Hostage Negotiation

by LENA DIAZ,

  Kaylee lifted her head, trying to focus on the picture. It was just a fuzzy blur, and her head pounded from the effort. She closed her eyes and relaxed back against Zack.

  “That’s him,” Zack confirmed. “That’s the man who abducted Kaylee.”

  “And you,” she whispered against his neck. “He abducted you, too.”

  He gently squeezed her in response.

  “Hutch Mulcahy,” Drew confirmed. “He must have killed the FFW officer and taken on his identity to insinuate himself into the search, to get close to Kaylee no doubt. You were right about the profile change. He’d been working at a landscaping company in Naples during the day. And he’d called in sick on the days of the abductions.”

  Zack’s fingers gently stroked Kaylee’s back as he continued to hold her tight. “Just get us to the hospital. Kaylee needs a doctor.”

  “You got it.”

  She lifted her head and stared at him in wonder. “You’re the one who needs the doctor. You should let me go and let me check your injuries.”

  He cupped her face. “I’m never letting you go.” And then he kissed her.

  Epilogue

  Kaylee stood in front of Mystic Glades’s only church, waiting for her cue to go inside, while her new friends fussed over the short train of her wedding gown. Silver and Amber smiled at her as they arranged her veil, while Faye insisted on tying a small red-colored velvet bag to the garter on Kaylee’s thigh.

  “Trust me,” she said, as she straightened, “that little bag is the secret to a hot, sex-filled honeymoon.” Faye winked as Kaylee’s face heated. “And there’s always more where that came from. Stop in at my shop, The Moon and Star, anytime.”

  Silver rolled her eyes and gave a last pat to Kaylee’s veil before she and Amber both stepped back. “When you and Zack return from your trip to Kentucky, of all places, you should stay in the bridal suite at my bed-and-breakfast.” She waved toward the building that was a short distance away from the little clapboard church.

  “Or better yet,” Amber added, “come stay with me and Dex in the condo we just bought in New York. We’ll take you for a carriage ride in Central Park.”

  Kaylee smiled through threatening tears at these three women, all of whom had found their own heroes in Mystic Glades, just like she had. She aimed a particularly warm smile at Silver, who was Cole’s wife, and who had helped prepare her for the ups and downs of being a law-enforcement officer’s wife, since Silver and Cole had married not long ago themselves.

  “Thank you all,” she said. “You were so nice to my parents.” She waved toward the church, knowing her mother sat in the front pew, and that her father stood just inside the double doors, ready to walk her down the aisle. “And you’ve welcomed me to this town, and into your hearts. I couldn’t ask for more supportive friends.”

  They all hugged and then her cue—the “Wedding March”—started up inside.

  “This is it,” Faye said, reaching for one of the door handles while Amber reached for the other. “Ready?”

  Was she ready? It had been six months since Zack had saved her from the masked man, limping and bleeding and pushing himself to the limit to find a shortcut through the woods to stop the truck at one of the curves. And then he’d thrown the only weapon he had, the knife, blowing out the tire and then facing Kaylee’s abductor with nothing but his bare hands. The man was amazing and had risked everything—for her. Now her former captor was in prison, where he’d never hurt anyone else, ever again. Because of Zack.

  She’d been so desperately in love with him that she hadn’t wanted to wait longer than it took for both of them to be released from the hospital before starting a life together. But he’d insisted on her taking the time to recover, in mind and spirit, not just body, before making a decision like that. And he wanted her to wait through the trial, saying she needed to focus on that before adding anything else to her plate. And he’d been right. She’d needed that time more than she’d realized.

  She’d finally opened up to her therapist and was working through her fears. Surprisingly, testifying in court had been an important part of that therapy. Finally seeing the face of the man whom she’d thought of as the devil, as all-powerful, had made her see him for what he really was. Just a man. He no longer had the power to hurt her.

  Of course she’d also had to tell her parents the full story, prior to the trial, so they wouldn’t be surprised to hear it from the media. That had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. Especially because she’d misjudged them so badly. By trying to protect them, she’d hurt them. And she’d vowed never to lie to them again.

  Yes, Zack had been right. She’d had a lot to work through. But she’d come a long way. Were there still some dark times? Nights when she woke herself screaming? Yes, but they were further and further apart now. And she had no doubt that one day the nightmares would disappear forever.

  She was happy—really happy—for the first time in a long time. She was marrying the love of her life, Zack Scott. And then he was taking her back to his hometown, to Murray, Kentucky, to spend some time with his very large extended family, many of whom were sitting inside the church right now.

