Honor n duty, p.1
Honor 'N' Duty, page 1
Table of Contents
Content Warning
Dedication
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
Chapter Thirty-Five
Epilogue
Prologue
Preview of Tough Justice
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Discover more romance from Entangled… Hell & Back
Honor Avenged
Zone of Action
A Surrealist Affair
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2022 by Tee O’Fallon. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.
Preview of Tough Justice © 2022 by Tee O’Fallon
Entangled Publishing
644 Shrewsbury Commons Ave
STE 181
Shrewsbury, PA 17361
rights@entangledpublishing.com
Amara is an imprint of Entangled Publishing.
Edited by Heather Howland
Cover design by LJ Anderson/Mayhem Cover Creations
Cover photography by MRBIG_PHOTOGRAPHY, Hirurg, Eric Metz, and HannaGottschalk/Getty Images
ISBN 978-1-64937-308-3
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition July 2022
At Entangled, we want our readers to be well-informed. If you would like to know if this book contains any elements that might be of concern for you, please check the book’s webpage for details.
https://entangledpublishing.com/books/honor-n-duty
To my family—human and canine. For being there. For loving me. For just being you!
Prologue
Kade Sampson pulled into the Regional Bank & Trust’s parking lot. The bank was hopping, forcing Kade to park in the back forty.
He turned off the engine, taking in the massive, two-story concrete and brick structure. With the never-ending bank of windows and the gold dome capping the second floor, it reminded him of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. Kade’s older brother had done good for himself. Better than good, actually.
Like their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, they’d both been West Point grads. But where Kade had gone the Army Ranger–law enforcement route, Josh’s expertise had taken him in an entirely different direction.
Now, as the newly promoted manager of RB&T’s central branch in Marlboro, New Jersey, Josh supervised more than fifty people, plus another hundred or so at the bank’s smaller branches scattered around North Jersey.
Not that Kade was surprised. He might have inherited their dad’s athletic abilities, but it was Josh who’d inherited their old man’s wizardry with numbers. No wonder he’d always kicked Kade’s ass when their dad forced them to play board games that taught strategy, like chess and Monopoly. Kade and Josh had always been fiercely competitive, and those games had been a way for them to blow off steam without actually coming to blows. Most of the time, anyway. A shrink probably would have declared their sibling rivalry unhealthy.
The second Kade stepped outside, a strong gust of cool autumn wind whipped open his suit jacket, exposing his Glock to half a dozen video cameras. He pulled down the flap of the jacket, holding it in place as he walked to the entrance. No sense putting the bank’s security team on red alert and tackling him the second he walked in the door.
He passed a brand-new silver Jaguar parked in the spot reserved for the bank manager. Knowing Josh, the Jag was probably the latest, top-of-the-line model. Kade could only imagine what his K-9’s claws would do to all that buttery-soft leather upholstery.
He pushed through the heavy glass door and was hit by the low hum of customers waiting on one side of the lobby for a teller and more conversation at the dozen or so desks on the other side. He didn’t know how Josh did it. Parking his butt at a desk all day would have killed Kade. Then again, his brother had a five-thousand-square-foot mansion overlooking the Navesink River in Rumson, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the state. The property boasted an enormous swimming pool and yard, plus a floating dock and a thirty-foot sailboat that he never used. The price tag on a place like that, let alone the taxes, made Kade’s head hurt. Probably pocket change for Josh.
Heading for the elevators, Kade stuck his finger in the knot of his tie, loosening it and popping open the top button of his shirt. The damned thing was itching the hell out of his neck. Smoke had it made. Usually, the only thing his dog had to wear to work was the furry suit he’d been born with.
He pushed the up arrow, still curious about the unexpected call he’d received last night from his brother. Josh said he had news he wanted to share in person, then invited Kade to lunch. Kade didn’t normally get down to Marlboro Township, but he’d been testifying in court for the local PD, and the courthouse was only minutes from the bank. The timing had worked out.
Half a minute later, the digital number above the elevator indicated the car was still on the second floor. He turned to look for the stairwell and promptly crashed into someone. “Sorry.” He reached out to steady the woman he’d practically body-slammed.
Light-brown, almond-shaped eyes fringed by thick lashes looked up at him from the most beautiful face he’d ever seen. Long, straight, jet-black hair framed creamy skin with a hint of olive. High cheekbones gave the woman a regal bearing.
“Uh, you can let go, now.” Rosy-pink gloss called attention to lips that lifted slightly as she looked up at him for a moment, then glanced warily at the open doors. “The elevator’s here.”
