When I approach the front door, I pause, taking in the jimmied lock. The door is cracked. I open it and look inside, but there’s no one in the living area.
The alarm is not set.
I step back outside and call for backup on my phone, speaking quietly.
“This is Detective Crawford. I need backup ASAP.” I give the address, put my phone away, and draw my weapon before walking in again, stopping in the living room to listen.
When I look out the back door to the pool, I freeze. Starla is standing, turned away from me, and a woman is holding her at gunpoint.
“Starla!”
The gun fires, the bullet hits Starla in the chest. She falls back, hits her head, and tumbles into the water.
“Freeze!”
“I don’t know if she’s dead,” the woman shouts, aiming the gun at the seemingly lifeless Starla. “I’ve been trying to end you for years! Why won’t you just die?”
“Throw your gun down!”
The woman moves to squeeze the trigger again, but I fire first, hitting her in the head, killing her instantly.
Blood pools around Starla in the pool, and I instantly jump in and turn her over so her face is out of the water.
“Baby.” I pull her to the edge, trying to feel for a pulse. “Come on, baby, stay with me. Don’t you dare die on me, Starla. Come on.”
“Seattle Police!”
“Back here!” I yell. “The perp is down, and I need an ambulance for the vic!”
“Jesus,” Anderson breathes when he sees me in the water with Starla. “The ambulance is here. Who’s that?”
“This is Starla. She has a heartbeat, but she’s unconscious. I don’t know who the perp is.”
“On it.”
Cops swarm the area, and before I know it, the medics arrive to help me pull Starla out of the water and onto a gurney.
“Heartbeat is strong,” one of them says. “Gunshot wound to the upper left chest. Contusion on the back of the head.”
“I’m coming with you,” I announce as they wheel her toward the ambulance. I glance back at Anderson. “I’ll call to give my report.”
“This is Rachel Samuels,” he calls after me. “Ring a bell?”
I shake my head, then pause. “She’s Starla’s assistant. Fuck me.”
“Looks like we found our stalker.”
“Who knew a gunshot wound would hurt so bad?” Starla asks. It’s three hours later, after the worst hours of my life as they took Starla in for tests and then stitched her up. She’s on a good amount of morphine right now.
“You shouldn’t be in so much pain now, sweetheart.” I kiss her cheek. “They’ve got you drugged up.”
“When it happened,” she clarifies. “It really hurt.”
“I’m surprised you remember it.”
“Yeah.” Tears fill her beautiful blue eyes. “It was Rachel.”
“I know.” I kiss her again. “I know, baby. I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t understand. Why? I was always good to her.”
“Did she tell you why?”
“Jealous.” Her words are a little slurred. “She was jealous. Mad. Crazy. Loved her.”
“I know you did.”
“Trusted her, you know?” She turns her blurry eyes up to me. “Hard to trust.”
“No one’s going to hurt you like that ever again. I promise.”
“Love you.” Her eyes close. She’s been fighting sleep, wanting to be alert to what’s going on around her. She needs the rest. She needs to heal.
The bullet went clear through and miraculously missed any major organs or arteries. It was the fall, and the hit on the back of the head, that knocked her unconscious. And if I hadn’t pulled her out of that pool, she would have drowned.
But she didn’t. She’s here, and she’s whole, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life keeping her safe.
My phone buzzes with an incoming call.
“Crawford.”
“It’s Parker. We found our stalker.”
I frown. “I know. I should have called you, man. She shot Starla today, and I killed her.”
“Oh my God. I’m sorry, man. I hadn’t heard. Sounds like Belinda Lanigan was off her rocker.”
“Wait. Her name was Rachel.”
“No, the person sending all of the emails to Starla is Belinda Lanigan. Her permanent address is in San Francisco, but I found a short-term lease here in Seattle.”
“Jesus.” I scrub my hand down my face. “Rachel wasn’t the stalker.”
“Not the email one, no. So, we have a name and an address. Give me the word, and I’ll get an arrest warrant.”
“Do it.”
“On it.”
He hangs up, and I can only watch Starla sleep, my brain going a million miles a minute. There were two threats. One we had no way of knowing was even in the picture.
I lost about ten years from my life today. The horror of watching the love of my life get shot and not knowing if she was dead or alive was a hell I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
It gives me all-new empathy for Jeremy Lubbock and what he walked into.
“Hey.”
I look up to see my mom standing in the doorway.
“Mom.”
I stand and pull her in for a hug. I know it sounds childish, but having her here is a balm to my hurting heart.
“How is she?”
“She’s going to be fine. The bullet went straight through. She has a concussion, and she’ll be sore for a while, but she’ll be good as new before too long.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Mom wipes a tear from her eye and leans in to kiss Starla’s forehead. She’s sleeping peacefully, but Mom whispers to her. “We all love you, sweet girl.”
