by J. D. Faver
Darla came on deck clad in black body armor, her copper top hidden under a black Sheriff’s Department cap with the bill turned backwards. She had her M-14 slung over her shoulder and a pack of extra magazines.
Damn! She looks so hot! Like Badass Barbie…
When government agent Mike “The Iceman” Burke invades her South Padre Island turf, Deputy Darla Calhoun is assigned as liaison officer to his team. Her skills as a sniper come in handy when a gang of human traffickers strikes close to home, kidnapping local women including her best friend.
Darla is recovering from her husband’s suicide and trying to be a good parent to her twin sons. The ICE assignment takes her out of her misery and plunges her into a dangerous mission and a steamy affair.
Mike and Darla tear up and down the Intracoastal Waterway in search of the kidnappers and the captive women while Rafael and Javier conduct their own investigation. Will they rescue the captive women or will the kidnappers slaughter them as they have done in the past? Two teams race to find the answers before it's too late.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LYM3ZQ
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
~ON ICE~
5***** review “This was a brilliant story and I got so involved in the characters, I couldn't put it down. Loved the rich descriptions and the story telling was excellent.”
A terrified woman erases her past to escape her abusive husband. Taking her children, she disappears from Texas only to reinvent herself as a teacher in a remote Alaskan village. She fights to survive the harsh environment, while ever mindful of the danger stalking her.
A complication emerges in the form of her new boss who is unaware of her entanglement and pursues her with a passion. Hungry for a father figure, her young children immediately take to him, but she is haunted by the cruel man who battered her. Can a good man heal her scars and gain her trust?
As she evolves in her new role, she becomes stronger as a person. Back in Texas, her sister draws the abuser's fury and becomes his new victim. When her past catches up with her, she is not the same woman who ran away. She puts her life on the line to protect her children, but will she survive the wrath of a sociopath bent on revenge?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00758KQ22
~BAD HABIT~
RT Book Reviews: May, 2012 edition: A fake nun who used to be a model, the complicated dynamics of a big, warm family---plus a hot, protective cop. An author on the rise, Faver's Texas-set books reflect her pride in her home state and her love of both pulse-pounding action and a hot romance.
In an effort to evade the men who killed her boyfriend, former model, Teri Slaughter, flees New York City and takes refuge in a San Antonio convent, masquerading as her own sister. But when hot and hunky homicide detective, Angel Garcia tries to protect her from the killers, he proves to be a threat to her heart. He takes her to the only “safe house” available: the one where he was raised. His parents and siblings take her in and teach her the real meaning of family and home. To protect the nuns, Teri uses herself as bait, leading the killers on a chase through Brackenridge Park on foot, miniature train and golf cart. In the end, the only one to catch her is Angel.
http://amzn.com/B0054HKQDK
KILL SHOT
A sniper has her in his sight. So does her ex, an over-protective alpha-male cop~Catch KILL SHOT!
J.D. Faver fans will love this fast-paced page turner. Readers say: “This was a quick and exciting read with plenty of suspense and enough steam to fog the mirrors. ”…“I enjoyed the Mystery and supporting characters…”…“How they overcome their differing needs and goals in life is an entrancing story, and how they deal with the danger is exciting. ”
Description: When she shoots the wrong subject, Micki Vermillion, a free-spirited photographer runs to the arms of Oz Osmond, her ex-lover, an over protective alpha-male cop. She chose to carry on in her father’s profession rather than become the wife everyone expected her to be. Now, she has a second chance at happiness if she stays alive that long.
http://amzn.com/B005LDJVRE
~BAD GIRL!~
Who's in control? The dominatrix or the cop? BAD GIRL! A sexy thriller.
Lady Heather she ain't but a dominatrix she is. When her clients start dying, Kris Delaney, a beautiful, but damaged dominatrix, is forced to rely on controlling detective Nick Price, an Alpha male who wants her more than he wants his shield.
She fights to maintain her privacy, while struggling to resist Nick, who is everything she fears in a man. Having been a victim in the past, Kris is determined to control her life, but in the face of terrifying serial murders, she's powerless to control her fate.
One-by-one, her clients are dispatched by some grisly means related to their particular kink. As the bodies pile up, Nick tries to keep Kris out of danger and breach her thorny defenses to prove he is worthy of her trust.
A dominatrix, a cop and a killer...Oh, my! Catch BAD GIRL!
http://amzn.com/B00655TZ28
A TWIST OF FATE:
Worlds collide when a Sex in the City girl meets a little House on the Prairie guy.
5***** “Romantic and sexy. I love character-driven romances, and this one was awesome! It's a classic "opposites attract" story.”
Mel Hannigan is a slick, savvy New York City commercial photographer who knows what she’s doing and where she’s going…that is, until she heads upstate for a little drive time and ends up with her sports car in a ditch.
That’s where Helmut Engle finds her. He's a solid, down to earth farmer. In spite of their differences, Mel and Helmut give in to an irresistible magnetic attraction and share an exciting, intimate interlude. She returns to the city but can’t get him out of her mind. She attempts to drag him into her world by the scruff of his red neck and he tries to remodel his world to suit her.
