Second Chances [Pine Valley 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)
Page 1
Pine Valley 4
Second Chances
Daniel MacGregor made the decision to step down from MacGregor Inc. after the company put his daughter’s life in danger. Seeing his daughter happily married to one of his former team members causes Daniel to long for a danger free life of his own. Unfortunately, danger free is far from what he gets when Leah walks into his office without an appointment.
Leah Moore is an interpreter for the US Embassy. She thought her job was safe and boring, but that changes when she overhears something she shouldn’t have. When there is an attempt on her life, Leah has no idea who to trust. She has only heard rumors about Daniel and his company, but decides to take a chance and go to him for help.
Daniel agrees to help the beautiful woman who barged into his office, but his last job for the company may be the most dangerous. Not only for his life, but his heart as well.
Genre: Contemporary, Older H/h, Romantic Suspense
Length: 35,437 words
SECOND CHANCES
Pine Valley 4
Keyonna Davis
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
SECOND CHANCES
Copyright © 2014 by Keyonna Davis
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-535-4
First E-book Publication: March 2014
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
About the Author
SECOND CHANCES
Pine Valley 4
KEYONNA DAVIS
Copyright © 2014
Prologue
Daniel MacGregor stood in the shadows of the party, watching the people gathered there. They were celebrating Ali Matthews’s eighteenth birthday, but Daniel was brooding. He couldn’t get over the fact that his daughter’s life had been put in danger and all because some guy had a grudge with his company. MacGregor Inc. was one of the best security companies in the world and Daniel had gotten the reputation of being the go-to guy when something needed taking care of. He had earned that reputation through hard work, determination, and a lot of sacrifice. Too bad he couldn’t keep his own daughter safe. Not only had she been kidnapped and nearly died trying to escape, the security was breached in his own company, allowing her attacker to track the location where Daniel had hidden Kerri.
One of the scariest moments of his life was watching as Justin Rawson held a gun to Kerri’s head and Daniel wasn’t able to do anything about it. He had to stand there and trust that he had trained his daughter properly and she could get herself out of the situation. His heart had literally stopped beating as he watched her use her knife to slice the tendons in the hand Justin was using to hold the gun to her head.
Daniel was proud of Kerri for keeping a clear head and staying calm. She did everything he had taught her and came out of the situation alive. She had been given a second chance, and now, she was happy with Chase, one of his former teammates.
Daniel watched as Chase tossed Kerri over his shoulder and carried her out of the party. He was glad to see that she was happy and hoped she had no lasting effects from her ordeal. He knew it was going to take a long time for her to come to terms with the fact that she helped kill a man. It was something she would never get over, but she had Chase now, and he knew how to help keep her demons locked up tight.
Daniel knew all about demons. He had too many to count. He had joined the military straight out of high school and shipped off the day after he found out he was going to be a father. On his next leave, he came home and married his high school sweetheart. Ever since then, everything he had done had been for his wife and daughter. When his wife died when Kerri was six, his sole focus became his daughter. Now, Daniel didn’t know what to do with his life. At forty-two, all he knew was combat. He was still young, but felt old and weary.
He had been thinking of leaving the company for quite a while. Daniel had been grooming Kerri to take over, but when she called and said she would rather start a family than run the company, Daniel had some decisions to make. He decided he was ready to start something new in his life as well. He was tired of the fighting and the danger and wanted to settle down.
Daniel still had a few things to take care of in the company before he turned it over, but he had practically given MacGregor Inc. away to his trusted second already.
Charles Haynes had been one of Daniel’s best friends since he met the guy at boot camp. The young man had been tall, lanky, and awkward. His clumsiness didn’t go unnoticed by the drill instructors, and Charles had instantly become a target for their taunts. Daniel knew why they had done it. It w
as to make the kid tougher or to weed him out, whichever came first. He understood the military only wanted “tough” guys, but that didn’t mean he had to like it either. So while everyone shied away from Charles for fear that the drill instructor’s attention would be turned on them next, Daniel befriended Charles and earned himself a devoted friend.
