Titanville Police Deputy Dana Birch is entrusted with an unusual request from the three rich Titan sisters, who, she dearly loves. Their half-brother Garth Duncan, the illegitimate son of their father Jed, was abandoned along with his mother before he was born. At age 14, Garth begged his father to pay for brain tumor surgery for his mother, Karen, who's now left with her intellect stolen. Thrown out on his ear 20 years ago, Garth is now sinfully rich, successful and determined to destroy his father. Lexi, Skye and Izzy Titan are also being targeted by Garth to take revenge on Jed. Their tough, gun-toting best friend Dana is taking a leave from work to track down Garth in an effort to stop him.
While Dana pursues Garth in their cat-and-mouse game, she also ends up "sleeping with the enemy." Threats against Dana force her to temporarily move in with Garth for protection. Dana's sensual aftershocks are devastating and confusing since trust is difficult for her. She grew up in a poor family with a father who constantly beat her. As the sisters discover it was Jed rather than Garth who caused the explosion that nearly killed Izzy, they now want to include him as part of their family and convince him of their love.
Now it's the Titan sisters, Garth and Dana plotting to take down Jed. And Dana is terrified at having to walk away from Garth when her job is done. As evidence accumulates to convict Jed, all stakes change when Jed kidnaps Karen and the focus changes.
Susan Mallery has an astounding sense for developing an exciting and fast-moving plot. Her story is filled with love among friends and devastating reality. Dana and Garth are exceptionally smart and strong characters. The ending has surprises with a twist involving Karen and Jed. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it. Very good, fun reading.
Dana Birch vowed never to put herself at the mercy of a
powerful man. She became a deputy so that she could take
care of herself, and protect those she loved. Especially her
best friends, the Titan sisters.
Twenty years ago, Garth Duncan swore revenge on Jed Titan
for abandoning Garth and his mother. Now heโs back to
fulfill that promise, even if Jedโs daughters get caught in
the crosshairs. All that stands between him and his goal is
Dana, her gun, and a growing passion that canโt be denied...
EXCERPT
Chapter One
It had taken four months, calling in every favor ever owed
her, a case of expensive Scotch and a date with a
disgustingly slimy private investigator who had made the
mistake of thinking โdateโ meant โsexโ. A knee to the groin
had cured him of that belief. In the end, Dana Birch had
gotten her man.
Now, as she rode the elevator up to Garth Duncanโs penthouse
condo, she smiled at the paperwork in her hand. Paperwork
that demanded he come talk to the good people at the Dallas
Police Department. Paperwork that said Garth was going to
have a very bad day. She, on the other hand, couldnโt be
happier.
โRat bastard, weasel dog,โ she murmured as she stepped off
the elevator and headed to his front door. โYou thought you
were so smart. You thought you could do whatever you wanted
and get away with it. You thought you could hurt my
friends.โ
If life were perfect, he would resist accompanying her and
she could threaten him with her gun. Maybe even accidentally
shoot him. If only he were the type of guy to cower in the
face of authority, not to mention consequences. In her
fantasies, he would tremble and beg. While it wasnโt as good
as watching him bleed, it would be a close second.
Unfortunately Garth was more the type to have a $1000 an
hour attorney who lived to sue police departments. Not that
his high-powered attorney would be much help today.
โYou are so mine, Garth,โ she said, then knocked.
In the minute or so it took him to answer, she savored the
victory. Sheโd worked hard to nail Garth and it had been
worth every long hour of digging, following up clues and
waiting for a lucky break. It was his own fault, she thought
cheerfully. Heโd messed with people she cared about. No one
did that without having to face her.
The front door opened. She smiled as she saw Garth was
half-concealed behind the door. Maybe he was afraid, she
thought with a flicker of contempt.
She held out the papers. โGood morning. Weโre going to take
a little ride downtown.โ
โAre we?โ he asked as he opened the door wider, so she could
see all of him. โAm I allowed to get dressed first?โ
An unexpected twist, Dana thought grimly as she took in the
towel draped around his neck, covering his chest, and the
one around his waist. He was dripping, obviously just out of
the shower. His dark hair stood in little spikes, his
expression was far more amused than worried.
