by Evans, Misty
When everyone was settled, Adam took the stage. “We’ve weathered a rough few days.”
People “amened” and nodded their heads.
“I want to apologize to those I’ve offended. You all know what happened. It’s not pretty. I’m sorry and I’ll spend many days and weeks doing what I can to atone for my sins. But we must bless our enemies. Welcome them into our hearts. It is not our place to judge, and to forgive is the only way to overcome the hurt and the anger they have left us with.”
More nodding.
Adam was sweating, but he continued, his voice and his drive as strong as ever. “Melanie and Kristine brought unique gifts of spirit to us. Jacob served a purpose while he was with us No matter their sins, we will remember them all as friends. We will remember their good points, not bad. That is God’s direction. Love our enemies and those who’ve trespassed against us. Amen?”
“Amen,” the congregation said in unison.
Ronni held her tongue. She wasn’t as forgiving as Adam. She was saddened by the loss of both women, and still angry as hell at Melanie. Melanie had the potential to be the next Martha Stewart from what Ronni had seen. She could have been my friend.
“Adam?” Lance, several rows back, stood. “I need to ask your forgiveness. I was wrong about you and Kristine. I was wrong…about a lot of things.”
Paige, next to him, instead of sitting with Belinda, stood and laid her head against Lance’s hip. Lance put his hand on her shoulder. “Paige and I…we’d like to stay on if you’ll have us.”
Adam smiled. “You are always welcome here. Always.”
Clapping erupted. Lance blushed and Paige hugged his leg. “Thank you.”
Once the noise died away, Adam touched his side. “This has been a most miraculous day for me, and I’m grateful for all of you. Now, however, I’m afraid I must sit down.”
Thomas reached him first, guided Adam off the stage and into the pew next to Ronni. One of the women left and came back with water. The men gathered around to give Adam updates of the farm.
Ronni let them talk for a few more minutes, then she interceded. “You should lie down now,” she said to Adam. “Thomas and I will take you to the house.”
“Is there an open bed in the men’s quarters?” Adam asked Lance who was at the edge of the crowd.
“I believe there are two.”
“I’d like to sleep there tonight.”
A round of applause met the announcement and Ralph and Lance were more than happy to lead Adam to the men’s quarters and get him settled. The rest of the group wandered off, back to their jobs and the evening meal’s preparations.
Ronni and Thomas walked the farm as the sun hung low on the horizon. The orchard beckoned and the coonhound stayed close as they walked. Thomas took her hand and peace filled Ronni’s heart.
The brutal memories of her past were still there, but now she had Thomas and Adam. Celina and Cooper. Even Bianca and the rest of the taskforce. She would meet with Dupé in the morning to accept the official offer to stay on the taskforce and work on Project Bliss.
“I could get used to this,” she said, as she and Thomas meandered under the citrus trees.
“Me, too,” Thomas said, but he was staring at her, not looking at the green grass and lush fruit hanging from the trees. “Since you’re staying in San Diego, you can visit whenever you want.”
Staying in San Diego. “I know it sounds silly, but being here, with you and Adam, is like a fairy-tale ending. I never dreamed I’d investigate my brother and the Heaven’s Gate cult, and end up”—she motioned at the farm with her free hand—“here.”
“It’s good you’re here to keep Adam normal. Well, as normal as he can be, considering his penchant for believing he’s the chosen one.”
She chuckled. “You can’t change a man’s beliefs.”
“Is that a Daniel Karsni saying?”
“Nope. Mine. And I don’t want to change Adam, just keep him on the straight and narrow.”
“He’s lucky to have you.”
“You’re lucky to have me.”
“This is true. What do you say we hang out here tonight, make sure Adam’s settled?”
“You’d be okay with that?”
Thomas pulled her into his arms. “As long as you meet me in the honey house later.”
She laughed, relaxing in his arms, and giving his butt cheeks a squeeze. “You’re on, my little ninja Popsicle.”
“Yeah, no.” He shook his head, turned loose of her, and ran his thumb over his bottom lip. “That’s not working for me. Monikers are an art form. You can’t just throw together any two words.”
They started walking. Ronni thought for a moment. “Short Stack?”
“Now I’m pancakes?”
“Kickass Kenobi?”
“As in Obi Wan?”
Bingo. “You are, of course, a younger, hotter version, but yes.”
He stared off into the distance and nodded. “I could live with that.”
And she could live with him and his silly nicknames. “Let’s go see what’s for dinner, Kickass Kenobi.”
“You’re on.”
Together they ran across the compound as the sun set, the coonhound baying at their feet.
Did You Like This Book?
Dear Reader,
If you liked this book, let everyone know by posting a review! You can leave a review on the book page at your favorite ebook retailer, on your Facebook Page, or on your blog. Once it’s up, send me the link and I’ll post it on my Facebook Page!
And if you missed the first book in the Southern California Violent Crimes Taskforce series, please check out Deadly Pursuit. You’ll learn all about Cooper and Celina, and find out how Thomas and Ronni met.