They served together throughout their years in the military and when Daniel decided he wanted his own company, Charles happily followed. The man had just as much a hand in getting MacGregor Inc. off the ground as Daniel had. Charles shared the same beliefs as Daniel and there was no one he trusted more to turn his company over to than his best friend. He knew the company was safe in Charles’s hands and he would continue to run it with the same values and beliefs Daniel had.
Now, with no company and a daughter he no longer had to worry over constantly, Daniel felt like he was just floating adrift. He had enough money to last him and Kerri several lifetimes, so he wasn’t worried about needing a job. He just needed something to do with his time.
Daniel shook his head and pushed his self-pity away. He was surrounded by what he considered family and friends, and it was a happy occasion. For now, his daughter was safe and well taken care of. He would decide what to do with the rest of his life later. Maybe he would take a long-needed vacation.
Chapter 1
Leah Moore forced herself to stop trembling as she walked into the office of MacGregor Inc. If she was going to pull this off, she couldn’t let the receptionist know she was scared out of her mind. Not scared, she was terrified. She had been that way for about two weeks now, constantly looking over her shoulder, afraid to leave the house. It had to end. Last night had been the final straw. Her sore ribs were a painful reminder of just how much danger she was in.
“I need to speak with Daniel MacGregor, please,” she told the receptionist when the woman finally hung up her phone.
“I’m sorry, but do you have an appointment?”
Leah felt her bottom lip begin to tremble and her eyes prickle as she held back the tears threatening to surface. She was desperate not to show just how scared she was so she fought to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t have an appointment, but she needed Daniel. If the rumors about him and his company were true, then he was the only man she could trust with the information she had overheard. Leah didn’t know how deep the corruption went, but from the rumors, Daniel was an honest man and above corruption.
Just act like you are the most important person in the world. Like you belong. Leah lifted her chin and gave the receptionist her best haughty look. “No, I don’t have an appointment. Just tell Mr. MacGregor that Mrs. Moore from the U.S. Embassy is here and I need to speak with him about an important matter. I’m not leaving until I do.”
Without giving the receptionist time to respond, Leah walked over to one of the chairs and sat. She crossed her legs and laid her hands in her lap like she didn’t have a care in the world. Too bad she felt like her stomach was in her throat and her ribs were screaming in pain at the moment. If Daniel MacGregor refused to help her then she was screwed. At this moment, the rest of her life was in his hands.
After what felt like an eternity, when all Leah wanted to do was curl up on the floor and whimper from the pain, the office door at the end of the hall opened. She sat up straighter in her seat and watched as a man stepped out. He looked to be about five eleven. Not overly tall, but what the man lacked in height, he definitely made up in width. Leah’s eyes widened at how thick the man was. He had to weigh every bit of two hundred and fifty pounds. The closer he got, she could see that his stocky frame was all muscle, judging by the way his arms were bulging from his crisp, white, button-down shirt. The aura of danger preceded the man and Leah just about swallowed her tongue at the unhappy look on his face. If this was Daniel MacGregor, then she prayed she hadn’t been the one to put that look there by showing up without an appointment and demanding to see him.
When the man marched straight to her and stood directly in front of her, crossing his massive arms over his chest and glaring, Leah knew her prayers had gone unanswered. Sighing, she rubbed her sweaty palms on her skirt and stood, trying her best not to wince at the motion. She held her hand out. “I’m Leah Moore.”
“Daniel MacGregor,” he said, wrapping her hand with his.
Despite his size, Daniel’s grip was firm yet gentle. Leah was grateful because the way his hand swallowed hers whole, he could have done some serious damage. She tried her best not to squirm when she tried to pull her hand back, but Daniel refused to let it go. Leah could feel the color creeping into her cheeks when he just stared without saying anything. She wasn’t sure what he finally saw, but he nodded and let go.
“Follow me.”
