Suspense – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Suspense – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Wed, 20 May 2026 17:50:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Suspense – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Crimson Shore (Blue Arrow Island #2) Read Online Brenda Rothert http://www.books2020.com/crimson-shore-blue-arrow-island-2-read-online-brenda-rothert Wed, 20 May 2026 17:50:31 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/crimson-shore-blue-arrow-island-2-read-online-brenda-rothert Genre: Alpha Male, Dark, Suspense Authors: Brenda Rothert Series: Blue Arrow Island Series by Brenda Rothert
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Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)

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Power. Betrayal. A love that could save them all—or destroy everything.
Briar Hollis made her choice, but Blue Arrow Island doesn't forgive. It doesn't forget. And it sure as hell doesn't let you leave unscathed. The war for control of the brutal island is escalating, and now that Briar has allies at her side, the stakes have never been higher.

A new player has entered the game.
When a new prisoner arrives on the island's blood-soaked shores, the fragile balance of power shatters. The rules have changed. Survival now demands impossible choices. Briar is still learning to wield the power the island gifted her—but time is running out.

He shattered her heart. Now she's all that stands between him and oblivion.
The war between the island's ruthless leaders has turned personal, and Briar stands at the center of a storm whose destruction won't end at the shore. The man who destroyed her—whose lies cut deeper than any blade—harbors a power so volatile it could consume everything. But it's killing him from the inside out.
To defeat the darkness rising from the island's depths, Briar must do the trust the beautiful, broken man who taught her that love and betrayal are two sides of the same coin

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PART ONE

1

“When my brother put his newborn daughter in my arms for the first time, I loved you from that moment. Anything I do to keep you safe is well worth it. You’re all I have left.” - Excerpt from an unsent letter by Virginia Marsden to her niece

Briar

I don’t feel great about punching my best friend in the face so hard she staggers and drops to the ground, but it had to be done.

“Okay,” Amira huffs, quickly rolling to her stomach and getting into a crouch. “I get it.”

She’s a quick learner, but I’m a ruthless teacher. I spent a week coaching her in hand-to-hand combat—now it’s all execution. And her lessons are like the ones my father gave me and my sister. Unfair, but effective.

Your opponents won’t tell you a hit is coming. You’ll be on your feet one second and on your back the next, and before you take another breath, you’ll be dead.

I carry my parents with me. Dad’s combat lessons were grounded in his love for us. He wanted me and Mae to be able to defend ourselves against any opponent. I want the same for Amira.

She gets to her feet, fists up to protect her battered face. The girl can take a punch, but I don’t want her to have to take them from men who are twice her size and much stronger than either of us.

“First strike usually wins,” I remind her. “Don’t hesitate.”

She goes for my knees with a sharp kick. I evade it, grabbing her foot, twisting it, and shoving her back to the ground. Dirt from the training arena clouds into her face when her palms land.

I’m on her, lightly pressing the toe of my boot into her side. “I’m about to fuck up your insides. Move, Amira!”

She groans and starts crawling away.

Zara, watching us while she fletches arrows, tips her chin at me. “Fighting weaker opponents gets you off, doesn’t it?”

“Eat shit.” I shoot her a disgusted glare. “We’re training.”

“You don’t have to injure people to teach them. I never broke a bone learning.”

She’s never letting me live down Amira’s broken finger from a couple weeks ago, even though it was Amira’s fault.

“That’s probably why I’m a better fighter than you,” I fire back.

“You mispronounced arrogant bitch.”

I turn, closing the distance between us. If it’s an ass kicking she wants, I’ll deliver.

Someone grabs a fistful of the back of my T-shirt and pulls me backward.

“Don’t take the bait, Briar.”

I don’t even have to turn. That smoky, deliberate voice belongs to Nova, who never loses her temper the way I sometimes do. Zara knows how to set me off.

Nova’s right. I shake my head and go back over to Amira, who’s on her feet now.

“Zara. Training drills.”

The clipped command forms a fist around my heart. Even after three weeks of us not speaking to each other, Marcus is never far from my mind. And due to both of us working in camp security, he’s usually physically close, too.

Everything is different now. I used to fight my urges to jump into his arms and beg him to take me back to our room for slow, sweaty sex. Now I have to keep myself from punching him in the balls every time I see him.

The knife still feels freshly buried in my heart. Every day of the past few months on Blue Arrow Island has been a battle to survive. Life on the mainland is a struggle under the regime, too, but at least the rules are clear.

The island is a fresh tropical hell where death awaits in many forms. The cutthroats in the Rising Tide tribe. Genetically modified animals. Controlled climate extremes. The ticking time bomb inside all of us from aromium, the experimental compound Marcus helped create.

It almost killed him. The days he spent unconscious, hanging between life and death, were agonizing. I’ve never felt a betrayal as deeply as his, but I didn’t want him to die. He needs to bear witness to the destruction he helped cause.

“So I should go for the knees, or no?”

Dusty, sunbaked dirt is caked into the sweat on Amira’s face, blood from her nose swirled onto her cheek from her wiping her hand over it while we sparred.

“It’s not a definitive yes or no. If they’re protecting their face, you can’t go for the throat. Your goal is always to escape. But if you can’t—like if someone is holding your arms on the ground, knee the groin and bite anywhere you can. If you can get your opponent onto the ground, taking out a knee will keep them from chasing you.”

“Amira,” Marcus calls.

We both look at him, my eyes locking onto his. I used to see caged desire there. A leader first and a man second, the needs of the camp usually trumping what he wanted for himself. There’s still an intensity in his gaze that makes my heart pound wildly, but I don’t know what it means. Is he angry? Sorry? It’s him not even trying to talk to me that I’m the most incensed over.

