by Melody Anne
Declan
Undercover Billionaire Book Four
By Melody Anne
Copyright © 2019 Melody Anne
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Beeville is a fictional town.
Printed and published in the United States of America.
Published by Melody Anne
Editing by Karen Lawson and Janet Hitchcock
Table of Contents
Dedication
Note from the Author
Books by Melody Anne
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Epilogue
Preview for The Billionaire Wins the Game
Billionaire Wins the Game - Prologue
Billionaire Wins the Game - Chapter One
Billionaire Wins the Game - Chapter Two
Dedication
This is dedicated to Larry Jones. You are loved and missed. I’m so glad I got to know you, spend time with you, and was welcomed into your family. Your memory will live on in your wife, children, grandchildren, and all those lucky enough to have known you.
Note from the Author
It’s always difficult for me to write the final book in a series. For one, I don’t want to let the characters go. And for two, I want to make sure I wrap up the loose ends I’ve left open and not disappoint my fans. There’s nothing I hate more than to get invested in characters in a book and then not see them get their happily ever after. Sometimes I have to wait because of other projects, and sometimes because I’m not sure what I want to do. This book took a while because life got in the way. But I’m glad it did because I’ve enjoyed Declan and Angela’s story a lot. I love when a tough guy breaks. I think I do because my dad was such a tough guy, but when it came to the women he loved, he was a big marshmallow. I still miss him every single day and it’s been nearly two years since I lost him. I don’t think that pain will ever go away. But just like my hero and heroines say in the books, I can smile when I think of all the good times I did get with him.
I love writing so much because I get to control my worlds. Life isn’t always that easy. But I’m also discovering that again, just like my characters say, the imperfections are what makes life so amazing. It’s not the perfect moments we think about, it’s the ones that don’t go anything like how we planned. We don’t talk about the fish we’ve caught. We talk about the ones that got away.
While working on this book, we lost my fiancé’s father. It was utterly heartbreaking for the entire family, and he’ll be missed. There was a time I wanted to stop loving people because the loss of them hurts so much. But I’ve learned that even if we lose these people too soon, it’s never a tragedy to love. And that’s why I truly believe we will get to be with them again someday. It hurts beyond reason to lose a loved one, but it would hurt so much more to never have them at all.
I ran a contest for this book to submit a scene for Declan. The winner was chosen who wrote an incredible chapter. Let’s see if you can find it in the book. The winner was author Sophie Wyld. Thank you for your time, and for being a part of this universe I love so much. You did amazing!
Thank you again for all of your messages, for your love, and for all you do to give me this life I live. I get to write and express my love, joy, and grief through my books. It’s gotten me through the best and worst times in my life. Thank you for all you do to help me.
Books by Melody Anne
Romance
BILLIONAIRE BACHELORS
*The Billionaire Wins the Game
*The Billionaire’s Dance
*The Billionaire Falls
*The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal
*Blackmailing the Billionaire
*Runaway Heiress
*The Billionaire’s Final Stand
*Unexpected Treasure
*Hidden Treasure
*Holiday Treasure
*Priceless Treasure
*The Ultimate Treasure
THE ANDERSON SAGA CONTINUES
*Finn
*Noah
*Brandon
*TBA
*TBA
BABY FOR THE BILLIONAIRE
*The Tycoon’s Revenge
*The Tycoon’s Vacation
*The Tycoon’s Proposal
*The Tycoon’s Secret
*The Lost Tycoon
*Rescue Me
Surrender
*Surrender
*Submit
*Seduced
*Scorched
Forbidden Series
*Bound
*Broken
*Betrayed
*Burned
Heroes Series
*Safe in his arms – Novella – Baby it’s Cold Outside Anthology
*Her Unexpected Hero
*Who I am with you – Novella
*Her Hometown Hero
*Following Her – Novella
*Her Forever Hero
*Her True Hero – Coming Soon
Becoming Elena
*Stolen Innocence
*Forever Lost
*New Desires
Taken By the Trillionaire
*Xander (Ruth Cardello)
*Bryan (J.S. Scott)
*Chris (Melody Anne)
*Virgin for the Trillionaire – Ruth Cardello
*Virgin for the Prince – J.S. Scott
*Virgin to Conquer – Melody Anne
Finding Forever Series
*Finding Forever
Billionaire Aviators
*Turbulent Intentions
*Turbulent Desires
*Turbulent Waters
*Turbulent Intrigue
Undercover Billionaire
*Kian
*Arden
*Owen
*Declan
Torn Series
*Torn
*Tattered
7 Brides for 7 Brothers
#1 Luke: Barbara Freethy
#2 Gabe: Ruth Cardello
#3 Hunter: Melody Anne
#4 Knox: Christie Ridgway
#5 Max: Lynn Raye Harris
#6 James: Roxanne St. Clair
#7 Finn: JoAnn Ross
Thrillers
*Confessions
*Dance in the Dark
*TBA
Prologue
A chill rushed down Angela Lincoln’s spine. Unfortunately, it was something that happened far too often. Some people might truly heed the warning, but she was beginning to think she was simply paranoid, jumping too easily at shadows. There was enough horror in the world to fear, so she didn’t need to be afraid of the make-believe.
