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Hard Bounty: A Seal Contemporary Romance PDF

112 Pages·2019·0.17 MB·english
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HARD BOUNTY A SEAL CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE JILLIAN RILEY CONTENTS Description Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 DESCRIPTION J axon: I didn’t miss the war, but I sure as hell missed my team. I am a Navy SEAL, all my buddies are SEALs, traveling the world, saving lives and fighting for our country. That’s what we do! I didn’t want the rod in my leg, and I wasn’t gonna let an injury keep me from the life I loved. Unfortunately, my CO had a different idea. Since leaving the SEALs, I’ve been a PI for my buddy’s agency. I spent my time chasing down cheating husbands and corporate criminals. I worked hard in the private sector, but I was bored. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a vacation. So, when I found out my next job was to bring an embezzling former accountant for Genotym Inc. back to Houston to face charges and it was going to take me to the Caribbean? How could I say no. I wanted the sun, the beach, and the women in bikinis looking for some attention. I wasn’t counting on intense attraction and soulful green eyes. After all, how hard could it be to get one woman on a plane back to Houston… Amelia: I couldn’t believe I’d fallen for Michael Smith’s BS. He was my boss at Genotym, Inc. and I should’ve known better. I liked the attention. I liked to feel wanted. When I found out he was stealing from the company- I’d had enough. Sure, he tried to deny it, but I had the proof on a USB. I quit, told him he needed to come clean, cashed out my 401K and took off to Grenada to lick my wounds and figure out what I’d do next. When I was almost mugged on the streets of St. George’s, a handsome stranger came to my rescue. He was the sexiest man I had ever seen. He seemed like the type that left broken hearts in his wake. I wasn’t looking to get involved but when things go from bad to worse who else could I turn to for protection. Even if I had everything to lose, including my heart… CHAPTER 1 T he fire burned a white, hot heat he could feel coating his throat and insides. He had to get out. He couldn’t leave his team. He rushed through each room, searching. Where were they? Where were his guys? He screamed for them. No answer came. He heard the cries of mothers looking for their children as the room began to collapse around him. He dodged heavy wooden beams as they tumbled like pebbles down around him. He screamed again but he was alone. He looked up to see a burning roof beam falling right on him. Jaxon Acker woke up gasping and covered in sweat. His bare chest heaving with exertion. His wounded leg ached under the weight of the blankets. He tossed them off and rubbed at the searing pain. The nerves tingling up and down the side of his leg, pinging off the metal rod that held his bones together. A constant reminder that he was unfit to serve. The fire was real. Seven years had passed since he was medevaced out of his FOB in Kunar Province, but the nightmares and the pain made it seem like yesterday. Getting up, he walked over to the bathroom. Early morning sunlight peeked through his bedroom blinds. He already knew today would be hot and humid as hell. He splashed cold water on his face. As cold as it could be coming out of the tap in a Texas summer. Looking at himself in the mirror he checked his bloodshot grey eyes and tried to count the scars that lined his lean, tanned upper body. No matter how much time had passed, the scars didn’t fade. Splashing his face one more time, he decided against shaving for his meeting. The more scruff on his chin, the more intimidating he looked. That always worked better for him when dealing with their buttoned-up corporate clients. He liked the soft office types to be slightly threatened by his appearance. He quickly showered and dressing in his usual black jeans, black collared shirt, and cowboy boots. He ran his hands through his jet-black hair, shaking it into place and went downstairs to his garage. Jaxon prided himself on his motorcycle. The tricked out black Harley he rode now was vastly different than the functional Christini 450cc he was forced to ride in Afghanistan, not that he didn’t like the Christini, it was a good bike. But he loved the way it felt riding the tight, loud Harley through the backroads of the Piney Woods that made up the Houston backcountry. It felt like freedom. He also loved the looks he got from the elegant, well-dressed women in the fancier parts of town when he rode through. He never missed an opportunity to give a pretty lady a wink, a wave, and the tip of his hat whether her man was on her arm or not. When he first returned from the war he was lost and listless. He had nothing to stimulate him or keep him going. His best friend from childhood Ethan Dennis, had asked him to help with his budding P.I. firm, Ex-Force Investigations. Ethan was ex-Special Forces and Jax trusted him and his judgement. He was missing the comradery of the SEALs. So, Jaxon jumped at the chance to be part of a team again. Granted, private investigation was not as glamorous as television and movies made it out to be. For the last five years he had earned his living sneaking and creeping. Following cheating husbands, consoling rich, lonely housewives, and cornering corporate thieves. There