Meeting Danger (Danger #1) (30 page)

Camden willed his panic to recede. Moments ticked by as he waited to hear the outer door slam before he pulled his pocketknife from his jeans. Thank God Graham hadn’t frisked him. The zip tie snapped after a few swipes of the blade.

He ran for the door and staggered backward as the heat of flames hit him from the hallway. A cold sweat broke out over his body as he froze, unwilling to believe his bad luck. It was just like it had been with Caleb’s kidnappers. Graham had set a fire to destroy evidence.

Autumn’s face flashed in Camden’s mind, and hope gripped him.

If Graham had taken the time to start a fire, maybe he and Autumn were still here. It was that thought that propelled him forward, through the smoke, the smell of gasoline, and the heat of the blaze. The woman he loved wasn’t going to end up like Caleb.

He exited the building and sprinted outside. Graham was dragging Autumn toward a silver Mercedes parked near his office. Relief surged within Camden but he stuttered to a halt in the parking lot as he remembered that Graham was armed and he wasn’t.

He’d just ducked behind a car, trying to make his way closer to Graham without being seen when an explosion sounded from behind him.

Graham turned around and froze when he spotted Camden. He dropped the bag he was carrying before returning the gun to Autumn’s head. “Get back!”

Afraid of the desperation in Graham’s eyes, Camden raised his hands. “All right!”

“If you get any closer, I’ll kill her!”

Shouts came from nearby as people burst from the office building, scattering into the parking lot to learn the source of the boom. Camden’s blood froze at the sight, not wanting anyone else to get hurt.

He met Autumn’s gaze.
Hold on for me, angel.

“Down on your knees!”

Camden looked at Graham. No way was he getting onto his knees. But what
could
he do?

He went rigid with anger and fear.
If you hurt her, you son of a bitch . . .

Making a snap decision, he ran toward Graham.

Autumn trembled as Graham pressed the gun to her temple. The fear on Camden’s face was heart-breaking.

How could she have been so stupid? Why had she let Graham lead her down here? They’d been chatting at the party about Minnesota, where she’d been raised, and he’d told her he had something to show her.

Forcing in a breath, she dug deep for inner strength. She and Camden had survived Butch and the club. They had to survive this too.

Graham’s arm was wrapped around her midsection like a band of steel, but her forearms were free. He had a gun that he was aiming at Camden, but she was unarmed.

Wait . . . Butch’s Swiss Army knife! She was wearing her old jacket, the same one she’d had on the night she’d helped Camden escape from Butch’s. Was the knife still inside her jacket pocket? Carefully, she reached inside the pocket and rooted around until her hand closed over the knife handle.

Graham was shouting at Camden to get onto his knees. With concentrated determination, Autumn opened the blade one-handed and got a good grip on the handle. She drew the knife from her pocket and moved it to her side.

When Graham shouted at Camden, “Down on your knees!” she slammed the knife down into Graham’s thigh.

“You fucking bitch!”

Graham released his hold on her to clutch at the knife, and she scrambled behind his car.

When a gun went off a second later, her heart stopped. Had Camden been hit?

She peeked over the car’s hood, afraid of what she might see.
Thank God!
Camden wasn’t shot. He’d reached Graham, and the men were now grappling for the gun.

Camden was about to take control of it when Graham sucker-punched him. The gun flew onto the pavement.

Autumn didn’t hesitate. She raced out from behind the Mercedes and scooped up the weapon, but Camden didn’t need her help. A few seconds later, he had Graham subdued in a chokehold.

Her heart pounding, Autumn sucked in a quick breath of relief. It was over.

Washington, DC

“I need to use the restroom.”

Camden smiled at Autumn as she excused herself from the table they were sharing with Grayson inside his favorite neighborhood bar.

“Your folks must be excited to meet her,” Grayson said to Camden as she walked away.

“They are.”

“How long will you guys be in Miami?”

“A couple of weeks.”

They watched the game on the screen above the bar for several minutes before Grayson glanced over at him.

“I can’t believe you’re not part of the team anymore.”

“It’s for the best.” As Autumn emerged from the bathroom, Camden grinned.

Grayson clapped a hand on Camden’s shoulder as they watched Autumn head toward them. “I guess it is. You both look happy.”

Camden gave him a smile. “We are. Ever since I met her, she’s been so unsure of herself, feeling guilty that she might not be brave enough to do the right thing. But at every turn, she’s meeting danger head-on. The woman takes my breath away.”

When Autumn took her seat, Grayson cleared his throat. “Listen, Autumn, I owe you an apology. The way I treated you when we first met . . . I’m really sorry about it.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. Even then I understood, Grayson.”

Camden smiled at the exchange as he took a sip of his beer. “Any word on your next assignment?”

“I leave tomorrow.”

Camden set down his beer with a frown. “Seriously?”

Grayson nodded. “I’m chasing down the info we got from Butch’s crew when we arrested them in West Virginia. That drug dealer, Paxton? We might have a handle on who he was. I’m following it up.”

It was the nature of the beast, and Camden knew he shouldn’t be surprised. But the job suited his friend; Grayson had always liked being in the thick of things.

