SIX WEEKS LATER. FEDERAL Courthouse, Ft Worth, Texas.
Erin stepped through the doors, escaping a few moments ahead of those allowed in the courtroom. She’d sweated through her shirt to the point that her jacket felt damp, but it was over. Two days of testimony, and her part was over.
Riley, Khalil and Casey sat on the bench across from the doors.
“How’d it go?” Riley crossed to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Fine.” She glanced at Khalil.
Their secret was still theirs. There was so much to untangle in regard to the black-ops side of Allied’s business that no one cared about their role beyond how it all went public. She would take the fact that Khalil kidnapped her to her grave, and so would the others.
She squeezed Riley and let go of him.
Over the last few weeks she’d gotten to know Khalil. They’d talked, helping heal much of the other’s pain and come to terms with the future in a new light.
She took Khalil’s hand in hers.
“Thank you,” he muttered.
“None of this would have happened without that amazing brain of yours.” She squeezed him.
“I wish I could go with you guys, but I’m next.” Khalil glanced at the Smith boys.
“Keep the answers short. Stick to the details. You’ll be fine. Good luck.” She hoped that this wasn’t the end of their connection. Khalil and Riley were one of the few who knew the truth. All of it. Besides, she’d grown to like Khalil.
He nodded and let go of her.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. See you around, Khalil.” Casey twirled his keys on his finger.
Erin was beyond ready to put this chapter of her life behind her. She threaded her fingers with Riley’s and let him lead her out of the building. Tomorrow would begin his turn, but unlike her, he only had a handful of hours dedicated to his story.
“Mom called yet?” Erin glanced at Riley.
“My mom or yours?” he asked.
“I meant yours. I imagine mine has already called a half-dozen times.” Erin chuckled.
“Your mother has my phone number.” Casey whipped around and stared at Erin. “How does your mother have my number?”
“At this point, I assume my mother spends an hour on the phone with everyone in your family and she knows more about my life than I do.” Erin shook her head. The first week she’d been in Miami she’d woken up to find her mother talking to Riley’s mother. And they didn’t sound like strangers.
“I am never getting married,” Casey muttered.
“I think he just cursed himself.” Erin jabbed Riley in the ribs with her elbow.
“Speak of that adorable angel.” Riley looped his arm around Erin’s shoulder and held up his phone. Mrs. Smith’s face filled the screen.
“You’re done? Finally!”
“Yeah, my stomach’s ready to be done.” Erin chuckled. She hadn’t been able to eat much since day before yesterday. Now that the big event was over, she wanted to eat and take her shoes off.
“That means you can come for a visit, right?” Mrs. Smith said.
“Mom, leave her alone. Do you want Riley to be single forever?” Casey leaned into the shot and wagged his finger at his mother.
“With all this business I’ve only gotten to meet Erin once. I’d just like to spend a little time with her is all.” Mrs. Smith huffed.
Erin had spent a whole week with Riley up on the family farm, and more than a little time searching for ideas in the hay loft. Not all of which with her future in mind.
“I know things have been crazy.” Erin took Riley’s phone from him, so she didn’t have to crane her neck. “I need to meet these deadlines, which is going to take about a week. I was thinking when I’m done I’d come up there. Riley will probably be working, so it would just be me, if that’s okay?”
“That would be perfect.” Mrs. Smith clapped her hands while Casey and Riley groaned
“Okay, we have to go now, mom.” Riley took the phone back and made the goodbyes while Casey unlocked the truck and they piled in.
“You really think you can finish those books in time?” Riley asked.
“Now that the pressure is off, yeah.” Erin blew out a breath and leaned her head against Riley’s shoulder.
The translation gig had landed in her lap. Not only was she translating text books into Arabic, but Kurdish as well. With the pace of the team Erin was working with, there would be a whole new curriculum available to schools in the next six months. It might not be what she got to do for the rest of her life, but right now it was perfect. She was looking forward to her trip to Erbil next summer when she’d be part of the academic team assisting in bringing teachers up to speed.
It was a bright future.
THREE DAYS LATER, SEATTLE, Washington.
Riley listened to Erin shifting things in the closet. This part never failed to make him nervous. They’d been doing this routine for two months and every time the same questions plagued him.
