Kyron swore he wouldn’t work with dogs anymore, but, when Badger asks him to go home to Aspen and to track a missing War Dog, who is missing her left leg—as he is—Kyron can’t refuse. Even if it means seeing his brother and his wife again. Not that he had anything against them. Kyron just couldn’t deal with his parents. Finding the dog seems like the easiest part of returning to Aspen, until Kyron realizes a rescue run by a fascinating woman is the one that’s spotted the missing dog, … only the dog isn’t alone …

Miranda spends every waking moment working to keep her animals safe. Two jobs keeps them in food and shelter but not much more. Considering her miserable neighbor is always making complaints about her, she has considered moving, but it is too expensive to make that happen. She has seen a three-legged canine hanging around the back perimeter of her property and had been feeding it, quietly knowing it resembled the dog the neighbor had brought home, until it ran away.

She had no intention of letting her neighbor or anyone else know about the dog, hoping to coax it onto her property, where she could look after it properly. However, then Kyron showed up, searching for the animal, and things got really ugly …

Once again Badger has to convince someone to go look for a missing war dog. This one disappeared a couple of months ago, the adoptive family said the dog was becoming aggressive as well. They didn’t report it either.

Kyron’s the perfect person for this job, he has family in Aspen, Colorado where the dog was last seen. He had left the K9 unit before he was injured, he couldn’t handle the death. Badger had just the right thing to lure him in though, the dog, Beth, is missing a leg, just like Kyron.

Kyron knew he was going to look for Beth, even though the chances of finding any signs of her were slim. It also meant seeing his brother Allen and his wife Sandra, hopefully that would go well. He wasn’t close to his family, he always hung out with his grandfather, and since his parents were angry with the man, Kyron was considered a traitor of sorts. This was made even worse when he went into the military instead of law enforcement like his father.

Miranda Galloway works two jobs to support her unofficial animal shelter. She has a good size property and one of her neighbors lets her use a pasture and barn for the larger animals that were left with her. Her other neighbor, old man Brant Macintyre wasn’t as nice. At some point the man had found a dog with a missing leg. When the dog ran away, he told her in no uncertain terms not to feed it. Of course, she wasn’t going to listen to that nonsense and was actively trying to coax the dog to her. He also made a habit of calling the city on her since she really wasn’t a licensed animal rescue or shelter.

Her grandmother is a big supporter where the rest of her family isn’t. She even has a great uncle out there somewhere who her grandmother has encouraged to help her as well. He’s cut her a large donation and wants to visit as well.

When a pallet of dog food arrives from one of the vendors of the clinic, things start to get interesting. Kyron’s investigation leads him to her as she’s moving the food to her garage. They strike up a conversation about her animals as Kyron helps her with securing the food. He finds Miranda has been looking for the dog and leaving food out for her and they learn much about each other as they share coffee after the work is done.

This is a favorite scene.

“Hey, Beth,” he whispered. “Beth,” he called out softly, “come here, girl.” Her tail wagged, and he smiled gently. “I know. It’s been tough, hasn’t it?”

The other dog stuck very close to Beth, almost leaning into her. Kyron studied it for a moment. A shepherd, larger, and, yet in a way, maybe more dependent. He wasn’t sure what the scenario was. He reached out a hand and called again, “Come here, Beth. Come over here, girl.” He didn’t want to use too many commands that would set her back, in case whatever had been there before had been part of her problem. He just kept talking to her in a calm, quiet voice. “It’s all right, girl. It’s okay.”

In the distance, a series of shots were fired, and both dogs took off immediately, yet still so close together.

Kyron straightened up, his heart in his throat, as he watched Beth take off again. But they had made contact, so, as far as he was concerned, this was just about needing more time now. Yet something about the other dog shook him. He wasn’t sure what was going on or in any way had an explanation or even a theory, but he continued to think about it, as he slowly trudged his way back to the house.

He didn’t know how Miranda would feel if he camped out here several times over the next few days, trying to establish trust with the dog, but that immediately brought up something else.

Having now made contact with Beth, if he did get a hold of her, what was Kyron supposed to do? As he walked across the lawn, he phoned Badger.

