The Asset (31 page)

“Fine.” The sailor wiped the sweat off his brow. “But my dog. If that guy complains...”

“Nobody will take Marie Therese from you,” the man said, and I believed him. “Nobody.” His stare returned to the jerk. “You owe Petty Officer Chavez and his dog an apology.”

“I don’t apologize to dogs.” The drunk blurred his words. “Dogs shouldn’t be allowed in places like this.”

“By law, a service dog is allowed to go anywhere its handler goes,” the man spat out in his exacting tone.

“But that dog is too aggressive.”

“Marie Therese isn’t aggressive.” The sailor’s fingers tightened around the dog’s leash. “She would never attack anyone!”

“How would you know?” the drunk said. “You’re blind, you retard.”

The newcomer’s face hardened into a blank mask, but the heat in his glare echoed the feral fury burning through me.

“The dog didn’t attack anybody.” It was my voice and it sounded strong and bold. “This man stepped on the dog’s paw. I saw it. The dog nipped, but only because it was in pain.”

“See?” The petty officer side-hugged his Labrador and turned his face in my direction. “Thanks miss, whoever you are.”

“She’s lying,” the drunk said.

“What’s your name?” the man said.

“I’m Edward Lancaster.” He smirked. “My father is John Lancaster.”

“John, yes.” The man crossed his arms and braced his feet apart. “He’s the chairman of Lancaster & Associates.”

“And a platinum donor to the Healing Warrior Development Fund,” Edward Lancaster added with mindboggling arrogance.

“Your father is very generous,” the other man noted. “Wasn’t he a decorated Air Force officer during the first Iraq war?”

Junior hesitated. “Yes?”

“Ah, then, do me a favor.” He flashed a vicious smile. “Go tell your Daddy that tonight you trampled on the service dog of a veteran who earned his Purple Heart in goddamn Afghanistan. Tell him that, after you hurt his dog, you whined like a spoiled brat and demanded that the dog be removed. If your father hasn’t choked on his bile or strangled you with his own two hands by then, tell him that you’re an idiot with a goddamn bug up your ass and that you were kicked out of the gala because you insulted a friend of Josh Lane’s.”

The young man gaped. “You’re Josh Lane?
The
Josh Lane?”

“Affirmative,” he said. “And you’re done here.”

My stomach convulsed with another wave of nausea. For a moment, I couldn’t move. Numb, I watched as security escorted the drunk out of the alcove and the man conferred briefly with the sailor, before a staff member led the veteran and his dog out of the ballroom. Then the man’s stare narrowed on me, eyes rich with crystal brown hues, gaze curious.

He drew in all the light in the room, consuming it, reshaping it, absorbing it, until he was the only image in my frame and blue was the only color on my canvas. I couldn’t look away from him. I stood there, rooted in place like a potted plant, unable to move. That is, until he started toward me.

I bolted. I ran, back to the restroom, through the lounge, to the stall in the very back of the row. I locked the door and pressed my back against the wall. I had trouble breathing, thinking. Why did I run away when I’d wanted to stay? And why had I wanted to stay in the first place?

I settled my hand over my heart. Oh. My. God. It couldn’t be a freaking coincidence. My anxiety returned in full, because the target of Martin’s plan, the source of my only hope, and the stranger outside the door shared the same name.

Josh Lane.

Don’t miss

AT THE BRINK by Anna del Mar,

Available May 2016 wherever

Carina Press ebooks are sold

www.CarinaPress.com

Copyright © 2016 by Anna del Mar

Acknowledgments

From beginning to end publishing a novel is a team sport and I’ve got some of the best players ever in my corner. I’m greatly indebted to my personal editor, the amazing Nancy Cassidy, who read through the first drafts of this novel and led me with great wisdom and incredible generosity all the way to Carina’s doors.

At Carina Press, I had the enormous good fortune of landing on the desk of Kerri Buckley, editor extraordinaire, multitasking queen of the writing universe and precision surgeon of the story. Without Kerri, I’d be going in circles and my novels would be—well—way too long!

I’m also thankful to Heather Goldberg, Stephanie Doig and all the folks at Carina whose names I haven’t come across, but whose talents and contributions I sincerely appreciate. Angela James, Kerri Buckley and the team at Carina Press represent everything that’s right, fun and inspiring about writing and the publishing industry. I can’t thank them enough for their hard work and enthusiasm.

I’d be remiss not to gush about the usual suspects: my parents, who gifted me with the joy of reading; my sisters, who bring laughter to my life; my children, who are the inspiration for everything I do; and my husband, who is always willing to grab the helm and steer the ship to port when I go MIA. I’m blessed with their love.

Finally, I’d like to thank you, the reader, for giving my novels a chance. I know that there are a lot of great authors writing some awesome romances out there. Thank you for choosing to read one of mine.

Also available from Anna del Mar
and Carina Press

The Wounded Warrior Novels
Dream Chaser, available August 2016

The At the Brink Novels
At the Brink
, available May 2016
On the Edge
, available November 2016

About the Author

Anna del Mar is an award-winning author who, after writing for many years in a different genre, fell in love with romance and decided that writing about love and sex is the greatest fun of all. She writes hot, smart romances that soothe the soul, challenge the mind and satisfy the heart.

Anna’s stories focus on strong heroines struggling to find their place in the world and the brave, sexy, kick-ass military heroes who defy the limits of their broken bodies to protect the women they love. She is the author of
The Asset
(Carina Press), the first novel of her Wounded Warrior series, along with three other novels scheduled for release in 2016.

A Georgetown University graduate, Anna enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing and the sea. Writing is her addiction, her drug of choice, and what she wants to do all the time. The extraordinary men and women she met during her years as a navy wife inspire the fabulous heroes and heroines at the center of her stories. When she stays put—which doesn’t happen very often—she lives in Florida with her indulgent husband and two very opinionated cats.

Website:
AnnadelMar.com

Email:
[email protected]

Facebook:
Facebook.com/anna.delmar.376

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