The Castle
by Skye Warren
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
Safe in
the ivory tower…
Gabriel
Miller swears he’ll keep me safe. Enemies lurk outside, waiting to strike. An
army held back by these walls.
Except
some animal instinct warns me the danger is much closer. It’s already here. Is
Gabriel my protector or my enemy? Is this house a castle or a cage?
There’s
nowhere for me to go, no one left for me to trust.
No escape
from a past determined to capture its prize.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
A sleek black limo idles in the center of the
parking lot, the gleaming black stark against the backdrop of cracked concrete
and cigarette-littered gravel. It’s not for me, I tell myself. It can’t be.
It’s probably one of Chastity’s customers.
At eight o’clock in the morning. In the cheapest
motel in Tanglewood.
The driver steps out and nods to me in that
deferent, discreet way that drivers have. My stomach sinks. He opens the back
door and stands beside it, a silent invitation. A tacit command from the man
inside.
My feet move me across the pavement, breath
trapped. It’s that moment when you’ve slammed your finger in a door, before the
pain has registered, when your mind is all too aware of what comes next.
The shadowed interior hides his face, but I know
who it is before he speaks.
“Good morning,” comes the low voice of the man who
made me come on his desk. The door shuts behind me, enclosing me in the warm
darkness.
“What are you doing here?”
A shuffle of papers. The scratch of a pen. As the
darkness solidifies, I see him reclined in the back of the limo, focused on a
stack of papers in front of him. Working, like I’m a distraction. “I’m your
ride.”
He doesn’t even look up. “Excuse me?”
“To Landon Moore’s office. That is where you’re
going, I assume.”
My eyes narrow. “How do you know that?”
Finally he looks up, his golden gaze searing me.
“Because you’ll do anything to get your house back. It’s the only place you
feel safe, isn’t it? The only place you felt loved?”
My stomach clenches. “How did you know where to
find me?”
“I don’t think you need me to answer that.”
Because he knows everything that happens in the
city. He could have had me followed after I left his office yesterday, but odds
are he knew where I was before. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather walk on
nails than ride with you.”
I pull the latch to discover that the door is
locked. From the inside.
My gaze flies to him. “You’re kidnapping me?”
“Unfortunately,” he says with fake sympathy.
“You’ll have to explain to the cops how I abducted you and transported you in
comfort to your previously planned destination.”
The car glides forward, as if connected to his very
will.
Asshole.
I glare at him, settling into the warm leather. Are
these seats heated? Of course they are. I have to admit this is way more
comfortable than the city bus, but everything has a cost. And when it comes to
Gabriel Miller, the cost is always too high. “Why are you doing this?”
“Does it matter?” he asks, his voice faintly
mocking. “As a gentleman your comfort is my highest priority. It’s enough to be
of service to you.”
“You’re not a gentleman.”
“Probably right. In that case I’m coming with you
to see sweet old Uncle Landon give you the horrible news, to see your face fall
as he assures you there’s nothing you can do.”
My throat constricts. “Can’t you find someone else
to torture?”
“No one nearly as pretty. Besides, my presence has
some advantages.”
“My very own supply of fire and brimstone?”
“People are more inclined to tell the truth when
I’m in the room. My reputation for dealing with liars and cheats is somewhat
brutal.” He leans forward, his eyes reflecting sunlight. “All of it true, I’m
afraid.”
I’m living proof of that, the fallout from my
father’s decision to steal. “Be careful or I might think you’re actually being
nice to me.”
A short laugh. “Not a chance. It will be my
pleasure to see Landon Moore break. And even sweeter to watch you break, too. A
show I can’t pass up.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Skye
Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance such as
the Chicago Underground series. Her books have been featured in Jezebel,
Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes
her home in Texas with her loving family, two sweet dogs, and one evil cat.
Website
- http://skyewarren.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/skye_warren
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/skyewarren
Pinterest:http://www.pinterest.com/skyewarren/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Skye will be awarding a
$15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the
tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt. I am enjoying have you here today.
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