  Just like Amber, Silver, Faye and other Mystic Glades residents had welcomed her, so had Zack’s family. She’d been so worried when she’d met his three brothers, his mom, his dad, because she knew they must have all loved Zack’s first fiancée, Jo Lynne, very much. But there was plenty of room in their hearts for Kaylee, too. His mama told Kaylee she held an extra special place in her heart, because Kaylee had brought Zack out of mourning and back into the light. By taking Zack into her heart, Kaylee had given his mother back her son.

  The doors swung open and were propped back. Then, one by one, her three matrons of honor—Amber, Silver and Faye—headed down the aisle. And then it was her turn. She kissed her father’s cheek and put her arm through the crook of his elbow. Then he slowly walked her down the red carpet.

  Kaylee smiled through her happy tears at the overflowing pews on either side of the aisle. It seemed like the whole town had turned out for the wedding, people she was still getting to know, like Buddy Johnson, who seemed to own half of Mystic Glades. She blinked in surprise to see another man, leaning against the wall with a snake wrapped around his neck. The man grinned and waved then resumed petting the snake as if it was a dog.

  She smiled back, wondering what other types of surprises she had in store living in a place like this. It was quirky and strange and absolutely perfect so far. Because Zack was here, which was all she needed to make her life complete.

  He watched her from the front of the church, his broad shoulders encased in a gorgeous, black suit. Surely, there’d never been a finer looking groom. Even his three handsome brothers, who stood with Faye, Amber, and Silver, couldn’t compete with how extraordinary Zack looked. Then again, she supposed she was biased.

  As she neared the front of the church, she shivered with delight at the way Zack’s deep blue eyes seemed to devour her. Impatient now, she urged her father to hurry, probably a little too fast, judging by the surprised smile that spread across Zack’s face.

  Before her father could give her away or the preacher could say a single word, she raised the edge of her veil and planted a searing kiss against her husband-to-be’s mouth.

  He eagerly deepened the kiss, much to the amusement of his brothers, who whistled their approval. While most of the church dissolved into laughter, her new friend Faye urged them on with a loudly whispered, “You go, girl.”

  The sounds of both the preacher and her father loudly clearing their throats had her reluctantly ending the kiss and stepping back. Her grinning groom gave her a sexy wink that nearly brought her to her knees.

  An eternity later, after her father officially gave her away and sat beside her beaming mother, she smiled up at Zack. “I love you.”r />
  “Not half as much as I love you,” he assured her. “Now let’s do this thing so I can take you somewhere private.” He winked again and helped her arrange her veil over her face for the ceremony.

  She took his arm and faced a future filled with hope and security, and best of all, the warm light of her husband’s love to keep the dark shadows at bay. Oh, she knew there would still be times when the horrors of her past would haunt her. But she also knew that she never had to face her fears alone again. She would always have this wonderful man beside her, for better or worse.

  Just when she’d decided the preacher was never going to finish, he pronounced them husband and wife. This time it was Zack who lifted her veil. The look on his face was almost reverent. He stared down at her as if he thought he was the luckiest person alive to have her. But of course that wasn’t true. She was the luckiest one, to have him.

  The preacher told Zack he could kiss his bride.

  And so he did, quite thoroughly.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES by Tyler Anne Snell.

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  Suspicious Activities

  by Tyler Anne Snell

  Chapter One

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Nikki Waters turned away from the image on her computer screen and shook her head at the man standing across from her.

  “When you said this one was a little rough around the edges, I thought you were warning me about—I don’t know—about his lack of tact or maybe his hair was a little too shaggy.” She motioned to the screen. “Not a rap sheet that was so long I had to scroll to read it all.”

  The man in the doorway chuckled. He shrugged. “Does it help that his hair is a little too shaggy?”

  Jonathan Carmichael was trying to be cute, trying to be funny, but Nikki didn’t have time for his playful mood. Not tonight.

  Tonight she, for once, had plans.

  “A few drunken fights when he was young and stupid,” he said. “Nothing to write home to Mom about.”

  Nikki felt a headache brewing just behind her eyes. She loved her job and loved the tall, dark-haired man in front of her like a brother, but the stress of her plans combined with the man Jonathan was trying to sell her on was starting to create a monster headache.

  “I trust you—you know that—but I run a security agency here,” she tried. “Our clients come to us for help, for protection, and hope—expect—that we do our due diligence with our agents. From what I can tell about this man based on your write-up, he is hotheaded, impulsive and, if I had to guess, your classic lone wolf. In other words, a questionable fit for Orion Security Group.”

