BRAVE, Episode Three - the Color of Danger (7 page)

“Yes, it’s me. I’m just checking in with you for a minute, and I wanted to—what? Who did what?”

“That’s what I said, watching the house,” said Camille, from the noisy street where she’d gone out of her office to buy a hot dog. “Some guy came by here yesterday, looking for you. He actually asked for you. Only he used the name of—um—oh, it was Jessica somebody.”

Chloe clutched the phone with suddenly icy, nerveless fingers
.

“Chloe? Chloe, are you still there? So, anyway, I think somebody may be watching the house, waiting for you to come back.”

“I think—” carefully Chloe cleared her throat before continuing, “—I think you may be right, Cam. It’s a good thing—I called…”

“Sure is, hon. I hope things are going okay for you now, and I hope you still have that safe place to be. Because you’d better stay away for a while, till this is cleared up. Want me to call the cops, just to have them do a drive-by?”

Chloe snorted. “As if that would do any good. There are too many real crimes happening. No, leave it for now, Cam. Thanks. I guess I’ll stay where I am for now, then, and I’ll give you a call again soon. Please be careful. For God’s sake, be careful!”

Clicking shut the cell with hard sharp movements, Chloe stuffed it back into her bag and stood.

Cold, grim determination hardened her. Logan was right. It was time to stand up for herself. She wouldn’t allow David to hurt her, or her only two friends.

The superstore she wanted lay some distance away, many blocks to the west, accessible by cab. At this time of the day, most aisles were empty, with only a few customers scattered here and there, examining the wares, asking questions. Novices, every one of them.

Chloe entered the secure front door and wandered for a few minutes, looking at this or that. Amazing how many items were available, how many types, how many sizes and shapes. It was bewildering, and right now she couldn’t spare the time to be bewildered.

She marched to the counter with a new-found self-confidence, as if she owned the place, and buttonholed the clerk. “Yes, ma’am.” He turned away from stocking a nearby shelf to ask solicitously, “Anything I can help you with?”

“Yes,” said Chloe firmly, shifting her tote. “I need some information. I want to buy a gun.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Want to find out what happens to Chloe when she ran away from the man she loved, and the man who wants to kill her? Will she face her fears or lose the two people she loves most in the world? Find out in…
 

BRAVE. EPISODE FOUR — THE COLOR OF LOVE

US:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NE8J0RE/

UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NE8J0RE/

Also by Melissa Shaw

See all the books at my official website:

http://melissashawbooks.com/category/melissa-shaw-books/

Stay Tuned for More Books

Sign up for my mailing list to get the most recent updates!

Sign up now at:
http://melissashawbooks.com/subscribe/

I Need Your Help!

Here’s the thing about a book: the characters are real, the feelings are there, and in some dimension these guys all exist. The best thing you can do for me is share their story. It comes from the heart and it’s meant to inspire people.

Books bring joy, entertainment, pain and make you feel something real. If you read this book and it makes your heart bleed a little, please share that emotion by leaving a review.

Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated and could help me touch the lives of others. Every person I know has read a book that’s changed them in some way – for me, it was Catcher in the Rye – and I’m hoping that this one will touch someone else’s life.

Reviews can help that happen and can help new authors break into a market, which is inundated with a glut of self-published novel of a relatively low quality. Don’t let this story get lost in that slush pile. Help me soar, by sharing. You’ll sure make my day. ;)

It don’t gotta be five star, but it sure shouldn’t be one star. Leave your honest review while I’m working on the next novel for you to enjoy.

Click here to leave a review

So Here’s What You Can Do:

Review it.
Please tell other readers why you liked this book by reviewing it at
Amazon
or
Goodreads
.

Recommend it.
Please help other readers find this book by recommending it to friends, readers’ groups and discussion boards.

About the Author

Melissa Shaw lives in the land of Prince Hamlet in a gorgeous suburb of Copenhagen, and uses the surrounds to craft romances which touch on the truth behind humanity. She likes strong female characters, flawed men, and strong bourbon. When she’s not hunched over her laptop, she’s wandering the streets searching for inspiration or sipping coffee at the local shop. Mostly she’s just writing. That’s what she does best.

Join My Mailing List!

Join my mailing list to get the most recent updates, exclusive teasers, excerpts and giveaways and links to free ebooks when I have promotions!

Sign up now at:
http://melissashawbooks.com/subscribe/

Thank You for Everything!

A SNEAK PEEK AT PUPPY LOVE

Here is a sneak peek at the first chapter of the Melissa Shaw's short story Puppy Love.

Melanie Keller is engaged to a millionaire and happy as can be, until she meets the man of her dreams.
 

Liam, a local farmer with a wicked smile and muscles for days, helps her pick out the perfect Labrador puppy to take back to the penthouse she shares with her jealous fiancée, George. The only problem is, Sunshine, the puppy has a strange attachment to one of the horses on the farm and will do just about anything to get back to it. Even if it means running away from its new home.
 

When Sunshine turns up on Liam’s farm, Melanie has no choice but to return, even though George has forbidden it. What follows is a tempest of emotion as Liam and Melanie fight their feelings for each other, and George fights to keep her in his grasp.
 

* * * *

PUPPY LOVE

CHAPTER ONE

“Come on, make a decision already. I’ve got a meeting in two hours, baby.” George fiddled on his phone.

Puppies yapped and licked Mel’s ankles and she stifled a giggle. The barn floor was strewn with hay and the yellow Labs frolicked unashamedly in it. They were gorgeous, and they bounced around as if they’d been set on vibrate.

