COPYRIGHT
2018 Piper Davenport
Copyright © 2018 by Trixie Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States
Justice is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
CONTENTS
Copyright
Back Blurb
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
Epilogue
Road to Redemption
About Piper
Macey Gilbert has lived through a horrific crime and lost the love of her life in the process. When a new danger arises, and threatens the small thread of sanity she’s clinging to, she’s forced to trust in the one person she thought she’d lost forever.
Dallas Stone watched as the woman he loves pushed him away years ago, but in a stolen moment, she shows him hope and he makes a snap decision that will change their lives forever.
Will Macey open up enough to let Dallas back in?
Will Dallas be able to protect her from an enemy neither of them saw coming?
Macey
Two years ago…
I STOOD AT the fourth-floor nurse’s station and grinned into the phone. Due to the fact I didn’t carry my cell phone on the floor; Dallas Stone had called me on the hospital mainline instead. “Yes, I’ll be ready.”
Dallas was arguably my closest friend outside of Payton Williams and he’d recently become much, much more. “Mace, that means six, babe. Not six-fifteen,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’ll be ready,” I promised.
“It’s our first official date. I want it to be perfect.”
After a ridiculously hot and frustrating make-out session two nights ago, Dallas invited me out. He refused to seal the deal, so to speak, until we’d had a proper date, and as much as I’d wanted to rip his clothes off and tie him to the bed, I decided to allow him the chance to be romantic. Grateful I had a busy nursing shift to keep my thoughts occupied, I was now anxious to get off work and focus on Dallas.
“Dal, I trust you. Even if it all goes to shit, I’ll love whatever we do.”
“Nice, Mace.”
I giggled. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”
“Are you on with Alec today?”
Alec was Dallas’s brother and a gifted ER doctor who I had trained under.
“Yep. He’s here. But, when isn’t he?” I said.
“Very true,” Dallas agreed. “You’re off at four, right?”
“Yep. Same as I said yesterday.”
“Smart ass.”
“Don’t you forget it,” I retorted.
“Best band ever?” he said.
“U2.”
“Nope, Metallica,” he countered.
We’d played the “best ever” game for as long as I could remember and, for the most part, our answers were close in agreement, but sometimes the game would incite an enthusiastic debate.
“You’re a weirdo,” I quipped.
“A weirdo with way better taste in music than you.”
“Says the man who listens to Mirage.”
“Okay, you got me there,” he said. “But you have to admit, they’re great musicians.”
“I don’t have to admit a darn thing,” I quipped.
Dallas laughed. “I’ll see you at six.”
“I’ll be ready.”
I hung up and bit my lip, my heart racing in anticipation. Although I wanted to leave immediately for home, I managed to sit down for about an hour to work on charts before the grind of the automatic doors interrupted me.
“Okay, lady, dish.”
I looked up to see Ada Morris walking towards me. Ada had started at the hospital three months ago, and she and I had become quick friends.
“About?” I asked.
“Nice try,” Ada said, sitting at the empty desk chair. “This morning you mentioned plans for tonight without elaborating, but with that goofy look on your face, I can tell it’s gonna be hot.”
“Oh, really?”
“Absolutely. Tell me about this boy. How long have you known him? Is he hot? What does he do?”
“How do you know there’s a boy?”
Ada giggled. “You’re sitting there working on charts… we all hate charts, you most of all… but you’re here, smiling and humming, so that’s a neon sign saying, ‘there’s a boy.’”
I sighed. “There’s most definitely a boy.”
“I knew it. Who?”
“Dallas.”
“Dr. Stone’s brother? The hottie who works with the other hottie… what’s his name? Brock?”
I giggled. “One in the same. I’ve known him forever. At least for as long as I’ve known Brock and Payton.”
Ada and a few of the other nurses had joined Payton and me for girls’ night out a few weeks ago. Brock had been on hand as designated driver and we’d taken full advantage of him. My drink of choice had been the classic whiskey sour and I enjoyed at least five, earning me not only a fabulous buzz, but the hangover from hell the next morning.
“Payton’s your BFF, right?”
“Yes,” I said. “And Dallas is Brock’s BFF, although, if he ever heard me refer to Brock that way, he’d probably shoot me. He could, since he’s FBI as well.”
Ada giggled. “Somehow, that makes him sexier.”
“I know.” I smiled.
“How long is forever?”
“High school. Brock and Dallas were one year ahead of me and Payton and I’ve always adored Dallas. I actually thought I’d fallen in love with Brock first, but then I met Dallas, and I was done. I have watched him date every bimbo who threw themselves at him… and believe me, there have been a lot… but he and I have always had a really great friendship.”
“So, you two never hooked up?”
