by Irene Hannon
“But there might be a clue out there.” Charley counted out her change and passed it over.
And maybe you should check that out.
Charley didn’t have to say the words for her to get his message. The man never pushed, but he had a gentle way of nudging people in directions he thought they should go.
Lexie sighed and shoved the coins into her pocket. “I suppose I could swing by his place.”
“Couldn’t hurt. But he won’t be home until later.”
Right.
He and the rest of BJ’s construction crew were in the middle of building Tracy and Michael’s house out at Harbor Point Cranberries. Given the small-town grapevine, showing up at the farm out of the blue to talk to him might not be the best plan. Who knew what people would think if law enforcement tracked him down? And a man who’d paid his debt to society didn’t need any more hassles.
“I could stop by on my way home.” Not that there was much chance she’d find a clue lying around a day after the fact. “How do you know what happened out there, anyway?”
“Adam came by for tacos after church yesterday. I think it’s his weekly splurge.”
An order of tacos from Charley’s was a splurge?
The man must not be saving much of the money he earned working for BJ.
Then again, if you were starting from scratch after spending five years in prison, it could take a while to refill the well.
“Thanks for lunch.” Lexie picked up the bag, the tantalizing smell tickling her nose.
“Enjoy.” Charlie grinned, gave her a thumbs-up, and greeted the next customer in line.
Bag in hand, Lexie eyed the tempting benches arrayed along the curving wharf . . . but resisted the impulse to linger. There was a mound of paperwork waiting on her desk, and she’d procrastinated too much already.
She picked up her pace. Maybe after dinner tonight she and Matt could come down and watch the boats for a while. He always enjoyed that—and it would be a pleasant end to the day.
Especially if her official visit with police-shy Adam Stone turned out to be less than cordial.
Acknowledgments
It’s always with mixed feeling that I finish the final book in a series. Typically, I’m ready to move on . . . yet I know I’ll miss the characters I’ve spent many months getting to know. From the FBI buddies in Heroes of Quantico, to my dynamic siblings in Guardians of Justice, to the former college roommates and ex-law-enforcement operatives turned PIs in Private Justice, all of my heroes and heroines hold a special place in my heart.
The Men of Valor series has been no different. The McGregor brothers were amazing.
At the same time, I’m excited about my next series, Code of Honor, which features three childhood friends. Book 1 will release in fall 2017. I hope you’ll join me then for another thrilling ride.
In the meantime, I’ll be heading back to my charming seaside town of Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast—where hearts heal . . . and love blooms. I invite you to travel there with me in Sandpiper Cove, coming spring 2017.
As I wrap up this series, I want to once again thank all of the experts who took time out of their busy schedules to answer my technical questions. I couldn’t have done this without you.
A special thank-you also to the amazing team at Revell; to my mom and dad, the world’s best parents; to all the readers who buy my books and allow me to tell my stories; and to my husband, Tom—my real-life leading man.
Irene Hannon is a bestselling, award-winning author who took the publishing world by storm at the tender age of ten with a sparkling piece of fiction that received national attention.
Okay . . . maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But she was one of the honorees in a complete-the-story contest conducted by a national children’s magazine. And she likes to think of that as her “official” fiction-writing debut!
Since then, she has written more than fifty contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. Irene is a seven-time finalist and three-time winner of the RITA award—the “Oscar” of romance fiction—from Romance Writers of America. She is also a member of that organization’s elite Hall of Fame. Her books have been honored with a National Readers’ Choice award, three HOLT medallions, a Daphne du Maurier award, a Retailers’ Choice award, two Booksellers’ Best awards, two Carol awards, and two Reviewers’ Choice awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. That magazine has also honored her with a Career Achievement award for her entire body of work. In addition, she is a two-time Christy award finalist.
Irene, who holds a BA in psychology and an MA in journalism, juggled two careers for many years until she gave up her executive corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company to write full-time. She is happy to say she has no regrets! As she points out, leaving behind the rush-hour commute, corporate politics, and a relentless BlackBerry that never slept was no sacrifice.
A trained vocalist, Irene has sung the leading role in numerous community musical theater productions and is also a soloist at her church.
When not otherwise occupied, she and her husband enjoy traveling, Saturday mornings at their favorite coffee shop, and spending time with family. They make their home in Missouri.
To learn more about Irene and her books, visit www.irenehannon.com. She is also active on Facebook and Twitter.
Books by Irene Hannon
HEROES OF QUANTICO
Against All Odds
An Eye for an Eye
In Harm’s Way
GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE
Fatal Judgment
Deadly Pursuit
Lethal Legacy
PRIVATE JUSTICE
Vanished
Trapped
Deceived
MEN OF VALOR
Buried Secrets
Thin Ice
Tangled Webs
That Certain Summer
One Perfect Spring
Hope Harbor
Sea Rose Lane
www.IreneHannon.com
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