re older than we usually go for, but I bet we could get a good price for you.”
“You’d have to kill me first.”
“Once we’re done with you, you’ll wish you were dead.”
I hear a smashing sound, and then nothing. Whoever took her better hope she kills him first. I will find him if he’s alive, and he’ll be the one wishing he was dead.
I force myself to listen to the next messages, which have timestamps starting on Monday—of the next week. My friends’ names are all on there, and I know I’m not going to like what I hear. Ellie was fucking captured when I should’ve been protecting her. There’s nothing good about that situation. Nothing at all.
Nate
“Aid, man. Where the fuck are you? And why weren’t you with Ellie? I would’ve gone in your place, you know that. Shit went down man, and it’s bad. Call me.”
Matt
“Dammit Aiden, what the fuck were you thinking? I know you have your vigilante crap, but this was Ellie. She’s destroyed, man. What she went through. Just get your ass back here. Don’t go to the office, though. My wife has threatened to kill you on sight.”
Reina
“Aiden, this is Reina. Since you haven’t shown any of us the decency of coming in, I’m going to have to do this over the phone. You are no longer welcome at the Foundation or as a friend of the Society. Matt won’t allow you to be banned from the building, and he refuses to fire you, but I will not have you around anyone who works for me, especially Ellie. While you are not 100% to blame for what happened to her, your continued casual disregard for her is inexcusable. She is being disciplined for not following procedure, but if I see you, well, let’s just say I have a bullet with your name on it. And there are eight other women who feel the exact same way. This is your only warning.”
Matt
“Shit man, I think Reina may have called you already. I tried to talk her down, but it’s not happening. I mean, I get it. Ellie’s pretty much destroyed right now, but you’re still my best friend. Call me if you can. Please.”
Nate
“I’m sure you know you can’t come back here now. And Jade would probably kill me in my sleep if she knew I was even calling you, but I need to know you’re okay. I know you, and I know you love Ellie. You wouldn’t have just left her there with no backup if everything was okay with you. Talk to me, man.”
I see that the next voicemail is from Ellie, and my heart is in my throat as I push play.
“Ai-Aiden, it’s um, me. Oh, maybe you don’t know who “me” is. It’s um, Ellie. I-I’m just calling to say that I’m sorry. For Reina banning you, I mean. I never meant to cause you any trouble. It’s my fault for going in alone, and for…for what happened after. Please don’t hate me. I’m not going to chase after you, or try and make you want me. But please, please don’t hate me.”
Hate her? How the fuck could I ever hate her? And how could she ever think that I wouldn’t know who she is—know her voice? Tears are running down my cheeks as I imagine what might have happened to her. What happened because I fucked up my own situation, and then left her alone when she needed me. I have to fix this…fix her. There’s one person who can help me, and it’s time I finally asked for that help.
I pull back onto the road and start the drive. It takes me a couple of hours to reach the house, and several minutes to be cleared through, but then I’m there. At his door, about to ask for help. It’s not something I thought I’d ever do, but for Ellie, I’ll do anything, even ask—beg—for help.
“The Vice-President will be with you momentarily, Mr. Ford,” his secretary says as she ushers me into his office.
“Thank you.”
I’m only alone for a few minutes when the door opens again. He quickly closes it, and nods to let me know that the room is secure and no one’s listening. “Aiden, it’s always good to see you, but twice in less than a month is more than unusual for you. Is this about the news reports? I told you to ignore those men.”
“I couldn’t ignore them or the bullshit they were saying about you. I didn’t kill them, though.”
“Someone wants to make it look like you did.”
“I know. I’ll deal with that later. I need your help with something else. Something more important.”
“Anything. You know that.”
“I know we talked about you using the Society, and I think it’s time you called them in.”
“A few homophobic idiots who don’t want a gay Vice-President aren’t going to scare me into calling the most elite group in the world for help.”
“How about your son asking you to do it for him?”
“You need me to hire them?”
“Not them. Her. I need you to ask for Elletra Gallagher to be assigned to you. Or mom. I don’t care who she helps. She just needs to help someone. Something happened to her on her last mission, and I know she needs to get her confidence back.”
“Elletra? Is this your Ellie?”
“She’s not mine, but yes, she’s the girl I’ve talked to you about.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“No. I just need you to get her here where I can keep her safe.” Even if she will never be mine again, she will be safe.
“I don’t know what I could do with her here, but can she run a bar?”
“Oh yeah, she can do that. Her family own a bunch of pubs and bars.”
“Wait, she’s one of those Gallaghers?”
“Yep.”
“Then your mother could use her. She’s decided that since the divorce is final, she wants to open up a bar. Because, you know, we have such a shortage around here. It’s almost ready to open. But, you probably know that already.”
He smiles when he says it, and so do I. My parents love each other, but it’s been a long time since they were in love with each other. My dad met someone and fell in love, but refused to break his vow to my mom. When she found out, she immediately told him he was an idiot if he didn’t follow his heart, and so she set about divorcing him. The President supported him, and now he’s out and happy with his boyfriend. The entire country may not be ready for it, but I’ve never been more proud of my parents, even though I do use my mom’s maiden name to try to stay out of the spotlight.
; “That’s perfect. I hadn’t even thought of the bar. Will you call Mom?”
“Don’t want to be grilled, huh?”
“Not yet. I’ll work there, too, if she wants. Ellie taught me how to bartend.”
“Because my bad-ass genius of a son needed yet another skill, huh? Or did you just need the girl?”
“Her. It’s been her since the day we met. You know that.”
“I do. You’ve never talked about another woman, or anyone for that matter, the way you’ve talked to me about her. I’ll call your mother.”
“And you’ll call the Society to arrange everything else, right?”
“Yes. Your mother’s been getting harassed because of me, so she really should have extra protection anyways.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Anytime, and I really can’t wait to me this Ellie who’s finally gotten my son to admit that he’s human.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but she is pretty amazing.”
“I have no doubt.”
This is good. It’s not great, because I still don’t know how I can get Ellie to trust me again. And I need her trust more than anything. Well, anything except for her. I need her more than every breath I take. She doesn’t know it, but her love for me is what’s stopped me from succumbing to the darkness inside of me once and for all. It’s the reason I didn’t kill those guys, only hurt them. She makes me feel like I’m a better man. Or at least she did.
Nate and Matt said that she’s broken. It’s time for me to finally step up and be the man she needs. I have to put her back together—after all, she’s been rebuilding me since the day we met.
* * *
Ellie
Two months later
I’m finally off suspension. I know I deserved it, but it was still the hardest eight weeks of my life. I’ve been helping out everyone else while I was restricted to my office. And I was seeing the Society mandated shrink. She’s Nate’s doctor, too, and he’s been a big help. It’s hard to be around him sometimes, because he reminds me so much of Aiden, and all that I lost on my mission gone wrong. But he also understands what I went through.
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