Protecting everleigh, p.1
Protecting Everleigh, page 1
Protecting Everleigh
A steamy, small-town romantic suspense
GHOST Legacy
Book 4
PJ Fiala
Contents
DEDICATION
Description
Glossary - GHOST Legacy
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
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
ALSO BY PJ FIALA
MEET PJ
Copyright
DEDICATION
I’ve had so many wonderful people come into my life and I want you all to know how much I appreciate it. From each and every reader who takes the time out of their days to read my stories and leave reviews, thank you.
My beautiful, smart and fun Road Queens, who play games with me, post fun memes, keep the conversation rolling and help me create these captivating characters, places, businesses and more. Thank you ladies for your ideas, support and love. The following characters and places were created by:
Nicky Ortiz - GHOST Headquarters - The HOG (Home, Office and Garage)
House name ideas
Amy Ball - The Stitchery
Deb Jones Diem - Hemmed In
Kerry Harteker - Mending Box
Karen Cranford LeBeau - Button Down
Julia Murphy - Zipped Tight
Gail Whitley - Needle Point
Dana Zamora - Sown Home
* * *
People:
Alana Ackerman - Ryhs
Liz Bradley - Officer Maria Bradley
Tjuana TJ Brown - Shianne Brown
Lyne Carroll & Belinda Jackson Hercule -Elena Dorsey
Cathy Christmas – Helissa, GHOST Cook
Tami Czenkus - Stella Delany
Terri DeMario - Flynn DeMario
Marie Evans - Case Evans
Anna Marie Flamini - Amelia (childhood friend of Elena)
Peggy Fowler and Sharon R. Cowan - Kenna Lawrence
Kerry Harteker - Elena's mom's health issues
Stacy Hartley - Marina Hayes
Belinda Jackson Hercule - Sharon Jackson
Ginna Honeycutt - Officer Carter Gordon
Beckie Johnson Lowe - Colt Lowe
Nathalie Juergensen - Daniel Juergensen
Killaine Kennedy - Niya Lawrence
Kristi Hombs Kopydlowski - Lara Bennit and Troy Brown
Kim Kurtz - Howie Lawrence, Geoffrey Kurtz
Karen Cranford LeBeau - Klaire Brown, Aidyn Dunbar, Sheriff Rex Cranford and Millie LeBeau
Kristi Malloy - Zachary Malloy
Elinda Moody - Keaton Bennit
Monique Mousseau - Spencer Lawson
Julia Murphy - Atty. Peter Murphy, Alan
Terra Oenning - Mayor Rayleigh Winters, Perry DeWitt
Nicky Ortiz - Explosives Expert from Brookswood - Dylan
Cindy Pearson - Ami Pearson
Pamela Reveal - Matthew Vickers
Cay Krueger Scheumack - Zahn Krueger
Wendy Simek - Carson Simek
Jayne Smith - Atty. Francesca Smith
Yolanda Tobiasen - Laylah Bennit
Elizabeth Ward Sadowsky - Chesson Ward
Jo West - Baxter Fenshaw
Dana Zamora - Sean and Jonathon Lawrence, Zander Zamora
Jessica Zoe - Grace Dorsey
Debbie Zsidai - Dr. Emily Zsidai
* * *
Places:
Amy Barber - Fort Abraham
Kim Kurtz - Glen Hollow
Kathy Franklin - Hickory Hills
Monique Mousseau Westwood - Brookswood
* * *
Glen Hollow businesses -
Abigail Capps - Paxton's General Store
Abigail Capps - Squeaky Clean Laundromat
Nancy Hoch - Homemade in the Hollow, Stackable Reads Bookstore
Nathalie Juergensen - Hairy Beards and The Broken Barrel
Beckie Johnson Lowe - Chestnut Grove
Nicky Ortiz - Divine Designs, Lady Liberty Law Office, The Paper Trail, Porter's Steakhouse, Picket Fence Realty, Homeland Guest House
Anne Walker - Lara's Delights
Jo West - Bloomin' Lovely
PJF - Smith Squared Attorneys at Law
* * *
Horse Names
Holli Kohls - Harper
Arlene Miklovic - Lady
Michelle Terry - Diamond
Pam James - Miss Penny Mae
Stacy Harley - Jazzy
Monique Mousseau Westwood - Sugar
Nancy Kehl - Queenie
Marlene Davis - Sallie
* * *
Black Road Resistance (BRR)
Jamie Rogers - BRR Black Road Resistance
Ronda Barnes-Howard - Everett Howard
Tami Czenkus - Carson
Marlene Davis - Hanalore Howard
Sally Harris - Brock Harris
Ginna Honeycutt - Cole Honeycutt
Lynne Kerr - Gerard Weston
Karen Cranford LeBeau - Brenner Matthews, Ramsey Stewart
Beckie Johnson Lowe - Brayden Lowe
Lisa Mansfield - Reece Mansfield
Mary Lou Melzer - Kent Bennit
Arlene Miklovic - Liliana Weston
Margaret Park Mathias - Waylon and Duffy Park
Julie Ann Price - Liam Price
Jayne Smith - Theresa and Craig Howard
Jo West - Jasiah Weston
Debbie Zsidai - Medicine Woman - Elenor
* * *
Last but not least, my family for the love and sacrifices they have made and continue to make to help me achieve this dream, especially my husband and best friend, Gene. Words can never express how much you mean to me.
