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Retribution by Lea Griffith
The GenTech Chronicles Book Two &
Presidio Files Book One

She is a woman lost but now found.

Sasha has spent her life dedicated to the freedoms of others. Used to helping, she isn’t prepared to be the one in need. As she holds the hand of death, alone in a courtyard of suffering, she discovers salvation is but a breath away.

He is a man conveniently at the right place, at the right time.

A battle-hardened spec ops soldier, Dray has been sent on a mission he doesn’t understand. Sitting in the hills above a terrorist’s compound, he discovers a woman who is knocking on death’s door and everything clicks. Rescuing her is never a question. Keeping her safe becomes his number one priority.

Evil has taken form, and hell hath no fury like this madman’s twisted mind.

Dempsey isn’t above using whatever or whomever he can to enact payback for a perceived slight. And he revels in his ability to instill fear and pain on those he deems beneath him. His goal is vengeance, and yet he has no idea what he’s set in motion or the lengths Dray and Sasha will go to protect themselves and eliminate him in the process.

They are on a collision course that will change their lives in ways none could anticipate. How much can love take when evil stalks?

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Content/Theme(s): Contemporary, Uniformed Heroes, Military
Release Date: September 16, 2013
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Excerpt & More

Purchase links: Liquid Silver Books Amazon ARe Kobo

Excerpt:
Damn she hurt. Sasha was now besties with pain. Where had it all come from? She’d been struggling for a while to get past the barrier of sleep to wakefulness. Her body resisted every attempt. She finally broke through but wondered what the cost would be.

Awareness came at a snail’s pace. And there was the cost—the brittle, deafening pain that brought the need to sob. She paid up as tears leaked from the effort it took to simply breathe. Sasha tried to open her eyes in the light of what could be a new day, but pain hammered her and it was hard to tell anything about her environment over the buzz in her head. She ventured movement and realized she was cocooned in warmth. Even the feel of the cloth around her made her body hurt. She groaned, the agony so intense she was unable to stifle the sound.

“You waking up?”

Shock robbed her of the tiny breath she had managed to gain. In the midst of red hot hurting, she knew it was hands-down the sexiest voice she’d ever heard.

And her soul recognized it, everything in her easing for a blissful moment. It was the voice from her dream—the one that had said, “I’ve got you,” in a deep, husky tone. In spite of her pain, she’d smiled on the inside at that moment, thinking, Oh, if only you did have me with your sexy voice, and What a way to go if you could please, sir.

It had been an instantaneous connection. Not understandable but there just the same.

The blood flowed furiously through her veins as claw-tipped anguish ripped at her. There was a piece of her that demanded she open her eyes and acknowledge this man. He’d saved her, somehow, as she’d lain broken in that compound.

“It’s all right, you’re safe. We’re American. Military Special Ops to be specific. We, uh, stumbled onto you yesterday. Thought you needed a lift, and here you are.”

The voice lulled her. The deep baritone rich with concern and something else her mulled mind couldn’t identify.

She tried moving, but each muscle twitch was torture so she settled for opening her eyes instead. And was rewarded for the effort with the face of the hottest man she’d ever seen. Hottest man … sexiest voice … what the hell was going on?

For a few blissful seconds, pain was forgotten. Good Lord, he’s beautiful.

Long auburn lashes and thick brows cradled deep green eyes. High cheekbones and a straight, aquiline nose with slightly flaring nostrils completed the picture. Hot did not describe this man. His hair was hidden from view by a skullcap, but it was probably the same color of his lashes and brows. The beginnings of a beard covered his strong jaw and it was as auburn as his brows. Taut, burnished gold skin—he must be in the sun a lot.

His face blurred as red-hot coals settled in her hip and hand. She gasped for breath and the action hurt so viciously she held it and struggled to gain control of the writhing pain. Finally, it subsided, and she realized if she didn’t move anything but her eyes, she was able to maintain without passing out.

She closed her eyes and opened them again. Cammo-covered broad shoulders blocked out the sky so she couldn’t see farther than that. Her gaze shot to his. His mouth moved but her ears still rang and the sound of her heartbeat drowned out his words. He’d said they were American military, hadn’t he?

She found her voice and croaked in a whisper, “Hi.”

His smile showcased even white teeth and luscious, throw-me-down-on-the-bed-and-lick-me-all-over lips. After a few moments her vision cleared, the roaring in her head stopped, and she was able to breathe again.

“Hi.” He paused, his look intent. “My name is Captain Dray Bonner and you’re in the company of Team12. You’ve suffered some pretty serious injuries so you might want to just lie still. We’re in somewhat of a situation here, so I wouldn’t normally ask this of someone as injured as you are, but do you think you can answer some questions for me?”

He kept his voice low but it carried what she thought was a New England accent, Boston maybe.

“I can try.”

Her throat was raw. As a result the sounds she emitted were weak and rough from alternately screaming and holding screams in. His voice, on the other hand, was soothing. His eyes and tone of voice promised safety, compelling her to make the effort to talk to him. Her heartbeat threatened to jump again as her gaze met his.

“Here, let me give you some water.”

