Blurb:
Tessa Donnelly is living her dream as an event planner. She has a couple of good friends and a seemingly perfect boyfriend. Her life shatters when she discovers her boyfriend isn’t just a nightclub owner—he’s an enforcer for the mob. Terrified, Tessa makes the difficult decision to expose him. When her actions put her life at risk, she’s forced to run for her life and seeks refuge in a secluded cabin deep in the woods.
Ford McCallum, a former soldier, is haunted by the horrors of war. There’s no family to come home to. He’s seen too much and craves the solace of his secluded cabin. Working for the Brotherhood Alliance lets him use the skills learned in the service to help others, but peace is hard to find.
When danger follows Tessa, Ford and the Brotherhood Alliance step in. Will Tessa reclaim her shattered dreams and learn to trust again? Can Ford overcome his bitterness with life and protect the woman who reignites feelings he thought long buried? Can two damaged people let go of their past and find the happiness they deserve?
Chapter 1
Ford McCallum inhaled a deep cleansing breath of crisp autumn air, letting it fill his lungs before releasing it. He took one last look at his family’s home before getting into his truck.
The white Cape-Cod-style house with its green shutters was his sanctuary growing up, filled with the comforting aromas of his mother’s cooking, the sweet smell of his father’s cigar, and the creak of the porch swing on a summer’s night as fireflies flickered.
Love and laughter once filled this place. Now it stood silent and dark.
So many happy first memories were made there—the swing set he and his dad built; working on fishing lures together; the birthday parties and holidays; his first car—a sweet Ford Mustang—bought with money he earned; his first kiss under the stars with his crush, Melody; his first sexual experience in the back seat of said Mustang, also with Melody; and finally graduating high school and following in his father’s footsteps when he made his decision to join the Army.
Ford had sold the house and carefully packed up anything of sentimental value and placed it in the back of his truck. It wasn’t much—a couple of photo albums, his father’s watch and service medals, and his mother’s wedding ring.
The rest of the furniture and clothes were donated to charity. There was no sense in holding on to the past. Another family would hopefully benefit.
The funeral had been intimate, just friends of his parents and a few close friends of his from the military under a gray sky with threatening dark thunderclouds.
Thankfully, it hadn’t rained.
After the twenty-one-gun salute and presentation of the flag in honor of his father’s military service, he left.
He had no relatives—both parents had been only children, just like him. Now they were together for eternity, buried in adjoining plots under a sprawling oak in the local cemetery.
Loss seemed to be a constant in his life. First, he lost his parents in a tragic car accident. Then he’d watched Pete, his best friend and brother—not by blood, but still—die in battle. He’d talked Pete into giving up college and joining the service with him. The weight of that never left him.
Now haunted by ghosts, he drove south toward Haywood Lake, Florida, the familiar mountains of his hometown giving way to vast farms and wide-open farmland and finally to palm trees and sunshine. Hopefully, the sunshine would chase away the dark shadows following him.
A while ago, an Army buddy mentioned that a group of veterans was providing protection services in the area. The idea intrigued him. It called on his sense of duty to protect the innocent.
Before the funeral, Ford got the job at the Brotherhood Alliance after a brief conversation with the director, Chase Maddox. He was thrilled to be working alongside men who had walked similar paths as he and to put to good use the skills he learned in the service.
The best part was living rent-free on campus in a cabin nestled among the trees, which allowed him to splurge on a more secluded place just outside of town, deep in the woods, where he could retreat when life got overwhelming.
The Brotherhood Alliance was a melting pot of backgrounds, yet united by shared experiences. They were a tight-knit group of men, all ex-military. Some had girlfriends, and some were married, a condition he hoped to avoid. The pain of loss was still too raw.
He, Zach Rodgers, and Titus Finch were single and lived on campus. He and Titus had started there at the same time but didn’t spend much time together.
Not that it mattered now.
Titus had a woman and would be moving in with her. Ford had helped Emelia Wells move into her apartment above her bakery and then guarded her when she was threatened by her ex-boyfriend. Titus was one lucky man. Emelia was outgoing, funny, smart, a fabulous baker, and sexy. Although he’d never tell Titus that. Not if he wanted to keep his balls intact.
None of that mattered, though; he wasn’t looking for a woman.
***
Eight Months Later
Ford sat at the long conference table in the command center. It was after work hours at Paws for Caring, so the few employees who worked there had gone home. Titus had just finished giving his update, and Chase turned to Ford.
“How about you, Ford?” Chase asked. “Any issues?”
Ford took his time answering. “No. I got the mom and kids out of their situation and safely to the shelter. The director helped settle them in.”
“Any problem with the dad?” asked Chase.
“Nope.” Ford smirked. “He might have a case of swollen balls for a while. But yeah, he finally saw the light.”
Boy, that had been a stressful case.
