Material Witness (32 page)
Authors: L. A. Mondello,Lisa Mondello
“You really okay?”
Kevin nodded, opening his wet shirt,
which revealed a bulletproof vest. He'd taken a bullet meant for Jake, and for
that she was eternally grateful. Jake wasn't wearing any armor to protect him.
She knew he would have taken the bullet for her, with or without a vest. It
both filled her heart with love and with colossal fear.
In the moments that passed, the rain
subsided, the ambulances arrived, and the story of what had happened unfolded.
In an attempt to cover his
involvement in the bond fraud, Agent Radcowski orchestrated an escape attempt
during Cassie's transfer to cause confusion in the hopes that either Fagnelio
or Cassie, the one star witness who could prove instrumental in tracing his
partnership with Ritchie Trumbella back to him, would be killed.
Captain Russo, suspecting Radcowski
would make his move but not having any evidence to prove otherwise,
orchestrated a media mob to keep Radcowski from getting away with murder again.
Agent Radcowski had killed Angel
Fagnelio and later confessed to being the real strong arm, along with Agent
Bellows, in the bond fraud. Charlotte Tate had unknowingly been a source of
information for Bellows and knew nothing about the other agents' involvement.
Three weeks later, Cassie had come to
terms with the outcome and had submerged herself back into her work and real
estate ads for houses outside the city. Jake spent every night at her
apartment, coming in late with an apologetic look on his face.
It was no different this night.
Jake crept into her dark bedroom and
sank down on the bed next to Cassie.
“Did I wake you?” he asked, when he
realized she was watching him.
“No, I just got into bed myself.”
He smiled weakly, pulling off his
boots.
Cassie sat up in bed. “Stop doing
that.”
“Doing what?”
She sputtered. “Don't give me that,
Santos. You've been coming here for the past three weeks with this gloomy look
like you think I'm going to toss you out the window for being late.”
He shrugged sheepishly. “I'm sorry.”
“For what? Coming home late? That's
your job.”
“That doesn't bother you?”
“Not as much as thinking about you
chasing bad guys.”
His eyebrows furrowed, darkening his
expression. “That's about what I do. Is that something you can live with? I
mean, day in and day out?”
“I'm getting used to it. If there is
one thing I've learned these past few weeks, life doesn't give you any
guarantees. What we went through, most people can't even fathom. I want what we
have for as long as we are blessed to have it. I can be happy with that.”
“It's not going to make you mad to
eat dinner alone half the time?”
She smirked. “Speaking of dinner, I
burned it tonight.”
Jake cursed under his breath. Cassie
chuckled and shook him teasingly.
“I was writing, silly. I forgot all
about the roast because I had to get this one scene written. By the time I
remembered dinner, it had petrified in the oven. I'm saving it to use as a
doorstop.”
The rich sound of Jake's laugh lifted
her heart and filled it beyond capacity.
“You didn't get mad at me when you
woke up and found me at my computer last week, did you?”
He shook his head. “But what does
that have to do with anything?”
“Everything. You chase bad guys and I
write about them. Both of us run on a moment’s notice.” She snaked her arms
around him and nuzzled her face in his neck. “Don't you see, we're perfect
together?”
She heard his laughter bubble up from
his chest.
“I guess you're right.”
“I know I'm right. So what are you
going to do about it, Detective?”
He gave her a teasing sidelong
glance. “Are you getting bossy with me again, CJ?”
She laughed at Jake's reference to
CJ. He'd come to calling her that whenever she asserted herself. And she had to
admit, she rather liked playing the heroine. He rolled her onto her back and
covered her body with his as he kissed her with a wild passion she'd come to
know and love.
“You know, CJ Carmen has fallen in
love.”
Jake’s eyebrows knitted. “Oh,
really?”
“Yes, she found a man who is quite a
lot like you.”
“Is she going to finally settle down
and marry the guy?”
Cassie heaved an exaggerated sigh and
dramatically propped the back of her hand over her forehead. “Alas, he hasn't
asked her yet.”
Jake tsked and shook his head. “Damn
fool. We're going to have to change that. What do you say we rewrite that
scene? Together this time. Until we get it right.”
She gazed up that the most
extraordinary man she'd ever met. She couldn't have written his character any
better if she tried. “I'd say that's perfect.”
THE END
Thank
you so much for reading MATERIAL WITNESS, book 1 in my new series, Heroes of
Providence. This book was written over 12 years ago and was supposed to be the
first in a series I did for Love Inspired Suspense. I ended up writing book 2
and publishing
Yuletide Protector – Harlequin Love Inspired
Suspense
as a Love
Inspired Suspense book in 2009. So if you’d like to see more of Jake Santos and
Kevin Gordon, check out
Yuletide Protector – Harlequin Love Inspired
Suspense
, available as an e-book.
Look for more books in Fate with a Helping Hand series,
Texas Hearts series, and this new series called Heroes of Providence. I’m so
thrilled that so many readers have enjoyed these series and the characters that
I just can’t give up on them. Thanks for letting me know that you want more!
To keep on top of what’s new, I’ve added a newsletter signup on my blog
http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com
and am giving away 1 E-Reader per
month to those who sign up for my newsletter. So make sure you enter to win!
I’ve included at the end of this book, the first two
chapters of
NOTHING
BUT TROUBLE
.
