by LK Shaw
Table of Contents
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
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Prologue
Chapter 1
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
His to Protect
LK Shaw
Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgments
1. Daniel
2. Katie
3. Daniel
4. Katie
5. Daniel
6. Katie
7. Daniel
8. Katie
9. Daniel
10. Katie
11. Daniel
12. Katie
13. Daniel
14. Katie
15. Daniel
16. Katie
17. Daniel
Epilogue
A Note From Lk
Secrets of Submission
Copyright
1. Penny
Secrets of Desire
Copyright
Prologue
1. Connor
Secrets of Redemption
Copyright
Prologue
1. Josie
2. Miles
Booklist
About the Author
Copyright
His to Protect: Secrets, Book 3.5 (c) 2017 by LK Shaw
Cover design (c) 2017 by Ella Dominguez
ISBN-13: 978-1548153137
ISBN-10: 1548153133
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then, technically, you have stolen it and/ or pirated it and are a despicable human being. Return to an ebook retailer and purchase your own copy.
Available in ebook and print editions.
Acknowledgments
I can’t believe all the people who have been there for me each and every day! I have created so many friendships throughout this journey that I’m awestruck. I both love and hate writing acknowledgments. It’s a time for me to thank all the wonderful friends who have been there with me through thick and thin. Who have taught me things about myself as well as about this industry itself. There are so many people I want to acknowledge, but then I’m scared that there are so many people I’ll forget. And I hate that. I want to acknowledge every person I know, but I understand that’s completely unrealistic. So, if I don’t mention you, it’s not because I’m not thankful for everything you’ve done for me!
Thank you to Julia Sykes for being an amazing friend and critique partner. Your friendship means the world to me. You talk me into some crazy things, but I’ve learned more from you than I ever thought possible. I’m so glad for our friendship!
Thank you to Anne Reeths who’s been with me from the beginning. You’ve been the most amazing alpha reader. You aren’t afraid to tell me what you hate about parts of my books and what would make them better. Your feedback is invaluable and I’m so glad we’re friends.
Thank you to Ella Dominguez for designing yet another gorgeous cover for this series. You are my inspiration and an author I most admire. Your stories are some of my favorites, and I can only hope to write as well as you do some day.
Thank you to my editor, Rebecca Cartee, at Editing by Rebecca. I’m so glad I finally got to meet you last year and become friends. I enjoy our chats on Facebook. It’s scary how similar we are.
Thank you to all the Luscious Ones!
Thank you to all the readers out there whom I’ve talked to online or in person. You are the reason I do this. I write these books for you! So, thank you just for being you!
Chapter 1
Daniel
My name is Detective Daniel Webber, and I am in deep shit.
It all started a year ago when I was working on what I thought was an open-and-shut case involving a murdered prostitute. We had the john in custody, and he’d confessed. That was where I fucked up. I’d let a rookie cop make the arrest. A rookie cop who made one of the biggest mistakes a cop could ever make. He neglected to read the suspect his Miranda rights.
I wasn’t diligent in my duties and a killer walked.
I was on the verge of being suspended so I made sure to tread lightly around other not so open-and-shut cases. One of which hadn’t been opened yet when it was brought to my attention. A young boy was suspected of being abused by his uncle, who had become his guardian after the death of the boy’s adoptive parents.
I was already on thin ice with my Chief, so I had to take care with unfounded presumptions. I couldn’t start hounding a man without proof. This was where I fucked up again. The man who’d brought the allegations of abuse to me, Connor Black, was somewhat of a… frenemy, for lack of a better term. We weren’t enemies, but we certainly weren’t friends.
The boy had called his birth mother for help. I went to speak with her and instantly felt a spark of attraction. An attraction that became sort of a pissing contest between Black and me considering he was in love with her. I was so intent on pushing Black’s buttons that I lost focus on what my end goal should have been: taking care of people in need.
I forgot I was a cop.
I forgot my job was to serve and protect.
A job I failed to do. Lives were almost lost, including that of Black’s ladylove.
Then, a month ago, I was involved in yet another case, one that brought to light a significant amount of corruption within the department. Corruption in the higher echelons of the entire public service entity, starting with cops in my department, including the Chief, all the way up to the Mayor’s office. I held all the evidence and shit had been going down ever since. People I trusted and respected were dirty. With the way I was feeling about the whole situation, it made me want to take justice into my own hands, especially when it involved the trafficking of women.