This sexy romance will keep a grin on your face.
http://amzn.com/B005BYP8VG
ART OF DECEPTION:
Max is a brilliant artist! She’s a genius with a paintbrush, but a disaster when it comes to romance
Sexy and charismatic designer, Jon Donnell, assumes that the reclusive artist "Max" Foster is male. Max plays along in hopes he will promote her painting career. She doesn't anticipate Jon's passionate pursuit, nor that she will become "Millie", the woman of his dreams. In desperation, she enlists her brother to step into the spotlight as "Max".
Jon divides his time between his Texas Hill Country ranch and Houston's design community. He thinks he has found the woman he wants to spend his life with.
Mistaken identities and innocent deception lead to romance, jealousy, arrest and true love in Houston's art community. Who doesn't love a cowboy?
http://amzn.com/B004Z82NMG
Bonus Chapter:
BAD HABIT
By J.D. Faver
St. Pius School, San Antonio, Texas
“Sister Bernadette, there’s a detective here to see you. He’s come all the way from New York City.” Mother Immaculata smiled encouragingly, drawing her into the corridor. “He’s waiting in the conference room. I’ll watch your Art class.”
The moment she’d dreaded had arrived. Teri Slaughter’s stomach knotted up in fear. It’s over. They found me.
A deep breath released some of the tension in her shoulders. As she forced her leaden feet toward the conference room, the thought flickered through her mind of running outside and disappearing in the streets.
Get hold of yourself! She expelled a long breath. I’ve been so careful. Maybe he doesn’t suspect me.
Pausing with her hand on the knob, she weighed whether or not to continue her masquerade.
A muscle tightened in her jaw. Teri Slaughter wasn’t a coward. If this cop takes me back to New York, I’ll die. I have to pull this off.
She dusted the pastel chalk from her hands before running her fingers through her cropped hair. There was nothing to distinguish her from the others. Her plain white shirt and navy skirt were inconspicuous among the nuns.
Her heart race
d as she stepped into the conference room. Her gaze seized on a man in a dark suit standing at the far end of the room, his back to her.
He turned around. His dark eyes assessed her, pierced her veneer, saw right through her. He was disarmingly handsome, well over six feet tall and with a lean muscular frame. He crossed the room, striding toward her with an athletic gait.
Frozen in place, Teri fought down a sense of panic, her breath trapped in her throat.
This man didn’t look like a killer, but rather, exuded an air of power and confidence. His strength reached out to her. “Sister Bernadette?” He extended his hand.
Taking a deliberately deep breath, Teri unblocked the log jam in her chest.
“I’m Detective Angel Garcia, from Manhattan Homicide Division.” His deep, articulate voice held no trace of a New York accent. “I’ve been looking for you.”
She tried to speak but her mouth was dry. Wordlessly, she surrendered her hand.
He enfolded it in his, clasping her with the right amount of firmness. Not too limp, not too tight. The perfect handshake for a man to give a woman when he threatened her very existence.
“Looking for me, Detective?” she croaked.
“At your former convent I was told you’d gone to Ireland on sabbatical and would be transferring to San Antonio when you returned.” He unclipped his identification from his belt beside the holstered weapon and handed it to her. “I have to ask you about your sister.”
Teri stared, unseeing, at his photo ID and gold shield, wondering if he was in on it, wondering if he knew her true identity. Running her fingers over the embossing, she forced herself to stay focused. “Which sister?”
He smiled for the first time, a broad flash of white, even teeth and his eyes, fringed with thick black lashes, momentarily softened. “I’m asking about your biological sister, Teresa Slaughter.” In spite of his smile, Detective Garcia’s eyes continued to dissect her.
Summoning her courage, she gave him a smile she hoped conveyed innocence. She returned his credentials; forced her feet to move. “Would you like to sit down, Detective Garcia?” She indicated a chair at the conference table and seated herself across from him. “What do you want to know?” Her fingers traced the decorative nails in the maroon leather armchair.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
She inhaled deeply to steady herself and his scent filled her nostrils. He smelled nice. She hadn’t noticed how men smelled in a while. A fresh pain sliced through her as she remembered rubbing sun tan lotion on Colin and later, in the cabana, when the scent of coconut transferred to her.
She jerked her attention back to the man who sat across from her, intent upon tearing her world apart. “Teri? I haven’t seen her in a while. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t mean to alarm you, Sister Bernadette but your sister, Teri Slaughter, seems to be missing.”
“Are you sure?” She feigned surprise. “She works for an international company. She often travels for business purposes.”
He cocked his head, raising a brow. “Wouldn’t she let you know if she was going to be out of the country?”
“Not necessarily. When she’s traveling, she usually sends me a postcard or a letter with some photos. Sometimes she sends a present.” Teri knew she was rambling. She pressed her lips together to stop the flow of words.
“Has she written lately?” His dark eyes were unreadable.
She swallowed hard, feeling exposed. Does he believe me? “No, not lately.”
“When did you last hear from her?”
“A couple of months ago,” she said. “Why are you asking all these questions, Detective? You’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry, Sister. Miss Slaughter’s boyfriend and co-worker, Colin Dowd, is dead and she’s missing. I have to locate her.”
