“No,” I hissed as I slipped the knife from my belt. I held my breath and shoved it into his stomach as hard as my adrenaline-filled arms could thrust. I felt his body push back at me as I broke the skin and the muscle and whatever was underneath. I wasn’t expecting the blood. There was so much of it.
He hunched over, a grunt of pain slipping from his lips. But no sooner had he recovered than he lifted his gun and pointed it right at Markus. “I told my father you were a goddamn snake. He wouldn’t believe me. As soon as he saw your fucking white fur… he wanted you… instead…”
The knife slipped from my hands. “No!”
But Markus was faster. He shot Eliseo without hesitation.
The thumping of Feds storming up the staircase drowned out his fall.
Chapter Twelve
Medics were at the apartment within minutes. I stood around in the street in front of the apartment building, taking in the scene unfolding around me. There were dozens of cop cars (Moroccan) and black cars that probably belonged to the feds. Cody had gotten lost in the rush of people, but when I turned around, I saw Markus pushing him into a black car. He got in one, long look at me. His face was drained, his whole person defeated. I knew, in that moment, I should have felt sorry for him…
But I didn’t.
A couple of minutes later, Markus found me in the back of an ambulance. A medic had motioned me over and was checking me up and down. His chest inflated with his breath. “So…”
I nodded. “So, you work for the FBI.” It was such a relief.
He pursed his lips. “I wanted to tell you.”
I nodded. “I know. You must have.” I furrowed my brow as I remembered some of my words to him. “I said such shitty stuff. God, I’m so sorry.”
He sat down next to me, motioning the medic to give us a minute. “I made it impossible for you to build trust in me. I’m sorry for that, because I truly want you to trust me.”
I let out a dry laugh. “My ex-boyfriend borrowed money from the mob, stole my credit card and almost got me killed. The trust thing might take me awhile.”
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his firm chest. “I’m willing to give it time.”
We sat there watching the scene a little while longer. The sun had begun to set and the street was slowly clearing. The residents, who had come out to see what the hullabaloo was all about, had now retreated back to their homes, settling in for the evening.
I hugged him back, gazing up at him. “It’s getting late.”
He returned the look. “This story is done now,” He said.
I furrowed my brow, but it made sense. He had been on this case, undercover, for who knows how long and now the Don along with a dozen of his most trusted men were headed to prison, and it was all because of him. This wasn’t just a bizarre two-day respite from real life for him. This nightmare had been his reality for God only knows how long. And yet, I wasn’t ready to reset just yet.
The street was just about empty except for one remaining ambulance. I hesitated before I said it, bracing myself for the answer. “Could we stay for just a little while longer?”
“In Morocco?”
I nodded.
A slow smile spread across his face. He kissed my forehead. “For my mate… anything.”
THE END
Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope you enjoyed it.
I have included several BONUS STORIES that I hope you’ll enjoy! But first, please enjoy an excerpt from Book 1 of my Kodiak Island Shifters series entitled Billionaire’s Bride. If you like the sample, you can download the full book by using the link provided at the end of the sample.
ENJOY A FREE SNEAK PEEK
(This book is a standalone with a Happily Ever After ending. It is the first book in a series you’re going to love about the Sterling Brothers, Grizzly Bear Shifters.)
KODIAK ISLAND SHIFTERS
COLTON: BILLIONAIRE BEAR’S BRIDE
By Candace Ayers
Chapter one
“Take a seat Doctor Cooper.” Hannah’s lawyer proffered a chair opposite his paper-strewn desk. He adjusted his spectacles before continuing, “It’s all fairly straight forward—all monetary assets are to be transferred from your uncle’s estate at your earliest convenience.”
Hannah smiled tightly, not really knowing what to say. It had been an overwhelming week. It began with her uncle’s funeral, a man she hadn’t spoken to in years and only vaguely recollected. It was now ending, on a warm Friday afternoon, in her lawyer’s office, discussing the deposit of a large inheritance into her bank account.
“I have to say,” the lawyer continued, “it’s a rare pleasure allocating such large funds to someone so risk-adverse. You have a very healthy credit record, Doctor Cooper.”
“Well. I don’t come from a wealthy background, Mr. Moore. I think that helps.”
“Indeed.” He nodded, “There is, however, another matter I wanted to discuss with you today.” He cleared his throat before continuing, “Your marriage to a Mr…” He peered down at the document in his hand, “Bradley…”
“Brad Crawford,” Hannah interrupted him. “Yes. We’re not actually married. I mean, we’re married, technically, but… well, haven’t been together for many years now. We just never got around to a divorce.”
“I suggest that you do. You understand, of course, that he could cause,” he hesitated, looking for the right word, “issues as your legal husband if you were to receive the inheritance and then opt for a divorce. My suggestion to you would be to obtain signed divorce papers before the transfer proceeds.”
Hannah nodded, “I don’t think that will be a problem… once I track him down.”
“You don’t know Mr. Crawford’s location?”
“No. I haven’t seen him in ten years.” Hannah shrugged, she really hadn’t thought about him for an entire decade. They broke up a month before she left for medical school, and neither of them had been in contact with one another since.
