Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (250 page)

F
our
mon
t
hs
e
arli
e
r

C
h
icago
,
I
llino
i
s

T
roubl
e
w
as
a
b
ou
t
t
o
ove
r
tak
e
Em
i
l
e
Reed.
The
in
t
e
r
v
iew
had
n
o
t
only
been
a
d
i
sast
e
r
bu
t
had
r
u
n
longer
tha
n
e
xpe
c
ted.
The
par
k
ing
garage
had alm
o
st
em
p
tied
ou
t
,
le
a
v
ing
behind
th
e
dim
glare
of
cheap fl
uor
e
s
c
en
t
ligh
tin
g
.

N
o
t
p
a
y
ing
at
t
en
tion,
he
r
mind
o
n
he
r
r
uined
caree
r
, she
fa
i
led
to
hear
fo
o
tst
e
p
s
come
u
p
behind
he
r
.
A
n
a
r
m jerked
he
r
back
in
to
a
hard,
m
u
s
cled
ch
e
s
t
.
T
h
e
n
a
huge,
s
wea
t
y
hand
covered
he
r
mout
h.
D
e
s
p
ite
s
t
iffening
her
body
in
r
e
spon
s
e,
he
y
anked
he
r
bac
k
ward
the
n
s
idew
a
y
s,
d
ra
g
g
ing
he
r
toward
th
e
stai
r
we
l
l.

S
he
fought.
S
he
k
icked.
S
he
did
her
best
t
o
s
c
ream, mo
v
i
n
g
her
head
w
i
l
d
ly
back
and
fo
r
th,
but
the
huge
hand re
f
u
sed
t
o
budg
e
.
B
y
sheer
force
he
dr
ag
ged
her
in
the
direction
of
the
s
t
ai
r
we
l
l.
S
he
r
es
is
t
ed
the
only
w
a
y
she
could.
S
he dug
her
heels in
t
o
the cement
t
o
t
r
y to
s
t
op his
pro
g
re
s
s.
B
ut
ul
t
ima
t
ely
he
w
as
t
oo
powe
r
f
ul
and
manhan
d
led
her
in
t
o the
s
t
ai
r
we
l
l,
sho
v
i
n
g
her
face
up
ag
ainst
the
con
c
re
t
e
w
a
l
l.

The
hand
over
her
mouth
w
as
rep
l
aced
w
ith
a
cold
p
iece of
s
t
eel
at
her
throa
t
.
H
e
slowly
t
u
r
ned
her
around.
T
h
e
k
nife he
held
came
in
t
o
fo
cu
s.
A
pair
of
i
c
y
,
s
i
lver
e
y
es
s
t
ared
back at
her
through
the
sli
t
s
of
a
s
k
i
mas
k
.

The
second
she
felt
the
p
o
int
of
the
k
nife
p
r
ick
her
s
k
in, felt
liquid
t
r
ickle
down
her
nec
k
,
it
c
rossed
her
mind
if
she did
n
’t
find
a
w
a
y
t
o
fight
she
w
as
g
o
i
n
g
t
o
di
e
.

H
er
assa
i
l
ant
tigh
t
ened
h
i
s
g
r
i
p
.

A
raspy
voice
threa
t
ened,
“
I
’
m
here
t
o
make
sure
y
ou do
n
’t
t
e
sti
f
y
.
Once
I
give
y
ou
a
C
olom
b
i
an
necktie,
no
one
w
il
l
come
fo
r
w
ard
t
o
squeal
.
”

The
man
st
oo
d
s
o
cl
o
s
e,
Em
i
le
s
me
l
led
h
i
s
stale,
c
iga
ret
te
breat
h.
T
at
tooed
k
nuckl
e
s
held
th
e
shi
n
y
weapon
w
ith
on
e
hand
wh
i
le
th
e
o
the
r
reached
to
unbuckle
th
e
s
nap
of
h
i
s
jeans.

H
is
mouth
c
urled
in
t
o
a
s
nee
r
.
“
B
ut
fi
r
s
t
,
wha
t
d
o
y
o
u
s
a
y
w
e
h
a
v
e
ou
r
s
elv
es
a
littl
e
f
un?”

The
b
l
ade
left
her
throat
lo
n
g
enough
t
o
slice
at
the
but
t
on
s
o
f
th
e
O
x
for
d
shi
r
t
sh
e
wor
e
.

S
he
ga
ped
in
t
e
r
ror
as
the
p
l
astic
b
its
dropped
in
sound- le
s
s
flight
t
o
the
cement.
The
s
t
eel
made
another
s
weep
t
o
w
ard
her
chest
wh
i
le
his
f
ree
hand
squeezed
hard
the
tip
of her
r
ight
breast
through
her
bra.