Chasing Secrets (Elite Guardians Book #4) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Lynette Eason

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

177 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Elite Guardians bodyguard Haley Callaghan may be in South Carolina, but when a photo leads investigators in West Ireland to open a twenty-five-year-old cold case, her life is suddenly in danger. Haley knows how to take care of herself; after all, she's made a career out of taking care of others. But after an uncomfortably close call, Detective Steven Rothwell takes it upon himself to stay with her--and the young client she has taken under her wing. A protector at heart, he's not about to let Haley fight this battle alone.In a sweeping plot that takes them into long-buried memories--and the depths of the heart--Haley and Steven will have to solve the mystery of Haley's past while dodging bullets, bombs, and bad guys who just won't quit.

Sujets

Romance

Thriller

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 août 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493407163
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0432€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2017 by Lynette Eason
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2017
Ebook corrections 10.28.2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-0716-3
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Published in association with Tamela Hancock Murray, The Steve Laube Agency, 5025 N. Central Ave., #635, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Endorsements
Praise for Always Watching
“Eason’s first Elite Guardians novel is a thrill ride from the first page until the last. . . . Set aside some time, because you won’t want to put it down.”
— RT Book Reviews , top pick, 4½ stars
“This is a stellar beginning to what promises to be another terrific series from this inspirational author.”
— BookPage
“Readers will be looking forward to book 2 with a great deal of anticipation.”
— Suspense Magazine
“If you like romantic suspense, you will love Always Watching .”
— The Suspense Zone
Praise for Without Warning
“Eason presents a thrilling read, infusing danger and love along with the faith that is the backbone of all of these characters’ lives.”
— Booklist
“Witty dialogue and a simmering attraction will have readers flying through this tension-laced thriller.”
— Family Fiction
“As always, Eason is a superb storyteller, weaving plot twists with her character development. Her fast-paced action keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.”
— Christian Library Journal
Dedication
Dedicated to my family. I love you more than you’ll ever know.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Endorsements
Dedication
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Epilogue
Sneak Peek of Blue Justice Series
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books by Lynette Eason
Back Cover
Prologue
ROCK MORAN CASTLE COUNTY MAYO, IRELAND, 1991
Five-year-old Aileen Burke crouched in the small hidden room in the big castle she called home. Terror caused her little heart to beat in her chest like the wings of a hummingbird. More gunshots rang out and Aileen ducked her head and covered her ears. She pressed back into the warm body behind her. “Mam,” she whispered. “I want me mam.”
“Shh, child, yer mam canna be here. I’ll keep ye safe. Just don’ say a word.”
Aileen shuddered and clamped her lips shut. She’d seen the big red stain that grew on the front of her dad’s chest after the man with the gun had yelled at him. It had scared her, so she’d run to her favorite hiding place. The place where Nanny Iona had found her and crawled inside with her.
“Da’s hurt, Nanny, that bad man shot him. He’s bleeding.” She kept her voice low, barely above a whisper, as the screams and shouts and loud noises echoed around them. “Make it stop, please.”
“Shh, say no more.”
Aileen fell silent. Tears leaked from her eyes, and someplace deep inside her, she knew she would never see her dad again.
A loud thud just outside the small door made her jump. More screams raked across her ears and she shuddered. Nanny’s arms tightened around her and she felt the woman’s lips touch the edge of her forehead. “May the God of peace bring peace to this house,” she whispered.
The siege seemed to go on forever as the castle, her home, shook with violence. She must have fallen asleep, her ear next to Nanny’s heartbeat, because the next thing she knew Nanny was shaking her, whispering that they needed to go. “Close yer eyes, leanbh. I’m goin’ to carry you out of here. Promise me. Promise ye won’t look.”
Aileen didn’t answer and Nanny opened the small door that was barely big enough for the woman. If she’d been any bigger, Aileen figured she’d have gotten stuck just like her dog Henry did when he tried to come in the doggy door. Her mam had had to open the door and pull him out, then her da had made the door bigger for Henry. But no one had been able to convince Henry to use the doggy door after that.
She yawned. She wanted to go back to sleep, but mostly she wanted her mam and da. But Da was hurt . . .
