Tick tock, p.1
Tick Tock, page 1
Books by Fern Michaels
Fear Thy Neighbor
Santa Cruise
No Way Out
The Brightest Star
Fearless
Spirit of the Season
Deep Harbor
Fate & Fortune
Sweet Vengeance
Holly and Ivy
Fancy Dancer
No Safe Secret
Wishes for Christmas
About Face
Perfect Match
A Family Affair
Forget Me Not
The Blossom Sisters
Balancing Act
Tuesday’s Child
Betrayal
Southern Comfort
To Taste the Wine
Sins of the Flesh
Sins of Omission
Return to Sender
Mr. and Miss Anonymous
Up Close and Personal
Fool Me Once
Picture Perfect
The Future Scrolls
Kentucky Sunrise
Kentucky Heat
Kentucky Rich
Plain Jane
Charming Lily
What You Wish For
The Guest List
Listen to Your Heart
Celebration
Yesterday
Finders Keepers
Annie’s Rainbow
Sara’s Song
Vegas Sunrise
Vegas Heat
Vegas Rich
Whitefire
Wish List
Dear Emily
Christmas at Timberwoods
The Lost and Found Novels:
Secrets
Hidden
The Sisterhood Novels:
19 Yellow Moon Road
Bitter Pill
Truth and Justice
Cut and Run
Safe and Sound
Need to Know
Crash and Burn
Point Blank
In Plain Sight
Eyes Only
Kiss and Tell
Blindsided
Gotcha!
Home Free
Déjà Vu
Cross Roads
Game Over
Deadly Deals
Vanishing Act
Razor Sharp
Under the Radar
Final Justice
Collateral Damage
Fast Track
Hokus Pokus
Hide and Seek
Free Fall
Lethal Justice
Sweet Revenge
The Jury
Vendetta
Payback
Weekend Warriors
The Men of the Sisterhood
Novels:
Hot Shot
Truth or Dare
High Stakes
Fast and Loose
Double Down
The Godmothers Series:
Far and Away
Classified
Breaking News
Deadline
Late Edition
Exclusive
The Scoop
E-Book Exclusives:
Desperate Measures
Seasons of Her Life
To Have and To Hold
Serendipity
Captive Innocence
Captive Embraces
Captive Passions
Captive Secrets
Captive Splendors
Cinders to Satin
For All Their Lives
Texas Heat
Texas Rich
Texas Fury
Texas Sunrise
Anthologies:
Home Sweet Home
A Snowy Little Christmas
Coming Home for
Christmas
A Season to Celebrate
Mistletoe Magic
Winter Wishes
The Most Wonderful Time
When the Snow Falls
Secret Santa
A Winter Wonderland
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Making Spirits Bright
Holiday Magic
Snow Angels
Silver Bells
Comfort and Joy
Sugar and Spice
Let it Snow
A Gift of Joy
Five Golden Rings
Deck the Halls
Jingle All the Way
FERN MICHAELS
TICK TOCK
ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Epilogue
Teaser chapter
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2022 by Fern Michaels
Fern Michaels is a registered trademark of KAP 5, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Zebra and the Zebra logo Reg US Pat. & TM Off.
First Hardcover Edition: September 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4201-5424-5
ISBN: 978-1-4201-5430-6 (ebook)
Prologue
Texas
He was determined to get even with the people who put him behind bars. It didn’t matter that he was guilty. He didn’t care about that. All he cared about was revenge. Fourteen years of his life in prison had made him a very angry man, and he was hell-bent on tracking down the people who put him there. He was going to show them who was more cunning. More clever. He was going to make them wish they’d never laid eyes on him.
But the fourteen years weren’t a total waste. The prison program encouraged the inmates to learn new skills. And he did. Now he was about to put them to work. He learned a lot about computers, programming, and best of all, 3D printing. All of those newly learned abilities were perfect companions to his past proficiencies. He wasn’t going to let a miscalculation stand in his way. Not this time.
