Teaser Tuesday ~ Trust Me Series ~ Jaded Promises Excerpt

Eric Stiles has everything to lose and no matter how hard he fights he can feel his life slipping away.

Rebecca Gailen thinks that the love of her life is dead and only the vigor of revenge keeps her fighting to survive.

When a secret reveals more than anyone expected, it changes Eric and Rebecca’s lives forever. The devastating truth puts the couple at odds. Can they overcome their clashing conclusions and learn to trust each other again? Or will they let it rip them apart?

Excerpt

The stairs creaked with each step as he looked into the dimness below. The wet, musty area was cold and damp. He swallowed hard. Gray concrete, jagged walls and dust surrounded them and a chill raked up his spine.

"We found it over there." The same officer descended the stairs behind them. The beam of his flashlight landed to the right of where they stood. Eric reached for a flashlight, and his eyes fell on Charlie who scanned the room. An officer offered his and Eric stepped toward the area. His hand brushed against the cold concrete, but his mind still refused to accept it.

Not here…not like this…

Eric’s eyes fell on a spatter of blood and his chest flooded with an unrecognized pain.

She was here

Unable to push the image away, all the air left the room as his entire body clenched at the suffocation. He ascended the stairs into the sunlight, fighting for control. He began to unhinge, mindlessly entered one of the side rooms

They didn't find her which means she's still…

Keep it together Stiles…falling apart isn't going to help anyone

The sewn seam around his emotions threatened to tear, and he couldn't move. The paralyzing agony that spiked from the core of his body was relentless. He fought back in vain. He knew it wouldn't stop until she was in his arms, safe.

"Eric, what’s going on?"

Eric wiped unexpected wetness from his eyes. He leaned against the wall to face his brother. Pure disbelief stared back at him.

"I've never seen you like this."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you never…"

"Yeah well, things change." Eric moved to exit the room.

He found the front door and pushed through it hearing Charlie just behind him.

"Since when?"

"You still don't get it do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you really convinced yourself that all of this…what happened, was just some kind of joke?” He stopped to face him. “That Rebecca and I didn’t mean anything we said when we told you that we never wanted to hurt you?"

"I don't know what the hell you meant to do and to be honest, I don’t really care."

"Charlie…whether or not you choose to believe it, we did try to walk away.” Charlie’s eyes diverted in anger. "Jesus, Charlie she went through hell, and all she could think about was how she couldn't hurt you!"

"So once again this is my fault!"

"No…I am just…" Eric’s chest turned to stone, unwilling to allow him to hide. "As your brother, your friend, I tried to forget about…everything. But that night. That first night in Dallas, everything changed. We did everything we could to ignore it, make disappear, but it didn't. It only got stronger…can you try to understand that?"

"You really expect me to…"

"I expect you to believe that I tried! I expect you to realize that this had nothing to do with you. To remember that until that moment, I've never betrayed you."

"So because you’ve always tried to be the good big brother you want me to be okay with this? To just accept what you did and move on?"

"Yes."

'Why?"

"Because you’re my brother and I need you to." Eric’s watering despite his continued battle against it. "Charlie, I'm in love with her."

"I loved her too!"

"Okay Charlie,” Eric clenched his jaw. “Where did you see things heading with her? Let's say we never met, what then?"

"I don't know. I never got the chance thanks to you!"

"That’s the difference!" Eric’s fists balled in frustration. "Six weeks ago, and the two months before that, hell even in Dallas. I knew this was different. I knew she changed everything. Even when she left without a word, and I didn’t even know her name, I couldn’t get her out of my head! I look at her and see everything I never knew I wanted. She's woken up this person inside me that I didn’t even know was there! The one who wants a house and a family. The person who needs to see her every morning and hold her every night, because when I don't something is missing, and the world doesn't make sense. "

"Eric…"

"The difference is that the moment I met her, she became my whole world," Eric explained as he struggled to keep his furious heart under control. "I know that you loved her. That was one of the reason's I stayed away as long as I did. It might not seem like much but…she needed me, and I couldn’t turn my back anymore. Now she's gone and I can't…If we don't…if I can't find her..."

"We're going to find her, Eric.” He saw the first glimpse of understanding in his brother's eyes.

~

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Teaser Tuesday ~ Little Angels

What if saving little angels meant becoming the monster?

When Special Agent Nick McFarlane receives news his partner of eight years is in trouble he doesn’t hesitate. Throwing himself into a deep cover operation to expose and shut down The Micahs, a child trafficking ring, Nick enters unprepared for the reality that awaits. 

