Because I'm so excited about this story, I thought I'd share an excerpt. Aren't I nice?
When Detective Brittany Russell goes undercover to expose a
murderer, she had no idea what she was getting herself into—especially after
meeting wealthy businessman, Austin Reeder…who happens to be a suspect. He is
hiding something, and Brittany is determined to bring him down. Unfortunately,
to catch the killer, she might have to break a few rules. The longer she talks
with the charmer of women, the more she’s drawn to the gorgeous man.
Thankfully, her partner, Kurt Hamill, is the one who has always kept her out of
trouble. Loving him comes easy. But now she’s stuck in the middle of a
love-triangle. Too bad she doesn’t know which Prince Charming is telling her
the truth.
**unedited excerpt**
Detective Brittany
Russell from Seattle’s west precinct, raised her fist to knock on the door, but
when she placed it on the hard wood, the barrier pushed open. She held her
breath and listened for signs of movement inside the penthouse apartment. Why
would the door just open when her informant assured her Austin Reeder would be
in a meeting all day? Apparently, her informant wasn’t very accurate.
She cleared her
throat and called into the quiet apartment, “This is Detective Russell with Seattle
Police Department. I need to ask you a few questions.”
Still, she heard
nothing.
She opened her
decorative, black, beaded purse that hung over her shoulder, and grabbed her
phone, quickly dialing her partner. Hamill
here. I’m busy, so leave a message.
She growled. Where
was he? He was supposed to be here with her. “Kurt, get your butt over here,
pronto. I’m at Austin Reeder’s suite, and I think there might be a break-in…or
maybe even another murder scene. The door is cracked open, but I don’t hear
anything inside. So get over here—” click.
The phone disconnected. He really needed to make the phone message time a
little longer than that.
“Mr. Reeder?” she
called into the room. “Are you there? Are you hurt?”
Once again,
silence greeted her.
Glancing at the
elevator, she tried to decide what to do. She couldn’t go inside the suite
until Kurt showed up. It was too dangerous to go in alone. But because her
partner wasn’t answering his phone—
A heavy thud came
from inside the penthouse suite. Her heart knocked against her ribs harder, and
she quickly grasped her glock inside the purse. She still didn’t dare go
inside. She was overdressed for this particular assignment, but when Captain Martinez
told her to check out one of the suspects—insisting it was to be done now—who was Brittany to argue? Besides,
when the captain wanted something immediately, he didn’t want to hear excuses. Trying
to explain that Brittany was at her father’s, and soon-to-be stepmother’s,
afternoon engagement party wouldn’t have hit the stubborn captain’s ears,
anyway.
Her red, silk
dress that showed too much of her legs, and the matching jacket she wore was
definitely not the required uniform. Anybody would think she was a Charlie’s
Angel wannabe in this getup. Unfortunately, she was here to do her job, no
matter what she looked like. However, her precinct would get a hardy chuckle
out of this. She wasn’t sure she was ready to laugh along with them. Not yet.
Another heavy thud
came from inside. “Mr. Reeder? Can you hear me?”
When she didn’t
hear him, instinct told her that she needed to go inside and check it out. Taking
careful steps, she entered the room with her G42 weapon held high. She quickly
swept her gaze around the room, but so far it appeared the occupant wasn’t at
home.
She wasn’t
surprised to see Mr. Reeder’s place decorated with expensive Chippendale
chairs, antique furniture, and Persian rugs. The man was extremely wealthy.
Then again, he did own three banks and this luxury hotel where his penthouse
apartment was located.
As she took three
more steps, her three-inch heels tapped on the floor of the entryway. Silently,
she groaned. This was one of the reasons she’d wanted to go home and change,
but Captain Martinez wouldn’t have it.
“Is anyone here?”
she called out again but received no reply.
Although she
really should turn and leave, her gut feeling told her to stay. She had heard
heavy thuds. If Mr. Reeder wasn’t here, perhaps this was a break-in after all.
That would certainly explain why the front door was cracked open.
Brittany should
certainly search his penthouse suite. He was a suspect of a murder, after all.
