INTO THE FIRESTORM
At Brodie Operations
Security Service, Inc., following your instincts is company policy . . .
M. Cassidy—Luke Brodie had heard the name before, some novice bounty hunter working Seattle, catching tricky skips with more success than a newcomer should expect. But the dark curls, sparkly top, and impressive cleavage were not what Brodie had pictured.
Emma Cassidy is tough and smart and sexy as hell. She’s also popping up a step ahead of him every time he’s close to the capture he wants most . . . and there’s no room for learning on the trail of this monster.
M. Cassidy—Luke Brodie had heard the name before, some novice bounty hunter working Seattle, catching tricky skips with more success than a newcomer should expect. But the dark curls, sparkly top, and impressive cleavage were not what Brodie had pictured.
Emma Cassidy is tough and smart and sexy as hell. She’s also popping up a step ahead of him every time he’s close to the capture he wants most . . . and there’s no room for learning on the trail of this monster.
Emma has idolized Luke Brodie, the bounty hunter who can bring anyone in. The big man in the soft shoes, with a face like a fallen angel and a reputation for breaking hearts. Watching him in action is intoxicating. But her fight with Rudy Vance is fiercely personal. If he gets too close, Brodie will find out just how ferocious she can be . . .
Excerpt:
I
A can of Sabre Red, police-strength pepper-gel spray in a flip-top
can rode in a holster strapped to her belt next to her bail enforcement
badge. The .380 was in her purse in the
floor of the passenger seat. Her Glock
19 rode handily out of site beneath the driver's seat.
Emma got out of the car, pulled a lightweight windbreaker on to
cover the badge and mace, clicked the locks on the doors, securing her weapons,
and headed into the bar.
It was happening again--Luke couldn't believe it. The kid he'd seen walking into the bar hadn't
been an underage teen, as he had first thought.
It was Emma Cassidy. Even the
windbreaker she was wearing couldn't hide her first class set of breasts.
He
could not f-ing believe it.
Sitting at a table in the back of the room, irritated she was getting in
the middle of his pursuit--again--to say nothing of a potentially dangerous
situation, he leaned back in his chair and watched her.
She was looking for the woman, Lila Purdue, that Skinner Digby had
mentioned. When a voluptuous blonde
sashayed out of the back in a pair of jeans with rhinestone on the pockets so
tight you could count the dimples in her ass, Luke figured Emma had found her.
They talked for a while.
The sound of raucous laughter and the clank of beer bottles kept their
conversation mostly private. Some
loud-mouthed biker shuffled through the peanut shells on the floor, told
everyone in the bar he had to take a piss, and headed for the men's room.
Luke shook his head. Not a
place for little Emma Cassidy, no matter how tough she thought she was. She said something to the blonde, smiled, and
discreetly opened her jacket, flashing her bounty hunter badge. Amazingly, the blonde boomed a laugh.
Since Emma hadn't yet been tossed out of the bar and figuring he
might actually learn something useful, Luke shoved up from his chair and
quietly moved close enough to hear, careful to stay out of sight.
"I just need to speak to him," Emma said to Lila. "He's not wanted for anything. I just need Felix to answer a couple of
questions. You think you could get him
to talk to me?"
"You came here all by yourself to get Felix Riggs to rat on
one of his friends? If I was wearing a
hat, I'd take it off to you, Emma. You
are truly something."
Luke rolled his eyes. She
was something, all right. A major
trouble magnet.
"So what do you think?
Can you get him to see me? All I
need is a couple of minutes."
Lila cocked a hand on her hip.
"Felix has the hots for me.
He'd do anything I ask for a piece of ass. Trouble is, I got no inclination to give it
to him."
"I can see where that's a problem."
The blonde gave Emma the once over. "You got a real nice little body
yourself, honey. How bad do you want the
information?"
For the first time, Emma looked uneasy. "I'm pretty picky about who I sleep
with. How about money?" She pulled out a roll of cash. I've got five hundred dollars. How much information will that buy?"
Luke inwardly groaned.
Flashing money was a bad move in a place like this. Emma had just made her first big
mistake. Except for the mistake of
wading into this pigswill joint in the first place.
The blonde glanced nervously around, thinking the very same
thing. A big lumberjack of a guy came up
off his barstool. The short,
barrel-chested guy next to him did the same.
A big black dude with a shaved head parted the curtains and walked out
of the back room.
Emma's gaze went from the men back to the blonde. "So I guess we aren't going to make a
deal."
"Oh, honey, I wish I could help you, I really do. My best advice is to give Ivan, there, that
roll of bills and get your pretty little self out of here."
When Emma stuffed the roll of bills back into the pocket of her
jeans, Luke softly cursed. The money
wasn't worth what these guys were planning to do.
Emma just smiled. "No
answers. No money. Tell Felix I'll see him another time."
Turning, she started for the door.
When Ivan stepped in front of her, all six-foot-five inches of him
blocking her way, Luke had to give her points for moxie.
"You'd be wise to let me pass," she warned, craning her
neck to look up at him.
"Is that so?" said the muscled-up black guy from behind
her. A foot wider than she was, he
clamped his arms around her and flashed a leering grin at the other two over
the top of her head. Emma stepped to the
outside and backstopped his knee, knocking the guy off balance, then she
whirled and shoved him backward so hard he crashed into a table, spun, and went
sprawling across the floor.
Luke felt a jolt of heat that went straight to his groin. Why watching the pretty little lady take that
big bastard down should turn him on he had no idea, but he couldn't look away.
Emma started again for the door but Ivan blocked her way. Her hand moved so fast Luke almost missed
it. Down to the snap on her mace, can
up, spray in bozo's face, and run like hell for the door.
Luke couldn't stop a grin as she raced outside and the door
slammed behind her. Chaos ensued in the
bar, giving him time to slip out the back and make his way around to the
parking lot.
The bad news was, by the time he got there, three long-haired,
bearded low-lifes in black leather jackets had Emma pinned against the side of
her car. The lady had already taken down
three grown men--true they were drunk, and her small stature and level of skill
had surprised them and given her an edge, but still....
Luke figured it was time to level the playing field.
2 comments:
Very intriguing excerpt...It will be fun to see if these two live long enough to have fun together.
Wow, tense scene. My stomach got tight.
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