Would Erin like his apartment? Would she be comfortable? Was it too small? Was he missing anything? What about when they were apart?
It seemed like every settling in period came with new questions. This time he wondered, how long? How long would Erin put up with the transitory nature of their relationship? A week at his place. Two weeks in Florida. A week up north. A trip to Texas. They were always on the go. He knew how much that could wear on a person.
Zain had mentioned moving up the timetable for the new line of business, but that was still a few years off. Riley liked what he did. But if it didn’t work for Erin, could he give it up? Would she ask him to? If she did, what would he say?
“You need more hangers,” Erin called out.
“I’ll put that on the list.” He pulled out his phone.
The countdown clock glared back at him.
Two more days of peace before he was back to work. He’d always looked forward to work. Now he worried about how long this happiness with her would last. How many countdowns until she resented his job and being apart? And that didn’t touch on the tenseness that existed between him and Grant now. He still refused to talk about the vote or anything about the Erbil job, but it continued to affect their working relationship in a way Riley hated.
“That’s as much as I’m dealing with.” Erin stepped out of the closet and shut the door.
She crossed to the bed and flopped down, using his stomach for a pillow.
“What’s that face for?” She jabbed his arm.
“Nothing.”
“Oh, please.” She poked him again.
“Stop that.” He wrapped his arms around her and rolled, dragging her up the bed to lay next to him.
Erin planted a big kiss on his mouth and twined her arms around his neck.
He’d quit if she asked him to.
He knew in that moment that if his job made her unhappy, ten year plan be damned, he’d find something else.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“I love you so much I can’t bear to think I might have to leave you in two days.”
Erin sputtered a laugh at the over the top statement.
“What’s really bothering you?” she asked, undeterred by his stab at humor.
Did he want to open the door to problems? Or try to ignore them?
“Riley...”
“I just... Are you happy? With this?”
“This? What do you mean?”
“The constant traveling, the change of scenery, me being gone for weeks at a time?”
“Have you stopped to think that I need you to leave so I can get work done? Hm?” She propped her chin in her hand and arched a brow.
“No...”
“I love you, Riley. But you’re an awfully large distraction.”
He stared at her, that unwavering smile of hers beaming back.
She wasn’t lying to him or telling him something he wanted to hear.
“And the traveling?” he asked.
“Look, I’ve spent the years since I was enlisted living in a country with no family and only a few friends. Will traveling around get old after a while? Yes, but right now I am enjoying getting to see family. I especially like getting to leave and coming somewhere quiet where your mother is not sneaking in at the crack of dawn to bring us breakfast.”
“Oh, God...” He covered his face with his hand.
“I’m happy, Riley. Accept it.” She scooted closer and wrapped her arm around his waist.
“If you aren’t, you’ll tell me?”
“Of course. You think I’d keep an opinion to myself?”
“No, actually.” He chuckled, all the tension unwinding.
“I’m not a typical girl. I don’t know how to put up with someone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I love you, but I still need for you to be out of my hair every now and then. This is working. Do I miss you when you’re gone? Yes, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. In three of five years, maybe we’ll be ready to switch gears for your plan.”
“Have I told you lately that I love you?”
“No, I don’t think so.” Erin grinned.
“Erin Smith. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” Riley let go of the worries. One of the things that made them work was the honesty.
“Now you’re getting ahead of yourself. Or have you slotted that into your ten year plan?”
“That’s more like a two year plan.” He bent his head and kissed her, even while she laughed.
She wasn’t saying no.
He’d take that as a good sign.
Whatever their future held, he knew Erin would keep him on his toes.
Stay tuned for the next book!
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Explore the whole Aegis world in these series...
It all began with the .
- Dangerous Heat (coming 2018)
In Dangerous Games it continued with the girls.
When the Seattle office of Aegis Group opened the took the stage.
Within Aegis Group, special teams take on special jobs, beginning with the .
- (coming 2018)
Other specialized teams exist under the Aegis Group umbrella, including .
- (2018)
- (2018)
- (2019)
- (2019)
Stay tuned for the appearance of the Troy Team and Omega Team.
