Rapid Pulse Bounty: Obsessed Bounty Hunter Romance Series, Book 3 Read online

  Jacqui knew she needed to make her move. Fanning her hands to her face, she addressed Adam, “Honey, this room is too warm. I need a breath of fresh air…”

  The man who met them at the door instantly tensed and made as if to follow her as she headed for the door.

  Adam spoke with a pleasant voice and tapped Leech by the shoulder. “Tell your man to leave my girl alone. I don’t trust him. I mean, after all, what can a little lady do except roll in bed with you?”

  Leech and the rest of men, together with Adam, chuckled over this. Jacqui pretended to be displeased and left the room with a snooty swing of her hair. As soon as she hit the hallway, Jacqui hurried down the stairs and headed straight for the SUV. She retrieved her Walter PPK and strapped it between her thighs. She left her purse lying on the table inside the room with Adam. Her cell phone was inside the purse. She would need that later on to make contact. But not yet… the primary target had still to show up.

  Jacqui’s heart accelerated with excitement. If all goes well today, she would be earning lots of money from this bounty. She could afford to take a vacation, hopefully with Adam along. They could do Hawaii. Her picture was all over the internet anyway, dancing with a glass of wine in her hand. Jacqui glanced at her watch. Twenty minutes were almost up.

  God, I hope they don’t frisk me when I come in again, she thought nervously.

  The gun between her thighs was the only protection she and Adam had. But she need not have worried, as everyone hardly looked up when she entered the room once more. They were all huddled around Adam, who was showing them some high powered gadgets on his tablet.

  Jacqui knew that Adam intentionally did this to divert attention. He was establishing a bond with all the men, making them feel he was one of them. Nice move, Jacqui thought.

  The door opened and everyone looked up. Standing on the threshold was a man of about 60 years of age. Silver streaks of hair were showing beside the temple over a hat that covered the rest of his head. He had a hooked nose, and a pointed chin. Except for the eyes that glinted, one would think he was somebody’s grandfather. Jacqui sensed the evil lurking behind those eyes. Leech and the rest of his men all stand respectfully as the commandant approached. It was apparent from their demeanor that this was someone they all feared. The imperious leader cast Jacqui a glance as he passed, and proceeded to approach Adam, who didn’t bother to stand.

  That one glance was all it took. Recognition was instant as memories come flooding back to Jacqui. This… this was the man she saw that night her family was murdered. This was the man who mercilessly shot her mom before her dad’s eyes. This was the man who brutally wiped out the light from Danny’s eyes as her dad screamed in rage and fear... the man who ended her dad’s life without hesitation.

  Jacqui recoiled in a mixture of rage and fear. Her breath came in short gasps as the whole room turned red before her eyes. It took immense effort to stop her body from shaking. She had a clear sight of the back of the old man’s head. She could draw the gun from between her thighs and pull the trigger. She knew she could kill him with a single bullet. That would be her revenge for the death of her entire family.

  Yet somehow, as all these thoughts swirled in her mind, Jacqui knew his death by her hand would only avenge her. What of all the other crimes this guy had committed to others? This man had to be caught and made to suffer for all the evil he had done. Besides, she was the only one with a gun. Adam was unarmed. Jacqui was certain that with the first gunshot, Leech and all the others would draw their own weapons and start shooting. How many could she take down before Adam got shot? She had to think about Adam too.

  Jacqui made a quick decision. She played the beautiful, but asinine girlfriend in this scenario. So she sauntered toward the table, grabbed hold of her purse and declared petulantly, “This is taking longer than I thought. I have to cancel a previous appointment.”

  Adam waved her off as if humoring a child and continued to huddle with the rest of the group. He was playing his role to perfection. Jacqui casually got her phone from her purse and pressed a number. The alarm was sent instantly. The GPS system in the car was wired to show their location. All Jacqui and Adam had to do was wait.

  Less than five minutes after sending the call, all hell broke loose as the door was smashed open. Breaking glass flew everywhere as men entered through the windows. The room was a chaotic scene as the S.W.A.T. team in full military gear flooded into the room. Red dots from sniper sights spotted the heads of the old leader, Leech, and the three others. It would have been foolish for them to even try and aim their guns as it would mean instant death. They knew it. The leader knew it.

