by KG MacGregor
Table of Contents
Synopsis
Praise for the works of KG MacGregor
Other Bella Books by KG MacGregor
Dedication
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
Epilogue
Bella Books
Synopsis
As parents, Anna and Lily’s guiding principle is to help their children reach their potential and capture their dreams. Ten-year-old Eleanor is a STEM whiz already building apps for her mobile phone, while her twin brother Georgie is climbing the youth tennis rankings in Southern California. Andy continues his love affair with cars, but his dream is threatened when Anna decides to sell her empire of dealerships and move on to her next career challenge.
At her wits’ end with sixteen-year-old Andy, Anna can’t fathom how he got to be so strong-willed and stubborn. Lily has a pretty good idea, but she’s mostly keeping those thoughts to herself. Now a family court judge, her experience playing peacemaker is coming in handy at home.
What they need is a family vacation, a chance to draw closer and reaffirm their love for one another. Those plans are suddenly upended when Andy goes missing.
Don’t miss Words Unsaid, the fifth installment in KG MacGregor’s ground- breaking, award-winning Shaken series.
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Praise for the works of KG MacGregor
The Lucky Ones
This is a story about love, and not just romantic love. It is about the love of family, friends, and yes, even a love of a community. This is also a tale of hope. For me, this is a feel good story, one that made me feel happy at the end. It is well-written, with a vibrant setting, well-developed characters, both main and secondary, and a story that left me with that feeling of hope.
-B. Harmon, NetGalley
A Proper Cuppa Tea
A Proper Cuppa Tea is a smart and sexy romance featuring two professional women. While their relationship first stutters from the distractions of their lives, when they decide to pursue it, the romance develops in a realistic, charming, erotic, and organic manner. These characters are well rounded and fully depicted. They have careers and responsibilities as well as relationships with other people. The blended plotlines and complications are integral to the potential for Lark and Channing’s future together. MacGregor’s newest romance is a marvelous, entertaining, captivating book as complex and full-bodied as that perfect cup of tea. Put the kettle on to boil, find a cozy chair, and settle in to enjoy A Proper Cuppa Tea.
-Lambda Literary Review
The author did a remarkable job of bringing all of the characters to life for me. I was able to form a vivid image of each delightful character in my mind and I felt as though I could hear the witty banter between Channing and Lark. There wasn’t a lag in the storyline or any unnecessary drama and I am very pleased to admit that the author made me fall in love with the charming English landscape. This story entertained me from the first word and I can’t tell you how many times I had to suppress my laughter while I kept sneaking a read when I was at work. I adore British humor and I tend to fall in love (quite deeply, I must say) with quirky and sarcastic British characters who have a wicked sense of humor. If you love books with picturesque landscapes, feisty women, meddling and well-meaning friends coupled with countless cups of delicious tea, then this story is definitely for you!
-The Lesbian Review
Moment of Weakness
Moment of Weakness… is a romance that doesn’t follow the usual track of a les-fic romance. The author’s use of time in this story keeps the pages turning as the reader learns bit by bit how Zann and Marleigh met, what happened to Zann in Afghanistan, and who they are. I loved the story and the way I learned about Zann and Marleigh’s relationship–not in a straight timeline, but moving backward and forward in time. KG MacGregor’s characters are well developed and have flaws. I love that. I loved the romance. I highly recommend this book to KG MacGregor fans.
-The Lesbian Review
MacGregor has written a story that lulls the reader into thinking it will continue along a certain trajectory, then—wham!—we’re thrust in another direction with a startling revelation we never saw coming. Every scene skillfully moves this tale along, adding to the tension. From desperation to longing, anger to disappointment, unconditional love to fear, all those moods and emotions and more are well portrayed. The superb writing, characters, and well-timed plot twists are skillfully done to make for an entertaining and revelatory story. Moment of Weakness explores the often unexamined tragic aspects of war, the power of true love, and gives the reader a thrill ride that lingers long after the last page has been turned.
-Lambda Literary Review
The Touch of a Woman
What makes this an interesting read beyond the standard plotline are unusual back-histories. The characters are well drawn, complex women, who will resonate with many. And their tender attraction is a reminder that real life isn’t always about the grand passion, but a gentle falling.
-Lesbian Reading Room
Anyone But You
More than a sizzling romance, a well researched and well written eco-thriller… I loved the way the story was written: fast-paced, with great punch lines, a tidy, well thought-out and thought-provoking plot, at times witty, at times dramatic. Dating the archenemy added zest to the romance and both heroines were very believable and easy to like.