“Well, I’ve found the dog,” he stated. “She’s definitely been on the loose for some time, but she’s hooked up with what looks like a German shepherd. The other dog is quite a bit bigger than her, yet dependent somehow, and I’m not sure what the scenario is. I was just making progress when somebody fired some shots in the distance, and they both bolted.” He paused, turned around to look in the direction the two dogs had gone, but he saw nothing. “Yet she was responding, and I know with a little bit of time, I can get her to trust me.” He added, “But that brings up the larger question.”

At that, Badger, his voice excited, replied, “Absolutely, it does. But this is huge, if you’ve actually found her. What kind of condition was she in?”

“Skinny,” he said instantly, “but holding. I’m at the house of a woman who has been feeding her, well, putting out dog food, unsure if it was for this dog or for coyotes, but the food was disappearing. She’d gotten a glimpse of the dog a couple times but never got close enough to get a look at her,” he explained quietly. “This woman is spending every penny she’s got, trying to run a rescue here. She’s got over forty animals, and it appears that she’s the only one suffering for lack of food or at least nutrients.”

“Ouch. So somebody else who’s operating more on heart than head?” Badger noted.

“Well, let’s just say that I’m sure she gets a lot of pushback from family and friends because she’s working two jobs, and everything goes to the animals.”

“Of course,” he replied, “and you can understand that too.”

“Absolutely,” he muttered. “But I’m not too sure what we’re supposed to do with this situation now. What if I get Beth back? I mean, I get that she needs to have a good set of choices and a good life from here on out, but do you have somebody here who can take her, somebody who’ll properly look after her?”

Badger was quiet for a moment. “In that location, no,” he stated finally. “Can you take her to your brother’s place?”

“No, I don’t think I can,” he answered quietly. “I’ll mention it to him, but his wife is not a big fan of dogs, and she’s well along in a high-risk pregnancy, so I don’t want to cause any trouble. In fact, I’m not sure I should even be there myself.”

“Right,” he agreed thoughtfully. “Let me talk to the rest of the team about it and see what we can come up with.”

“Will do,” Kyron said. “I just don’t want to see Beth go to another scenario where she ends up struggling, you know? Plus, she’s broken out of two different places here, so we’ll have to keep that in mind as well. And she seems strangely bonded to this other dog.”

“Right,” Badger noted quietly. “We’ve got to find the right placement. That’s why we took on this K9 project, to make sure all these animals ended up in homes that are safe and sound. We might find a rescue that can take her there or maybe adopt her somewhere within the city itself.”

“And it’s possible,” Kyron admitted. “Certainly decent people are here, but we’ve seen some lately who haven’t been all that easy to deal with. Like the people who got Beth originally.”

“Right, and I can contact the war department and see what can be done about that.”

“Haven’t you come across this problem before?”

“No, not yet,” he said.

“Well, what happened with all the other dogs you found?”

Badger laughed. “You may not want to hear this.”

“What?” Kyron asked. “Every one of them was adopted by the man we sent out to find them.”

Kyron froze, as he thought about it. “Damn.”

“Why damn?” Badger asked.

“Because, I have to admit, it already crossed my mind. She is a dog I can handle because it’s work that I’ve done in the past,” he noted, “but that doesn’t mean that I’m ready to settle down.”

“No, and I’m not saying you have to,” Badger answered carefully. “This isn’t a trick. We’re not trying to get you to sign up for something like that, particularly if you’re not ready to put down roots. The dog needs a home where she can stay for good, where she doesn’t have to be rehomed yet again,” he explained quietly.

“More than that, she needs a place where she feels safe, and it’s very obvious, based on her current mannerisms, that she hasn’t felt safe in a long time,” he noted. “I did get a tail wag out of her eventually, but she’s wary, very wary.”

“Do you think she’s been hurt?”

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised, though I don’t have any evidence or any other reason to say that,” Kyron admitted. “Obviously something went on at her placement home that wasn’t at all what we’d hoped for.”

“Of course, and, if she’s been on her own for any time it makes more sense too. It makes me damn angry with the ass who didn’t let anybody know she was in trouble. They were only thinking about themselves and how much trouble they would be in,” Badger snapped. “Believe me. It’s not the first time we’ve seen something like that.”

“It’s still wrong, no matter how many times it happens though,” Kyron muttered.

“Sure it is, and being wrong is just one aspect of how these poor dogs ended up slipping through the cracks,” he replied, “but we’re doing what we can. As is the war department.”

“I know. I hear you,” Kyron said. “Let me think about it. I might have some solutions here.”