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Advertisement The Ruler (Roman Republic #1) Read Online Penelope Sky http://www.books2020.com/the-ruler-roman-republic-1-read-online-penelope-sky Wed, 13 May 2026 18:58:16 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/the-ruler-roman-republic-1-read-online-penelope-sky Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Dark, Mafia, Suspense Authors: Penelope Sky Series: Roman Republic Series by Penelope Sky
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Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)

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From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Sky, an unforgettable golden retriever mafia romance set in modern-day Italy, bursting with violence, dripping with blood, and crackling with desire.

We spent weeks planning this trip to Sicily together. And I was damn sure going to enjoy it, even if my lying, cheating boyfriend just abandoned me.

I push aside self-pity to venture out and take photographs. Later, I lock eyes with a stranger at a bar. This tattooed god, Constantine, is way out of my league, but to my surprise, he’s all in—every inch. And up in his hotel suite, he claims me for his own. Over and over again.

Constantine’s touch helps take away the pain, and he possesses me like I’ve never known. I fall hard. But beneath his kindness to me, to his family, to his dog, I sense danger. How could I know that to the city of Rome, he’s a brutal enforcer?

When I trust the wrong man, I discover just how dangerous Constantine can be. He may call me sweetheart, but the Roman Republic calls him Emperor—and trembles at his feet

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter 1

Aurelia

After an hour flight from Rome to Catania, and then another hour drive from the airport, we arrived in Taormina, a quintessential Italian village with cobblestone pathways that led through little alleyways to reveal seafood restaurants that had been in the same families for generations, sandwich shops with freshly made focaccia bread, and little spots with Neapolitan pizza.

Paradise.

We’d planned this trip five months ago, and it was hard to believe it was finally here. With a packed schedule of visits to the wineries, the active volcano Etna, a trip to the Greek theatre, lots of cannoli and granita, it would be a trip to remember.

And we needed it now more than ever.

For the past couple months, Enzo had been noticeably withdrawn. It started off small, like not giving me the same focus he had in the past, missing whatever I was saying because his mind was somewhere else. It progressively got worse, and he didn’t even bother to pretend to listen. Then there were other things . . .

He used to slip in behind me and join me in the shower. We never had sex in there, not when there wasn’t room and the tiles were slippery and I’d fallen once before, but it always served as awesome foreplay before we made it to the bed and dampened the sheets. But he stopped doing that, and when I joined him instead, I could see his glimpse of disappointment. He tucked it away quickly, but not fast enough for me to miss it.

Conversations over dinner had grown stale and forced. He spent more time at work or out with his friends. He used to invite me to join him and his boys, but those invitations stopped.

Whenever I asked him about it, he said he was stressed at work, that he had a falling-out with one of his friends over a stupid argument, that his vertigo had come back with a vengeance . . . always something.

I’m not stupid, so I jumped to the conclusion every woman jumps to.

That there was someone else.

I wasn’t proud of my actions, hated myself a bit for doing it, but I went through his phone and checked his messages. He’d never used a passcode, and I took that as a sign of committed transparency.

I never found anything.

I went to his work parties and knew all of his colleagues. He worked in finance, so most of them were men, and Enzo didn’t strike me as the type of man to play for the other team. His boss was a woman, but she was about seven years older than him, with a husband and two kids.

So that was a dead end.

That led to one last possibility . . . and it was by far the worst.

That he’d just stopped loving me.

That I’d watched it happen, watched the love and desire slowly fade from his heart, watched the light fade from his eyes. They used to burn bright when they looked at me, with love and attention, and now there was just nothing there.

And the fact that he didn’t acknowledge it when I asked, always had an excuse to explain his behavior, told me he didn’t want to fix it. Didn’t want to fight for this. Wanted to let our tree wither until it killed the roots and there was no going back.

He even tried to cancel the trip, said he had too many projects at work, but the hotel said our deposit was nonrefundable, so he conceded.

Maybe this trip would be a turning point for us. Maybe the sunshine and the warm beaches and the fancy dinners over candlelight would light a spark for a fire that had died in the depth of winter. Bring strength back to our broken bones and blood back to our hearts.

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Advertisement The Savage (Roman Republic #2) Read Online Penelope Sky http://www.books2020.com/the-savage-roman-republic-2-read-online-penelope-sky Wed, 13 May 2026 18:58:13 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/the-savage-roman-republic-2-read-online-penelope-sky Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Dark, Mafia, Suspense Authors: Penelope Sky Series: Roman Republic Series by Penelope Sky
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Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)

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In an electrifying return to the dark world of Roman Republic, a ruthless emperor contends with an enemy within, whose connection to his family’s past pushes him—and his heart—to new limits.
The city of Taormina calls to me—but Constantine possesses me, body and soul. Not just because of those chiseled abs and glorious tattoos my photographer’s eye can’t help but admire. Or the man’s utter devotion to his dog. But because he always stands up for me.
He saved my life once. And he’d do it again.
His ruthless brand of justice inspires terror on the streets of Rome. But in his arms, I shiver for a different reason. So when he asks me to move in after just six weeks, I’m ecstatic.
And conflicted.
I worry I’m a distraction. An obstacle to his duties as emperor. And when his nemesis, the Skull King—that merciless bastard who killed Constantine’s twin—reappears, I fear I’m right.
Whatever went down between them, Constantine loved his brother with all his heart. Now he has a choice to make: avenge his brother’s death and protect Rome…or save me again

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue I

Constantine

Bright and early in the morning, I worked in the kitchen of Rosticceria Da Cristina and prepared the dough for the pizzas and the fillings for the arancini. The pizza dough took the longest, requiring adequate time for the yeast to activate and for the dough to rise at the right temperature. I turned on the music from the sound system, cranking it up because I was the only one in there, singing along to the parts I liked because there was no one there to judge me.