As she brushed past him, he inhaled her scent—subtle and sweet, like the honeysuckle vines that used to grow in his parents’ backyard and…pears. He guessed she was about five-six, taller in those skyscraper heels. When she turned, his gaze dipped to the strand of pearls around her neck and the lacy top of a camisole peeking out from the open collar of her white blouse.
Kade’s gut clenched at his unexpected reaction. Okay, so the woman was a knockout, but it was more than that.
Barracks bunnies always had a way of ferreting out the West Point grads and the Army Rangers, so he’d been with lots of knockouts. This woman did something to him. Something basic and instinctive that made everything inside him jump to attention like a police cadet on his first day at the academy.
The elevator started to close, and she reached for the button panel, holding open the doors. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah,” he managed after unswallowing his tongue, then joined her inside.
The doors closed and the elevator shimmied as it began to rise. A few seconds later, it lurched to an abrupt halt that had them both reaching for the handrails. A folder she’d been clutching fell to the floor.
“Oh, no.” Her knuckles turned white where she gripped the rails, her chest rising and falling faster.
“Hey, it’ll be okay. I promise.”
She gave him a tight nod.
He peered through the narrow slit between the doors, not seeing any light, then pushed each button on the elevator one by one. Still, the elevator didn’t budge. Next, he opened a small panel door beneath the buttons and pulled out the emergency phone. Seconds later, an operator answered.
“We’re stuck between floors,” Kade said, knowing the elevator company’s twenty-four-hour monitoring service would automatically identify the elevator and the building’s location.
“I understand, sir,” the operator answered. “Is anyone hurt?”
Kade looked at the woman who’d begun to tremble. “Negative.” For now. Although she looked ready to pass out. “How long?”
“Approximately thirty minutes.”
“Make it faster.” He reinserted the phone into the compartment, then took a chance and rested his hands on the woman’s shoulders. “It really will be okay. They know exactly where we are, and they’re sending someone to get us out.”
Her inhalations were still coming too rapidly, and her hands fisted tighter on the rails.
Time for a little Sampson-charm distraction. “What’s your name?”
“Laia,” she whispered between breaths.
Even her name was pretty. “Mine’s
Kade. You okay?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, looking up and giving him an up-close-and-personal glimpse of those gorgeous eyes still brimming with banked fear.
“Claustrophobic, huh?”
“A little,” she admitted, pressing her hand to her belly.
“You’re not going to get sick on me, are you?” He’d said it in jest, but the more she kept touching her belly, the more he suspected she might really heave.
“Well, hopefully not on you,” she answered, and he was rewarded with a hesitant smile. “I was actually thinking that corner would do nicely.” Her face had flushed with what would normally be a pretty shade of pink. Except for the fact that she looked ready to lose her breakfast.
“Why don’t we get comfortable? It’ll help the time pass easier.” He shrugged out of his suit jacket, spread it on the floor, then held out his hand. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened as she caught sight of his holstered gun and badge. “I’m a Department of Homeland Security officer.”
“Oh.” Slim fingers clasped his, sending sharp tingles of awareness shooting up his arm. “But your jacket will get dirty.”
“That’s what dry cleaners are for.” The floor of that elevator could have been coated with mud, grease, and oil, and he’d still sacrifice his jacket in a heartbeat.
That and his father and his grandfather would have smacked the back of his head with a book for ever allowing a lady to sit on a filthy elevator floor. Officers and gentlemen to the core, both of them. To a fault, actually.
“Thank you.” Gracefully, she lowered to the floor, curling her legs beneath her and readjusting her beige skirt as she settled in the corner to face him. Her breathing seemed easier, although she still looked queasy.
“Better?” he asked, sitting and leaning against the adjacent wall.
“Yes, thank you.” This time, the smile she gave him was genuine, but she swallowed hard as she took in the confined space they’d likely be stuck in for half an hour. More, probably.
“You work for this bank, right?” No jacket, purse, or briefcase, and the only thing she’d been carrying was that folder that now lay on the floor. She looked to be in her late twenties and wore no rings. His mind was quick to note that.
She nodded. “I’m an accounts manager.”
“Where are you from, Laia?” Even if he hadn’t been trying to keep her mind occupied, that was a question he would have asked anyway because he truly wanted to know more about her.
“Asbury Park, but my family is originally from Puerto Rico.”
That explained the slight accent he’d detected that only made itself known when she spoke certain words. “I love Puerto Rico.” He stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. “I’ve been there a dozen times for work. I always tack on a few extra personal days to see the sights and have some fun.”
“What’s your favorite place?” She tucked a few strands of long, dark hair behind one ear, revealing a tiny pearl stud in her lobe.
