We have an excerpt to share with you from Shelley Coriell's upcoming romantic suspense release, THE BROKEN. Enjoy!
THE BROKEN by Shelley Coriell April 29, 2014; Forever Mass Market
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Three years ago Kate Johnson was an ambitious, justice-seeking broadcast journalist. She was also the victim of a vicious attack. Stabbed 24 times and left for dead by a serial killer later known as the Broadcaster Butcher, Kate is the only person who has actually survived the killer. She's also the one person who can help FBI profiler Hayden Reed solve the case.
With the Butcher on the loose and Hayden on her tail, Kate can't hide anymore. Not from the nightmares she's worked hard to forget. Not from the madman looking to kill again and not from the sexy FBI profiler trying to get into her head and eventually her heart. Together Kate and Hayden join forces to hunt down the Butcher and stop the bloody killing spree, a journey that forces Kate to face the monsters of her past and accept the woman she now sees in the mirror, scars and all.
Excerpt:
“I’m not going to Denver,” she said matter-of-factly. Agent Reed so loved facts. “I can’t leave Smokey alone.”
“He can go with you.”
“And disrupt his life even more than I already have?” Smokey Joe had dropped into bed right after dinner, emotionally and physically exhausted. He didn’t even ask for a rain check on their nightly domino game. “If you have any ounce of compassion behind that man-of-steel persona, you will not drag him into this any more than he is.”
He stood motionless for the longest time, and she pictured the gears in his brain whirring and clicking as he weighed the facts and analyzed their options. “You care about him.” There was his non-question thing again. It drove her nuts, and so did the fact he didn’t know what he was talking about.
“This is just a job,” she insisted.
“A job?”
“Something to pay the bills.” She straightened the dominoes on the table and made a note to tell Smokey’s caseworker that he liked his nightly game. “So what happens with Smokey?”
“I’ll call social services and get them out here first thing in the morning.”
She shook her head. “They’ll put him in a temporary group home. He doesn’t do well in institutional settings. He flooded the last one he was in, and it wasn’t an accident. He needs one-on-one attention, someone to be with him, but not to micromanage his days.” Someone like her. But her time with Smokey was over. For now she’d resigned to go with Agent Reed to the Denver field office. She pictured that upstairs window. Unless she got a chance to run.
“Don’t worry about Smokey Joe. I’ll find him a safe place.”
“Not a group home?”
“Not a group home.”
“And you’ll make sure he ends up in a place where he’s not surrounded by buildings and cars and noise. He needs room to breathe.” Smokey had spent two years in a hole in the ground in a North Vietnamese prison camp and had an insatiable need for fresh air and wide open spaces.
“I’ll find a place with plenty of space.” She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand. “I’ll take care of everything.”
And she believed him, because Special Agent Hayden Reed was the kind of man who’d take care of Smokey and the rest of the free world.
He finally circled his hand around her wrist and turned it so the lock was faceup. “Give me his caseworker’s number, and I’ll make arrangements for tomorrow.”
“What about tonight?”
He inserted the key and turned, the cuff clicking open.
“We’ll stay here.”
“We? You’re sleeping here?”
“No, I’m working here.” The cuff slipped off, but his fingers remained circled about her wrist. “I have plenty to keep me busy.”
She hopped to her feet. “But—”
“Would you prefer I set up a team of deputies from the sheriff’s department to stand guard?”
She tried to shrug off his hand, but his fingers tightened, a golden manacle that was stronger than tempered steel. Agent Efficient was enough. “Fine. Work here. If you get tired, there are pillows and blankets in the hall closet.” When he finally let go, she took off up the stairs to her loft. Footsteps sounded behind her, and she spun and glared at him. “Is this really necessary?”
He answered with a pair of raised brows. She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed as he searched under her bed, in her closet, and through her drawers. He tugged at the tiny glass window at the V of the loft.
She let loose an exasperated sigh. “You’re being ridiculous. The Butcher can’t get through that window.”
“I’m not worried about someone trying to get in.” Damn him. And damn those eyes. “I promise, Katrina, if you make any attempt to leave this place, I’ll cuff you to the bed.”
She wanted to swipe off the unbearably confident look on his face, but it was his world, his way. He wasn’t giving up control. He was Mr. Unflappable.
Oh yeah? She’d seen that flash in his eyes when she’d taken off her shirt in the kitchen. He was Super Agent, but he was also a man.
Kate uncrossed her arms and slipped off her overshirt. A half smile slipping onto her lips, she tossed her shirt to the ground and sunk onto the quilt covering her bed. She slid her fingers along her thighs and up her torso. Finally, she raised her hands to the brass headboard. “I’d love for you to cuff me to this bed.” She licked her lips. “Pleeeease.”
Agent Reed’s entire upper body tensed. She saw it in his shoulders, in his jaw, and in his hand as he slid his palm along his tie as if to straighten the brilliant splashes of yellow and orange scattered across the length of silk. His gaze slid from her bare feet and up her legs. An unexpected tingle coursed through her midsection as he lingered on her breasts before sliding to her wrists. A soft breath caught in his throat, and she didn’t need to be a mind reader to know he wasn’t thinking about the Butcher.
With her hands still in the bound position, she waggled her fingers at him.
He blinked and took a step back. Then he spun on his shiny Italian lace-ups and practically raced down the stairs.
Mission accomplished. She’d just shaken the unshakable Hayden Reed, and if she wasn’t so damned furious at him, she’d laugh.
“I’m not going to Denver,” she said matter-of-factly. Agent Reed so loved facts. “I can’t leave Smokey alone.”
“He can go with you.”