Then I saw my mother through the window. She used her key to unlock the door, but when there was no resistance, she realized I’d left it open and she walked inside. “What did I tell you about locking the door, Con?” she shouted over the music.

“What do you think’s gonna happen? Someone is gonna jack our pizza?”

“Why is this so loud?” She marched to the sound system and aggressively pushed the buttons until the music abruptly ended. “Jesus Christ, it’s seven in the morning.”

I rolled my eyes and got back to work.

“Roll your eyes at me again, and I’ll smack them out of your head.”

I smirked as I rolled the dough in the flour. “Sorry, Ma.”

She gave me a gentle smack on the ass before she headed into the office. She did the books while I continued to prepare the store to open. I turned the music back on, keeping it at a reasonable level so she wouldn’t yell at me again.

A couple hours later, she joined me in the kitchen. “Everything ready to go?”

“Like always, Ma.” Working at the family business wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it’d been in our family for generations and we were all proud of it. The restaurant had become a famous tourist spot for everyone who visited Taormina. Sometimes I wondered what life would be like if I left the island and made my own way on the mainland, but I had too much to leave behind. My family was everything to me, and if I ever decided to move, my mother would be devastated. She smacked me a lot, but I knew she did it out of love.

She rubbed my arm before she gave me a gentle pat. “That’s my boy.”

“Your boy has been a man a long time.”

“Yes, I’m reminded every time I stand next to you.” She glanced up at me, a foot and a half shorter than me. “So how are you? How are things with Issy?”

“Good,” I said with a smile. “We were at the beach yesterday.”

“She’s a nice girl, Con.”

“I know.”

“And nice girls don’t wait around forever . . .” She shot me a look before she started to place the trays of arancini and pizzas inside the glass-covered display case where the customers could choose what they wanted.

“I know they don’t. Which is why I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

“Wait too long and all the good ones will be taken, Con.” She clearly hadn’t heard what I said, obviously drowning in her anxiety that I wouldn’t marry and have two kids before I turned twenty-five. “They will have another man’s babies, and you’ll be sorry.”

“Ma?”

“Hmm?” She finished loading the last tray into the glass case, then shut the door. She came back to me, dusting her palms from the flour that was always sprinkled throughout the place.

“I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

She blinked once, and then her face hardened like she didn’t understand. Her hands flew to her mouth as she silenced a gasp she didn’t realize she’d made. “Con, do not mess with me right now. I’m not in the mood for one of your jokes—”

“I would never joke about that, Ma.”

“So, you’re serious?”

“Yes.”

She smacked both of her hands onto the counter, probably hard enough that it hurt, but she then threw her arms in the air and hopped up and down, moving with an enthusiasm she hadn’t shown in . . . forever. “Oh my god, my boy is getting married. I can’t believe this. I just . . . I have to talk to your aunt Chiara. She’s going to be so excited—”

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Advertisement Falter – Guardian Protection Read Online Aly Martinez http://www.books2020.com/falter-guardian-protection-read-online-aly-martinez Wed, 13 May 2026 18:57:49 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/falter-guardian-protection-read-online-aly-martinez Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Forbidden, Suspense Authors: Aly Martinez Advertisement

Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)

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I once made the mistake of falling for a client, and it nearly cost me my career.
Jaded and disgraced, I used my attitude as armor so it could never happen again.

Until I was assigned to protect Lofton Beck.

Hollywood’s golden girl had a stalker on her tail—and two dead bodyguards.

She was a nightmare from the start. Didn’t follow orders. Had no concept of boundaries. Worst of all, she was so damn gorgeous I couldn’t build my walls strong enough to keep her out.

As the threats escalated, we were forced into hiding at her family’s farm. Keeping my distance became impossible with her sleeping in the room next door.

Somewhere between our early mornings together and the quiet moments when the world disappeared, it became clear her stalker wasn’t the most dangerous part of the assignment.

Protecting her was never the problem.
Falling for her could cost me everything

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

LOFTON

“Help me,” I whispered into the phone, pinning it between my shoulder and ear. Zoey’s pajama-clad legs dangled at my side as I held her with my palm sealed over her mouth. Her tears felt like acid to my soul as they dripped over my fingers.

I could barely hear the nine-one-one operator over my heart pounding. “Okay, ma’am. What’s your emergency?”

“Someone broke in and—” Another gunshot exploded outside the door. I wasn’t sure where it had come from or who had fired it, but the blood on the bottom of my bare feet didn’t leave me with much hope. Flinching at the sound, I momentarily lost my grasp on Zoey’s mouth.

“I want my mommy,” she cried.

“It’s okay. She’ll be here soon.” I lied, or at least I hoped I had. Brooke would have no doubt been a calm head in the midst of chaos, but with her out picking up dinner, it was safest for her to stay far, far away.

“Ma’am,” the dispatcher called, refocusing my attention. “What’s your address?”

“I, uh, I don’t know. It’s a rental, up on…on…um—” My brain went blank.

“Siena Place?”

“Yes! That’s it.”

“Okay, I’ve got help on the way. Is anyone injured?”

“My… my bodyguard. He was shot, I think…God, I don’t know. There was blood and…”

“Okay, and what about you? Are you injured?”

“No.” Spinning in a circle, I frantically searched the small bathroom.

No window.

No exit.

No escape.

My beloved privacy had never been more terrifying.

I set Zoey on her feet. Releasing her felt wrong on every level, but whoever had broken in wasn’t there for her. Opening the linen closet, I guided her toward it.

“Tofton, no,” she sobbed my nickname while fighting against me.

Desperate and quickly running out of options, I put the phone on the tile floor and squatted to her level. A steady stream of tears fell from her ocean blue eyes.