โAt least you know Iโm not armed,โ he said, his voice thick
with humor.
โI wouldnโt be afraid if you were.โ
โThatโs because you donโt know what Iโm capable of, Deputy
Birch. So which is it? Are you prepared to parade me naked
through the streets of Dallas or will I be putting on
clothes?โ
He sounded confident, as if he knew she wouldnโt take him in
a towel, which was true. Damn him. She liked situations
where she was in charge.
โYou can get dressed,โ she said grudgingly. โIโll need to be
in the room, though, to make sure you donโt try to escape.โ
He actually gave her a little wink. โOf course you will.
Thatโs as good an excuse as any.โ
Irritation coursed through her. Instinctively she rested her
right hand on her sidearm. โYou wish,โ she snapped. โLet me
assure you I have no interested in seeing your bony
backside. Or any other part of you.โ
One corner of his mouth turned up. โYou can watch, Dana. I
donโt mind.โ
He was playing with her, trying to mess with her mind. She
focused on the reason she was here.
โJoke all you want,โ she told him. โYouโre going to jail.โ
โIf only wishing made it so.โ
โYouโre not getting out of this,โ she snapped. โI have the
proof I need.โ
โNo, you donโt.โ His voice was low and deceptively soft. โIf
you had what you needed, youโd be arresting me, not bringing
me in for questioning. Admit it, Dana. Youโre not even close
to charging me with anything. This is a fishing expedition.โ
While she knew in her head that reacting with violence only
weakened her position and proved he was right, she really,
really wanted to hit him.
โIโm officially bored,โ she said, dropping her arm to her
side. โLetโs get this over with.โ
โThe part where you watch me naked?โ
She stepped into his condo and rolled her eyes. โYeah.
Lucky, lucky me. Have you been featured โArrogance Monthlyโ
yet?โ
โIโve been on the cover.โ
He shut the door, then led the way through the large
penthouse.
The main room was hugeโshe was guessing she could fit her
apartment and five others just like it in the space. There
were floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of most of Dallas.
Not that she cared about that sort of thing.
She returned her attention to the man in front of her, then
frowned as sunlight caught his back, illuminating the scars
criss-crossing his skin.
A few of them were thin lines, but most were thick and
raised, as if the skin had been cut over and over again. Her
stomach clenched slightly, not that she allowed her
expression to change.
She knew the basic facts about Garth Duncan. He was
richโscary rich, with dozens of companies and money flowing
like water. Heโd started in the oil business and while down
in South America, no doubt raping and pillaging a pristine
part of the world, heโd been captured and held prisoner by
some angry locals. Theyโd kept him and a co-worker
blind-folded in the jungle for a month, torturing them both
daily.
Her gaze dropped to his long, muscled legs. She could see
faint scars there, too, but these had come from a surgeon.
Both of Garthโs legs had been broken during his captivity.
His friend had carried him to safety.
If only Garth had died back then, Dana thought, but without
a whole lot of energy. He wouldnโt be hurting her friends.
But he hadnโt died. Heโd flourished.
She followed a few steps behind as he entered a massive
bedroom, then continued into a bathroom the size of a
grocery store. That led into one of those fancy closets done
in dark wood. All the clothesโmenโs clothesโwere perfectly
organized by color. Shoes were lined up on racks.
She leaned against the doorway, never taking her eyes from
him. โAny time.โ
His dark gaze locked with hers. He seemed to be enjoying
himself, which pissed her off. But once the investigation
began, his attitude would change. She was bringing him in.
For now, that was enough.
His smile returned. He pulled the towel off his shoulders
and let it fall to the floor. โIf you donโt have to be
anywhere in the next couple of hours, we could take
advantage of my lack of clothes.โ
โHours? Oh, please. Youโd be lucky to last six minutes. Quit
playing, Garth. I have a full day ahead of me. Despite what
you think, the world doesnโt revolve around you.โ
โYes, Deputy Birch.โ
He dropped the towel at his waist.
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