Because of my connection to the collector of said evidence, my career was in even further jeopardy and my life on a downward spiral. Losing myself in booze and women became my coping mechanism. Maybe it wasn’t the best choice, but fuck it, it was how I dealt.
Today had been the longest day this week, and I was ready to head home and crack open a cold beer. Or three. Then she walked into the precinct. The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen even though she was covered head-to-toe in dirt, her shirt and pants torn in various places, and her dark brown hair a wild rat’s nest atop her head. What struck me the most though, were her eyes. They were almost a piercing blue, like ice. And filled with fear.
Her breathing was shallow, and her glance darted hastily around the room as though searching for enemies in the shadows. Seeming to sense my stare, her eyes hon
ed in on me. For several moments, neither of us broke eye contact. It seemed she was taking my measure, as I was hers. Instinctively, I knew that whatever brought her here would either be my downfall or my redemption.
I slowly made my way over, making sure when I reached her that I stayed out of her personal space. I knew if I invaded it too soon, she’d spook. And there was no way I was letting her out of my sight anytime soon.
“I’m Detective Webber. Is there something I can help you with?”
Her bottom lip quivered at my words as tears sprang to her eyes, but she gained control quickly, blinking them back.
“Is—is there some place private we can go?” She spoke so softly I had to strain to hear her.
I hesitated only briefly before inclining my head. “My office is this way.”
I led the way to the back of the precinct, only glancing behind me once to see if she followed. I ushered her into my office and closed the door. She took a seat in the vacant chair on the near side of the desk.
I wanted to remain close, but also wanted to put her at ease, so I made my way to the other side and sat in my own chair as opposed to the seat next to her.
“May I get you something to drink?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“Ok, how about we start with your name then.”
She cleared her throat and let out a huff of air. “My name is Katherine Marsh.”
Katherine. I savored the sound of her name inside my head.
“And, what can I help you with, Katherine?”
She looked down at her clenched fingers but remained silent.
“Katherine.” I coaxingly spoke her name again, trying to gain her trust, but not push her. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
She finally looked up at me, her lips bloodless and white. “I saw someone murdered tonight.”
I tried to hold back my shock, although I wasn’t sure how successful I was. “When did this murder take place? Where? Are you sure the victim is dead?”
Without thought, I pulled out the notepad I always kept with me from my inside coat pocket.
“I’d just finished my shift at La Scala, the Italian restaurant downtown, when I went out to the alley to take the trash to the dumpster. It was about 10:00 pm. I heard raised voices coming from farther down the alley. I thought I recognized one of them, so I headed in that direction. When I turned the corner, there were two men standing there arguing. I was about to announce my presence when one of the men reached out to the other man and pulled him close. At first, I thought I’d interrupted a lover’s quarrel and that one man was embracing the other in an attempt to stop the argument. Until the second man stumbled and fell to his knees that is.”
She paused in her speech and swallowed several times, hard. Tears again built in her eyes; this time, there was no stopping them as they raced down her dirt-stained cheeks.
“I stood there and watched the man topple over, holding his stomach, before I realized something was wrong. I knew I needed to move, but my feet were stuck. I must have made some type of noise, although I can’t be sure, because the standing man began turning toward me; that’s when my brain began working. I ducked out of sight behind the dumpster, held my breath, and prayed like I’d never prayed before. I heard movement and footsteps, but they sounded like they headed in the opposite direction. I waited another few minutes before peeking around the corner. The only thing I saw was the man lying on the ground. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I rushed over to check on him. He was dead.”
She barely finished the last sentence before a ragged sob escaped. She covered her face and cried as though her entire world had just come crashing down. There was nothing I hated more than seeing a woman cry. I swiftly moved around my desk and knelt before her, touching her shoulder in comfort. I rocked backward, barely catching the both of us before we toppled over, as she threw her arms around me and wept into my chest. I held her for what seemed like hours, both of us on our knees on the floor, trying to ignore the press of her breasts against my chest.
Against my will, I felt myself harden as her luscious curves pressed against me. It was then I noticed the quiet. Her sobs had died down, and she was pushing herself closer to me. I pulled back slightly, causing our cheeks to glide against each other. Before I even knew what was happening, our lips met in a fierce kiss. Her mouth opened to the coaxing of my tongue, and I didn’t waste another second. My tongue darted in and began to play with hers, tasting her. I withdrew my tongue and was about to plunder her mouth again, when she ripped herself out of my arms.