It had been three years since she’d fled California with her son. It felt like only yesterday and she still didn’t feel safe. There was so much danger and pain in the world; it was hard to let it go. She was trying though, and if she didn’t feel safe in the community of Edmonds, Washington, she wasn’t going to feel at ease anywhere.
There were times in life that stayed with you no matter how much you hoped they’d go away. Why was it that people forgot a lot of the good, but always remembered the tragic? Maybe because the bad left a scar that never fully healed.
Goosebumps popped up on her arms and a tremor ran through her. “Stop it,” she muttered. She was being foolish. The only reason she was freaked out was because she was obsessing. She kept walking, placing one foot in front of the other. She was through with letting fear hold her back.
It was an amazing spring day in Edmonds, and she knew any season in the Pacific Northwest could produce a myriad of weather patterns, so she wasn’t going to waste this beautiful, sunny afternoon. She wasn’t going to tuck tail and run inside just because she had a bad feeling.
Her eight-year-old son, Timothy, was in school, and she only had a couple of hours before she needed to pick him up. She had just enough time to grab an iced coffee and pastry from the local bakery, then enjoy people watching at the park.
Because Angela had had her son at the tender age of eighteen she had a bond with him some parents might not have a chance to form. He was her entire world. It had been the two of them through thick and thin, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her child.
She ran her fingers across her stomach with a sigh. She’d always hoped to have a large family with at least four kids to run down a giant decorated staircase on Christmas morning with giggles in their voices and magic in their eyes. But life didn’t always work out the way you planned. Sometimes that was a good thing. She wouldn’t be having more children, but that only meant her bond with her son would be that much stronger.
With the unusually warm weather there were quite a few people moving about her small town. She’d been there for three years and they’d embraced her. She truly felt it was home now; she knew the storeowners’ names, and the bank teller greeted her with a smile. She made it through the coffee shop in minimal time thanks to missing the lunch rush.
She’d only taken a couple of sips of coffee before a man ran into her so hard it nearly knocked her to the ground. Her cup flew out of her hand, and she watched in horror as the drink painted the sidewalk. Then, to her surprise, he kept on going, not even bothering to say excuse me or sorry.
She waited a moment before she called out to him, “Did your mother not teach you any manners?”
She wasn’t expecting much, but she wished she wouldn’t have said anything when the man turned. The feeling of eeriness that had been with her the last couple of hours washed over her again as his dark brown eyes met hers. She froze in place.
He looked familiar, and he certainly looked like a person she never wanted to see again. He was short and stocky, and there was something so evil about his expression she couldn’t move. If he headed toward her she’d turn and run . . . if she could unlock her legs. This wasn’t the type of man she’d expect to pass on the sidewalks in Edmonds. Maybe in her old location—but definitely not in this quaint little town.
Something tugged at her memory, and she pushed it back. She didn’t want anything to do with this man. He stared at her another moment and started to step toward her, before a group of children rushed out of the ice-cream parlor.
Thankfully, he changed his mind and didn’t come after her. The glance couldn’t have lasted for more than a few seconds at most, but it was one of the uneasiest moments of her life.
What a horrible human being. She shook her head and tried to push him from her mind. She’d lost her joy in the beauty of the day. Maybe it was a good thing she’d dropped her coffee because her stomach was now churning.
