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Tempt the Night
Trust No One # 5
Trust No One # 5
By: Dixie Lee Brown
Releasing February 24th, 2015
Avon Impulse
Dixie Lee Brown
concludes her thrilling Trust No One series with the fast-paced tale of a
damaged hero and the sexy fugitive he can't help falling for.
Samantha "Mac" McCallister barely believes her own tale of dirty cops and murder that landed her in the hands of the sexy Jim Brady. One minute she was enjoying a ride-along in her best friend's cruiser, the next he's dead and she's wanted for his murder. Mac never expected to be hiding out from the law, but with Jim by her side, maybe she can survive long enough to clear her name. The question is, can she survive the way Jim makes her feel?
Former Navy Seal Jim Brady works best under pressure. At least he used to. Now, fighting flashbacks from his time in Iraq, he has given up everything he knows in order to protect the innocent … from himself. So working with a woman on the run from the law? Not in his plans for this lifetime. Still, something about the blue-eyed beauty tells him she's not the source of the danger—she's running from it. Deep down he knows he'll protect her no matter what. But his heart? That's another story.
Samantha "Mac" McCallister barely believes her own tale of dirty cops and murder that landed her in the hands of the sexy Jim Brady. One minute she was enjoying a ride-along in her best friend's cruiser, the next he's dead and she's wanted for his murder. Mac never expected to be hiding out from the law, but with Jim by her side, maybe she can survive long enough to clear her name. The question is, can she survive the way Jim makes her feel?
Former Navy Seal Jim Brady works best under pressure. At least he used to. Now, fighting flashbacks from his time in Iraq, he has given up everything he knows in order to protect the innocent … from himself. So working with a woman on the run from the law? Not in his plans for this lifetime. Still, something about the blue-eyed beauty tells him she's not the source of the danger—she's running from it. Deep down he knows he'll protect her no matter what. But his heart? That's another story.
The words were nothing more than breaths exhaled
one after another, but there was no mistaking his meaning. What shattered her
into a million pieces, however, were the tears in his eyes when she raised her
head and looked at him.
It was an impossible situation. How could she leave
him? She wasn’t strong enough to carry him, and she couldn’t ignore the request
that obviously meant so much to him. “Okay. I’ll do what you say…but don’t get
used to it.” With her heart ripping open inside her chest, she held his gaze
until he released her, and she stumbled to her feet. With footsteps creaking on
the stairs, Mac tried to give him his handgun, but he again shook his head and
motioned toward the side wall. Finally she gave up, her vision blurring as she
hurried toward the dumbwaiter.
Mac threw open the miniature overhead door and
curled herself into the small, dark space. Obviously, she’d been much younger
the last time she’d played in here. She hadn’t remembered it being such a tight
fit. Hoping the old contraption would hold her weight, she shoved the door
closed, placed Paddy’s weapon and flashlight on her lap, and waited. One tiny
plexi-glass window gave her a limited view of the room.
She jumped when the door across the room flew
inward and banged against the wall. Two figures walked in, but without the aid
of her flashlight, she couldn’t tell who they were. One of them flipped on the
overhead light, and a dim fluorescent glow pushed the shadows back. Gallagher
and Simpson stood over Paddy, and Mac practically screamed her elation, until
Gallagher’s words stopped her cold.
“Where is she, Callahan? We know she called you an
ambulance, so she must be here somewhere. Too bad you had to have her along
tonight. It’s really your fault she
has to die.” He turned toward his partner and smirked. “Callahan’s not very
talkative tonight.”
Simpson moved alongside him. “We won’t get anything
from him. We’ll have to find her on our own.” He pulled his weapon and stood
over Paddy. A second later, he fired one shot, point blank, into her best
friend’s chest.
Mac slammed both hands against the window, wanting
to erase the image that was now seared on her retinas. “Noooo!” The wail
escaped with the force of her sorrow behind it. When both troopers jerked their
gazes toward her, she understood the magnitude of her foolish mistake.
These men wanted to kill her.
And although the reason behind that escaped her,
Paddy had known and had sacrificed his life to give her a chance. If she didn’t
get away, his death would be in vain.
Frantically, she searched for the button old man
Wagner had installed on the inside of the makeshift elevator. As Simpson and
Gallagher started toward her, she jabbed the switch, and the old apparatus
began its descent. Her last view from the window was Paddy’s still form and the
flying feet of the two dirty cops as they scurried out the door, no doubt on
their way to intercept her in the kitchen downstairs.
Luckily, Simpson wasn’t from around here, and
Gallagher hadn’t chosen to hang out with her group of friends when they were
kids, so neither of them knew Mr. Wagner’s secret. They’d find the dumbwaiter
in the kitchen all right, but she’d be long gone.
I was surprised by the twist at the end, and now I want to know what happens next! Brady & Mac are a great couple. She is just what he needs to help him deal with his PTSD. The mystery of who is after Mac is revealed early on the book, so there is not a lot of suspense, but there are a lot of sad moments. This can be read as a standalone, but I enjoyed it enough that I want to to back and read the previous books.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
DIXIE LEE BROWN lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by what she believes is the most gorgeous scenery anywhere. She resides with two dogs and a cat, who make sure she never takes herself too seriously. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, movies, and trips to the beach.
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