He's been chasing a memory . . .
Kiss, Marry, Kill
Iron Clad Security #1
Sidney Halston
Releasing March 28th, 2017
Swerve
It was just
supposed to be a regular Thursday afternoon…and then he saw her. Sitting in
seat L214, one seat over from his at the baseball game, right next to her
douche of a soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. An impromptu kiss for the kiss cam, and
Jax knew his life would never be the same. Five years and a tour in Afghanistan
later, Jax is back stateside running his own private security firm, Iron-Clad,
with his best friend. He isn't the man he used to be... but Megan isn't the
sexy and sweet, though sheltered, twenty-two-year-old he left behind, either.
And she's in trouble.
...but now they're on the run.
Megan Cruz has made something of herself. She’s turned her dreams of pop stardom into a reality. But when a deadly stalker breaks into her home claiming to be her number-one fan, the only person she can turn to is the boy who got away. But Jax isn’t the same carefree charmer who stole her heart, then broke it when he joined the military. This man is seductive, hard, guarded. And he'll do anything to protect what's his.
Megan Cruz has made something of herself. She’s turned her dreams of pop stardom into a reality. But when a deadly stalker breaks into her home claiming to be her number-one fan, the only person she can turn to is the boy who got away. But Jax isn’t the same carefree charmer who stole her heart, then broke it when he joined the military. This man is seductive, hard, guarded. And he'll do anything to protect what's his.
“Promise me, you’ll be happy,” he sang from the other side of the door. “Promise me, you’ll always sing. Promise me
you’ll never settle . . .” He jiggled the door handle. “Meggy? Where are
you, my little mouse?” he said in a sing-song voice, sounding nice enough. Soft
enough.
Safe enough. But Megan
Cruz knew better. The man trying to lure
her out of her enormous walk-in closet was deranged. Megan huddled in a corner
behind all of her cocktail dresses, her knees pushed up and a butcher knife in
one of her trembling hands. Just waiting. Waiting for the cops to show up, or
for Ryan to finally find her. If she could stop breathing, she would. Trying to
stay perfectly still and utterly quiet was an impossible feat with her hands
shaking so violently. Surely he could hear her fear from where he stood on the
other side of the door. If he walked deep enough into the closet, the dresses
that served as a barrier between them would not be sufficient to shield her.
And the fact that he’d broken into her house in the middle of the night was a
good indication that he did want to hurt her.
Twenty minutes earlier she
had been sitting on her bed, completely immersed in writing some lyrics in her
notebook, when she heard the sound of a window shattering downstairs. Her house
may have been huge, but it wouldn’t take long for whoever had broken in to find
her, especially since her room was the first one up the grand staircase, even
more obvious because of its huge double doors. Not about to sit and wait to
find out if it was her stalker or a robber who had broken in, she immediately
sent a text to her parents who lived close by, praying they’d understand the
message: Break in. 911. Help! Then she
silenced her phone and tucked it into her bra. She had also grabbed the
enormous butcher knife she’d hid under mattress six months ago when Ryan had
started sending her disturbing emails and letters.
At that time she’d thought
he was just an overzealous fan and had worried she was being overly cautious,
but now, as she cowered in fear, she realized how wrong she’d been. Megan
actually held her breath when she heard the squeaky noise of the hinges of her
closet door. He was inside now. Sweat dripped down her back and her heart
pounded so loudly it seemed he had to have heard it. It felt as if it was going
to physically come out of her chest, together with the sandwich she’d eaten a
few hours ago. Peering under the hanging clothes she could see green Converse sneakers moving closer
to where she sat curled into a small ball, her arms around her knees.
“Oh Meggy, where are you?
Sing for me, my naughty little mouse. Just one song. Just ‘Promise Me,’ that’s my favorite.”As he stepped closer, she
tightened her grip on the knife.
“You’re supposed to make
your fans happy.” His voice was louder and more agitated this time.
She could hear the fabric
running through his fingers as he caressed her clothes, shifting the fragile
curtain of dresses and shirts she was hiding behind.
“Oh, this is what you wore
to the Grammys last month!” He pulled the dress out, and Megan tensed when a
sliver of light cut through her hiding place. The small gap where the dress had
hung made her more visible, and if he happened to look down he’d undoubtedly
see her on the floor behind the rest of the clothes. She shut her eyes. “This
is perfect. You can wear this when you sing for me at my house. Does anyone
else know how much you love the chase, Meggy? Am I the only one that knows your
secret? I have your new room all ready for you. We can play and sing all the time...It’ll
be so fun, Meggy.”
His feet were moving
slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. She could tell he was directly
in front of her now by how close the sound of his heavy breathing was and by
the way the rubber soles of his sneakers skidded against the wood floor. She
shut her eyes harder and braced herself. She didn’t need her eyes open to see
him—the memory was burned into her brain. His face was unassuming and his body
unimposing. White skin, rounded cheeks, kind-looking face, maybe even cute, if
he wasn’t a complete sociopath. He wasn’t too thin or too large, not too tall,
not too short. Just an ordinary-looking guy. One you would smile at in line for
coffee or at the grocery store. The non-threatening Good Samaritan who helped
you with your flat tire. Completely harmless, completely average, except for
his eyes, gray eyes that were a bit too large and had a slight tilt upward,
reminding her of a cat. Gray eyes that could be considered attractive if it weren’t
for the coldness behind them.
Megan didn’t want to die looking into that coldness. She didn’t want to die hiding in her closet, with the creepy man asking her to sing the song that was about the best four days of her entire life. The four days that also changed the course of her life. Ironic, she would potentially die thinking of those memories.
Megan didn’t want to die looking into that coldness. She didn’t want to die hiding in her closet, with the creepy man asking her to sing the song that was about the best four days of her entire life. The four days that also changed the course of her life. Ironic, she would potentially die thinking of those memories.
Loved the opening that led Jax to reconnect with Megan after many years apart. The flashbacks that tell the story of how they met and show us the differences between who they were then and who they are now. While I love an alpha, Jax was sometimes a bit annoying in his need to keep Megan safe, but overall I loved his protective nature. The plot was good, if a bit predictable, but I enjoyed it and am curious as to what the next book in the series will bring.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
USA Today bestselling author, Sidney
Halston lives her life with one simple rule: "Just Do
It"--Nike. And that's exactly what she did.
After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative, romantic side and wrote Seeing Red. That first pen stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else, and reading follows a close second. When she's not writing, you can find her reading and reading and reading. She's a reader first and a writer second. When she's not writing or reading, her life is complete and utter chaos, trying to balance family life with work and writing (and reading). But she wouldn't have it any other way.
After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative, romantic side and wrote Seeing Red. That first pen stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else, and reading follows a close second. When she's not writing, you can find her reading and reading and reading. She's a reader first and a writer second. When she's not writing or reading, her life is complete and utter chaos, trying to balance family life with work and writing (and reading). But she wouldn't have it any other way.
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