was enough work in Houston’s bustling economy to keep him, Ethan and their third partner Blake Snyder busy for years, but lately Jaxon had been getting bored. Ethan had been after him to take some time off. Said he deserved it after all the good work he had done. Jaxon figured Ethan was getting tired of his complaining about the types of jobs they took. He was never really one to take vacations, but he was starting to think maybe his buddy was right. He had this one last corporate job to finish and then maybe he would take some time off. Looking down at his notebook he saw the address, 601 Travis Street—right in the heart of downtown. Great. There was nothing Jax hated more than downtown Houston during the work week. He challenged anyone to who said different to prove to him the traffic was worse anywhere else, he doubted it was. At least it was early enough he would be able to get into a garage before the rest of the rat race showed up for work. Climbing on his bike, he switched on the ignition, folded his notebook up and tucked it into his jacket. Opening the garage door, he turned the run key on and started the bike. The familiar rumble of his bike coming to life beneath him reminded him that he was the one in control. Shaking his head to clear out any remaining cobwebs from his nightmare, he put on his black Stetson Lariat and headed out into the heat. Might as well get this job over with and take that vacation, he thought. Hell, Ethan was right, he deserved it. He pulled up to the massive office tower luckily finding a spot on the street out front. Smiling to himself, he pulled in, front first, no adjustment needed. If he had to have an 8am meeting downtown at least the parking gods gave him a sweet ass spot. He knew the couple of people who were out on the street in front of the building watched him pulled in, and he didn’t care. He took out his notebook again to check the name of the exec he was meeting. The man’s name was Michael Smith. He was the chief financial officer for Genotym Inc. a software company that got its start providing DNA testing kits for those ‘find your family’ internet companies. His office on the 75th floor. Got it. Of course, it had to be a high floor. The corporate types who could afford Ethan’s rates always kept their offices on the highest floors. Jax would comfortably put money on Michael Smith never having suffered an inconvenience in his life. He probably never pissed into desert sand, or slept outside in one degree heat, using a flat rock for a pillow. No, when a man had an office on the 75th floor of a Houston office tower, Jax was pretty confident they had lived very different lives. Jaxon had no beef with Genotym. He even saw some value in the internet and the economy it created. It certainly helped him do his job a lot of the time. It was always easy to find a cheating husband through his secret Facebook or Twitter account. But on the whole he found it to be a place where people went to waste time. He was not interested in wasting time and didn’t have a lot of respect for those who did. He walked into the building and checked in with security at the front desk. The guard looked completely disinterested as he handed Jaxon his visitor badge. The poor schlub didn’t even double check Jaxon’s i.d. or bother to find out if he was armed, which he always was. Jaxon thought with regret how easy it would be for any bad guy to make it past security and get anywhere they wanted to inside this building in order to do harm. Maybe there was opportunity there. Something to help him get out the cheating husband game. He should talk to Ethan about starting a private security consulting arm to the business. They could give corporations insight into their vulnerabilities when it came to security. Starting with hiring experienced professionals to man their front desks. Ex-Force could probably make a killing and it would be much more stimulating than what he was doing now. He would even wear a suit and tie if he had to. The elevator opened up into the penthouse. Light hardwood floors greeted Jaxon surrounded by white walls with glass and mirrors lining the hallway leading up to a modern looking reception desk. A pretty redhead behind the desk blushed when Jaxon tipped his hat her way. He noted her name plate said Peggy O’Meara. Of course, with that fiery hair she would have a good old-fashioned Irish name. “Hello, darlin’… excuse me…Miss O’Meara. I’m Jaxon Acker, here to see a…um… Mr. Michael Smith?” He laid on his sweet Texas drawl a little thicker than necessary as he leaned over the desk. He didn’t like to wait in lobbies, and he found if he gave a little flirt to the gatekeepers of these offices he could get a lot further a lot faster. “Um… yes, sir. I will page him right away.” Jaxon thought she was cute as a new blush warmed her cheeks making her blue eyes dance. He had a strict rule about mixing business and pleasure, but maybe when his work was done with Genotym he could circle back and see where else he could make Miss Peggy O’Meara blush. “Much obliged,” he said. Less than five minutes later a tall skinny man with a thinning blonde hairline, in what looked to Jaxon like a cheap polyester suit, came out from behind a set of heavy, wooden double doors. Jax looked him up and down, he liked to size a client up. See what it was

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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.