“Do you know people who are solid and serious in their commitment to handle Beth?”

“Maybe.” Kyron turned to stare at the house. “I don’t know. I’ll have to give it some thought. Talk to you later.” And, with that, Kyron hung up the phone and walked toward Miranda’s house. He knocked on the back door, and she opened it almost immediately.

“You got close to her,” she exclaimed.

“I did, but then some shots were fired or a truck backfired or something. I’m not sure what I even heard,” he explained. “Her reaction does make me wonder if she has PTSD though.”

Miranda winced immediately. “Oh, the poor baby.”

“Exactly.” Hesitating a moment, he began, “Look.

I don’t want to impose, but I’ll need to come back and forth over the next few days to see if I can gain her trust. Also a second dog is with her.”

“I saw that, at least I thought I did,” she added. “I could just see you from my bedroom window. I was up there stripping the bedding to get it in the laundry, to rid it of all the dog and cat hair,” she said, with an eye roll. “I heard you whistle, then looked out, and later saw that you got somewhere.”

“I got somewhere. I’m just not sure where yet,” he admitted. “And honestly, a lot of progress is necessary in order to get her to the point where I can take her home— or to a home.” He hesitated. “I’m not too sure how long that will take.”

“And what about the second dog she’s with?” she asked anxiously.

“That’s the next problem. I wasn’t expecting a second dog, and they seem to be bonded.”

“What about your brother? Would he take it?”

“Nope.”

“Well, you need to spend whatever time you can give her,” she stated. “Come on back in again and get warmed up.”

He stepped inside, happy to feel the warmth. “Thank you, and I sincerely mean that. It helps that you’re an animal lover, so I can take time getting Beth’s trust, without pressuring her.”

“As long as you’ll look after the second one as well,” she stated immediately.

He winced at that. “I know. I need to. I called my boss to see what they want to do about this.”

“Well, I can’t have you taking them out of here to a worse situation,” she stated.

“Worse?” he asked, with a wry look.

“Yes, worse,” she confirmed, nodding. “At the moment, now that we’ve found her, we have to move into the second stage, which is gradually gain her trust and get a leash on her, then see what we can do from there.”

She nodded. “And your brother?”

He shook his head. “My brother would probably be okay with it temporarily, as he’s an animal lover, or at least he used to be. But my sister-in-law is not.” She frowned at him. He frowned right back.

“I really can’t condone letting the dogs go into an unhealthy scenario,” she stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

He hated that he immediately noticed how plump and firm her breasts appeared over her arms. He gave himself a mental shake. “I get it. Let’s get all our options together, and I can come back tomorrow.” He looked out the kitchen window at the darkening sky. “Would you mind putting out more dog food for Beth today?”

“I can do that.” She smirked. “As you saw, I have plenty, and thankfully you helped me unload.”

“Right.” He nodded, still in his own thoughts. “I’ll bring a harness, some leashes, and dog food for Beth and her friend tomorrow morning. And see what I can do over the course of the day to hopefully gain her trust.” And, with that, he smiled at her. “Thank you for the coffee too.”

“Thank you for the help moving the dog food.”

“I’m just so glad you found Beth in the first place.”

She gave him a big grin. “Hey, any animal in need.”

“I get it, and I’ll see you in the morning.” And, with that, he headed back to his vehicle.
Dale Mayer. Kyron (Kindle Locations 1210-1299). Valley Publishing Ltd..

For Kyron the family stuff gets worse, for Miranda her neighbor gets more dangerous, for the dogs their lives improve.

After shots are fired, injuring one of the dogs, Kyron is faced with a dilemma. He can’t bring the dogs to his brother’s. Miranda is more than willing but the neighbor is escalating. She’s looking for a larger property and a quick sale to get away from the dangers to herself and the animals. It’s then that Kyron remembers the property his grandfather left him.

For Kyron the family stuff gets worse, for Miranda her neighbor gets more dangerous, for the dogs and the other animals their lives improve.

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.

Hatch is more than happy to step up and to rescue the missing father-and-daughter archeological duo. Now if only it were that easy. They’d been questioned by the Egyptian government and released, with a warning to not leave Cairo. But, when their hotel room is found empty, most believe they took off ahead of punishment—but not Hatch’s team.

When the father’s foreman turns up dead, Hatch investigates the body-dump location and finds the daughter, weaving through the sand, ready to collapse.

