By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

Tyson lost his wife and child several years ago, and he knows it’s time to move on… So when his wife’s best friend barrels into his new life and he finds out she’s in trouble – as in serious stalker trouble – he steps up because he owes it to his late wife. Only he quickly finds out he wants to be at Kai’s side – any way he can.

Kai has wanted Tyson for so damn long, but from the first moment her best friend saw him first, the two were like a lock and key. When Kai sets her eyes on him for the first time in years while doing a demonstration for a new training program her company developed, she realizes her feelings haven’t changed.

But her life has changed, and she has a huge issue she doesn’t want anyone to know about. After all, she’s got a badass skill set… She can handle a stalker on her own… right?

Or maybe not. As the two delve deeper into the Kai’s troubles, they find out things are much more complicated than they seem – and much more deadly.

At the recommendation and encouragement of Michael, Tyson has joined the ranks of Levi and Ices’ Legendary Security. He is one of the new guys along with his friend Jace.

It’s been two years since Tyson lost his wife and child and he feels finally ready to move forward with his life. Maybe even find love again. He was a bit puzzled when Kai appeared at the compound, not only challenging him but all the others on the mats. Kai had been a Martial Arts instructor in the Army but had moved to the private sector. When she she reveals the new ‘toys’ he understands and shares the excitement of the group.

Kai enjoys showing off the new things developed by her company, she leaves the compound anticipating a lunch meeting the next day. She also has a problem, a stalker and so far the police have no leads. Kai hoped she managed to mask her feelings when she got a text from the guy while wrapping things up. She didn’t want Levi and Ice to worry.

That’s all going to change though, the latest texts and emails from her stalker indicated he know where she lives and that she was at the compound. When Detective Mannford calls Levi to verify, it puts them on the case. Lunch is going to be very interesting.

A tracker on her vehicle and one in her phone explain a lot, but also opened up a lot of questions. Levi and Ice start with her contacts, but also realize more is going to be needed.

This is a favorite scene.

Kai reached for her phone and looked through her Contacts.

Levi said, “Don’t worry about those. Everybody on that list we’ll take a good look at.”

She raised her gaze and studied him. “Really?”

His voice was hard when he said, “Really.”

She shook her head and said, “Well, I don’t have anybody else to add to this then. The men here in my Contacts will all be business acquaintances or friends. If they aren’t listed here, I don’t have contact with them.”

“Then tell us who or what they are, what their relationship is to you.”

“That I can do.”

The waitress brought menus while they continued to work. Kai ordered the Caesar salad and didn’t hear the rest the conversation as she tried to make sense of the long list.

She stared at one name in particular.

Rob Goring. “I have no idea who this is.” She glanced from one to the other. “I know a lot of people are on this list, but this one doesn’t ring a bell. Neither does Ben Jones or Thomas Getty.”

“Well, put them down with an asterisk beside their names. We’ll start with them,” Levi said.

She stared at him in surprise. “Why?”

“He had your phone long enough to put a tracker in it. It would take about ten seconds to put his name or a half-dozen names into the Contact list.”

“Sure, but why bother?”

“To make it look like you were friends already, from a cop’s point of view or a boyfriend’s too. Or to make it look like you had a lot of men in your Contacts list. And, before you ask why again, just think of all the ugly reasons he’d do that. Including making it look like you deserve whatever is coming to you. There is logic in his actions. Just because we don’t know what it is, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

Her stomach got a sickly sense; her skin crawled at the back of her neck. She stared down at her phone and said, “I don’t think I can eat lunch now.”

“It’s more important than ever.”

She gazed at Tyson in anger. “I don’t like where you’re going with that.”

“You’ve got training. You know how bad things can get.”

Her breath gusted out along with some hard memories from her training and the years she’d spent in the military. His words were damn true. But leaving that world behind had been a whole lot easier than she had thought. She’d expected to feel strange and uncomfortable, but she’d thrown off that life with joy. The old Kai didn’t fit the new Kai. Trying to crawl back into that skin didn’t work easily.

“You’re also never to be alone anymore.”

“I don’t trust anybody, other than you guys. But I can’t impose on you for help.”

“Stop,” Ice said. “This isn’t a job. You’re our friend.”

“It’s not that easy. You guys will put a ton of man-hours into this in the end. Who’ll reimburse you for all that?” she asked. Inside she was horrified—and her heart warmed—at their offer of help.

“I’d tell you how we take on pro bono cases all the time,” Levi said, “but I know that would piss you off. On the other hand, I want you pissed off. I want you angry. I want you to look at this guy and see him for what he is. He’s a creep, trying to ruin your life. Yet, you need to stay calm. You need to be in control. And you need to make sure that fear never, ever is in the front-row seat again.”

Getting her head wrapped around this wasn’t easy. Suddenly her neighbor’s face popped up. “Steve Rossi. He has the apartment across from me. Henry…” She thought about it for a moment longer. “Henry Springer?” She frowned. “He was a supply clerk. He was always just kind of”—she looked over at Ice and shrugged—“creepy.”

“Good. Keep going.”

Accepting what she needed to do, she managed to add another half-dozen names to the list. When the waitress returned with their food, she put down her pen. “It seems stupid because these men have nothing to do with me now.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Levi said, accepting the plate from the waitress. “But somebody does.”

“I can set up surveillance,” Tyson offered.

“What kind of surveillance?” Kai asked.

“It would be nice to see the action outside on your street.”

“We checked with Detective Mannford about the city cameras, but they are only on the main traffic intersections and not on the residential side streets. Not only that, but the front of your apartment building is hidden by large trees so any city-street cameras would have a hard time capturing a clear picture. It’s an older building with standard security, not one with a high-end camera system in the hallways, elevators or stairwells, so a dead end there too,” Tyson said.

She stared at him. “You’re ready to set up something now?”

He nodded.

She took a bite of her salad. “We could set up a camera inside my vehicle. That might show if somebody is near it and gets inside. The chances are they’d have a key already made.”

“When you take it home, park it and leave it there.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I still have to get to work and have a lot of things to do around town.”

He nodded. “We brought in two vehicles. One has been loaded with sensors to pick up other electronics. So you can drive that for the next week or so, and we’ll see if somebody tries to penetrate the vehicle or track you again.”

“This is hardly fair,” she protested. “You guys are taking on way too much.” She looked around but only saw hard faces. She shrugged. “Okay, but keep track of what you spend,” she said. “I’ll see what I can pay back over time.”

“We’d rather take it out of our pocketbook than out of your hide,” Ice said.

Kai realized just how good a friend this group had ended up being. She glanced at Tyson to see his hard dark eyes locked on hers. When he gave a clipped nod, she realized he included himself in that group. And she smiled this time, a warm welcoming smile and said, “Thank you.”
Mayer, Dale. Tyson’s Treasure: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (Heroes for Hire Book 10) . Valley Publishing Ltd. Kindle Locations (692-741). Kindle Edition.

Having Tyson with her twenty-four seven was going to be a challenge for her. She’s always had feelings for him, but she never acted on them because her best-friend and Tyson clicked so fast and so perfectly. She too had struggled with the loss of her friend.

An uneasy camaraderie leads to laughter and intimacy. A development that took them a bit by surprise but felt so right.

The stalker begins to escalate and then everything starts heating up, including her business partnership and not in a good way.

Lots of intrigue, suspense, surprises and the sizzling heat of Kai and Tyson’s relationship kept me turning the pages.

I am already starting the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Dale!

Dale Mayer

Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.