by Susan Stoker
Joseph had hired a pilot to fly Nate Anderson and him to San Antonio. He’d dropped off the infant and flown back to Colorado. He’d bribed the pilot to go against FAA rules and not file a flight plan. But to make sure the man didn’t have any second thoughts about flying a kidnapped child across state lines, once back in Colorado, Joseph had followed him home from the airport and murdered the man and his family. There was no telling how many people he’d cold-bloodedly killed over the years just to get his revenge on Megan Parkins.
Garrick had made the connection between the murders and his son, and had willingly passed the information on to Rex, saying once more that he didn’t know anything about his son’s sexual slaves he’d kept on the side.
The thing of it was, Rex believed him. Garrick had bent over backward sucking up to Rex to try to make sure he didn’t sic his Mountain Mercenaries on him. The fact that he’d killed his own son didn’t mean dick to Rex. Garrick would kill his own mother, if the woman was still alive, if it meant keeping Rex and his men off his back.
But Rex wasn’t happy. Joseph might be dead, but there were thousands of men just like him still walking around, harassing, stalking, and enslaving women as if they had the right to do so.
The handler picked up a small picture he kept on his desk as a reminder of why he did what he did. Felicity had been lucky. Ryder had been at the right place at the right time to step in and help her. But not all women were fortunate enough to have a champion like Ryder, his former mercenary—someone who was willing to die and kill for them, at the right time and place.
Running his thumb over the woman’s cheek in the photograph, Rex sent up the silent apology and promise he repeated every night.
I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, and I swear I’ll never stop looking for you.
Taking a deep breath, Rex put the picture frame down and concentrated on the computer screen. It was time for another case. Ryder might have retired from the Mountain Mercenaries, but there were still six more men ready and willing to do whatever it took to rescue women who had found themselves in dire situations.
He kept himself separated from his crew for their own safety. What he did wasn’t exactly legal, and if he was taken down, he didn’t want his men taken down with him. It was for their own good that he was merely a voice on the phone. His men came first. He’d protect them with his life if need be. He hadn’t gotten his reputation by being a pushover either—Garrick Watson would attest to that.
Feeling satisfaction in his gut that he’d had a role in setting Megan Parkins free, and that one of his favorite mercenaries was living a good life, now working side by side with his brothers at Ace Security, Rex clicked on the next case Mountain Mercenaries would be taking on.
It was time to get back to work.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Colleen for letting me name one of my characters after you . . . sorry about the whole killing-you-off thing. Ha!
Thank you also to everyone who picked up the first book in this series—and kept reading. It’s been fun to write about a new group of men and how they find the women meant to be theirs.
As you’ve probably guessed, the Mountain Mercenaries will get their own series. I want to thank Maria Gomez and everyone at Montlake Publishing for believing in me and always cheering me on. Because of their enthusiasm and support, all of you, my readers, will get more stories in the near future.
About the Author
Photo © 2015 A&C Photography
Susan Stoker is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who loves hot alpha heroes. She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed it up with her SEAL of Protection series and her Ace Security series, which includes Claiming Bailey, Claiming Grace, and Claiming Alexis. She is addicted to writing and creating stories readers can lose themselves in.
Susan considers herself an all-American girl with a heart as big as her home state of Texas. Thanks to her Army husband, she’s lived in several different states. Now that he’s retired, however, it’s his turn to follow Susan around the country.
Discover more about Susan and her books through her website, www.StokerAces.com, or follow her on Twitter (@Susan_Stoker) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker).
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