Saturday Snippet

There's definitely something odd going on in my newest release Because You Love Me. Bridget has witnessed a murder and is now the target of a deadly hit man. The only way she can see the villains brought to justice is to find the evidence her best friend hid before he was killed. Problem is…she has to break his coded message before the bad guys catch up to her.

Snippet:

Bridget stared at the piece of paper in her hands, her eyes no longer focusing on the words she'd committed to memory months ago. Sighing heavily, she glanced out the window at the picturesque, snow-capped mountains in the distance. Sometimes she still found it hard to believe how much her life had changed in such a short span of time. This time a year ago, she was typing up local interest pieces in a four-by-four cubicle at the Reporter's offices. Her only view back then was of a computer screen. To add some life to the dull cubicle, she had a calendar thumbtacked to the wall with scenes similar to the real-life one she was staring at now. In New York, she pretended like the calendar was her window with a view.

With one pull of a trigger, her life had altered overnight.

"The words in that letter aren't going to change no matter how many times you read them."

She grinned, glancing over her shoulder at Rodney. "You say that every time I pull it out."

"Maybe that's because you're looking at it every five minutes like you're going to see something different. Not sure what you're hoping to find." Rodney claimed the comfy armchair opposite hers, stretching his feet out and crossing them at the ankles.

Rodney Jackson had been assigned to protect her after the arrest of Judge Thompson. The murderer hadn't spent a single night in jail for his crime, making bail almost immediately. Apparently judges—crooked or clean—looked out for each other.

"There has to be something we're missing."

Rodney looked around at the small sitting room of the bed and breakfast where they were currently hiding out. "You can say that again. Seems to me we've hit a dead end."

She shook her head. She wouldn't—couldn't—accept that. "No, Lyle's put all the pieces here. We just have to figure them out."

Apparently Lyle had stopped by her apartment prior to his appearance at the warehouse. He'd slid a coded letter under her door that she'd discovered when she returned home that night.

At first, she hadn't had time to acknowledge or even attempt to crack the code contained in the message. She'd been instructed to quickly pack a suitcase, and then she'd been placed in the very capable hands of Rodney, who had become her protector, guardian angel and best friend.

Rodney rested his head against the cushioned back of the chair and sighed loudly. "I don't know, Bridge. It's not looking good."

Guilt pricked at the edges of her conscience. The dear cop had put his life and career on the line for her. She hated feeling like she'd failed yet another friend.

"We're in the right place, Rodney. I know it. We just have to figure out the rest of the puzzle, and we'll have all the evidence we need to take down a hell of a lot more criminals than just Judge Thompson." Lyle had given up his life to see not only the judge brought to justice, but the judge's entire network as well.

She sighed. He had also died for her. He'd brought the evidence to her instead of a more seasoned reporter because he wanted to help her get a promotion, a break in her career. Bridget intended to see that his sacrifice wasn't wasted. She'd find the evidence, see the bad guys put behind bars, and then she'd take New York by storm. She'd become the greatest reporter ever and write a front-page article telling the world what Lyle had done.

She looked at the letter again. The paper had lost its crispness due to her constant handling. It was now soft as thin cotton and just as flimsy. Lyle's damn love of mysteries and puzzles was currently driving her insane. He'd clearly coded his message in a way—he'd thought—only she would be able to solve. Unfortunately, he'd been too clever for her.

Because You Love Me is available at Samhain, Amazon, Sony, All Romance Ebooks, and Barnes and Noble.

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