The victim of the
brutal murder was twenty-six year old, Hillary Banks. Brittany remembered the
woman from high school. They weren’t in the same grade, but being a year younger,
Brittany watched everyone and knew a lot about them, as well. Even back then,
her detective instincts were taking control of her life.
Hillary had been a
religious girl in high school, but once she graduated, she went to college at
WSU in Pullman, and Brittany hadn’t heard what happened to the woman. Only two
days ago, Hillary had been murdered in her family’s home right here in Seattle.
Her parents were at work, and her younger brother was at school. Hillary had just
gotten out of the tub and wrapped a robe around her body. Within moments of
leaving the bathroom, the woman was smashed over the head with a large object,
crushing her skull, and killing her instantly.
Suspiciously, the murder
weapon was not found on the premises. No fingerprints were found on the crime
scene, except for the family who lived there. The only thing the police had to
use for leads was the list of men written on a piece of paper that was folded
and found in Hillary’s robe.
Since that
discovery, her team had been trying to locate the men on the list and interview
them. Austin Reeder’s name was at the bottom of the list. Brittany and her
partner, Kurt Hamill, had planned to visit Mr. Reeder tomorrow. Why Captain
Martinez wanted this done immediately, Brittany wished she knew. And where was
Kurt? As her partner, he should have been here to back her up.
She reached into
her beaded purse again and pulled out her cell. Just like before, it went to
his voicemail.
“Hamill, where are
you?” she growled. “I know you received Martinez’s call, so why are you
ignoring me?”
As she put the
cell back in her purse, she seriously hoped he was on the way. Back up was most
important in her line of work.
A bead of moisture
trickled down her neck. Good grief! Why did it feel overly warm in here? It was
early summer, so unless he was trying to cook food on his counter top, the
temperature shouldn’t be this hot. Either that, or she’d found a hidden trap
door into Satan’s lair.
She clutched her
G42 and walked into the room further. The wealthy businessman had a glass case
liquor bar, a large dining area, and living room. The three bookcases filled from
edge to edge. It would seem he didn’t have a social life, and probably stayed
at home reading. She’d had almost this many books when she was in college, and
of course, she really didn’t have a social life, either.
She took another
step, heading toward the hallway, but before reaching it, the floor creaked.
She jerked to a stop and listened closer.
The door to one of
the rooms opened, and out walked a man. He was tall, built like a quarterback,
and wore a black bathrobe that reached his knees. His wet hair was slicked back
on his head, and his face appeared freshly shaven. His attention was on his
ipod as he scrolled through it. In his ears were earphones with a cord attached
to the electronic device.
Inwardly, she
groaned. No wonder he hadn’t heard her calling out, announcing herself! A good detective checks every room, Russell.
But in her defense, she was about to when he walked out.
Panic hammered
away in her chest, bringing a momentary shut-down to her brain…and her lungs,
because at this moment as she stared at his bathrobe and the muscular bare
legs, she couldn’t breathe. Her worst nightmare—for today, anyway—had come
true. She’d been caught in the suspect’s apartment looking like a girl going to
her first prom, and holding a G42, no less! What kind of bad horror flick was
this?
The rhythm of her
heart was as fast as a speeding train, and she knew it would derail and crash
at any moment. If that happened, she’d be standing in the middle of his room,
looking like a complete idiot in a fancy dress, with a gun.
What would he
think when he saw her? Although she could imagine plenty, it worried her that
she didn’t look like a police detective. Naturally, he’d think someone was here
to end his life. She definitely didn’t want him thinking that.
Without another
thought, she pushed the glock back in her beaded purse. Just then, the man raised
his head and saw her. He stopped. His mouth hung open as his gaze moved over
her. It didn’t bother her the way he scanned up and down her body like some
kind of hungry coyote, but what concerned her was the way her mouth dried so
quickly and cotton had taken up residence in her throat. This man was
absolutely the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on—and she’d seen many in
her twenty-five years.
Watch book trailer-
Here's what book two will look like. Isn't it romantic?
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