by A. L Long
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHCHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RELEASES
CONTACTS AND LINKS
Contents
COPYRIGHT
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHCHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RELEASES
CONTACTS AND LINKS
Copyright © 2017 A.L.Long
Gainer: Jagged Edge Series #6
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior consent of the author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictionally, and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Interior edited by H. Elaine Roughton
Cover design by Laura Sanches
ASIN: B071P63ZJ6
ISBN: 978-1546840565
This book is intended for mature audiences only
Acknowledgment
To my husband of many wonderful years, who is with me heart, body and soul through each word I write. If it weren’t for him my dream of writing would have never been fulfilled. I love you, sweetheart. And to my family, whom I also love dearly. Through their love and support, I can continue my passion for writing.
To the many readers, who took a chance on me and purchased my books. I hope that I can continue to fill your hearts with the passion I have grown to love.
Most of all I want to thank my incredible PA, Barbara Danks. I don’t know where I would be without her and to my wonderful Street Team (Athena Kelly, Lori Hammons, Kristen Ann Tanner, Marsha Black, Heather Swan, Sallie Ann). You ladies have been a godsend.
CHAPTER ONE
Gainer
Drinking the rest of my brew, I stood, making my way to the kitchen to deposit my empty bottle in the trash. When I returned, the guys were still sitting around discussing the bachelor party for Sly. The initial plan was to have it at Ash’s place, but Sly and Nikki thought it would be better to elope to Las Vegas. Personally, it didn’t matter to me either way. All of us at Jagged Edge were brothers and supported each other no matter what. There were nine of us in all. Peter Hewitt started Jagged Edge Security. When he asked us to be a part of his team, how could we say no? We were brothers. Ash Jacobs was our explosives expert, Cop Coppoletti worked with weapons, while Sly Capelli was more of a pain in the ass than anything, although he was great at sneaking up on people. Then there was Mike Chavez, who knew everything about mechanical things. If you had something that needed fixing, he was the guy. There were even Ryan and Josh Hyatt. Those two were actually brothers, but by the way they disagreed on things, you couldn’t tell. We ended up losing Hawk Talbott as part of the team. No one could blame him, though. If I had a woman as beautiful as Isabelle, I would have moved anywhere to be with her. Even if it meant changing my lifestyle to become a diplomat and a prince. Who would have thought? We even managed to gain a woman on our team. Nikki Jennings, soon to be Nikki Capelli. She had proven to be a great asset. It was a place we all called home, and now instead of fighting on a battlefield, we all work together.
When I got home, the first thing I did was check to make sure I didn’t have any messages on my answering machine. It was the same as every other day, nothing. I wasn’t sure why I continued to torture myself. Ten years is a long time to wait for something that was never going to happen. As much as I wanted to believe that she would call, I was just fooling myself. I will never forget the day that she reached out to me, letting me know that she wanted to meet. My biological mother was what they called her. I was finally going to meet the woman who left me on the steps of St. Vincent’s so many years ago, only that day never came.
En route to my room, I threw my jacket on the chair and began removing my clothes. Slipping under the covers, I stared at the ceiling, wondering what my life would have been like had she actually shown up. I wasn’t sure why I kept thinking about her. Maybe it was because I hated her for doing what she did. Realizing what I just thought, I pushed from the bed and headed to the kitchen, where the answering machine was sitting on the counter. I disconnected the machine and tucked it away in the closet. The only reason I had that stupid machine was because of her. Heading back to bed, I was finally able to fall asleep.
~****~
“It’s such a nice day, Louis, why don’t you go outside with the rest of the boys? You need to learn how to interact with them instead of spending so much time by yourself.”
“But I don’t want to, Sister Claire. The boys are always making fun of me. I hate them. I hate this place.”
“Fuck! This shit has to stop,” I hissed in the silence. I’d had the same dream for more than eighteen years. Not even the shrink at the army base could help me get over the nightmares. Knowing there was no way that I was going to be able to go back to sleep, I pushed from the bed and headed to the bathroom to do my thing. Grabbing my cell from the end table, I saw it was only 5:00 a.m., which for me was way too early, especially since I left the shop not more than four hours ago.