Camden glanced at Autumn, noting her look of relief when Grayson spoke of following up on Paxton’s murder. Maybe now she’d be able to let go of that regret.

Turning back to Grayson, he said, “You take care of yourself.”

“I always do.” Grayson chuckled and then sat forward in his seat as if he had something else on his mind. “It was a good thing Hale Lewis cooperated when he did. Because of that, no charges will be filed against him. He seems like a pretty good guy, all things considered.”

Autumn bit down on her lip as she focused on her beer glass. “I’d like to call Kristen. I want to keep in touch with her and Hale.”

“That’s a great idea,” Camden told her as a flicker of guilt nagged at him.

They had decided they would be living in Pennsylvania. In order to be with him, Autumn was leaving all she was familiar with. Although she said she didn’t mind, at the very least she was sacrificing how often she’d see her friend Kristen.

“It can wait until we get to Florida, though,” Autumn added as she looked up from her glass with a grin.

Camden’s tension eased at the excited look on her face. Was she thinking the same thing he was?

He couldn’t be more excited about the trip. Autumn didn’t know it, but he’d bought her an engagement ring and was going to propose once they got to Florida and were with his family. His parents would be touched by the gesture, and Camden felt confident in Autumn’s answer.

Their future together was about to begin.

• • •

As Camden reached over and squeezed Autumn’s hand where it rested on the bar table, words her mother had long ago spoken came to mind.

“Make sure you end up with someone who treats you well,” she’d said wistfully.

“What do you mean, Mama?”

Her mother had turned away with a sad sigh as she’d busied herself with preparing dinner, even though Autumn’s father had just slammed out of the house after yelling at her.

The conversation had been forgotten until Autumn had started living with Butch. One night when Butch had slapped her for some small offense and then stormed out of the house, her mother’s words came back to her as clear as a bell.

Make sure you end up with someone who treats you well.

At that point, she’d been trapped in her situation and no longer had a choice in the matter. But things had changed. She’d been given a second chance, had learned to read and become self-sufficient, and had so many possibilities open to her now. She was no longer trapped, and it was all because of this amazing man.

Mama would love him.

The thought made Autumn smile as she gazed at Camden sitting next to her, holding her hand. He was exactly the type of person her mother had meant.

Camden would always treat her with love and respect, of that she was sure, and that certainty gave her a sense of well-being that she’d never known possible. He’d made her happier than she’d ever been, and she couldn’t wait to see where life might take them next.

Thank you to three of the most awesome beta readers out there, Amanda, Sheila, and Stephanie. Thank you for always finding things I’ve missed. Your insight and encouragement are so appreciated!

I’m thrilled to work with the most amazing talent in the indie community—Deborah, at Tugboat Design, who designs fabulous covers, and the amazing Pam Berehulke at Bulletproof Editing. Both of you belong with a NYC publishing house, although we’re so grateful you’re not! Deborah, you have a knack for taking a suggestion and making it loads better than the original idea. Pam, you add so much to novels, enriching them to an entirely new level. Your attention to detail is always a tremendous help.

To my co-writer, Caila: words can’t express how grateful I am to have found you along the way. Everything you did with this book just blew me away. You’re the best at emotional storytelling.

Lastly, to my husband and kids who put up with this writing adventure, know how much I appreciate that and love you.

—Allyson

Thanks so much to Allyson for allowing me to share this journey with you. You’re a kind and generous soul with a wicked imagination, and I’m glad to call you my friend.

A special thanks goes to my husband for being a patient and helpful sounding board. I love you.

—Caila

Originally from the East Coast, Allyson Simonian now lives in California with her husband and children. She began to write in 2012. What inspired her? The emotion in the Fifty Shades of Grey series. It had been a while since Allyson had even read a romance novel. Now she’s obsessed with the genre (especially the sub-genre of romantic suspense).

Caila Jaynes is a Southern girl, born in the Carolinas and raised on outrageous storytelling and sweet iced tea. She loves romance, happily-ever-afters, and a good mystery. Put those three together and she’s a happy girl. Now an empty nester, she’s busier than ever, but for some crazy reason decided to pursue a lifelong dream of writing. Her stories will never leave you hanging, and all are guaranteed to have a happy ending.

Thank you for reading
Meeting Danger
. If you enjoyed the book, please consider supporting these authors by leaving a review. Reviews are a valuable resource in helping readers find other books they may enjoy. For more information on the Danger Series, please follow these authors at:

Allyson may be found at:

Website:
www.allysonsimonian.com

Facebook:
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Twitter:
www.twitter.com/allysonsimonian/

Caila may be found at:

Website:
www.cailajaynes.com

Facebook:
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Twitter:
www.twitter.com/cailajaynes/

T
HE
D
ANGER
S
ERIES
(co-written with Caila Jaynes):

Meeting Danger

Trusting Danger (Expected publication, Fall 2016)

S
TANDALONE
N
OVELS:

Brave Love

K
INDLE
W
ORLDS:

Turned Around: An Alternate Ending to the Kathleen Turner Series

T
HE
D
ANGER
S
ERIES
(co-written with Allyson Simonian):

Meeting Danger

Trusting Danger (Expected publication, Fall 2016)