by Mazzy King
Lyra snatches the proofs from me, a dubious look on her face. She flips to the last pages, then turns them more slowly. “I mean, I don’t think I’ve left anything out—”
She finds my drawing and stops.
Finally, I let myself grin.
“Saint,” she whispers. When she looks up at me, I’m down on one knee, holding out a rose gold, princess-cut diamond ring.
She gasps.
I reach for her hand. “I firmly believe in soulmates,” I tell her, stroking her hand with my thumb. “And I believe in destiny. I believe you’ve always been mine, long before I ever knew you, and Lyra, I sure as hell have always been yours. You had my heart the second I saw you, and I knew somehow, we’d find our way back to each other.” I clear my tightening throat. “So, there’s a question on that picture for you.”
She sets the artbook down, pulling my drawing out.
It’s a sketch of a boy stick-figure kneeling before a girl stick-figure, a huge ring between them. Off to one side are the words “Will you marry me?” along with a box for “yes” and a box for “no.”
Tears stream down Lyra’s face as she steps away and reaches for a pen on the counter. She scribbles, then hands me the drawing.
X marks the spot.
Yes.
I stand up and sweep her into my arms, hugging her tight. “You make me want to be a better man,” I whisper in her ear. “I promise you, you’ll never get less than a hundred and fifty percent from me.”
“I’ve had a lot of demons in my life,” she whispers back, kissing my cheek. “But I finally found my saint. I love you. Forever.”
She found her saint…but I found my angel.
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Sneak Peek of GUNNER: Badge Bunnies 4
A Steamy Alpha Bad Boy Cop Romance
Put your hands where he can feel them…
Gunner
When an emergency call comes in from the bank about a robbery hostage situation, I don't hesitate to volunteer to go inside, posing as a civilian and becoming a hostage myself.
My job is only to relay information back to the team and lay down cover fire when they get here. But then I meet Isla, a beautiful young woman scared out of her mind, and I know now I have to comfort and protect her at all costs.
But will the nature of my work be too much for her to handle?
Isla
When a robber points a gun at me, my life flashes before my eyes. But then I see the hottest guy in the world walk into the bank.
At first I think he’s just a hostage, and then I realize he’s an undercover cop. He protects me, and when he brings me home after the ordeal, I…want him to stay.
All night.
But despite my intense feelings for him, I can’t watch him risk his life over and over…
Am I about to say goodbye to the love of my life?
Please enjoy this sneak peek of the first chapter of GUNNER.
Chapter 1
Gunner Hansen
So this guy walks into a bank.
That sounds like the setup to a bad joke, but in my line of work, it’s a reality. Like right now.
Things happen in the blink of an eye as a police officer, especially in Ridge City. One minute you’re cruising the streets with your partner, and the next you get a call to head to Ridge City Bank, where a hostage situation is currently going on.
I wish that was just an example, but that’s exactly what happened about fifteen minutes ago.
Jaxson Rivers, my baker partner for today, glances at me as I pull off the bulletproof vest that holds all my toys and tools. We’re both plainclothes today, since our mission was to stakeout some suspected gang members in a neighborhood they’re rumored to be found in. Then we got the call from dispatch about a disturbance at the bank. We’re across the street at a gas station. In front of the bank, though, are about ten squad cars with more on the way, I’m sure.
“You sure about this?” he asks, his mouth downturned.
I shrug. “Sure. I’m an undercover officer. I go undercover.”
“It’s an active situation.”
“No shit?” I say, flashing him a cocky smirk. “Since when?”
Jaxson rolls his eyes. He’s such a worrywart. He’s so different from his younger brother Saint, who rocks a devil-may-care attitude like nobody’s business.
Our sergeant arrives on the scene and locates us. He’s got silver-gray, short, spiky hair, but his face is so unlined, he looks like our peer. “Run me down what the plan is.”
I shove my hoodie sleeves up. “I’m going in. I’ll get taken as a hostage. I’ll use my phone to text Jax intel so you make a plan of attack, and then I’ll do my best not to get shot.”
Jaxson shoots me a mildly annoyed look. “Sarge, he’s going to let us know about how many hostages, the kinds of demands that are being made, if any, and how many assholes are inside. So far we know there’s at least three.”
I nod. “What he said.”
I’m not a shit cop, I swear. I do take things very seriously. I just can’t help my smartass mouth sometimes, and especially in situations where I’m about to go into the shit. It’s gotten me into trouble a lot, but I guess it’s a defense mechanism to keep my mood up and the thought I could very well die at bay.
That is a mindfuck, believe me.
Luckily, Sarge is well accustomed to me and my punkass attitude, so he lets the comment slide. “What are you taking?”
I pat my pocket. “I’ve got a phone here. My Glock is strapped to my ankle, under my jeans.” I carry a Glock 27, which is a compact pistol that packs a hell of a punch.
