Hard to Let Go (28 page)
“Don’t worry, Sunshine. I’m not going anywhere,” Nick said, returning the embrace.
“If we’re serious,” Shane said, tossing his check to the desk in front of Nick. “Then I’m donating my money toward start-up costs for the business.”
Beckett dropped his check into the pile. “
That
I can totally agree to.”
“Me too,” Marz said, adding his envelope. “Because we’re going to need
lots
of toys. I mean, I want a war room. A real, honest-to-God war room. With a chair that has a cushion . . .”
Everyone laughed.
“What? I’m serious,” he said.
Grinning, Nick nodded. “Okay, then. Sounds to me like we’ve got a plan.”
“You know,” Jeremy said. “We rebuild the other side of the building and finish off all the unfinished spaces throughout . . .” He shrugged, and flicked his tongue against his lip piercing. “Anyone who wanted could live here and you could build your offices on the other side. Depending on how we laid out the new building, this complex could easily host both businesses and anywhere from six to eight loft apartments.”
“That’s kind of a crazy awesome idea, Jer,” Becca said. And, actually, Beckett thought she was totally right. He only had one hold-up with the plan—that Kat would live an hour away in D.C. But lots of people lived in one city and dated a person from the other, right? And now that Cole was gone, she’d be safe again, too. Details were still coming out about him, but what they’d learned for sure was that he’d been surveilling Kat for a while from that hotel across the street. Sick fuck. Beckett was still kicking himself for not realizing who he’d seen that night, but these days he was trying to get better about letting go of the past.
“I’m full of crazy awesome, Becca,” he said. “You should know that by now.” He winked at her and grinned. “You could even call it Hard Ink Security. Oh! Or, Hard Security, Inc. ‘Inc.’ with a
c
. Get it? That’s genius!”
A whole lotta crickets.
Chuckling, Charlie elbowed Jeremy. “No one ever recognizes genius during its time. Don’t worry about it.”
“So,” Kat said, pushing herself up slowly from her chair. “Would this security-consulting business potentially need a general counsel?”
Beckett’s heart tripped into a sprint. “You have a job. A great job.”
“I do, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t feel right going back to it. Not after . . . everything. And I’m okay with that. Really.” She looked to Nick again.
But Beckett wasn’t letting this go. He wasn’t letting her throw away everything for which she’d worked so hard. Standing in front of her, he grasped her hands in his. “I don’t want you to give up your life.”
It was one of the prettiest smiles she’d ever given him. “I wouldn’t be doing that at all, Beckett. I’d just be starting a new chapter in it. One that included you. And my brothers. And all of you,” she said, looking around at the group.
Nick cleared his throat, and Beckett could see he shared some of his own reservations. But Nick nodded and said, “We would definitely be in need of general counsel, and it would have to be someone we knew we could trust and would always have our backs.”
“I’d say Katherine Rixey fits that to a tee,” Marz said.
“Kat,” Beckett said, pulling her into his arms. “Are you sure?”
“Never more sure about anything in my life,” she said. And then she pulled back, crooked her finger at him so he’d bend down, and whispered into his ear, “Except for you.”
Jesus, he loved this woman. He really freaking did.
“Eileen can be our mascot, too,” Becca said, scooping the puppy off the floor. Eileen barked. Clearly she was totally down with that.
Seeing the puppy made Beckett look around for Cy, and he found the old guy still peering over the top of that box. But the minute Beckett made eye contact, Cy crouched down, nearly out of sight. And that was the moment when Beckett decided he wasn’t going to give up on the old orange beast, just like Kat hadn’t given up on him. Someday, somehow, he was making friends with the cat. Hey, he could dream. Right?
“I want to say something,” Nick said. “The last month has included some of the best and worst days of my life. But I have no regrets, and I couldn’t be more grateful to everything
every one of you
in this room did to get us to this day. Wherever our paths lead, you are my family. No matter what.”
Beckett nodded, feeling those sentiments down into his very soul. It was clear everyone there did.
Nick made eye contact with every person, then nodded. “Then I guess the only thing left to ask is, who’s ready for our next mission?”
I
cannot begin to describe how hard it’s going to be to let the Hard Ink team go, because I have adored writing them, spending time with them, and hearing all your wonderful reactions to them. And I have so many people to thank for making it all possible.
Thank you to my editor of awesome, Amanda Bergeron, for believing in this series and giving me a chance to share it with the world. She’s been wonderful to work with from start to finish, and I’m glad we get to continue together with the Raven Riders! I also want to thank Avon’s art department for the absolutely
amazing
covers they’ve given this series. I often joke that the cover gods have smiled on me throughout my career, and it’s never been more true than for the Hard Ink books! My agent Kevan Lyon deserves another huge thanks for all the work she’s done for me on this series—above and beyond! And my publicist KP Simmon has been a constant cheerleader and source of support. I am lucky to have such an amazing team behind me, and I couldn’t do any of this without them.