Milly is shaken and grieving. During her captivity, her father dies, and she escapes, only to find herself lost in the sand dunes. She may be safe, but her father will never come home. Millie is determined to find the man responsible for her father’s death and for the information that’s changed her entire life.

Marcus Bragner and his daughter Millicent aka Millie are archaeologists on a dig in Egypt with a US grant. Her father frequently clashes with the Egyptian government and is quite outspoken. This particular habit had them arrested and questioned about something that went missing, but they were released. They hadn’t been in their hotel long when they disappeared.

Killian contacts Hatch who is the next one to be in charge of a mission. He is pleasantly surprised to find his partner is one he’s worked with many times before, Corbin Wallace. They arrive in Egypt and find there is no new information for them. They need to go out and track down Millicent’s local friends. Hopefully one of them has some lead they can follow up on.

Millicent can’t remember much more than opening the hotel room door for room service. They are now being held in some sort of updated cave. When her father returns beaten from questioning, he tells Millie they want the location of a tomb that was being discussed in a pub. He doesn’t know where that is but they want him to find it and let them know first. They are an organized group of grave robbers, dangerous and asking the impossible. When her father dies thing just get worse, she is left in the desert with no supplies and no idea where she is.

Hatch and Corbin are investigating where the body of Marcus’ foreman was found, then chasing after the person who was watching them, when they hear a woman calling for help.

This is a favorite scene.

Ultimately she could do really nothing but wait and hope that somebody would take pity on her and let her out. Finally, after what felt like another hour of dozing and sitting here, realizing her bladder situation was rather desperate, she got up, went to the door, and beat on it with her fists. When no answer came, in frustration, she reached for the door handle and pulled. And damned if the thing didn’t open under her hands.

Swearing softly to herself, she pulled it open and stepped out. Judging by the faint light in the hallway, it was still night, probably a couple hours before dawn. The instinct to bolt was strong, but her need to go to the bathroom was even stronger. She quickly stepped out into the night, squatted, hating again that she had no toilet paper or anything, but she would make do because obviously any rescue of her wasn’t an option at this point. She just needed to escape as quickly as she could.

Stumbling forward, she raced down the hill, hoping nobody was watching her. Out here, if somebody decided to shoot her, she could do absolutely nothing about it. Hell, even the thought of getting away free and clear wasn’t much of an option at this point either.

She had no idea where she was, no idea if anybody was even out here looking for her or if she would have enough luck to stumble across somebody outside at this hour of the night or the wee morning maybe. She had no phone and no way to contact anybody. All she could do was resolutely put one foot in front of the other and keep going, hoping that she would find something.

After another ten minutes of slipping and sliding her way down the steep embankment, she heard a noise in the distance. Something like a bike. She stopped, trying to hear it again, torn between two minds, wondering whether she should call out for help, even though it could end up landing her with her kidnappers again.

Realizing she didn’t have a whole lot of choice if she wanted to survive, she waited until what appeared to be the sound of the bike slowing down and then coming to a stop, and she yelled for help. She yelled over and over again, until she had to stop because her throat was too dry to keep it up.

She kept walking, feeling so tired— more than that really, … utterly exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Just as she was about to give up, she heard a sound that brought tears to her eyes. It sounded like somebody shouting for her by name. She hollered as loud as she could, but her throat was so parched that her hoarse voice cracked.

She sagged to her knees, hoping that her efforts had been enough. But, when she heard nothing, tears formed in her eyes, and she started to scream again and again. Suddenly she was picked up in somebody’s arms. Immediately she fought hard, assuming it was her kidnappers. She was screaming, although it was more of a raspy shout than anything.

Finally she sagged against the strong arms in defeat. Only then she heard his voice.

“It’s okay. Hey, take it easy, Millie. You need to calm down. We’re here to rescue you. Easy, Millie. You’re safe now. It’s Hatch. Easy now.”

Held against his chest, she looked up, but, in the darkness, she could barely see, but the name? … “You’re here to rescue me?” she whispered. “Do I know you?”

He nodded. “Yes,” he replied, as if understanding that she couldn’t see much in the night. “Where’s your father?”

“He’s dead,” she said, sobbing. “They killed him.”