“Nope. Don’t get me wrong, Dallas tried. Most of high school, actually. He used every line to cajole me into bed, but I just couldn’t do it. Be another conquest. I always wanted more, and I knew he wasn’t there yet. Some days I’d totally kick myself for not giving in, but by then he’d gone off to college with a football scholarship, and then onto the police academy. My nursing program kept me too busy to pine after him. I did date a few guys while I was in college, but not seriously. I just knew Dallas and I would find our way back to each other.”
If not, I was resolved to drugging and kidnapping him and keeping him as my own personal sex slave, but that was a last resort. That part, I kept to myself.
“So, what changed?” Ada asked.
“Honestly? I don’t know.” I shrugged. “He kind of made a move a couple nights ago and now it’s full steam ahead.”
That was an understatement, particularly bec
ause I was determined tonight was the night. I’d let him wine and dine me, but then I would insist on something a little more satisfying, which would happen in my bed in a matter of hours.
“I love a man who takes what he wants.”
“That he does.”
Ada smiled. “What about Brock? Is he single?”
“Very,” I said. “But he hates to be set up.”
“I’m sure you can find a way around that.”
I chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.” Ada pushed away from the desk. “I have to check on the mommy in four-twelve. Aren’t you out of here?”
I checked my watch. “Crap. Yes. I should have left ten minutes ago.”
“Have a good one,” Ada said, and I dropped my charts off in the file room and headed for my locker.
* * *
My phone rang as I arrived home, and I saw Payton’s name on the screen. “Hey, Pay.”
“Ohmigod, it’s official.”
“I know it’s official,” I said, pushing open my front door.
“No, I mean, it’s oh-fish-all. Dallas told Mom and Dad.”
“What? Seriously?”
“Um, yeah,” Payton said. “Dad took him out on the deck and grilled him for like an hour last night.”
I bit my lip. Ever since my parents had died, Payton’s had stepped in, saving me from eating holiday dinners alone and putting up with stalkers. Chuck always seemed to know when to show up and clean his rifle on my front porch, usually while wearing a wife beater and talking like a hick.
“I love your dad.”
“Yeah, you’re weird that way,” Payton said. “Only you would think it was cool to have Dad grill your boyfriend for hours, asking his intentions and crap.”
I giggled. “Maybe you have a point. But as much as your parents adore him, I love that they’re protective enough to make sure he does right by me… which he will.”
“Yeah, he’d be an idiot not to. Outside of the fact he’s a little afraid of you, there’s a line of men who’d maim him if he hurt you.”
“Well, there is that,” I agreed.
“He told Dad he loved you.”
My heart stopped for a second. “He did?”
“Yeah, he did.”
“Wait.” I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know all this?”
“Um…”
“Payton Abigail Williams, were you eavesdropping?”
Payton’s bedroom window opened directly above the deck and she often used it to spy on her siblings. Apparently, she still did.
“What? No. I would never,” she droned sarcastically.
“Oh my god, Pay. You are the worst.”
“I know,” Payton said with a sigh.
“Okay, what else did he say?”
Payton laughed. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”
“Only because you pushed me from the Empire State Building.”
“Fair enough. Honestly, he didn’t say much else that I could hear. I kind of got the impression he might have known I was listening.”
“Which means, he only let you hear what he wanted to get back to me.” I giggled. “Which is why he’s so good at his job.”
“So true. I’m really excited for you Mace,” Payton said on a more serious note. “You’re perfect for each other and it’s taken a freakin’ long time for you to get here. You deserve to be blissfully in love.”
“You do too, Pay.”
“Oh, I know. It’s why I won’t settle.”
“Good.” I looked at my watch. “Hey, I need to jump in the shower or I’ll be late.”
“Okay, have fun. I want details tomorrow.”
“You got it.”
I hung up and headed to the bathroom. Once out of the shower, I slid on my favorite emerald-green lace panties and matching bra, over which I pulled on a maxi skirt, black with tiny white daisies embroidered on the fabric, and a white lace camisole with a black, button up shirt I tied off at the waist. My favorite black wedges finished the ensemble, along with a thick black leather cuff with a watch-face in the center.
I left my long, auburn hair to fall in soft curls down my back, but shoved a hair band in my purse in case I needed to control it at any point in the night. Dallas hadn’t divulged what we were doing, and I had to admit I was a little nervous. If he planned some huge gesture and long romantic night, I wasn’t sure how I’d fake being excited. I hated both fuss and romance, but if he wanted fuss and romance, then I’d try to deal with fuss and romance.
I made sure my room and bathroom were spotless before heading downstairs to chill some wine and make any last-minute tidy-ups. As promised, Dallas arrived at six p.m. on the dot, and I opened the door to a dozen yellow roses, my favorite, and the hottest man I’d ever known holding them. Six-foot-two, green eyes, dark hair with a tinge of red, built like Charlie Hunnam, Dallas Stone was what most women dreamed about. And I was definitely most women.
