A Baby Before Dawn (13 page)

“That scares the hell out of me,” he said.

“Life isn’t about safe.”

He smiled. “There’s some irony in there somewhere.”

She smiled back. “Lots of it.”

He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “There are no guarantees someone won’t emerge from my past. I’ve made some serious enemies over the years.”

“Get out while you can. Let the other men cover your back. You’ve given them years of your life. I want the rest of it, and I’m not willing to share.”

The dark cloud that had been hovering lifted. Could he rely on his Eclipse brothers to keep the Sheas at bay? The answer, he realized, was an unequivocal yes.

Chase stared at Lily, loving her so much he could barely draw a breath. “You’re pretty damn smart for a civilian.”

“I like to think so.”

When she looked at him like that, with a sultry smile and hooded eyes, he never could resist her. He couldn’t now.

Chase grinned. “Honey, I think I’ve run my last mission.”

“Are you sure?”

“More sure of that than anything else in my life.”

Lily’s smile widened and she let out a contented sigh. The sound was like music to Chase’s ears. The sound of simple human joy, as fleeting and precious as a sunrise.

“This will be a fresh start for us,” she said.

“A new start as a family.” Setting his hands on either side of her face, he kissed her mouth, her cheeks, the tip of her nose. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered. “I never stopped.”

Lily glanced at the door, where two nurses stared at them, teary eyed, and she laughed at the picture she and Chase must make. “I think it’s time to go get our daughter,” she said.

“I think you’re right,” Chase replied.

The nurses both winked at Lily as she and Chase walked hand in hand to the door. Lily winked back as they strode toward their precious daughter and the promise of a new life together as a family.

Turn the page for a sneak peek at the thrilling
continuation of the
Lights Out
continuity.

ANYTHING FOR HIS SON by Rita Herron.

On sale in August.

Lights Out:
Mystery and passion
thrive in the dark…

Boston, Thursday, 2:00 p.m.
17 hours into the blackout

Finn Shea smiled as the afternoon temperature in the darkened city began to climb. People were frantic. Traffic jams clogged the streets. Subways had been stranded. A half-million people were without power. Businesses had closed or were trying to run on auxiliary sources. Tempers had flared and violence had broken out, escalating crime.

His father, Liam, had set his plan in motion full swing. The target—the men who belonged to a secretive group called Eclipse, and had been formed as a select coterie of Special Forces servicemen. The name had been chosen by Shane Peters, their security expert, based on the fact that the quartet could “eclipse” anyone, anytime. Only a handful of top-level Pentagon advisers had known about them, and even then, no one had known the identity of the men on the team.

The band of brothers, mercenaries for the good, still performed high-profile, very classified government-sanctioned missions.

Eleven years ago their mission had been to rescue hostages in a civil-war-torn Middle Eastern nation.

A mission that had ended his father’s brilliant career.

And ruined his life.

Now his father was out of jail and back in control. Ready to mete out punishments for the men who had betrayed him and stood idly by while he alone took the fall for the disastrous mission.

Commander Tom Bradley had been in charge, but he was dead now. The other six men had moved on, had lived good lives while his father had suffered.

Shane Peters, security expert. Chase Vickers, engine expert. Ethan Matalon, computer ace. Ty Jones, demolitions man. The only non-American, Frederick LeBron, a language specialist and a king from the tiny Alpine nation of Beau Pays. And last but not least, Grant Davis, then the tactical expert—now the damn vice president.

Actions had already been taken against Shane Peters and Chase Vickers. Vice President Grant Davis…he had no idea what his fate held. And Ethan Matalon was next on the hit list. Finn’s target.

Yes, Finn’s father, Liam, was finally exacting his revenge.

Because Liam Shea had been innocent. But he’d been court-martialed, dishonorably discharged and incarcerated anyway. And his family’s life had been destroyed. His mother had filed for divorce. Hoping to escape the publicity and shame, she’d dragged her sons to that god-awful small town in Oregon.

But they hadn’t escaped at all. Finn’s father had been tormented every day in prison. And Finn and his brothers…they’d paid the price as well.

Liam’s team was to blame.

And now each of them had to face the consequences.

Finn stared at the photo of Ethan Matalon’s son, Jesse. Five years old. Without a full-time father. Scared of the dark.

Finn forced a steel wall around his heart. He couldn’t care about the kid. Wars caused casualties. An eye for an eye.

And Ethan’s Achilles’ heel was his son.

It was only fair. Finn’s father had lost years with his boys. Ethan would lose his own now, too.

And his pain would be their revenge.