With his arms tightening around her, Hatch quickly led her somewhere nearby, but she couldn’t even tell where that was, except for the light that suddenly flashed in her face. Caught off guard and still stunned, she finally realized that a flashlight shone into her face, and she stopped wincing against the bright light.

“We’re just checking you over,” the man explained. “Do you need medical attention?”

She slowly shook her head and gasped hoarsely, “Water.” A bottle of water was placed in her hands, and she tilted it up and drank thirstily.

When he tried to take it away from her, she glared at him. He just smiled. “It’s yours. Don’t worry. You get to keep it, but remember. Too much, too fast won’t be good either.”

Reluctantly she slowed down on the chugging and nodded. “I know, but you don’t understand how desperate you can be when you don’t have water.”

He still held her in his arms, and she realized that she hadn’t been put down. “I can walk, you know,” she stated.

He slowly lowered her until her boots touched the sand, but almost immediately she collapsed.

She looked up at him again. “Well, I will walk. Just give me a moment.”

He shook his head. “It’s not necessary.” Picking her up again, he asked, “Do you think you can ride on my bike?”

She looked at him and nodded. “I think so.”

“Can you hold on to me?” he asked. “That’s all you have to do.”

She realized that he wanted to find out if she was strong enough to do that. “I can hang on,” she replied, and he immediately parked her on the back of his bike. It was just a small dirt bike, and it would be a hard ride on this desert. But, as he sat down in front of her and had barely taken any of the seat, she wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him.

If nothing else, she would hang on long enough to get out of here, hopefully back to civilization. If she was lucky, maybe she’d even get out of this nightmare. She whispered against his ear, “I don’t know where my kidnappers are.”

He nodded. “Hang on. Let’s get the hell out of here first.”
Dale Mayer. Hatch (Kindle Locations 1220-1264). Valley Publishing Ltd.

Now that they’ve found her and learned of her father’s death, Millie shares what she learned from her capture. That her mother was murdered for one and that her father was involved in something illegal. She has no knowledge of that, but she can’t help but wonder.

There’s quite a bit of intrigue and suspense as Millie, with the help of Hatch and Corbin, looks for answers. The connection between her and Hatch is obvious and leads to a bit of sizzle.

I can’t wait for 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.

Sophia met Wade a few years back, and the last she heard from him was he’d be back to take her out to dinner—and never saw him again. Having spent several years in the meantime working with Merk and his team in Texas, when Terk called for her help, Sophia jumped at the opportunity to go. Even if Wade didn’t get it, she knew a connection worth trying for when she felt it.

Wade is weak, helpless, his abilities damaged, after the attack on Terk’s team. Seeing Sophia, the woman he fell in love with at first sight, is a sock to his gut. His defenses are already down, and he knows it will be impossible to keep her at arm’s length a second time.

Wade must bring her closer, protect her, especially after their team was shattered from the initial attack, and subsequent attacks haven’t eased—not with the world slowly realizing that not just Terk survived the attack but so did a few of his team …

At the end of the last book, Damon and Terk got Wade out of a dangerous situation. In the process Wade’s brother, who was on the wrong side was killed. Now Wade is at their new headquarters, still weak and recovering.

Since they needed more help especially on the computer end, Terk invites Sophia from Levi’s team to join them. Merk brings her in, and Wade is very surprised to see her. They have a bit of a history stemming from a conference they both attended about a year ago. They were supposed to meet for dinner, but Wade was called for a mission and never contacted her again.

There’s a computer-based attack, and Sophia gets a glimpse at just what this team can do. Tasha explains that the reason they had to stop is that Wade was in there chasing and blocking the intruder.

There’s a definite connection between Sophia and Wade and Sophia is determined to see where it can go. To that end when they collect her bags, she puts them in Wade’s room while he’s sleeping.

This is a favorite scene.

When he opened his eyes the next time, he wasn’t alone. Sitting in his room, whether he wanted her there or not, was Sophia.

She walked closer and sat down on his bed and picked up his hand. She whispered, “How are you?”

“Ask me later.”

“I got it. Tasha said you were in the computer?”

He opened his eyes and then nodded. “Yeah, it was me.”

“That was freaking amazing, but how?” she asked. “And since you did whatever you did, nobody has been back.”

“Which is why I did it,” he explained, “but it tired me out.” He didn’t explain what he did, why, or even how, and he could only hope that she would let it slide. Some things were just too complicated to explain. And the stuff his team did? Well, it needed to be parsed out in bits, or it could overload a person.

