As an undercover FBI agent, Kimi is no stranger to life-threatening situations. So when her latest assignment leads to one of Boston’s biggest crime families, she’s confident she can handle the pressure. But as she becomes embroiled in the lives of Finn and Lorcan Donaghey, Kimi realizes she might not be able to separate her job from her heart so easily this time. Readers who enjoy romantic suspense and mafia romances will want to sink their teeth into Retribution by Wendy Million, an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity romance.
Copyright 2024, Wendy Million
Get it together, Kim. Get your
head in the game, Kimi. Deep breaths.
The
door opens without a knock. Why didn’t I lock it?
“Kim?”
Lorcan’s words have the lilting quality that warms my body.
With
the wall for support, I try to rise, but my legs almost give out. He rushes to
my side and wraps a strong, sturdy arm around my waist.
“What
the hell?” He examines my face, confusion and annoyance warring in him.
“I’m
not feeling well.”
Concern
overtakes the other emotions, filling his hazel eyes, and his lips purse.
“We’ll reschedule.”
“No.”
I shake my head. “I just need a minute.” Easing away from him, I tug down my
jacket and straighten my shirt. My hands are raw, red.
“Kim.”
His voice is pitched low. “I’m not putting you in that room if you’re feeling
rough.” The bright color of my hands catches his attention, and he snatches one
to examine. “What’d you do?”
“The
soap.” With my head, I gesture to the sink.
He
watches me, curiosity tinged with anger dancing across his face. “Did my deartháir mor do something to you
earlier?”
I
tug my hand from his larger ones. “No, no. I’m fine. I must have eaten
something that didn’t agree with me. It came on suddenly, but I’m fine now. I
can do this. I’ll be fine.” Even as I say it, my hand shakes when I yank again
on the bottom of my jacket.
“That
room is full of men who could kill us. It’s not the time for false bravado.
Could you shoot a gun right now?” His voice is an urgent whisper.
“No.”
“No?”
“No.”
Under my lashes, I can’t meet his gaze.
He
sighs. While he looks at me, his hands clench into fists and then relax over
and over. “Come out when you’re feeling better, or I’ll have someone come get
you when we’re done. You hear shots, you get the hell outta here. Exit out to
your left. You understand me?”
“Yeah,
yeah.”
I
don’t glance up until the door clicks closed behind him. At the sink, I press
my hands into the sides of the vanity and stare at myself. Any credibility I’ve
built the last few weeks is being destroyed the longer I’m in here. My black
eyes peer back at me in a face that appears sun-kissed. I yank my hair out of
the ponytail and redo it, trying to blank out my mind.
Chad.
My Chad in that photo.
When
I focus on my hands, Chad’s sticky hair coats them, blood seeping between my
fingers as I scream for help in a deserted street. My chest aches at the
memory. With my eyes closed, I swallow, and my throat is scratchy. I pushed
these memories down so far I didn’t think they’d ever resurface.
It’s
been twenty years. Might as well be yesterday.
I
will get answers. When he died, I was too young; I didn’t understand. Seeing
his picture on the wall is like having a window pried open in a hot, stuffy
room.
I’m
not closing it again.
War
might be inevitable.
If
the O’Malleys killed Chad, I’ll be the one firing the first shot.
About
Wendy Million
Wendy
Million is an award-winning author whose contemporary romances about strong
women and troubled men have captivated her loyal readers. She is the author of
the contemporary second-chance romances, When Stars Fall and Miss Matched.
Writing as W. Million, she is the author of the Bellerive Royals series.
When not
writing, Wendy enjoys spending time in or around the water. She lives in
Ontario, Canada with two beautiful daughters, two cute pooches, and one
handsome husband (who is grateful she doesn’t need two of those).
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