Lizzy Adams spent the summer pining for Tyson Smith, the sexy
security agent whose instruction at a safety seminar saved her life. Now, every
man she meets is measured against the absolute awesomeness of the brawny black
man with the soulful eyes, the baritone voice that whispers over her like a
velvet caress, and a smile that turns her knees to jelly. Now she just had to
get him to notice her.
Tyson Smith had a lot of respect for Lizzy Adams, the spunky
teacher who freed herself from the clutches of a deranged miscreant who’d
wanted to take her hostage. But his concept of her wholesome ‘girl-next-door’ image
was challenged the night she showed up at a company barbeque dressed as a
flirty cowgirl. Always the gentleman, he managed to keep his eyes off her assets
as she strolled around the farm. His mother had
raised him better, but there was no denying that she was every man’s ‘American
Beauty’ fantasy. But the night he’d shown up at her doorstep to help her out
altered their relationship forever. Between the fear in her eyes and the baseball
bat perched on her shoulder, his protective side surfaced, and he handed her a
piece of his heart.
Their whirlwind romance is threatened when a man from
Lizzy’s past attacks her. Sam Clark wants vengeance for his son. He blames the
jurors from Jason’s trial for Jason’s death and crafts a hit list. But killing Lizzy,
the scrappy survivor, is harder than he thought. After Sam fails at his first
attempt on Lizzy’s life, he resolves to kill her before he’s forced into
hiding. He just has to get past the big, black man who appointed himself
Lizzy’s protector.
Excerpt
Sam circled the apartment complex
and made his way back to his car. Fate was on his side. Lizzy walked out of her
apartment with two trash bags. He’d already scoped out the garbage dumpsters on
an earlier trip. In order to keep the apartment complex looking nice, the
dumpsters were behind the apartments, tucked away behind tall, wooden privacy
fences. That would be the perfect place to take her. Let her die among the
garbage and refuse of the community.
He picked up his pace and walked
around the opposite side of the building as she walked around to the back on
the other side. Glancing around, he looked for anyone who could interrupt his
time with her.
Lizzy walked into the garbage area.
Two large garbage dumpsters and two recycle dumpsters were tucked out of sight.
Setting one of the bags on the ground, she swung the other bag into the garbage
dumpster. The plastic bag disappeared into the dumpster. Grabbing the remaining
bag, she hefted it into the dumpster too.
Sam stepped behind the wooden slats
and watched as she tossed the bags into the dumpster. Her back was to him. The
thought of dumping her body into the dumpster brought a smile to his lips.
She’d just disappear from sight without a trace. But if her body was
discovered, it would be obvious that she’d been purposely disposed of. That
revelation would destroy the appearance of a natural, fluke death.
No. He could not throw her away. He
could leave her body to be discovered in the garbage area. That would have to
be good enough.
Turning around, Lizzy came to a
stop when she noticed him. Her lips arched into a gentle smile, but then she
paused. The smile slid off her face.
“Hi,” she said, pausing for a
moment to take the man in. Was he the same guy that nearly bumped into her
minutes earlier? He didn’t have any trash bags. Why was he back here? The
beginning tremors of her flight or fight response zapped to life inside her
gut.
“Hello,” he replied with a smirk.
That one word, laced with anger,
brought a chill down her spine.
He pulled the cap off the needle
but kept it hidden in his hands. His knuckles were white from clenching the
needle in front of him so tightly. She wouldn’t get past him.
She’d been attacked before. She
knew that a stranger could go from intimidating to dangerous in a heartbeat.
“Can I help you?” she asked, her voice full of anxiety. “Are you looking for
something?”
Sam couldn’t help but taunt her.
“I’m looking for you.” He hoped the admission scared her. He wanted to treasure
this interaction. Maybe it would replace the nightmares that haunted him.
Lizzy cocked her head to the side,
“You were looking for me? Why?” The sinister look in his eyes confirmed the
warning bells clanging in her ears.
“Don’t I look familiar?” he asked,
taking a step towards her.
This was way past creepy. “Do I
know you from somewhere?” Her eyebrows pulled together as she desperately tried
to place him. Where had she seen his face before?
“That’s because we’ve met.” He took
a step towards her, a fake smile plastered on his face. Once he got close to
her, he could slide the needle into her flesh with very little chance of a
fight. If it did come to a fight, he knew he’d win. He may be nearing
retirement age, but he was still stronger and bigger than her.
“Huh,” she looked around for something to pick up to use as
a weapon in case she needed to defend herself. Rocks and some sticks lay on the
ground along the fence wall, but she’d never get to them before he’d get to
her.
Her flight or fight response
flooded her body with adrenaline. Her pulse beat wildly and sweat coated her.
“You do look a little familiar. Do you have a child at Carrisburg Elementary
School?” If this was a parent from school, this scary vibe would be a first.
Parents were always friendly when they saw her outside of school but following her
to her apartment building and the trash bin was beyond disturbing.
She tried to think back to her list
of students. Did any of them have special arrangements because of family
issues? Any custody issues or abusive parents that she needed to be aware of?
She didn’t recall any.
Sam bit out a harsh grunt. “No. You
don’t know me from school, but you do know my son. His name is Jason. Does that
name ring a bell?” Would the callous bitch recognize Jason’s name?
“Umm,” she mumbled. She’d had a
Jason a few years ago, but this man didn’t look like his dad.
Sam stood shocked, angered, ready
to blow. “You dumb bitch,” he seethed. “You don’t even remember the young man
you destroyed. The life you tossed away,” he motioned with his arm as if he
were throwing something away.
Damn! Lizzy had no idea what he was
talking about, but she knew enough to recognize crazy and dangerous. “I’m
sorry. I think you have the wrong person,” she stated as firmly as she could.
Should she try to rationalize with the man? Get him to see that she is not the
person he’s looking for?
“I’ve never killed anyone, not even
by accident,” she stated. She’d been in a fender bender a few years ago, but
everyone had been fine. There hadn’t even been a boy in either of the cars.
Her mind screamed for her to run,
to get away from this man, but logic kept her feet planted. She had nowhere to
go. He blocked the exit. If she ran, she’d be running towards him. And the
wooden fencing that surrounded her on all the other sides cut off any chance of
escape.
“Jason Clark,” Sam said the name
with perfect enunciation. There would be no mistaking the name he said. “Does
that ring a bell?” His grimace took on the diabolical look of Pennywise.
Lizzy took in a strangled breath as
memories of Jason and his father on the witness stand rushed through her mind.
Jason had murdered a man, and she’d sent him to jail.