Without even a backward glance to see if she had followed his command, Daniel turned and headed back the way he came. Leah followed closely behind, not wanting to miss her chance to talk to him. She stepped into his office and stood to the side as he closed the door behind them. She eyed the comfortable-looking sofa in the corner and wondered if he would get upset if she curled into it and took a quick nap. Leah was so tired she could barely see straight. Aside from the pain, knowledge of what she had overheard and then all of the threats had kept her from sleeping more than an hour or two at a time.
“Have a seat.”
Leah saw Daniel motion to one of the chairs in front of his desk as he made his way around to the other side. She sighed with longing, giving the couch one last look, before sitting where he indicated.
“So, Leah Moore,” Daniel started. “Twenty-seven years old, single, you’ve worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Embassy for the past two years, graduated top of your class in college and high school. You live alone. No pets. No siblings. You’re a small-town girl with a mother and father back at home still living in the same house you were born and grew up in. Oh, and you had one speeding ticket when you were twenty-one, but it was cleared from your record when you attended traffic school. Did I miss anything?”
Dumbfounded, Leah could only stare at Daniel. She knew her mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water, but for the life of her, she couldn’t get a sound to come out. Daniel MacGregor was one scary man. If she didn’t need his help so badly, Leah would have been running out the door and straight home to hide under her bed. The boogeyman had nothing on Daniel, in her opinion.
“No need to be so shocked.” Daniel smirked. “You didn’t really think I would let you barge in here demanding to see me without knowing everything there was to know about you, did you? What did you think I was doing while you sat out there waiting?”
Leah could only shake her head. She had no clue Daniel’s power ran that deep. In the twenty minutes she had been waiting to meet with him, he had tracked down her entire life history. He had just proven the rumors of how good he was true. She hoped that meant the rumor of him being trustworthy was true as well.
Daniel placed one large arm on his desk and leaned forward. “Honey, I don’t do anything blind.” He sat back when he got his point across.
* * * *
Daniel was glad he had his desk in front of him to keep Leah from seeing his hard-on as he leaned back in his chair. Not my desk anymore. Daniel wasn’t as upset by the thought as he should have been. Instead, he was ready to start his new life. He still had no idea what he would be doing, but at least he had made the first step by giving up the company.
He had all intentions of telling Ms. Moore that, but when he ran her background check, Daniel became intrigued. He wondered what a woman like her, a woman who had never seen an ounce of violence in her entire life, needed with him and his company. Not my company anymore. Pushing the thought aside, Daniel stared at the young woman sitting across from him. In his opinion, she was absolutely stunning. She had shoulder length auburn hair that looked as if it was streaked with every shade of red and brown highlight possible. When he had met her in the lobby, she had stood just a head under him. Daniel liked the fact that she
was shorter than him, not too short, though. What he liked the most about her was her eyes. The whiskey-brown color was vivid, and her innocence shone through even though he could tell they were clouded by whatever was bothering her.
Daniel forced the thoughts of how beautiful Leah was and what she was currently doing to his body away. There was no point in going there because she was too young for him. Leah was only a couple years older than his daughter.
“Now, tell me why you’re here.” He needed to turn the meeting back to her before he did something he wasn’t proud of. From everything he had found out about Leah, she seemed innocent. Her eyes didn’t show an ounce of distrust or weariness that he had seen so many times in his line of business. He had no doubt Leah had never been exposed to the violence and cruelty that the world had to offer. She certainly didn’t need to be exposed to him and his growing need to slam her on top of his desk and have his way with her.
“I think someone is trying to kill me.”
That one softly spoken statement had Daniel sitting up in his chair. All other thoughts were pushed aside as he went into alert mode. This woman had come to him for a reason and no matter what it was, he would take it seriously.
“What makes you think someone is trying to kill you?” he asked.
Leah took a deep breath before speaking. “About two weeks ago, I decided to stay late to finish working on translating a transcript from a meeting I had attended. I had been working all day and got tired of sitting behind the desk so I decided since I was the only one in the building, then no one would care if I stretched out on the floor to work.”