NOTHING
BUT TROUBLE
is available as a stand-alone book or in a Box Set called
LOVE
ME SOME COWBOY
with 4 other books. Enjoy!
Finally, if you HAVE checked my blog before or have
read any of the numerous interviews I’ve done online, then you may have heard
me mention that I used to manage a Boston/Worcester Rock Band. Those were very
special days for me. Tragically, one of the members of that band, a dear
friend of mine who I’d known for 30 years, died on April 5, 2012. Scott
Ricciuti was, and will always be in my eyes, a rock star! He was passionate
about music, and his family and friends. I hope you take the opportunity to
check out his music at
http://www.ScottRicciuti.com
or check
Youtube
for one of his many performances in the
Boston/Worcester area. Through his music you’ll get a small glimpse of the man
so many of us loved. Keep the music alive…
Many thanks,
Lisa Mondello
* * * * *
Check out:
One
Hit Wonder by Huck
, featuring Scott Ricciuti, Dan Lucas and Paul Dagnello
* * * * *
Ebooks by
Lisa Mondello
Texas Hearts Series (Contemporary Western Romance)
Her Heart for the Asking - book 1
His Heart for the Trusting - book 2
Leaving Liberty
– book 5 (
To be released in 2013
)
Texas Hearts Box Set (Books 1-3)
Fate with a Helping Hand Series (Contemporary Romance)
All I Want for Christmas is You - book 1
The Marriage Contract – book 2
The Knight and Maggie’s Baby – book 3
The Knight and
the Cowgirl – book 4 (
Soon to be released in 2013
)
Tempting Fate Box Set (books 1-3)
Heroes of Providence Series (Romantic Suspense)
Material Witness - book 1
(**Named one of Kirkus
Reviews Best Books of 2012
)
Safe Haven –
book 2 (
Soon to be released in 2013
)
Nothing But Trouble (Contemporary Western Romance)
Unsuitably
Perfect (Box Set – 3 books in 1)
Love
Me Some Cowboy (Box Set – 5 books in 1)
Coming soon
UK Customers order from
Lisa
Mondello’s Author Page on Amazon UK
.
* * * * *
by Lisa Mondello
Chapter One
“Like I just told you, ma'am,” Stoney
Buxton said, glancing up through squinted eyes at the fair-skinned woman
standing over him. “I’m a rancher. I don't do wilderness tours. You'll just
have to find someone else to guide you through that terrain.”
Though the sun floating in the
cloudless sky in front of him made it difficult to see, he tipped the brim of
his well-worn cowboy hat with the edge of the hammer he gripped between his
fingers to get a better look at the young woman.
Now what in hell’s blazes is this?
She stood there, all legs, eyes, and
lips pouting down at him. A picture of beauty, polished and gleaming like
Sunday silver. Her long legs--he noticed every inch of them as his eyes
trailed the length of her--would do better wrapped around a man's waist. Even hidden
beneath her smooth fitting jeans he could tell those legs were much too refined
and delicate to take the hard living of trailing through Wyoming wilderness.
Her red manicured nails shone bright in the mid-day sun and matched the vibrant
shade of her full lips. Her eyes, a soft shade of cinnamon brown, held a
determined fire that told him she wasn't going to back down, no matter what he
threw at her.
Something was seriously wrong with
this picture.
“Gerald Hammond from the General
Store said that you were the best guide in the area. I want the best.”
He saw her jaw set as a gentle breeze
blew a wisp of hair over her forehead. She quickly brushed it away with an air
of grace that spoke of money. Lots of it. Family money that paid for the
designer clothes caressing every curve and valley of her body.
Pulling himself up to a stand, he
stretched out the ache in his leg and his shoulder. That nagging ache was a
constant reminder of the long days he now spent working the family ranch. And
why he'd quit rodeo over a year ago.
“Old man Hammond said that, did he?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he was mistaken. There are
plenty of guides on the reservation that can take you safely through the Wind
River Mountain Range.”
Her chest heaved with an impatient
sigh. “Yes, I know. But I need something a little more than what they’re
offering. Much more, in fact.”
She didn't blink, even when he
shifted closer. He had to admire that she didn’t appear intimidated by him,
seeing how he stood a good ten inches taller than her. Lord, but she smelled
good, all sunshine and fresh rain mixed with a hint of vanilla. Bailing hay
and stringing barbed wire didn’t afford him much opportunity to be in the
company the likes of this pretty little eyeful standing before him. It was
just one more thing to remind him of what he was missing now that he was off
the road and home for good.
“I don't think you understand,
Miss...?” He flipped his hand, palm up and waited for her reply.
“Ms. Summers. Melanie Summers. And
I understand perfectly. I understand that I am in need of a guide for the next
four weeks.” She sucked in a deep breath as he moved a step closer.
“What you're asking for is impossible
at best.” He shook his head at the absurdity of her request. “Have you ever
been in the wilderness? Have you ever even saddled a horse?”
She lifted her chin defiantly, the
spark in her soft brown eyes fired up like the heat of the sun beating down on
them. Her voice was sure. “I know perfectly well how to ride, Mr. Buxton.”
“I'm not talking equestrian jumps
that a poodle could land at the country club. I'm talking wild terrain where
you are no better than the animals that consider you their prey. Have you ever
had eight hundred pounds of snarling grizzly breathing down your neck? Ever
felt a hungry mountain lion's eyes on your back as she stalks you?”