Covert Threat (A Gray Ghost Novel Book 5)

by Amy McKinley

  She poked her head around the corner of the living room as I was securing the patio doors, her cell pressed to her ear.

  “Becs said she’s all set but wanted to confirm you’d fly her back.”

  I nodded. “She’s good. We’re all leaving together.” I was flying the Gray Ghost company jet we kept in California for me to use. Becs and Hayden would come back with us when our two weeks in the islands were up.

  I followed behind her, grabbing her bags. I’d already packed, making sure to secure my gun and ammo in a carry-on bag. The time away from work was welcome—all I had to do was check in on Hannah’s pet project, which Keegan was supposed to do, but he was on a mission in Venezuela.

  Jules and I would have the entire vacation to do whatever we wanted, which would be a ton of water sports combined with dining out and drinking at the swim-up bars. After reading the letter from her mom and regaining her lost memories, her intense fear of the water during choppy waves and potential storms had greatly reduced. It had given her a sense of closure, which was good, as we would be in the water a lot on our vacation.

  I stored our luggage in the back of the Range Rover as Jules locked the house. Her grin spread from ear to ear, and mine did too. Before I could open her door for her, she wrapped her arms around my neck, lowered her eyelids, and parted her lips. My heart rate spiked, and desire flooded my system. The woman had the power to bring me to my knees with one look.

  “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Her voice was soft, raspy.

  “Not in the past half hour.” I cupped the side of her face. “Hearing you say that never gets old. You’re the one for me, Jules. I’ll love you for the rest of our lives.”

  One Week Later

  A soothing breeze rustled the palm leaves that surrounded the overwater bungalow Trev and I had for a too-short two-week stay. The first seven days had passed quickly, and I wished we could remain there for a month. It was paradise.

  “Here you go.” Trev placed a glass on the table in between our lounge chairs.

  I curled my hand around the cool glass and took a sip. “Wow, that’s good. Mango and orange juice, and is that champagne?”

  He grinned. “A little. Goes with our day of relaxation. Unless you want to schedule something?”

  My gaze skimmed over Trev’s lean, tan body. Looking at him would never get old. I think his muscles had muscles of their own. I took another sip of my drink and checked out his hair. He had one of those faces—seriously, he could have been a model. It didn’t matter if he had a man bun or this shorter-on-the-sides, slightly longer-on-top style. I loved both looks.

  “Jules.”

  Shoot. He’d asked if I wanted to do anything. “No. I’m good. We’ve already done so much. It’s nice to take it easy and relax.” I crossed my ankles, getting more comfortable on the lounge chair. The deck was suspended over the water, kissing the edge of the Aitutaki Lagoon.

  We’d packed a lot into our first week. Each day, we’d embarked on something new, along with swimming in the stunning blue water. The first day was snorkeling. Then we hiked Mount Maungapu, where we picnicked amidst a panoramic view of the island. We’d bicycled around the island in search of ancient temples and spent an entire day being ferried around on a catamaran, with stops at some of the small islands that dotted the South Pacific Ocean. We’d windsurfed and enjoyed a night at one of the resorts, where islanders performed traditional dances.

  Trev linked our fingers as the water lapped below us. Content, I let my eyelids drift shut. I think I even dozed for a few minutes until the sound of his voice roused me.

  “Jules.” He tugged gently on my hand, his voice close to my ear. “Let’s go for a walk along one of the sandbars.”

  “Mm, okay. Now?” He seemed on edge, energized, and so at odds with my lazy demeanor, but I could get motivated for a walk. There were many golden sandbars, and we’d talked about strolling on the one closest to our hut but hadn’t yet.

  “Yeah, now. I can’t sit anymore.” He stood, gathered our empty glasses, and took them into the small but high-end kitchen. It seemed odd that the hut had such nice appliances, but I was more than happy with them.

  I rolled to my feet from the dais and trailed after him.

  After rinsing out our glasses, he turned to me, his mesmerizing eyes sparkling. I needed to cool off. “Want to jump off the deck and go from there?” There was a drop off our hut’s back awning, but the sandbar was only a short swim away. He drew me in for a kiss, and I melted against him. Best vacation ever.