I also need to thank you critique partner, Christi Barth, an awesome author in her own right, who has read and commented on every word of this series and made it so much better than it would’ve been! Thanks for always having my back and cheering me on, Christi! It has meant the world. Thanks also to Lea Nolan, Stephanie Dray, and Jennifer L. Armentrout, fellow authors and amazing friends each, who are always there for me with an emergency plotting session, encouraging word, or an ear or shoulder to lend!
Thank you to all the awesome bloggers who have posted about this series, participated in my launch events and blog tours, and generally helped spread the word—no author could do this without your support, and I appreciate you all so much for everything you do! Thanks also to my street team, the Heroes, for always being there for me and sharing your love for my books. It’s an incredible experience to have people dedicate themselves to helping you do what you love. They truly are my Heroes.
I must also offer a huge and heartfelt word of thanks to my family. Their love, support, and patience has made every word of the Hard Ink series possible. They’ve believed that I could do this and made it possible in so many ways for me to pursue this crazy, incredible, and sometimes all-consuming dream. I love you guys so much.
Finally, my biggest thanks goes to my readers, who have embraced the Hard Ink team and given me the most amazing support an author could ever ask for. Thank you for allowing my characters into your hearts so they can tell their stories over and over again.
~LK
The Hard Ink series is over, but don’t worry! Laura Kaye is introducing a brand new series, all about the sexy men who have joined together to form
The Raven Riders are an outlaw motorcycle club who fight and die for each other, their way of life, and those too weak to fight for themselves.
R
aven Riders MC President Dare Kenyon rides hard, fights for the brotherhood he leads, and protects those who can’t defend themselves. When a recent kidnapping victim with too many secrets in her eyes lands on his doorstep, he takes her in and pushes to learn what she’s hiding before more trouble comes his way—and before he’s tempted to break down all the shy beauty’s walls.
Haven Randall fled from years of violence at the hands of a man who should’ve protected her, only to find herself imprisoned by a gang. Recently rescued, she’s hiding out from both in a compound of bikers, sure her ex is hunting her. She’s distrustful and suspicious—even of the sexy and overwhelmingly intense Ravens’ leader who promises to keep her safe and makes her want things she never thought she would.
The past never dies without a fight, but Dare Kenyon’s never backed down before . . .
Available Winter 2016
Don’t miss any of the action!
Be sure to check out the rest of Laura Kaye’s sexy, heart-pounding
A Hard Ink Novel 1
T
all, dark, and lethal . . .
Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome—pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it, too.
With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.
Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge.
A Hard Ink Novel 2
E
ver since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he’s shown a knack for getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister’s sake, Crystal can’t get too close. Until her job and Shane’s mission intersect, and he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have guessed.
Shane would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation. Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding secrets she doesn’t want him to uncover. Too bad. He’s exactly the man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you hold on as hard as you can—and never let go.
A Hard Ink Novella
E
dward “Easy” Cantrell knows better than most the pain of not being able to save those he loves—which is why he is not going to let Jenna Dean out of his sight. He may have just met her, but Jenna’s the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago.
Jenna has never met anyone like Easy. She can’t describe how he makes her feel—and not just because he saved her life. No, the stirrings inside her stretch far beyond gratitude.
As the pair is thrust together and chaos reigns around them, they both know one thing: the things in life most worth having are the hardest to hold onto.
A Hard Ink Novel 3
C
aught between desire and loyalty . . .
Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.
When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he’s become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust.
As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away.
A Hard Ink Novella
H
ard Ink Tattoo owner Jeremy Rixey has taken on his brother’s stateside fight against the enemies that nearly killed Nick and his Special Forces team a year before. Now, Jeremy’s whole world has been turned upside down by the chaos—and by a brilliant, quiet blond man who tempts Jeremy to settle down for the first time ever.
Recent kidnapping victim Charlie Merritt has always been better with computers than people, so when he’s drawn into the SF team’s investigation of his Army colonel father’s corruption, he’s surprised to find acceptance and friendship—especially since his father never accepted who he was. Even more surprising is the heated tension he feels with sexy, tattooed Jeremy, Charlie’s opposite in almost every way.
With tragedy and chaos all around them, temptation flashes hot, and Jeremy and Charlie can’t help but wonder why they’re trying so hard to be good.
A Hard Ink / Raven Riders Crossover Novella
A
fter identifying her employer’s dangerous enemies, Jessica Jakes takes refuge at the compound of the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. Fellow Hard Ink tattooist and Raven leader Ike Young promises to keep Jess safe for as long as it takes, which would be perfect if his close, personal, round-the-clock protection didn’t make it so hard to hide just how much she wants him—and always has.
Ike Young loved and lost a woman in trouble once before. The last thing he needs is alone time with the sexiest and feistiest woman he’s ever known, one he’s purposely kept at a distance for years. Now, Ike’s not sure he can keep his hands or his heart to himself—or that he even wants to anymore. And that means he has to do whatever it takes to hold on to Jess forever.
L
AURA KAYE is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of more than a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Laura grew up amidst family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses, cementing her life-long fascination with storytelling and the supernatural. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com
.