Special Agent Meredith Richards took the assignment fully aware of the consequences. Leaving her life behind, she wouldn’t be able to get out with her life until she shut the Micahs down for good.

When Meredith’s informant is murdered and her contact inside the organization starts to lose control, Meredith is forced to make choices she can’t take back. On the edge of sacrificing herself, her principles, and her life, she begins to wonder if she will survive the case or if she even wants too.  

Excerpt

The road was rough, and Nick hung onto the dash for fear of falling out of the jeep. After dispatching the entire force, five teams on the ground and two in the air, they'd lost the signal over half an hour earlier. Being in the middle of the dense jungle made the search almost impossible, but they were closer than they’d been just hours ago.

Nick felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he lifted it to look, not recognizing the number. 

"McFarlane," he said into the phone and there was silence. "Hello?"

He could barely make out a voice and he looked to Jacobs to stop the car.

"Hello?"

Jacobs stopped the jeep and Nick waited.

"Meredith?" Nick said.

"Hello?" He heard a small voice say back at him.

"Hi, this is Nick, who is this?"

"Lily," she replied, her voice shaking. "Meredith..."

"Are you with Meredith, sweetheart?"

"She won't...she won't wake up..." she said, and Nick's heart stopped.

"Lily, do you know where you are?" Nick asked, looking to Jacobs, who dialed his own phone. 

"In the jungle," she replied between little sobs. "I'm scared...she's bleeding and I can't..."

"Lily, is there anything around? Do you see anything?"

"There is a jeep. I think it’s how the bad man got here," she said into the phone. Jacobs nodded and he started the jeep again. 

"Lily, listen to me, I need you to stay on the phone with me. I'm coming to get you," Nick said. 

"Please hurry...it's dark, and Meredith..."

"It's okay, Lily, we're coming," Nick replied, listening to the girl panic on the phone.

"She dying," Lily said, beginning to cry again. "Please, I don't want her to die..."

"Lily, it's going to be okay," Nick tried to reassure her—he also tried to reassure himself.

The car wasn't moving fast enough, and he felt like he was going to jump out of his skin. He was telling Lily to be brave, and he was terrified himself.

They had time. They had to have time. This wasn't the end. 

He could still get to her. 

He could still save her.

"I see lights, is that you?" Lily said to him on the phone and without thinking, he leapt from the car and ran forward, the lights of the car illuminating the path. After a moment, he saw the child seated on the ground, Meredith lying just behind her. Nick reached them in seconds and the child dove into his arms. Hugging her tightly against him, he looked to Meredith, his heart bursting.

"Please help her," she said, sobbing into his shirt.

"It's going to be okay," he said. Jacobs came and took the child from his arms.

Nick moved to Meredith, taking in her injuries. He touched her shoulder to look at her better, and felt the warm stickiness on his hand. Looking at it against the light, it was covered in blood.

"She's been shot," Nick said. He scooped her in his arms, moving back to the jeep as he saw more lights approaching. "You got this?"

"Yeah, go," Jacobs said. "I'll call Henry and have him pick you up. Keep your phone on!"

Nick put her in the passenger's seat, and tore off through the jungle. Every few seconds, he looked over to her pale face. "Come on, Henry," Nick pleaded aloud. His phone buzzed, and he picked up, talking to Henry, one of the helicopter pilots. Henry led him through the jungle to a clearing where he would be able to pick them up. Nick reached the clearing and jumped out of the car, walking around to the passenger's seat. Nick protected her from the slicing wind, hearing the helicopter's approach. He felt Meredith move beneath him.

"Nick," she said weakly, but her eyes were still heavy and they began to close again.

"Meredith...stay with me, Mere," he said taking her face in his hands. "Stay with me, we're getting you out of here."

She nodded and fell against him. Nick lifted her from the jeep. Her arm wrapped around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. He carried her on board, taking a seat with her in his lap. The door closed, muffling the noise.

She opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"Hey, beautiful," he said.

“I bet you say that to all the girls," she replied with a tired smile that lifted him.

"Not all of them, just the ones I can't live without," he replied, hugging her a little closer.

"I wish that were true," she said, and her eyes closed.

He checked her pulse and found it weak and thready. 

"Hurry!" He yelled to the pilot, and saw the man nod in return.

***

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Suspense for the Romantic Heart - Dear Air Chronicles Excerpt

Worlds Apart

Is their love enough?