  Nikki laced her fingers together over the top of the desk. As she spoke, she felt the change in her demeanor from Nikki the friend to Nikki the boss. Jonathan, along with a handful of other Orion employees who doubled as her closest friends, often joked about that change. When Nikki was firm, it was hard to shake her resolve.

  “Listen, you know how important this place is to me,” Jonathan said, sobering. “I wouldn’t personally be vouching for someone I didn’t think would benefit Orion and its clients. He has a past, yeah, but you read what happened to him. What happened when he was young.” He paused so she had time to recall what he was talking about.

  The stall wasn’t needed. As soon as she’d read the small yet monumental line about his past, she’d known she wouldn’t forget it. Probably couldn’t if she’d tried. Nikki looked back at the man on the screen.

  Jonathan must have taken that as a sign to drive his point home. “He’s rough around the edges, but after what he’s been through, after all the excuses he could use—what happened, how people have most likely treated him up until this point—he didn’t once make any excuse or try to sell me a sob story.”

  Jonathan gave her a small smile. “You asked me to vet potential recruits and I vetted the hell out of him. He’s a man with drive, focus and raw talent. He can deal out a punch and he can take one, too. I’m not saying we throw him into fieldwork next week, but with time and training I think he could be one of the best.”

  Nikki was surprised at that opinion. When she’d started Orion five years ago, Jonathan and his team of Oliver Quinn and Mark Tranton were her first bodyguards as well as first-anything employees. Even though Orion had expanded in the years that followed, hiring more agents and staff, Jonathan and his team were still the best. So, for the most quiet of the three to be standing in front of her now, vouching for a man who was potentially better... Well, that made her pause. She looked at the once-bodyguard, now full-time trainer in front of her. Jonathan was tall, lean and undoubtedly in shape. His hair was dark and short and his face was open and calm. Of the original three, he was the most responsible. Not to mention he was also fiercely loyal to Orion. Maybe, at times, even more so than Nikki.

  Orion was his family. One they had all created when they needed one most.

  He’d never jeopardize that.

  Nikki let out a long, pointed breath. “When did he say he could start?”

  Jonathan cracked a smile.

  “Today,” he said. “In fact, he’s still in the training room.”

  Nikki felt Boss Nikki switch gears to Friend Nikki. She laughed.

  “And if I’d said no?” she asked.

  “Then this would have been really awkward.”

  “Well, I’m glad we can avoid that, then. Now go forth and impart to him all of your unending wisdom and experience,” Nikki said with a flourish. “And I’ll be in there with a contract after I’m done getting ready.”

  Jonathan nodded and started to leave.

  “But, Mr. Carmichael? If he makes one wrong move, I will exercise my right to terminate him.”

  Jonathan didn’t break his stride. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less.”

  She watched the trainer walk out of her office and into the heart of Orion. While they’d had continuing success in the last few years, Nikki had decided to keep the main office in Dallas, Texas, the only office. It was important to her to have one fixed place to come back home to. Not just for her, but for all the agents.

  There was only one exception, and that was the freelance division,
headed by Oliver Quinn out of his and his wife’s home in Maine, but they operated through conference calls and video chats almost daily. Everything else that made up Orion—and Nikki’s life—was within the brick walls of the one-story building. It was within that building, within her office, that she now stared at a bag in the corner. Thoughts of the new recruit, his questionable past and how handsome his picture had been, fizzled out. Instead they were replaced by a nervousness she didn’t often feel.

  I hope I don’t blow it tonight.

  * * *

  JACKSON FIELDS WAS DRENCHED. From head to toe, his clothes were soaked in sweat. They were cold against skin that burned from exertion. His muscles vibrated still, even after they’d taken a break. What had gone from a job offer to talking about the basics had turned into a sparring match with a man surprisingly well experienced.

  “You’re fast,” Jonathan said, refilling his cup at the water fountain just outside the training room. “Not as fast as me, but that’ll take some time.”

  The man smirked as he said it, cueing Jackson in not to take offense. He was joking with him, something he wasn’t used to from relative strangers.

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” Jackson admitted. “Definitely have some potential.”

  Jonathan laughed. “I’m glad you think so.” They both finished their water and refilled. Jackson hadn’t worked that hard in a while. Not with a partner at least. It was a welcome feeling.

  “So, what happens now?” he asked, wiping the sweat off his brow. “Another round?”

  Jonathan looked at the watch on his wrist. “As much as I like your enthusiasm not only to stay late on a Friday night but to keep working, I’m going to have to pass. I promised the lady a home-cooked meal and a night of binge-watching The Blacklist.” His eyes narrowed. “And believe me, you don’t want to anger Kate. She’s got resources.”