“Baby, come on,” I pleaded. “It’s okay. You know Marty and Derrick are out there. We’re safe. We just have to hide until the police get here.” It was a bald-faced lie. I’d stepped over Derrick’s lifeless body, and I had no clue where Marty was. I prayed like hell he wasn’t on the receiving end of that last gunshot.

I nudged her toward the closet. “They’re going to take care of us, but I need you to get in there. Cover up with as many towels as you can.” I offered her a smile that should have won me a second Oscar. “Pretend this is just a game of hide-and-seek? You go in the closet and hide until I find you.”

She shook her head, lip quivering. “I don’t want to pretend.”

God, did I understand that, but this was my life.

A life I’d chosen.

A life I’d sacrificed for.

A life most people would envy.

And now, I feared it was going to be a life my Zoey was going to die for.

I brushed a curl off her forehead and traced my thumb back and forth over her tear-soaked cheek. “Keep quiet, and don’t come out no matter what you hear, okay?” I kissed her forehead hard, letting it linger as it shredded me. “I promise. I’ll be right out here.”

She sniffled, her shoulders shaking with unshed sobs, but my girl was brave. Reluctantly, she ducked into the closet. I made quick work of burying her in towels and then quietly closed the door.

With her hidden, I put the phone back to my ear.

“Ma’am? Ma’am? Are you still there?” the dispatcher called.

“Yes,” I whispered. “Please hurry.”

“I have help on the way. Do you know who broke in?”

“No, I didn’t see anyone. I just heard the gunshots and took off.”

“Okay, stay on the phone with me. What’s your name?”

“Lofton Beck.”

There was a blistering pause on her end. Silence so thick it buzzed in my ears. Not even the clack of keys as I hoped she was dispatching the entire police department.

Then—

“Lofton Beck?” she questioned, her voice rising, laced with awe and disbelief.

My spine snapped straight. This was not the time for the celebrity spotlight to work its paralyzing magic. “Please, just send—” I was cut off by a sudden banging on the bathroom door.

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Advertisement Burn of Summer – Knife’s Edge Alaska Read Online Rebecca Zanetti http://www.books2020.com/burn-of-summer-knifes-edge-alaska-read-online-rebecca-zanetti Wed, 13 May 2026 18:57:44 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/burn-of-summer-knifes-edge-alaska-read-online-rebecca-zanetti Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Suspense Authors: Rebecca Zanetti Advertisement

Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 105868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)

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Welcome to Knife’s Edge, Alaska, where the four Osprey brothers return from military service with shadows in their eyes and secrets in their hearts. As danger looms, new romances ignite, and these rugged men must fight for love…and survival.

Ace Osprey was born to fly—but a crash stole his wings and left him with scars he refuses to show. Grounded and restless, the former Navy pilot masks his broken pieces with charm and swagger. He swore he’d never get tied down again, but when Dr. May Smirnov walks into Knife’s Edge with secrets in her eyes and fire in her heart, Ace finds himself pulled into a storm he can’t outmaneuver.

May came to Knife’s Edge to hide, not to burn. The small-town doctor keeps her past locked away, but Ace Osprey is a temptation she can’t ignore—infuriating, magnetic, and far too good at peeling away her walls. Their chemistry is combustible, but in a town where women are turning up dead under the endless summer sun, desire might be as dangerous as the killer stalking the shadows.

When May becomes the next target, Ace has no choice but to fight for more than just survival. Protecting her means risking his heart—and the closer they get, the more certain he is that she’s the one thing he can’t afford to lose. In Knife’s Edge, love isn’t safe…but some passions are worth the danger

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

Ace Osprey was bleeding again.

Not a surprise. The guy showed up bleeding at least once a week. At this point, Dr. May Smirnov had spent more time stitching up the handsome jackass than she had with her own skin care routine. Which, admittedly, consisted of soap, water, and inexpensive lotion.

She had walked back into her clinic after a quick lunch down the street and now stared at him in the quaint waiting room while trying, really hard, to hold on to her temper. Pictures she’d taken of the outlying wilderness decorated the walls and failed to provide peace for once. As the small Alaska town’s only doctor, she had to act like a professional, even though she wanted to smack him atop his stubborn head.

“What now?” Okay. That sounded more like a ticked off girlfriend and not a doctor. She was not his girlfriend and never would be. “Ace?”

He lounged on the newish green leather chairs she’d managed to obtain just a day ago, his legs long, his eyes a mellow green tonight. “I tripped and fell.”

She ground her back teeth together and moved toward him, leaning to study the cut above his left eye. The flow had slowed to a trickle that ran down the side of his face to land on his grey T-shirt. “Looks like a ring caught you.”

He grinned. “You’re good at this, Doc.”

The cut wasn’t bad. She could bandage it with a butterfly. “Will I have another patient coming in?”

“Nah. I dropped him fast with a punch to the gut. He was coughing out blood a bit, but I didn’t damage anything inside him. The guy was already pretty tuned up with booze, and he went back to eating his lunch.” Ace still hadn’t moved.

She knew a lecture wouldn’t help. Even so, she owed him the truth as his doctor. “You need to stop this nonsense, Ace.” The guy was always getting in fights, but he never hurt anybody. Not really. And something told her he could if he chose. It was as if he wanted to punish himself. “Again, I have several names⁠—”

“I don’t need a shrink, Doc,” he drawled.

The heck he didn’t. “Even if you won’t see a professional, why not drop by Smitty’s?” She could not believe she’d just suggested the old mountain man help Ace, but the guy was known to fix a head or two. At least, that’s what she’d heard. “It can’t hurt.”

“You don’t know that.” The smile widened, making Ace look even more roguish. “When Paul Leithy went up to Smitty’s for advice last week, Smitty threw him out a window. I guess Paul was being a moron.”