She patted his hand gently, and he relaxed, shifting on the bed. “You’re still in a lot of pain?”

“Not so much. I was in a coma for a few days. Since I came out of it,” he added, “everything has just been really taxing. Not the same. Senses, nerves on overload, that type of thing.”

She hesitated before speaking. “I don’t know anything about this stuff, but did they do something to you while you were in that coma?”

His eyes flew open, and he stared at her. “Like what?”

She winced. “I really don’t know because I have no clue what we’re talking about here,” she admitted. “It just seems plausible to me that, while you were in such a vulnerable state, they might have done something.”

“No … and the reason I can say that with any degree of certainty is because I know that Terk kept up security around us the whole time.”

She stared at him and blinked. “Like the whole time? Guards and everything?”

“Well, not quite the security that you would imagine”— Wade grinned—“ but someone was watching over me. Terk is pretty amazing.”

“I know. I’ve heard … things from your team,” she shared, “but nobody ever really explains anything.”

“That’s because you’re on a need-to-know basis. Terk doesn’t involve himself very much with each of these scenarios, unless there’s actually a problem, in which case he jumps in and warns the appropriate people. The team doesn’t discuss our particular skills much, so a very limited number of personnel has access to substantial information.”

“I can sorta understand that. The compartmentalization cuts down on who can find out what— not among us. In case we’re caught. Okay. That rings true and makes sense now,” she agreed.

“When I was at Levi’s place, one time Terk said something to Ice that worried her. She didn’t go out that day, but I don’t really know what was behind it all.”

“You don’t argue with Terk when he shares insights like that. He’s just way too right too damn often.”

“And that’s kind of scary too,” Sophia murmured.

“Very, but when you have somebody who can give you an inside scoop, you take it, and you make it work for you.”

“Got it.” Sophia nodded. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”

“As much as I want to say no, I probably should,” he admitted.

“Well, feel like getting up? Or I can bring you something to eat. Any preferences for what you want me to get for you?”

He rolled his eyes at that. “I’m not an invalid.”

“No, but you’re exhausted, and, if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m more than happy to.”

And she had said it in such an honest way that he nodded. “Sorry, not trying to be a prick here,” he apologized, “I’m just tired.”

“And I understand that part.” She sighed. “I might not understand a whole lot about this, but I’m getting there. What I do see is an exhausted man whose reserves have been spent doing something that I couldn’t help with, even if I wanted to. So, if getting you some food is in any way a help,” she explained, “I’m happy to do it.”

“Good luck with that. You’ll probably have to fight Tasha for food.”

Sophia chuckled. “Oh my God, does she still eat like a horse?”

“Two horses,” he replied instantly. “Honestly I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“She’s beautiful inside and out,” Sophia noted, with a smile. “We’ve been friends for a long time, and that is a friendship I value.”

“It’s a good thing,” he noted, “because, when it comes to things like that, around here, our relationships are about all any of us have.”

She nodded. “I really do understand that.”

“Good,” he agreed, “because it’ll be tested. Everything you have ever believed will be tested. Then, when you finally think you’ve got it, it’ll all get thrown up in the air, come back down as something completely different, which you may no longer recognize.”

She stared at him, considering his words. “You know something? Life was getting boring before anyway. I’ll go get you some food, and I’ll come back as soon as I can.” She stood and walked out.

Wade remained in bed for a moment, only to look over his room and see her bags. She really had brought them over, apparently waiting for him to say yes or no. He frowned at that, wondering if they could get past everything that had gone on before. Was there any reason not to go in that direction?

She was already here; she was already in danger, and, if he were honest, he didn’t want her to be anywhere but here. With that, he got up and made his way to the bathroom. When he returned, he tossed her bag on the spare bed and laid back down again.

When she walked in a little bit later, she smiled at him. “Good news! Tasha didn’t eat all the food, so I guess it’s your lucky day after all.”
Dale Mayer. Wade’s War (Kindle Locations 530-577). Valley Publishing Ltd.

One of the problems they are having is getting someone alive to question. That appears to be getting worse as they actually talk to kids hired to harass Sophia when she was bringing back groceries.

Implants and drones are the weapons being used against the team, they have to find the source and shut it all down.

Lots of action, suspense and I really love the way the relationship between Sophia and Wade progresses.

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.