Profile of Evil (34 page)
Authors: Alexa Grace
Tags: #romantic suspense mystery suspense crime drama police procedural
After the trial ended, Carly moved back home. The loneliness for Brody hit her like a ton of bricks. There were a dozen messages from him on her answering machine, but she deleted each one.
Insomnia took the name of Brody Chase and stole her sleep. Even her steady supply of caffeine wasn't working to alleviate her exhaustion during the day.
Her mother showed up in the middle of the third week to whisk Carly off to a spa. They had facials, massages, pedicures, and sipped iced mint tea, and Carly felt a little better — until she walked into her empty house that evening, loaded down with shopping bags, and had time to think.
Why had she fallen so hard for Brody Chase? Maybe because he wasn't a bad boy as all her past lovers had been. He liked her intelligence, and wasn't threatened by it. He hadn't cheated on her like Sam Isley. At least she didn't think he had.
What is it about first loves that make them so hard to forget? She had no chance of competing with Mollie Adams. Their history spanned years. If Brody had really been in love with her, Carly wouldn't have had to vie with anyone for his affection.
Pulling on her new red bikini, Carly grabbed a fluffy, white towel as she went outside to the pool. She loved to swim at night under the stars. If anything could make her feel better, swimming would. Carly did a breast-stroke for the first lap, and for the second lap she flipped to her back and gazed at the million glittering stars in the night sky. After a while, she did another couple of laps, and then swam toward the pool ladder to get her towel.
Pulling herself up onto the ladder, she'd climbed a rung when she realized, her white towel was being handed to her by a tall and very handsome sheriff named Brody Chase. Her breath caught on a surge of yearning so abrupt and intense it felt like pain.
Once she was out of the water, he wrapped the towel around her and hugged her against his hard body so tightly, she could barely breathe. He crushed his mouth to hers and she felt the surge of sexual electricity all the way to her toes. The kiss went on and on until finally, she pulled out of his arms and said, "Brody, what are you doing here?"
"I figured if you didn't want to live in Indiana, then I'd move here."
"What are you talking about?"
"Just what I said. I tried living three weeks without you, and I can't do it, Carly. I can't. So I asked for a leave of absence to talk to you about my moving in with you."
"Have you lost your mind? What about Mollie? You two have a lengthy history. What about your daughter, Hailey? You and Molly should be together."
"That's the thing, Carly, Mollie is not the woman for me and I'm not the man for her. There's another Chase brother that should be with Mollie. And if Cam has a brain in his head, he'll make it happen. Another thing, what gave you the idea Hailey is my daughter? She's not. Her father was killed in an accident years ago. I love you, Carly. I should be wherever you are. So here I am."
"But at the hospital that night, I saw..."
"What you saw were two old friends embracing each other, after one of them just got out of surgery."
"If that's true, why did it take you three weeks to contact me?"
"Didn't you listen to any of my messages? I was miserable without you, but I couldn't leave until Jim Ryder's case was wrapped up so tight our prosecutor can get a guilty verdict. He's seeking the death penalty. I met with him this morning before my flight. After that, I met with the commission and asked for a leave of absence, which they gave me. Cam is in charge while I'm gone."
"So you're here to..."
"I'm here to find out what you want. If you love me, like I hope you do, then I want to make things permanent."
"You would give up your job for me, Brody?" she asked. "You love your job."
"I love you more."
Carly backed up a step. "Well, there are a couple of things I'll need before we talk permanent."
"Negotiating again?"
She nodded. "I need to hear the words."
"Will you marry me, Carly?"
She shook her head. "Not those words."
"What about these words? I've never loved or wanted anyone like I do you, Carly Stone. It's one of those forever kinds of things, like the love I think my parents had. I love you, Baby."
Her fingers gripping his shirt, she pulled him to her and kissed him the way she'd kissed him in her dreams. "I'm thinking a pre-wedding honeymoon, lasting approximately six months to a year in the Honeymoon Cottage, with a 'do not disturb' sign on the front door at night might work for me."
"Does that mean you'll marry me?"
"Eventually, big guy, but for the next six months to a year, I'll be in your bed every night so I imagine that's enough time for you to do some impressive persuading."
Brody's face broke into the widest smile as he said, "Let's go inside, sweetheart. I don't procrastinate when it comes to showing off my impressive persuasion abilities."
<><><>
Dear Reader:
If you liked
Profile of Evil
, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book too by recommending it to your friends, family and book clubs by writing an honest, positive review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Goodreads, Smashwords, etc.