They were all morons. All men. Well, not all. But most. May straightened, fighting the very real urge to brush a lock of Ace’s dark brown, almost black, hair away from his angled face. He was at least half Inuit and had the strong features of his people. The very handsome features. Touching him in such a way would be very un-doctorlike, and she battled with herself every day to keep professional with him. “I’d like to throw you out a window.”

He barked out a laugh, and even that held charm. Well, a rough-edged, born and bred in the Alaskan wilderness, charm. “You know I’d let you put your hands on me any way you want.”

Ah, the flirty Ace was back. She wondered, not for the first time, what he’d do if she took him up on one of his invitations. Probably run for the jagged mountains surrounding them and disappear. He thought she was safe to flirt with because she worked as his doctor. True. He had a right to believe that. Besides, he’d been playing with plenty of the tourists in town for the fishing season. Young women looking for adventure, and from what she’d heard, they’d found plenty of it with Ace. Apparently the Alaskan native was a ‘god’ in bed.

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Advertisement Safe Keeping (Triple Creek Ranch #2) Read Online Kristen Proby http://www.books2020.com/safe-keeping-triple-creek-ranch-2-read-online-kristen-proread-online Wed, 13 May 2026 18:57:42 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/safe-keeping-triple-creek-ranch-2-read-online-kristen-proread-online Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Forbidden, Suspense Authors: Kristen Proby Series: Triple Creek Ranch Series by Kristen Proby
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Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >90

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby returns to Triple Creek Ranch with a sizzling romance between a brooding ex–Secret Service agent and the president’s daughter he’s sworn to protect.

Five years ago, Secret Service Agent Gideon James took a bullet to protect me.

It haunts me every single day.

As the president’s daughter, my life has never truly been my own. But when a traitor in my security detail tries to kidnap me, Mom sends me to Montana—to the one man who’s never failed to keep me safe.

These days, Gideon runs an elite security training facility on his family ranch. He’s not exactly thrilled to see me, and his family trusts me even less. But during our intense self-defense sessions, something electric ignites between us. Those steel-gray eyes see past my title to who I really am. For the first time, I’m discovering my own strength—and a desire I can’t deny.

Just as I’m falling hard, betrayal strikes again, threatening everything Gideon and I have built. Now I must choose between protecting my heart and fighting for the man who’s always protected me—and the only place I’ve ever truly belonged

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Gideon

Fifteen Years Old

“Gideon, I need to see you in my office.” Reggie’s standing just outside the bedroom I share with three other guys. He doesn’t look mad, but I’m always in trouble, so he’s probably just used to it by now, and it isn’t showing in his expression.

At least Reggie doesn’t knock us around.

“What did you do now?” Seth, a kid that’s on my last nerve, says with a smirk that I’d like to wipe off his face.

What a moron.

I ignore him and follow Reggie down the hall, past the dining and living rooms to his office, and when he closes the door behind us, unease settles in my gut.

I freaking hate it here at this boys’ home. We all call it hell house. Basically, no one wants a foster kid like me. No one wants to adopt me. So I’m here. I mean, it could be a lot worse, but it’s not great. The food sucks. I’m always cold. My eye aches thanks to the punch from that jerk, Ryker.

I hate that guy. We’re always coming to blows. If he would just keep his big mouth shut, I could ignore him, but he must be allergic to shutting the hell up.

“I probably did whatever you’re accusing me of,” I say, starting the conversation and doing my best to look bored. “So go ahead and just give me extra chores.”

Reggie’s quiet long enough to make me nervous, and I shift in my seat.

“We have a few things to discuss,” he finally says and drags his hand down his face. “First of all, your dad—”

“No.”

Reggie sighs. “I get it.”

“No, you don’t.”

No one will ever get it, and that’s the way it should be. I fucking hate that this is my life.

I hate my life.

“You’re right.” Reggie looks down at the paper on his desk. “I don’t. But I’m trying to empathize with you, Gideon. He’s written you letters every week.”

“Throw them away.”

His face is grim. “I do. But there are about to be some changes, and I need to know, before that happens, if you’d like me to take you to see him.”

The thought of coming face-to-face with my murderous bastard of a sperm donor makes my stomach twist.

“Fuck. No.”

Reggie nods. “Okay.”

My eyes narrow, and my hands fist on my lap. “You really won’t make me go?”

“I’m not in the habit of forcing teenage boys to visit their fathers in prison.”

“But the state—”

“They can’t make you go either. I’m asking because while you don’t want to read what your father has to say, I have to read it to make sure he’s not saying anything incriminating or abusive to you. I know you don’t like me very much, but I’m on your side, kiddo.”

I don’t reply to that. My hands ball into fists, and I wait for him to keep talking.

“He’s asked to see you.”

“No.”

He nods. “You’ve already said that. You don’t have to go. Now, you do need to pack your stuff up because you’re being moved to a house.”

My gaze whips up, and nerves immediately settle in my chest, making my throat close.

This could be worse than hell house.

“I’ll be driving you this afternoon.”

“Where?”

“It’s a ranch about three hours from here. The owners, Debbie and Ray, are really good people, and you’re going to spend the summer with them.”

I get to spend the summer on a ranch? It feels like I just won the lottery.

“Ryker is going with you.”

Nope. Didn’t win the fucking lottery.

“I’m not going.”

“Unfortunately, this isn’t something you have a choice in. You have thirty minutes to pack your bag.”

He stands, like that’s the end of the conversation.

“What if I refuse?”

Reggie sighs and shakes his head. “You don’t get to refuse, Gideon. You’re fifteen, and you go where the state says you go. But I can tell you that it’s better than here. If you give it a chance, you just might like it.”