Happy reading,
Misty
[email protected]
Now for a sneak peek at
Deadly Force
A SCVC Taskforce novel coming Fall 2014
by Misty Evans
Culver’s Marina, Chula Vista
0900 hours
Cal Reese’s boat rocked hard, waking him. Waves crashed topside and Maggie, his black lab who was lying beside his bunk, whined.
He reached down, patted her head. “Storm moving in, girl. Nothing to worry about.”
Except he wouldn’t be working today. Another day of twiddling his damn thumbs. Maybe that was good considering he’d already overslept.
Since Afghanistan, his internal clock was a fucked up disaster. But he’d never had a chance to set a normal work/sleep routine until now anyway. High school, he’d always stayed up too late, got up too early, working his ass off to get the grades, the girl, and some hope for a future. The day he graduated—twenty-four hours after his high school sweetheart tore his world apart—he hustled down to the Navy recruitment center and signed on. Three years later, he was in BUDs, and up until thirteen days ago, he’d headed a special SEAL commando team hot on the trail of terrorism sponsor Otto Grimes.
The only “normal” in his world had been coffee—black—and his deep seated love for water.
The dog nudged his hand. But now he had time to kill and he had Maggie. For the first time in his life, he had a dog.
She was the only female in his life he could trust.
Rising, Cal ignored the bottle of Jack on the shelf and the pain in his temples thanks to the brown liquid. He went through the uncomplicated act of filling the coffee pot, scooping grounds, and searching for his single coffee cup.
Normal was…okay. Even good some days. He’d learned to appreciate simple things again. If only the flashbacks would leave him the fuck alone. The goddamn nightmares, yeah, they could go AWOL and he wouldn’t miss them a bit.
Stay in the present.
He breathed in the aroma of grounds and hot water and listened to the sounds of the waves hitting the hull. A glance out the starboard window told him there was no rain yet, but the dark clouds over the ocean were ushering in a doozy.
The incom
ing storm had just freed up his calendar. No scraping barnacles off yachts or fixing motors for Chewy at the boat yard. Maybe the storm would blow itself out by noon and the Southern Cali tourists would keep him busy at the marina’s rental shop wanting their jet skis.
Maggie whined and Cal set down his cup. Time to take care of the love of his life, then hit the shower.
Pathetic. His life had dwindled down to the barest of needs, the loneliest of lives. Thirteen days ago, he’d been in nonstop action. His team had been hours away from taking down that bastard Otto…
But now Butcher, Avery, and Tank were dead, and he’d been put out to pasture by his country.
Snagging a ratty T-shirt and a pair of holey jeans, he dressed, tossed on a windbreaker, and hooked Maggie up to her leash. Bring on the wind and the rain. He and Maggie loved water. A run would do them both good.
Maggie’s tail wagged furiously as they climbed the four short stairs to the top deck. The dog froze, and Cal looked up. Blinked.
Twice.
No fucking way.
His heart lurched and so did his cock. Standing on the dock, hands on her curvy hips, was the one woman he thought he’d never see again. Never wanted to see again.
Talk about a storm blowing in… “What are you doing here, Bianca?”
She pointed to the name written in flowing script on the boat’s side. “The Love Boat? Really?”
Maggie danced on her feet, straining at the leash and wagging her tail at Bianca.
Traitor.
Five years and B still looked as young and fresh, and innocent as the day she’d broken his heart in high school. She’d ripped it to shreds again six months ago. But she wasn’t innocent. Not by a long shot.
The NSA agent working on the Southern California Violent Crimes taskforce never rested in her quest for information. “You’re still wearing your ring,” she said, staring at his left hand.
The damn gold band around his finger was an exact match to hers. “You didn’t need to bring the divorce papers in person. The post office delivers bad news every day.”
The wind toyed with strands of her long hair, making his fingers itch to do the same. Her mouth quirked. “Do you even get mail here? On a boat?”
“What do you want?” he ground out, the headache in his temples pounding as hard as his heart.
The smirk left her mouth and she sighed, looking around as if she were worried about the approaching storm. Or maybe she was worried someone would see her talking to him. She stepped forward, lowered her voice, and her pretty blue eyes met his head-on from behind her sexy librarian glasses. “I’m in trouble, Cal. Big trouble.”
“Trouble’s always been your middle name, B. What’s new?”
“If I’m going to live through the next twenty-four hours,” she hesitated a moment, then said the words he’d never thought he’d hear. Ever. “I want—I need—you. After what I’ve stumbled across, you’re the only man who can protect me.”
About the Author
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Misty Evans has published over twenty novels and writes romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. As a writing coach, she helps other authors bring their books—and their dreams of being published—to life.
Misty likes her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters dressed in couture. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, movies, and hanging out with her husband, twin sons, and two spoiled dogs. Learn more and sign up for her newsletter at www.readmistyevans.com. Like her author page on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
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
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Dear Reader
Sneak Peek at DEADLY FORCE
About the Author
