by Jill Sanders
“Listen, I just came out here to drink and forget about my old man beating up on me.” He nodded to the broken bottles the police officer was now standing on.
The man looked down at his feet and shook his head. “I guess we’ll have to haul you in and see if we can get some answers out of you then.”
Ryan was shoved in the back of an unmarked police car and driven out of his small town. As he watched the lights disappear, he wondered if he’d been destined to always be in trouble.
Chapter One
Ten years later...
Nikki applied another layer of red lipstick to her lips and made sure her breasts stuck out just far enough to get the attention she was hoping for. She looked across the room at her mark and took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
He was sexier than the last man she’d hunted down. If it wasn’t for his long dark hair, the rough beard he had on his face, and the flashy clothes he was wearing, he would have been her type.
He’d been harder to find than most. She’d been watching this one for almost three days and had lost him until she’d had a lead from one of her regular snitches.
The bar wasn’t her style. The music was too loud, the clothes too small, and the drugs that went in and out of the place scared most people away. She tucked her small clutch purse under her arm. She knew how to protect herself.
She pasted on her best slutty smile and walked across the floor towards her man. She saw the second his eyes zeroed in on her, the moment desire flashed in his green eyes, and she knew she’d found her mark.
“Well, hello,” she purred and waited until he asked her to sit. But instead of him motioning for her to take the empty spot, he glanced around and quickly said.
“Not now. Come back in ten minutes, okay babe.”
She pouted and sat down anyway. “Oh, what if I don’t want to wait? There are a lot of other fish in this bar.” She giggled and swung her arm over his shoulders and started to play with his long dark hair, wrapping it around her fingers playfully.
She felt him tense, but relax a little as she rubbed her breast against his shoulder. She knew how to work it, especially when so much was on the line.
“Listen, I’d love to…entertain you, but I have a meeting I’ve got to…” He stopped when three men dressed in nice suits walked over and stood by them.
“What’s this?” one of them said, looking at her.
“Ditch the ho,” the other said, sitting down across from them.
She pouted and looked towards her mark. “Come on baby, let’s get out of here.” She started to tug on his arm, but he stopped her.
“She just sat down and now she’s leaving.” He pushed her off of him. She stood up and put her hands on her hips and looked down at him.
“Jerk.” She turned on her heels and walked back to the bar, pretending to be hurt. She sat back along the side of the bar where they were unable to see her and watched the four men while thinking of her next move.
Several men approached her, asking if they could buy her drinks. She turned them all down and sipped her water with lime.
She watched the men arguing and when they all stood and walked towards the back exit, she saw her chance and followed. She wasn’t going to lose him again.
When she stepped out into the alley with her drink in hand, she wobbled a little and purposely fell into one of the men. Looking up, she froze when she realized what was happening.
Her mark stood across from her, held up by two of the other men. Fresh blood dripped down his face and she could see his lip and eyes swelling.
“Hey,” she said, putting a little drunken slur in. “Is this a robbery?” She leaned against the man who she’d bumped into. When she felt the gun in his inside pocket she tried not to show her irritation. Damn, this was going to get complicated.
“Bitch.” The man pushed her away. “Is this your ho?” He pulled her arm up and away from his jacket.
Her mark shook his head and grunted when he was hit in the ribs quickly and released by the two men.
“Get rid of them,” the leader said, pushing her across the small alley into her mark’s arms. The man turned and walked back into the nightclub.
When the two men started walking towards them, Nikki pulled her gun out from her purse and pointed it at the men.
“Freeze,” she said, holding the weapon at their chests. They both stopped, looked at the gun and, then at her and laughed.
“Look, the little lady has a little gun,” the men said, pulling bigger guns from their coats.
“Got anything bigger in that bag of yours?” her mark asked. When she shook her head, he whispered, “Looks like we’ll have to make a run for it.” He grabbed the gun from her fingers, released two shots in the direction of the men, grabbed her arm in a death grip, and took off running down the alley.
She tried to keep up, but the sexy heels she’d worn where slowing her down. She could hear the men gaining on them, and she pulled on her arm until the man stopped yanking her down the back streets.
“Here.” She pulled him down a side alley and yanked open the door to her planned get-a-way route. Then leaned against the doorway and closed her eyes, listening to see if they had escaped the chase.