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes, the whole crowd is out in the waiting room.”
“Paparazzi?”
“No. Your officer friends made them leave. And after the tongue-lashing they gave those idiots, I don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon.”
“Good.”
“How are you?”
“Relieved. Tired.”
“You took a woman’s life today, son. And even if she had it coming, that won’t sit well with you.”
“No, it doesn’t. But she was about to take another shot at Starla, and she probably would have killed her. I didn’t have a choice.”
“No. You didn’t. Remember that.”
She takes my face in her hands and smiles up at me.
“I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“If you need anything, just call.”
I nod and watch her walk out of the room.
“I like your mom.”
I hurry back to Starla and take her hand in mine.
“I didn’t know you were awake.”
“I was eavesdropping. She kissed me.”
“She’s an affectionate woman.”
Starla’s lips tip up in a soft smile. “That’s where you get it.”
“Yeah.” I take her hand in mine and kiss it. “Everyone’s here to make sure you’re okay. The guys booted the paparazzi out.”
“It’s good to have people watching your back.”
“You have a lot of those people.”
“I thought Rachel was one of them.” She sighs. “It makes me sad.”
“It’s okay to be sad. You should be.”
“Will you stay with me?”
“I have nowhere else to be. But there will be rules.”
She opens one eye, just a slit.
“What rules?”
“You have to sleep. Sleep is going to help you get better.”
“And?”
“And no flirting with the male nurses.”
“Done.”
~Starla~
“You’re not supposed to be up.”
I glower at Jax, who’s been bustling around Levi’s apartment all morning, cleaning and cooking for me like a mother hen. If I weren’t so sick of staying put, I’d f
ind it adorable.
“I’m sick and tired of being babysat, Jax. I’m feeling much better. Go home.”
“If I leave you alone, you’ll overdo it, and Levi will kill me. So, sorry, little girl, you get to be lazy. I’ll bake you cookies.”
“No more cookies.” I shake my head as if he’s making me eat salamanders. “Please. Give me a carrot. Or some broccoli.”
“You’re weird,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ll give you broccoli if you’re a good girl.”
“I’m weird? Did you just hear yourself?”
He laughs as he walks away. My phone rings.
“Help me. Jax is trying to force-feed me cookies,” I say as I answer.
“Poor baby,” Levi says with a laugh. “Save some for me.”
“You can have all the cookies. Are you on your lunch break?”
“I don’t take lunch breaks. I’m actually calling because I was wondering how you’re feeling today. Do you feel like getting out? I need to show you something, but it’s not fun.”
“Oh. Yeah, I can come.”
“I’ll send you an address. Have Jax drive you, okay?”
“Yes, sir. I can’t wait to be able to drive my own damn car again. It’s been two weeks! I haven’t taken any prescription meds in like ten days.”
“Soon. Now, don’t argue with me.”
“Bossy cop.”
I hang up and call out for Jax. “Field trip!”
“Jesus,” Jax breathes as we stand in the living room of an apartment not far from the house I rented from Natalie. “She is weird.”
My photo is everywhere, taped to every square inch of the walls. Some are Photoshopped to show me dead, and others aren’t altered at all. It looks like a murder board with photos and maps and strings that connect them all.
“So, the whole time, Belinda was living here, stalking me.”
“Since you came up from LA, yes.”
“And Rachel did the same thing,” I clarify.
“We believe so.”
“I’m damn popular,” I mutter and rub my forehead with my fingertips. “How did Belinda hide so well?”
“She’s been in the computer field forever,” Levi says. “She could reroute and hide and do all the things I don’t understand. But she confused our best IT guys for weeks. She was arrested the night of the shooting, and she confessed to everything. She had a breakdown. She’s going away for a long time. Whether that’s in prison or a mental institution, I don’t know.”
“It’s interesting, the things that make people crazy,” Jax says. “Jealousy. Tragedy.”
“Illness,” Levi adds. “It boils down to illness.”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “Will I have to testify?”
“No. There won’t be a trial. She’ll be sentenced in a few weeks.”
“So, it’s all over? We can finally move on with our lives.”
“It’s over.”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Levi says later that night as we’re curled up together in bed, watching a movie on Netflix.
“What?”
“Let me ask you something first.” He pauses the TV and sits up on the bed, facing me. “How would you feel about me leaving the force?”
I don’t want to get too excited too soon. This might not mean what I hope it does.
“It depends on why you want to quit.”
He glances down at my hand before scooping it up in his, giving it a squeeze.
“I want to quit and be the head of your security.”