“Well, I suggest you locate him. My understanding is that these funds will enable you to start your own medical practice?”
Hannah nodded, “Yes… and pay off my student loans.”
“Admirable. I hope it proves a fruitful endeavor. I will have the divorce papers drawn up for you by next week. Once you have the co-signature, we can reconvene and transfer the funds.
“Okay. Well, great.” Hannah rose from her chair, and shook her lawyers hand. “Thank you for your help, Mr. Moore.”
“It’s a pleasure, Dr. Cooper.”
Riding the elevator down from Delaney, Smith and Wexler LLP, Hannah felt dizzy. She had hoped that one day she’d have the financial means to open her own practice specializing in family medicine, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that day would come so soon. Thank you, Uncle Henry. May you rest in peace.
All she had to do now was get a divorce. She slipped on her RayBans as she stepped out of the office building and into the bright Chicago sunshine, heading towards a Starbucks across the street. Hannah wasn’t on call, so this was only the second cup of the day. If she was going to start trying to locate Brad Crawford, she reasoned, she’d need all the help she could get.
As the barista smiled at her mechanically from behind the counter, Hannah contemplated her options. She knew that neither of her parents had heard from Brad in years, and she wasn’t really in touch with anyone from High School. That was one of the drawbacks of medical school; you could forget about maintaining old friendships during the four years of intensive study, as lab partners and classmates became the only faces you ever saw. The four years of residency that followed had been no easier, but at least Hannah had shared an apartment with two other young doctors who understood the need to get shit-faced drunk the first day you lost a patient, that black-out conditions were mandatory during the day if you were on night shifts, and that the fridge needed to be stocked with Diet Coke twenty-four seven.
Hannah figured her best bet for tracking Brad
would be to start with his sister. A few months ago, Hannah was sure she’d seen a new baby announcement on Facebook with Brad’s sister tagged in the group. Lila, that was her name. Lila Crawford. As far as Hannah could recall, she still lived back in Montana, so maybe Brand was near that area too. It would be nice to visit. Maybe she could pop by and see her parents.
With renewed vigor and a tall steaming black Columbian coffee, Hannah set off back home to her apartment.
“Lila?” Hannah asked when she heard a confused ‘hello’ at the other end of the line.
“Speaking. Who’s this?” Lila’s voice sounded sleep heavy.
“It’s Hannah Cooper. We went to High School together.” Hannah prompted.
“Oh, yeah. Brad’s wife.”
“Yeah,” Hannah paused. She hadn’t exactly expected a warm reception, but Lila’s tone was particularly cold. “I was actually looking for Brad. Do you know where he lives now?”
“Not really. I haven’t heard from him in over a year. No surprise there.”
Hannah made a sympathetic noise, “Any idea where I might find out?”
“Why are you looking for him anyways? You two haven’t seen each other in years.”
“I just wanted to catch up with him, see how he’s doing…” Hannah trailed off. “I also need him to sign some divorce papers. We never really got around to it, before, you know?”
“You getting hitched again?” Lila asked.
“No, no, just getting my paperwork in order.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Eventually Lila sighed.
“Well, last I heard, he was in Alaska.”
“Alaska?”
“Yeah. He was doing odd jobs here and there. No idea where he’s at now though.”
“Okay, thanks Lila. Do you know what area?”
“Port Ursa.”
Hannah had never heard of it. So much for her trip to Montana.
“Great. Thanks, Lila, you’ve been really helpful.”
“Anytime.”
The phone went dead before Hannah had a chance to say goodbye. Hannah stared bemusedly at it. Lila had always been a bit of an oddball, and as far back as Hannah could remember, she’d never gotten along with her own brother.
The Crawford siblings hadn’t exactly had the Leave it to Beaver upbringing, though. Brad may have been the all-star favorite on the school basketball team, but he had also been a wild card–constantly in trouble, forever in detention, and he often missed long periods of the school semester. It was that wildness that had attracted her to Brad in the first place. Hannah smiled to herself, remembering her days as a straight-laced high school student. She had been forever studying, positively obsessed with getting straight ‘A’s. Brad had caught her attention during senior year, and they had started dating casually.
When High School came to an end, they and a group of their friends decided to celebrate their freedom with a cross-country road trip. Predicated by a night of free drinking at a casino, and Hannah’s first actual falling-down drunk, Brad and Hannah had found themselves in an Elvis Chapel in Vegas, pledging their future to one another.
Hannah went into her bedroom, and dug out a shoebox from beneath her bed. It was full of old photos and mementos. She searched through the piles, till she came to the cheaply framed picture of her wedding day. Brad had insisted on dressing up in a Rhinestone body suit. It still made Hannah laugh. He looked ridiculous, but she didn’t look any better. Having drunkenly decided to go “full Vegas,” she’d found the tightest, shortest mini dress she could find and the highest stilettos. In the picture they were surrounded by their friends—people Hannah hadn’t seen in years. She looked at the picture fondly. Brad had been troubled, no doubt about that, but he had been fun. The foolish marriage aside, she would never regret that vacation. Her last hurrah, a taste of much needed freedom before she buckled down to carving out her career.