-Curve Magazine
Etched in Shadows
Well written, well edited, thoroughly enjoyable read… The loss of memory and feelings she once had gives Ms. MacGregor the opportunity to show a woman before and after a life changing event, and to explore how starting from scratch as an adult might allow us to make different choices… Johnelle and Alice are strong characters, well drawn and developed.
-The Lesbian Reading Room
Other Bella Books by KG MacGregor
Anyone But You
Etched in Shadows
The House on Sandstone
Just This Once
Life After Love
Malicious Pursuit
Moment of Weakness
Mulligan
Out of Love
Photographs of Claudia
Playing with Fuego
A Proper Cuppa Tea
Rhapsody
Sea Legs
Secrets So Deep
Sumter Point
T-Minus Two
The Lucky Ones
The Touch of a Woman
Trial by Fury
Undercover Tales
West of Nowhere
Worth Every Step
Shaken Series
Without Warning
Aftershock
Small Packages
Mother Load
Copyright © 2021 by KG MacGregor
Bella Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
First Bella Books Edition 2021
Editor: Katherine V. Forrest
Cover Designer: Kayla Mancuso
ISBN: 978-1-64247-281-3
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
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Dedication
For Jenny
Prologue
A grimy light fixture cast a dim glow over the steep wooden stairs to the basement. Why did it always have to be a dark basement? This one smelled of rot. Mold, sewage, dead rodents.
Without a rail to grip, Anna slid her hand along the wall, amassing cobwebs as she picked her way down and through a curtain of darkness. The only light ahead came from a far corner, where the voices of two men and a woman were muzzled by a rap tune.
All ice no thaw Ima drop ur call
Don’t gimme no cheata cause I can do betta
As Anna drew closer, she realized the woman was Tawna Cooper, the police detective they’d sent to negotiate for Andy’s safe return. “You have to talk to Hal. He’s the finance guy, Anna’s brother-in-law. If you want money from Anna, you have to go through him.”
“I want at least a million dollars. She owes me that.”
Anna recognized the voice of Mickey Cheung, the general manager of the BMW dealership in Redondo Beach. Like the others, he blamed her for losing his job.
“We worked our tails off to make her rich and she left us high and dry.”
Try to climb my wall Ima watch you fall
Ringside satisfied its Isaacs law applied
Anna inched closer to the group to see Andy sitting cross-legged on the floor beside a pizza box and an empty soda bottle. He wore a greasy jumpsuit over his school uniform, and his hands were bound in front with duct tape.
“Mom only cares about herself,” he said flatly. He didn’t seem at all concerned about his predicament. “Tell her you’re sorry. She makes you say sorry even if it’s not your fault. She might give you the money then.”
Why would Andy be helping his kidnappers? Anna knew she was missing something… unless this was a dream. She double-checked her surroundings. The concrete floor, a stack of tires that smelled of fresh rubber. It had to be real—those were the same tires Andy had knocked over. Surely she wouldn’t dream she was dreaming.
“What should we do with him?” the other man asked.
Anna couldn’t see his face from behind, only his beefy arms covered with brightly colored tattoos. This had to be the gang member Tawna had arrested. Why wasn’t he in jail?
“If he testifies we’ll go to prison.”
The detective moved between Andy and his captors as if to protect him. “You have to let him go. Anna won’t pay you a ransom but if you let him go she might give you a reward.”
“He’s a witness,” the gangbanger growled. “We’re not supposed to leave any witnesses.”
As they discussed coaxing Andy to change his story, Anna watched to see if he’d stand up to them and refuse. His lying made her furious. Maybe this was why he did it so often, because other people pressured him to do it.
He told them, “You should ask my other ma for the money. She’s the only one my mom ever listens to.” He looked at the detective. “Tell them—she’s nicer. Ma can make her give them the money. She’s always sticking up for me.”
That much was true, Anna had to admit. It drove her crazy when Lily sided with Andy, always making her the bad guy. All she wanted was for their son to live up to his potential.
Andy was right though. Lily would fix it. She always fixed it. That was the only way to end this.
With a sigh of relief, she stepped out of the shadows and offered her phone. “I have Lily’s number if you want to give her a call.”
Mickey shook his head. “It’s too late. You already missed the deadline.” He turned to the tattooed man and said, “You told her what would happen. She never listens to anyone else. Go ahead, do it.”