Katherine jumped to her feet, and with a hand over her mouth, a horrified expression across her face, she began backing away from me. She bumped into the door and quickly turned to flee the room. Her hand had just touched the doorknob when I finally came to my senses and clumsily stumbled to my feet. “Wait, Katherine. Don’t leave. Please.”
Like I said. Deep shit.
Chapter 2
Katie
Oh my god, what was wrong with me? Emmett had been killed before my eyes, and I was sitting here, making out with a cop. My behavior appalled me. I needed to focus on finding Emmett’s murderer, not this sexy-as-sin cop. His California good looks—with his tanned skin, shaggy, sun-streaked brown hair, and forest green eyes were not a distraction I needed. The man who had treated me like his daughter was dead. And I was the only person who could bring his killer to justice.
The plea from the detective had me frozen, indecision warring inside me. I was embarrassed by my behavior, but the grief-stricken side of me wanted justice. Or vengeance. I didn’t care which.
I turned back to Webber and really studied him. I noticed the ruddy cheeks, and it hit me that he was probably just as, if not more so, embarrassed as I was about what just happened.
“Please accept my apologies for my behavior. It was unprofessional and highly inappropriate.”
“No, it was my fault. I’m sure you didn’t realize you were going to have a hysterical woman on your hands. No reason for you to apologize. Let’s just forget it happened. Okay?”
He hesitated only briefly before nodding.
“Please, have a seat. I need to ask you a few more questions if that’s all right.”
Both of us returned to our previous seats, the atmosphere now tense with awkwardness. I was also pretty sure I looked a mess, even without looking in the mirror. I knew from past experience that I was not a pretty crier. My skin turned blotchy, my nose bright red. Not that I cared how I looked. I wasn’t trying to impress him.
He reached for his discarded notepad and pen. He cleared his throat once and swallowed hard before asking his first question.
“The man you found dead, did you know him? You said you thought you recognized one of the voices of the men arguing.”
For a moment, grief almost consumed me again, but I maintained my composure. “His name is—was—Emmett Jackson. He owns La Scala, so he was my boss. He was also my surrogate father. I didn’t recognize the man who stabbed him. After I realized Emmett was dead, I ran back to the restaurant and called the police. I didn’t share my name, only telling them what I’d witnessed and where to find Emmett. The killer could be anyone. I don’t know for sure that whoever was in that alley last night was actually gone. I was, and still am, scared, Detective.”
His scrutiny during my explanation had my skin itching. “You say you’re scared, but I also sense another emotion. Anger. You have the look of someone planning something. What if the killer saw you in the alley? What about some type of protective custody until we find him?”
I thought about it, but immediately discarded the idea. I could only pray that I hadn’t been seen. I knew I wasn’t going to hide, no matter how scared I was. After everything he’d done for me, I owed it to Emmett to bring his killer to justice.
“No protective custody. I plan on doing whatever needs to be done to find whoever did this.”
“I hope you don’t plan on doing anything
reckless, like trying to find the killer yourself. You need to leave the investigating to the police.”
“I told you I plan on doing whatever I have to do to bring Emmett’s killer to justice.”
I knew I was being stubborn, but I’d learned from the best. Emmett had been the most bullheaded man I knew. And the only father I had ever known. My heart was beyond broken.
“If that’s the case, why even come to the police? You said you made an anonymous call. No one would know it was you. If you’re so hell-bent on bringing a killer to justice, then why not just do it?”
I sighed in disgust. “Because I’m not completely stupid. I came here in the hopes that someone would help me. You just happened to be the first person to approach me.”
“If it’s vengeance you’re looking for, you came to the wrong place. There are laws in place for a reason. The world can’t have vigilantes running around meting out their own justice. That is what the courts are for.”
I could only stare at this person in front of me, who, fifteen minutes ago was the most attractive man I’d ever met. The heat from that kiss still burned inside me. But the person who kissed me with such passion seemed to have disappeared. Instead, he was replaced with someone who talked about laws and rules. I studied him further, gauging every word he’d just said. It hit me then that something about his tone didn’t ring true.