Good morning! On this Teaser Tuesday, I’ve got a short excerpt for you from K-9 TRACKER, the first book in the Crooked Pass Security K- 9 Division spinoff. I love this story about Nicky Garcia, a young woman trying to solve the disappearance of her father twenty years earlier. Her father was a soldier at Fort Dix in my home state of NJ, and when he was listed as a deserter, Nicky and her family lost all benefits. Now that her mother has MS and needs treatment, Nicky needs to prove her father didn’t desert in order to restore her family’s military benefits. That’s when Nicky reaches out to Crooked Pass to solve her father’s cold case. In this scene, Nicky and Cisco, the hero and K-9 agent, have just gone through her father’s belongings to look for clues about his disappearance. You can pre-order your copy today at https://amzn.to/4x5ILRb.
Excerpt
He peeked at his watch and realized it was nearly midnight. They’d lost track of time while reviewing the materials.
“We should call it a night as well,” he said, as he stood and started gathering everything to put it away.
Nicky helped, and in no time, the boxes were stacked in a corner, and the assault pack had been stored in its plastic bag again. But Nicky grabbed that bag and said, “I’ll take this to my room. I’m not sure my mom would want to see it.”
“I understand. I’m sure it’s still not easy for her.” He’d lost many a friend during his service, and their losses still weighed on him at times.
Nicky’s face was expressive, and he did not doubt she recognized his losses as well.
She laid a hand on a spot over his heart. “It’s easier if you have someone to help carry the burden.”
Although she said the words, she’d been carrying the weight of her father’s disappearance for years. “Says the pot to the kettle. You’re not alone in this anymore, either. I’m here for you.”
She smiled, rose on tiptoes and brushed a kiss on his lips, lingering there to whisper, “I know.”
He should have let her go up the stairs then, but he couldn’t.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her close.
She dropped the plastic bag, which landed with a crinkly thump, and met his lips, opening her mouth to him. Kissing him over and over until they were both trembling and breathless.
He slipped an arm beneath her buttocks and drew her center to his hardness as he backed her against the wall.
