He turned off the water, thinking, It’s time for the terrorists of the world to live in fear instead of us fearing them. After he shaved, he grabbed a pair of shorts from the dresser in his bedroom and slipped them on. Much better. Nothing like a comfortable pair of shorts.
In the kitchen, he pulled a dinner from the freezer and zapped it in the microwave. He turned the package over and saw that this dinner offered a tasty slab of chicken with mashed potatoes and a brownie to boot.
He chuckled. K certainly wouldn’t approve. A microwave dinner and a soda? He could hear her exclaim, “Not healthy!” and see his wife’s playful frown.
The smell of fake chicken filled the kitchen. He was too tired to cook tonight. Plus, he hadn’t had a chance to restock his refrigerator. He sat down on the leather couch and began to eat.
Not bad, for a TV dinner. Not like K’s cooking, though. Not much like anybody’s cooking.
Now that he was on the subject, he couldn’t help but think about K and his daughter, Samantha. It had been three years since…he shook his head, trying to shove the thought from his brain. Wow. Three years. Time flies.
Finished, he got up and threw the empty container in the trash, feeling a little celebratory. He was done with the mission and that meant only one thing.
Vacation—after a good night’s sleep.
He turned off the lights and his alarm clock and crawled into his king-size bed. He was going to sleep in, which would be a nice change from the multiple all-nighters he’d pulled in the last year. He closed his eyes and drew the covers around his chin. No matter how hot it was outside, he had to be under the covers.
Once he had breathed in deep and let it all out in a long sigh, he relaxed his legs and arms. His eyes became heavy. Thoughts of his family consumed his mind until he fell asleep, which usually took a couple hours, but tonight he had a feeling he would fall asleep right away. He wished he could see K and her sparkling hazel eyes and the smile she reserved for him and him alone.
Then there was little Samantha, with her cute pigtails bobbing as she ran down the steps to meet him. The workday tensions melted when he felt her tiny arms hugging his neck. She always smelled like soap and lavender, no matter how dirty she was or how long she’d gone between baths. It seemed like just yesterday he was home holding K and Samantha in his arms. He hated to go to bed alone, again. So alone.
Three years earlier…
Also by Aaron Patterson
Sweet Dreams (Book 1)
Dream On (Book 2)
In Your Dreams (Book 3)
Cross Over Box Set
Breaking Steele
Twisting Steele
Melting Steele
Airel: The Awakening (Book 1)
Airel: The Discovering (Book 2)
Michael: The Curse (Book 3)
Michael: The Mark (Book 4)
Uriel: The Inheritance (Book 5)
Uriel: The Price (Book 6)
The Airel Saga Box Set
N19eteen (Digital Short)
The Craigslist Killer (Digital Short)
Zombie High (Digital Short)
Elena’s Secret: A Vampire Diaries story
Aaron Patterson is the father of three kids: Soleil, Kale, and Klayton. He the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Mark Appleton thriller series, The Airel Saga, and The Sarah Steele thriller series. He worked in the construction field for 11 years and is now a full time writer. He was home schooled and has a bachelor’s degree in theology. He loves to hike, snowboard, camp, and drink coconut lattes. He is also the founder of StoneHouse Ink and co-founder of StoneHouse University. He speaks all over the country on the subjects of eBooks, writing and the changing publishing world.
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Breaking Steele
Twisting Steele
Melting Steele
Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Aaron Patterson
All rights reserved 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 permission of the publisher.
StoneHouse Ink 2014
StoneHouse Ink
Boise, ID 83713
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover design by © Cory Clubb
Creative Edit by Ellie Ann
Published in the United States of America
StoneHouse Ink
This ebook was designed and formatted by
www.emtippettsbookdesigns.com
Artisan ebooks for discerning authors and publishers.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Acclaim for Aaron Patterson
Also by Aaron Patterson
BREAKING STEELE
Dedication
Quote
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
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
TWISTING STEELE
Dedication
Quote
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
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
/> Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
MELTING STEELE
Dedication
Quote
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
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Preview of Sweet Dreams
Also by Aaron Patterson
About the Author
Copyright Notice
About the Book Designer
The Steele Collection Books 1-3: Sarah Steele Legal Thrillers Page 40