For short reads, tune in this December for the novella series kick-off.
- Mind for Danger (2018)
- Soul for Danger (2019)
Coming in 2018, : A Small Town Suspense Series.
- (2018)
- Stolen Redemption (2018)
Dangerous in Love
Aegis Group Alpha Team 1
Ex-Navy SEAL Travis Ration is an expert hunter. Whether his prey is criminal or victim, he always gets his mark. He's no hero, just a man doing his job. It’s all he has after a felony conviction after a bad judgment call. When the FBI call in a favor and ask him to look into a serial killer over the holiday break, he jumps at the opportunity to fill the long, cold days with something besides regret and bad movies. In Las Vegas, he's on the hunt for a prolific serial killer no one wants to admit exists. The leads are dry and the evidence gone, until she walks into his life. Bliss Giles—curvy, sassy and everything he can't have.
What’s worse, Travis knows Bliss’ sister is the killer's latest victim. She fits the profile. Time is running out and the fastest way to retrace the killer's path is with Bliss at Travis' side. In the seat of danger. He vows to keep Bliss safe and his hands to himself, after all, a nice girl like her doesn't need a guy like him in her life. Too bad no one told Bliss Travis was off-limits. She tests his boundaries and pushes his control every minute they're together until he can't remember why wanting her is a bad idea.
The hunters become the hunted in this tale of serial killers and SEALs for hire. One broken man must unpack his baggage, a woman has make a leap of faith and a sister chooses to live in this new, romantic suspense serial by NYT & USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Bristol.
Warning: Hold onto your panties, because nothing is safe.
Dangerous in Love
Aegis Group Alpha Team 1
He follows orders.
A good SEAL, Shane York values chain of command. Following the rules means staying alive. All of that is wrecked when his team is sent to Jamaica on a hostage rescue. She’s not the mission, but they leave no one behind.
She breaks the rules.
Travel blogger Lacey Miles lives for today. Thanks to her unexpected rescue from certain death, she has a shot at tomorrow. She wants her mercenary captors to pay, and she has the evidence to ensure it—if she lives long enough to deliver it.
Opposites spark an unlikely romance in the heat of danger.
Delivering the intel and keeping the hostages alive becomes priority one for the Aegis Group Alpha Team. The last thing Shane and Lacey have time for is love. As the team races home and bullets fly, rules fall by the wayside and lines begin to blur. With a traitor in their midst, will love be a distraction or a strength?
Book List
Aegis Group
Dangerous Attraction
Dangerous in Training
Dangerous Games
Dangerous Attraction
Dangerous Protector
Dangerous Heat (coming 2018)
Aegis Group Alpha Team
Dangerous in Love
Dangerous in Action
Dangerous in Transit
Dangerous in Motion
Dangerous in Charge
Aegis Group Lepta Team
Dangerously Taken
Dangerously Involved
Dangerously Deceived
Dangerously Broken
Dangerously Entwined
Gone Geek
Beauty and the Geek
Mr. Purr-fect and the Geek
The Jock and the Geek
The Gamer and the Geek
The Adorkable Girl and the Geek
Twisted Royals
Alpha Prince
Her Prince
Bad Boy Prince
Noble Prince
Tarnished Heroes
Spy Games
Assassin Games (2018)
Traitor Games (2018)
Texas SWAT
Fighting Redemption (2018)
Stolen Redemption (2018)
Hot Rides
Drive
Shift
Chase
Bayou Bound
Picture Her Bound
Duty Bound
Bound Memories
Bound & Tamed
Other BDSM Titles
Committed
Bound with Pearls
Collar Me in Paris
Festive Seduction
Electric Engagement
So Inked
Under His Skin
The Harder He Falls
His Marriage Bargain
Fighting His Desire
Standalone Titles
Falling for His Best Friend
Dream Vacation (free read)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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It can never be said that NYT & USA Today Bestselling author Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and fostering cats.
COPYRIGHT © 2018 BY Sidney Bristol.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Inked Press/Sidney Bristol
www.sidneybristol.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book Layout & Design ©2013 - BookDesignTemplates.com
Ordering Information:
Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above.
Dangerously Taken / Sidney Bristol.—1st ed.