“How did you know this was here?” he whispered after they heard the men run past their hiding spot.
“I’ve used this place a few times.” She reached down and removed her shoes. Her feet were killing her and would most likely be swollen for the next few days. She hated wearing heels. When she looked up, she smiled. “Can I have my gun back, sweetie?”
He looked at her and shook his head no. “Not until you tell me why you’ve been following me.” He held the weapon up and pointed it at her.
She pouted. “Don’t flatter yourself. I saw you at the bar and thought you looked like a good time.”
He shook his head. “Try a different story. I first noticed you outside my hotel three days ago.”
She looked at him blankly.
“Then at the bus stop yesterday. You were wearing a long tan coat and tall black boots.” He leaned against the other wall and wiped the blood from his lip.
“I think you have me confused with someone else.” She took a step closer and watched him lift the gun back up.
She sighed and leaned back against the door. “I guess I just like the look of you.”
He chuckled. “Was it Carlton? Who do you work for?”
She blinked a few times and sighed. “I don’t know who Carlton is.”
“Then who hired you?” He held the gun up and took a step closer to her.
“Your brother. Reece West. I was hired to find you and take you back to your brother.”
“Reece?” Ryan took a step back and shook his head in disbelief. He remembered the last time he had seen his twin brother. “Reece hired you?”
She nodded and held out her hand for the weapon. “Can I have my gun back?”
He shook his head again. “You’ve just blown three years of hard work in under five minutes.” He about everything that had just happened.
His brother was looking for him and because of this woman, his contacts wouldn’t trust him anymore. Not only that, they’d most likely be watching out for him and probably take out a hit on him. Damn, he’d have to report back to his chief. He might even have to find a place to lay low for a while, at least until they could finally find Dante, the man he’d spent the last three years looking for. He’d been so close. Tonight’s meeting was the last in a long line of meetings to get closer to him. He had been told he was going to be taken to the man. That was the only reason he’d walked out of the back of the club with the three men earlier. He felt his stomach roll. Damn. This wasn’t going to look good on his record.
He turned back to her. “You said my brother sent you?”
She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. He’d only noticed that she’d been following him the first time because of her looks. She was tall with dark hair, killer blue eyes, and sex
y red-hot lips. Even in the slutty outfit she wore tonight, he couldn’t help but admire how classy she looked. Upscale, he’d thought the first time he saw her. She hadn’t belonged in that scummy neighborhood in downtown Houston. Nor had she belonged in the loud club tonight. She belonged in a fine restaurant with a glass of champagne in her hands.
“Who are you?” He took a step towards her.
She sighed and glared at him. “I’ve already told you. Your brother—”
“Your name, princess,” he interrupted.
“I don’t see as that’s any of your—”
He waved the gun. “It is while I’m holding this.” He smiled.
“Nikki.”
“Nikki?” He waited.
She sighed again. “Nikki Dawson.”
“Why would my brother hire you?”
She looked down at the gun and closed her pretty red lips. “I won’t answer any more until I have my gun back.”
He chuckled. “Then we’re in for a very long and quiet night.” He took her hand and started walking into the dark room. “At least tell me if there’s a back door to this place.”
“Over there.” She pointed towards the side. “My car is just—”
“Good, give me the keys,” he interrupted again. They didn’t have time for stories, not now.
She yanked her arm away from him. “You may have my gun, but what makes you think I’ll give you the keys to my car?”
“Because, princess, you’ve just pissed off one of the biggest and baddest drug lords there is and if you think he’s going to let our little vanishing act get past him, you’re sorely mistaken.” He reached over and took her arm again.
“Drug lords?” A cute little line appeared between her eyebrows. “What were you doing with those kind of men?” She glanced over her shoulder and he watched her shiver.
“I was working,” he said, opening the heavy door a crack and glancing around. “Which car is yours?”
“The silver Honda,” she said pointing to the last of a long row of cars parked along the curb.
“Good. Now the keys?” He held out his hand and waited. She looked up at him for a moment, the pulled the keys out of her purse. “Good, now when I say so, we run to the car as fast as you can. Got it?”