She was intrigued to see what had become of Brad. She was actually surprised that this much time had passed without him contacting her to get the marriage annulled. Hannah’s dating landscape had been pretty barren, solely due to her working hours and somewhat narrow-minded focus on her job, but she would have thought Brad would have found a nice girl to settle down with by now.
“Do we have any ice-cream?” her roommate, Laura, stood in the doorway looking utterly miserable.
“No, honey, we don’t. Are you okay?”
“No,” she pouted, “Long shift working with Grayson. It was horrible. He yelled for hours, and I was so tired I didn’t even know what he was yelling about.”
“Yuck. I’m sorry, that sounds rough.” Grayson was the Chief of Staff at the general hospital where Hannah and Laura where finishing off their residency. He was an acidic demon, and getting on the wrong side of him would lead to shifts ending in tears. For Laura, it always necessitated buckets of ice cream.
“Come on,” Hannah ushered her into the living room, and wrapped her up in a blanket on the sofa. “I’ll go out and get some.”
“Really?” Laura’s eyes lit up, “Thank you, thank you. I’ll do your laundry duty next week.”
Hannah laughed, “No you won’t–you never have time to follow through on that promise, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
Laura smiled sheepishly.
“By the way, “Hannah continued, “have you heard of Port Ursa?”
“In Alaska?”
“Yes! Do you know it?”
“Not really. My dad went fishing there once. I think it’s a bit of a nightmare to get to–like, one of the islands you can only get to by boat or bush plane or something.”
“Of course it is,” Hannah sighed, “Salted caramel?”
“Can you get that and a cookie dough one?”
“Don’t push your luck.” Hannah picked up her keys and purse. “Be back in five.”
Laura gave her a helpless wave from her position on the sofa.
Hannah marched down the stairs, mildly annoyed that the one rare week she got off would be spent traipsing around in Alaska, no doubt freezing her ass off, trying to locate her legal husband.
Chapter two
“I think we should expand,” Colton Sterling leaned back in his chair, idly scratching his lean torso as he waited for his brothers’ response.
“It’s risky, Colton,” Wyatt spoke in measured tones, “It makes me nervous that we couldn’t cover it with the income from the current fishery.”
“But we can easily cover it with Sterling Outfitters,” remarked Colton, “We’re running a multi-billion-dollar chain. What else do you want to do with the profits?”
Colton’s brother sighed.
“Come on, Wyatt. You know he’s right.” Tucker Sterling broke the silence, “He was right the last time, he’s right this time, and he’s going to be right next time.”
The three brothers sat around the table. They had been playing a game of poker, but talk had turned to business as it so often did. The whisky had stopped being poured as they tried to reach a solution, the game on pause while each man carefully considered the options.
Years ago, when their father died, the three brothers had been left running the family’s small camping goods and outdoor supplies store right in the heart of “nowhereville” Alaska. Colton alone had seen the bigger picture; Alaska was growing its tourist influx every year. Visitors poured in seasonally for adventure and nature watching in the brutal, pristine Alaskan wilderness. All the small towns had an outdoor goods supply shop, but the quality varied, as did the stock. Colton’s brainstorm had been to take over each of these mom and pop stores, one by one, whilst keeping on board the experts who had been running each shop, as employees. It meant more income for them, as well as access to superior quality products. Thus, Sterling Supplies became Sterling Outfitters, Inc. and within a few years, new stores popped up in various locations in a chain that encompassed Alaska, Canada, and most of the lower 48 states. Sterling Outfitters was now a household name. No one could deny tha
t Colton had a mind for business that bordered on genius.
Now, Colton was keen to replicate the model in the fishing industry.
“You know it’s not just the money, Colton,” Wyatt reminded him, “The Jackson pack aren’t pleased with our stronghold here. Purchasing the fishery that previously belong to their pack isn’t going to help politics.”
“Shit, Wyatt, Jackson drank that place into the ground. If it’s not us, that place will just go to waste. There’s no one here that has the inclination to take on a place with so much bad debt attached.”
The brothers were at a stalemate. Both Wyatt and Colton looked to Tucker, waiting for his input.
“Look, let’s talk to Joe about it, see what he says. I agree with Colton, this is a good opportunity and it shouldn’t go to waste, but we also need to think about what the consequences are going to mean for relations between our clan and the wolves. I don’t want more shit from Jackson and the rest of them cocksuckers.” Tucker reached for the bottle of whisky. His action decreeing that the subject was now closed.
Joe Sterling was the uncle of the three men. When their father, Joe’s brother, died, Joe took over as Alpha of the bear clan. Tensions between the wolf pack and bear clan had been growing steadily more precarious. Their father, Jeremiah Sterling, had died in his car, driving back home from work. The investigation into his death wasn’t much at the time. Port Ursa had been such a small town that the police and legal infrastructure hadn’t amounted to much, and the car had been deemed faulty. The death was recorded as an accident. The Sterling clan had their suspicions, though, grounded in the fact that two of Jackson’s pack members had reportedly been seen hanging around the lot where Jeremiah’s car was parked that day.
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