Glaring at my reflection in the mirror, I knew I had to find a way to put this behind me once and for all. I just didn’t know how, other than facing the problem head on. I knew that was never going to happen, at least not for now. In the meantime, I needed to do something to clear my mind. Slipping on my sweats and my shoes, I decided a couple of laps around Central Park Reservoir would help me do that.
The park was quiet as I made my way past the Balcony Bridge. I loved ru
nning in the park. It was the only way that I could really clear my head. When I first began working for Jagged Edge, one of the must-haves was finding a place that was close enough to the park to go running. So, when Peter found the two-bedroom condo apartment near the park, I couldn’t pass it up. He even managed to find one with windows facing the park. What a guy.
After a great run and feeling the burn in my lungs, I decided to head back to my apartment and get cleaned up. I still had a few hours before I needed to be at the YMCA for my class. Being a martial arts instructor was another thing that I used to clear my mind. I began training in martial arts when I left the orphanage and joined the military. The base doctor thought that it would be a good way to help me control my anger issues. At least he was right about that. Helping out those kids, and giving them the self-confidence that was taken away from me, was the best thing that I could have done. For this reason, I dedicated an hour a day, three times a week to these kids.
As I was leaving the park, not paying attention where I was going, I plowed her completely over. The bag that she was carrying went flying in the air and her body landed on the hard surface, with her shoulder hitting the sidewalk first. I tried really hard to catch her before she fell, but I wasn’t quick enough. Squatting down to her level, I took hold of her arm and asked with concern. “Are you okay? I am so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention where I was going.”
“Yeah, I think I’m okay,” she replied in a soft, timid voice.
“Here, let me help you up.” Holding my hand out to her, I waited for her to comply.
When she placed her hand in mine, I looked down to see that my larger hand had engulfed her smaller one. When she was on her feet, I looked her over to make sure she was okay, confirming what she had said. It was then that I noticed she had a scrape on her elbow that was caused by the fall. Taking hold of her arm, I tried to get a closer look, but she pulled her arm away from me. Placing my hands in the pockets of my hoodie, I mentioned, “You have a pretty good scrape on your elbow,” as I watched her turn her arm so she could get a better look.
“It will be fine,” she claimed. “It looks a lot worse than it is.”
Grabbing her bag, which looked like it had been through hell, I handed it over to her. When she took hold of it and looked up at me, I saw she was actually very beautiful. Taking a better look at her, I realized that she was wearing a maid’s uniform, which told me she must work at one of the hotels close by.
There was something about her eyes that told me she was about ready to collapse. Her small frame began to wobble back and forth, only this time, I caught her before she fell to the ground. Picking her up, I walked over to a park bench and carefully set her down. I waited for a few minutes until her focus came back.
“Are you sure you are okay?” I questioned concerned.
“Yeah, Just a little hungry. I got so busy at work that I didn’t have time to eat,” she confessed.
Considering her explanation, I looked at her again and realized that she did look thin for her build. To me, it looked as though she missed more than one meal. Doing the gentlemanly thing, I offered, “Can I take you to breakfast? It’s the very least I can do since I ran you over.”
“You really don’t need to do that. I will be fine.”
“But I want to. Come on. There’s a small café about a block away.”
There was no way that I could accept ‘no’ for an answer. Rising to my feet, I held out my hand and waited for her to take it. She hesitated for a moment, but then finally placed her hand in mine. When I offered to carry her bag for her, she gave me a disapproving glance and held on tightly to it. I wasn’t sure why she wouldn’t allow me to carry it for her. My guess was that she wasn’t a very trusting person and probably thought that I was going to run off with it.
When we reached the small café, it was just getting ready to open, which was perfect. This café was one that I liked going to in the early morning, and the only one that opened at 6:00 a.m. As we stepped past the waitress that was holding the door open for us, she winked and said, “Sit wherever you’d like. Coffee will be done in a sec.”
Smiling back at her, I looked over to the young woman at my side as I held up two fingers, letting the waitress know to bring two coffees. Choosing to sit at a booth away from the door, I slid in one side while my breakfast guest slid in the other. Picking up a menu, I asked, “Do you mind if I ask you what your name is?”
