by Dee Davis
Tucker took the crowbar and reached for his weapon. “You take the gun and keep watch.”
“I already told you, I don’t—”
“This isn’t the time to take a pacifist stance, Alexis. Just take the damn gun and if anything moves, shoot it.”
She stared at him for a moment and then, with a grimace, took the gun and moved to the door, her eyes trained on the staircase.
“Women,” he mumbled under his breath as he pulled off the half-rotting boards. Sunlight streamed through the opening, sparkling as it filtered through the dust whorls created by the falling two-by-fours.
“Someone’s coming,” she whispered, glancing back over her shoulder. “How much longer?”
“Now,” he said, tossing the crowbar as he pulled off the last of the boards. “Hurry.” The stairs behind them groaned as someone descended. He took the gun and then boosted her up and through the opening. Behind him, someone opened fire, the bullets going wide as he pulled himself through the chute and slid out onto the lawn.
“Over here,” Alexis called, already running across the grass toward a dilapidated garage. “I’ve got a car.”
Tucker followed behind her, dodging as the second shooter found them and opened fire. The garage, like the cellar, smelled of age and damp. They rushed through an anteroom filled with castoffs and into the main part of the garage. A beat-up Chevy filled almost all the space, an Impala Super Sport the size of a tank and something over forty years old, judging by the chassis.
“What the hell?”
“It came with the house,” she said, grabbing a key off a hook by the door. “It’s more lively than it looks.”
“I sure as hell hope so,” he said, wrenching open the door garage door and sliding inside the car, Alexis following suit. “I’ll drive.”
She nodded, tossing him the key just as a bullet shattered a rear side window.
“Get down,” Tucker yelled as he jammed the key into the ignition, grateful when the old girl sprang to life. Alexis ducked, and he slammed the car into Reverse just as the shooter moved into the garage’s doorway. The Chevy screeched, and its tires spun as he pushed the pedal to the floor, splitting his time between navigating the driveway and keeping an eye on the shooter.
Almost before the front tires hit the road he pushed the gearshift into Drive and held on as the car lurched forward, picking up speed with comparative ease. Behind them, he could see the gunman in the street, still firing even though the Chevy was out of range.
“We’re in the clear,” he said, returning his eyes to the road ahead of them.
“So what do we do now?” Alexis asked as she sat up, her gray eyes full of questions.
At least she’d used the word we. It was a start.
Tucker glanced sideways, noting again how fragile she looked, a definite contrast to the inner strength he’d already witnessed. Contradictions had always intrigued him. Anyway, whatever the hell was going on, it was clear she needed help. And he intended to use that need to extract information.
Someone had killed George Atterley. And now someone was after Alexis. It seemed fairly certain that there was a link. All he had to do was figure it out. And the first step toward doing that was to gain Alexis’s trust.
He glanced over at her, hunched in the seat, clutching that damned bag, expression unreadable. She wouldn’t be an easy sell.
But hell, he’d always enjoyed a challenge.
Contents
Front Cover Image
“How much longer?” Lara asked.
Welcome
Dedication
Epigraph
A Preview of Deep Disclosure
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Dee Davis
Raves for Dee Davis’s A-Tac Series
Copyright
About the Author
Bestselling author DEE DAVIS worked in association management before turning her hand to writing. Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything in Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she’s won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold, and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion Award, and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. When not sitting at the computer writing, she spends her time exploring Manhattan with her husband, daughter, and Cardigan Welsh corgi. You can visit her at www.deedavis.com.
Also by Dee Davis
THE A-TAC SERIES
Available in September 2011
RAVES FOR DEE DAVIS’S A-TAC SERIES
DESPERATE DEEDS
“Delightful… The perfect weekend or vacation read. The fast-paced story takes you through an intriguing game of cat and mouse as protagonists solve the crime, save the world, and, of course, fall in love.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Five Stars, Top Pick! This series is fast-paced and action-packed. This book is a keeper. I, for one, cannot wait to see what Ms. Davis will bring us next.”
—NightOwlReviews.com
“Her books… hold my attention like a vise. I highly recommend this book.”
—FreshFiction.com
“It is obvious that Ms. Davis has done her research to bring readers characters with knowledge and expertise… [A]n outstanding series.”
—RomanceJunkiesReviews.com
“The characters were charming, the action fast-paced, and the romance hot. This is an author who knows how to pace a book and add conflict.”
—Bookpleasures.com
DANGEROUS DESIRES
“Rich in dialogue [with] a strong heroine and intricate plot. Full of twists, turns, and near-death encounters. Readers will consume this quickly and want more.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Danger, deception, and desire are the main literary ingredients in Davis’s high-adrenaline, highly addictive novel of romantic suspense.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Dee Davis never fails to write exciting, sensuous stories featuring a diversity of strong flawed characters you empathize with. Dangerous Desires’ pace is perfect, the dialogue clever, and the plotlines are surprising, captivating, and brilliant.”
—ReadertoReader.com
“Five Stars, Top Pick! Exciting… It will grab your attention and keep a hold of it until the last page. I have put Ms. Davis on my auto buy list.”
—NightOwlReviews.com
DARK DECEPTIONS
“High-stakes action and high-impact romance… Dee Davis leaves me breathless.”
—Roxanne St. Claire, New York Times bestselling author
“Dee Davis always keeps me on edge from start to finish! I read this book in one sitting… a keeper!”
—FreshFiction.com
“Dee Davis sure knows how to nail a romantic suspense. Packed full of tension, action, and romance, this book is a page-turner from beginning to end.”
—BookPleasures.com
“5 Stars! Sparks fly between Annie and Nash… If you like a good romantic suspense story, you’ll really enjoy this book.”
—JustShortofCrazy.com
“An exciting, fast-paced romantic suspense packed with action, adventure, and hot romantic chemistry.”
—FictionVixen.com
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by Dee Davis Oberwetter
Excerpt from Deep Disclosure copyright © 2011 by Dee Davis Oberwetter
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Forever
Hachette Book Group
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New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
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Forever is an imprint of Hachette Book Group. The Forever name and logo are trademarks of Grand Central Publishing.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First eBook edition: July 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4555-0711-5
Table of Contents
Front Cover Image
“How much longer?” Lara asked.
Welcome
Dedication
Epigraph
A Preview of Deep Disclosure
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Dee Davis
Raves for Dee Davis’s A-Tac Series
Copyright