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Chapter 2

Guarding the front gate of a ten-thousand-acre cattle ranch turned bad guys’ hideout, Leif “Dusty” McAllister couldn’t help but wonder if he had the luck of an ’80s action-adventure star John McClane’s brand of bad luck

That Die-Harder could be scarfing down burgers at a Shake ’n Steak and still run into a shit show

Not that he was currently anywhere near that fabulous testament to his nation’s culinary prowess And if he ith the God’s honest truth, he’d have to ad undercover in Mexico to catch a fa out of the line of fire

Sure had raised a few eyebrows at the bureau Uptight shoe-polish divas If you couldn’t stomach a little cow patty on your boots, you shouldn’t sto his relationship with Tony Parish, so when he’d offered Dusty a part in this operation, he’d gone all in Tony was the reason he was in Mexico pretending to work for that psycho sex-trafficker Walid

Dustyand Tony, ore a sihted with BDSM tools, to stand still while he frisked them

As Dusty frisked him, Tony shifted from foot to foot “Dusty”

Even though it was barely a whisper, Dusty froze Guy was gonna call him by name? Here? Pretty stupid Or desperate

Dusty leaned down as he checked Tony’s tools of the trade Those and his steel-toed boots had set off the ot to a knee “Take off your boots”

Tony bent down, took off his shoes, leaned next to Dusty’s ear “Gracie in back of car Can you get her to security?”

Tony’s sister was in the back of that car?

What was going on? This wasn’t the original plan How the hell was he going to get her inside without his

Dusty stood and nodded “Put your boots back on”

He uy winked at hiuy”

Was he serious? Walid was probably watching this whole exchange Dusty pointed at his shoes “Take ’em off”

Dusty checked the guy’s shoes, ducked his head, hid his mouth, and murmured, “Justice?”

Inches frouy retied his shoes “Hillside Scope”

Definitely not the original plan His heart started to pick up its pace She had a scope on them?

This last-minute bullshit must’ve been sparked when Walid captured Sandesh, Justice’s boyfriend Da up at the pasture gate in his mind

He ran through the possibilities Tony was going after Walid, so Gracie and Justice must be after Sandesh

He o”

Without another word, Tony and his pal walked toward the cart that would take the with hison Sure, they trusted him, hard not to after months here, but they weren’t total idiots Poorly trained? Yes Happy-go-lucky? Yes Total idiots? No

Now he had to get Gracie Parish inside the co suspicion, keep that hothead Justice fro anyone, and sacrifice one sadistic sex-slaver to the cause Hopefully, then he’d gain an invite into the Parish family

An invite he sorely needed to get the evidence to take down the Parish ilante extraordinaire, Mukta Parish

He cast his eyes to the sky and whatever heavenly powerbroker ht happen to own stock in this shit show Please No more surprises

In answer, the alarhout the compound

Thanks a lot

The tay radio on Dusty’s belt sparked to life, security telling hieon—the old otten restless

Dusty motioned his olf cart He did not want to set Justice off The alar as much havoc with her nerves as his

He absolutely had to do so loon since his brother’s

Adrenaline brushed its cheic across his blood, and the entire scene slowed, snapped into bright, glaring focus

He ordered Tony and Victor out of the golf cart and onto their knees Best to ood

One of his guards, a recent hire,weren’t coincidence, he got in Tony’s face

&n

bsp; Newbie

With a caluy in Spanish But the newbie bent down, grabbed Tony, hoisted hi

And then the idiot reached for his gun Dusty put up a hand “No Para—”

Pop Blood splattered from a bullet hole in newbie’s head Tony wrestled out of his dead grasp and ran toward Walid’s villa, with his friend a hot step behind

Bullets started flying Dusty ducked and ran for cover in the other direction, toward the car and the woman hidden there

Yep John McClane’s luck They were gonna die so friggin’ hard today All of them

Chapter 3

There was no way Gracie could stay trapped inside this sweaty can of a space for one in’ minute

Justice’s voice caain “Gracie They’re in They’re—”

An alarm sounded Her heart sped up—way up It outpaced a Ducati She needed out of this hidey-hole now

Her sweaty, nuainst the metal escape lever like a fish on the deck of a ship

The pop, pop, pop of Justice’s gun cah her headset before it clicked off Why was Justice shooting? Did it have anything to do with the alarm?

Crud

This never would’ve happened if she’d still been with John She’d probably be a soccer arden and soft moments

Okay, stop, Gracie Focus on squeezing that ret Not the o

Easier said—thought and repeated again and again—than done She thought of John all the time And their son Tyler At work At rest At play And now Here in this sweaty, uncomfortable, uncertain place Because she was afraid And her biggest regret was losing them

Stay calh to breathe squeezed inside the led back, she grasped at the latch, pulled The ave with a dull click

Breathing heavily, she pushed against the padding The seat cracked open then stopped dead Fudge buckets

More shots Close Someone fired from behind the car Someone used the car for cover So at her sister was so dead