“Emma,” she answered as she kept her head down, hidden behind the menu.
“I’m Lou. It’s nice to meet you, Emma.”
I held out my hand for some time before she finally shook it. While I was trying to figure her out, the waitress showed up with two coffees, cream, and sugar. Since I came here quite often, I already had an idea of what I was going to order, so before the waitress could ask, I said, “Three eggs, wheat toast, bacon, and a side of pancakes.”
“How about you, Miss?” the waitress asked.
“I will have the same, but can you add hash browns and sausage?” she replied.
Wow! She must have been really hungry. I was pretty certain that there was no way she was ever going to be able to consume all of that food. Giving her an unbelieving look, she rolled her eyes and said matter-of-factly, “I’m starving, and since you invited me, I’m not holding back.”
“Not a problem, Emma. Eat to your heart's content,” I countered, content with her order.
CHAPTER TWO
Emma
After offering to help Courtney finish cleaning her last junior suite, I accidentally bumped a black briefcase while trying to maneuver the vacuum around the king-sized bed. I wish that it had never popped open, but there it was, staring right at me. The case was filled with some documents along with money. Normally I wouldn’t have looked twice, but it was like it was telling me to help myself, so I did. Checking to make sure that Courtney was still cleaning the bathroom, which I knew would take her at least fifteen minutes, if not more, I began picking up the bundles of cash and taking a few bills from each one. It might have been easier to take the whole bundle, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. I didn’t want to risk any suspicion that there was any money missing.
Hearing the toilet flush, I knew that Courtney was close to being finished. Stuffing the money wherever I could inside my bra and under my uniform, I continued dusting as though nothing had happened. Hearing her behind me, I asked with a smile, trying to hide my guilt, “Are we ready to blow this popsicle stand?”
“Yepper, “she replied, pulling her rubber gloves off her hands.
One thing about Courtney, no matter how shitty the day was, she always managed to make it seem better. Heading out of the room and down the hall to the service elevator, Courtney held the door while I pushed the supply cart into the elevator. I was thankful that this was the last room that needed to be cleaned for the day. I was starving and hadn’t eaten a decent meal for two days. At least now, with the money I had taken, I would be able to stock up on my supply of Raman noodles and water. A new blanket would also be nice.
Reaching the employee lounge, I stuffed all of the cash I had just taken into my bag, closed my locker, and exited through the hotel doors, taking my normal route to the shelter, which was down Madison to Fifth Avenue and into Central Park. While I was repositioning my bag on my shoulder, I felt like I got hit by a train. No way was the guy who ran into me watching where he was going. He knocked me over, and the minute I used my arms to break the fall, the pain began to radiate through my elbow. Looking up to the guy, I forgot about the pain when my eyes met his. He was the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on. When he held out his hand to assist me to my feet, I was afraid that he would burn me with his hotness.
My heart just about sank when he grabbed my bag. It wasn’t that I thought anything would fall out of it, it was the fact that it was old with a zipper that really didn’t work, I was afraid that the contents may have shifted, causing the money that I had tucked under my things to surface. It was only aft
er he handed my bag to me that I felt better. Holding it close to my body, I was about to go on my way when he began talking to me. After a few shared words and his invitation for breakfast, I was walking with him to a small café. I was so hungry that it would have been stupid of me to decline his offer.
After I sat across from him, we placed our order. Sipping my coffee, I couldn’t help but stare at this guy, whom I just found out was named Lou.
“So, based on your uniform, I’m guessing you work at one of the hotels,” he offered as I continued to sip my coffee.
“Yeah. I work at the Park Lane Hotel,” I replied.
“So, you enjoy that kind of work?” he asked.
“Not really, but when it is all that is out there, you can’t nitpick about where your income comes from,” I pointed out.
I couldn’t have been happier when our order showed up. Keeping my mouth full of food and my head down, I avoided any other questioning on his part. All I wanted to do was finish my meal and get the hell out of there. Maybe even find a nice warm motel where I could stay for a night or two.
Finishing my last bite, I wiped my lips and began to place the shoulder strap of my bag over my arm. I wasn’t even off of the seat when Lou asked, “Can I walk you to your place?”