Now, this I wasn’t expecting.
“Keep talking.”
“I have no desire to do the long-distance relationship thing with you, Starla. I’ll be here, working the job, and you’ll be . . . where? All over the world. And I won’t know if you’re safe. The guys you’ve had working for you are incompetent at best. I can protect you better than anyone else. And be with you in the process.”
I nod, considering it. I would absolutely feel better if Levi were in charge of my safety.
“So, how would we do this?” I ask. “You’d be with me as my employee?”
He licks his lips and leans in to kiss my cheek. “I’d be with you as your confidant.” Kisses my nose. “As your lover.” Kisses my chin. “As your friend.”
He kisses my lips now, long and slow. We haven’t been intimate since I was shot, and I miss him so much it hurts.
But when I reach for him, he pulls back far enough to look into my eyes.
“And I’d be with you as your husband, if you’ll have me.”
The breath leaves my lungs. “What?”
He reaches into the bedside table and comes back with a gorgeous, simple diamond ring.
“Marry me, sweetheart. And not just because I need to protect you, but because I need you. Your love, your humor, your light. You make me a better man in a million little ways, Starla, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. I want a life with you. Whether that life is here in Seattle, in Montana, or on the road three hundred days a year, I don’t care, as long as I’m with you.”
I cup his cheek and smile into his sweet brown eyes. “You are the greatest man I’ve ever known in my life, Levi Crawford, and it would be my honor to be your wife.”
He slides the ring on my finger and kisses the breath out of me.
“I guess I’ll be changing my name again,” I say as I stare at the beautiful ring.
“What do you mean?”
“Starla Crawford.”
“But you’re just Starla.”
“If people know what’s good for them, they’ll call me Mrs. Crawford.”
He laughs and kisses my hand, just above the ring.
“You’re such a diva, darling.”
“No, I’m territorial.”
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby's second novel in her Romancing Manhattan series delivers the sizzling story of a playboy who's vowed never to commit until he meets the one woman he's tempted to break his promise for.
Quinn Cavanaugh doesn't do anything halfway. He drives fast, works hard, and plays even harder. And the word “commitment” doesn't exist in his dictionary. He has no plans of settling down with one woman for he needs to be free to move on to the next big thing-whatever or whoever that may be. Each party knows the score going into it, and it's all been working out fine. That is, until a sexy new colleague enters the scene.
Sienna Hendricks doesn't give much thought to Quinn and the revolving door leading to his bedroom. She's way too picky about who she shares her time or her body with and screwing around with a colleague isn't part of her plan either. Quinn doesn't intimidate her. And unlike most other members of her sex, she doesn't melt into a puddle at his feet whenever he's near. Most importantly, she has no issues telling him no.
But for a man who has the world at his feet, Quinn isn't accustomed to being rejected. And he's not about to let that change-no matter how persistent Sienna is. To his surprise, Sienna is everything he thought he'd never find. Pursuing her, and convincing her he's changed, is going to be the biggest challenge of his life. One he's completely up for…
All It Takes releases July 30, 2019
Falling in love is easy…
New Hope, South Carolina is my home. It's where I grew up, got into trouble, and fell in love for the first time. Scarlett Kincaid was more than the girl next door, she was my best friend, until she decided that small town life wasn't for her. One minute she was here, and the next she was gone.
The girl I used to fish with down at the creek is now the biggest name in country music. She headlines world tours, has won four Grammy's, and I haven't seen her since. Until today when she sped through town in her fancy car. One look at her big brown eyes was all it took to stir up a whole slew of emotions. Emotions I'd long ago buried and sure as hell don't have time for.
It's the aftermath that's hard…
There are two things in my life that mat
ter. My music, and my dad. Twelve years ago, I packed a bag and chased my dream. Leaving New Hope and escaping the gossip mill was the easiest decision I ever made. I never planned to return, but my father needs me, and he always comes first. So, I did what I had to do. I cut my tour short and came home, despite having a sister who hates me, and a community that doesn't trust me. And then there's Tucker Andrews.
When he propped an arm on the roof of my car, pulled down his sunglasses and flashed his police badge, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Gone is the lanky boy who used to throw rocks at me and pull my pigtails. Tucker is now a six-foot package of brawny, sexy man wrapped in more muscle than I have hit singles. Did I mention he's a cop and a single dad?
My goal was to help Dad, and get back to my life. But what am I supposed to when the life that used to strangle me suddenly fits like a glove, and makes me dream of things I never thought I'd have? What happens when the boy I walked away from years ago becomes one of the most important people in my life? I don't have room for a man much less love.
Right?
Because it's impossible to hold onto someone who's already gone.
Already Gone releases August 27, 2019
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