Title: An Unexpected Shot
Author: Caitlin Ricci, A.J. Marcus
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release
Date: April 3
Heat
Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 14700
Genre: Romance, LGBT, gay, bisexual, law enforcement
Synopsis
Darius has just retired as a police
officer and opened his PI business. He expects to help people and continue the
exciting life he had while on the force, but most of his cases center around
cheating spouses. That is until a young boy comes into his office one
afternoon.
Parker insists that his parents are
missing, and not believing him, Darius calls the people on the boy's phone to
find one who is willing to pick him up. Rick, a family friend, comes to get
him. As a thank you for watching over Parker, Rick invites Darius to his house
for dinner. Their connection is instant, but their romantic night together
becomes complicated when men break into Rick's house and start shooting.
Excerpt
An Unexpected Shot
Caitlin Ricci and A.J. Marcus © 2017
All Rights Reserved
I adjusted the sign on my glass office
door one more time before stepping through and into the small space. Darius
Ware, Private Investigator. That was me. At fifty-two, and a recently retired
cop, I had been too bored sitting at home watching the Food Network not to go
back to work. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to cook, when I had the time, but I also loved to
work. And retirement had hurt in a way I hadn’t expected.
I’d never been good with downtime. Even
the thought of it made my skin crawl with the need to do something. On the
force, I’d been the one taking point and tackling suspects. I’d probably drawn
more fire than anyone else in the department. I’d also taken down more people
than anyone else. A desk job wasn’t for me, and so sitting at home on my couch
had been akin to torture. I wanted to be busy and active. There was no one that
I was close to, no one that I could pass
the days away with. I had thought about traveling some after I’d retired, but
with no one willing to go with me, I hadn’t wanted to travel alone. I wanted to
see places and experience things, but not by myself.
In an effort to save my sanity, I’d gone
out and found a small office space in an upscale complex off the financial
district. A lawyer occupied the office to one side of me and an accountant to
the other. They were quiet men about my age. I’d thought maybe drinks with the
guys would be in order at some point, but they’d both snubbed me. I was pretty
sure it had to do with the fact I was a PI, and therefore in their eyes, likely
below them. It didn’t bother me too much; neither one of them was really the
sort of guy I was into, and I had better things
to do than just hang out with them.
The thing I loved was being back on the
job…in a fashion. It may have been a far cry from my old life as a cop but it
was enjoyable. I made my own hours. My desk wasn’t covered in manila envelopes
from cases I was looking into, and my coffee machine actually worked. I’d even
splurged on one of those ones that made single cups of coffee in a ton of
different flavors with the little packs. Until I had clients, I figured I’d
enjoy the bit of indulgence. I was ready for anything and looking forward to
it, too.
*****
Two months into being a PI, my view of
the job had changed dramatically. I’d anticipated looking for missing children.
Instead I was investigating cheating spouses, and the news was never good. The
money was decent, but I hated charging those crying, raging people money after
they’d just found out the person they loved was screwing their neighbor, best
friend, or ex. Most often, it was the best friend. I’d grown really distrustful
of people after seeing what they were willing to do to the people they were
supposed to care about. I’d seen some of that as a cop, but now that I was
dealing with it up close and personal, it was harder to ignore.
So when a boy, who couldn’t have been older than
twelve, came right into my office and sat himself down in the chair across from
my desk, I was intrigued.
“You lost?” I asked. That was the only
explanation of why a kid would be in my office.
He shook his head, and his bright-red
hair went flying. “Parker Emmanuel Williamson.” He held out his hand for me to
shake it, which I did. “I need you to find my parents for me.”
He had my interest, but I also didn’t
work for kids. I wanted that one glamorous case where I found a missing kid and
got back into the hero spotlight I missed so much since I retired, but actually
getting hired by someone Parker’s age wasn’t something I was interested in.
“Y our family know you’re out of
school?” It was noon on a Thursday the week before Halloween. This kid should
have been in school.
He shrugged. “I left. Can you find my
parents or not? You’re a private investigator, aren’t you?”
I probably could find them, or at least
try to, if I was willing to work for this kid. Which I wasn’t. All kids being a
no-go aside, this one seemed worse than most. He had a cocky attitude that
turned me off. “How old are you anyway?” I asked. He didn’t look much over
eight.
“Twelve.”
That surprised me. “You’re small for
your age.”
He rolled his eyes. Maybe he was used to
hearing that.
“Take out your phone,” I told him. “And
unlock it too.”
The kid actually did as he was told and
placed it into my outstretched hand. “Are you going to look for clues on it?”
“No. I’m going to call someone to come
pick you up.”
Purchase
Links
NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/an-unexpected-shot/
Meet the Author
Caitlin Ricci
Caitlin was fortunate growing up to be
surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has
always been a voracious reader, and that love of the written word easily
morphed into a passion for writing. She comes from a military family, and the
men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys
gardening and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home
with her wonderful husband and their two dogs. Her belief that there is no one
true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.
Website: http://www.caitlinricci.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caitlin.ricci.7
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaitlinRicci
A.J. Marcus
A.J. has been writing to pass the time
since high school. The stories he wrote helped him deal with life. A few years
ago, he started sharing those stories with friends who enjoyed them and he has
started sending his works out into the world to share with other people. He
lives in the mountains with his extremely supportive husband. They have a lot
of critters, including dogs, cats, birds, horses, and rabbits. When not
writing, A.J. spends a lot of time hiking, trail riding, or just driving in the
mountains. Nature provides a lot of inspiration for his work and keeps him
writing. He is also an avid photographer and falconer. Don’t get him started
talking about his birds, because he won’t stop for a while.
Website: http://www.ajmarcus.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorajmarcus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aj_marcus
Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive an ebook
of their choice from NineStar Press
No comments:
Post a Comment