  Trev stepped back then grabbed my hand and tugged. “Yep. Let’s go.”

  I picked up my pace to keep up with him, snapping out of my sleepy state of mind. Back out in the sun, he turned to me with a mischievous grin I knew too well. Hands at my waist, he tossed me in. I came up sputtering as he jumped in beside me.

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Trev was fun, and I’d been getting warm lying in the sun. I wore my new white bikini that he’d insisted on buying when we’d first landed in Rarotonga.

  After I dipped back under to push the rest of my hair from my face, we swam to the nearby sandbar and waded through the water until it only covered about midcalf on me, less on him. I threaded my fingers with his, something we seemed to do more often than not, at least on vacation, when he wasn’t always on guard for potential danger, needing his hands free in case something went wrong. Not only that, but I felt lighter and freer after processing where the majority of my fears regarding the water had come from.

  Early evening sun glinted off the warm turquoise water, and I wished I’d thought to bring my sunglasses. I stumbled over the sand, and he chuckled beside me before slipping his arm around my waist. Slanting him a quick glare, I resumed my search for seashells. I had quite a collection going already.

  Comfortable silence stretched between us despite the strange energy I sensed rolling off Trev in waves. Maybe a half hour passed, and the sun started to sink beyond the horizon. “Wow, that’s so beautiful.”

  When I turned to him, I smiled.

  He wasn’t watching the sunset. His gaze was fixed on me. “I love you, Jules.” We paused, and he cupped the side of my face then brushed his lips over mine.

  My arms came up around him as he deepened the kiss, and we missed the last few minutes of the sun’s descent. It was worth it. When he drew back, his hands fell to my hips. We stood that way for a few seconds before he slipped his arm back around my waist, and we resumed our walk. What was that?

  I could make out a walkway of sorts with poles in a path along the sandbar not too far ahead. Lanterns hung from each one, and a group of people I couldn’t make out yet stood in a half circle at the end.

  “What’s going on?” He’d already planned so much for us to do, and I couldn’t imagine what was next. He didn’t say anything, but his hand tightened on my hip. “Trev?”

  As we drew closer, I could make out a few faces. Becs was standing next to Hayden, whom I expected to see the next day. I loved her pink floral bikini, and she was snuggled right up to Hayden. Good for her. “They flew in early?”

  “Yes.”

  I glanced at him again. He was being oddly tight-lipped. Some of the people from his team were there, too, the ones who weren’t out on missions—Mari and Chris, Liv and Liam, and Connor too. The week was going to be a lot different than I’d thought.

  We walked along the line of glowing lanterns until we reached the end. Everyone was a little farther off. Trev nudged me so that I was facing him. What’s going on? Then he dropped to a knee, and I froze. Was he—?

  “Jules.”

  A tremor shook my hands until he took them in his. I couldn’t speak, but I didn’t think I was supposed to. My gaze locked onto his, and I waited anxiously for his next words.

  “I’ve never met anyone like you before. Immune to me, for one.” He winked.

  I laughed. That was so true, from his perspective and to my denial, at least in the beginning. It hadn’t taken me long
to see past his pretty exterior.

  “You’re smart.” He cast a sly glance at Chris. “So much more than my brother.” That got a laugh from our friends. “Seriously, though. I think I knew you were the one from the first moment.”

  “The first?” I raised an eyebrow. I couldn’t help it. We’d first met when he flew me to Washington DC.

  He chuckled. “Even then, though I didn’t recognize what the feelings were. But definitely when I fished you out of the water.”

  Tears misted my eyes, and my voice came out just above a whisper. “I think I knew then, too, though I wasn’t ready to admit it to myself.” How did I get so lucky?

  “You’re so beautiful, both inside and out. Everything I am, everything I have, is yours. I want to share the rest of our lives together. I want to give you the world, be there for you in every way.”

  He already is. This man. He is everything to me.

  “Will you marry me?”

  God, yes! “Yes.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, and as he stood, my feet left the sandy bank. My heart swelled to bursting. Our friends converged and cheered. Hugs were shared, and then I was pulled into Becs’s embrace.