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Advertisement The Billionaire I Can’t Deny (The Brodys of Whiskey Run #3) Read Online Hope Ford http://www.books2020.com/the-billionaire-i-cant-deny-the-brodys-of-whiskey-run-3-read-online-hope-ford Wed, 13 May 2026 18:57:40 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/the-billionaire-i-cant-deny-the-brodys-of-whiskey-run-3-read-online-hope-ford Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Erotic, Insta-Love, Suspense Authors: Hope Ford Series: The Brodys of Whiskey Run Series by Hope Ford
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Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)

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I ran from him once.This time… he’s not letting me go. He’s my fake boyfriend, my last hope… and the man I was too scared to keep. Miller Brody is powerful, possessive, and completely out of my league. One perfect night was all it took to ruin me, and one moment of doubt sent me running. Now my world is falling apart, and he’s the only one who can fix it. Miller doesn’t just step in. He takes over. He pulls me into his life, his home, his arms, and tells the world I belong to him. It’s fake. It has to be. But the way he touches me feels real. The way he looks at me feels dangerous. And the way he says mine… it feels inevitable. I tell myself I won’t fall for him again. Because if I lose this, I won’t just lose him.
I’ll lose everything that matters

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

LINDSEY

I’m packing up my gear, fumbling the whole time.

I do this every day. Sometimes even more than once. But today, nothing is going like it should.

I don’t even have to look up to feel his eyes on me.

It was supposed to be a quick photo. As a matter of fact, I was told he demanded that it not take up more than three minutes of his time.

Well, his photo shoot was at ten a.m. this morning, and he’s still here at five o’clock.

Miller Brody is known for being aloof. He’s a lone wolf, and word on the street is he’s close to no one except his family. Of course, there are other rumors. I heard a few more today. Some of the women I photographed made no effort to hide how much they wanted him. One even hinted—boldly—at just how good he is in bed.

Just hearing that made my heart rate pick up. Jealousy. Pure and simple.

It’s crazy. I don’t know this man. I’ve only seen him in pictures until today. But there’s something about him that brings out a possessiveness in me that I didn’t know I had.

The man that has watched me all day rises from his seat in the corner. Sometime during the day, he’d uncuffed his sleeves and rolled them up, baring strong forearms covered in ink.

He removed the tie and undid a few buttons, and there are more intricate black lines on his neck. Everything in me wanted to point my camera at him, but I withheld.

As soon as he rises, the staff approaches him, seeing what he needs. It’s like everyone is attuned to him, wanting to please him, and when a young blond woman with perky breasts licks her lips and asks him if she can get him anything, I know exactly what’s on her mind.

I lower my gaze to my camera. Just pack up and get out of here, Lindsey. There’s no reason to stick around and see which woman he chooses to take home with him today.

I try to ignore the whole situation… until those tattooed forearms I’d been drooling over are right there in front of me. “Lindsey.”

His voice is gruff, and I swear I feel a rumble in my lower belly.

I look up. His large fingers are stroking his beard as his gaze pierces me. I lower my eyes. “How can I help you, Mr. Brody? Were you not happy with the pictures?”

He takes a step toward me. “I didn’t see them.”

I look around for my assistant that was hired for the day, but he’s nowhere to be found. Probably left as soon as he packed up my gear. Everything is stacked up, and I realize I’m going to have to lug it all out to my truck. Oh my God, this day is never going to end. “I’m sorry, Mr. Brody. My assistant was supposed to⁠—”

Miller pops his shoulders. “He tried. I didn’t want him to show me. I want you to show me.”

My mouth falls open. Is this some kind of rich thing? You don’t let the help near? My lips purse in anger. I have thought a lot of things today, but I didn’t expect Miller Brody to be a stuck-up snob. “Right, well, let me show you.”

He points at my mouth. “What are you thinking right now?”

I hold my camera between us. “Excuse me?”

He lifts his hand and smooths my cheek softly. I should pull back from his touch, but I’m too surprised to move. “You’re mad… Why?”

I shake my head. “I’m not mad.”

He smiles softly. “Lindsey, I’ve watched you all day. When you’re pleased with a photo, your eyes sparkle. When someone annoys you, you get a line between your eyes. When you’re jealous, your face flushes and you look away.” He smiles as he says that one and then strokes my cheek again. “And when you’re mad, your mouth tightens.”

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Advertisement Stay With Me (Dangerous Obsession #1) Read Online Nikki Sloane http://www.books2020.com/stay-with-me-dangerous-obsession-1-read-online-nikki-sloane Wed, 13 May 2026 18:57:38 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/stay-with-me-dangerous-obsession-1-read-online-nikki-sloane Genre: Alpha Male, Dark, Forbidden, Suspense Authors: Nikki Sloane Series: Dangerous Obsession Series by Nikki Sloane
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Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)

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When the spotlight turns deadly, survival becomes the performance of her life.

A single gunshot rings out, shattering Laurel Hayward’s debut as a professional dancer—and witnessing an assassination is only the beginning of her nightmare. The ruthless killer will stop at nothing to find her—determined to possess her or silence her forever.

Enter Deputy U.S. Marshal Jason Dunn: handsome, confident, and far too good at getting under Laurel’s skin. Keeping her alive is his job, but keeping his distance? Impossible. Alone in the secluded safe house, the line between duty and desire blurs into something too powerful to resist.

Laurel needs Jason to survive. Jason needs her to finally capture the ghost who’s haunted his career for years. But as their attraction ignites, the obsessed killer returns with a deadly final act . . .

And it could cost them everything.

* Stay With Me was previously published in 2014 as Stay by Karyn Lawrence (Nikki’s alter ego). This completely rewritten version features new content, more spice, and a point-of-view switch.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

NOW

LAUREL

My hands reached behind to grasp the cold metal railing while I sucked the pre-dawn air into my lungs.

What the hell?

I stood precariously on the ledge of a balcony with my toes curled over the edge. This, and my death-grip on the wrought iron at my back, were all that kept me from plunging to the rocks far below.