He was always amazed how much trouble followed people who least deserved it.
The dad was drunk and thought he’d get away with striking his wife in front of his screaming kids, then threatening her with more of where that came from if she left him.
Ford intervened and got the dad in a chokehold while the woman took her kids and got in his truck. Then dad thought he was a tough guy. A well-placed knee to the guy’s balls was rewarding, especially when he curled up on the floor, crying like a baby. Ford left him in the apartment with a few choice threats and got the little family to safety.
The shelter in town was one of the Brotherhood’s pet projects. They did a lot of free protection work for women and the occasional man who were in fear for their safety. The Alliance just recently branched out and took on paying projects, which he liked better. Emotions weren’t necessary to safeguard a client, only expertise and focus.
In a couple of days, if he didn’t have an upcoming job, Ford planned to head out to his cabin. The stress of work and the constant camaraderie with the guys was getting overwhelming. He felt alone in his thoughts and the familiar weight of guilt and the past creeping in.
He needed to clear his head and refocus. Just him and the peace of the woods. Although he’d learned the hard way peace never lasted.
Chapter 2
Tessa Donnelly thought she had it all—good friends, a wonderful job, and a caring, successful boyfriend.
The perfect life.
That illusion shattered when she discovered her boyfriend was something other than a loving, kind person.
And after he discovered she was recording him and her cover was blown.
And definitely after she realized the black SUV trailing behind her for miles was indeed following her and had been since she left Atlanta, Georgia.
How the hell did I end up in this mess?
Her heart raced in time with the windshield wipers, which were struggling to keep pace with the steady rain. Tessa clenched her fingers around the steering wheel, squeezing her knuckles white. She should have known that she couldn’t outwit her douchebag ex-boyfriend and his best pal. It wasn’t so long ago that she thought they were sophisticated and funny. Ha! What a fool she’d been.
She chanced another glimpse in the rearview mirror.
Damn. The SUV was still there, keeping pace. Not too close but never letting her get out of sight.
Tessa took a deep breath in, a slow breath out, then repeated. No luck. The nausea gurgling in her stomach threatened to erupt, but panic was not an option. Think! Damn it.
The narrow, rain-slick road buzzed with cars, their headlights blurring in the rain. Just enough traffic so the fool following her wouldn’t have realized she saw him. But for how long?
How did her life spiral into this nightmare?
She was the good girl—the one who followed the rules. Was this her reward for trying to be an upstanding citizen—to be hunted like prey?
Her mind flashed back to the night she thought she was building her dream, until that dream became a nightmare.
Her heart raced. Was it only two months ago? It felt like another lifetime.
Tessa’s fingers flew over her tablet, confirming the final details of her latest event. The hum of city traffic outside her office was just background noise. Inside, everything was organized, calm—well, not calm, but controlled.
Tonight’s charity gala for the city’s elite at Illusion—the hottest nightclub in town, owned by her boyfriend, Damien—was her biggest event yet. It was the perfect venue for her fledgling career as an event planner. All the top officials in town and their spouses would be there.
Tessa absentmindedly rubbed her ear, her finger tracing the diamond there. She’d gifted herself the earrings when she started her own business. Her mind was overwhelmed thinking about all the potential business she could garner—that is, if they liked what she put together.
Her assistant Amber held up two different mood boards. “Champagne tower or signature cocktails?” she asked.
“Hmmm. Cocktails,” Tessa replied. “Something everyone will remember.”
“Gotcha.” Amber nodded and walked back to her desk.
No doubt Amber would deliver something exceptional. She was a whiz at inventing unique drinks and menus for events.
Tessa leaned back in her chair, reflecting on how far she had come from working as a special events coordinator at a nonprofit agency to running her own events company.
Then she met the charismatic Damien, who encouraged her to branch out, offering his nightclub for her first official event.
How naive she had been with her head in the clouds and dollar signs in her eyes, thinking she was all that and a bag of chips. She’d been too eager, too trusting and never saw the evil lurking beneath.
A blaring car horn jolted her back to the present. Tessa’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest as she swerved to avoid a collision.
That life was gone. Now all she needed was a plan. Somewhere to hide. Maybe a cheap motel over the state line? Disappear for a while.
Tessa was clearly not involving her parents or friends—too dangerous.
Thankfully, Amber was out of harm’s way with her mother, who was recovering from surgery in another state. She was taking time off to help.
Her parents were on a cruise around the world. Hopefully, this situation would be resolved before their return.
But Tessa was alone—desperately alone—and needed help. Her biggest questions were where could she go and be safe? And who could she trust to help her?
She looked behind her again. Damn, Marty sped up. Tessa’s chest tightened as she moved into the right-hand lane, her heart pounding.
Because no way was she going to die on this lonely road tonight and especially not by any fault of her own.