One by one, he was going to show everyone just how talented he was. He knew he wasn’t the capo mastermind of the crew, but between his skills and the others’, their plans would come to fruition. With the help of his fraternity of former inmates, Darius was about to unleash the pent-up wrath he held for those who took away years from his life. He felt no remorse. The only thing that mattered was punishing the punishers.
Virginia
Sometimes listening to other people’s advice could land you in the slammer. But when you did something stupid on your own . . . well, you had no one else to blame. Leroy knew it was a long shot, but it could have changed everything for him. He could have gotten out of the dump he was living in. But it didn’t happen the way he planned.
There was an upside to all of it. He befriended—if you could call inmates friends—a dude who claimed he had some cash stashed away. Now that he was out, he could help his pal and make his fantasy come true. He just needed to wait until he got his orders. But he had to be careful. He didn’t want to blow his parole. Again.
Los Angeles
It was tough in the beginning for him to adjust to a more modest lifestyle. But that would end soon. Once his fellow former inmate arranged for the transfer of funds, he could leave the country. And that would be fine with him. Eventually he would work his way to a no-extradition country and live the life of luxury again. But first, Eric and his cohorts had a few things to do. As long as they stuck to the plan, life would be very different in a short time.
Las Veg as
Lucky for him, he was able to move from Ohio to Nevada. He still had to register with the state, regardless which one he was in. He didn’t think it was fair. Why him? Other ex-cons didn’t have to register anything or anywhere once they finished their parole. Why is child pornography worse than bank robbery or murder? He didn’t know the answer, but he was about to change his life and name for good. He patiently waited for the rest of his cronies to get out and get settled, and then the plan would roll.
When they were in prison, he took a liking to the white-collar-crime dude who had scammed millions. The guy was so out of his element that Bennie almost felt sorry for him. Almost. The Gucci-loafer fella needed some protection while in the slammer. He was a little too pretty and was an easy mark. Having played and coached football, Bennie was large enough to become the guy’s bodyguard, and the man promised him a bonus when they got out.
They all had their own agenda, but the payoff would be the same for each of them. $50k. Not bad for two weeks’ work. Better than what Bennie got in the slammer: $7.23 a month. It was almost unfathomable to calculate how much it was per hour. Bennie was relatively certain there would be a few “detours” before he could become anonymous. At this point in his life, he knew there were always detours. What they would be? He did not know. All he knew was that he would be responsible for setting up the logistics.
Chapter One
Pinewood
It had been ages since Myra, Charles, Nikki, and Jack had dinner without the rest of the sisters. Annie and Fergus were visiting friends in Bar Harbor and wouldn’t be back for a week. At first, Myra thought she might have separation anxiety. She and Annie were hardly ever apart. But Myra also welcomed the quiet time she would have with Charles. No other couple had their kind of unique relationship. It was truly unconditional love. Love, passion, understanding, support. Myra appreciated the way Charles always had her back. Regardless. Regardless of how mad and outrageous a mission was, Charles was always at the ready to do whatever it took to get the job done. And because of everyone’s devotion to one another and the cause, “Whatever it takes” became the slogan of the group.
The group. An avenging selection of women who were cheated justice. Several years earlier, Myra’s daughter was killed by a motorist as she was crossing the street. Myra’s unborn grandchild was also lost. But the driver had diplomatic immunity and was secreted away and never brought to justice. For months, Myra anguished over the loss of her daughter and grandchild until she spotted a newscast about a woman who was another victim of injustice. That’s when Myra decided it was time someone took matters into their own hands. With the aid of her confidant and lover, Charles; her best friend, Annie; and all their connections—both legal and behind the scenes—the Sisterhood was formed. Each woman brought her own unique skill to the group. When an injustice was at hand, so were the women of the Sisterhood, who stopped at nothing—apart from murder—to avenge the sins perpetrated on innocent people. Though murder was never their goal, by the time the Sisterhood finished their mission, the perpetrators just might wish they were dead.
But tonight was going to be a quiet evening filled with several of Charles’s culinary creations.
