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“Merry Christmas,” he said to the photograph as the wind picked up and rattled the panes of the old building. With his new target in mind, he took the last swallow from his glass and felt the whiskey warm him from the inside out. Deep in his heart he’d known all along that Grayson would be next.

He hoped the bastard was ready to die.

Grayson snapped off the lights of his office and whistled to his dog, a black Lab who had been with him for years. “Come on, boy.” With a groan Sturgis climbed to his feet and, tail wagging slowly, followed Grayson through the hallways of the Pinewood Sheriff’s Department.

The cubicles and desks were gratefully quiet tonight, the staff composed of a few volunteers like him, who had elected not to celebrate with their families tonight so others could be with their loved ones.

“You outta here?” Detective Selena Alvarez asked. She was huddled over her desk, computer monitor glowing, a cup of tea cooling near her in-basket.

“Yeah.” He glanced at the clock. It was ten minutes after midnight and already a few of those who had either agreed to, or who had drawn the short straw, were arriving. “What about you?”

“Hmm. Soon.” She threw a glance over her shoulder and he noticed how her black hair shone under the fluorescents suspended overhead. As smart and dedicated as anyone in the department, Alvarez had proved herself time and time again on the field of duty, yet he knew little more about her than what was listed on her résumé.

He’d been sure to keep it that way. She had a haunted, secretive demeanor about her and he’d been tempted to dig a little deeper into what made her tick, then had thought better of it. She’d been interested in him; he wasn’t so unaware not to recognize chemistry and attraction when it snuck up on him, and he’d considered returning the favor, but had stopped himself. Business and pleasure didn’t mix and he wasn’t ready to start a serious relationship again, even though his most recent divorce had been years earlier. But the sting of Cara’s betrayal had cut deep and now, with Alvarez, the opportunity had passed. His second marriage had barely lasted a year, again because Cara had never really been out of the picture, and though Alvarez may have thought she was falling in love with him, it was probably just a bit of hero worship on her part, unfounded, of course. He’d certainly felt her heightened interest, but before he’d reciprocated, she’d become involved with someone else which was, he knew, best for all.

Still . . .

“Merry Christmas,” he said and sketched a wave.

“You, too.” Her smile, so rare as to be almost nonexistent, touched a private spot in his heart. With a nod, he turned away. His dog at his heels, he flipped up his collar, yanked on his gloves and walked the length of a long hall decorated with twinkling lights and silvery snowflakes, compliments of an overzealous secretary who took the holidays seriously.

Grayson barely noticed. His thoughts were still muddled and dark, all knotted up with images of Alvarez huddled over her desk. Silently, he wondered if he’d made a big mistake; the kind that could alter a man’s life. She’d almost died recently and he was just grateful that she was alive.

His steps slowed and he looked back down the hall. Maybe this was the moment to take that extra step and learn what she was about, see if there was really something smoldering there . . . maybe . . .

He caught himself and resumed walking, his footsteps sharper. “Stupid,” he muttered under his breath, giving himself a quick mental shake as he shouldered open the exterior door and stepped into the cold Montana night.

Aside for a few hours with his ex-sister-in-law and his nieces, he’d spend Christmas alone, he thought with a grimace.

It wasn’t the first time.

And probably wouldn’t be the last.

Dear Reader,

Hope you enjoyed SOMETHING WICKED, the latest book in the series about members of a colony of women who reside at Siren Song Lodge and possess psychic “gifts.” SOMETHING WICKED is the third story cowritten with my sister, Lisa Jackson, and it revealed more secrets about the Colony and also gave a sneak peek into the Foothillers, a group of people loosely tied to several Native American cultures who’ve formed their own “town” near Siren Song and whose members have long held intimate relationships with the Colony women. One of my favorite new characters, Rand, made a first appearance in SOMETHING WICKED, and you can expect to learn more about him and other Foothillers in future Wicked books along with Colony favorites like Ravinia, whose story really got going in SOMETHING WICKED and continues on into the next novel.

But before another Wicked book debuts, my next novel, NOWHERE SAFE, will hit the stands this September. NOWHERE SAFE is the third book of the Nowhere series after NOWHERE TO RUN and NOWHERE TO HIDE. It’s apropos that it will debut in September as it continues the love story that was developing in NOWHERE TO HIDE between Detective September Rafferty and her high school crush, Jake Westerly! NOWHERE SAFE also revives the character of Lucky from one of my earlier novels, UNSEEN. I’ve received lots of questions about what happened to Lucky, the vigilante whose self-appointed mission was to rid the world of as many sexual predators as she could before the law caught up to her. The answers to where she’s been and what she’s been doing will finally be revealed in NOWHERE SAFE! Lucky shows up again with a vengeance, back in the hunt, searching out predators who will now become her own prey, and trying to stay one step ahead of September Rafferty who is just as intent upon capturing her as Lucky is in escaping.

Turn the page for an excerpt for NOWHERE SAFE. Hope you find it as much fun to read as I did to write!

For more information on NOWHERE SAFE, UNSEEN, the continuing Wicked series and all my other books, check out my website www.nancybush.net or catch up with me on my blog www.nancybush.blogspot.com or join me on Facebook.

Happy reading!

Nancy Bush

Please turn the page for an exciting sneak peek of

Nancy Bush’s

NOWHERE SAFE,

coming in September 2013!

The ground was hard, cold and damp beneath him. He came to slowly, hearing the rustle of leaves around him and feeling a chill breeze against his arms that made his breath shake and his body quiver. He focused straight ahead, staring down the length of his own bare legs to his toes, now bluish in tone. As he registered his nakedness he watched orange and russet and gold leaves eddying away, a small tornado rushing up against the chain-link fence that separated the schoolyard from the front of the building.

He was inside, looking out, and his surroundings came into full focus with a rush of recognition.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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