She nodded and held her shoes and purse closer to her chest. He reached down and took her hand. When they were less than ten feet from her car, he felt the first bullet whiz by his left hear. He shoved her down as they ducked behind a car. “Damn.” He looked around for a better route. “We’re going to have to crawl.” He looked down at her short dress and frowned at the new scratches she had on those lovely knees.
“Lead the way.” She motioned for him to move. He had to admire her guts and the fact that she wasn’t complaining about crawling on the hard ground.
He took her hand and started ducking behind the cars. When they finally made it to the passenger side of her car, he opened it and jumped in, making sure she stayed low when she ducked in behind him.
He popped the keys in the ignition quickly and hit the gas. When he pulled out, he nicked the car parked in front of them and heard her cuss under her breath. He watched the men chase after them on foot and smiled as he hit the gas and left them in the dark street.
“Sorry, princess. I hope your insurance is paid up.” He took the corner quickly and headed towards the highway, glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed. “So, tell me where my brother is hanging his hat nowadays.”
She glared over at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I know you may not have thought of this, but now you have a very pissed off drug lord after you as well.”
She turned and looked at him. “Me? I didn’t do anything?”
“Oh?” he said, smiling. “Do you think they didn’t grab the plates off this car?” He laughed. “Actually, they probably own the club we were in tonight. If you’ve been in there before, or used your credit card to buy drinks, they’ll know who you are within the next few hours.”
He could tell she was thinking about it. “What do we do? Go to the police?”
He glanced in the rearview mirror again. “Where is my brother?”
She looked at him and frowned. “Fairplay.”
He glanced at her and thought. Fairplay. His cousins’ ranch. It could work. He had to make a few calls first, but so far he didn’t think that Dante’s men knew his real identity. The police chief was going to be pissed that he’d blown it, but at least they already had another man working on the inside who hadn’t had his cover blown by the tall, dark-haired woman with the long sexy legs who sat next to him.
He turned his eyes back to the road and mentally shut off his libido.
·Othe
r titles by Jill Sanders
The Pride Series
Finding Pride – Pride Series #1
Discovering Pride – Pride Series #2
Returning Pride – Pride Series #3
Lasting Pride – Pride Series #4
Serving Pride – Prequel to Pride Series #5
Red Hot Christmas – A Pride Christmas #6
My Sweet Valentine – Pride Series #7
The Secret Series
Secret Seduction – Secret Series #1
Secret Pleasure – Secret Series #2
Secret Guardian – Secret Series #3
Secret Passions – Secret Series #4
Secret Identity – Secret Series #5
Secret Sauce – Secret Series #6
The West Series
Loving Lauren – West Series #1
Taming Alex – West Series #2
Holding Haley – West Series #3
Missy's Moment - West Series #4
Breaking Travis - West Series #5
Roping Ryan – West Series #6
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Follow Jill Sanders online at:
Web: www.jillsanders.com
Twitter: jillmsanders
Facebook: jillsandersbooks
ISBN: 978-1502439352
Copyright © 2014 Jill Sanders
Copyeditor: Erica Ellis – inkdeepediting.com
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
·About the Author
Jill Sanders is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Pride Series, the Secret Series, and the West Series romance novels. Having sold over 150,000 books within six months of her first release, she continues to lure new readers with her sweet and sexy stories. Her books are available in every English-speaking country and are now being translated into six different languages and recorded for audiobook.
Born an identical twin to a large family, she was raised in the Pacific Northwest, later relocating to Colorado for college and a successful IT career before discovering her talent as a writer. She now makes her home on the beautiful emerald coast in Florida where she enjoys the beach, hiking, swimming, wine tasting, and of course writing.
Table of Contents
Breaking Travis~ West Series ~Travis & Holly© 2014 Jill Sanders
Table of ContentsDedication &...
·Breaking Travis
·Prologue
·Chapter OneT
·Chapter TwoH
·Chapter Three“W
·Chapter FourH
·Chapter Five H
·Chapter SixT
·Chapter SevenT
·Chapter EightT
·Chapter NineT
·Chapter TenM
·Chapter Eleven“T
·Chapter TwelveI
·Chapter F
ourteenS
·Chapter FifteenH
·Epilogue
·
Chapter One
·Othe
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the aut...
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