Sale Blitz: Love or Justice by Rachel Mannino
Title: Love Or Justice (Protect And Serve #1)
Author: Rachel Mannino
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Laurie Shelton is the only person alive
who can identify Hawaii’s most notorious mob boss… After stumbling
into a deadly kidnapping, Laurie’s life is in grave danger, and it
falls to US Marshal Dante Stark to keep her safe until she testifies
against Kaimi Quamboa—assuming he can be captured.
Dante knows he’ll lose his job if he
becomes romantically involved with a witness… But when he has
to comfort her through constant nightmares, he finds it nearly
impossible to fight his attraction to the beautiful, strong young
woman he is sworn to protect. Laurie feels it too, but aware she’s
in a high-stress situation and that when the danger is past she’ll
never see Dante again, she tries to ignore his easygoing smile and
the security he offers.
Laurie and Dante are forced to flee
again… When Kaimi’s men descend on their hideaway, they
escape to a second safe house, only to be tracked down there as well.
Dante now knows there’s a mole inside the US Marshal Service, and
the only thing left to do is disappear. Kaimi will never stop
looking for Laurie, and if he’s caught, showing up to testify could
be the last thing she ever does.With each choice as dangerous as the
next, Dante and Laurie must confront the boundaries of what they’re
willing to sacrifice, and which is more important…
Love or Justice.
Buy the book for 99 cents!
Laurie
Laurie glanced at the folded piece of
paper in her hand. She made sure the penthouse suite was on the list
of rooms ready for cleaning, then swerved her cleaning cart around,
and backed up to the door. With practiced fluidity, she swiped her
key card and opened the door wide, ready to prop it open, before she
sensed the presence of another person. She looked up. What she saw
stopped her cold. A man with salt and pepper hair stood there.
Dressed in a trim, black suit, his long hair dangled to the crisp,
white collar of his button-down shirt. His hair thinned on either
side of a widow’s peak. Several deep pockmarks dotted each of his
tanned and weathered cheeks, accentuating his prominent cheekbones.
He looked like any other businessman on the islands, except that
extending from his hand was a polished, silver gun, gleaming in the
light streaming in from the open doorway. The man looked at
Laurie with a mixture of shock and a little horror, as he waved his
gun at her. “Grab her.” A scream caught in Laurie’s
throat. She didn’t have time to think before a man standing between
her and the gunman ran forward and grabbed her arm. He kicked the
door shut, wrapping one thick hand around Laurie’s mouth. He
twisted her arm and sparks floated across her vision. The man dragged
her into the living room. Laurie’s eyes widened. The closer she got
to that gleaming gun, the more she struggled. The man with the
gun stepped forward and pressed the cold metal of the barrel to her
forehead. Laurie gasped, stiffening. Her heart thundered in her
chest. She barely breathed. She thought each breath would be her
last, and she wondered if it hurt to die. “Do not scream. Do
not move or I will kill you.” He pressed the gun more firmly
against her skin. Laurie saw the coldness in his eyes. They were
the color of granite, and just as unyielding. She looked down and
away, standing perfectly still. “What are you doing here? Who
sent you?” His voice was like silk with underlying hints of gravel.
Laurie said nothing, too terrified to speak. “Answer him,”
the man holding her instructed, twisting her arm. She cried out
in pain. “I work for the resort.” Her voice squeaked and
popped. “The head housekeeper told me you checked out. They said
you left, and I had to clean the room for the next guest. I’m
sorry. I’m so sorry.” Laurie’s breath came in gasps now.
She felt lightheaded. She continued to look down, but a movement
beside her caught her attention. Laurie glanced over to see another
woman kneeling on the floor. The woman had long, blonde hair, like
Laurie’s, but longer, stretching halfway to her waist. Bruises
crisscrossed her delicate features. She had a bloodied lip and a cut
along her cheek. Her hair was dirty, tousled. There was a rip in her
dress above the shoulder and all along the hem. The woman turned her
head, casting Laurie a look of deep fear and pity from her hazel
eyes. “Obviously I haven’t checked out. Why would they send
you up here?” He leaned forward until he was nose to nose with her,
his granite eyes flashing. “I think you’re lying.” He
pressed the gun into Laurie’s skull. “No, please.” Laurie
licked her dry lips and suppressed her urge to call for help. “They
make mistakes sometimes. They have two new people at the front desk.
They must have made a mistake and checked out the wrong room.” There
was a long pause.“Please, I’m very sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
Laurie directed her words of apology at the woman she had locked eyes
with. “Help us,” the woman mouthed to Laurie. Laurie
blinked, not understanding. Then she noticed a thin arm circling the
young woman’s waist, and two small hands clasped together. The
child moved his head into view, resting it against the front of the
woman’s waist to catch a glimpse of the new arrival. He was young,
Laurie realized. Painfully young. “I doubt you’re as sorry
as you should be.” The man drew back, the unyielding presence of
the gun receding. “Who knows you’re here?” Laurie bit her
lip, staring at the little boy in horror. The boy had bruises on his
arm and his face. He stared up at Laurie with a vacant expression.
Laurie felt like he was staring straight through her. His short blond
hair was also unkempt, and he was so thin his tiny wrist bones looked
like they would crack if Laurie so much as reached over to take his
hand. “Who knows you’re here?” The gun was back at her
temple. The man pulled the gun away and smacked Laurie hard
across her cheek. Laurie cried out as pain exploded in her head. The
man behind her grabbed her hair, jerking her face up to look at the
man with the gun. “I radioed that I was on my way up. So, um,
my boss, the whole housekeeping staff, and security.” Laurie
shivered as she lied, her heart racing. Her boss would know, perhaps
some of the other housekeepers, but she hadn’t radioed anyone.
Security wouldn’t have any idea where she was. There was a
pause as the man before her thought that over. Laurie could feel his
eyes pouring over her face, looking for any signs of a lie. “Should
we take her with us, too?” asked the man holding her. “We’ve
got enough baggage, I think.” The man waved his gun in the
direction of the woman and child. Laurie trembled with the unspoken
threat...
Rachel Mannino is a passionate writer
who creates characters and settings that allow readers to explore
power dynamics in relationships, the empowerment of women, and the
ethical and moral dilemmas love can create in our lives. Rachel also
uses her writing skills to raise thousands of dollars for entities
that enrich our lives and create community change around the world.
She has worked for the Peace Corps; the Humanities Council of
Washington, DC; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; and the Mayor’s
Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events in Boston, MA. Her first
novel, Love or Justice, will be published by Limitless Press in
2016. Her second novel, Fractal, will be published by eTreasures
publishing in the spring of 2016. Rachel has a BA in theatre studies
and writing, literature, and publishing from Emerson College, and she
has used it every day since graduation. She lives with her husband,
author Christopher Mannino (http://www.christophermannino.com/), and
their adorable dog and cat in College Park, Maryland.
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