If you do write a review, please send me an email at
[email protected]
. I’d like to
add you to my e-newsletter list so that you can get updates about upcoming releases first, be eligible for drawings for prizes, and get free ebook alerts.
Thank you.
Alexa Grace
P.S. If you should find a mistake, please notify me. I always strive to write the best book possible and use a team of beta readers as well as an editor prior to publication. But goofs slip through. If something slipped past us, please let me know by writing to me at
[email protected]
. Thank you.
The
Profile Series by Alexa Grace
Spring 2013
Profile of Evil
Carly Stone is a brilliant FBI agent who's seen more than her share of evil. Leaving the agency, she becomes a consultant for Indiana County Sheriff Brody Chase, who needs her profiling skills to catch an online sex predator who is luring preteen girls to their death in his community.
A life hangs in the balance, and the two rush stop the most terrifying killer of their careers — and time is running out.
Summer 2013
Profile of Terror
Social media sites are the playground for twin sexual predators and are the last stops for three young women. When an ex-girlfriend goes missing, Private Investigator Gabe Chase is obsessed with finding her. Once her lifeless body is discovered, her gorgeous and accusing older sister is the distraction Gabe doesn't need as the body count increases and he hunts down the killers.
Fall/Winter 2013
Profile of Fear
A dismembered body found by a trash collector takes Detective Cameron Chase into the unspeakable world of human sexual trafficking. His county is the last place anyone would consider for sex trafficking, and that's just what the traffickers are counting on.
When his lover's teenaged daughter is abducted by the traffickers, the clock ticks as Cameron searches for her. Will he find her before the traffickers sell her abroad — or worse?
Other Books by Alexa Grace
From bestselling new author Alexa Grace,
The Deadly Trilogy
, three books with
non-stop suspense and a healthy dose of toe-curling passion
will have you holding your breath from the first page to the last. You can find them at online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Diesel, Sony, Smashwords, and more.
Deadly Offerings - Book One -
Anne Mason thinks she’ll be safe living in the Midwest living on a wind farm left to her by her ex's mother. She may be dead wrong. Someone is dumping bodies in her corn field and telling Anne they are gifts—for her! And how can she be falling in love with the hot attorney who represented her ex-husband in their divorce proceedings?
Deadly Deception - Book Two-
Enter the disturbing world of illegal adoptions, baby trafficking and murder with new detective Lane Hansen and private investigator Frankie Douglas. Going undercover as husband and wife, Lane and Frankie struggle to keep their relationship strictly professional as their sizzling passion threatens to burn out of control. Can they keep passion in control long enough to take down two murderers?
Deadly Relations - Book Three -
Detective Jennifer Brennan, still haunted by her abduction five years before, devotes her life to serve and protect others. Love is the last thing on her mind, but will it find her after three young women go missing and are found murdered on her watch and she vows to find the killer — or die trying.
Deadly Holiday
- If you liked the books of
The Deadly Trilogy
:
Deadly Offerings
,
Deadly Deception
and
Deadly Relations
, you'll LOVE this nail-biting, holiday-themed novella where the characters return to search for a lost boy, fight breast cancer, deal with the personal financial impact of a bad economy, and seek a Christmas miracle.
With more than 1,000 five-star reviews, it's time for you to discover
the Deadly Trilogy books
:
Deadly Offerings, Deadly Deception, Deadly Relations and Deadly Holiday.
For more information, go to http://www.alexa-grace.net/.
About the Author — Alexa Grace
Alexa Grace's journey started in March 2011 when the Sr. Director of Training & Development position she'd held for thirteen years was eliminated. A door closed but another one opened. She finally had the time to pursue her childhood dream of writing books. Her focus is now on writing riveting romantic suspense novels.
Alexa earned two degrees from Indiana State University and currently lives in Florida. She's a member of Romance Writers of America (national) as well as the Florida Chapter.
In 2012, she was named one of the top 100 Indie authors by
eReader Review
. A chapter is devoted to Alexa Grace in the book
Interviews with Indie Authors
by C. Ridgway and T. Ridgway.
Her writing support team includes five Miniature Schnauzers, three of which are rescues. As a writer, she is fueled by Starbucks lattes, chocolate and emails from readers.
Visit her online at - http://www.alexa-grace.net/
Friend her on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlexaGrace
Follow her on Twitter - @AlexaGrace2
Table of Contents