Gail Barrett - A Kiss to Die for

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Sullivan Turner doesn’t see a hero when he looks in the mirror—he sees only a hollow shell of the man he used to be.But redemption comes when he rescues a woman with a dark secret. Teenage-runaway-turned-social-worker Haley Barnes knows first-hand how savage Baltimore’s streets can be. Years ago, Haley witnessed an event that changed her life. Now, when the teenagers she guards are targeted, she seeks protection from a cynical army veteran. It isn’t long before passions ignite between Haley and “Sully. ”Can he be the hero Haley needs, the hero who will protect her when a ruthless murderer comes calling?

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More tense. She clutched his arm with a death grip despite the smile pasted on her face. And his admiration for her rose. No matter how much she dreaded this confrontation, she didn’t intend to let them know.

“Hello, Mother.” Her voice was calm.

“Haley.” The woman shifted her eyes to Sully. She sized him up and dismissed him in one cool glance. Not worth her time, he guessed.

Her gaze skipped back to Haley. She didn’t bother to do the air-kiss thing. “How lovely to see you after all this time.”

He’d never heard anything less sincere.

“It’s been a while,” Haley agreed. “Since I was a teenager, I think.” She paused, but when her mother didn’t answer, she soldiered on. “Hi, Dad.”

Oliver Burroughs spared a glance at his daughter, his eyes lacking any warmth. Sully could see this attorney ripping his opponents in court to shreds.

“I was hoping to talk to you,” she added.

“We don’t have anything to say.”

Haley’s chin went up. Her smile didn’t slip, but her fingers dug into Sully’s arm so hard he expected bruises to form. “Please. It’s important. I need information. It has to do with the Ridgewood gang.”

Her father’s eyes turned even colder. He glanced at Sully, then back to his daughter again. “You know I don’t discuss my clients.” He grabbed a drink from a passing waiter, then turned away.

But Haley released Sully’s arm and blocked his path. “Please, Dad. I only need information. It won’t take long, but...my life could be at risk. Can’t we go somewhere to talk?”

Her mother’s pinched nostrils flared. “Really, Haley. Your imagination always did get the best of you. And you heard his answer. Now please don’t act crass and create a scene. You’ve damaged the family enough.” She took her husband’s arm and pulled him away. A moment later she stopped to greet the senator. Her forced laughter floated back.

Sully glanced down at Haley. She stood stock-still, her eyes stricken in her flushed face. His anger rose, his own face heating at the need to avenge the slight. What the hell was wrong with her parents? How could they ignore Haley’s plea for help? Their daughter’s life was at stake.

He balled his hands and stepped forward, determined to make them talk.

“Don’t.” She tugged his sleeve, the flayed look in her eyes twisting his heart. “It’s not worth it. I was wrong to come here. I thought... It doesn’t matter. Let’s...let’s just go.”

“Good idea.” This was a waste of time. Finding the killer in this crowd was futile, like searching for a diamond in a gravel pit. It could be anyone—or no one. There wasn’t any way to tell. And people were already whispering, spreading word of Haley’s humiliation at her parents’ hands.

Even more anxious to leave now, he placed his palm at the small of her back and steered her toward the door. But the crowd had tripled since they’d arrived, making it difficult to move.

Behind them, the music stopped. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the emcee announced. “This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. We’ll now announce the three finalists in our auction. Please come up when I call your names.”

Good. The distraction would draw the crowd’s attention to the stage, enabling them to sneak away without another scene.

“Kenneth Jones, Camille Henson and Sullivan Turner,” the man boomed out. “Please come to the stage.”

Haley stopped and turned back. “You have to go up there.”

“I don’t care about the raffle. Let’s get out of here.”

“Please.” Her eyes pleaded with his. “If we leave now, they’ll think they drove us out.”

He knew she meant her parents. And he couldn’t blame her for wanting to preserve her pride. “It’s not just that. I can’t leave you alone in the crowd.”

“I’ll go up with you.”

“You’d be too exposed.” And even though he had his sidearm, he couldn’t risk opening fire in a crowd this size. The collateral damage would be too high.

But she didn’t budge. “Nobody’s going to shoot us in the ballroom. And it will only take a minute. We’ll accept whatever the prize is and leave right after that.”

He glanced around. People were pointing and looking his way. His heart sank. She was right. They’d look like cowards if they slipped out now.

“Fine.” Not seeing an alternative, he trailed her to the small corner stage where two other people waited with the emcee. Taking his position beside Haley, Sully scowled at the audience, watching for signs of animosity.

Haley leaned toward him. “Try to look happy. You’re about to win something.”

“Right.” He bared his teeth.

The emcee introduced Senator Riggs, who thanked an endless stream of sponsors for their help. He finally wound down, and the emcee took the microphone again. While a drum rolled, he reached into a clear, plastic ball and pulled out a ticket stub. “In third place, a two-week cruise to the Black Sea, Camille Henson.”

Sully clapped. But he caught sight of Haley’s parents in the crowd and it was all he could do not to glare.

The drum roll sounded again. “In second place, for ten thousand dollars, Kenneth Jones. That means Sullivan Turner is our grand-prize winner, the proud owner of a new Chevrolet Corvette.”

Cameras flashed. Haley turned toward him and gave him a squeeze. But his heart began to race, the light from the cameras flickering through his memory, yanking him into the past. And suddenly, he was back in that desert valley, the world exploding in a roar of flames, surrounded by bodies and blood and screams.

His limbs began to shake. A clammy sweat broke out on his brow. And that god-awful panic consumed him, the frantic need to fight back. He grabbed Haley’s arm, struggling to anchor himself to the present, knowing if he lingered another minute he was going to lose it and come undone. He had to get away from the flashing lights now.

But the senator stepped into his path. “If I could have your attention for another moment,” he boomed into the microphone. “I’ve just discovered that our winner is none other than Sergeant Sullivan Turner from the United States Army, who not only earned a Purple Heart, but a Silver Star, one of the highest commendations there is. He’s a real-live hero! I’m sure you’ll all join me in thanking him for his service to our country.”

Applause broke out. Sully’s gut tightened to steel. Hell. This was all he needed, for the senator to broadcast that. Desperate to hold it together, he gripped Haley’s arm even harder and turned to go.

But a man carting a camera blocked his way. “Sir, we need you to come outside and stand by the car for a couple of photos.”

“We’ll be right there,” Haley promised before Sully could refuse. Then she towed him through the crowd. “A Silver Star?”

Ignoring the people surging toward him, he mopped his brow with his sleeve. “It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?” She shot him a look of disbelief. “How can you say that? That’s a huge award.”

An award he didn’t deserve. “It’s nothing.”

“But—”

“Forget the damned medal. Let’s just get out of here.” He knew he sounded surly. But there were too many people, too much noise. And they all seemed to be pressing toward him, offering congratulations, making it impossible to breathe.

Haley pulled him out the doors to the patio. His pulse still chaotic, he inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the fresh night air. Light spilled from the mansion, illuminating the garden beyond the wall. But past the perfectly trimmed hedges lay acres of unlit fields and woodland—where a shooter could easily hide out.

“Come on.” Hurrying, he limped toward the side of the mansion where the Corvette was parked. The photographer was waiting by the car, along with the senator and another man Sully didn’t recognize. Several teenage valets hovered nearby.

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