“Hard to pick just one. The Bioluminescent Bay is one of the coolest places on earth.”
“It is, isn’t it?” This time she smiled fully. “Do you know what makes the water luminesce?”
“Dino flagellates. What else? They glow neon blue whenever the water is disturbed.”
“I’m impressed. Most tourists don’t know.”
“I’ve got a good memory for details.” Something that had served him well in the Rangers and later in the DHS. “What’s your favorite place?”
“Oh, that’s easy.” She sat up straighter, her eyes lighting with enthusiasm. “El Yunque, the rain forest. I loved looking at all the animals. The iridescent green and blue hummingbirds, the bats, geckos, and lizards. Once, I’m sure I spotted one of the most endangered animals in the world, the—”
“Puerto Rican Parrot,” they both said at the same time.
“Exactly.” She laughed, sending another jolt of awareness speeding through Kade’s body, this one forcing him to adjust his legs. “There are less than thirty of them left in the wild, all living in El Yunque.”
Laia’s enthusiasm was totally contagious. “Have you ever gone ziplining at El Yunque? Gives you a better chance of seeing more birds.”
“That I’ve never done,” she said wistfully. “Mostly, that’s a tourist thing. Maybe, someday.”
“You should also go jet skiing at Isla Verde. Great way to see the coast.” Kade still remembered that trip. Josh had joined him but never left the hotel, preferring to lounge by the pool rather than experiencing all the beauty, history, and adventure Puerto Rico had to offer. “But I’m guessing that’s a tourist thing, too?”
“It is.” She smiled. “There’s so much more to the island than people know. Tourists only skim the surface and see what’s in the travel brochures. To experience the true heartbeat of Puerto Rico you have to stray from the beaten path.”
There was no missing the sadness brimming in her lovely eyes. “Sounds like you miss it.”
“I do. Especially the food.” She chuckled. “Puerto Ricans are as passionate about their food as the French.”
“I didn’t know that,” he admitted. “Have you ever eaten at Casita Moreno? Their stuffed mofongo is awesome.” The last time he’d gone there, he’d eaten two servings.
“I actually have eaten there.” She nodded, almost reluctantly. “It’s good, but the best mofongo I ever had was at a little hole-in-the-wall place down a side street you’ve probably never even heard of. You’d have to be a local to know it was even there. When I was little, we went there on my birthday for tres leches cake. It was my favorite.”
He loved tres leches. “If you could celebrate your birthday anywhere in the world, where would you spend it?”
“Hawaii. I’ve never been there. What about you?”
“I think I’d like to go back to Puerto Rico again and see your version of the island, not the tourist version.”
She blushed, and her eyes darted away, but not before he caught the little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Here he was stuck in an elevator with a woman he’d known for less than ten minutes and he was already—
He glanced at his watch and holy shit. Forty minutes had passed.
The smooth skin on her forehead creased. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Nothing bad, anyway. Being stuck in this elevator with her for another forty minutes would be the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. But the frown on her face deepened. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m just late for a meeting. Really late.”
“Do you want to call someone?” He dug into his pocket for his phone. “You can use my phone.”
When he held out his cell, she reached for it but stopped. Rather than take the phone, she stared at him intently. When she smiled, his heart began slamming against his ribs. When they escaped from this elevator, there was no way he was saying goodbye. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her to be his personal tour guide on a lengthy trip to Puerto Rico, which was ridiculous, considering they’d known each other less than an hour.
“Laia,” he said, soaking up whatever this amazing connection bouncing between them was, “would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” The answer had to be yes. Judging by the electricity zapping between them, he sensed it would be. He held his breath, hoping she couldn’t hear that muscle in his chest bouncing around like a beach ball.
Slowly, her smile faded, and her expression turned…sad. There was no other word for it. “Kade, I—”
The elevator jerked, then started to rise.
He grabbed the folder, handing it to Laia as he helped her to stand. The sorrow in her eyes had deepened, and she wouldn’t even look at him.
“Laia?” He touched his fingers to her cheek. “What’s wrong?”
Before she could answer, the elevator stopped, and the doors opened. Josh and a small crowd had gathered, including two elevator repairmen.
Kade dropped his hand, surprised to find a flare of annoyance in Josh’s eyes. Okay, so he was late for their lunch, but it wasn’t like his brother to get so bent out of shape over something so small.
“What the hell are you doing?” Josh asked him, then reached for Laia, tugging her into the hallway, then running his hands up and down her arms. “Are you all right? I was notified the elevator was stuck, but I had no idea you were in there.”