“What if they search you?”
“I’ll do my best to keep them away from me,” I say, and shrug. I don’t have a lot of options. If they search me and find the phone, they’ll likely take it away from me. If they search me and find the gun, they’ll likely use it on me.
It sucks. But it’s a risk I have to take.
My sergeant moves away to radio to the sergeant with the cops across the street. Jaxson clasps the arm I hold out to him and pulls me in for a tight hug. “Love you, brother. Watch your ass.”
“Always.” I pull back and shove a pair of binoculars into his chest. “And I got you to watch my ass. I mean, not literally. But—you know what I mean.”
“Shut up.” He chuckles, then gets serious. “You know I got your six.”
I nod. It’s time to get my head in the game.
I jog across the street and subtly lift my hand toward some of the officers huddled behind their open doors. A few of them recognize me and wave back. I slow to a walk, duck toward a side door, and slip inside. There’s a short hallway that opens up to the large lobby of the bank, and it’s disturbingly quiet there. I pause to take a deep, centering breath, then put my game face on.
Whistling, I stroll into the lobby. My gaze immediately flicks left and right. I take in as much information as I can as quickly as possible. People are huddled all over the floor, but it doesn’t look like anybody is hurt with my cursory glance.
I glance over at a young woman crouched on the floor underneath a teller’s window, and I’m momentarily struck by how beautiful she is. Long, medium brown hair cascades in curls over her shoulder, and her bright green eyes are huge with fear. She locks gazes with me for an instant, and it feels like time comes to a stop.
“Hey, you!”
The loud, gruff shout makes me whip my head away. Ah, Asshole #1. Hello.
A hulking guy wearing all black and a ski mask charges toward me. I clock his weaponry—a sawed-off shotgun, pointed at me.
I throw my hands in the air. “Wh-what’s going on? What the hell!”
H
e reaches me, grasping at my arm. I skitter back, swatting at his hands. I do not need him to find the phone in my pocket, a text message to Jaxson already queued up and ready for me to input the details I need.
“Get the hell on the floor,” the guy growls, shoving me hard. “Who the fuck are you? You got anything on you?”
I dance out of his grasp. “Hey, hey, man! I’m just here looking for my—my girlfriend!” I point a finger at the gorgeous green-eyed brunette I spotted on the way in. “She was taking forever! Don’t hurt her, okay?”
“Get on the fucking floor!” he yells and seems to give up trying to check my pockets. He shoves me toward her hard. I let myself hit the floor and slide backward toward her. He sticks the shotgun in my face. “One wrong move, your brains will meet the wall behind you. Got it?”
I nod frantically, keeping my hands up.
He turns his back and goes to harass some of the hostages in the room. I hear frightened whimpers, and anger flares up inside me. These fucking dickheads.
I glance around the bank. It looks like there’s five dickheads, all wearing black and ski masks like my host. They’re posted up at what I assume they believe are strategic places around the bank—two near the doors, another two at the windows on either side, and the fifth paces the room.
There also appear to be about two dozen hostages. Now that I’m able to take a good look, I see several wounded people. One man is conscious, blood dripping from his head like he got hit there. One woman clutches her side, her hand bloody. Another man is lying on his side, his back toward me.
I rotate my body to shield the phone I pull from my pocket, type in the intel in abbreviated words Jaxson will get, and quickly slip the phone away, all in the span of a couple of breaths.
My gaze finds the brunette a few feet from me. Her eyes are still wide, and now they’re as full of confusion and shock as they are fear.
“Hey,” I whisper, as if we’re meeting casually in the library.
She gapes at me. “H-hey?”
“Don’t worry,” I add under my breath. “This is all going to be okay.”
“How?” she hisses. “Do you know where you are? Did you not see the cop cars outside? You picked a hell of a time to come make a deposit, buddy.”
I flash her a little arrogant grin. “Oh, I’m here to make a withdrawal, actually.” If all goes to plan, I’ll be withdrawing every person in here—to safety.
Including this beautiful woman who looks at me like I’m absolutely out of my mind.
Read the rest of GUNNER, available December 11, here!
About the Author
Mazzy King is the author of short, sexy, romantic suspense. She loves writing about the good bad boys and the women who can’t help but fall in love with them. If you love a sexy, tattooed bad boy with a heart of gold, badass and brilliant ladies, no cheating, and happily-ever-afters with a dose of thrill, you’ve come to the right place.
Enjoy reading Mazzy’s stories with your latte or, better yet, a couple glasses of your favorite vino.
Visit Mazzy at MazzyKing.com or on social media at any of the links below!
Also by Mazzy King
DOMINIC: Badge Bunnies 1
RHYS: Badge Bunnies 2
GUNNER: Badge Bunnies 4
JAXSON: Badge Bunnies 5
Get the BADGE BUNNIES series here!