  “It’s over…” he muttered under his breath, raising his hands in surrender.

  Suddenly, a familiar figure entered the room and headed straight for Jacqui.

  “Uncle Max,” Jacqui said in surprise. “You’re here. It’s him, Uncle Max. That’s the man who killed my whole family.”

  Jacqui hated to show any sign of weakness, not with Adam and Uncle Max there. But the extent of her emotions got the better of her and she started to cry.

  Uncle Max hugged her and softly said, “Yes, I know Jacqui. I couldn’t tell you earlier because I was afraid your sentiment would get you. I didn’t want you to be reckless and make stupid mistakes in your desire for revenge. I know you well enough to know that as soon as you made the connection, you would do the right thing.”

  “I made a drastic mistake. I should have made sure I killed everyone in your family that night. Then this could have been avoided,” the leader declared so casually, as if they were making small talk around the dinner table.

  Jacqui stared in shock, unable to believe what she just heard. After everything, he still had the gall to taunt her. All the anger she had managed to control till then came flooding back. Anger turned to rage, and rage into boiling fury. She moved away from Uncle Max and ran toward the leader.

  “No… no… Jacqui don’t,” she heard Adam and Uncle Max shout in unison.

  But Jacqui was beyond control. The potency of her fury gave her feet wings, dashing towards the leader. She raised her elbow, pulled back her arm, closed her fist, and lunged at the leader with a solid punch in the face. The leader fell to a heap on the floor, senseless. Adam could barely restrain a livid Jacqui, even with his arms wrapped around her.

  “My girlfriend is pretty cool. She can kick ass,” Adam said for all to hear.

  ***

  Eighteen months later, a verdict of ‘guilty for multiple counts of illicit arms dealing and multiple murder charges’ was handed down by the Supreme Court. Jacqui made it her personal mission to attend all the trials. It was with huge relief when she heard the verdict and the sentencing – life imprisonment with no possibility of parole – for the whole syndicate. The rest of the gang, who eluded arrest, vanished into thin air. There was no chance of regaining ground with the arrest of both Leech and the leader of the group.

  A day after the sentencing, Jacqui walked slowly to the graves of her mom, dad and Danny. It was a cool day with a gentle breeze. Jacqui laid down the flowers she held in her arms.

  “I got him, dad. I got him for you, mom and Danny…” she whispered as lonely tears form in her eyes.

  A second figure joined her as she stood vigil beside the graves. Adam snaked his arm across her waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Say your final goodbyes, Jacqui. There’s a whole new life ahead of you…and if you will allow me, I want to be a part of it,” Adam said.

  Jacqui looked up at him and saw the light in those beautiful blue eyes. Her spirit felt free for the first time in a long while.

  “Yes…” she answered softly.

  It was time to move on.

  -The End-

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  Valtina waited patiently for Ladaya to return with her next assignment. She didn’t
know how much time had passed since she last saw her mentor. Time ran differently in Middle World, much more slowly than on Earth or in The Afterlife. Valtina had stopped trying to keep up with it several lifetimes ago, but Ladaya’s absence seemed long, even by Middle World standards.

  As she waited, Valtina wondered where Ladaya would send her next. She was determined to earn her way into The Afterlife, and she was full of confidence that she would be successful. Her recent mission had been challenging but rewarding… Amy and Kyle were meant to be together. Matt was a lost cause and Valtina was able to finesse the situation for the best outcome. In just two days, she was able to create a long-lasting relationship that should have happened a lot sooner. Valtina was certain she could handle any assignment Ladaya gave her.

  The last assignment was actually enjoyable. In fact, Valtina would probably have accepted the mission even if Ladaya hadn’t offered The Afterlife as a reward. In each of her lives, Valtina had been a passionate, sexual person. She’d never enjoyed sex just for the sake of sex. In each life she’d found her soul-mate, the one person whose spirit understood hers. And in each life, she and her soul-mate had enjoyed passionate, adventurous sex.

  “I guess I am uniquely qualified for this job,” Valtina thought out loud.