Myra’s adopted daughter Nikki had just finished a big case with her law firm, and Jack rested the prosecution’s case in a different legal matter. Between their two schedules, they rarely had time to eat, let alone have a real meal with family.
Myra had been looking forward to this evening for weeks, needling Charles about the menu. His signature dish was a crown roast with popovers, but Myra knew one should never use the American vernacular of Yorkshire pudding in front of him. Not if you wanted a taste of one. But Charles had other menu ideas. He wanted to try something new.
“It just better be delicious.” Myra playfully tapped her finger on Charles’s collarbone. He immediately took her hand into his and kissed it. Myra pulled it away and gave him a playful pinch on the cheek.
“My love. Would I offer anything less than scrumptious?” Charles replied in his British accent, which occasionally morphed from traditional Cockney to West Midlands to RP, which is what one commonly heard on the BBC. Charles’s background was a bit hazy. He was retired from MI6, but no one knew exactly why he could no longer enter the UK without stirring up the local authorities. Now he served the Sisterhood with his contacts, networks, and expertise. Even though he was no longer welcome in his homeland, his former colleagues and allies were always willing to assist when requested.
“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what you’re planning?” Myra gave him a sideways look as she stroked her pearls, a habit she had developed several years ago.
Charles gently moved her hand away from her neck. “What are you fretting about?”
“Fretting? Nothing.” Myra was aware her “tell” was showing.
“You can’t play that game with me.” Charles put his hands on each of her shoulders. His eyes locked with hers. There was nowhere for her to go.
Myra sighed. “I can’t say.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Charles pressed.
“More can’t.” Her brow furrowed.
Charles peered closer. “Tell me you are not having one of those ‘gut feelings.’”
“That’s the problem, Charles. Something isn’t sitting right with me. I can’t explain it.”
“You usually can’t. But within time, whatever it is comes to the surface.” Charles kissed her on the forehead.
“I suppose you’re right. But I hate when this happens. It feels so uncomfortable,” Myra said, pouting.
“Perhaps it’s because it’s been several months since you and the Sisters were on a mission. It fuels you. The adrenaline takes over. And when the mission is over, you deflate like an old mylar balloon that’s run out of air.”
“Old balloon?” Myra jerked her head back.
Charles knew he had unintentionally hit a sore spot. “Oh, love, I don’t mean you’re an old balloon. What I meant was . . . oh, bugger that.” He put his arms around her and started humming a few lines from one of her favorite love songs, “All the Way.”
“You are no Frank Sinatra, buster.” Myra snickered as she swayed back and forth in his arms.
“Okay, lovie, leave me to my work.” Charles gave her a peck on the cheek. “The dough for the ravioli is getting hard.”
“Is that a euphemism?” Myra snorted.
Charles let out a howl. “My, aren’t you the cheeky one?”
Myra gave him a sly grin and winked before she turned and retreated into the atrium.
Charles went back to preparing his homemade ravioli, rolling the dough into long sheets. He took small scoops of a mixture of porcini mushrooms, mozzarella, and ricotta, placing them on the rows of dough, then topped it with another sheet of pasta. He pulled out a pasta wheel and rolled out a few dozen square shapes. Most people were accustomed to round ravioli. “But this is the traditional way,” he would explain to confused onlookers. Once cooked, the ravioli would be finished with a sauce made of butter and sage, sprinkled with truffles. That was the first course. Next up would be a salad with arugula, radicchio, and fennel, drizzled with a light lemon vinaigrette. After the salad, Charles planned for osso buco as the main course, accompanied by French green beans and polenta. He knew he’d get a little grief about all the carbs, but it was a must. The sauce from the veal shanks deserved something to soak in. He thought about dessert, but knew he’d get grief about that, as well, so he opted for fresh raspberry sorbet. Normally it was served between courses, but it would have to suffice for after dinner.
About an hour later, Myra walked back into the kitchen. The aromas were beckoning. “Oh, Charles, you have outdone yourself. Again. I know I say that every time you cook a meal like this. Nikki and Jack will be salivating as soon as they walk in the door.” She came up behind him and put her arms around his waist. “May I kiss the chef?”
