Ellie Ashe
Gemma Halliday
Publishing
70,000-word romantic
mystery
Beneath
the neatly plotted rows of new homes lurk dark secrets, bitter feuds and a
whole lot of greed. Nothing is what it appears, even Miranda’s timid client,
who is hiding secrets of her own. Despite her growing distrust of her client,
Miranda must protect Kathryn from becoming the target of the FBI’s investigation
and protect herself from the real thief—all while protecting her heart from the
sexy FBI agent she can’t seem to resist.
99
cent special – only for a limited time !!
Excerpt
#1
Assistant
to her former defense attorney isn’t Miranda Vaughn’s dream job, but her first
task is a simple one—protect a CFO turned informant, and help her prove
embezzlement. But what should be a straightforward assignment is complicated
when Miranda is thrown together with a hot FBI agent who saved her life, broke
her heart, and then disappeared.
From
Chapter One, Dropping the Dime, book
2 of the Miranda Vaughn Mysteries
My
heart pounded and my legs ached, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other.
I struggled for breath and grimaced at the pain in my side. Gasping, I
struggled onward through the empty city streets in the gray early light.
“I
hate this. I hate this. I hate this.”
There
was no one out on the street to hear my complaints, so I voiced them, chanting
in time with my footsteps on the sidewalk.
“Hang
in there, pretty lady. Your butt will look good.”
“Eeep!”
I leapt sideways at the voice and saw the bearded man reclining in a doorway.
He lifted a paper-covered bottle and winked a bleary eye at me.
I
picked up my pace and crossed the street, my heart rate well into the aerobic
range thanks to the new rush of adrenaline.
It’s
pretty much impossible for me to explain how much I loathe running.
I
hate feeling like a lumbering elephant as my feet pound away at the unforgiving
sidewalk. I hate sweating. I hate sports bras.
But
I kept moving at a pace that could be considered a jog. It was barely daylight,
the only sane time to go out in public and humiliate myself. At least there
were few people out and about to see me attempt the concept of exercise.
Why
was I doing this if I hated it so much? I asked myself this question as I tried
to focus on the music streaming in through my earbuds. It was healthy, though
it made me feel like I was dying. It would let me fit into the cute dress I
just bought that was a little snug.
And
the next time I was chased by gun-toting psychopaths, I’d be ready to run.
I
hoped there was never a next time. But after recent events, I wasn’t going to
rule it out.
By
the time I reached the entrance to the alley that led to my apartment, I was a
huffing, sweaty mess and all I could think of was showering and then stopping
by my aunt’s bakery and grabbing a hot almond croissant right off the baking
tray. My mouth watered at the thought of the pastry as I opened the gate to the
backyard that led to my apartment over Aunt Marie’s garage. I’d been living in
the apartment for a couple years and though it was small and cramped and I
could now afford to move out, I liked living near my only family member. And
her yummy bakery.
I’d
been on the lookout for a new place to live, but nothing had caught my eye yet.
Living downtown near my new job was convenient, but there weren’t a lot of
rentals, at least not affordable ones. There were some nice houses in my price
range in some nearby suburbs, but I wasn’t sure if I was suburban material. I
was unmarried, didn’t have kids, and wasn’t crazy about long commutes. Until
something perfect lured me out of the garage, I was staying put. At least it
was cheap and I could save up some money.
I
stepped into Aunt Marie’s backyard and froze at the sight of a man standing in
the shadows outside the backdoor.
A
year’s worth of adrenaline flooded my body and my heart, already racing from
exertion, nearly burst from my chest. My skin prickled and my mind ripped
through a thousand scenarios, none of them good. Burglar. Home invasion. Or
something personal.
The
tall, lanky man stepped out from under the patio cover and into the early
morning gray light and it was worse than I feared.
Robert
Fogg.
My
former attorney, now my boss.
In
his boxers.
Good morning, awkward.
He
set down a bowl of cat food and gave me a wave. I returned a weak greeting,
then ran up the wooden steps to my apartment.
Well,
that settled it. I had to move.
Author Bio:
Ellie Ashe has always been drawn to jobs
where she can tell stories—journalist, lawyer, and now writer. Writing quirky
romantic mysteries is how she gets the "happily ever after" that so
often is lacking in her day job.
When not writing, you can find her with her
nose in a good book, watching far too much TV, or trying out new recipes on
unsuspecting friends and family. She lives in Northern California with her
husband and three cats, all of whom worry when she starts browsing the puppy
listings on petfinder.com.
Author contact info:
Newsletter sign-up: http://bit.ly/EllieNews
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