Water lapped against the cliff. I hated heights. So why on Earth was I out here?

I tried to steady my breathing and keep my gaze up, but my legs shook. I shivered in the cold wind, making the railing rattle. A panicked whimper escaped from my lips as I pivoted on my heel, turning until the rail slammed into my stomach, but I didn’t care.

At least I could cling to two things now. The wrought iron, and the illusion I was safely back on the stone balcony.

I took another breath and launched myself up and over the railing. It wasn’t pretty, but both feet hit the ground, meaning I was still alive. My teeth chattered because I was only wearing silk pajama pants and a camisole top.

Across the balcony, a robe was draped over a patio chair.

I slipped my arms into it as I tried to remember why I’d taken it off, but sharp, agonizing pain sliced through my head. I moved my fingers up to the nape of my neck, and then up into my hair where it ached the most.

There was a large wound near the crown of my skull.

It wasn’t fresh, but not yet healed, either. Something foreign and sharp was embedded in my skin. The hair around it felt like it had been shaved at one point but had started to grow back. I turned to face the house as reality washed over me.

Nothing was familiar. Not this place, not my clothes, not how I got here. I pushed a strand of brown hair out of my eyes. Holy crap, not even my hair color seemed right. The force of it all almost knocked me off my feet.

I couldn’t remember.

It was all just empty.

I trembled and cinched the robe tighter, eyeing the railing. What had I been doing out there?

A single word echoed through my mind, which was terrifying . . . Suicide.

“Hey.” His voice was soft, but I jumped anyway. “What are you doing?”

The man used the heel of his palm to grind the sleep from one eye. He wore a plain t-shirt and flannel pajama pants, and his mahogany hair was askew. Taller than average, and likely in his thirties. I peered at his face, tried to force myself to recognize him. He was attractive and seemed to know me, so surely I should remember him.

Nothing.

“What are you doing up?” he asked.

I didn’t say anything, because what would I say?

“Well, we’re awake. You want coffee?” He turned to head back in through the French doors he’d strolled through.

I stayed deathly quiet. Everything was too overwhelming.

When I didn’t respond, he stopped and focused on me, concern washing through his expression. “What is it?”

I held up a hand and gestured to the surroundings. I still couldn’t bring myself to choke out anything, but the panic in my eyes must have spoken for me. The unease in him grew ten-fold and, when he tried to approach, I shuffled backward instinctively.

It caused him to stop short and look defeated. “You don’t know who I am.”

“I don’t.” It came out as a whisper, but the words crushed him all the same.

“We were in a car accident. A pretty horrific one, so it’s good you don’t remember it. That’s our silver lining to this whole thing.” He drew in a heavy breath, perhaps considering his next words. “There was a significant bleed in your brain, and they had to keep you in a medically induced coma for a week. The day they discharged me and you were still under was the worst day of my life.”

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Advertisement Blade’s Return (Saint’s Outlaws MC – Cherokee NC #1) Read Online Jordan Marie http://www.books2020.com/blades-return-saints-outlaws-mc-cherokee-nc-1-read-online-jordan-marie-2 Wed, 13 May 2026 18:57:34 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/blades-return-saints-outlaws-mc-cherokee-nc-1-read-online-jordan-marie-2 Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, MC, Suspense Authors: Jordan Marie Series: Saint's Outlaws MC - Cherokee NC Series by Jordan Marie
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Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)

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Falling in love is rarely easy.

For Blade and Olivia, it’s deadly.

BLADE

My brother and I have a plan.

Step One: I graduate law school and pass the bar.

Step Two: I help our club The Saints Outlaws get the casino we wanted off the ground.

Step Three: I'd come back as the face of the casino but reclaim my seat as Vice President of the club.

It seemed simple and it should have been.

But I never planned on Olivia or the fact that our love would blow everything all to hell.

OLIVIA

I knew it was wrong. My brother will never let me be happy.

But Blake made me want to try.

Besides, it'd only be me who paid the price for loving Blade.

At least that’s what I thought, but I was so wrong

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1 BLADE

Six Years Ago

“You have everything covered, stop worrying,” Bear laughs.

“Man, this is an important meeting. I don’t want to fuck it up,” I mutter as we walk toward the Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Bear surprises me by stopping before we begin walking up the concrete steps leading to the entrance. He claps his large, beefy hand on my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. “There’s a lot in this fucked-up world that I worry about, Blade, but I’ve never worried about you. You are going to ace this meeting and we’re going to achieve every damn thing we want. I have no doubts at all, and you shouldn’t either.”

I stare at my brother. I can see the confidence he has in me. He’s fifteen years older than I am and he’s basically been the only father figure in my life. His approval means everything to me. “Thank you, Bear. I never want to disappoint you.”

He grins and pounds me on the back. “You never will.”

We start walking into the building. I allow myself to concentrate on him, trying to calm my nerves at the same time. Bear and I don’t really look like brothers. He took after our mother, who was a proud daughter of a Cherokee chief. My hair may be the color of my mother’s, and I have her eyes, but I mostly look like our father. That’s hard to swallow because he was nothing but a piece of shit. Bear’s hair is long, falling near the middle of his back. He is battle-hardened from his years in the Saints Outlaws Motorcycle Club. He moved from the mother chapter in Boston, coming back home to Cherokee, North Carolina to take over care of me after our mother died.

Right now, it would be even harder to tell Bear and I are related. He’s wearing his faded jeans, a Metallica tee, with his hair hanging free and untamed, and his club cut proudly worn—regardless of the purpose we’re here today. On the other hand, I’m in a suit and tie. My hair is neatly trimmed, and my beard is gone. Fuck, I don’t even recognize myself when I look in the mirror. I don’t like it, but everything hinges on getting the approval for this casino.