“And disrupt his life even more than I already have?” Smokey Joe had dropped into bed right after dinner, emotionally and physically exhausted. He didn’t even ask for a rain check on their nightly domino game. “If you have any ounce of compassion behind that man-of-steel persona, you will not drag him into this any more than he is.”
He stood motionless for the longest time, and she pictured the gears in his brain whirring and clicking as he weighed the facts and analyzed their options. “You care about him.” There was his non-question thing again. It drove her nuts, and so did the fact he didn’t know what he was talking about.
“This is just a job,” she insisted.
“A job?”
“Something to pay the bills.” She straightened the dominoes on the table and made a note to tell Smokey’s caseworker that he liked his nightly game. “So what happens with Smokey?”
“I’ll call social services and get them out here first thing in the morning.”
She shook her head. “They’ll put him in a temporary group home. He doesn’t do well in institutional settings. He flooded the last one he was in, and it wasn’t an accident. He needs one-on-one attention, someone to be with him, but not to micromanage his days.” Someone like her. But her time with Smokey was over. For now she’d resigned to go with Agent Reed to the Denver field office. She pictured that upstairs window. Unless she got a chance to run.
“Don’t worry about Smokey Joe. I’ll find him a safe place.”
“Not a group home?”
“Not a group home.”
“And you’ll make sure he ends up in a place where he’s not surrounded by buildings and cars and noise. He needs room to breathe.” Smokey had spent two years in a hole in the ground in a North Vietnamese prison camp and had an insatiable need for fresh air and wide open spaces.
“I’ll find a place with plenty of space.” She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand. “I’ll take care of everything.”
And she believed him, because Special Agent Hayden Reed was the kind of man who’d take care of Smokey and the rest of the free world.
He finally circled his hand around her wrist and turned it so the lock was faceup. “Give me his caseworker’s number, and I’ll make arrangements for tomorrow.”
“What about tonight?”
He inserted the key and turned, the cuff clicking open.
“We’ll stay here.”
“We? You’re sleeping here?”
“No, I’m working here.” The cuff slipped off, but his fingers remained circled about her wrist. “I have plenty to keep me busy.”
She hopped to her feet. “But—”
“Would you prefer I set up a team of deputies from the sheriff’s department to stand guard?”
She tried to shrug off his hand, but his fingers tightened, a golden manacle that was stronger than tempered steel. Agent Efficient was enough. “Fine. Work here. If you get tired, there are pillows and blankets in the hall closet.” When he finally let go, she took off up the stairs to her loft. Footsteps sounded behind her, and she spun and glared at him. “Is this really necessary?”
He answered with a pair of raised brows. She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed as he searched under her bed, in her closet, and through her drawers. He tugged at the tiny glass window at the V of the loft.
She let loose an exasperated sigh. “You’re being ridiculous. The Butcher can’t get through that window.”
“I’m not worried about someone trying to get in.” Damn him. And damn those eyes. “I promise, Katrina, if you make any attempt to leave this place, I’ll cuff you to the bed.”
She wanted to swipe off the unbearably confident look on his face, but it was his world, his way. He wasn’t giving up control. He was Mr. Unflappable.
Oh yeah? She’d seen that flash in his eyes when she’d taken off her shirt in the kitchen. He was Super Agent, but he was also a man.
Kate uncrossed her arms and slipped off her overshirt. A half smile slipping onto her lips, she tossed her shirt to the ground and sunk onto the quilt covering her bed. She slid her fingers along her thighs and up her torso. Finally, she raised her hands to the brass headboard. “I’d love for you to cuff me to this bed.” She licked her lips. “Pleeeease.”
Agent Reed’s entire upper body tensed. She saw it in his shoulders, in his jaw, and in his hand as he slid his palm along his tie as if to straighten the brilliant splashes of yellow and orange scattered across the length of silk. His gaze slid from her bare feet and up her legs. An unexpected tingle coursed through her midsection as he lingered on her breasts before sliding to her wrists. A soft breath caught in his throat, and she didn’t need to be a mind reader to know he wasn’t thinking about the Butcher.
With her hands still in the bound position, she waggled her fingers at him.
He blinked and took a step back. Then he spun on his shiny Italian lace-ups and practically raced down the stairs.
Mission accomplished. She’d just shaken the unshakable Hayden Reed, and if she wasn’t so damned furious at him, she’d laugh.
About Shelley Coriell:
A former newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and restaurant reviewer. These days Shelley writes smart, funny novels for teens and big, edgy romantic suspense. A six-time Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Finalist, she lives and loves in Arizona with her family and the world's neediest rescue Weimaraner. When she's not behind the keyboard, you'll find her baking high-calorie, high-fat desserts and haunting local farmers markets for the perfect plum. Find out more at: http://www.shelleycoriell.com/
Giveaway for the tour that includes aDVD set of Criminal Minds Season 1 and a prize pack of Forever and GCP suspense titles (open to US/Canada only).
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Shelley also is hosting a Book Birthday Bash giveaway of signed books from her favorite thriller/romantic suspense authors. The contest runs through May 11 and is open to US/Canada. Fans can enter here: Book Birthday Bash & Book Giveaway.
Additionally, Grand Central Publishing is hosting a live Spreecast chat on April 29 at 7 PM EST to celebrate the launch of the book. They'd love for you to join Shelley as she talks about THE BROKEN!
I love the connection and happy feeling romance gives me and add in the gotta keep reading to see what happens of suspense and I'm hooked!
ReplyDeleteI love the suspense and how it ramps up the romance ;) This sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteit just gives me something extra to look forward to then besides sex lol
ReplyDeleteI love romantic suspense because I enjoy the sexual tension between the couple and I like trying to guess who the bad guy is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteIt's the adrenaline rush that you feel for the characters. That's partially why I like it :)
ReplyDelete