To our veterans and current serving members of our armed forces, police and fire departments, thank you ladies and gentlemen for your hard work and sacrifices; it’s with gratitude and thankfulness that I mention you in this forward.
Description
When the job can only be handled by a team that doesn’t exist, you call GHOST.
He was raised to be a GHOST operative.
She's an Army-trained, skilled negotiator.
Together they play a game of push and pull—until she finds herself in need of his protection.
Henry Delany inherited his father’s muscular frame and his mother’s penchant for the law. Working for GHOST gives him the opportunity to use both while doing what he loves—protecting the lives of others. Determined to bring tranquility and harmony to Glen Hollow, the small town he now calls home, he has agreed to work with a closed-off government liaison in an effort to broker a peace deal. But Protecting Everleigh just might be Henry’s most challenging mission to date.
Everleigh Hayes was raised to be a negotiator, and Glen Hollow, Kentucky is a small town in need of a truce. She is just the woman to make that happen. Like her previous assignments, she approaches this one with her finely-tuned grace and finesse. But when Everleigh comes face-to-face with the undercurrent of darkness permeating this little town, she finds herself ensnared by more danger than she’s ever faced. Needing Henry and falling in love with him is a development she’s never negotiated before.
Protecting Everleigh is the fourth novel in the GHOST Legacy Romantic Suspense Series, although all books in the GHOST Legacy world can be read as a stand-alone. A steamy romantic story with a guaranteed happily ever after, it does have some strong language and exciting sexy times. Enjoy Henry and Everleigh!
Glossary - GHOST Legacy
The kids from GHOST are all grown up and living lives of their own. Meet these men and women of GHOST Legacy:
Tate Vickers - Tate is the son of Gaige and Sophie Vickers. Their story is told in Defending Sophie. Tate is a recon specialist and runs the GHOST satellite office.
Aidyn Dunbar - Is the son of Bridget and Axel Dunbar. You can find their story is Defending Bridget. Aidyn’s specialty is sharpshooter and recon.
Spencer Lawson - Spencer is the son of Wyatt and Yvette Lawson. You can read their story in Defending Yvette. Spencer specializes in security, recon and recovery.
Henry Delany - Henry is the son of Hawk and Roxanne Delany. Their story is told is Defending Roxanne. His specialties are recon, recovery, and anything that requires size.
Adelaide Masters - Adelaide’s parents are Josh and Isabella Masters. Their story is told in Defending Isabella. Adelaide served in the Army and is the team’s medic.
Maya Sa
Myles Sager - Myles served in the US Marine Corps. Myles and Maya are the twins of Dodge and Jax Sager. Myles is an explosives expert.
1
Henry Delany looked up the mountain road that led to Hickory Hills where the Black Road Resistance resided. They'd been nothing but trouble since he and his teammates had come to town more than a year ago. They'd set off explosions, cut wires, raided and damaged businesses, shot at them, fought with them and generally been pains in the ass.
"What are you looking at?" Myles Sager, one of his teammates, asked.
"Just wondering when all this will be over with the BRR."
Myles chuckled. "Aren't you protecting the negotiator?"
He glanced at Myles, and grinned. "When she gets here. But these things can take a while."
Myles nodded. "Okay. Well, let's hope she can work something out with them sooner rather than later."
"Yeah." As he turned toward the trailer that served as the office on the construction site, his phone rang. Pulling it from his back pocket, he glanced at the readout, surprised to see the number of a realtor he'd spoken to yesterday.
"Delany."
"Hi, Henry, this is Zander Zamora. From Picket Fence Realty. Your verbal offer has been accepted."
Henry stopped in his tracks, his eyes following Myles as he continued toward the construction trailer.
Struggling to get his mind around the words he'd just heard, he swallowed the enormous lump that clogged his throat and took in two deep breaths. He felt light-headed and his mouth wouldn't work. Words. He needed to say words. But his brain wouldn't engage, and he felt as though he were trying to conjure foreign words he didn't understand.
"Are you there, Henry? Isn't that exciting?"
Now this was an answer he had words for. He cleared his throat, taking an extra second to recover his thoughts. "Ah, yes, I'm here."
"So, exciting, right? I can bring the paperwork to you or make an appointment for you to come to the office and sign them. Which works best for you?"
"Uh..." His eyes shifted to the construction trailer, which now felt as though it had moved a mile down the road. "I, um, can I call you back?"