  “You certainly are,” said a familiar voice behind her. Valtina turned and found Ladaya approaching. She looked tired… and a little worried.

  “Are you alright?” Valtina asked.

  “It’s been a long three days.” Ladaya sighed. “We’re losing ground. We’ve tapped every resource we have, but evil is still winning. Their numbers are multiplying as ours dwindle. There’s still hope, of course, I just never thought it would get this far.” Ladaya smiled sadly.

  “What can I do, Ladaya?” Valtina asked determinedly.

  “We’re fighting many dark forces,” Ladaya explained, “forces that for centuries were happy to fight amongst themselves. Humans have always been affected by them, but never to such a large scale. But a few decades ago, these forces decided to unite under a common goal. Since then, their sole focus has been to end existence as we know it. And, as you know, the only way to do that is to rid the world of love. If the last drop of love dies, every living organism will follow… the barren earth will be left to every foul creature that’s ever been created. I’m sorry if this sounds repetitive, Valtina, but you MUST understand the importance of your missions.”

  “I understand, Ladaya. Just tell me where to go next.”

  “This case is much different than your last mission,” Ladaya began. “Claire and Henry are married, and they’re meant to be. But there are forces working against them… powerful forces. In fact, Valtina, I’m about to put you up against, essentially, your evil twin.”

  “My evil twin? I’m afraid I’m going to need you to explain that,” Valtina said, taken aback.

  “Think Valtina. Your strength, your love, your goodness, they’re all rooted in your sexuality. What’s the evil counterpart to that?”

  Valtina thought for a moment, and then gasped. “You can’t be serious,” she said firmly. “They don’t exist. Not anymore.”

  “That’s what we thought, but we were wrong. I think they’ve been waiting… the other creatures have set everything up just right, and now they’ve come out of hiding and they’re moving in for the final play.”

  “So… you’re sending me after…”

  “Yes. A succubus,” Ladaya interrupted. “I’m not sure of her true name, but Henry knows her as Charlotte. It’s important that we move quickly. Henry has only been under her spell for a few days. Claire and Henry have a nine-month-old baby, so Claire is distracted and hasn’t noticed any change in her husband. If we can keep her from finding out, we can save their marriage. We could wipe her memory, but we can’t erase the scars left by that deep of a betrayal. If she learns of Henry’s infidelity, their love will die.”

  “We won’t let evil win Ladaya, I’ll do my best work.” Valtina took her friend by the hand and met her eyes. “My absolute best work. I promise.”

  “You must Valtina.” She sighed, squeezing her hand. “Once you’ve broken the spell Charlotte has on Henry, wipe his memory of her. He isn’t cheating on purpose… she has total control. This isn’t something he should suffer for.”

  “But how do I break the spell?” Valtina asked.

  “Follow your instincts,” Ladaya smiled. “This is one area in which they’ve always served you well. Now, you’d probably be able to spot the succubus anyway, but your new powers will allow you to see her true form. You’ll see the true form of other creatures as well. Do NOT react when you see them. Some monsters can see spirits, so you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. If you’re ever in true danger I’ll sense it, and I’ll send help immediately.”

  Valtina wasn’t scared. As a matter of fact, this was the most exhilarated she’d felt since she entered Middle World. Once again, she had a purpose, a reason for being. “What do you want me to do with the succubus after I’ve broken her spell?” she asked fiercely.

  “Nothing,” Ladaya responded firmly. “You are to focus on your mission, and your mission alone. We have others in our ranks who are equipped to fight monsters. But the connection between her and Henry must be broken first, or anything we do to her will happen to him too.”

  “I’ll do it as quickly as possible,” Valtina promised. “I’ll see you soon.” She smiled at Ladaya as the fog surrounded her, transporting her to Henry and Claire’s bedroom.

  If you enjoyed this sample then look for Evil Lust - The Leather Satchel Paranormal Romance Series, Book 3.

  Get the latest update on new releases from the author at:

  http://CarlaCoxwell.com

  About the Author - Carla Coxwell

  Carla has always been a fan of romance novels. To augment what she made waiting on tables to help her way through college, Carla also did some freelance work in the romance genre.

  Now she enjoys living vicariously through her characters in her New Adult Romance books.