A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(100)
Extra special thanks to Hope for your help and assistance in a multitude of things. Thank you for your generous heart and for keeping me on track!
And to all my readers, thank you for your patience. Your emails, Facebook, and Twitter messages about Grey and Irelyn’s book were very much appreciated. Though their story was years in the making, I hope you feel it was worth the wait!
About the Author
Christy Reece is the award winning, NYT Bestselling Author of dark romantic suspense. She lives in Alabama with her husband and a menagerie of pets.
Christy loves hearing from readers and can be contacted at [email protected].
Discover the exciting world of LCR Elite
A Whole New Level Of Danger
With Last Chance Rescue's philosophy of rescuing the innocent, the Elite branch takes the stakes even higher. Infiltrating the most volatile locations in the world, LCR Elite Operatives risk everything to rescue high value targets. Unsanctioned. Off the grid. Every operation a secret, danger-filled mission. LCR Elite will stop at nothing, no matter the cost, to fulfill their promise.
RUNNING WILD
An LCR Elite Novel
He’ll Stop At Nothing To Protect The Ones He Loves
LCR Elite operative Aidan Thorne is dedicated to rescuing kidnapped victims from some of the most dangerous places in the world, but that will never stop him from hunting down a coldblooded killer. Child psychologist Anna Bradford is a temptation unlike any he’s ever faced, penetrating the steely armor encasing his heart. Though he wants her with an unending ache, Anna’s very survival requires Aidan to stay as far away from her as possible.
Understanding human behavior is Anna Bradford’s profession. Aidan Thorne is a mystery she has yet to unravel. Her fascination for the snarling, often rude man is a battle she fights on a daily basis. Her head tells her to stay away, her heart tells her something different. When they join forces to help rescue a friend, Aidan finally allows Anna to see the man beneath the tough exterior. Falling in love with him was inevitable.
But someone is watching. He’s been hiding in the shadows for years, waiting. The time has finally arrived. Anna Bradford will be his tool, his perfect weapon of revenge. She will be his masterpiece.
His worst fears realized, Aidan must now find a way to save Anna before the madman that destroyed his life once before lives out his ultimate fantasy.
Chapter One
Cali, Colombia
The bar was both sleazy and filthy. Smoke swirled through the big room like an industrialized bug fogger belching out its last toxic dregs. From the sticky fake-wood floor that hadn’t seen soap and water in decades to the light fixtures with grimy coats of dirt and dead bugs, the ambience of Claudio’s Cantina bellowed, Enter at your own risk.
Aidan figured it’d take at least a half-dozen showers before the stink left him.
Slouched in the corner, his back to the wall, he gave the appearance of being half wasted and all the way bored. He was neither. His informant was fifteen minutes late. Punctuality had never been a priority for Ernesto Diaz. Aidan had no illusions about the man. Though less corrupt than most in his business, if Diaz got a better offer, he’d sell out without a thought. Which was why Aidan was going to give the vermin only five more minutes to show. The back of his neck was getting that twitchy feeling, which usually meant trouble was brewing. Ignoring that twitch had once gotten him shot. He hadn’t ignored it since.
He shifted in his chair, noting and appreciating the lack of pain. Three months ago, he’d been laid up with a broken leg. Weeks of doing almost nothing but waiting for it to heal had made him antsy and out of sorts. The minute he’d returned to full LCR duty, he’d jumped into the action as if all of hell’s demons were on his ass. Too much time to think and remember. Too much time to regret. Nothing like staying on the edge of danger to help focus a man’s thoughts.
In fact, he’d been so focused, that when he’d gotten the call from Diaz, he’d almost delayed the meet. After all this time with no viable intel, what was the point of rushing just to find out there was nothing new? After that thought, the inevitable guilt had followed. How dare he not follow up? Had he not made a promise? Had he not sworn that he would follow every lead, no matter how minuscule or far-fetched, until he found the murdering bastard?
So, despite the fact that Diaz was about as reliable as a politician and most likely had nothing new to tell him, Aidan had taken the bait.
His family thought he was certifiable. Not that they’d come right out and say it. His mother and father, ever supportive, just gave him that sympathetic, helpless look that basically said, We’re here for you, but we’re completely lost on why you’re not living up to your potential.
His sister was a little more blunt. Last time he’d talked to her, they’d had a shouting match. She thought he was wasting his life and didn’t mind saying so. He thought she was a nosy, opinionated buttinski who needed to stay out of his business. A day later, he had sent her flowers to apologize. She had sent him a bottle of his favorite wine. Both of them knew that all was forgiven.
To his family, it probably did look as though he was wasting his life. Or at least not living up to his potential. They had a vague idea of what his job with LCR entailed, but he did his best to shield them from the more hair-raising details. Rescuing kidnapped victims from the most dangerous places in the world was a far cry from the safe, secure world he’d left behind.