"Sure thing. You've got my number. But we'll need to get this offer written up in the next few hours so Mr. DeWitt doesn’t change his mind."
“Yeah, okay, will do.” Of course, he found more words just as the line went dead with an old-school click of Zamora’s desk phone. He pulled his phone away from his ear, gulping large lungfuls of air as he searched for a place to sit down. What in the ever-loving hell had just happened? Not only had he not placed a verbal offer, but it was accepted?
He dragged his feet to the edge of the nearest building on the grounds, the newly constructed barracks which would hold the incoming troops in a few short months. A construction tote pushed against the building called to him and he sank onto it. Holding his phone in front of him, he scrolled through the texts between himself and Zander, to see how the hell he’d gotten the idea he'd made a verbal offer. He'd always assumed one day he'd purchase a farm like his parents had. A hobby farm, a place to unwind, with work that would physically tire him out but also, let his mind rest. It's how he grew up. His parents bought a hobby farm before he was born. Every spare minute, they went to the farm. Sometimes, he and his mom would stay there while his dad was out on missions.
And, sure he'd looked at the old DeWitt farm two days ago. It needed a shit-ton of work. The old man, Perry, had let it go for the past fifteen years. It would be a project, a good project. While he was still an operative, he'd work on the physical buildings and fences, so when he was finally ready to retire he'd have a few chickens, a cow or two, and maybe a dog. He really wanted a dog. A Belgian Malinois. A badass, gorgeous dog that would guard the property and the animals, be company for him in the evenings. It was a great dream, but it wasn’t today’s dream.
Bringing his head back to the current situation, he scrolled through the texts sent back and forth after he'd looked at the farm. Definitely nothing there that intimated a verbal offer.
He needed to clear his head and think about this. Contacting the agent while he was confused would get him nowhere. His heart was still racing like a horse down the track, and he needed to think about work, or anything other than the farm, for a while. Standing, he decided to patrol the perimeter again.
He rounded the corner of the barracks and followed the path he'd worn through the brush from all of his perimeter checks. Focusing on the ground helped him calm down. Work. That was it.
Something glinted in the sunlight, and he froze. Taking a moment, he inched closer to the object and froze once again. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he tapped Myles' picture.
"I thought you were right behind me."
"I was but decided to walk the perimeter. I need you out here. Explosive device. I'm on the west side of the base, behind the containers. Bring gear."
"Roger." The line went dead, and Henry scanned the area for wires or triggers. Anything that might set this thing off.
Sucking in a deep breath, he exhaled slowly. He wanted something to redirect his thoughts, and it looked like he’d found it. Fortunately, before it found him.
He turned slowly when he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. When Myles stepped closer to him, he pointed to the shiny object on the ground.
"Okay, back away and let me do my thing, bud." Myles quipped.
"Do you need me to do anything for you?" Henry asked.
"Just keep everyone away from here and keep your phone close."
Henry followed Myles’s orders. After all, Myles was their explosives expert. And he was good at it. Very good.
Henry stepped to the other side of the shipping container, phone in hand, and surveyed the area to ensure no one trampled through.
"Henry?" Myles called.
"Yeah."
"Alert everyone to an impending explosion then get me some of the rubber bolsters from the storage shed."
"Roger."
He jogged toward the construction office and flung open the door to find their construction manager at his desk. Baxter Fenshaw’s head whipped around, his eyes wide.
"Impending explosion, Baxter. Let the crew know. Behind the storage container on the west side of the site."
"Will do."
Henry ran to the construction shed and muscled three heavy rubber bolsters—large rubber blankets used to muffle the blast and contain the debris—onto one of the UTVs on site. He hurried toward Myles and the explosive device, jumping off the UTV as he neared the side of the storage container.
"Myles?"
"Yeah."
"I've got the bolsters."
"Okay. Bring them around one at a time.”
He hefted the first bolster over his shoulder and crept behind the container.
Myles stood and took the bolster from him. "Grab the next one please."
Henry took off to the UTV, his heart pumping wildly. Sweat beading on his temple as he muscled the final two bolsters back to Myles.
"Last one, Myles."
Myles turned toward him, sweat trickling down his face. The neckline of his t-shirt was darkened with moisture. "Okay, bud. Turn the UTV around and get ready to take off as soon as I jump in.”
Henry turned the UTV around, his foot poised over the gas pedal. The heat permeated his skin and clothing. How was it possible to be this hot? Myles’s footsteps pounded a steadily increasing beat as he ran toward him and he lowered his foot to rest right on the gas pedal. The instant Myles jumped into the UTV, he pushed his foot to the floor and they sped toward the construction office. Gravel shot back behind the UTV, he could hear the pinging as the stones hit the trailer. Merely four yards away from the construction trailer, the explosion filled the air, and the concussion pounded through his chest.