  “You weren’t kidding,” she whispered in my ear.

  I knew what she was talking about. “Doesn’t fit into the DC Comics or Marvel category you were going for, but then again, neither does Hayden.” Becs’s tendency to label guys in terms of their counterpart superheroes was hilarious.

  “Oh, but he does.” She flashed an evil grin. “Thor. I’d say he resembles Chris Hemsworth.”

  I rolled my eyes at her. It was better than encouraging her.

  “I’m so happy for you, Jules.”

  I squeezed her again, and then Trev drew me to his side, which was exactly where I wanted to be.

  He nuzzled my neck, eliciting chills. “What do you say we come back in three months and get married here?”

  Twist my arm! “I’d have to say yes.”

  In a few short months, we would promise ourselves to one another in paradise, and I couldn’t wait for our return.

  Wow! Trev and Jules took me for a wild ride with challenges at every turn. Did you figure out who was behind most of the things that happened to Jules? Or maybe there were a lot of questions along the way, adding new paths and suspicion—I hope so!

  I love it when the plots in movies and books unfold and the pieces fall into place like a puzzle. With that in mind, please don’t share any spoilers, so others can have the same experience.

  If you loved Trev and Jules’s story, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review on the platform where you purchased it. Telling friends and leaving reviews about an author’s book is why we are able to do what we love—thank you so very much!

  Curious about the vacation Jules and Trev take and who he meets with for Hannah? Find out in Moonlit Mirage. Or do you want to know more about Keegan and the mission he was on that prevented him from being present at the proposal or unable to check up on Hannah’s protégée? The novel Marked for Death is Keegan’s story, and it’s filled with high-stakes action.

  All my best,

  Amy

  If you enjoyed reading Covert Threat as much as I did writing it, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review.

  Trev’s book was a long time coming. I started writing Covert Threat a year before its release. The outline was completed and twenty thousand words in when I received requests from readers for Hawk’s story. So I switched to Hawk.

  Months later, I dove back into Trev’s world but had a hard time writing. In talking with a good friend and excellent beta reader, Maryellen Newton, she brought up the issue of thawing permafrost. And there it was. I had a new plot thread that held my attention.

  Even so, it wasn’t smooth sailing from there. Problems arose where I tried to wrap my brain around some of the science, and I have to say I’m so lucky that Audrey Anhalt had the patience to explain the parts that were confusing in a way I could grasp.

  It seriously does take a village, and I’m so grateful to all those who had a hand in bringing this story to life. I have amazing critique partners who are also super talented authors—thank you, Kristin Kisska, and Emily Albright for being there with me every step of the way and sharing invaluable thoughts and opinions that made this story better.

  With every new book release, I’m fortunate to work with Taylor Anhalt, a gifted author, and editor whose editorial input makes my books shine. I value the days we hang out and write together at Panera, getting in dedicated writing time, and high word counts.

  To my family for their encouragement, support, and unwavering belief. For their patience and understanding when general chaos reigns. I can’t imagine life without them.

  To the fabulous team at Red Adept editing—Kate B., who has worked on my books for the past couple of years, and Laura B.—who makes the process as the book nears publication seamless and enjoyable.

  T.E. Black Designs, who did the cover design and formatting, you are a dream to work with, and each project exceeds my expectations.

  Last but certainly not least, a special thank you to all the bloggers and readers who have encouraged and helped me along the way, and who continue to make my dream a reality.

  Thank you.

  Amy McKinley is the romantic suspense thriller author of the Gray Ghost Novels, Moonlit romance series, the Five Fates paranormal romance series, and several standalone books. Her edge-of-your-seat books are filled with surprising twists and just the right amount of heat and danger. She lives in Illinois with her husband, two daughters, two sons, and three mischievous cats.

  You can find her at www.amymckinley.com

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  Gray Ghost Novels

  Moments That Define Us

  Broken Circle

  Eye of the Storm

  Beneath the Surface

  Vantage Point

  Covert Threat

  Marked for Death

  The Five Fates Series

  Hidden

  Taken

  Stand-Alone

  Shattered Melody

  Siren’s Call: Cursed Seas