“Hi,” I said, my voice breathy.
“Hi yourself,” he replied, and handed me the roses.
“Thank you.” I opened the door wider. “Come on in.”
He stepped inside and smiled. “You look beautiful.”
“You do too.” He wore dark jeans, boots, and a black button-up rolled to his elbows. I licked my lips. “Is this okay? Since you didn’t tell me what we were doing, I had to guess.”
He chuckled, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “Your OCD’s working double-time, huh?”
“What? I don’t have OCD.”
Dallas laughed. “My mistake.”
“I’ll just put these in water,” I said, and moved toward the kitchen.
Dallas closed the door and followed me, leaning over the counter with a grin. “Are you dying to know what we’re doing?”
“A little,” I admitted.
“I thought we’d start with a walk through the Pearl, then dinner, maybe a stop at a bar before we head to the Doug Fir to see Mirage, and then back here around midnight. What do you think?”
I forced a smile, my feet already screaming at me not to walk the Pearl. I’d need to change shoes. Then there was the problem with Mirage. I hated that band. With a passion. But Dallas loved them. They were hipster to the core, which was so outside of Dallas’s normal taste in music, I was surprised he even gave them a chance to begin with.
“That all sounds… ah, great, Dal,” I said. “I’ll just change my shoes.” He chuckled, and I looked at him. He wore a shit-eating grin and I sighed. “You’re joking.”
“Babe.” Dallas laughed then. “I’m totally joking. You hate Mirage. We’re going to Serratto and then coming back here.”
I moved from behind the counter and threw myself into his arms. “Thank God.”
He gave me a gentle squeeze. “I can’t believe, one, you’d forget I know you, and, two, you’d actually go along with it. Who are you and what have you done with Macey Gilbert?”
I smacked his shoulder. “I was trying to be nice.”
Dallas kissed me. “Which is also unlike you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Hey, I’m nice… just maybe less so to you.”
He grinned. “True. Okay, we better go, or I’m going to bend you over your sofa right now.”
“I’m okay with that.”
“Mace,” he said with a groan. “Let me wine and dine you first.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”
He chuckled and led me out to his truck. Opening the door, he helped me climb into the seat, then closed me in.
Macey
AS SOON AS we arrived home after dinner, I rushed to my front porch and unlocked the door. Dallas was close behind me, and I virtually threw our leftovers in the fridge before heading upstairs.
“I’ll be right up,” he said.
I stripped down to my bra and panties as I heard him moving around downstairs. Knowing him, he was probably making sure my place was secure. I’d heard him complain enough about my apartment’s location in the Sullivan’s Gulch are
a of Portland.
“First order of business, babe, is to move you somewhere safer,” he called, reviving our old argument. Then I heard his heavy steps on the stairs.
“I like this place,” I called back. “It’s cheap, which means I don’t need a roommate.”
His footsteps stopped and then, “Damn,” was rasped from the doorway. I turned to find him grinning, his gaze raking over me. “You’re gorgeous,” he said.
I bit my lip. “Really?”
“Hell, yeah.”
“You’ve seen me in my bikini before, Dal.”
“Can’t see your nipples through your bikini, babe.” He closed the distance between us and cupped my breasts. “Perfect.”
“Not too big?”
“Babe, no.” He frowned. “Who the hell ever said they were too big?”
“No one,” I said quickly, not wanting to interrupt the moment. I waved a finger toward him. “Your turn.”
He unbuttoned his shirt, slipping it from his arms and then reached behind him, pulling off his V-neck T-shirt, revealing the chest I’d dreamed about most nights, particularly after summer trips down the Columbia, or to the beach. His lithe teenage form had gotten taller and bigger, but no less cut, and I bit back a fangirl sigh as I stared at him. His chiseled chest had just a smattering of dark hair between his pecks that formed a line down his stomach and under the waistband of his jeans.
I reached for him, pulling him forward to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his fly. Dallas slid his hand behind my neck and kissed me, his other hand pulling my bra down to reveal my breasts, my nipples puckered in immediate response.
He moved his hand to my back and unhooked my bra, yanking it from my arms and pulling me close, chest to chest, as he continued to kiss me. I was grateful he’d had the wherewithal to remove his boots and socks before he came upstairs. He stood barefoot and sexy as hell in just his jeans, which I made quick work to slide from his hips, boxer briefs and all.
Dallas slid his hand down my back to cup my bottom and push my panties off with one stroke. I stepped out of them and he broke the kiss briefly to pull down my comforter and lay me on the bed. Stretching out beside me, he ran a finger across my collar bone. “You’re beautiful, Mace. I love you. Do you have any idea how much?”
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