Neil (The Uncompromising Series Book 2)

by Sybil Bartel

  “Did you kill him?”

  Her eyes met mine but her expression gave nothing away. “No.”

  “What’s your end game?” If I was going to do anything beyond dumping her at the ER, I needed to know what I was getting myself into.

  “What do you mean?”

  I lost my patience. “C’mon, darlin’. I don’t have time for this shit. You show up on my doorstep half beaten to death, sayin’ you didn’t know where else to go. That tells me two things. One, you’re in deep shit and two, you think I can help. So, I ask again, what’s your plan? And don’t tell me it’s to go back when he calms the fuck down. Dead or alive, you’re done with that worthless prick. I ain’t a battered women’s shelter you can check in and out of.”

  “Randy told me you were a doctor in the Navy,” she said in that quiet voice that was beginning to make me wonder if she ever got pissed off.

  I sighed. “SARC, Marines.”

  “What?”

  “Not a doctor. Trauma medic. Answer my question.”

  “I don’t want to go back there.” Nothing changed in her expression.

  I pushed off the desk, hoping like hell she was telling the truth. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  Her shoulder stiffened. “Where?”

  “ER. X-rays. Your wrist’s broken and I want your cheek looked at. Not to mention the leg you’re favorin’ that you won’t tell me about.”

  “It doesn’t hurt as much as my wrist.”

  “Thank God for small favors. Up.” I held my hand out, gentleman that I am.

  She stared at my hand a moment.

  Then she reached for me and her entire story fell to shit.

  TALON (The Uncompromising Series Book #1) is available now at all ebook retailers and print copies are available through Amazon!

  Writing is a solitary journey but publishing is a team effort and I could not do this without the amazing people who have helped and guided me. A huge thank you to Rebecca Paula for taking NEIL on despite her own busy writing schedule and giving him an edit! Another huge thank you to Adrian Hale for being Neil’s champion in all things alpha! Adrian, I am still laughing at your awesome comments!

  Thank you so much to Virginia and Olivia at Hot Tree Editing for giving NEIL those polishing touches that I am so bad at!

  And my cover! A giant thank you to Michael Stokes for his amazing photography! His photo of Kyle Clark was a perfect match for NEIL. And Clarise at CT Cover Designs, I adore you! Thank you for taking such good care of me!

  To all my BBHers in my facebook reader group, Book Boyfriend Heroes, I love you all! Thank you for waiting so patiently for NEIL and cheering me on and putting up with all of my Viking hash tags!

  And last but not least, a heartfelt thank you to my family. To my husband and son, I love you both beyond words. You are my everything! And mom and dad, I love you both so much! Thank you for teaching me to follow through on my dreams. XOXO

  Sybil grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She used to dream of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of storytelling.

  Sybil now resides in Southern Florida, and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she’s not writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer.

  But Seriously?

  Here are ten things you really want to know about Sybil.

  She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a Sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaked her out. Her favorite word is desperate, or dirty, or both, she can’t choose. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never rely on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.

  To find out more about Sybil or her books, please visit her website, www.sybilbartel.com, or like her Facebook page. You can also join her Facebook Reader Group, Book Boyfriend Heroes for advanced information on her books, exclusive excerpts and fun giveaways.

  And if you really want to know what she’s thinking, you can follow her on Twitter, @SybilBartel.