“I have to pick the right one. There’s a trick to it, ya know. You have to really connect with ‘em.” Whenever she was in the country she switched back to loose talk. It was in her roots.

She dropped to her knees and glanced up at George, but he hadn’t heard a word. Typical, he was always lost in some business deal or the other. He snapped his phone to his ear and snarled, “Yeah, what do you mean it’s not happening today? I specifically gave Harold the documents this morning so he could get it done.” He marched out of the barn, and the shouts faded.

“Which one of you is the one?” Mel poked each puppy on the nose, with a grin.

“I know.” A man spoke up beside her right shoulder, and she jumped a little.

A strong, tanned hand reached past her and grasped one of the little lickers, and hoisted it up and out of sight.

Mel turned and shuffled upwards. She drew in a sharp breath.

This man was beautiful. Tan skin, short blonde hair, two-day stubble around his full lips. The Labrador wriggled in his muscular arms, scrabbling upwards to lick at his face, and he let out a throaty laugh.
 

“Easy.” He ruffled its ears and lifted his blue-eyed gaze to Mel. “This one’s all yours.”
 

She breathed in the tang of horse manure and fresh cut hay. “How do you know?” she whispered.
 

He stepped forward, and warmth spread through her chest and into her soul.
 

“You don’t,” he answered quietly, intimately even, “but I do.”
 

What the hell did that mean?

He deposited the puppy into her arms with a knowing grin, and colour spread from her cheeks down to her neck.
 

“I’m Liam.”
 

Yeah, he was Liam, all right.
 

Liam. The name bounced around in her mind like… well, like a Labrador puppy. He reminded her of her first love. Of balmy summer nights on the porch, drinking lemonade with her father and chatting about the cows, the feed, the horses. He reminded her of home.
 

He reached out that gloriously tanned hand, covered in callouses of course, and she grasped it without a word. “And you are?”
 

Oh. Shit. Her name.
 

“I’m,” she started – what was her name again? She licked her lips. “I’m Mel.” There we go. Narrowly missed that small embarrassment.
 

She could just imagine what Caroline, her best friend, would say about that. Girl meets handsome farmer, girl forgets own name, girl dies of humiliation. Get real, baby shoes.
 

“It’s great to meet you, Mel. You from around here?” Honey. His voice was like honey.
 

“We’re from the big city, cowpoke.” George was back. His cell was nowhere in sight, and his chiselled features were painted with suspicion. He sidled up to her and slid his arm around her waist, squeezing tight.
 

“The big city, eh?” Liam was jovial. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly. “Must be nice up there. You two live in one of those apartments together?”
 

“A penthouse, actually.” George squished her to his side like a barnacle. This was a strange display of emotion for him; usually he was too busy with his phone to pay her much attention.

The puppy let out a small yap and George flinched. “Damn mutt,” he grumbled, “you sure you want this one, kiddo? He seems a little enthusiastic to me.”
 

She hated it when he called her ‘kiddo’. She sighed and prepared to hand the puppy back – George always got what he wanted, one way or another.
 

“Yeah, that’s the one she picked, all right. He’s the sweetest of the litter, take it from a man who’s spent the last eight weeks with ‘em.” Liam stuck his thumbs in the belt loops of his faded blue jeans, and stood tall.
 

George made a noncommittal grunting noise in his throat, but Mel beamed and buried her nose in the puppy’s soft fur. Its soft licks accosted her cheeks and her smile widened.
 

“Sunshine.”
 

“Huh?” George shook his head.
 

“I’ll call him Sunshine.”
 

“Right, that’s my cue. Let’s get in the car and get back to town before the smell of horse crap permanently attaches itself to my olfactory cells. Bring Sunshine or Stormy Weather, or Sitting Bull, or whatever the hell you’ve called it and let’s get home. But so help me God if it pisses on my leather seats, we’re bringing it straight back.” George strolled off, then stopped by the door and waited for her, tapping his finger on the touchscreen of his phone.
 

“He’s a charmer.” Liam scratched in the hay with the toe of his leather boot.
 

What could she say to that? Did he mean Sunshine? Or George and his ‘effervescent’ personality?

“It was great meeting you,” she answered, belatedly.

“Yeah,” he nodded, then scratched Sunshine behind the ears, “it was great. Oh, and mind you don’t let the dog see the horses on your way out.”

Dog and horses? What now?

“What now?” She repeated the question out loud.
 

Liam laughed and George shot a look of pure venom in his direction.
 

“The dog. He’s special. He’s befriended one of the horses on the farm.”
 

“Oh, like a Coco and her kittens kind of thing?”
 

“Yeah, exactly.”
 

“Right, I’ll be sure to look out for that,”
she turned away and regret spiked through her, reflected in his expression, “I’d better get going.”
 

“See you around.”
 

In her dreams.
 

She dragged her feet to the door. She loved the farm life, but now it was back to high rises, caviar and champagne parties with people who didn’t know her name and didn’t really care.
 

Mel clutched Sunshine to her chest and meandered up to George’s silver Audi. She opened the door with one hand, slid into the front seat, closed it and stared out the window at the picturesque red and white barn. Like something out of a movie.
 

If she squinted, she could just make out Liam’s shadow in there. Or maybe not. She blinked a couple times, and George plopped into the driver’s seat and started the car.
 

He revved the engine and sped off down the road, spraying gravel behind him.
 

“What was that?” His knuckles were white on the steering wheel.