Jack Tucker's life as a morning radio host is uncomplicated, attachment free, and without regret. Until Kate Weiss entered his life, that is... She knows all of the ways to annoy him and yet takes his breath away with just a look.

Special Agent Kate Weiss is hiding from a kidnapping she doesn't remember. Morning Radio Host Jack Tucker serves as a nice distraction, but she knows the flirtation could never be anything more.

When tragedy descends, grief pulls them together, forcing them to trust each other and face the undeniable connection between them.

In an effort to make the pair walk away from a conspiracy greater than they can imagine, a target is put on their heads. This does little to deter Kate or Jack from wanting to find the truth.

Chasing shadows, the answers are closer than they realize. Forced into isolation, can Jack and Kate uncover the buried secret that is getting people killed? Or will one misstep destroy all of their hopes for the future?

Excerpt

Melissa and Dan said goodbye shortly thereafter, and Jack searched for Kate, finding her in the kitchen finishing the few dishes they had dirtied. He wrapped his arms around her waist nibbling on her neck.

“Someone is feeling better.” She giggled, and turned meeting his eyes. They were soft and adoring. He leaned down placing a gentle kiss on her pink lips. She teased his lips with her tongue.  Jack pulled her against him, his hands entangled in her hair. Their lips parted and he gazed down into her eyes and she smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He lowered his head and she met him half way, her arms wrapping around his neck. He lifted her off the ground sitting her on the counter. Exploring her mouth, his hands spread themselves beneath her shirt exposing her soft skin to the cool air. She shivered and he took to nibbling on her ear.  His hands moved up her back, leaving a trailed kisses down her neck.

 “You are supposed to be resting.” She tried to lean back and away from his mouth. His hands on her back prevented her from going far and he simply adjusted to the opposite side of her neck. “Jack.”

 “I am resting.” He nipped at her earlobe, and his phone rang.

He growled, Kate smirked and he disappeared to get the phone. Hopping off the counter she started preparing the coffee maker for the next morning and when she was finished, she moved back into the living room.

She could hear him talking on the phone as she cleaned. Kate returned to the kitchen a few minutes later she found him waiting for her. “Who was on the phone?”

“You threatened Elisa?”

“What?”

“Why on earth would you…”

“I didn’t…well not exactly. It’s complicated.”

“How is it complicated, Kate? Either you threatened her or you didn’t. You’re a goddamn spy for Christ’s sake! I would think you would know the difference!”

His eyes were clouded and she immediately knew what was happening. “Jack, calm down.”

“I'm not going to calm down until you tell me what the hell is going on!”

“Listen to me…”

“Where do you get off thinking that bullying my friends is okay? Especially, someone as small and fragile as Elisa, she couldn’t hurt a fly!”

“I know you think…”

“Think?” His face began to redden, his eyes dilated and his chest heaved. “Sorry I forgot I’m not supposed to think. Just sit back and blindly trust you again as you ruin my life!”

“Jack, please stop.” He backed her against the counter. Her heart pounding, she struggled with what to do. “There’s something wrong and you have to fight it.”

He grabbed her by the arms and squeezed. “Wait, maybe you are the problem. It seems to follow you around, all of the death and the pain. The destruction.”

“Jack let go.” She pushed against him. “This isn’t you talking, it’s the poison. You have to calm down.”

“Maybe if I cut you out of my life and walk away it will all disappear?”

“You’re right. I’m the problem. I am the one who brought you into this hell and I am the one keeping you here.”

A wave of confusion crashed over his face and she took a breath.

“She was so upset.” His eyes searched for something beyond her. “She was crying and she said it was your fault.”

“It was my fault and I am sorry,” Kate watched him begin to float back to the surface.

“She said you threatened her at the memorial and then again at the hospital. She said you saw us at the funeral and you were jealous…trying to keep me away from her.”

“Jack, I need you to look at me. “

“Kate…I…”

“Just take a deep breath.” His eyes widened and he burst out of his own mind realizing what was happening. He looked at her in confusion. He became conscious of his harsh grip on her arms and immediately released her. “It’s okay, just breathe.”

He stepped back, his face scrunching in pain. “No…what…”

“You’re okay. It is fine.”

“Get away from me, Kate!”

He fell back into the wall of cabinets behind him, his chest heaving.  “Jack… breathe.”

“I can’t…I…” He met her eyes and she saw terror. “Kate…”

His legs quickly betrayed him and he slid down to the floor. Kate moved to him, grasping his hand “Jack, I’m here, you’re going to be okay.”

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