Aileen swallowed the lump in her throat and grimaced at the gritty feeling. She tried to be brave. She wished she’d gone to school today. She was supposed to have gone on a field trip to the zoo with all of her friends, but Nanny had kept her home because she had a little fever and a sore throat. Aileen had been very upset about missing the trip, but when Nanny had brought her chicken broth and let her watch her favorite cartoon with a promise to take her to the zoo as soon as she was well, Aileen had cheered up and then fallen asleep.
And then the loud bangs had awakened her and scared her. She’d heard running footsteps, mean shouts, and lots of bad words. So she’d hidden.
Nanny slipped past her and out the door. She turned and held out her hands. Aileen let Nanny help her out of the hiding place and pick her up. “Close your eyes, love.”
Aileen obeyed. Her nose twitched. Her home smelled funny. Bad. Like the time her dad had killed a deer and let her watch him dress it. She hadn’t liked it then and she didn’t like it now. But she kept her eyes shut.
Nanny moved quickly, her steps sure and steady. “Are yer eyes closed?” she whispered.
“They’re closed, Nanny, they are.”
Nanny walked and Aileen bounced against her shoulder. The woman pressed a hand against the back of her head and shoved Aileen’s nose into her neck. Too hard. She couldn’t breathe. “Can I open them now?”
“Not yet.” Nanny’s voice sounded thick, like she had something in her throat and was trying to talk around it. “Not yet.” Nanny’s chest heaved and Aileen heard her sniffle. She struggled against Nanny’s hold and broke free. She leaned back to look at Nanny in spite of Nanny telling her to keep her eyes closed and was shocked to see her face wet with tears. “Nanny, I want me mam.”
Nanny renewed her grip on the back of her head and pushed her back into her shoulder, trying to keep her from seeing. “Don’t look. Don’t look.”
But Aileen struggled free of the hold and looked. She saw her da on the floor, the stain on his chest still a bright red, his eyes empty yet staring at the ceiling. “Da! Da!” She reached for him, but Nanny was moving her farther and farther away.
“ Leanbh , don’t look, don’t look.”
“Daddyyyyy—!”
[1]
PRESENT-DAY IRELAND ROCK MORAN CASTLE, COUNTY MAYO SEPTEMBER
The knock on the door jerked ninety-year-old Ian Burke out of his afternoon nap. He sat up and blinked at the shadow moving toward the foot of his bed. It took him a moment to realize it was Hugh McCort, his faithful assistant. They didn’t call themselves servants these days. “What is it?”
“How is your headache?”
Ian pressed a hand to his temple. “It’s eased a bit. Is that why you woke me?”
“Of course not. There’s a visitor here to see you.”
Ian frowned. “I don’t do visitors, Hugh, you know that.”
“I do know that, but I’m making a judgment call on this. He’s a member of the Gardaí.”
“The Gardaí?” The Irish police. “What does he want with me?” Ian slid out of bed and pulled on the robe Hugh held out to him. He might be ninety years old, but he still commanded respect, with his straight shoulders and razor-sharp mind.
“I believe it has something to do with your granddaughter.”
Ian froze. “Aileen?” he whispered.
“Indeed.”
“What kind of news does he have?”
“I don’t know, he wouldn’t tell me. He said he would only speak to you. I allowed him to wait in your office. I hope that’s all right.”
“Of course.” Curiosity and old grief ate at him. Ian threw off the robe that covered the lounge pants and T-shirt that he found himself wearing more often than not. “I need to dress.”
Fifteen minutes later, Ian stepped out of his bedroom, dressed in his favorite pair of khakis and a crisp collared shirt, to walk down the stone-lined hallway to the other end of the house. He stopped at the entrance to his office to whisper a prayer. Please let this be good news. He breathed in, then out, and entered his office.
A young man dressed in full Gardaí uniform set down his tea and stood from his perch on the love seat. He pulled his cap from his head and gave a slight bow. “Thank you for seeing me.”
Ian motioned for the man to sit. “I hear you have news of my granddaughter?”
“I think so.”
“She’s been dead for twenty-five years. What kind of news could you possibly have?”
“Let me start with an introduction. My name is Duncan O’Brien. I work in the cold case department and I’ve come across something that I thought you might find interesting.”
“So my dear Aileen is a cold case.” He sniffed. Of course she was. Her murderer had never been found.
O’Brien cleared his throat. “And I asked for this case in particular because I’ve had an interest in it since I was very young.”
“Why is that, lad?”
“Because I was supposed to be on the bus for that field trip.”
Ian felt himself pale but stood statue still.
The young officer cleared his throat. “The flu had been going around me class. I’d fallen ill with it the night before the trip and Mam kept me home. I remember Aileen clearly. She was my friend.”
Ian fell silent for a moment as he felt the emotions of that long-ago day wash over him. It had been twenty-five years since the bus carrying his granddaughter and her nanny had exploded and killed all twenty-seven people on board. Twenty-one five-year