“Mother of God!” Teri covered her mouth with both hands. A picture of Colin, lying dead at her feet flashed through her mind. She had to be careful not to let anything slip. Her fingers went to the ornate silver cross Bernie had given her. “Are you saying that you think Teri is involved in Colin’s... in her friend’s death?” The words clawed their way up her throat.
“I’m not saying that, Sister,” Detective Garcia said. “I need to question her. Can you think of any place she might go?” He gazed steadily at her across the table.
“Not really. She has a nice apartment in the city but I suppose you looked there.”
“Yes, first thing, but she’s disappeared. She took nothing with her. She owns her condominium outright. A few bills are paid automatically from her account. There’s a large balance in her checking account, but other than the direct payments there have been no other withdrawals.”
“That doesn’t look good does it?” Teri tried to convey the proper amount of concern.
“I won’t lie to you, Sister.” Angel leaned toward her. “It appears she may have taken a lot of cash with her when she ran. If that’s the case, she’ll eventually run out of money.”
She leaned forward in the chair, gripping the arms. “So you think she’s alive?”
He gave her another grin. “I’m still looking for her, Sister.” He drew a card from his pocket and extended it. “If you hear from Teri, let me know.”
Her hand shook when she took the card. She read it carefully. “You think I’ll hear from her?” She heard the quiver in her voice and cleared her throat to cover it.
Detective Garcia stood up and regarded her solemnly. “I was told that the two of you were pretty close. I’m sure you want to make sure she’s safe. If you can get in touch with her, it would be in her best interests to come forward.”
“Teri’s best interests?” She raised her brows.
“A man is dead and a woman is missing.”
“I won’t lie to you either, Detective,” she said. “My first loyalty is to Teri.”
A smiled curved his lips but didn’t quite reach the darkest interior of his eyes. “Sister, I thought your first loyalty was to the church.”
They gazed at each other solemnly.
“You look a lot like your sister,” he said.
“That’s what they say.”
Teri sat at the table long after Detective Angel Garcia had left the building. She watched through the window as he walked down the curved flower-bordered sidewalk to the parking lot and climbed into a dark blue vehicle.
Her hands were still trembling. Clasping them together, she wished she could get in touch with her sister Bernie.
#
Angel Garcia slid into his rental car and slammed the door. Sister Bernadette wasn’t what he’d expected. She certainly didn’t look like the nuns he remembered from his childhood and she wasn’t dressed like them. The nuns in her order wore simple street clothes. She could be any teacher.
Teri Slaughter, who may or may not have dispatched her lover, had been a model before going into the advertising business. Her classic good looks took her to the top but she walked away from it all and found another way to sell herself.
Angel had read the case files and interviewed her co-workers. They shared the opinion that Teri was exceptional and that Colin was a lucky man. But they didn’t know her current whereabouts or why she’d split. She wasn’t married, had no kids. Her only living relative was a nun.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. This case was loaded with dead ends.
Sister Bernadette looked amazingly like Teri Slaughter, if you scrubbed off her make up, replaced her designer clothes and cut off a foot of long blonde hair.
He frowned, drawing his brows together. It didn’t make sense.
Why would such a beautiful woman choose to become a nun? Shaking his head, Angel started the car. She must have had a strong calling.
#
The Mother Superior stepped into the hall, gently closing the classroom door behind her. “Did you receive bad news, Sister Bernadette?” She spoke in her usual hushed tones.
Teri sucked in a deep breath, trapped by h
er deception. “I’m not sure, Mother. My sister is missing. Would you mind if I go to my room? I’m quite shaken by the questions.”
“I can see that. Would you like to go to the infirmary?” She peered at Teri through her wire rim glasses.
“No, thank you, Mother Immaculata. I just need to lie down for a while.” Teri lowered her gaze, unable to maintain eye contact with the nun.
“Take the rest of the day to gather your thoughts. We’ll pray together after supper.” She patted Teri on the shoulder.
“Yes, Mother.” Her voice was shaky. All she wanted to do was escape the kind, compassion-filled gray eyes. She turned and walked down the hall, trying to do so with a trace of decorum.
Teri lived with three young nuns. They shared a two-bedroom apartment a block from the high school campus. She almost ran the block and up the stairs.
The order was most eager to bring in younger nuns because many of the sisters were well over sixty and there wasn’t a line waiting to commit one’s life to celibacy, meditation and selflessly serving others. The apartment had been the Mother Superior’s idea. Teri thought Mother Immaculata was a most progressive woman in a most suppressive position.
Teri’s hands were still shaking when she tried to get the key into the lock. The others were in class so she had a good two hours to herself. That’s what she missed most. The freedom to enjoy a little solitude whenever she liked.
A tear rolled down the side of her nose. She wiped it away and another took its place. The police were looking for her and whoever killed Colin was looking for her. The Detective, Angel Garcia, was breathing down her neck. If he was this close, could the killers be far behind?
She pulled Colin’s carry-on bag from under her twin size bed. Unzipping it, she looked at the bundles of hundred dollar bills. Most of it was still there.
