“Strip.”
“What?”
He pulled her farther down the hall and into an office. “Take off your clothes.”
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“I need to know you’re not wired.”
“What is with the paranoia? I’m the one being followed—not you!” She crossed her arms and stood firm. “Or is there something you aren’t telling me?”
“Just take off your damn clothes. Don’t worry, you can keep your knickers on.”
“My what?” She arched her shoulders as her hand flew to her chest.
“Your undergarments. Bra and panties . . .” He moved toward her and held out his hand. “Purse, please.”
She furrowed her brow but handed it over to him. He tossed her bag on his desk and turned back toward her, her cell phone still in his hand.
“I’m not wired. I promise. And I would know if someone was tapping me. I have showered since I was interrogated.”
His face fell. “Since what?”
Oops. “It’s a long story. I planned on telling you later.”
“Just take off your bloody clothes.” He leaned against the edge of his desk. “I’m powering off your phone.”
“What is your deal?” She still hadn’t removed an article of clothing. Over her dead body!
“Listen, I’m not helping you if you don’t do what I say.”
Relief and surprise settled in the pit of her stomach. But after his peculiar behavior, could she even trust him? “So you’re going to help me?”
“Yes, I’ll help you, but only if . . .”
She nodded as she searched for some inner lioness to give her strength. “If I remove my damn clothing?” she finished, mimicking his accent. She scowled at him but followed instructions. She pulled her blouse over her head in one swift movement, trying to tuck away the fact of her shyness.
His eyes shifted from her face to her nude demi bra. He moved toward her, and she took a step back, worried about his intentions. He circled her and jutted his chin forward, waving his hand at her jeans.
She was pissed, but also strangely aroused to be stripping in front of him. Her hands slipped to the button of her pants, and she unzipped them. She slid them down to her ankles, humiliation brightening her naturally honey-tan skin, which was a gift from her Brazilian grandfather.
He dipped his gaze down to her nude bikini bottoms and shifted his attention back up to her face. “You can put your clothes back on.” He shut his eyes for a moment as if the image of her standing naked in his office was painful to him.
“Thank you,” she spat while pulling up her pants. She extended her hand out toward him. “My shirt, please?”
“Shit. Sorry.” He shook his head and gave it back. “Where are you staying? A hotel?”
She nodded once.
“Can’t take you there and I don’t want to bring you to my place. We’ll go to another hotel, for now.”
First she stripped for him and now he was taking her to a hotel?
“What is the big deal if the Feds are following me? I assume they are keeping an eye on me to protect me—once I explain what is going on, you’ll understand.”
His muscular forearms flexed as he crossed them. His hypnotic eyes pierced her, causing another familiar flitter of wings in her stomach. “Until I know the whole story, I don’t want anything to do with the Feds.”
“Are you some sort of criminal? I couldn’t find any information on you.” Just like your mom.
He shifted in his stance, appearing uncomfortable. “Hell no, but I don’t trust anyone.”
She studied Aiden, wondering whether she’d be endangering herself even more by getting involved with him. But at the moment, he was her only lead to finding Henry. “Okay. So, what do we do?”
“My father can close the bar. We’ll go out the back and find a place that doesn’t require a credit card.” He lifted her purse and reached in for her wallet. “Take your ID and cash—you don’t need the rest.” He handed the wallet to her, and she followed his orders like a stranger—some subservient shadow—and shoved the money and ID into her pocket. “What about my phone? What if Henry calls?” She sucked in a worried breath.
“He won’t.”
Connect with Brittney Sahin
Thank you for reading Kate and Michael’s story. If you loved the book, please take a quick moment to leave a review.
Sign up to receive exclusive excerpts and bonus material for Brittney Sahin’s novels, as well as take part in great giveaways, which include gift cards, signed paperbacks, and e-books by some of your favorite romance authors. Click here: Reader’s Group.
Feel free to send Brittney Sahin an email at [email protected] – or follow her on Facebook and Twitter – where you can also discover bonus material & giveaways!
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my husband for supporting my dreams to write novels. Without his help and belief in my writing, I may not have had the opportunity to publish my first novel. I would also like to thank my parents for their help. The countless hours they spent babysitting my very active toddler helped me accomplish my goal of completing my novel by its release date!
To my editor, Sarah Norton, at WordsRU.com—I have learned so much from you during this process, and I am forever grateful to have found such an amazing editor. I look forward to working with you over the years to come.
To my amazing cover designer, Dane, at ebooklaunch.com—thank you for such a brilliant design.
To my supporters in the blogging and social media community—thank you, thank you, and thank you!
And last, but not least, thank you to my readers—this wouldn’t be possible without you!
About the Author
Brittney Sahin began writing at an early age, with the dream to be a published author before the age of 18. Although academic pursuits (and, later, a teaching career) interrupted her aspirations, she never stopped writing—never stopped imagining.
It wasn’t until her students encouraged her to follow her dreams that Brittney said goodbye to Upstate New York in order to start a new adventure in the place she was raised: Charlotte, North Carolina. Here, she decided to take her students’ advice and begin to write again.
In 2015, she published her first novel, Silenced Memories. When she is not working on upcoming novels, she spends time with her family. She is a proud mother of two boys and a lover of suspense novels, coffee, and the outdoors.
Table of Contents
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
Chapter Twenty-Five
Extract from Innocence & Betrayal
Connect with Brittney Sahin
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Silenced Memories (Hidden Truths) Page 29