I’ll do whatever I need to do to ensure success. Our people need this. Right now, the town is a dying tourist trap, forcing proud people to play dress up—showing off their Native American heritage—and pose for pictures. This casino will put a stop to that, while injecting some much-needed capital. With that, we can make sure housing, as well as educational and professional opportunities are offered to our people and their children—like it should have been all along.

This is important to both of us but even if it wasn’t a dream I shared with my brother, I’d still do it. I owe Bear everything. He put me through school, uprooted his life, and then allowed me to prove myself as a member of his club. I worked hard so that I could rule it beside my brother, yet only the immediate club recognizes me as the Vice President. It wasn’t a position I was handed, I earned it, taking down any challenge for the office that I received.

Now, I’m hiding who I am. I don’t want any of these bigwigs thinking I’m part of the club. I’ve taken steps constantly to hide that fact—I’ve had to. We didn’t want any bias from the assholes on the board. They didn’t need to find a reason to deny our right to put in the casino. After we get the approval and have the right men in place, they’re all in for a shock.

It wouldn’t be so bad, but there’s a club trying to move into our area that Bear has been fighting. The Feral Kings MC are slime. We’ve been fighting them for a while. We’ve lost a couple of members in the war, but we’ve taken some of their ranked members, too. We’ll win, but right now is not a good time to wage an all-out war. Bear says we have to make the casino our priority. He’s right, but the quicker we can take the Feral Kings and their president, Eyeball, out—the better. He’s a sick, twisted asshole who is quite literally a psychopath. If any man deserves to die, it’s him.

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Advertisement Blade’s Fall (Saint’s Outlaws MC – Cherokee NC #2) Read Online Jordan Marie http://www.books2020.com/blades-fall-saints-outlaws-mc-cherokee-nc-2-read-online-jordan-marie Wed, 13 May 2026 18:57:32 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/blades-fall-saints-outlaws-mc-cherokee-nc-2-read-online-jordan-marie Genre: Alpha Male, Suspense Authors: Jordan Marie Series: Saint's Outlaws MC - Cherokee NC Series by Jordan Marie
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Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >40

Blade has spent the last four years in jail for a murder he didn’t commit.
When he’s released, his anger is directed at the woman he once vowed to love for the rest of his life.
Yet, there are secrets he doesn’t know.
Lies surround him.
When she pleads her innocence, he doesn’t buy it. Blade vows to make her pay.
Will he destroy his future because of his past?

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1 BLADE

“It’s over, brother. The Feral Kings have been disbanded. With the help of the Savage Brothers, the Devil’s Blaze, and their allies, it’s done. We’ve personally taken over the Feral Kings’ old clubhouse, and most of them are dead. You can finally get out of this hellhole and get your life back.”

“If you believe that, Hangman, I put the wrong man in charge all these years.”

“It’s not like that, Blade. I just meant you don’t have to go after Olivia. She didn’t help her brother kill Bear. She was his victim, too. We got evidence of that. We’ll kill them all, I promise you. I’m already working on it. My point is only that you can get out of here, breathe fresh air, and end this with their deaths. There’s no need of going further.”

“It’s not finished. It will never be completely finished until they are all dead, and I’ve made them feel the pain I’ve felt inside of me for over four years. I want them all to suffer, and that includes that fucker’s sister. She has the same blood inside her that is flowing in his veins. I want them all wiped off the face of this earth, just like my brother was. I want to watch their world crash around them. I want my hands wrapped around their throats when they take their last breath. I made a vow to Bear that I would make them pay, and by God, they will.”

“Do you really think Bear would want you to take this revenge out on an innocent girl? If you think that, you don’t remember your brother the way he was, Blade.”

“I remember Bear perfectly,” I growl. My hand trembles with the need to strike Hangman down. We might be as close as brothers, but he doesn’t know the rage inside me. He’s right, Bear wouldn’t want me hurting Olivia. He always had a soft spot for women, and that helped lead to his demise. Still, he didn’t see her that night I was captured. He didn’t hear her confession. I won’t kill Olivia, but she will suffer. I’ll destroy her in a much more painful way than death. She might not have helped her brother, but she distracted me that day. She was the reason I wasn’t there protecting Bear’s back. “If you and the club won’t support me, I’ll do this on my own,” I finally answer with a shrug. It’s not like I haven’t been on my own while in jail. I’ll get my revenge without help. I don’t really give a fuck.

“Don’t be stupid. You know this is your club. We’ll support you. We know what’s driving you, and we want the same. I just don’t think Olivia should be part of it.”

“That’s not your decision,” I respond, slightly relieved that my club still has my back. “I won’t be reporting back to the club for another month. I have other things to set up first. I get out Friday and I’ll be living at the resort. Have Layna get the crew to clean it and make sure it’s ready for me.”

I see the look on his face at the mention of Layna. She’s a mercenary bitch, but she does what I tell her to do. She also knows to stay in my graces because she likes money and power. Of course, the woman mistakenly thinks that means it will all be hers one day, but that will never happen. The last woman I let my guard down around cost me everything. Truthfully, I picked Layna because I knew it would be a slap in the face to Olivia. It will just be a minor hurt compared to what I will dish out to her, however.

“I’ll make sure it gets done,” he finally responds, clearly upset.

“Good. I’ll contact you once I get out Friday.”

“You don’t want one of us to pick you up?”

“I’ve had Eagle arrange for a car to pick me up and bring me to the resort. I’ll set up a meeting with you after I get some things set up.”

“You know, in case you need reminding, we’re not your employees, we’re your brothers, Blade. We’re family.”

Guilt hits me at once, but I push it away. “I have to do this. I can’t step back into my life until I do. Bear deserves to rest easy, and I’m going to make sure he gets to.”

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