Through The Veil
Authors: Christi Snow
Book #1 in the Through the Veil series
by Christi Snow
Published by Christi Snow
Edited by Mia Downing and Sarah
Negovetich
Cover Design by AM Design Studios (Amanda Matthews)
Formatting by AM Design Studios (Ann Mauren)
Copyright © 2014 Christina
Snow
ASIN
(e-book):
B00MRGVYPA
ISBN (print): 1500897930
ISBN-13 (print): 978-1500897932
All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, no part of
this book may be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form, or by any means, without the express permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. While sometimes actual locations are used in
the writing of this book, they are used in a fictional circumstance and are by
no means meant to reflect events happening in those places. Names, characters,
events are all a product of the author’s imagination and are by no means meant
to reflect actual people living or dead, or any actual events. Any similarities
are purely coincidental.
By Christi Snow
When the Mission Ends Series
(Contemporary Romantic Suspense)
Operation: Endgame (Book #1)
Operation: Endeavor (Book #2)
Before the Mission Begins (Novella #2.5)
Operation: Endurance (Book #3)
When Love Intrudes (Book #4)
Men of Snowcroft Series
(Contemporary M/M Romantic Suspense)
Snowcroft
Lost
(Book #1)
Snowcroft
Safehouse
(Book #2 — Spring 2015)
Foxtrot Team Novels
(Contemporary Romantic Suspense)
All Profits Go To Charity
The Shadow of
Mudflap
(Book #1)
Mudflap
Under Cover (Book #2 —
Fall 2014)
Mudflap
Until Death (Book #3 —
2015)
The Martin Ranch Series
(Contemporary Romantic Suspense)
Right By Your Side (Book #1 — Fall 2014)
Stand-Alone Books
Photo Op Serendipity (Spring 2015)
(Contemporary Romantic Suspense)
Luscious Leather, Scandalous Secrets
(Working Title — Spring 2015)
(Contemporary Erotic Romance)
I have a huge team of people who work behind the scenes to
help support me as I write. Every single one of them has suffered through the
many, many, many drafts of this book until I got it right. They kept telling me
that it would be worth it in the end and that no, I wasn’t allowed to throw it away.
This book would not be in your hands without them.
Thank you Sarah and Mia!
Thank you Amy,
Anso
, Kim, Marion,
and Tessa and Sabrina!
And thank you Ben…you’ve listened to me whine most of all and
kept telling me that it would be worth it.
Thank you…
You all were right.
I love this story and my Warriors. I hope you do too….
Contents
Regrets
Lori – Eastern States
Twelve years after the Veil
“Ms.
Renshaw
, there’s a
Detective Rob Morris from
ESIA
here to see you.”
Lori
Renshaw’s
stomach clenched as her secretary’s voice
trembled across her intercom system.
Relax, they don’t know
anything.
Teddy didn’t betray her.
She
stood, grabbed her fitted magenta suit jacket, slid it on, and fastened the
single button right under her cleavage. The power suit with its short skirt and
mile-high matching heels fit her extremely well. It exuded an air of
professionalism and competency even if she felt nothing of the sort. It also
showed off every single one of her feminine curves. She had a feeling she’d
need any advantage she could get today.
A
visit from a detective from the Eastern States Investigation Agency never
signified a good thing. Their investigators were vicious, devoid of compassion,
serving as both judge and jury when it came to the law and those who broke it.
Judgment and punishment were both swift and brutal.
With
a single, deep, centering breath, she touched the intercom. “Send him in,
Maria.”
The
door opened and a confident, fit man strode in like he owned the place. Lori
would guess his age to be close to thirty. Interesting…that made him around
eighteen when the Veil fell. There weren’t too many people that age left in
their society, and he was too young to have been one of the hidden ones.
Regardless, his age meant this man was likely even more dangerous and powerful
than the average
ESIA
agent. Two men followed him
into the room, but neither of them looked to be a day over twenty, so she
concentrated on the first as the leader of the group.
She
stepped up to shake his hand, noting his height. In her heels, she stood just a
couple of inches short of six feet, but he still towered above her. He had
short dark brown hair brushed back off his forehead, a trimmed goatee, and
piercing grey eyes shadowed by his wire frame glasses. They shook hands, his
grip warm, firm, and calloused.
His
shrewd gaze took in every inch of her appearance, lingering for a moment on her
engagement ring with a disconcerting smirk. Something about this man left ice
crawling through her gut. She needed him to state his business and then get
out.
“Detective
Morris, welcome to Savvy Textiles. Are you here for another suit?” She gestured
to the custom suit he wore from last year’s collection. Damn, the man filled it
out well, but she was surprised that a detective made enough money to afford
their extremely pricey, premium line clothing.
He
chuckled. “No, unfortunately, I’m here on business today, although I really
wish it was for pleasure.” He continued to grasp her hand and added a caress to
the inside of her wrist with his fingertip. Nausea churned in her stomach at
his touch. She had a fiancé and she knew the detective had seen the large rock
on her finger.
One
of the men cleared his throat, and the detective cast him a quick, angry scowl
over his shoulder. He let her go and stepped back. “Pardon me, Ms.
Renshaw
, for my lack of manners. Let me introduce Officers
Stacey and Beale.” He gestured to the men who stood behind him. “I understand
you have a…” He glanced down at a piece of paper, referring to his notes. “Oh
yes, here it is. Dominic Dupree works here, correct?”
No!
If they were here for Dominic he was in deep trouble. Her
panicked gaze caught sight of Maria standing wide-eyed and pale just outside
the door where she unashamedly eavesdropped. Dominic and Maria had been dating
for the last year. He planned to ask her to marry him next week, on her
twenty-second birthday. This couldn’t be happening.
Maria
knew what this meant, too. With a swift nod to Lori, she slipped around the
corner and out of the office. Luckily, none of the men in front of her saw the
action. Now Lori just needed to stall them while Maria got Dominic away from
the factory.
“Yes,
Dominic works here. He’s my lead patternmaker and is an excellent employee.
What could you possibly need to discuss with him? I can assure you the man has
done nothing illegal.”
The
detective sneered with an air of superiority that made her want to take him
down a few notches.
“Fortunately
for the ES,” the detective said with a sarcastic edge, “you don’t get to make
that determination. I do, and Mr. Dupree is guilty of treason.”
Lori
gasped.
The
detective tensed in disapproval.
She
should have hidden her reaction better. You couldn’t show these types of men weakness
of any kind.
Dominic
had been with her for five years as her right-hand man. They were as close as
brother and sister.
Treason
held a punishment of immediate death. No chance for exoneration. She wanted to
scream at the injustice, but that wouldn’t help Dominic and would just get her
jailed or worse.
Black
spots danced in front of her eyes and she worked to slow her rapid breathing.
She couldn’t pass out now or else they would kill him. She had to think of a
way to hold them off so Maria could get Dominic out of here.
“I’m…I’m
sure you must be mistaken. I’m sorry, Detective Morris, but you must have the
wrong man.”
The
two men who had been standing behind the detective now spread out to stand
beside him, suddenly looking much more menacing as they pulled out their
weapons in a definite threat.
“Ms.
Renshaw
, the
ESIA
does not
make mistakes.” His voice had hardened and his eyes flashed in anger. “Now, I
need you to direct us to Mr. Dupree before you do something that threatens your
own freedom.”