The gangbanger raised his weapon, a hook-shaped dagger.
Anna shouted, “Andy, I love you!”
He looked back with narrowed eyes, his lips pressed tightly together—refusing to answer.
“I love you, pal. I love you.”
“Anna!”
She went limp as Tawna grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard.
“Anna! Anna…wake up, sweetheart. It’s just a dream.”
Breathless and shaking, she opened her eyes to find Lily looming over her in their bed. “A dream…”
Was she awake for real now? She sat up and looked around the room. The bed, the alcove, the clock.
“Honey, are you okay?”
“How am I supposed to be okay when we don’t know where our son is?”
Chapter One
February 2019
The brain trust of Premier Motors sat huddled in the back of a stretch limo, a sliding window sealing their conversation from the chauffeur. This secretive group consisted of owner and CEO Anna Kaklis, chief financial officer Hal Philips, vice president for human resources Vivian Zhao, and general counsel Lupe Segura. They’d spent the past week holed up with other executives in a conference room at the posh Beverly Hills Hotel where they’d drawn up the basic framework for a deal that would spell the end of the Kaklis family’s auto empire. Their presumptive buyer was Pinnacle Auto Corporation, a publicly traded management group that owned hundreds of car dealerships up and down the West Coast. For now, complete secrecy was required to guard against the potential for insider trading, the kind that had led domestic maven Martha Stewart to prison for perjury.
“It’s hard to wrap my head around the idea of that much money,” Anna said.
“For a minute there I thought you were going to faint,” Hal said with a laugh. Since he was her brother-in-law, he could get away with teasing the boss.
She felt alternately thrilled and sick to her stomach. After taking the helm from her father fifteen years ago, she’d grown Premier Motors from a single dealership in Beverly Hills to twenty-two throughout Southern California, all selling German cars: BMW, Volkswagen or Audi. Following industry-wide consolidation, Premier was still a small but valuable player in the Southern California market—streamlined, efficient and reliably profitable. Though Anna had taken on considerable debt at purchase, each acquisition had been carefully vetted to boost revenue and increase the company’s value. This was her chance to extract that value and reward herself and her team for a job well done. Given the volatility of current trade partners and tariff wars, now might be just the right time to get out of the sales business and turn her attention to new opportunities.
The challenge was divorcing her emotions from the deal. Premier Motors had been started by her maternal grandfather in 1956, the first year BMWs were sold in the United States. After her mother’s death when Anna was only ten, it was held in trust until she inherited it outright at age eighteen, though her father had run the company with her blessing until he retired fifteen years ago. She’d practically grown up at the dealership, walking the few blocks from school every afternoon to watch the service and sales teams at work, proud to see her dad make deals on just a simple handshake. If anything was holding her back from the sale, it was nostalgia.
“Just so you all kn
ow, I might still change my mind about this. If it keeps me awake after my head hits the pillow, I won’t be able to go through with it.”
“Pinnacle delivers virtually everything you wanted,” Vivian said, checking the other faces for confirmation. A labor attorney by profession, she had joined Premier Motors eight years ago, the only corporate holdover from Anna’s acquisition of the four Audi dealerships. “A seamless transfer of pension and benefits, and guaranteed severance for anyone downsized in the first eighteen months. I don’t have to tell you, Anna—that’s a fantastic deal for everyone.”
Taking care of her employees was paramount to Anna’s decision, but so was the fact that she stood to pocket well over a hundred million dollars. It was mind-blowing. At forty-eight, she was in her prime, with plenty of years left to make her mark in a second career. She already had an intriguing prospect.
It was dark and drizzling by the time they pulled onto the lot of the BMW dealership where they’d left their cars. Though most of the lights were off, Anna spotted Andy in the dimly lit showroom wiping down the flashy i8, BMW’s plug-in hybrid roadster that retailed for $180 thousand. He came to the dealership almost every day after school, shadowing her sales team much the way she’d shadowed her father. Losing Premier Motors would be hard for him at first, she figured, until she showed him the doors the sale could now open.
Before stepping out into the steady rain, she said, “Good work, all of you. Remember, we need to keep this under wraps until the offer’s signed by both sides. There’s still a lot of work to do in the weeds.” Addressing Hal and Lupe, she said, “Get your teams together and go through the fine print. Offsite, so people don’t ask questions. But keep Vivian and me in the loop.”