He lifted a canteen to her lips, but most of the water spilled over and ran down her cheeks. She managed to get enough down to soothe the rawness a bit and then she cleared her throat. Even that hurt. She peered up at him as he wiped her face and set the canteen aside. In the midst of the cyclone that was her pain, his presence grounded her. It was irrational and not at all anything Sasha had ever experienced.

His green-eyed gaze roamed over her face again before he spoke. “What’s your name and how did you come to be at el-Din’s?”

Gonna get straight to it, huh? She sighed inwardly as she gathered the pieces of her tattered mind to give him the information he requested. It took her long moments to piece the last few days together.

“Sasha Bennoit. I work for People for Freedom. I was abducted from the street, I think two or three days ago. As for how I ended up at el-Din’s? I guess the men who kidnapped me took me there.” She struggled through that little speech while taking deep breaths to stem the tide of pain that pulled at her. “Where are we?”

“About fifty miles north of Kabul. We’re trying to get you out as fast as we can. Your presence threw us for a loop and we weren’t prepared for rescue operations.”

“How badly am I hurt?” She was afraid to ask. Verification of her injuries might make them hurt worse.

His eyes shuttered, the green banked by some unknown emotion. “You’re pretty broken up. Your left ankle, right shoulder, right hand, and possibly your right hip are broken. You have multiple knife wounds and bruises.” His nostrils flared and his face tightened; the flesh over his cheekbones went ruddy. “You’re severely dehydrated and you have several toes that appear to be frostbitten. You’re running a slight fever that will probably only get worse. So, all in all, not too bad.” The corner of his mouth kicked up.

Sasha would have snorted but didn’t have the energy. The sound she made resembled a wounded kitten. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. It’s pretty bad. But I’m alive, yes, I am.

“Sasha? Who brought you to el-Din’s compound?”

It took her a second to draw a breath. She licked her lips, tasting the metallic iron of her blood there. “I’m not sure. Four men took me from the street. No one spoke. I’ve wondered about that. But you know, with the beatings and slicing me up and all, I didn’t have a lot of time for meet and greet chit-chat. Yeah, I’m thinking they didn’t even offer me any tea or crumpets.”

His question had been terse, raising her hackles. She frowned up at him even as she tried to maintain her bravado. “You know, now that I think about it, I don’t even know how I knew el-Din was involved until I saw Kharima.” Her eyes watered and burned. She wanted to brush them away, but couldn’t lift her arm. The tears left bitterly cold tracks down her temple. “We’d been warned last week el-Din was making threats to kidnap foreigners. We hear those things all the time. If it’s not him, it’s some other warlord.” She paused a minute, gasping as pain cascaded through her. “Sorry, um, Dray? I’m probably gonna drift off on you and I know you need the information. I’m trying, so hang with me for a second, okay?”

He nodded and she swallowed. This whole scene was sapping strength she didn’t have. He should let her rest—why wouldn’t he let her rest? And why was she focusing on how good looking he was?

She was broken and needed to find relief in sleep. Unable to fight it any longer, she didn’t even try to keep her heavy lids from closing.

She startled as he leaned closer and couldn’t keep the words from pouring out. “Good Lord, you are really hot.”

Then the blackness returned to sweep her under.

*
Dray felt his lips curve. The words “really hot” coming from a mouth like hers made him—well, shit. Hearing her say his name in that sweet Southern drawl had just about got him there. And there was a place he had no business traveling right now.

Snowflakes fell lovingly on her face,sprinkling her eyelashes. She was exquisite. Her big golden eyes dominated a face that captivated him. They’d taken him in and stolen his breath. Expressive, soft with a tinge of stubbornness around her mouth, Sasha Bennoit was a spitfire. If he’d met her at another time in another place, he would have taken a few moments to lick those snowflakes from her skin. As it was, he removed his glove and brushed them off gently, lingering over the bruises. The feel of her skin under his fingertips was somehow … right. The air stirred behind him.

“Sir, Itchy and Bleak are bedded down. Surrey and I are taking watch. Is she awake yet?” Connor spoke in a barely audible tone, a touch of concern in his voice and on his face.

He ignored the unspoken question. “Yeah, but she knocked back out. I found out a little information though. Let’s get Bleak and the rest together at next shift change and we’ll discuss it.”

Connor nodded and turned to gather his gear for watch.

Dray needed to contact Post again before that team meeting. He needed as much information as Dray could give them. This woman was sure to cause him problems he didn’t need right now.

Connor walked away to take up position and Dray reflected on his First Lieutenant. Something had happened to Con during their last leave. He’d left them whole, but returned a shell of his former self. He didn’t joke or laugh anymore, and the light seemed to have left his eyes. He knew when Con was ready he would talk. Dray had been giving serious thought to his own future in the military during his last leave. Changes in Command had been altering his overall perspective of military life, so he knew what it was to be conflicted. Dray hoped there was time to sort it all out later.

He glanced at Sasha, made sure she still slept, and took up his position a few feet away. He’d keep her safe.
~~~~~~
Purchase links: Liquid Silver Books Amazon ARe Kobo

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