Book Description
Eoin: I screwed up. Again. When I heard Aline’s secret, I ran like the coward I was. Now, I can’t think about anything other than how I much I miss her. I just don’t know if that is enough. Or if I deserve the happiness that being with her would bring.
When Aline Mercier walked out of her parents’ house the day after Thanksgiving, she had no plan, only the certainty that things needed to change. Now, as she struggles to decide what she wants her future to look like, a twist of fate will change everything again.
Aline: My time in Iran changed me but no one seems to want to see or accept it. I’m determined to prove to everyone that I can take care of myself. That I’m a responsible, independent woman who doesn’t need rescued by her sister. Or by a handsome, fierce soldier who broke her heart. Except something tells me that life isn’t done turning my life upside-down.
Pick up the conclusion of Eoin and Aline’s story, Dangers of Love, and find out what the universe has in store for them.
One
Eoin
My first official full week on the job was a lot slower than the two weeks before it, but I wasn’t complaining. I didn’t even mind the paperwork we’d spent all day Monday plowing through.
The rest of the week had been filled with preparation and organization. Getting up to speed on all the certifications I needed to allow me to use the skills I’d learned in the army legally in civilian life. An official background check for Cain’s files. Time on the gun range. Sparring with the guys.
The last one might sound odd, but due to the type of work we did, whether it was a simple bodyguard assignment or a ransom drop, the bond between team members was more important than pretty much anything else.
They were a good group of guys. I didn’t have the history with them that I’d had with Leo, or even with the other guys I’d served with, but I wouldn’t have that with anyone else. What I could have, though, was something new. I could have friends who understood what it was like to serve, what it was like to go from military to civilian, for any number of reasons.
I loved my family, but they couldn’t understand the same way these men could. Flashbacks. Following orders you didn’t agree with. A chain of command. The reliance on someone who could be right next to you in a firefight.
“Congratulations,” Cain said from the doorway of the office I shared with Bruce. Since Bruce was out on a job, Cain came in and plopped down in the other man’s seat. “The last of all your paperwork came in. You can officially start in the rotation on Monday. We have a bodyguard gig that you, Fever, and Dez are perfect for.”
“Who’s it for?” I doubted being a bodyguard was going to be my favorite type of job, but it was definitely better than any other civilian job I could’ve gotten, even in the security field. At least this would have variety and probably wouldn’t include dealing with drunks and sleazebags.
“Dana Stingley,” Cain said. “She’s a nurse at an assisted living facility and is going through a nasty divorce. She has a restraining order in place, but those things aren’t worth the paper they’re written on half the time.”
“So, this is going to be a long-term job?” I picked up the stress ball I’d gotten at the hospital in Germany. “I’m surprised she can afford it.”
“No, probably just a couple weeks,” Cain replied. “Apparently, the jackass she’s married to kept trying to intimidate her. Then, the day after the restraining order was filed, her car was vandalized. Graffitied, tires slashed, broken windows. Even though the cops believed that it was her soon-to-be-ex, they didn’t have any evidence. A couple days later, she started getting threatening letters, but again, no direct evidence.”
“Please tell me the police are at least looking into it and not treating it like it’s nothing.” I leaned forward, my fist tightening on the squishy blue ball.
“They are,” Cain said, “and they’re determined to put him away where he can’t hurt her, but they need evidence. They don’t want him to get off on some technicality, but they can’t guarantee her protection while they’re waiting to have enough to charge him, especially since they don’t want him to know that’s what they’re doing.”
“So, we’re keeping her safe while they work.”
“Exactly.”
Before I could ask about scheduling or anything like that, the bell over the front door dinged, alerting us that someone had come into the small lobby. Cain stood but didn’t even make it out of my office because Freedom appeared in the doorway.
“Good, you’re together, so I can yell at you both at the same time.” Her face was flushed, and there was no doubt at all about her tone.
She was furious.
Cain looked confused, and I didn’t blame him. Unfortunately, I had a sinking suspicion about why she was here.
“Did we have a misunderstanding about the invoice?”
Freedom looked at me and confirmed what I was thinking.
“It’s not about you, Cain,” I said. “She’s pissed at me.”
“Oh, I’m pissed at you both.” Her words were like ice as her gaze shifted from me to Cain. She jabbed a finger in his direction. “You’re the one who brought him and Aline together. Who put them together in Iran and then let them go off at the bar–”
“Hold on.” I stood, keeping my arms and hands loose. When you were as big as me, you learned the best way to stand without looking quite as threatening. “Yeah, I slept with Aline when we were in Iran, and I was on the job, but Cain had no way of knowing I’d do that. Hell, I didn’t know I was going to do it.”
“You’re my employee–” Cain began.
I cut him off too. “Aline’s an adult. Was it stupid? Yeah. But I didn’t force her or take advantage of her.”
I didn’t bother to mention the fact that she’d kissed me first or that the reason I’d given in was because she’d thought I didn’t want her. First of all, it wouldn’t do anything to make either of them think better of me, and second, it was none of her damn business.
“Nothing else has anything to do with the agency,” I continued. “That’s all between Aline and me.” I gave the snarling woman a moment to absorb what I’d said before saying the words that tore through me like a knife. “And it’s over. You know that.”
Cain shot me a glance but didn’t ask.
The expression on Freedom’s face slipped. “You mean she didn’t come to you? Didn’t ask if she could stay with you during her little temper tantrum?”
I felt like a bucket of ice water had just been dumped on me. “What are you talking about?”
Now, I saw the worry under the anger.
“Sunday morning, she threw a fit after I told her that I’d…” Freedom’s voice faltered, her eyes darting to the side, but not before I caught a flash of guilt. “She left. Took our car to the bus station and left it there. Our parents and I have tried to call her, but her phone’s off. We called the police, but she’s an adult, and there’s no evidence of foul play.”