More Carter Reed? Yes, please!
Blurb
Carter bought his way out of the mafia to protect Emma, but
when an old ghost returns to the Mauricio Family, a chain of events starts that
can harm everyone. While Carter must decide to return to the Mauricio Family or
not, a face that is oddly familiar to Emma comes into her life. She’s given the
chance to discover more about her family while tensions between the rivaling
Mauricio and Bertal Family comes to a head in an explosive way. The truce is
officially off, and when the two worlds collide, Carter’s decision is made.
He didn’t start this war, but he will end it.
He will do anything to protect Emma.
Excerpt One
We’d been learning how to shoot for a couple of months
now. It had been Theresa’s idea, and these sessions had started to replace our
wine nights. It had also been her idea to have Noah be our instructor. Carter
was the better shot, but Theresa still liked to keep her distance from him. He
still made her uneasy.
Amanda had asked her about it one night at their apartment
when I’d gone to the bathroom. I stopped in the hallway when I’d overheard
Theresa explain, “It’s not that I don’t like him. It’s just…he’s a killer,
Amanda. He’s dangerous. I know he loves her, and I know if anyone is going to
protect her, it will be him, but…” She’d sighed. “I don’t know. He’s known as
the Cold Killer. It’s hard to get past that, even though I know Emma loves him
so much.”
Amanda had asked, “Are you worried for her?”
“No.” She’d hesitated. “I mean…maybe. I’m not worried for
her from him, but because of him. He’s with the mafia.”
“She said he’s out.”
“Yeah, well, is anyone really out?”
Amanda had replied, “She wasn’t in trouble before because
of him. Emma and I did that all on our own.”
“I know. I really do, and I feel bad, but I’m just on edge
with the guy. He’s deadly. Can’t you see it in his eyes?” Theresa got up for
the kitchen. “I need a refill. You?”
I had melted backward, back into the bathroom. When she’d
crossed the hallway, the bathroom door was shut.
Glancing over at her now, I remembered how her smiles had
seemed more forced that night, her laughter a little louder, and the secretive
looks she’d sent Amanda’s way. They were roommates. They were going to talk
about me. That was obvious, but I’d been hurt, though I knew I shouldn’t have
been.
Theresa worried about me. I tried to keep telling myself
it was as simple as that.
I tried.
Excerpt Two
As I held the gun, alone now, some of the old memories
came back to me. But they were never very far away.
I had killed two men.
“Jeremy.”
My voice had been soft when I called to him. He’d been
raping my roommate, and he was going to kill her. I had no choice. When he
turned around and saw the gun in my hand, I shot him. The bullet hit the center
of his forehead.
I swallowed now, remembering Mallory as she had watched
me, pinned to the wall by his hands. Her eyes had been so lifeless. They were
the opposite of Ben’s. He’d been pleading for his life, but minutes earlier
he’d been planning to kill Amanda, then me. My stomach churned, remembering
that he was going to take me to Franco. He wanted to barter, trade me in for
more money, more drugs.
He was the one who killed Mallory, but the Bartel family
set all of it in motion.
I drew in a ragged breath, cradling the gun in my hands
like a precious baby. This little piece of metal had caused so much havoc in my
life, and it was Carter’s weapon of choice. He’d killed plenty with it when he
worked for the Mauricio family.
Somehow, I knew this weapon would have a place in our
lives again. I didn’t want it to, but I knew it would. And with that last
thought, my hand closed over it, and I raised my arms, aiming with my feet
apart, my shoulders rolled back. I shot, one after another, until my clip was
done.
All except one hit the bullseye. The other one, the
outlier, was just outside the inner circle on the target.
I’d have to get better.
Teaser Quotes
A tingle started in the base of my
stomach, and it rose up, spreading through my body, warming me as it went,
until I was almost salivating for him. When I saw him, I needed to touch him.
It had been like this for a year, and I never wanted it to end. I always wanted
to thirst for him.
He murmured against my skin, “Why is it
that your presence can calm me? Your touch can make me alive, and one little
sigh from you makes me want to sleep for days in your embrace?”
I smiled, moving to press a kiss to his
ear. “Because you love me.”
Pulling me back into his arms, he nudged
my legs farther apart, moving closer, and pressed his lips to the underside of
my jaw. He whispered, “Never.” Another kiss to the corner of my lips. “Ever.” A
third kiss, his lips resting atop mine and he murmured, “I promise. Nothing
will ever happen to you.”
“Because you need to understand. It’s
time you know more. You’re mine, Emma. My first allegiance is to you. Things
are going to happen now, and I can’t control them. The Mauricio family has
always followed me."
Suddenly I realized—he was going back in.
A tear formed in my eye, and I ignored it. This was what he was telling me. I
swallowed over a lump. “What happens now?”
He didn’t answer at first. Then he let
out a soft breath of air and turned, his eyes pained. He said one word: “War.”
I closed my eyes and just felt her. She
trailed a hand down my face, tracing my lips. That small touch, so gentle, so
loving. That was Emma.
No other woman made me feel like this. It
was her, only her. Opening my eyes, I found her watching me and smiling as her
chest heaved for air.
"I love you," she murmured.
Goddamn. I kissed her and whispered
against her lips, "I love you too."
I closed my eyes and held the man I
loved. Resting my forehead to his, I placed my arms on his shoulders as he held
my hips. His thumbs rubbed back and forth. This. Right here. He was the most
powerful man I knew, and he was all mine.
**ADDITIONAL TEASER PICS ATTACHED TO EMAIL**
Series Reading Order
Carter Reed (Book One)
Carter Reed 2 (Book Two)
Author Information
I didn't begin writing until after
undergraduate college. There'd been storylines and characters in my head all my
life, but it came to a boiling point one day and I HAD to get them out of me.
So the computer was booted up and I FINALLY felt it click. Writing is what I
needed to do. After that, I had to teach myself how to write. I can't blame my
teachers for not teaching me all those years in school. It was my fault. I was
one of the students that was wishing I was anywhere but at school! So after
that day, it took me lots of work until I was able to put together something
that resembled a novel. I'm hoping I got it right since someone must be reading
this profile! And I hope you keep enjoying my future stories.
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