She turned toward the park and decided to take a walk before she headed to pick up her son. She wanted to ease her tenseness and have a smile on her face when she met him. She loved when school was out, loved her time with her favorite little man.
When a person had a feeling though, they should listen; some said it was intuition and some said it was a higher power. Angela was beginning to think it was a higher power, because as soon as she turned a corner in the park she knew she should’ve gone straight to the school and waited for her son.
Now, she might not have the chance.
Standing in a small clearing was a group of men holding guns with several large duffel bags at their feet. A man lay on the ground by them, but she didn’t have time to survey the situation, to see if that person was okay. She stepped backward and her foot landed on a twig, making several heads turn in her direction. There was no graceful way of backing away.
The eyes she connected with were more evil than they’d been on the sidewalk a few minutes earlier. His lips had turned down as he glared at her. She would never forget what he looked like or the blackness of his gaze. There was nothing good about that man.
“We meet again,” he said.
His voice was so familiar. How did she know this man? She’d swear she’d never seen him before this day, but everything inside her screamed that she had. Maybe he was just talking about their meeting on the sidewalk. She sure as hell wasn’t going to stick around and find out.
Angela realized the power of fight or flight, because without hesitating a second more, she turned and ran. The first gunshot rang out, a sound no one should understand as it came toward your back.
She didn’t feel pain, but with her heart thundering and the amount of adrenaline rushing through her, she wasn’t sure she’d feel anything other than the need to escape. She had a son to get to who needed her alive. She had to escape, and she had to do it now.
A branch shattered next to her head as she turned the corner. She didn’t slow. She moved faster than she ever had in her life. Her ears were buzzing so she had no idea if anyone was on her heels. She didn’t hear the men speaking, didn’t hear shouts, and thankfully, didn’t hear any further gunshots. She broke out onto the street where people were milling about.
She continued to run, looking straight ahead. She needed somewhere safe, but her mind was so foggy she couldn’t think of where that might be. So she mindlessly went as far as she could.
When she saw a cop car ahead she nearly wept she was so dang happy. She waved her arms in the air and probably looked like a mental patient. She didn’t care. She’d prefer getting arrested to being shot in the back. She hadn’t turned around once to see if they were on her heels. In every horror movie she’d ever watched, the victim always got caught because they kept turning and then tripped or did something else foolish like run into a dark alley. She was determined not to be an easy victim.
The cops stepped from their car, looking at her warily. “Angela?” the younger one asked. Right now she was appreciating again those advantages at living in a small town. Everyone seemed to know their neighbors. That’s why terrible things weren’t supposed to happen in a place like Edmonds.
“Drug deal,” she gasped. The men looked behind her before glancing at her again. The unknown older one surveyed the area and t
he younger one she vaguely remembered as Officer Miller looked directly at her.
“Take a breath and tell us what’s happening.”
She took a few breaths, still too afraid to turn. Then she stiffened her shoulders and looked the officer in the eyes.
“I was walking, and there was a huge drug deal going on off the path at the park. I was so stupid to stumble onto it. I’d run into one of the guys a little earlier and somehow walked straight into the middle of his operation. I know him. But I don’t know how. There were guns, and it looked like someone was lying on the ground. I couldn’t tell if he was alive or dead.” She was still breathing heavy, but her voice was coming back.
“Did you get a good look at them?” Miller asked.
“Yes and no. I could describe the one guy to a T, but I’m not sure about the others. It was so stupid to walk there,” she exclaimed.
“You should be able to walk wherever you want, especially in this town. But this will end soon,” Miller promised.
“You don’t know that. The bad guys are everywhere,” she said. She panicked, bile rising in her throat. It didn’t seem to be safe anywhere she went. What kind of world was she bringing her son up in?
“Let’s get you in the car and somewhere safe, then we can talk more about this and maybe look at some pictures,” Miller said.
She heard his partner on the radio as he called in the report. She didn’t hear the reply. She stood there unmoving for a moment.
“Come on, Angela, let’s get you to the station,” Miller said again, remaining calm.
“I have to pick up my son,” she told him.
“We’ll pick him up and make sure he’s safe,” Miller told her.
At those words some of the tension released from her body. She climbed in the car. It was better than standing in the open, waiting to be shot.
“We’re bringing Angela Lincoln in,” Miller said. “We need her son picked up from the grade school. Copy. Be there in five minutes.”
